AH! Where did the past month go? I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but it's simply because I have been doing SO much! And now, as I sit here in my empty dorm room waiting to leave in an hour and a half for the airport, I'm simply trying to process everything I experienced over the last 3 months and come to terms with the fact that it's ending. Saying "goodbye...forever" to my friends here hasn't exactly been enjoyable, but I am really looking forward to coming home and celebrating the holidays with my friends and family. It's a bittersweet feeling, leaving. I've really become quite attached to London.
Quick summary of the last month:
I met up with a group of my IWU friends in Paris November 21-23 to celebrate our friend Joey's 21st birthday. It was an AMAZING weekend, not only because of the sights and sounds of the city, but also because it was just so darn good to see those familiar faces. We went to the Louvre, the top of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, and the Moulin Rouge. I also had crepes at two different cafes, which were delicious. :-)
The very next weekend, I went to Rome with some girlfriends from my dorm here. It was a wonderful weekend as well, and we packed so much into two days: the Colosseum, the Roman forum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Vatican City (the Sistine Chapel is gorgeous!), and lots and lots of gelato! We stayed at a great hostel where they served free breakfast and dinner, and it ended up being a surprisingly inexpensive weekend for all we got to do.
As soon as I got back from Rome, my days were basically consumed by schoolwork. It felt SO good to finally turn in the last of my papers this morning. However, in the midst of it, I did find time to go see Lion King and The Sound of Music in the West End, as well as the lighting of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree.
I can't wait to show off my photographs and tell the thousands of stories that were not included in this blog! Can't wait to see you. Merry Christmas! :-)
Love,
Maria
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
My heart's in the Highlands...
A little over a month ago, I got an e-mail from our program director about a weekend trip to the Scottish Highlands. I thought, "Sure, that sounds like a nice time" and signed up immediately. BEST decision I have made on this entire trip. I had the most unbelievable weekend.
I took the train to Edinburgh on Friday morning. I was supposed to meet the group at 4:45, so I had about 4 hours to kill after I arrived at the city. I found a pub that served a traditional Scottish breakfast all day, and then I wandered around the city. I went into St. Giles' Cathedral, which was dark and gorgeous. There were beautiful stained glass windows at both ends, and a large pipe organ stood against the wall near the center. After that, I wandered some more until I found a beautiful cemetery on Calton Hill where David Hume is buried. As soon as I walked through the gate, it felt like I had completely left the city; it was so still and quiet. Across the street was an opening to a "scenic overview," which immediately caught my interest. I had an absolutely gorgeous view of the city from up there.
Next, I set out for the castle, which wasn't hard to find once I started walking on the Royal Mile. I wasn't intending to go inside, but once I got there, it seemed a shame to just snap a few photos and turn around and leave. After all, how often am I in Edinburgh? So, I paid the 10 pounds and set out to explore the castle. It was really neat, but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed...I guess I was expecting everything to look a bit more original, but instead it was filled with museums and modern displays. Oh well, I got to see the original crown, sceptre, and sword used in the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots, which was awesome.
I met up with my group that evening, and we all hopped in a minibus and rode for 2 hours to the lodge in Firbush. What an incredible place...it's all wood, and it's pretty big and really nice. We were immediately served a 3 course dinner, which is how all of our meals were...I was very well fed! All of the rooms have 2 sets of bunkbeds and were very cozy. I had 2 roommates, Sally and Jay, and it made me realize how much I miss living with other people. They're great girls, and we had a lot of fun joking around and staying up talking til 2 a.m. Everyone else on the trip was super friendly as well...it was definitely the most comfortable social atmosphere that I've been in this entire semester. The program director could have been Katie Heaton's twin--I'm still not convinced that it wasn't actually her in disguise.
On Saturday, we gathered together, checked out gear from the shop, and headed out to climb Ben Lawers, a mountain in the highlands. It was pretty cold at the beginning, but once we had been climbing for a while, we all worked up quite a sweat...it was hard work! We stopped for a lunch break at around noon, and the weather chose that moment to begin raining as hard as possible. We were all huddled over our soaked sandwiches in between rocks...it was pretty funny. The weather was not very kind for the rest of our journey...by the time we neared the top, it was sleeting and was so foggy that I could barely see the person ahead of me. After some time, Dennis, our leader, gave us two options: we could follow him on the quicker, steeper journey up to the high summit, or we could follow Bob, the other leader, on the easier path to the other summit. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle the climb to the high summit, but I really wanted to do it, so I mustered up all my strength and followed Dennis. It was quite a climb and I was completely out of breath by the time we reached the top, but I did it!! It felt incredible, especially since I wasn't sure I could do it before. It was soooo windy and snowy up there, so we didn't wait long before coming back down and moving on to the other summit. That's right, I bagged not one, but two Munros! (A Munro is a Scottish mountain that is over 3,000 feet high...there are 284 in all, I think). The fog was too thick to see anything the entire day, but as we came down the mountain, it began to clear and Loch Tay slowly began to come into view...there are no words to describe how beautiful it was.
