The Adventure of a Lifetime

Lads and Lasses

2009-05-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

Scotland! One of my favorite places! We stayed in Edinburgh but visited St. Andrews and saw the old golf course, caste, and cathedral. Loved the culture in Scotland! Lots of fun!!

St. Andrew castle

The golf course

Edinburgh

Love it!

Ireland... take two

2009-05-03T09:43:00.001-07:00

My second attempt to visit Ireland was a success! We flew into Cork and spent the first night there. Then we traveled to Killarney, where we stayed in a thatched cottage! It was so cute! We visited Killarney National Park and went to the Blarney Castle on the way to Killarney, where I kissed the Blarney stone. We had a blast!

Kissing the Blarney stone

Our thatched cottage

Rowing in Killarney Park

Ross Castle

If only I spoke Welsh...

2009-05-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

We spent a day in Wales and saw the Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey. It was a bright and sunny day making for the best pictures:

Tintern Abbey

The group

Chepstow Castle

J'adore Paris

2009-04-10T15:16:00.001-07:00

Paris is now one of my favorite cities that I have visited thus far. Sadly, I only had 24 hours to see all that I wanted. I saw a majority of the sights: the Eiffel Tower, Champs d'Elysee, Arch du Triumph, the Louvre, Moulin Rouge, and Sacre Coeur. I also visited an amazing pastry shop and restaurant named, La Duree. They have the best macrons ever! We also got to go on the Fat tire Bike Tour at night so we saw the sights all lit up.

Tour Eiffel

Louvre

Mona Lisa

Arch du Triumph

Louvre at night

Worship with the Monks

2009-04-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Once we dominated the Swiss Alps, we were off to stay at a Monastic Community called, Taize, in France. This is no ordinary Monastery, it was open to the public to visit and to worship with the monks. As part of our Christian Worship class, we visited and stayed in the community for a couple of days. It was a very enriching experience. The community was very simplistic and that is exactly what makes it so appealing. You can go there and forget all about material possessions and focus on worshipping God. We would pray three times a day and would work during the afternoon by contributing to everyday responsibilities around the church or other buildings. People come from all over Europe and the world to visit this place. We met Asians, Germans, Americans, and many French visitors. For them, this is the one place and time for them to worship the way they want and to be open. They all come from different areas that don't necessarily have churches on every corner, like we do. Makes you take a second look at your attitude towards time of worship. The fact that people from all over the world can come together and put differences aside to simply worship together is so inspirational. Extremely eye-opening.

Skiing Down the Alps

2009-04-10T14:41:00.001-07:00

After Strasbourg we headed to Switzerland. My opinion of Switzerland can be summarized in one simple word... GORGEOUS! It is the most beautiful place I have ever visited! No joke! A definite reminder of God's creative ability. Loved it! We strolled around Interlacken and then headed to Wilderswil (pronounced: V-ilders-vil), where we stayed in a lovely hotel nestled in the mountains. The next day I hit the slopes... that's right, the Swiss Alps! It was awesome!! Such a cool experience! Photos for proof: (btw these pictures do not do it justice!)

Swiss cheese fondue... mmmm!

On the Lift

View from my room

Bonjour!

2009-04-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Our class trip was spent in France and Switzerland. We traveled to Metz, Verdun, and Strasbourg, France the first couple of days of our trip. In Verdun we visited the Ossaire and the Douaumont, where the soldiers of WWI fought and are buried. It was a very emotional day as we saw the trenches in which they fought as well as monuments to commemorate their efforts. Strasbourg is a huge political city--the Council of Europe is found here. We got to tour the assembly room in which some of the most important decisions are made in Europe. It is a really pretty city as well; I enjoyed walking around Petite France and other areas in town. Here are some photos:

Council of Europe

After lunch in Verdun

The Douaumont

The Ossaire

Another Week in England

2009-03-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

This past week I got to see and do many things. I went to tea with a couple of friends at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford. It was delicious and well worth the time and money. On Saturday I spent the day in Salisbury and Stonehenge. Although I am glad I saw Stonehenge, it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. It is astounding that the stones are still in their original positions--for the most part. So crazy! The fact that we still are clueless as to why or how the stones are there is fascinating. Here are some photos from this past week:

Our beautiful tea spread

All dressed up for high tea

How did these get here??

