Dear Family and Friends,
I have been trying to write this email since I boarded my transatlantic flight from London to Chicago, but it never appears as though I can bring myself to end this trip. What a wonderful experience this has been, and I'm so glad that I've been able to share it with you. If anyone had any doubts, London was amazing, and I enjoyed every second of my time there. Even though it rained, and ESPECIALLY though it rained. Looking back, it's really hard to believe that everything I did, I accomplished in 4 months. I'd like to think that this experience taught me something about myself and my relationships with others, and I'd like to say that I've grown as a person. But, I can't really be the judge of that, so you'll have to let me know!
After school was done and before returning home, Katherine and I took a nice little vacation to Greece just to relax. In Athens we climbed the Acropolis, saw a lot of ruins, we were followed for 2 hours by a stray dog...and we ate a lot of spinach pie. In Santorini we rented a SmartCar, climbed a volcano, ate a lot of Greek salad, saw an octopus, and walked barefoot along a black sand beach. Both were beautiful cities and amazing experiences, but by the end of our trip, I wanted someone to drag my suitcase along for me....and fast! I think I even mentioned that I hoped the airline lost my suitcase and shipped it all the way back to Chicago.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/AthensGreece
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/SantoriniGreece
One of my biggest accomplishments was traveling in 3 different countries in 48 hours! Auntie Colleen was not as amused as me when it came to this fact and I dare say she grew tired of "Yesterday, in Athens...." and "This morning, in London..." :-) All in all, I visited 9 countries and 15 cities. I am so lucky that this is my life, and that it now has many traveled miles of memories to show for it. Consequently, after being back in the US for a little more than a month, I almost feel like this semester never even happened. I've approached the subject with my fellow study-abroad friends and they have all agreed. That life was surreal, and magical, and unbelievable does not concern me. What I can say is that this semester abroad wasn't like real life, and if it was, it surely wasn't my own. The ability to say "I think I'll go to Paris this weekend" leaves not much more to be desired. The past 4 months have been perfection, and more. I am so lucky that this is my life, but really I am so lucky that it WAS my life. If there was any truer testament, it would be walking to the "US Border" in the airport where the border controler say "Welcome Back" as she stamped my passport.
Coming back to reality is liberating, and I carry with me an entire new perspective of the world, of others, and most importantly of myself. The first night back in the United States I cried myself to sleep. I wasn't ready to let go of the fantasy of the whole experience. I was living someone else's life and I wasn't ready to settle for the day to day lulls of my real life at home. But, I walked away from this experience with 40 new friends, many of which I am sure will become best friends. I had two completely amazing roommates and lived in one of the most beautiful flats in all of London. As a future teacher, doctor, and lawyer, my roommates and I could not be more different. But we were never afraid to say "clean up your mess", "do your dishes", or "shut up so I can sleep", but also quick to point out our "roomie love" to each other, and to everyone else. Maybe people got a little annoyed at how many roomie pictures we had taken together, but we think they were just jealous. I am sure that they will remain an important part of my life, and I am looking forward to watching them excel in their respective careers and lives. I have already seen some of the people I went to London with, and I can't tell you how good it was to see them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheV
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheLast
To end, I'd just like to say that out of everywhere I went, London moved me most of all. There is something about that city that has drawn me in and won't let me go. When I first arrived in London and opened my History of London textbook, I found a quote on London by Samuel Johnson. It was in response to James Boswell's fear that he may tire of London once he decided to live there. Johnson responds, "Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." It is extremely hard to be tired of a city that can offer everything to someone, and something to everyone. And though I lived there for 4 months, I believe I have only scratched the surface of all London has to offer me. I look forward to going back, to seeing my boyfriend Big Ben, and to listen to the tube lady say, "This is Westminster. Exit here for Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament. Change here for the Jubilee line. Alight here for DLR railway and riverboat services from Westminster Pier. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform." What a fortunate experience in one of the world's most amazing cities. I'd like to hope that when I return to London it will feel just as natural as when I returned to Wisconsin. Fortunately for me, London was my home, and I shall always consider it to be.
Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I've tried the best I could to describe these 4 months to you, though I feel my words and pictures hardly do it justice. The only word that can sum up this experience in its totality is surreal. As far as returning home, I am spending the summer working in Madison. The remainder of my time is going diligently into studying for the LSAT. I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer and safe travels wherever you may go! Once again, thank you so much for letting me share all of this with you.
Cheers (British accent required),
Annette
Friday, 30 May 2008
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
"The art galleries of Paris have the largest collection of frames I ever saw"--Humphrey Davy
Hello everyone!
I thought it might be time for another update on my adventures throughout Europe....I've been trying to skirt the issue for the past two weeks because at some point very soon, I'm going to have to start reflecting on my time here rather than experiencing it!
Two weekends ago we took our last trip out of the country, to Paris, with London as "home base". Paris was amazing, and a place I could visit over and over again. We were so fortunate to have perfect weather the first day there...so we wandered, visited the Musee d'Orsay, and took a boat tour down the Seine.
I traveled with a few girls from my program, and then they (and I) met friends in Paris. Katherine flew to Paris from her vacation in Malaga, Spain (that's why she's so ridiculously tan in the pictures), and Christine took the train down from Caen, in the Normandy region, where she is studying this semester. It was a great reunion, and felt like the little bit of home we missed, whether or not we wanted to admit it.
Although Katherine and my French were...well....a little more than rusty, Christine saved the day on numerous occasions. She even charmed the security guard at the Eiffel Tower into letting us take up a bottle of 2 euro champagne that she had stashed in her purse. We agreed not to open it until we were back on the ground...but Katherine's extra large chocolate bar, and my little basket of strawberries were the perfect 'accent' to our trip to the top of Paris.
The rest of the weekend was filled with sites like the Louvre, the Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer Basilique, Notre Dame, and Arc d'Triomphe.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/ParisFrance
This past weekend we went to Bath on a day trip. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful town.
Today my roommate Katie and I walked the entirety of London, and then met up with our theatre class for our theatre walk to the East End at 6pm. We said farewell to Buckingham Palace, took pictures in front of Clarence House (Princes' residence), took pictures with the royal horseguards, walked by 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey. We walked through Trafalger Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Covent Gardens. Then, we visited the Royal Courts of Justice (where Diana's inquest and Paul McCartney and Heather Mills' divorce proceedings took place), we also visited Temple Church (famous for the Da Vinci Code), and the Inns of Court (where the Knights Templar used to reside). With our theatre class we walked through the financial district, saw a few Jack the Ripper sites of interest, and then had amazing Indian food on Brick Lane.
Tomorrow is a full day of class where we will be receiving our final exam preparations.
Thursday evening is reserved for our "surprise" farewell event, which consists of a group picture at school and then a coach ride to Embankment Pier where we will board a boat with all our professors and group coordinators and party the night away. Surprise.
No large plans for the weekend besides partaking in every final indulgence of London.
Next week will be bittersweet---and bitter more than sweet, as we take our final exams and say goodbye to our home here in Kensington, London. I have been snapping pictures absolutely everywhere in the past few days, documenting common signs or familiarities that I will miss or forget more and more as the weeks pass.
Katherine and I will be taking one last little hiatus to Athens and Santorini to drown our London sorrows in the sand and surf of Perissia Beach. After 5 days of relaxation we will turn right around and head back to London where less than 24 hours later, we will board our Virgin Atlantic plane and head back to the United States.
I don't know that I'll be able to stay away from this place for too long. So, if anyone would like to join me next summer for a week of Wimbledon tennis, a tour of Buckingham Palace, and Jude Law in Hamlet....those are pretty much the only things I haven't accomplished here in London.
I miss you all and love you....I hope you are all looking forward to "Annette calling..." on your cells when I return. The "London calling...." ship is sailing quickly out to the Atlantic, and I'll be the last to willingly board. But the good thing is.....London's 2000 years of history isn't ending anytime soon....so this ship will return again!
Cheers! XOXO
Annette
I thought it might be time for another update on my adventures throughout Europe....I've been trying to skirt the issue for the past two weeks because at some point very soon, I'm going to have to start reflecting on my time here rather than experiencing it!
Two weekends ago we took our last trip out of the country, to Paris, with London as "home base". Paris was amazing, and a place I could visit over and over again. We were so fortunate to have perfect weather the first day there...so we wandered, visited the Musee d'Orsay, and took a boat tour down the Seine.
I traveled with a few girls from my program, and then they (and I) met friends in Paris. Katherine flew to Paris from her vacation in Malaga, Spain (that's why she's so ridiculously tan in the pictures), and Christine took the train down from Caen, in the Normandy region, where she is studying this semester. It was a great reunion, and felt like the little bit of home we missed, whether or not we wanted to admit it.
Although Katherine and my French were...well....a little more than rusty, Christine saved the day on numerous occasions. She even charmed the security guard at the Eiffel Tower into letting us take up a bottle of 2 euro champagne that she had stashed in her purse. We agreed not to open it until we were back on the ground...but Katherine's extra large chocolate bar, and my little basket of strawberries were the perfect 'accent' to our trip to the top of Paris.