A ceilidh, which is a Scottish social dance, was held at the lodge on Saturday night. We had a 3 course dinner beforehand, and the main course was chicken wrapped in bacon and filled with...you guessed it...haggis. It was really good! There was also a rich chocolate cake at the dessert table...mmm. All of the men wore kilts, and they told stories, read poems, and gave a very humorous history of the kilt (I have photos of it). We got to listen to a man play 3 different types of bagpipes--he's a retired University of Edinburgh professor who now dedicates his time to perfecting his bagpipe skills. I know I've always said that bagpipes are my least favorite instrument of all time, but I think that this experience has changed my mind. A cute lady taught us Scottish partner and group dances, which I was absolutely thrilled about. Bob, our adorable 60-year-old group leader, is an incredible dancer, and we always tried to pair up during the more difficult dances. We danced circles around the room the whole night, and I couldn't have been happier. At the end of the evening, everyone held hands in a circle and sang Auld Lang Syne, the traditional ending to the ceilidh.
Sunday morning, I hobbled out of bed (my legs were SO sore!), had breakfast, and prepared to go mountain biking. I hadn't been on a bike since age 11, so it was a bit of a rusty start before I got the hang of it. We biked on some mountain trails up to an old castle, which we got to explore for about a half hour. It was so beautiful. We also walked down to an old cemetery before coasting back down to the lodge--that was my favorite part; I got to go so fast! :-) After lunch, I put on a wetsuit and went kayaking with 4 other girls. It was a fun group; we had all gotten to know each other pretty well during the weekend. Kayaking, like biking, took a few minutes to get the hang of, but pretty soon we were ready to head out into Loch Tay. It was beautiful...there's nothing like sitting in a kayak in the middle of the water surrounded by snow-capped mountains and watching the sun set. What a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Here are some photos...I didn't take all of them; the really impressive ones I stole from Jay's facebook album.
I love you all! See you in 4 weeks...can you believe it?
Maria
I took the train to Edinburgh on Friday morning. I was supposed to meet the group at 4:45, so I had about 4 hours to kill after I arrived at the city. I found a pub that served a traditional Scottish breakfast all day, and then I wandered around the city. I went into St. Giles' Cathedral, which was dark and gorgeous. There were beautiful stained glass windows at both ends, and a large pipe organ stood against the wall near the center. After that, I wandered some more until I found a beautiful cemetery on Calton Hill where David Hume is buried. As soon as I walked through the gate, it felt like I had completely left the city; it was so still and quiet. Across the street was an opening to a "scenic overview," which immediately caught my interest. I had an absolutely gorgeous view of the city from up there.
Next, I set out for the castle, which wasn't hard to find once I started walking on the Royal Mile. I wasn't intending to go inside, but once I got there, it seemed a shame to just snap a few photos and turn around and leave. After all, how often am I in Edinburgh? So, I paid the 10 pounds and set out to explore the castle. It was really neat, but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed...I guess I was expecting everything to look a bit more original, but instead it was filled with museums and modern displays. Oh well, I got to see the original crown, sceptre, and sword used in the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots, which was awesome.
I met up with my group that evening, and we all hopped in a minibus and rode for 2 hours to the lodge in Firbush. What an incredible place...it's all wood, and it's pretty big and really nice. We were immediately served a 3 course dinner, which is how all of our meals were...I was very well fed! All of the rooms have 2 sets of bunkbeds and were very cozy. I had 2 roommates, Sally and Jay, and it made me realize how much I miss living with other people. They're great girls, and we had a lot of fun joking around and staying up talking til 2 a.m. Everyone else on the trip was super friendly as well...it was definitely the most comfortable social atmosphere that I've been in this entire semester. The program director could have been Katie Heaton's twin--I'm still not convinced that it wasn't actually her in disguise.
