Home Sweet Home – 24.5.2010

I made it home safe and sound after 14 hours in flight and many more hours spent waiting at air ports and in a car to get home. I was exhausted as I sat by the baggage claim waiting for my heavy bags. Then a feeling came over me and I turned my head to the right and there she was with red and white carnations in one hand and a camera in the other. It was my mom. I was then overcome with excitement forgetting about everything else. A few days later it finally sank in that I was home as I drove our charcoal grey Dodge Ram with the windows down wind blowing in my hair singing along to the radio with the rumble of the engine in the background. It is good to be home.

First & Last Day in Paris – 23.5.2010

We took a morning walking tour around the city. Our guide was from New Zealand giving her last tour before she returned home after living here for about a year. She was animated easy to understand and entertaining. We saw Saint Michael’s fountain river, Notre Dame, Opera House, first bridge, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and a few other touristic sites. She did a good job of giving background explanation and fun facts at each location. King Henry’s Bridge was the first bridge to extend across the river through the island. This one had a funny story our guide related well to what life is like today. The bridge has different faces carved all along the side of it similar to the 100 fountains at Villa D’Este in Tivoli but in bridge form. The funny part was the faces carved along side it were the King’s friends drunk at a party had about the same time. Since they did not have digital cameras or facebook to share with others the hilarious state he found his friends in he had an artist sketch. From those sketches he had a sculpture put it in stone to add to his new bridge so all could see his silly friends. This king was the most loved, yet he had the most assassination attempts, 20 plus. The main reason was because he was not catholic in a mostly Catholic country. I learned so much on our tour it would take up pages, so I will keep it to a few. The Louvre was hard for me to spot without seeing the famous transparent triangles. It was gigantic compared to what I had always imagined. There were of course vendors selling water among other things to the flocks of tourists, but the surprising thing was as we entered on one side I could hear a female opera singer singing a beautiful song. On our way out I found the source, the artist was selling her CD in one of the archway openings. There were a couple different kinds of artist sharing their talent. I thought the violinist was the best. Walking around the whole day was torturous. The sun was extremely hot and there was little shade or green spaces to cool us down. Notre Dame was Beautiful but difficult to see with all the trees on the side. If I had not studied it in school I never would have been able to pick out the flying buttresses. The Eiffel Tower was the last thing we did. We got there in the late afternoon, confused by all the people, activities and lines going on around and under the tower. Eventually we figured out which line was the one to walk up and waited. That is when I got hit by the birds from above for the first time this whole trip to Europe. I laughed so hard I was crying. Further up in the line we realized that the same bird had also gotten my friend, and then I began balling I was laughing so hard. Everyone around us thought we were crazy but I did not care I was completely happy except for the pain in my cheeks. We walked up to the first level. The view through the diagonal metal fencing was amazing. We continued to walk around it and travel up the next flight of stairs in awe of what we were on and looking at. I saw the sun set from the Eiffel tower then rode the elevator down as they turned on the lights for night. It was beyond what I had expected and well worth every minute. I have so many things I want to do here when I come back. Thinking about being home the next day gave me the strength to get all the way back to our Hostel that night.

Paris Holds the Key to My Heart – 22.5.2010

Anastasia, the Disney animated movie scenes and songs were running through my head the whole train ride to Paris. Almost immediately after we arrived the nasty smell of urine invaded my nose. We were staying at the Peace & Love Hostel, not worth the prices we found out as we checked at a bar and preceded up the narrow spiraling stairs five flights to our room at the end of a one person at a time hallway. A three bed bunk bed took up about 80% of the floor area but we had a sink and shower. It was our first night in Paris and I was ready to immerse myself in everything French. Locals filled the small restaurant, Chez Papa, down from our Hostel. Then trying to decode the menu I realized how much Italian I did know, because I could hardly read the menu and figure out what to get. Then the smell of egg filled the air as a waiter brought a man across the room a huge omelet. I was sold I found them on the menu and was able to decipher one that sounded delicious. It was fantastic.