The group

Beautiful Florence

2009-03-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

Our last place we stayed was Florence, Italy. Such a pretty city! We only got to stay there for a day but really enjoyed it. We went to see David at the Academia and saw the Duomo and climbed the dome to see the city from the top. There is also a leather market and other markets around the city and we did lots of shopping there. So much fun!! Here are some photos:

A snuck picture of David

The Duomo Cathedral

At the top of the Dome

View from the top

Some famous door near the Duomo (it is a replica, the original is in a museum)

There was a beautiful bridge where we watched the sunset

When in Rome...

2009-03-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

After Cinque Terre we stayed in Rome. One thing I definitely don't recommend to put yourself through is doing Rome in a day! It was super stressful. I'm glad we did it though. We went to the Vatican Museum where the Sistine Chapel is and it ended up taking us a total of 5 hours to see all there is to see there. We also visited the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. The Ancient parts of Rome were really cool! It stretched out farther than we thought and took about 2 hours to see the Forum and Roman remains. We had to come back to see the Coliseum the next morning. Here are some pictures from Rome:

The Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

St. Peter's Cathedral

Sistine Chapel

Roman remains

The Roman Forum

Coliseum

Inside the Coliseum

An Amazing Birthday in Italy

2009-03-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

For my 20th Birthday I was in Cinque Terre, Italy. I absolutely LOVED it!! With a couple of days composed of sitting on the beach, watching the sunset, eating lots and lots of gelato, and relaxing, it made for a perfect birthday. We toured the five cities, shopped, and soaked up the Italian culture.

Some of what we did while in Pisa and Cinque Terre:

- eating Pizza in Pisa (ironic, haha)

- riding the train to get to Cinque Terre and seeing the sea as soon as we exit the tunnel

- the beautiful sunset and beach

- gelato, gelato, gelato, and yet even more gelato

- Pesto! They are known for the pesto in Cinque Terre and it is on everything (pizza, pasta, with bread)

This is definitely my favorite place yet! I plan to return someday. Here are some photos from Pisa and Cinque Terre:

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Attempting to take a jumping picture

One of the five cities...gorgeous!

Birthday dinner

Barcelona!

2009-03-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

My trip to Barcelona was amazing! We took a tour on bikes through the city, ate some amazing desserts and paella, saw some awesome art by Gaudi and Dali, and went to see flamenco dancing. We stayed in Barcelona for four days and got to see and experience so much.

Day 1: We get to our hostel and come to find out that we booked the hostel for the wrong month! Luckily the hostel worker was kind enough to find us another hostel nearby and it ended up really working out. After we got situated, we headed to the Chocolate Museum where our ticket was a bar of dark chocolate! It was awesome, there were sculptures that were made of pure chocolate! So cool! We then proceeded to the Picasso Museum where we got to see some of Picasso's original paintings. For dinner we decided to try a traditional Spanish dish called, Paella. It is rice, vegetables, and fresh seafood... delicious!

Day 2: We got up super early to get to the Fat tire bike tour and to meet some friends that we traveled with, only we had forgotten to change the clock to Barcelona time... so we ended up walking around and shopped in the market and little shops. The market was so cool and was huge! We tried this weird fruit and later we found out it was called dragon fruit. It wasn't bad. That night we got to see flamenco dancing. I was amazed by the talented dancers and singer. It was fun to watch! We also tried hot chocolate and churros. When I say hot chocolate, I mean hot chocolate... my spoon could sit on top of my drink it was so thick! There are no words to describe how good it was!