On Saturday, we gathered together, checked out gear from the shop, and headed out to climb Ben Lawers, a mountain in the highlands. It was pretty cold at the beginning, but once we had been climbing for a while, we all worked up quite a sweat...it was hard work! We stopped for a lunch break at around noon, and the weather chose that moment to begin raining as hard as possible. We were all huddled over our soaked sandwiches in between rocks...it was pretty funny. The weather was not very kind for the rest of our journey...by the time we neared the top, it was sleeting and was so foggy that I could barely see the person ahead of me. After some time, Dennis, our leader, gave us two options: we could follow him on the quicker, steeper journey up to the high summit, or we could follow Bob, the other leader, on the easier path to the other summit. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle the climb to the high summit, but I really wanted to do it, so I mustered up all my strength and followed Dennis. It was quite a climb and I was completely out of breath by the time we reached the top, but I did it!! It felt incredible, especially since I wasn't sure I could do it before. It was soooo windy and snowy up there, so we didn't wait long before coming back down and moving on to the other summit. That's right, I bagged not one, but two Munros! (A Munro is a Scottish mountain that is over 3,000 feet high...there are 284 in all, I think). The fog was too thick to see anything the entire day, but as we came down the mountain, it began to clear and Loch Tay slowly began to come into view...there are no words to describe how beautiful it was.
A ceilidh, which is a Scottish social dance, was held at the lodge on Saturday night. We had a 3 course dinner beforehand, and the main course was chicken wrapped in bacon and filled with...you guessed it...haggis. It was really good! There was also a rich chocolate cake at the dessert table...mmm. All of the men wore kilts, and they told stories, read poems, and gave a very humorous history of the kilt (I have photos of it). We got to listen to a man play 3 different types of bagpipes--he's a retired University of Edinburgh professor who now dedicates his time to perfecting his bagpipe skills. I know I've always said that bagpipes are my least favorite instrument of all time, but I think that this experience has changed my mind. A cute lady taught us Scottish partner and group dances, which I was absolutely thrilled about. Bob, our adorable 60-year-old group leader, is an incredible dancer, and we always tried to pair up during the more difficult dances. We danced circles around the room the whole night, and I couldn't have been happier. At the end of the evening, everyone held hands in a circle and sang Auld Lang Syne, the traditional ending to the ceilidh.
Sunday morning, I hobbled out of bed (my legs were SO sore!), had breakfast, and prepared to go mountain biking. I hadn't been on a bike since age 11, so it was a bit of a rusty start before I got the hang of it. We biked on some mountain trails up to an old castle, which we got to explore for about a half hour. It was so beautiful. We also walked down to an old cemetery before coasting back down to the lodge--that was my favorite part; I got to go so fast! :-) After lunch, I put on a wetsuit and went kayaking with 4 other girls. It was a fun group; we had all gotten to know each other pretty well during the weekend. Kayaking, like biking, took a few minutes to get the hang of, but pretty soon we were ready to head out into Loch Tay. It was beautiful...there's nothing like sitting in a kayak in the middle of the water surrounded by snow-capped mountains and watching the sun set. What a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Here are some photos...I didn't take all of them; the really impressive ones I stole from Jay's facebook album.
I love you all! See you in 4 weeks...can you believe it?
Maria
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Lovely London Life
Wow, sorry I haven't written for a while...so much has been happening!
I've been to quite a few awesome places in the past few weeks. My friends Chelsie, Jill, Christine, and I went to Madame Tussauds wax museum, which was very entertaining and kind of creepy. Some of them were pretty fake-looking, but others could have passed for the real deal. And in some cases, the real deal could have passed for a statue...there's nothing like staring at a "wax figure" for a while and then having it glare at you and walk away...oops. Hey, what can I say-- London is filled with interesting-looking people!
I haven't been terribly homesick during this trip, but I've definitely had my moments. However, I've discovered the best cure: a picnic lunch with Big Ben. On a Tuesday morning before class, I packed a PBJ and headed to Westminster. I walked around Parliament and Westminster Abbey before choosing a bench by the river with a gorgeous view. I sat and ate while Big Ben struck 12. A perfect morning.
On November 1st, I went on a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was great...it's absolutely mind-boggling to look at it and know that so much of it's still standing after all this time. The weather was c-c-cold beyond belief, but it was still a great visit. Bath was fun, too, but I felt very rushed. By the time we had finished eating lunch, we only had 2 hours left. Lines were long, so we only had time to go to the Jane Austen Centre. I'm a huge fan of her work, so I had a wonderful time listening to the tour guide speak about her life and family. It was a good day.