The rest of the weekend was filled with sites like the Louvre, the Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer Basilique, Notre Dame, and Arc d'Triomphe.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/ParisFrance
This past weekend we went to Bath on a day trip. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful town.
Today my roommate Katie and I walked the entirety of London, and then met up with our theatre class for our theatre walk to the East End at 6pm. We said farewell to Buckingham Palace, took pictures in front of Clarence House (Princes' residence), took pictures with the royal horseguards, walked by 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey. We walked through Trafalger Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Covent Gardens. Then, we visited the Royal Courts of Justice (where Diana's inquest and Paul McCartney and Heather Mills' divorce proceedings took place), we also visited Temple Church (famous for the Da Vinci Code), and the Inns of Court (where the Knights Templar used to reside). With our theatre class we walked through the financial district, saw a few Jack the Ripper sites of interest, and then had amazing Indian food on Brick Lane.
Tomorrow is a full day of class where we will be receiving our final exam preparations.
Thursday evening is reserved for our "surprise" farewell event, which consists of a group picture at school and then a coach ride to Embankment Pier where we will board a boat with all our professors and group coordinators and party the night away. Surprise.
No large plans for the weekend besides partaking in every final indulgence of London.
Next week will be bittersweet---and bitter more than sweet, as we take our final exams and say goodbye to our home here in Kensington, London. I have been snapping pictures absolutely everywhere in the past few days, documenting common signs or familiarities that I will miss or forget more and more as the weeks pass.
Katherine and I will be taking one last little hiatus to Athens and Santorini to drown our London sorrows in the sand and surf of Perissia Beach. After 5 days of relaxation we will turn right around and head back to London where less than 24 hours later, we will board our Virgin Atlantic plane and head back to the United States.
I don't know that I'll be able to stay away from this place for too long. So, if anyone would like to join me next summer for a week of Wimbledon tennis, a tour of Buckingham Palace, and Jude Law in Hamlet....those are pretty much the only things I haven't accomplished here in London.
I miss you all and love you....I hope you are all looking forward to "Annette calling..." on your cells when I return. The "London calling...." ship is sailing quickly out to the Atlantic, and I'll be the last to willingly board. But the good thing is.....London's 2000 years of history isn't ending anytime soon....so this ship will return again!
Cheers! XOXO
Annette
Thursday, 20 March 2008
I've got the world on a string...
Hello all!
It has been over a month since I last updated everyone, and I apologize for being so out of touch! If you mix traveling with school, the reading, the papers, the plays, and a visit from my Mom....you'd find the last place you want to be is on your computer!
My spring break in Italy was absolutely amazing! We visited Rome, Florence, and Venice, and I took a day trip to the island of Capri from Rome, as well. I had three travel partners, Katie, Lindsay, and Ellie....and we felt so fortunate to have really enjoyed each other's company and gotten along so well while we traveled! We had all had interesting travel experiences with other people in our program earlier, some of which were not as good as they could have been, so we were really happy that we got along for 10 days and never really got annoyed with each other! If things got complicated, if we had bad luck, or if we were lost, we all just burst out giggling and said...."Oh well!"
Rome was by far my favorite place on our visit. We were there for four days, and packed as many things is as was humanly possible! We actually managed to do all of Vatican City, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill in one day, and before dinner! And let's not neglect the fact that we, of course, had to stop for gelato throughout the day! Rome was beautiful in every possible way. It was the mix of a bustling modern city and an ancient historic monument in and of itself. The Roman ruins littered the streets in every possible way, shape, or form. You could literally walk for blocks and see new buildings everywhere. But, you'd turn a corner and a random Roman pillar would be there to greet you. Our mode of transportation for our time in Rome was definitely on foot. Almost everything is in walking distance, and things that are not are easy to access by the metro. Unfortunately, Rome has a very sparse metro system due to the fact that every time they try to build a new underground line, they run into Roman ruins, and cannot finish the project. Everything was just gorgeous and often times left me in awe!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/RomeItaly
One quick funny story for you about Rome....we took the metro to Vatican City because it is far outside the city center. When we arrived at our tube stop, we emerged and could not find any signs pointing which way Vatican City was. I noticed a walled area about two blocks down, so we ventured that way, assuming we had found Vatican City! When we stood next to the walled area, we looked a little disappointed at the homely, almost filthy appearance of the area. The walls had barbed wire at the top, and there were guards on duty at the corner of each wall. Someone ventured a guess and said "Hey guys, I think this might be a prison, not Vatican City." And a prison it was! We walked four blocks in the opposite direction and found Vatican City to be the epitome of cleanliness and religiosity!
My day trip to Capri was wonderful and relaxing! Although I had to wake up extra early to catch a bus to Naples, the boat ride to Capri took no time at all, and the blue water and ominous sky were there to meet me! Fortunately, it never rained, and we were able to go on our little excursion to the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is a sea cave that is partially submerged. Depending on the tides of any given day, the Blue Grotto can be fully submerged, and tours are not allowed to enter. But on good days, the light shines on the water in a way that illuminates the cave and the crystal blue water. Roman Emperors used to use this cave as a private bath. Once we got into the row boat, our guide asked us to lay down as he rowed us into the tiny opening to the cave, singing "Volare" the entire way! It was beautiful! And well worth the money! Then, we explored a bit of Capri and Anacapri, had lunch, and were on our way back to Rome by dinner time!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/CapriItaly
Our next adventure was to take a train to Florence for three days. It was quite simple, and our hostel was wonderful and so helpful! I can't say that I enjoyed much of Florence. Seeing as I was absolutely in love with Rome, and Rome is the complete opposite of Florence, it left much to be desired. Our first task was to climb il Duomo....so beautiful, and the perfect 360 degree view of the city! In my opinion, Florence was beautiful from above, but its magic diminished when we found out that there really wasn't much to see besides churches and paintings of Madonna and Child. But, that's Florence. One of the churches that I really did like was the one where all of the most famous Italians are buried, such as Galileo, Raphael, Dante, Machiavelli, etc. My two most favorite things in Florence were the David and Boticelli's The Birth of Venice painting. If anyone had doubted the magnificence of David, like I had, they would be pleasantly surprised! He was literally the most amazing specimen of art and man that I have ever seen! The detail of Michelangelo's work was fantastic....and I found most of my appreciation in the fact that even the veins in his hands were perfectly sculpted and so life-like. One little-known fact I'd like to share is that the pupils of David's eyes are shaped like hearts!
Florence, by far, had the best food that Italy could offer us! There was no expense or weight gained that wasn't well worth it. The best pizza I had was porcini mushroom and truffle cream sauce. The best pasta I had was with pesto sauce, in this little restaurant called Contadino where no one spoke English and their wasn't a menu! And, my mom already knows that she has been defeated as far as pesto-making goes. This pesto was so amazing because it had literally been made 2 minutes prior to serving it to us! We had world-renowned chicken and Florentine steak...the best I've ever tasted as well. I tried well over 20 different kinds of gelato, the best of which were in Florence!
I met up with Ben Phillips, a friend from high school, who is studying in Florence this semester. Lindsay and Ellie also met up with friends from other programs in Florence as well.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/FlorenceItaly
Our trip got more and more relaxing as it progressed, and we were much appreciative of that! We took a train to Venice, got off at the wrong train station and the train left before we could get back on it. Under instructions from a worker, we hopped onto another train without tickets, in order to get to the correct train station. That train never left the station because there were Union workers protesting in front of the train, on the tracks. We looked for a bus to take us to the other train station, and found none. So, we hired a taxi, and he took us to the other train station! Once there, we had to take a water boat to our stop on the Grand Canal. At our stop, the guy from our hostel picked us up and we walked the two blocks to our hostel! At the end of all that, really, all we could do was laugh. After that, we proceeded to get lost numerous times in the entirety of Venice, seeing as it might be the most complicated and unmarked city without any streets in the entire world. But still very beautiful! Two days in Venice was just enough, and so concluded our 9 day spring break across Italy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/VeniceItaly
Since then I've gone to Stonehenge, the small town of Salisbury, and Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian. Stonehenge was a little underwhelming, but still fascinating!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheIII
We went to Westminster Abbey with class, and it was so much more interesting than it would have been if I hadn't taken History of London. And, I had just written an 8-page paper on Queen Elizabeth I, so it was rewarding to see her tomb!
My mom came on Good Friday, and we went to tea at The Orangery in Kensington Palace and explored a little bit of Kensington. We went to Churchill Arms for dinner at the Thai Restaurant that is attached, but it was closed. I found this odd, seeing as I had called and made a reservation. So, I called them back, they answered, and I found out that there were two Churchill Arms, and both had Thai restaurants attached to them. The one I called and made a reservation for was not in the city of London, but in the far suburbs. So, we opted for the Goat Tavern for dinner.
Saturday morning we took the Eurostar to Brussels, Belgium for Easter weekend. Most things were closed, most notably the EU Headquarters, which I was a little upset about. But, we made the most of it with chocolate, waffles, fries, mussels, the Beer Museum, Grand Place, the Royal Palace, Grant Market, and some lace shopping, and a movie subtitled in French. My mom and I always laughed before everyone else, so it made it extra funny!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/BrusselsBelgium
We took the train back to London on Tuesday night and went right to The 39 Steps, which I had already seen, but absolutely loved!