Last Day in London – 22.5.2010

A beautiful day woke us up early. The sun was shining in a blue sky shooting through the tree canopies of the trees in the Kensington Gardens. Suddenly the sound of horses on gravel added to the footsteps we were making as we passed the horse trail. Then we walked along side the lake until we were stopped by the sight of swans and their ducklings, grey fuzzy baby swans following their elegant white mothers. Once we were able to tear ourselves away from them we found the Peter Pan statue. The unexpected sight for me was the garden for Princess Diana with a wonderfully designed fountain. Then we dashed off to Buckingham Palace to get a good place an hour before the changing of the guard. Surprisingly we were not even close to being some of the first people. The gates were about three to four rows deep of people on the side and about six deep at the front gates. Then the monument across the street was surrounded and packed about eight deep. Luckily we found a reasonable spot on the far right side. Shortly after arriving a group in the form of a rectangle marched on to the center followed by a second group. Several minutes later to the sound of trumpets came into sight. It was about what I imagined except for the band. It is definitely a big deal. Then it was time for a quick English hot dog on our way to our last stop in England, Harrods. The hot dogs are very different than American ones. Harrods is one of the most historically important department stores in England. After getting a few last minute souvenirs for the family at Harrods it was back to the Hostel to catch our train to Paris through the English Channel. There was no way to have known we were on it because it was exactly like other trains. We were let down a little bit because we had hoped part of the tunnel would have some transparent parts to see the water we were traveling through.

Tower of London – 21.5.2010

We set off early for the Tower of London on the tube. The location we got off was across the river forcing us to walk through an amazing plaza. This plaza was full of decorated elephant statues similar concept to the cows all over Houston. We became fascinated with them taking a picture of each one. This plaza would have been a perfect precedent study for my last studio project in Orvieto. It had shops assimilated into the buildings, level changes, theater seating space, lawn, trees and most importantly a great view of London Bridge and the Tower of London across the river. We spent about 45-60 minutes experiencing, analyzing, and documenting the spaces. At the end was the London Bridge. We walked across it like crazy tourists snapping pictures left and right. On the other side were the Tower and more elephants to photograph. We took a tour of the tower facilities; the old palace and fortress from a beefeater. They are respected retired military men living in the complex giving tours in full uniform. He was lively and a great story teller. The complex was huge. This is also the location of the crown jewels. Sparkling diamonds glistening in the spot light were unbelievable. The colors of fabric were so rich in purple, reds and gold. Then we went to where they kept prisoners and instruments they used torture people. Lastly we saw the house where two young princes went missing. There are all kinds of rumors about what happened to them. One is that they ran away. Another was the king in line after them had them killed. They were not a threat to the crown because they had already been declared illegitimate. The most interesting evidence is two small boy skeletons were found when some renovations and additions were made. They were 11 and 12 years old, the same age as the two princes when they went missing. Visiting the Tower of London took up most of the afternoon. After some gift shopping we went to see the London Eye. There we ran into a book market under a bridge. It reminded me of Portobello Road from the movie Bed Knobs and Broomsticks. On the other side of the tables piled high with all kinds of books was tons of street performers. We stopped and watched one. A group of guys of different ethnicities break dancing for those of us who wanted to watch. They were okay but one impressed me when he did a move I had never seen before, he spun on his head. I was amazed he could keep spinning himself by how he moved his legs. Off in the background was the London Eye, big round wheel with transparent egg shaped compartments. Our last stop for the day was to see the House of Parliament and Big Ben. For dinner we ate at a restaurant named Texas Embassy. It was based on the fact London had an Embassy for Texas when it was its own country before it joined the United States. The food was no were near real Texas food.