The next day, I went to evensong at Westminster Abbey. Wow, wow, wow. It's so surreal to sit and participate in a service that has happened there for so many centuries. On my way out, I looked down and realized I was walking over Isaac Newton, and a few steps later, Charles Darwin. What?! Someone pinch me.
This trip has been amazing so far, except for this pesky obligation to get an education while I'm here. Haha, just kidding, my classes have actually been great. However, I did have to turn in my first two assignments last Thursday at 6 p.m., and it was pretty stressful. I have this chronic condition called procrastinationitis, so Thursday morning was filled with frantic typing and last minute editing with Dad over Skype. Then, after printing, accidently omitting the final sentence on the last page, losing my ID, finding my ID, and reprinting, I mangaged to turn everything in 10 minutes before the deadline. It involved a lot of running through the streets of London...one perk of procrastination: it's good exercise!
Theatre: Last week, I went to see Beauty and the Beast the ballet with 2 girls from my Bible study. It was beautiful (and nothing like the Disney version, haha). It was fun to read the dance language and figure out the storyline...man, I miss dancing. This morning, I woke up and thought "I think I want to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat today." So, I did. I went to the 3:00 matinee and relived the summer of '98...I still know every word. It was a great show; Lee Mead was an incredible Joseph, and the dancing/choreography was out of this world. It was very different from the way I remember it, and I think I prefer the way KB did it in J'ville...but I know I'm very, very biased haha.
I added more photos to this album: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/MindTheGap#
Love,
Maria
P.S. Scotland trip details and photos coming soon.
I've been to quite a few awesome places in the past few weeks. My friends Chelsie, Jill, Christine, and I went to Madame Tussauds wax museum, which was very entertaining and kind of creepy. Some of them were pretty fake-looking, but others could have passed for the real deal. And in some cases, the real deal could have passed for a statue...there's nothing like staring at a "wax figure" for a while and then having it glare at you and walk away...oops. Hey, what can I say-- London is filled with interesting-looking people!
I haven't been terribly homesick during this trip, but I've definitely had my moments. However, I've discovered the best cure: a picnic lunch with Big Ben. On a Tuesday morning before class, I packed a PBJ and headed to Westminster. I walked around Parliament and Westminster Abbey before choosing a bench by the river with a gorgeous view. I sat and ate while Big Ben struck 12. A perfect morning.
On November 1st, I went on a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was great...it's absolutely mind-boggling to look at it and know that so much of it's still standing after all this time. The weather was c-c-cold beyond belief, but it was still a great visit. Bath was fun, too, but I felt very rushed. By the time we had finished eating lunch, we only had 2 hours left. Lines were long, so we only had time to go to the Jane Austen Centre. I'm a huge fan of her work, so I had a wonderful time listening to the tour guide speak about her life and family. It was a good day.
The next day, I went to evensong at Westminster Abbey. Wow, wow, wow. It's so surreal to sit and participate in a service that has happened there for so many centuries. On my way out, I looked down and realized I was walking over Isaac Newton, and a few steps later, Charles Darwin. What?! Someone pinch me.
This trip has been amazing so far, except for this pesky obligation to get an education while I'm here. Haha, just kidding, my classes have actually been great. However, I did have to turn in my first two assignments last Thursday at 6 p.m., and it was pretty stressful. I have this chronic condition called procrastinationitis, so Thursday morning was filled with frantic typing and last minute editing with Dad over Skype. Then, after printing, accidently omitting the final sentence on the last page, losing my ID, finding my ID, and reprinting, I mangaged to turn everything in 10 minutes before the deadline. It involved a lot of running through the streets of London...one perk of procrastination: it's good exercise!
Theatre: Last week, I went to see Beauty and the Beast the ballet with 2 girls from my Bible study. It was beautiful (and nothing like the Disney version, haha). It was fun to read the dance language and figure out the storyline...man, I miss dancing. This morning, I woke up and thought "I think I want to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat today." So, I did. I went to the 3:00 matinee and relived the summer of '98...I still know every word. It was a great show; Lee Mead was an incredible Joseph, and the dancing/choreography was out of this world. It was very different from the way I remember it, and I think I prefer the way KB did it in J'ville...but I know I'm very, very biased haha.
I added more photos to this album: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/MindTheGap#
Love,
Maria
P.S. Scotland trip details and photos coming soon.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Mind the Gap
You guys, I really love London. :-)
These past couple of weeks have been really nice. I've gotten into more of a normal routine, but there are still exciting events thrown in here and there. Bible study is great!! It is held at the church's student house and led by the pastor, and it's such a comfortable atmosphere. Each session begins with a hymn and a prayer. We have been discussing women in the church..the first week was really great, but this past week left me a bit frustrated. The ELCE does not allow women to be pastors, so I was kind of expecting the conversation to take the turn that it did...it's ok, though, because it is causing me to explore the topic more deeply in my own time. Questions are good, questions are good.