On Wednesday, mom ventured off by herself because I had class from 9-5:30, and she did various touristy things I had already done! Wednesday night we did the London Eye and finally made it to Churchill Arms for Thai. Amazing!
Thursday morning, on our way to the tube stop to go to Parliament, we saw French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife with police escorts. Once at Parliament, we sat in on a session of the House of Commons. After that, we went to the Cabinet War Rooms Museum that Winston Churchill used during WWII. All of the war rooms, bunkers, and facilities of the shelter were still in tact, and left preserved in the positions they had at the end of the war. (A quick side note...Winston Churchill lived and died in his Kensington flat, located less than a block away from our flat. So cool!) After that, we took a little trip past Buckingham Palace! I went to class for the afternoon, and Mom went to Kensington Palace. Thursday night I brought my mom to the Old Vic Theatre to see Speed The Plow with Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom. She almost fainted when she met Kevin Spacey, shook his hand, got his autograph, and got a picture with him!
Yesterday we went to Harrods, saw the Changing of the Guard and Buckingham Palace, then in the afternoon we went to Wimblemdon. Last night we saw The Jersey Boys and went on to the Sports Cafe to watch the first half of the Badgers game.
This morning I dropped her off at the airport, and she's on her way home!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheIV
It has been a busy month, as you can tell! I will be home in 5 short weeks, and it has now become imperative to seize every opportunity to explore the parts of London left yet undiscovered.
Hope all is well and that spring is on its way!
Annette
It has been over a month since I last updated everyone, and I apologize for being so out of touch! If you mix traveling with school, the reading, the papers, the plays, and a visit from my Mom....you'd find the last place you want to be is on your computer!
My spring break in Italy was absolutely amazing! We visited Rome, Florence, and Venice, and I took a day trip to the island of Capri from Rome, as well. I had three travel partners, Katie, Lindsay, and Ellie....and we felt so fortunate to have really enjoyed each other's company and gotten along so well while we traveled! We had all had interesting travel experiences with other people in our program earlier, some of which were not as good as they could have been, so we were really happy that we got along for 10 days and never really got annoyed with each other! If things got complicated, if we had bad luck, or if we were lost, we all just burst out giggling and said...."Oh well!"
Rome was by far my favorite place on our visit. We were there for four days, and packed as many things is as was humanly possible! We actually managed to do all of Vatican City, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill in one day, and before dinner! And let's not neglect the fact that we, of course, had to stop for gelato throughout the day! Rome was beautiful in every possible way. It was the mix of a bustling modern city and an ancient historic monument in and of itself. The Roman ruins littered the streets in every possible way, shape, or form. You could literally walk for blocks and see new buildings everywhere. But, you'd turn a corner and a random Roman pillar would be there to greet you. Our mode of transportation for our time in Rome was definitely on foot. Almost everything is in walking distance, and things that are not are easy to access by the metro. Unfortunately, Rome has a very sparse metro system due to the fact that every time they try to build a new underground line, they run into Roman ruins, and cannot finish the project. Everything was just gorgeous and often times left me in awe!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/RomeItaly
One quick funny story for you about Rome....we took the metro to Vatican City because it is far outside the city center. When we arrived at our tube stop, we emerged and could not find any signs pointing which way Vatican City was. I noticed a walled area about two blocks down, so we ventured that way, assuming we had found Vatican City! When we stood next to the walled area, we looked a little disappointed at the homely, almost filthy appearance of the area. The walls had barbed wire at the top, and there were guards on duty at the corner of each wall. Someone ventured a guess and said "Hey guys, I think this might be a prison, not Vatican City." And a prison it was! We walked four blocks in the opposite direction and found Vatican City to be the epitome of cleanliness and religiosity!
My day trip to Capri was wonderful and relaxing! Although I had to wake up extra early to catch a bus to Naples, the boat ride to Capri took no time at all, and the blue water and ominous sky were there to meet me! Fortunately, it never rained, and we were able to go on our little excursion to the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is a sea cave that is partially submerged. Depending on the tides of any given day, the Blue Grotto can be fully submerged, and tours are not allowed to enter. But on good days, the light shines on the water in a way that illuminates the cave and the crystal blue water. Roman Emperors used to use this cave as a private bath. Once we got into the row boat, our guide asked us to lay down as he rowed us into the tiny opening to the cave, singing "Volare" the entire way! It was beautiful! And well worth the money! Then, we explored a bit of Capri and Anacapri, had lunch, and were on our way back to Rome by dinner time!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/CapriItaly
Our next adventure was to take a train to Florence for three days. It was quite simple, and our hostel was wonderful and so helpful! I can't say that I enjoyed much of Florence. Seeing as I was absolutely in love with Rome, and Rome is the complete opposite of Florence, it left much to be desired. Our first task was to climb il Duomo....so beautiful, and the perfect 360 degree view of the city! In my opinion, Florence was beautiful from above, but its magic diminished when we found out that there really wasn't much to see besides churches and paintings of Madonna and Child. But, that's Florence. One of the churches that I really did like was the one where all of the most famous Italians are buried, such as Galileo, Raphael, Dante, Machiavelli, etc. My two most favorite things in Florence were the David and Boticelli's The Birth of Venice painting. If anyone had doubted the magnificence of David, like I had, they would be pleasantly surprised! He was literally the most amazing specimen of art and man that I have ever seen! The detail of Michelangelo's work was fantastic....and I found most of my appreciation in the fact that even the veins in his hands were perfectly sculpted and so life-like. One little-known fact I'd like to share is that the pupils of David's eyes are shaped like hearts!
Florence, by far, had the best food that Italy could offer us! There was no expense or weight gained that wasn't well worth it. The best pizza I had was porcini mushroom and truffle cream sauce. The best pasta I had was with pesto sauce, in this little restaurant called Contadino where no one spoke English and their wasn't a menu! And, my mom already knows that she has been defeated as far as pesto-making goes. This pesto was so amazing because it had literally been made 2 minutes prior to serving it to us! We had world-renowned chicken and Florentine steak...the best I've ever tasted as well. I tried well over 20 different kinds of gelato, the best of which were in Florence!
I met up with Ben Phillips, a friend from high school, who is studying in Florence this semester. Lindsay and Ellie also met up with friends from other programs in Florence as well.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/FlorenceItaly
Our trip got more and more relaxing as it progressed, and we were much appreciative of that! We took a train to Venice, got off at the wrong train station and the train left before we could get back on it. Under instructions from a worker, we hopped onto another train without tickets, in order to get to the correct train station. That train never left the station because there were Union workers protesting in front of the train, on the tracks. We looked for a bus to take us to the other train station, and found none. So, we hired a taxi, and he took us to the other train station! Once there, we had to take a water boat to our stop on the Grand Canal. At our stop, the guy from our hostel picked us up and we walked the two blocks to our hostel! At the end of all that, really, all we could do was laugh. After that, we proceeded to get lost numerous times in the entirety of Venice, seeing as it might be the most complicated and unmarked city without any streets in the entire world. But still very beautiful! Two days in Venice was just enough, and so concluded our 9 day spring break across Italy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/VeniceItaly
Since then I've gone to Stonehenge, the small town of Salisbury, and Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian. Stonehenge was a little underwhelming, but still fascinating!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheIII
We went to Westminster Abbey with class, and it was so much more interesting than it would have been if I hadn't taken History of London. And, I had just written an 8-page paper on Queen Elizabeth I, so it was rewarding to see her tomb!
My mom came on Good Friday, and we went to tea at The Orangery in Kensington Palace and explored a little bit of Kensington. We went to Churchill Arms for dinner at the Thai Restaurant that is attached, but it was closed. I found this odd, seeing as I had called and made a reservation. So, I called them back, they answered, and I found out that there were two Churchill Arms, and both had Thai restaurants attached to them. The one I called and made a reservation for was not in the city of London, but in the far suburbs. So, we opted for the Goat Tavern for dinner.
Saturday morning we took the Eurostar to Brussels, Belgium for Easter weekend. Most things were closed, most notably the EU Headquarters, which I was a little upset about. But, we made the most of it with chocolate, waffles, fries, mussels, the Beer Museum, Grand Place, the Royal Palace, Grant Market, and some lace shopping, and a movie subtitled in French. My mom and I always laughed before everyone else, so it made it extra funny!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/BrusselsBelgium
We took the train back to London on Tuesday night and went right to The 39 Steps, which I had already seen, but absolutely loved!
On Wednesday, mom ventured off by herself because I had class from 9-5:30, and she did various touristy things I had already done! Wednesday night we did the London Eye and finally made it to Churchill Arms for Thai. Amazing!
Thursday morning, on our way to the tube stop to go to Parliament, we saw French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife with police escorts. Once at Parliament, we sat in on a session of the House of Commons. After that, we went to the Cabinet War Rooms Museum that Winston Churchill used during WWII. All of the war rooms, bunkers, and facilities of the shelter were still in tact, and left preserved in the positions they had at the end of the war. (A quick side note...Winston Churchill lived and died in his Kensington flat, located less than a block away from our flat. So cool!) After that, we took a little trip past Buckingham Palace! I went to class for the afternoon, and Mom went to Kensington Palace. Thursday night I brought my mom to the Old Vic Theatre to see Speed The Plow with Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom. She almost fainted when she met Kevin Spacey, shook his hand, got his autograph, and got a picture with him!