London – 20.5.2010

Today is the big day, London! What a crazy adventure I was not ready for. I had one big backpack on my back and duffel on my left shoulder. Despite all the difficulties that we had we made it to our hostel, Generator. We were too early so we had to leave our bags in the luggage room already bursting at the seams. I did not care I just threw it on the floor and pushed it under a shelf happy to get rid of the load. First stop was lunch at the original Hard Rock Café. A couple of American guys decided they wanted to open up a restaurant that served some good southern American food. Then a famous guitarist became a regular who liked the place so much he donated one of his guitars. Shortly after another sent over his spurring what it has become today and it all began here in London. The food was good well worth the money. Then we went next door to the shop where we got a tour of their vault. Inside were things from Elvis, BB King, the Beatles, Jimmi Hendrix, Madonna and many more. It was fun to see some great instruments and outfits that have changed the music world. Then we walked in the direction of the zoo to help our full tummies. We saw some fun animals. What was better was walking through Hyde Park to get there. It is huge and in a few places you get glimpses of the zoo animals. Then Laura just had to see Blackfriars and Millennium Bridge because they were used in the most recent Harry Potter film. Just on the other side was the Global Theater where we watched one of Shakespeare’s pieces of work, Macbeth. We bought the cheap tickets for the yard not knowing what we got ourselves into. We walked in the great big wooden doors to an open paved area around the small stage where black sheets with holes in them were stretched out forming a tent like in my childhood. They were about neck high. Those holes we found out were for our heads we were to bend over, walk to a spot we wanted and poke our heads through a hole. We took our places as those around us were chatting away enjoying themselves for what an amazing experience we were about to have. Then all of a sudden we heard a ding from a bell and some creepy women dressed in red looking pale and possessed walked in under the black canvas scaring people. Soon the play began. A short hairy fat man came out on the stage stumbling around from his drunkenness all over the stage carrying a metal pale. Then bloody men popped all around us through the same black tent we were in to truly start the play. That is when we realized we, the spectators in the yard, were part of the production. We were the heads (soles) in hell. It took me a little while to get into the play since I had never read Macbeth and it has been a long time since I have read Shakespeare. The actors did a fantastic job of entertaining us for a couple of hours enough to block out most of the pains in our feet and body from our travels. The best part of watching the play for me was experiencing it in a historical and intimate place, especially a play matching the period so closely. Above me the sky replaced the roof. Every so often I would glance up and catch glimpses of the afternoon sky changing to the evening sky. The moon changing places with the sun as time passed. Then Alli’s favorite part was a surprise dance at the end. After they bowed they broke out into song and dance for us. The liveliness helped brighten up our minds by extracting the gruesome aspects of the play. The whole way home we dreaded having to get our bags from the luggage room and carry it up several flights of stairs to the fourth floor. The room was tiny but we had a sink. I was so exhausted I went straight to sleep when my head laid to rest on the pancake thin pillow.

Ancient Stonehenge – 19.5.2010

We took another train as usually because that is the best, cheap, and easiest way to get around here in England. This time our destination was Salisbury were we took a bus out to Stonehenge. Once we got off the train and walked out of the station a Stonehenge bus was waiting outside to take money from tourists waiting to see one of the most significant ancient sites in England. To our excitement it we rode a double-decker bus through the old medieval town of Salisbury out to Stonehenge. You could see the massive stones from miles away with speckles of color dots moving as slow as possible. When we pulled into the parking lot across the road it was plain to see that they were people. We hopped off and got our audio guides and began the circular route around the stones. Walking along under a cloudy sky taking pictures at every possible angle as the tour guide in my ear told me all kinds of history and science behind these amazing stones. It is a remarkable sight that I could never have imagined it correctly. We stopped at another site on the way back called Sarum. It is the location of a fortified castle on a large circular hill flattened at the top with at least twenty foot deep ditches surrounding it acting as a moat. Now only the land formations and some ruins are all that are left. Walking around trying to imagine what it was like in its hay day was difficult because so little was left similar to Herculaneum. The view was spectacular looking down from the highest point of the fortress in the tower on to the remains of an old Cathedral. I have to admit my professor, Carol, popped into my head for a moment because this is the kind of thing she loves. We did not stay too long because we had to catch the next bus back to Salisbury for some good English grub in an adorable medieval pub. Once I was nourished with fish & chips we walked to a historic site for many people in two different countries. That was the Cathedral of Saint Mary. This was the location where the Magna Carta was signed. How amazing we did not even realize it until we entered the gift shop where there were posters of the Magna Carta emphasizing that it was signed here. The courtyard alone was spectacular and of all the courtyards I have seen in Italy this one blows them out of the water. Same as usual we have way more that we want to do before our train leaves. For this reason we did not get to go in the church on account of me and my slight obsession I supposed is one way to put it for Jane Austen. The Mompesson House was just on the other side of the Cathedral’s lawn. This house was used as a set for a good portion of the film Sense & Sensibility with Emma Thompson. Laura and I toured around this house which was used for the House of Mrs. Jennings in London. I could not believe it we were in the movie, in their bedroom. The bed they cried their tears out over those dang men was night before my eyes. Laura and I enjoyed ourselves. This visit only reaffirmed my wishes of going to the Jane Austen evening event.