My Art and Society class took me to the Banqueting House in White Hall during week 2. The paintings on the ceiling were beautiful, and we got to lie on the floor and gaze up at them while the professor explained each detail. During week 3, lecture was held at All Saints church and All Souls church, and both of them were also very beautiful.
And now, on to theater. I saw two incredible productions this week. On Saturday the 18th, I met up with Taylor, my friend from IWU, for lunch at a market in Covent Garden before buying tickets to see Les Mis! Taylor is a theater major studying at LAMDA for a semester, so it was really fun to see this show with her and hear her comments. Les Mis was amazing. Absolutely amazing. The voices, the acting, the show itself...ahhh. I still have the songs stuck in my head. Then, on Wednesday, I went to see the stage version of Rain Man starring...Josh Hartnett! I was really impressed with Adam Godley, the actor who played Raymond, the autistic brother. His performance was so convincing and touching. I actually wasn't all that impressed with Josh Hartnett at the beginning, but he got better as the show went on. :-) Like I'm some kind of critic...haha.
Anyone ever tried beans on toast? A girl in my London Theatre class told me about it...apparently it's popular here. Just butter toast and pour baked beans on top of it. I thought it sounded weird and disgusting, but it's actually really tasty!
And for all you Harry Potter fans, I totally went to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross. Harry and Professor McGonagall say hi.
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/MindTheGap#
Love to you all.
Maria
These past couple of weeks have been really nice. I've gotten into more of a normal routine, but there are still exciting events thrown in here and there. Bible study is great!! It is held at the church's student house and led by the pastor, and it's such a comfortable atmosphere. Each session begins with a hymn and a prayer. We have been discussing women in the church..the first week was really great, but this past week left me a bit frustrated. The ELCE does not allow women to be pastors, so I was kind of expecting the conversation to take the turn that it did...it's ok, though, because it is causing me to explore the topic more deeply in my own time. Questions are good, questions are good.
My Art and Society class took me to the Banqueting House in White Hall during week 2. The paintings on the ceiling were beautiful, and we got to lie on the floor and gaze up at them while the professor explained each detail. During week 3, lecture was held at All Saints church and All Souls church, and both of them were also very beautiful.
And now, on to theater. I saw two incredible productions this week. On Saturday the 18th, I met up with Taylor, my friend from IWU, for lunch at a market in Covent Garden before buying tickets to see Les Mis! Taylor is a theater major studying at LAMDA for a semester, so it was really fun to see this show with her and hear her comments. Les Mis was amazing. Absolutely amazing. The voices, the acting, the show itself...ahhh. I still have the songs stuck in my head. Then, on Wednesday, I went to see the stage version of Rain Man starring...Josh Hartnett! I was really impressed with Adam Godley, the actor who played Raymond, the autistic brother. His performance was so convincing and touching. I actually wasn't all that impressed with Josh Hartnett at the beginning, but he got better as the show went on. :-) Like I'm some kind of critic...haha.
Anyone ever tried beans on toast? A girl in my London Theatre class told me about it...apparently it's popular here. Just butter toast and pour baked beans on top of it. I thought it sounded weird and disgusting, but it's actually really tasty!
And for all you Harry Potter fans, I totally went to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross. Harry and Professor McGonagall say hi.
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/MindTheGap#
Love to you all.
Maria
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wait...I actually have to learn stuff?
Well, I'm finished with my first week of classes, and I think I'm looking at a good semester! I take Intro to Linguistics on Mondays, and while it's a looooong 3 hour lecture, it is an interesting subject. 19th Century London is on Tuesdays, and our professor, who is an interesting character, took us on a field walk on the first day. It was cool to hear about the history of the buildings that are right around our classroom!
My Art & Society class is on Wednesdays, and it is the most exciting by far. We meet for an hour for lecture, and then the next two hours are spent in museums and other cool places. And where, you may ask, did we go on our first day? WELL...none other than St. Paul's Cathedral! I was so excited to go back! We got to go back into the Quire, up into the Whispering Gallery, and then up to the very top of the cathedral. The view was absolutely spectacular, and it was worth every single one of those 528 stairs...even the scary ones. You'll see what I mean if you look at my photos.