Yesterday we went to Harrods, saw the Changing of the Guard and Buckingham Palace, then in the afternoon we went to Wimblemdon. Last night we saw The Jersey Boys and went on to the Sports Cafe to watch the first half of the Badgers game.
This morning I dropped her off at the airport, and she's on her way home!
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheIV
It has been a busy month, as you can tell! I will be home in 5 short weeks, and it has now become imperative to seize every opportunity to explore the parts of London left yet undiscovered.
Hope all is well and that spring is on its way!
Annette
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
A wee bit too much haggis....and I forgot my wellies!
Hi everyone!
http://myeuropeanjourneyapr.blogspot.com/
I've fallen a little behind on my updates, and with good excuse, considering I have been SOOOO busy! Ever since we got back from Prague, we've been enjoying London and the wonderful weather we've been having.
Once again our weeks are filled with multiple theatre visits. We saw The History Boys and Speed the Plow. Both were good performances, but Speed the Plow was by far the winner. Nothing can really compare to having Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom on the same stage while you are only sitting 20 rows back. Of course I took pictures when they bowed, got yelled at by the ushers (I thought they were going to have heart attacks!), but everyone in our program is used to me taking pictures in places I'm not supposed to even take my camera out of my purse. Now they say, "Annette, are you going to take pictures here?" My response is always, "Of course!" "Okay, good. I want to steal them from you later." There are just some moments that can't be remembered on an overpriced souvenir postcard from the gift shop of the attraction you just left. The only time I have failed in acquiring a picture is at the Tower of London Crowned Jewels exhibit. Let's be honest...the crown jewels are in a league of their own. I figured if I even touched the glass that there would be a swarm of beefeaters and security guards at my side in seconds. I had a near attempt, but panicked when I noticed that although I did not have my flash on, the yellow guide light still glowed, and the beam could have easily been detected in censors through the glass. So, I have more like a 1/3 of a picture of the crown jewels.
Two weekends ago we took a daytrip to Oxford University. I have to be honest, the prestige is a little overrated. But, I'm sure that if I was as intelligent as the people who go there, I would enjoy it much more. There is a saying that goes, "Oxford men think they rule the world and Cambridge men think they made it." We climbed to the very top of the Mary the Virgin church, where we could get a 360 degree view of all of Oxford. For those of you who don't know, I'm deathly afraid of heights, and as I'm leading 8 girls up a spiral staircase that I was sure would never end, I panicked a little. I should mention that the steps were suitable for a person with size 5 feet, and there were multiple ropes to use as handrails that also spiraled up the staircase. Not safe, and certainly not capable of being a thoroughfare of two lane traffic. One last amusing tidbit about Oxford--my roommate Katie has a friend who is studying there from Cornell University, and she says that Oxford is INTENSE. So intense, that when a window in her college was broken during one of the college's balls, they banned balls for students in that college for 200 years.
Last week a few of us went to the movie premiere of The Other Boleyn Girl. We figured it might be a more culturing experience than reading our History of London books and slowing falling into unconscious boredom. For those of you who don't know, The Other Boleyn Girl is about King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn (mother of Elizabeth I), and her sister Mary Boleyn. Henry VIII had six wives. He created the Church of England in order to divorce his first wife Catharine of Aragon. It is all way too complicated to explain---but Henry VIII really liked women---and as the saying goes "Henry VIII had six wives and their fate was: Divorced, beheaded, died.; Divorced, beheaded, survived. At the premiere (which we got to 3 hours earlier than the arrival of any movie stars--but which also guaranteed us amazing seats!) we were interviewed by the Leicester Square TV program, and appropriately, when I was asked what Henry VIII character was like, the only thing I could say was "He really liked women." Although my response was not...eh...the best....did this man really think I was qualified enough to speak on the character of King Henry VIII? I like him in "The Tudors"? He had nice palaces? He was tyrannical and arrogant? (Lets be honest, offending the British in front of the British was not top on my list.) What I said was the only thing I felt knowledgeable about! If you'd like to watch our interview, this is the link: http://lsq.tv/red-carpet/videodirectlink-322.html It is definitely worth a look if you'd like to laugh---and see a little shout out to "Green Bay and Packer Country."
Also, there are some great pictures of Scarlett Johansson (Mary Boleyn), Natalie Portman(Anne Boleyn), Eric Bana (King Henry VIII), and Prince Charles and Camilla (you know, the actual royals) in my London, England the II album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheII
Last Monday we had a private tour of Parliament (aka Westminster Palace)....it was fascinating! This has been, by far, my favorite tour in London, and rightly so. Walking into a room where you can still see the signet ring marks on the table where Winston Churchill hit his fist time and time again is like walking into a history most people could only hope to see. Admiring the decadence of the Queen's Robing Room for the opening of Parliament can, for me, only be remembered with the secret door in the wall that led to the Queen's bathroom. Yes, she's human. And, discreet. In the Commons Lobby you can see where the German bomb hit in 1941, because Winston Churchill decided not to remove the black from the walls. You can rub the foot of either Winston Churchill or David Lloyd-George right outside the doors of the House of Commons. Traditionally, MPs rub the foot of the Prime Minister whose party they represented. So, as we walked into the House of Commons, most of us rubbed the foot of David Lloyd-George, the Labour Party PM. Then, almost instinctively, we all ran across the doorway and rubbed Winston Churchill's as well. Let me tell you, their shoes have become very shiny--and we were more than happy to contribute to that cause. We also saw the last remaining room of the original Westminster Palace before it burned down. The room dates back to 1098, and our guide assured us it was probably the oldest room we've ever been in, as it is over 1,000 years old. Well, I did the math (yay me), and the room is only 910 years old. He was new, so I'll cut him some slack. We have been in older rooms, but this one was pretty cool considering it was where Henry VIII used to play tennis. They actually found Tudor tennis balls in the rafters in the 1920s. Apparently he wasn't too great at tennis because those ceilings were vaulted x 10! I have officially fallen in love with Big Ben. He has become my favorite attribute of London...and he's always on time (Ha, sorry. I had to.)
Of course, no week is complete without Wednesday night at Imperial College Union! We are taking advantage of this as much as we can considering that Imperial goes on break from March 19th to April 26th, and therefore we only have a few more weeks to spend with our friends from Imperial.
This past weekend I went to Scotland with Katherine. We went to Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Glen Coe, and the beautiful (and rainy!) Highlands. Scotland is amazing, and it was only appropriate that it was cold and rainy the entire time! Our tour of the Highlands, all the way up to Loch Ness and back to Edinburgh, was gorgeous! We encountered waterfalls, dams, lochs, castles, snow capped mountains, a few highland cows and many sheep! Oh, and we even ate haggis....and enjoyed it. If you don't know what it is, you probably don't want to know. Sunday morning in Edinburgh we climbed the extinct volcano called Arthur's Seat. It overlooks all of Edinburgh from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace and you can even see the coast of Edinburgh and Aberdeen where they meet the ocean. Since it was FINALLY sunny, the view was perfect, and it got us a little exercise before our 9 hour bus ride back to London.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/EdinburghTheHighlandsGlenCoeAndLochNessScotland
Once again, as I had suspected, I looked forward to going back to London so much! Scotland air is clean, but London air is perfect. I fall in love with the city a little more each day, and get sadder and sadder at the thought of leaving it so quickly. I've rarely thought about school, though I attend all my classes each week. I enjoy going to class, and there is something to be said about learning about the city in which you live, and then experiencing it the second you walk out the door. I don't think any normal amount of vacation time could even begin to scratch the surface of this city. There is so much to do, see, and experience, that I'm afraid I won't even be able to do it all. I have to say, before I even leave London, I am already trying to figure out when I can come back.
Spring Break starts on Thursday, and I am off with a few friends to Italy (and by a few I mean that about 20 people are going, but we are traveling in groups of four and meeting up at night.) We are spending 4 days in Rome (I am taking a day trip by myself to the island of Capri and the Blue Grotto from Rome), 3 days in Florence, and 2 in Venice. I have to say that I am extremely excited for this trip (and that I wish Laura Bergstrom was coming with me :-( )...especially to see the history of the world before there really was a world anywhere else.
Katherine and I have booked a trip to Greece for the end of the semester---April 25th to 30th. We are spending 3 days in Athens and 3 in Santorini. Please let me know if any of you are interested in joining!!
I'm sure you all have heard about the earthquake here last night. We are all fine. We actually didn't even feel it.
My thoughts are with all of my family today, especially Grandpa. Auntie Joanie was so energetic and fun! I will always think of her fondly. I love you all and miss you.
I hope this email finds everyone happy, healthy, and warm.
Much love,
Annette
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21
http://myeuropeanjourneyapr.blogspot.com/
I've fallen a little behind on my updates, and with good excuse, considering I have been SOOOO busy! Ever since we got back from Prague, we've been enjoying London and the wonderful weather we've been having.