Day 3: We attempt to do the bike tour once again and succeeded. The tour took us to the Gaudi Cathedral that is still being built 100 or so years later! It was such an interesting building! We also got to see the beach and the Mediterranean... so beautiful! We had a blast. After the tour we headed to the Gaudi Park that looked like Candyland, no joke! Again, very interesting art. As we were leaving we spotted an unexpected sight... a naked man hiking in the woods! Apparently, in Barcelona walking around naked is legal and perfectly normal! Go figure! That night we also got to see a light show with lights and a huge fountain that reminded me of Fantasia.

Day 4: The last day we took a day trip to Figeres where the Dali Museum is held. The museum was so cool! We got to see some of Dali's original pieces including, "The Persistence of Memory" (the painting with the melting clocks). So cool!

Here are some photos from my trip:

On the beach!

Gaudi's Cathedral

Bull fighting arena

In the park

The group on the bike tour

Flamenco dancing

We were very excited about the hot chocolate

YUMMY!!

Dragon fruit

The Light Show

Gaudi Park (aka... Candyland)

In the park where Top Model filmed one episode

One of Gaudi's buildings

"Love comforteth like sunshine after rain"

2009-02-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

I spent this past weekend in Stratford, the birthplace and homestead of the legendary William Shakespeare. My family lives not far from the city and took us on the town for the weekend. So fun! We visited Shakespeare's birthplace and his burial ground as well as going to see one of his plays entitled, "The Tempest." We also toured Gloustershire and the Cotswolds on the English countryside. Here are some photos:

In front of Broadway Tower

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Holy Trinity Church (where Shakespeare is buried)

*This is for you Poppy

Our Ireland trip... that turned into Bath

2009-02-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest disappointments so far was our canceled trip to Dublin, Ireland. Yet we made the best of our travel break by turning it around and going to Bath instead! Here are some photos from our awesome weekend in Bath:

Bath Abbey

Corset fitting in the Costume Muesum

Roman Baths

Tea in the Pump Room

The Royal Crescent

Pultney Bridge

Instead of the Super Bowl

2009-02-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

It is snowing in Oxford! Last night we were getting ready to watch the Super Bowl (at midnight!) and it started to snow! Of course we all went to go play in it instead of watching football. Here are some photos of our fun:

We had so much fun! It was like being a kid again. Everyone was going crazy! Snowball fight is still to come! Cheers!

Cheers!

2009-02-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

So since I last wrote I have gone to London for a day trip last weekend! It was awesome! We got to see Wicked, ride a double-decker bus, tour the Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and got to see the crown jewels in the Tower of London. We had so much fun! Here are some pictures:

I also got to go on more tours around Oxford for class.

Funny Story: I had an assignment to go on a walk along the Thames River in Oxford and to visit little villages along the way for class. So my friend, Suzanne and I went on the walk and toured the churches and sites that had to be seen. It was in the beautiful English countryside. After the walk our directions told us to take a bus back to Woodstock Road. So we find a bus stop and get on the bus that says: Woodstock. We ask the bus driver just to make sure, "Are you headed towards Woodstock?" She says, "No, but I can take you to the stop that a bus is going in that direction." So we got on. She drops us off to wait for a second bus and after a half and hour or so the bus comes. We get on and are absolutely exhausted at this point! As we watch all the streets we pass, we get a weird feeling about the direction we were going in. We get off the bus and find out that we were actually in the town of Woodstock instead of Woodstock Road. We were soooo mad! (lesson no. 2: Clarify where you want to go when entering a bus, even if it seems like a stupid question)

Later in the week we went to Christ Church where they filmed some scenes for Harry Potter. I took a picture of the dining hall which is the "Hogwarts dining hall" in the movie:

Next stop... Dublin, Ireland. Can't wait!