London Theatre and Performance takes the Thursday slot. I think that this class will be fun and relaxed; the professor seems to be very easygoing. There is a recommended show to see every week of the semester, which could be very expensive, but we are not required to go to all of them. I have never heard of many of the shows that she listed, but I'm going to see Rain Man (starring Josh Hartnett!) on October 22 at the Apollo Theatre.
Outside of class, I visited the London Zoo, Primrose Hill, Abbey Road, and Kensington Gardens this week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for 5 days in a row, so we definitely took advantage of the opportunity to see those outdoor sites.
I have really begun to look forward to Sundays here; I always seem to come away from them with awesome stories. I decided to try a different Lutheran church this week, so I chose Luther-Tyndale Memorial Church from the list that Google gave me. I had a really good feeling about it as soon as I walked in...the sanctuary is beautiful, and it just felt very comfortable. The congregation was small, but it had a nice mix of ages, and quite a few college-age people. Christian fellowship is something that has been lacking during my 3 weeks here, so I was really excited to see so many people my age. The service was great, and everyone really sang out during the hymns, filling the sanctury with beautiful music.
You Roths and Faith Lutheranites will appreciate this: at one point during the service, the pastor (who already kind of reminded me of Dad) divided the congregation into two groups to sing "Seek Ye First" in...you guessed it... a round. It was also the only hymn that was accompanied by the guitar instead of the organ. I kid you not. Needless to say, I felt right at home!
Afterward, I went to coffee hour in the gathering area and sat with a lovely older Chinese man named Joseph. It turns out that he went to a Lutheran seminary in Hong Kong and was taught by Lutheran missionaries from the U.S. I also met his wife, Gina, and the three of us sat and chatted for a while, mostly about Lutherans and why Shanghai is awesome. :-) After talking to them, I talked to the pastor for a bit and then to his daughter, who is in her final year of university in London. She introduced me to the other college-age folks, and pretty soon I found myself agreeing to go to Bible Study at the church's student house on Tuesday night! They were all so unbelievably welcoming, and I can't wait to go! I will definitely be going back to the church next Sunday, and probably for the rest of my stay here. God is good!
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/PalacesParksAndCathedrals#
Take care, everyone! Love and miss you!
Maria
My Art & Society class is on Wednesdays, and it is the most exciting by far. We meet for an hour for lecture, and then the next two hours are spent in museums and other cool places. And where, you may ask, did we go on our first day? WELL...none other than St. Paul's Cathedral! I was so excited to go back! We got to go back into the Quire, up into the Whispering Gallery, and then up to the very top of the cathedral. The view was absolutely spectacular, and it was worth every single one of those 528 stairs...even the scary ones. You'll see what I mean if you look at my photos.
London Theatre and Performance takes the Thursday slot. I think that this class will be fun and relaxed; the professor seems to be very easygoing. There is a recommended show to see every week of the semester, which could be very expensive, but we are not required to go to all of them. I have never heard of many of the shows that she listed, but I'm going to see Rain Man (starring Josh Hartnett!) on October 22 at the Apollo Theatre.
Outside of class, I visited the London Zoo, Primrose Hill, Abbey Road, and Kensington Gardens this week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for 5 days in a row, so we definitely took advantage of the opportunity to see those outdoor sites.
I have really begun to look forward to Sundays here; I always seem to come away from them with awesome stories. I decided to try a different Lutheran church this week, so I chose Luther-Tyndale Memorial Church from the list that Google gave me. I had a really good feeling about it as soon as I walked in...the sanctuary is beautiful, and it just felt very comfortable. The congregation was small, but it had a nice mix of ages, and quite a few college-age people. Christian fellowship is something that has been lacking during my 3 weeks here, so I was really excited to see so many people my age. The service was great, and everyone really sang out during the hymns, filling the sanctury with beautiful music.
You Roths and Faith Lutheranites will appreciate this: at one point during the service, the pastor (who already kind of reminded me of Dad) divided the congregation into two groups to sing "Seek Ye First" in...you guessed it... a round. It was also the only hymn that was accompanied by the guitar instead of the organ. I kid you not. Needless to say, I felt right at home!
Afterward, I went to coffee hour in the gathering area and sat with a lovely older Chinese man named Joseph. It turns out that he went to a Lutheran seminary in Hong Kong and was taught by Lutheran missionaries from the U.S. I also met his wife, Gina, and the three of us sat and chatted for a while, mostly about Lutherans and why Shanghai is awesome. :-) After talking to them, I talked to the pastor for a bit and then to his daughter, who is in her final year of university in London. She introduced me to the other college-age folks, and pretty soon I found myself agreeing to go to Bible Study at the church's student house on Tuesday night! They were all so unbelievably welcoming, and I can't wait to go! I will definitely be going back to the church next Sunday, and probably for the rest of my stay here. God is good!