Once again our weeks are filled with multiple theatre visits. We saw The History Boys and Speed the Plow. Both were good performances, but Speed the Plow was by far the winner. Nothing can really compare to having Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom on the same stage while you are only sitting 20 rows back. Of course I took pictures when they bowed, got yelled at by the ushers (I thought they were going to have heart attacks!), but everyone in our program is used to me taking pictures in places I'm not supposed to even take my camera out of my purse. Now they say, "Annette, are you going to take pictures here?" My response is always, "Of course!" "Okay, good. I want to steal them from you later." There are just some moments that can't be remembered on an overpriced souvenir postcard from the gift shop of the attraction you just left. The only time I have failed in acquiring a picture is at the Tower of London Crowned Jewels exhibit. Let's be honest...the crown jewels are in a league of their own. I figured if I even touched the glass that there would be a swarm of beefeaters and security guards at my side in seconds. I had a near attempt, but panicked when I noticed that although I did not have my flash on, the yellow guide light still glowed, and the beam could have easily been detected in censors through the glass. So, I have more like a 1/3 of a picture of the crown jewels.
Two weekends ago we took a daytrip to Oxford University. I have to be honest, the prestige is a little overrated. But, I'm sure that if I was as intelligent as the people who go there, I would enjoy it much more. There is a saying that goes, "Oxford men think they rule the world and Cambridge men think they made it." We climbed to the very top of the Mary the Virgin church, where we could get a 360 degree view of all of Oxford. For those of you who don't know, I'm deathly afraid of heights, and as I'm leading 8 girls up a spiral staircase that I was sure would never end, I panicked a little. I should mention that the steps were suitable for a person with size 5 feet, and there were multiple ropes to use as handrails that also spiraled up the staircase. Not safe, and certainly not capable of being a thoroughfare of two lane traffic. One last amusing tidbit about Oxford--my roommate Katie has a friend who is studying there from Cornell University, and she says that Oxford is INTENSE. So intense, that when a window in her college was broken during one of the college's balls, they banned balls for students in that college for 200 years.
Last week a few of us went to the movie premiere of The Other Boleyn Girl. We figured it might be a more culturing experience than reading our History of London books and slowing falling into unconscious boredom. For those of you who don't know, The Other Boleyn Girl is about King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn (mother of Elizabeth I), and her sister Mary Boleyn. Henry VIII had six wives. He created the Church of England in order to divorce his first wife Catharine of Aragon. It is all way too complicated to explain---but Henry VIII really liked women---and as the saying goes "Henry VIII had six wives and their fate was: Divorced, beheaded, died.; Divorced, beheaded, survived. At the premiere (which we got to 3 hours earlier than the arrival of any movie stars--but which also guaranteed us amazing seats!) we were interviewed by the Leicester Square TV program, and appropriately, when I was asked what Henry VIII character was like, the only thing I could say was "He really liked women." Although my response was not...eh...the best....did this man really think I was qualified enough to speak on the character of King Henry VIII? I like him in "The Tudors"? He had nice palaces? He was tyrannical and arrogant? (Lets be honest, offending the British in front of the British was not top on my list.) What I said was the only thing I felt knowledgeable about! If you'd like to watch our interview, this is the link: http://lsq.tv/red-carpet/videodirectlink-322.html It is definitely worth a look if you'd like to laugh---and see a little shout out to "Green Bay and Packer Country."
Also, there are some great pictures of Scarlett Johansson (Mary Boleyn), Natalie Portman(Anne Boleyn), Eric Bana (King Henry VIII), and Prince Charles and Camilla (you know, the actual royals) in my London, England the II album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/LondonEnglandTheII
Last Monday we had a private tour of Parliament (aka Westminster Palace)....it was fascinating! This has been, by far, my favorite tour in London, and rightly so. Walking into a room where you can still see the signet ring marks on the table where Winston Churchill hit his fist time and time again is like walking into a history most people could only hope to see. Admiring the decadence of the Queen's Robing Room for the opening of Parliament can, for me, only be remembered with the secret door in the wall that led to the Queen's bathroom. Yes, she's human. And, discreet. In the Commons Lobby you can see where the German bomb hit in 1941, because Winston Churchill decided not to remove the black from the walls. You can rub the foot of either Winston Churchill or David Lloyd-George right outside the doors of the House of Commons. Traditionally, MPs rub the foot of the Prime Minister whose party they represented. So, as we walked into the House of Commons, most of us rubbed the foot of David Lloyd-George, the Labour Party PM. Then, almost instinctively, we all ran across the doorway and rubbed Winston Churchill's as well. Let me tell you, their shoes have become very shiny--and we were more than happy to contribute to that cause. We also saw the last remaining room of the original Westminster Palace before it burned down. The room dates back to 1098, and our guide assured us it was probably the oldest room we've ever been in, as it is over 1,000 years old. Well, I did the math (yay me), and the room is only 910 years old. He was new, so I'll cut him some slack. We have been in older rooms, but this one was pretty cool considering it was where Henry VIII used to play tennis. They actually found Tudor tennis balls in the rafters in the 1920s. Apparently he wasn't too great at tennis because those ceilings were vaulted x 10! I have officially fallen in love with Big Ben. He has become my favorite attribute of London...and he's always on time (Ha, sorry. I had to.)
Of course, no week is complete without Wednesday night at Imperial College Union! We are taking advantage of this as much as we can considering that Imperial goes on break from March 19th to April 26th, and therefore we only have a few more weeks to spend with our friends from Imperial.
This past weekend I went to Scotland with Katherine. We went to Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Glen Coe, and the beautiful (and rainy!) Highlands. Scotland is amazing, and it was only appropriate that it was cold and rainy the entire time! Our tour of the Highlands, all the way up to Loch Ness and back to Edinburgh, was gorgeous! We encountered waterfalls, dams, lochs, castles, snow capped mountains, a few highland cows and many sheep! Oh, and we even ate haggis....and enjoyed it. If you don't know what it is, you probably don't want to know. Sunday morning in Edinburgh we climbed the extinct volcano called Arthur's Seat. It overlooks all of Edinburgh from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace and you can even see the coast of Edinburgh and Aberdeen where they meet the ocean. Since it was FINALLY sunny, the view was perfect, and it got us a little exercise before our 9 hour bus ride back to London.
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21/EdinburghTheHighlandsGlenCoeAndLochNessScotland
Once again, as I had suspected, I looked forward to going back to London so much! Scotland air is clean, but London air is perfect. I fall in love with the city a little more each day, and get sadder and sadder at the thought of leaving it so quickly. I've rarely thought about school, though I attend all my classes each week. I enjoy going to class, and there is something to be said about learning about the city in which you live, and then experiencing it the second you walk out the door. I don't think any normal amount of vacation time could even begin to scratch the surface of this city. There is so much to do, see, and experience, that I'm afraid I won't even be able to do it all. I have to say, before I even leave London, I am already trying to figure out when I can come back.
Spring Break starts on Thursday, and I am off with a few friends to Italy (and by a few I mean that about 20 people are going, but we are traveling in groups of four and meeting up at night.) We are spending 4 days in Rome (I am taking a day trip by myself to the island of Capri and the Blue Grotto from Rome), 3 days in Florence, and 2 in Venice. I have to say that I am extremely excited for this trip (and that I wish Laura Bergstrom was coming with me :-( )...especially to see the history of the world before there really was a world anywhere else.
Katherine and I have booked a trip to Greece for the end of the semester---April 25th to 30th. We are spending 3 days in Athens and 3 in Santorini. Please let me know if any of you are interested in joining!!
I'm sure you all have heard about the earthquake here last night. We are all fine. We actually didn't even feel it.
My thoughts are with all of my family today, especially Grandpa. Auntie Joanie was so energetic and fun! I will always think of her fondly. I love you all and miss you.
I hope this email finds everyone happy, healthy, and warm.
Much love,
Annette
http://picasaweb.google.com/arolain21
Monday, 11 February 2008
Czech, please!
Dobry den!
I have just finished an AMAZING weekend in Prague, where the beer is cheaper than water, the cobblestone streets are not made for high heels, and Prague Castle left us in awe.
After a day at the Tower of London on Monday, the hilarious play The 39 Steps, another theatre class walking tour, and one more wonderful Wednesday at Imperial College Union, we were ready to embark on our first vacation of the semester! I have to admit that I was extra excited for this trip because it was a place that I have wanted to go to for many years. Plus, living with 19 people for the better part of the last 4 weeks had taken its toll on everyone in the house. We were all ready to get away from each other, or at least go with each other to a different location for a much needed reprieve!
My travel companions for this trip were Hallie, Morgan, Katie, and Ali. Our travel arrangements were flawless, despite the hour long delay on the tarmac (of which I paid no notice, as I was already asleep before most people had finished boarding the plane.) We met another 8 girls from our program in Prague, who had traveled earlier in the morning on Thursday.