Bath – 18.5.2010

On a morning train for about an hour and a half I was able to really get a good glimpse of the English country side. It alternated between grass, dirt, clay filled dirt, and neon yellow fields of fennel. Every so often a cottage, ruins, livestock, and rivers with river boat houses would catch my eye. The cities where the train stops were easy to distinguish jam packed with row houses and more modern buildings and amenities. Eventually we arrived in Bath with warmer weather than what we experienced in Ireland. Then we exited the train station out onto a busy street so bright I was squinting with my sunglasses on. We began to ascend to one of the main sites we wanted to see here, the Royal Crescent and Circus. I have longed to see this place since I learned about it and saw pictures in one of my architectural history classes. We walked along the river until we reached a beautiful peaceful church. On the way we stopped for just a few minutes because we have seen churches out the wazoo these past four months and there was so much to see and do here. Stopped at an intersection we noticed a sign for the Victoria Art Gallery. Just below the name were some of the most enticing English words, “Admission free.” The first floor was the most unique exhibit of art that I have ever seen. The walls were filled from baseboards to crown molding of photographs, paintings, drawings and sculptures. A chaotic and crowded display of eclectic subjects and styles made it hard to appreciate the individual works. We followed some signs up a big beautifully carved dark brown wooden staircase to the second floor. There was a completely different display up there. It took on a traditional museum type of exhibition style for the art and artifacts it was displaying. There were also formative plaques to explain what we were looking at and what role it played in the different eras of art, society, and economy here in Bath and England. Looking for food to give us more energy we popped into the indoor shopping center and ate a typical English sandwich with chips (fries to keep from confusing my fellow Americans). Then we continued our hike up the hill to the location of the Royal Crescent and Circus. We walked up hill on a quaint British street lined with adorable row houses. At the peak of the hill the houses parted. In front of our eyes erupted a circular green space full of gigantic old trees surrounded by a curved façade. Through one of the four breaks in the continuous wall of houses was a road leading us directly to the Crescent. The pale off white houses from the Circus seemed to just wrap down the side of the street then began to curve around again in a semi circle forming the Crescent. A large green lawn cradled in the Crescent was full of people of all nationalities and ages enjoying the perfect weather by lounging, napping, eating a picnic meal, reading, and playing games like football (aka American soccer). The weather could not have been any better. It was much larger than I had expected. What amazed me most was that people still live in these houses. Ever since I had seen photographs of this in my History class a few years ago I have wanted to see it for my self. After walking around and through it as the sun played hide and go seek with us using the clouds we began to walk back down to the other major attraction here, the Roman Baths. They alone have been what has brought people here for centuries. We decided to stop at the Fashion museum on the way because we heard that it was interesting and fun. It was fascinating to me to learn about the different eras, decades, layers of clothing and accessories that were popular. Listening and reading about the history and reasons behind them completed the picture. Then we entered a short pink room with a few mirrors, benches and articles of clothing hanging on hooks on the wall. It was the dress up in a corset and hoop skirt room. The three of us had fun trying on the garments and understanding why people were so proper and graceful, that is all you could be in these things. There was no possible way for me to slouch when I sat down in the corset. No wonder they all had good posture, they had help. When we had finished having our fun there we finally were headed to our last stop, the Roman Baths when a man dressed in Regency period clothing caught my eye. It was the Jane Austen Center. I just had to stop and check it out. Butterflies excited my soul bringing an elated smile to my face as I walked past the gentleman and entered the house. They had a tour of the Center where they displayed items of hers or things used in the movies made from her books in a old home similar to what she lived in with her family when they were here in Bath. With a little time left before our train the girls went ahead to ensure a good Roman Bath experience for themselves. I could not tear myself away so I stayed for the tour. The tour guide told me more about her whole family and life. Some I already knew but about half was new to me. I even learned how to flirt with a fan. In the gift shop I was tempted to buy a calligraphy pen and L wax stamp letter sealer. My desire for them was mostly due to my fascination and appreciation for the art of writing. I was strong enough to refrain and settle for some postcards. With about an hour before our train I rushed to the Roman Baths to see what I could. I was able to see it all surprisingly with the ridiculous amount of tourist packed in there. It was very similar to the ones I had seen in Italy making it easy to understand and move through faster. I met up with the girls in the gift shop to walk back to the station for our train. Today was one of the most enjoyable days of my touring around thanks to the gorgeous weather and surprise of the Jane Austen Center. Just thinking about her and her work warms my heart with a beaming smile. The whole train ride back I started planning my next trip back. I found out they have a Jane Austen evening event where lovers of her work attend a party dressed in clothing from her time. At the party people eat, mingle, and dance to the live orchestra playing time period appropriate music. Sounds like my kind of fun. I can’t wait.