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/PalacesParksAndCathedrals#
Take care, everyone! Love and miss you!
Maria
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Exploring England
I just had the most incredible weekend! Lots of traveling and exploring historic places...
On Saturday, October 4th, I went on a day trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. Blenheim Palace, which is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is so beautiful...and HUGE! There were so many wide open areas, and the architecture of the building itself was so detailed. We went on a tour of the inside, where we saw the room where Winston Churchill was born (complete with locks of his hair in a frame on the wall...I found it kind of funny). There were so many tapestries and paintings all over the walls of every single room. It was gorgeous. After the tour, we walked around the gardens for a bit. However, it was very windy, so we were not out there very long.
Next stop: Oxford. Such a nice place! 4 of us ate lunch at Three Goats Head, where I had chicken and mushroom pie with chips (fries) and vegetables...mmmm. We immediately set out for Christ Church after we ate. Christ Church is famous for many reasons, but I have to admit...the most exciting thing was getting to see the Great Hall and the staircase where they filmed Harry Potter! The Great Hall was much smaller than I had imagined it, but it was still SO COOL! I took some pretty neat photos there. The inside of the cathedral was lovely--I could have sat and stared at everything for hours; just being in there was calming. After we left Christ Church, we walked to Bodleian Library, which, unfortunately, was closed to visitors.
The following Sunday, I went to a nice little Lutheran church, St. Anne's. It was a very small congregation, but the people were from all over the world, which was very cool. Then, at 3:00, I attended evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The bells were ringing as I walked up the steps, but as soon as the door closed behind me, all that remained was a still, magnificent silence. The cathedral is beautiful, and it took all of my energy to hold back tears as I wandered around, awestruck by every little detail. The usher showed me to the only remaining front row seat, and I held it together pretty well until the choir began singing the Lord's Prayer. The sights, the sounds, and the undeniable presence of God in that place was so astounding and so beautiful, and I left feeling more at peace than I have in quite a while.
I'm in the process of planning several trips, so I know that I'll have much more to write about! I miss you all; take care!
Oh, and here are the new pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/OxfordBlenheimPalaceAndStPaulSCathedral#
Much love,
Maria
On Saturday, October 4th, I went on a day trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. Blenheim Palace, which is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is so beautiful...and HUGE! There were so many wide open areas, and the architecture of the building itself was so detailed. We went on a tour of the inside, where we saw the room where Winston Churchill was born (complete with locks of his hair in a frame on the wall...I found it kind of funny). There were so many tapestries and paintings all over the walls of every single room. It was gorgeous. After the tour, we walked around the gardens for a bit. However, it was very windy, so we were not out there very long.
Next stop: Oxford. Such a nice place! 4 of us ate lunch at Three Goats Head, where I had chicken and mushroom pie with chips (fries) and vegetables...mmmm. We immediately set out for Christ Church after we ate. Christ Church is famous for many reasons, but I have to admit...the most exciting thing was getting to see the Great Hall and the staircase where they filmed Harry Potter! The Great Hall was much smaller than I had imagined it, but it was still SO COOL! I took some pretty neat photos there. The inside of the cathedral was lovely--I could have sat and stared at everything for hours; just being in there was calming. After we left Christ Church, we walked to Bodleian Library, which, unfortunately, was closed to visitors.
The following Sunday, I went to a nice little Lutheran church, St. Anne's. It was a very small congregation, but the people were from all over the world, which was very cool. Then, at 3:00, I attended evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The bells were ringing as I walked up the steps, but as soon as the door closed behind me, all that remained was a still, magnificent silence. The cathedral is beautiful, and it took all of my energy to hold back tears as I wandered around, awestruck by every little detail. The usher showed me to the only remaining front row seat, and I held it together pretty well until the choir began singing the Lord's Prayer. The sights, the sounds, and the undeniable presence of God in that place was so astounding and so beautiful, and I left feeling more at peace than I have in quite a while.
I'm in the process of planning several trips, so I know that I'll have much more to write about! I miss you all; take care!
Oh, and here are the new pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/OxfordBlenheimPalaceAndStPaulSCathedral#
Much love,
Maria
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hello from London!