12 girls in the city of Prague...why not go see the Czech Republic famed Don Giovanni! After getting dressed up and walking laboriously on cobblestone sidewalks in heels to the National Theatre, we were informed, in broken (yet seemingly better than our broken Czech) English that Don Giovanni was not playing at this theatre. Another 20-min walk in our heels to its assumed location would have left us 20 minutes late for the start, if we ever found the theatre in the first place. So, we opted for dinner. It proved to be a great reward, as we had not eaten so well since we'd gotten to Europe. 16 Czech koruna is equivalent to 1 US dollar...so we ate really, really well. Unfortunately, you cannot ask for tap water, and a bottle of water is equivalent to about 4 US dollars. Beers ring in at only a dollar, and some cents. All of the restaurants also put bread on the table, and charged you for it if you ate it. Peculiar habits! They most likely do it in an attempt to make more money off tourists who can come to Prague and get a three course meal for about 12 dollars. And, we always had to ask for the check!
On Friday morning we got up bright and early, ate breakfast at the hostel, and did a self-guided tour through the Jewish Quarter, called Josefov. Six of the 12 girls who
we traveled with are Jewish, and it was really enjoyable to have them explain certain things to the rest of us. We visited almost all of the Synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, and my particular favorite was the Spanish Synagogue. Its beauty survived WWII, even though it was used as a storage area to keep Jewish confiscated goods, and now the top floor of the synagogue is used as a museum to showcase Czech Jews' history and suffering through WWII. The Pinkas Synagogue is home to the Old Jewish Cemetery, and also to the names of all the Czech Jews who died during the Holocaust.
Friday night, we went back to the National Theatre to watch Aida the Opera for only $1.25. Truly, that was all it was worth considering we were in the last row of the theatre, and the English subtitles on a projection screen made you laugh more than take the Opera seriously. I kept thinking, if what they are saying is really as lame as they project on the screen, I am not going to make it through this Opera. Turns out, no one else could either. We left at intermission, and then ate dinner.
Saturday morning we made our way towards Prague Castle, admiring its view from Charles Bridge, admiring the artwork and photography of those artists selling their
work on Charles Bridge, and climbing to the top of the hill where the castle sits. Once we reached the top, before even thinking about the Castle, we spent about a half hour taking pictures of all of Prague below. The Castle was closed, which we weren't all that heartbroken about, so we walked back down the hill and went to lunch on the river. We sat outside an admired Charles Bridge and then spent the afternoon walking around the rest of Prague and shopping.
Going to Prague really helped us appreciate our time in London. It wasn't that we ever felt unsafe while we were there, but we definitely didn't realize that Kensington was as safe as it actually is. Coming back to London was about as normal as coming home from Madison. We were so happy to hear English again, and so happy to know what all of the street signs said, and what to order...in English.
We are looking forward to our future vacations, and hope they are as enjoyable and beautiful as Prague. It is such an old and enchanting city where you can still see the affects of Communist rule, but where you can also see that its landscape and charm have been left unaltered. We loved the beer, we loved the cobblestone streets, and we loved the Castle as our landscape.
Have a wonderful week!
Annette
I have just finished an AMAZING weekend in Prague, where the beer is cheaper than water, the cobblestone streets are not made for high heels, and Prague Castle left us in awe.
After a day at the Tower of London on Monday, the hilarious play The 39 Steps, another theatre class walking tour, and one more wonderful Wednesday at Imperial College Union, we were ready to embark on our first vacation of the semester! I have to admit that I was extra excited for this trip because it was a place that I have wanted to go to for many years. Plus, living with 19 people for the better part of the last 4 weeks had taken its toll on everyone in the house. We were all ready to get away from each other, or at least go with each other to a different location for a much needed reprieve!
My travel companions for this trip were Hallie, Morgan, Katie, and Ali. Our travel arrangements were flawless, despite the hour long delay on the tarmac (of which I paid no notice, as I was already asleep before most people had finished boarding the plane.) We met another 8 girls from our program in Prague, who had traveled earlier in the morning on Thursday.
12 girls in the city of Prague...why not go see the Czech Republic famed Don Giovanni! After getting dressed up and walking laboriously on cobblestone sidewalks in heels to the National Theatre, we were informed, in broken (yet seemingly better than our broken Czech) English that Don Giovanni was not playing at this theatre. Another 20-min walk in our heels to its assumed location would have left us 20 minutes late for the start, if we ever found the theatre in the first place. So, we opted for dinner. It proved to be a great reward, as we had not eaten so well since we'd gotten to Europe. 16 Czech koruna is equivalent to 1 US dollar...so we ate really, really well. Unfortunately, you cannot ask for tap water, and a bottle of water is equivalent to about 4 US dollars. Beers ring in at only a dollar, and some cents. All of the restaurants also put bread on the table, and charged you for it if you ate it. Peculiar habits! They most likely do it in an attempt to make more money off tourists who can come to Prague and get a three course meal for about 12 dollars. And, we always had to ask for the check!
On Friday morning we got up bright and early, ate breakfast at the hostel, and did a self-guided tour through the Jewish Quarter, called Josefov. Six of the 12 girls who
we traveled with are Jewish, and it was really enjoyable to have them explain certain things to the rest of us. We visited almost all of the Synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, and my particular favorite was the Spanish Synagogue. Its beauty survived WWII, even though it was used as a storage area to keep Jewish confiscated goods, and now the top floor of the synagogue is used as a museum to showcase Czech Jews' history and suffering through WWII. The Pinkas Synagogue is home to the Old Jewish Cemetery, and also to the names of all the Czech Jews who died during the Holocaust.
Friday night, we went back to the National Theatre to watch Aida the Opera for only $1.25. Truly, that was all it was worth considering we were in the last row of the theatre, and the English subtitles on a projection screen made you laugh more than take the Opera seriously. I kept thinking, if what they are saying is really as lame as they project on the screen, I am not going to make it through this Opera. Turns out, no one else could either. We left at intermission, and then ate dinner.
Saturday morning we made our way towards Prague Castle, admiring its view from Charles Bridge, admiring the artwork and photography of those artists selling their
work on Charles Bridge, and climbing to the top of the hill where the castle sits. Once we reached the top, before even thinking about the Castle, we spent about a half hour taking pictures of all of Prague below. The Castle was closed, which we weren't all that heartbroken about, so we walked back down the hill and went to lunch on the river. We sat outside an admired Charles Bridge and then spent the afternoon walking around the rest of Prague and shopping.Going to Prague really helped us appreciate our time in London. It wasn't that we ever felt unsafe while we were there, but we definitely didn't realize that Kensington was as safe as it actually is. Coming back to London was about as normal as coming home from Madison. We were so happy to hear English again, and so happy to know what all of the street signs said, and what to order...in English.
We are looking forward to our future vacations, and hope they are as enjoyable and beautiful as Prague. It is such an old and enchanting city where you can still see the affects of Communist rule, but where you can also see that its landscape and charm have been left unaltered. We loved the beer, we loved the cobblestone streets, and we loved the Castle as our landscape.
Have a wonderful week!
Annette
Thursday, 31 January 2008
God save the Queen....and her castle.
Hello from the rainy island!
Our permanent tour guide Simon informed us that January has seen the most rain in London in quite some time, and it is on the right track to break records. As I was here most of January and observed the sporadic and truly small amount of rain that has fallen since I've been here, I just have to laugh. For all of you who are in Wisconsin, braving the cold, had school canceled, and/or had to shovel for hours....I will tell you that on the last day of January we got a little of your weather---it hailed---10 minutes maximum. As is the custom with any weather.
Last weekend we went to Windsor Castle, and it is gorgeous! The Queen wasn't home...so I managed to take a few pictures inside (oops) and they were way better than the postcards they sell in the gift shop. My favorite pa
rt of Windsor Castle is "The Long Walk" which is the Queen's personal entrance to Windsor Castle. At three miles long, lined by trees on either side, and a straight drive that leads directly to the front doors of the castle, it is spectacular. I can't imagine a more perfect landscape!
Later in the day we visited Eton College where the boys were on holiday, and the empty schoolyards left much to be desired. Our tour guide was an elderly woman who made sure to point out where Harry and William once lived when they attended Eton, but no royal sightings...no one at all actually. The streets of Eton were lined with antique shops, and Katherine and I were upset to think that we had missed out on such treasures.
On Saturday we went to Borough Markets---cheese wheels, jellies, jams, tarts, fresh vegetables, breads, juices, and flowers. As overwhelming and busy as it was, I managed to find a gorgeous little orchid to put on the mantle of our fireplace in our room.
On Monday we went to see the play "Dealer's Choice" for theatre class. Definitely a play geared towards the masculine audience, but definitely still funny!
On Tuesday evening, instead of class on Thursday, our theatre class met our professor at Blackfriar's tube stop to walk through the South end of London. When the Globe theatre was first built, there was only one bridge leading across the Thames to Southwark. The monarchy, under Queen Elizabeth, kept theatre and prostitution separate from the rest of London. Actually, at this point in time, Southwark was not part of London. So, the Southwark banks were lined with brothels, and thrived due to the
theatres. The Museum of London uncovered a prostitutes' graveyard about 18 months ago, called the Cross Bones Graveyard. Its whereabouts had been rumored, but relatively unknown. We were able to go to the graveyard and see the memorial there, where prostitutes and paupers were buried because they could not be buried in London, as their professions were unorthodox. We saw the Globe Theatre, which sits on the South bank. The real Globe Theatre sat about a mile away, but now sits only a memorial. The Globe burnt down once, and was rebuilt, and then theatres were banned, and the Globe was turned into a warehouse. The Globe burnt down again, and since theatres were still banned, the Globe was never rebuilt.