Fish and Chips

2009-01-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

We started our classes this week and I have to say that I am truly overwhelmed! We have a whole lot of papers to write and books to read. Although, I am very excited about the material it is over. I am taking Christian Worship, Christianity and Culture, Oxford Through the Ages, Great Britain (INTS), Intro to Philosophy, and Walking for Fitness.

In our Christian Worship class we are required to visit 5 different churches. I plan to visit a mosque and some Christian and Catholic churches to observe different ways of worship. For my INTS class we are to volunteer somewhere while we are in Oxford. I have just finished my first day volunteering at Oxfam--a second-hand store somewhat like our version of goodwill. Surprisingly they put me on the "till" (register) for my first day! After making a couple of mistakes (typical of a first day), I feel as though I am finally getting the hang of it. Plus, the managers and workers there are very nice.

So as of my last blog I have officially eaten fish and chips. Very tasty! I ate them at a famous pub called,"The Eagle and Child." Included with my meal were some mushy peas in which they actually refer to them on the menu as "mushy peas." Here are photos:

Enough of my food ratings. In my Oxford Through the Ages class we toured New College--just one of the 39 campuses of Oxford University. It is absolutely gorgeous! It still amazes me how old everything is in Oxford. I took some pictures from our tour...

... I can't wait to tour more of Oxford and its beautiful campuses.

I Made it!!

2009-01-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

I am finally beginning my journey! I can't believe it! I arrived on Thursday and have already been in Oxford for a full day. I absolutely love it so far! The fact that I am living in a foreign country has yet to hit me.

So today I went out on the town. I toured Oxford and took lots of pictures!! Or at least until my batteries died (lesson no. 1: bring extra batteries). I visited places that C.S. Lewis used to visit, including his church and "The Eagle and Child," a local pub. Jet lag is still lingering over me but hopefully not for long. I went to a sandwich shop last night for dinner and fell in love with it! I ate an amazing baguette panini with chicken and brie for only 2 pounds. The women who run the shop are very sweet and love to talk to all the ACU students that come by. I will probably be visiting often.

We start school on Monday and I can't wait to delve into Oxford through the Ages to learn more about the history and architecture of the buildings I have been taking pictures of. Also to visit all Oxford's beautiful churches. I've had to adjust to certain things like, people driving on the left side (they even walk on the left side of the sidewalk), different terminology (example: to line-up is to "queue" up), and the appliances. It has already been an adventure!

Here are some pictures:

One of Oxford's famous photo shots and the sandwich shop I visited.

Adventures in Estonia

2008-08-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I last blogged and I thought that because my family and I traveled to Estonia this summer it was only fitting that I would post some of my recent experiences.

Hmmmm...where do I begin??

Well, this was my very first encounter with a European country and I must say that it made me even more excited about my spring semester in Oxford! It also helped me prepare myself for the lifestyle of Europeans including a number of things:

1. You have to pay for grocery bags (Note to self: bring own bags)
2. Everything is much smaller (groceries, houses, rooms)
3. When you see a WC in a public place make sure you have some spare change because you may be charged to use their facility.
4. Water is not free at restaurants (it always comes in bottles)
5. No free refills either
6. Taking the bus is perfectly normal, in fact many people do it to get from place to place.
7. People only eat when they are hungry (which means that they may only eat one meal a day)

The people of Estonia are so kind and helpful. We never ran into any real problems with communication, especially when a majority of the people speak some, if not fluent english. The country itself is so unique and beautiful! My whole family fell in love with Estonia!

It was all in all a great experience! I hope to visit there again!

Lauren

My first blog

2008-03-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

So I absolutely can't wait till I study abroad!

I created this blog so I could post things that I will be doing in England during the Spring of 2009. I realize that this is a year from now but I wanted to get used to the idea of blogging. Plus the fact that I am super excited about it!!

I also thought this was a good way to stay connected to my friends and family...because I love each and everyone of you! :D

That's all for now...I probably won't be posting much between now and my departure to England.

Lauren ♥