From Wednesday, October 1, 2008:
Hello, all! I hope that everything is going well back in the States! I am having an INCREDIBLE time in London. Living here is definitely a big change from Jacksonville (understatement of the year), and I absolutely love taking the tube and walking around in the midst of so much history.
After I arrived on September 21st, I spent 3 days at the Thistle Euston Hotel for orientation. During that time, I went to the British Library where the Gutenberg Bible, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Magna Carta, and The Beatles' original lyrics were on display. Also, some of you may remember the time that I fell in love with Jane Austen's book Persuasion...I got to see the original manuscript!! I also went to see the show Billy Elliott at Victoria Palace...my program provided all of us with free tickets! This kid couldn't have been more than 12 years old, but he was an absolutely amazing dancer. I LOVED it.
After orientation, I spent 3 days living with a family in Swansea, Wales. The couple I stayed with was so friendly and hospitable, and they have an 8-year old daughter who I got along with very well. I went to Gower and Mumbles, which are absolutely gorgeous. Most of my photos are from my stay in Wales.
The bus ride back from Wales was quite an experience. What was supposed to be a 4 hour trip turned into a 10 hour disaster--it turns out that our bus driver was not from London and didn't know where anything was. We ended up completely lost in the outskirts of London, and when we finally made it back to central London, our bus got stuck when we tried to turn on a narrow road. One of our group members got out and directed traffic, and we eventually backed out of the turn and continued to drive down the street in reverse until we found somewhere that the bus could fit. When I finally made it to my dorm at 7:00 pm, I realized that I had no bedding and that the stores closed at 5:00. So, I bundled up some sweaters for a pillow and slept under my winter coat on the bare mattress...until the fire alarm went off at 3 am and our entire dorm had to go stand outside in the London drizzle for a half hour. Haha, it was QUITE a day!
Also, something interesting: out of the 19 students from across the US who are in my program, 1 of them is a student at Illinois College! He says he took your class, Karen Dean, and you're the reason that he's interested in politics. His name is Andrew Tepavchevich. Small world!
If you would like to look at all of my photos, go to this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/WelcomeToGreatBritain# I'll add photos as I have more incredible experiences!
I love you all very, very much, and I hope that you have a beautiful October! I'll continue to update you on what's happening with me! God bless!
Love,
Maria
Hello, all! I hope that everything is going well back in the States! I am having an INCREDIBLE time in London. Living here is definitely a big change from Jacksonville (understatement of the year), and I absolutely love taking the tube and walking around in the midst of so much history.
After I arrived on September 21st, I spent 3 days at the Thistle Euston Hotel for orientation. During that time, I went to the British Library where the Gutenberg Bible, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Magna Carta, and The Beatles' original lyrics were on display. Also, some of you may remember the time that I fell in love with Jane Austen's book Persuasion...I got to see the original manuscript!! I also went to see the show Billy Elliott at Victoria Palace...my program provided all of us with free tickets! This kid couldn't have been more than 12 years old, but he was an absolutely amazing dancer. I LOVED it.
After orientation, I spent 3 days living with a family in Swansea, Wales. The couple I stayed with was so friendly and hospitable, and they have an 8-year old daughter who I got along with very well. I went to Gower and Mumbles, which are absolutely gorgeous. Most of my photos are from my stay in Wales.
The bus ride back from Wales was quite an experience. What was supposed to be a 4 hour trip turned into a 10 hour disaster--it turns out that our bus driver was not from London and didn't know where anything was. We ended up completely lost in the outskirts of London, and when we finally made it back to central London, our bus got stuck when we tried to turn on a narrow road. One of our group members got out and directed traffic, and we eventually backed out of the turn and continued to drive down the street in reverse until we found somewhere that the bus could fit. When I finally made it to my dorm at 7:00 pm, I realized that I had no bedding and that the stores closed at 5:00. So, I bundled up some sweaters for a pillow and slept under my winter coat on the bare mattress...until the fire alarm went off at 3 am and our entire dorm had to go stand outside in the London drizzle for a half hour. Haha, it was QUITE a day!
Also, something interesting: out of the 19 students from across the US who are in my program, 1 of them is a student at Illinois College! He says he took your class, Karen Dean, and you're the reason that he's interested in politics. His name is Andrew Tepavchevich. Small world!
If you would like to look at all of my photos, go to this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/WelcomeToGreatBritain# I'll add photos as I have more incredible experiences!
I love you all very, very much, and I hope that you have a beautiful October! I'll continue to update you on what's happening with me! God bless!
Love,
Maria
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