On Wednesday, we had a pub crawl where our tour guide Simon showed us really old pubs in the area of Belgravia. Belgravia is a very wealthy area, and most of the homes
have been inherited from generation to generation. We went to The Antelope, The Star Tavern, and The Grenadier (where Madonna used to take Guy Ritchie on dates.) At the end of the night we did a shot of whiskey with our UW Professor, and he told us we drank shots like the Russians. He sipped his Bell's whiskey slowly. After the pub crawl we went to Imperial College Union to hang out with the British kids our age!
Thursday morning brought class about Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton.
Thursday evening we all got together again and ate Fish and Chips at Costas Fish Bar. Delicious, and topped off with apple pie and butterscotch ice cream.
This weekend I have spent writing my 8 page paper on Roman London, Roman colonialism, and imperial policy.
Tonight we are off to the Union to watch the Super Bowl, and tomorrow morning meeting our History of London professor at the Tower of London for class. Papers in hand, it should be a good morning...and I'll have the rest of the day to spend wandering the streets of Westminster! Tomorrow night we will all meet at the theatre again to see The 39 Steps.
Next Thursday I am off to Prague and returning on Sunday. I am more excited for this trip than any other! I'm sure it will surpass my expectations, and I am truly looking forward to that.
When Mom comes at the end of March we are going to spend Easter weekend in Brussels, and I have a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland in the works for the end of February. Other than that, all travel plans are set for the rest of the semester.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week.....and Go Packers! (Reality is overrated!)
Cheers,
Annette
Our permanent tour guide Simon informed us that January has seen the most rain in London in quite some time, and it is on the right track to break records. As I was here most of January and observed the sporadic and truly small amount of rain that has fallen since I've been here, I just have to laugh. For all of you who are in Wisconsin, braving the cold, had school canceled, and/or had to shovel for hours....I will tell you that on the last day of January we got a little of your weather---it hailed---10 minutes maximum. As is the custom with any weather.
Last weekend we went to Windsor Castle, and it is gorgeous! The Queen wasn't home...so I managed to take a few pictures inside (oops) and they were way better than the postcards they sell in the gift shop. My favorite pa
rt of Windsor Castle is "The Long Walk" which is the Queen's personal entrance to Windsor Castle. At three miles long, lined by trees on either side, and a straight drive that leads directly to the front doors of the castle, it is spectacular. I can't imagine a more perfect landscape!Later in the day we visited Eton College where the boys were on holiday, and the empty schoolyards left much to be desired. Our tour guide was an elderly woman who made sure to point out where Harry and William once lived when they attended Eton, but no royal sightings...no one at all actually. The streets of Eton were lined with antique shops, and Katherine and I were upset to think that we had missed out on such treasures.
On Saturday we went to Borough Markets---cheese wheels, jellies, jams, tarts, fresh vegetables, breads, juices, and flowers. As overwhelming and busy as it was, I managed to find a gorgeous little orchid to put on the mantle of our fireplace in our room.
On Monday we went to see the play "Dealer's Choice" for theatre class. Definitely a play geared towards the masculine audience, but definitely still funny!
On Tuesday evening, instead of class on Thursday, our theatre class met our professor at Blackfriar's tube stop to walk through the South end of London. When the Globe theatre was first built, there was only one bridge leading across the Thames to Southwark. The monarchy, under Queen Elizabeth, kept theatre and prostitution separate from the rest of London. Actually, at this point in time, Southwark was not part of London. So, the Southwark banks were lined with brothels, and thrived due to the
theatres. The Museum of London uncovered a prostitutes' graveyard about 18 months ago, called the Cross Bones Graveyard. Its whereabouts had been rumored, but relatively unknown. We were able to go to the graveyard and see the memorial there, where prostitutes and paupers were buried because they could not be buried in London, as their professions were unorthodox. We saw the Globe Theatre, which sits on the South bank. The real Globe Theatre sat about a mile away, but now sits only a memorial. The Globe burnt down once, and was rebuilt, and then theatres were banned, and the Globe was turned into a warehouse. The Globe burnt down again, and since theatres were still banned, the Globe was never rebuilt.On Wednesday, we had a pub crawl where our tour guide Simon showed us really old pubs in the area of Belgravia. Belgravia is a very wealthy area, and most of the homes
have been inherited from generation to generation. We went to The Antelope, The Star Tavern, and The Grenadier (where Madonna used to take Guy Ritchie on dates.) At the end of the night we did a shot of whiskey with our UW Professor, and he told us we drank shots like the Russians. He sipped his Bell's whiskey slowly. After the pub crawl we went to Imperial College Union to hang out with the British kids our age!Thursday morning brought class about Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton.
Thursday evening we all got together again and ate Fish and Chips at Costas Fish Bar. Delicious, and topped off with apple pie and butterscotch ice cream.
This weekend I have spent writing my 8 page paper on Roman London, Roman colonialism, and imperial policy.
Tonight we are off to the Union to watch the Super Bowl, and tomorrow morning meeting our History of London professor at the Tower of London for class. Papers in hand, it should be a good morning...and I'll have the rest of the day to spend wandering the streets of Westminster! Tomorrow night we will all meet at the theatre again to see The 39 Steps.
Next Thursday I am off to Prague and returning on Sunday. I am more excited for this trip than any other! I'm sure it will surpass my expectations, and I am truly looking forward to that.
When Mom comes at the end of March we are going to spend Easter weekend in Brussels, and I have a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland in the works for the end of February. Other than that, all travel plans are set for the rest of the semester.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week.....and Go Packers! (Reality is overrated!)
Cheers,
Annette
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Londinium
Hi everyone!
Two Packer games have come and gone since I last updated you. I have to say that after last night's game, we are all a bit sad around the flat. Except, of course, for the people from New York and New Jersey. I did win a pound in a bet last night against a
guy who swore that the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1997, and lost to the Patriots in 1998. I assured him that we won against the Patriots in '96 and lost to the Broncos in '97. He was a Bears fan. Enough said.
I've called this e-mail Londinium because that was the name of London upon its founding by the Romans (History of London, day 1). Since this is the beginning of my trip, I thought it was appropriate!
This past week has gone by so quickly, and we have done so many things in so few days!
To recap:
I've seen St. Paul's Cathedral where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married.
Tower Bridge, which is the pretty bridge in London that everyone mistakes for London Bridge. I have seen London Bridge and it much resembled the 172 overpass of the Fox River. Yes, that spectacular.
I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace,
Tower of London,
Westminster Abbey,
Big Ben,
Parliament,
and the London Eye.
I have not toured any of these places yet, but now I know where they all are!
I did tour Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana used to live, and it was absolutely amazing. The Duke of Kent and the Duke of Wellington, as well as others, still live in Kensington Palace. I was surprised that so many of the other rooms in the Palace were open for viewing. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert both lived in Kensington Palace, as did Princess Margare
t (the Queen's sister). Their bedrooms, favorite rooms, etc. are all on display. Queen Elizabeth gave Kensington Palace to the Royal Palaces Foundation after Princess Margaret died in 2002. Before that, Kensington Palace was not open to the public. There was also a beautiful tribute to Princess Diana, and they put some of her most famous dresses on display.
I have also toured a small portion of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Of course, I went to Harrods. It is massive and utterly overwhelming. I almost bought a kitten at Harrod's pet shop, but they were 900 pounds and sooooo worth every penny. They looked like miniature leopards and tigers.
Notting Hill is beautiful, and the market on Portobello Road is so quaint and, well, amazing. While exploring the area we found The Hummingbird Bakery which had a line out the door. Naturally, we jumped in line, and I got the most amazing red velvet cupcake I have ever tasted. It was so worth the 2 pounds.
Yesterday we went to Little Venice, and then took a boat down the canals to Camden Lock Markets. I got 4 amazing panoramic photos of Parliament and Big Ben, Picadilly Circus, Trafalger Square, and Tower Bridge for only 8 pounds! They will be perfect for remembering this place after I am gone....as I'm already sure I will miss it.
I've seen The Woman in Black, which is a play that has been running in London for 19 years. The head usher brought a few of us backstage after the play ended, and we got to see how they use all their special effects.
Tonight, we went on a backstage tour of the National Theatre, and then saw Much Ado About Nothing. The National Theatre is gorgeous---and the play was hilarious!
Wednesday, we are all going to see War Horse. Tickets are very hard to come by, and it is only playing for a few more weeks, so we are lucky to see it. It is about a boy who raises a horse from infancy, and accompanies the horse into WWI by enlisting before he is old enough to do so. The horses used are actually puppets, but look so lifelike, and are true to size!
We've learned that buying our building would cost us 20 million pounds. Divided by 6 flats, well, you can do the math...it's expensive. The neighbors who have just moved in next door have crystal chandeliers in their living room and dining room, and a Ferrari parked out front. I have honestly almost been hit by more Bentleys and Porsches than one could ever hope. We all LOVE Kensington thus far, though it is quite a bit more expensive and posh than the other areas in London. The interesting thing about Kensington is that there are very large houses on the busy streets, but then there are back streets which used to be called "Mews". They are mostly cobblestone streets, where the stable people and hired help would live and where all the horses and carriages would be stowed. Now, these small houses are basically treasures, and are going for about 3 million pounds. All 41 of us have decided to pool our life savings and rent one. Each person would get a few days in it a year, and it would be so worth it. We are fairly certain that even with our pooled money, we'd probably only be able to rent one for a month's time....if that.
Last Wednesday we went to Imperial College Union to try to get a little taste of home. This Union was nothing like Memorial Union. The entire football (soccer) team was there and they drink beer at such rapid rates, and chant at the top of their lungs. That's what we get for going on Sports Night. Also, pints were a pound, and we decided it would be a good way to lose a few (lbs and cash).
On Thursday, we went to a Turkish Restaurant called El Eles because our head director Mary has a villa in Turkey. I have to say....it was interesting. The appetizers were not appetizing, but the lamb and chicken were amazing. It was never a place I'd think to go on my own, so I was glad for the experience!
It rains almost every day, and I find it so enjoyable! I'm sure everyone knows by now I hate the snow and bitter cold, and the fact that I have yet to wear my winter coat here, leaves me smiling.
Everyone has told us that we will have culture shock at some point, but I have yet to experience it. I do have some annoyances, but nothing major...
The light switch to the bathroom is outside the bathroom
I have yet to get a toilet to flush on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th try.
English muffins in England are not pre-cut.
The pound and 2 pound coins are something I just cannot understand! They add almost 10 pounds (lbs) to my purse!
Everything (food-wise) is cheaper if you get it "take-away". This is kind of complicated considering London does not have very many public places indoors to sit and there is only a garbage can every 5 blocks.
A gentleman from West Virginia pointed out to us last night at the Packer game that they rarely have garbage cans, especially in our area, because they are worried about bombs. It makes perfect sense, but I don't know how they keep London so clean!
Some of the girls here are going to the Spice Girl's Reunion concert tomorrow night. It is their last night in London, and the girls are about as excited as....well, excited gets. I was very upset to hear that The Eagles were going to be in Milwaukee while I was overseas, and I actually contemplated flying back to see them. Low and behold, The Eagles are also playing in London for a week near the end of March. I'm not sure it's in my budget...but they are here while my mom is visiting so I'm hoping she gets the hint when she reads this email.
I've booked trips to Prague, Italy, and Paris in February, March, and April. This Friday we are taking a day trip to Windsor Castle and Eton College, where Prince William and Harry went to school. I asked Britt if the Princes would be there, and she replied with her shrill British accent, "Oh, no! There are much better looking boys than them there!" Perfect.
Looking forward to another wonderful week! Hope everyone is staying warm, or at least trying!
Annette
Two Packer games have come and gone since I last updated you. I have to say that after last night's game, we are all a bit sad around the flat. Except, of course, for the people from New York and New Jersey. I did win a pound in a bet last night against a
guy who swore that the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1997, and lost to the Patriots in 1998. I assured him that we won against the Patriots in '96 and lost to the Broncos in '97. He was a Bears fan. Enough said.I've called this e-mail Londinium because that was the name of London upon its founding by the Romans (History of London, day 1). Since this is the beginning of my trip, I thought it was appropriate!
This past week has gone by so quickly, and we have done so many things in so few days!
To recap:
I've seen St. Paul's Cathedral where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married.
Tower Bridge, which is the pretty bridge in London that everyone mistakes for London Bridge. I have seen London Bridge and it much resembled the 172 overpass of the Fox River. Yes, that spectacular.
I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace,
Tower of London,
Westminster Abbey,
Big Ben,
Parliament,
and the London Eye.
I have not toured any of these places yet, but now I know where they all are!
I did tour Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana used to live, and it was absolutely amazing. The Duke of Kent and the Duke of Wellington, as well as others, still live in Kensington Palace. I was surprised that so many of the other rooms in the Palace were open for viewing. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert both lived in Kensington Palace, as did Princess Margare
t (the Queen's sister). Their bedrooms, favorite rooms, etc. are all on display. Queen Elizabeth gave Kensington Palace to the Royal Palaces Foundation after Princess Margaret died in 2002. Before that, Kensington Palace was not open to the public. There was also a beautiful tribute to Princess Diana, and they put some of her most famous dresses on display.I have also toured a small portion of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Of course, I went to Harrods. It is massive and utterly overwhelming. I almost bought a kitten at Harrod's pet shop, but they were 900 pounds and sooooo worth every penny. They looked like miniature leopards and tigers.
Notting Hill is beautiful, and the market on Portobello Road is so quaint and, well, amazing. While exploring the area we found The Hummingbird Bakery which had a line out the door. Naturally, we jumped in line, and I got the most amazing red velvet cupcake I have ever tasted. It was so worth the 2 pounds.
Yesterday we went to Little Venice, and then took a boat down the canals to Camden Lock Markets. I got 4 amazing panoramic photos of Parliament and Big Ben, Picadilly Circus, Trafalger Square, and Tower Bridge for only 8 pounds! They will be perfect for remembering this place after I am gone....as I'm already sure I will miss it.
I've seen The Woman in Black, which is a play that has been running in London for 19 years. The head usher brought a few of us backstage after the play ended, and we got to see how they use all their special effects.
Tonight, we went on a backstage tour of the National Theatre, and then saw Much Ado About Nothing. The National Theatre is gorgeous---and the play was hilarious!
Wednesday, we are all going to see War Horse. Tickets are very hard to come by, and it is only playing for a few more weeks, so we are lucky to see it. It is about a boy who raises a horse from infancy, and accompanies the horse into WWI by enlisting before he is old enough to do so. The horses used are actually puppets, but look so lifelike, and are true to size!
We've learned that buying our building would cost us 20 million pounds. Divided by 6 flats, well, you can do the math...it's expensive. The neighbors who have just moved in next door have crystal chandeliers in their living room and dining room, and a Ferrari parked out front. I have honestly almost been hit by more Bentleys and Porsches than one could ever hope. We all LOVE Kensington thus far, though it is quite a bit more expensive and posh than the other areas in London. The interesting thing about Kensington is that there are very large houses on the busy streets, but then there are back streets which used to be called "Mews". They are mostly cobblestone streets, where the stable people and hired help would live and where all the horses and carriages would be stowed. Now, these small houses are basically treasures, and are going for about 3 million pounds. All 41 of us have decided to pool our life savings and rent one. Each person would get a few days in it a year, and it would be so worth it. We are fairly certain that even with our pooled money, we'd probably only be able to rent one for a month's time....if that.
Last Wednesday we went to Imperial College Union to try to get a little taste of home. This Union was nothing like Memorial Union. The entire football (soccer) team was there and they drink beer at such rapid rates, and chant at the top of their lungs. That's what we get for going on Sports Night. Also, pints were a pound, and we decided it would be a good way to lose a few (lbs and cash).On Thursday, we went to a Turkish Restaurant called El Eles because our head director Mary has a villa in Turkey. I have to say....it was interesting. The appetizers were not appetizing, but the lamb and chicken were amazing. It was never a place I'd think to go on my own, so I was glad for the experience!
It rains almost every day, and I find it so enjoyable! I'm sure everyone knows by now I hate the snow and bitter cold, and the fact that I have yet to wear my winter coat here, leaves me smiling.
Everyone has told us that we will have culture shock at some point, but I have yet to experience it. I do have some annoyances, but nothing major...
The light switch to the bathroom is outside the bathroom
I have yet to get a toilet to flush on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th try.
English muffins in England are not pre-cut.
The pound and 2 pound coins are something I just cannot understand! They add almost 10 pounds (lbs) to my purse!
Everything (food-wise) is cheaper if you get it "take-away". This is kind of complicated considering London does not have very many public places indoors to sit and there is only a garbage can every 5 blocks.
A gentleman from West Virginia pointed out to us last night at the Packer game that they rarely have garbage cans, especially in our area, because they are worried about bombs. It makes perfect sense, but I don't know how they keep London so clean!
Some of the girls here are going to the Spice Girl's Reunion concert tomorrow night. It is their last night in London, and the girls are about as excited as....well, excited gets. I was very upset to hear that The Eagles were going to be in Milwaukee while I was overseas, and I actually contemplated flying back to see them. Low and behold, The Eagles are also playing in London for a week near the end of March. I'm not sure it's in my budget...but they are here while my mom is visiting so I'm hoping she gets the hint when she reads this email.
I've booked trips to Prague, Italy, and Paris in February, March, and April. This Friday we are taking a day trip to Windsor Castle and Eton College, where Prince William and Harry went to school. I asked Britt if the Princes would be there, and she replied with her shrill British accent, "Oh, no! There are much better looking boys than them there!" Perfect.
Looking forward to another wonderful week! Hope everyone is staying warm, or at least trying!
Annette
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