Birthday Abroad

On a bus, on my way to Paris. In three days I'll be 22 years old. Leading my way into adulthood. The cultures you can be surrounded by in London are amazing; Italian, French, Russian, Turkish... The list runs on forever. UW has a great international program but I mean come on, this is a metropolis of food, accents, languages, dress and customs. It's humbling in the way that back home things are simple and were accustomed to them. I've now taken a discount airline, bus, tube and transport and am so thankful for my car and road systems back home but at the same time I realize that I'm okay to travel alone. In many forms. Bus, train, you name it. 9 hours to Paris give or take the weather. Overnight, and I feel like a college kid travelling Europe. Oh wait, I am. I'm even sitting by a stranger. It's a really cool experience. People in Europe grow up with this level of transport and access. Some people haven't even left Wyoming. I'm so glad I'm not that person or persons. First hand experience in cheap euro life is seriously fascinating. I feel like after this I could probably do near anything if I set my mind to it. Travel light, be smart, plan a little, and be aware of your surroundings. Life is a messy game.

Also the bus drivers, and drivers in general around London, are insane and dangerous. I don't know how people can sleep or stay in their seats sometimes when the bus is constantly jerking and moving. I mean really. I wonder how we actually get across the water, the pamphlet said that we take a ferry for a bit... That could be interesting considering its freezing out and it'll be like 2am. The ferry wasn't like anything I've ever experienced. It was like a casino on water... Huge, shops, food, a bar... Cafeteria. Ridiculous.

We got to Paris really early in the morning and took the Metro to our hostel and thank god for Quinn because French signs suck. We figured out our stop and had to change lines but made it. It was way different than the London system. Then we checked into our hostel but couldn't get into it until 3:00pm so we went out walking around to see a sight or two. We grabbed breakfast at a little cafe and it was delicious! Croissant, crepes and hot cocoa!! It was one of the most delicious breakfasts ever. Walked up Butte Montmartre to see the basilica and look out over the city. Then we went to the Opera House museum which was stunning! Then wandered around and saw some sites. Went back to our hostel and took a well deserved nap. After we rested up we headed to dinner at La Marmite and it was delicious! I got salad and it was huge, filled with cheese, chicken, egg, tomato, and veggies. Such a good dinner. Once filled up we headed toward the Seine to see the Eiffel Tower at night. When we got there just before 9 the lights flashed up the side and we got to see the tower sparkle up with flashing bulbs! We waited in lone behind these really dumb Americans(the most obnoxious high school acting Morons I've ever seen abroad) and then went up to the main story. So like tourists we went up the Eiffel Tower :)

By that time is was late and we were tired so we went home, got up the next day to go Arch Du Triumphe, Napoleon's arch, which magnificent and incredibly larger than the arches in the Roman Forum. Makes you wonder if Napoleon was trying to make a statement... After arch du triumphe, we went to Notre Dame which was amazing! The gothic architecture and gorgeous stained glass reminded me of my mom... It was so lovely. Then we wandered more waiting to go to the Louvre. We got into the Louvre for free and saw some amazing art and sculpture pieces!!! One of my favorite museums so far! The Mona Lisa was really overrated but if you turn around and look directly adjacent to her you see a massive, beautiful art piece that almost no one is looking at because of the Mona Lisa; "the Last Supper". We saw winged victory, Venus d' Milo, Cupid and psyche, and an amazing Islam Art exhibit. That night we grabbed a bottle of wine and hiked back up Montmartre and drank on the steps overlooking the city, Quinn got the wine for my birthday. How many times can you say you drank wine on the steps of Montmartre in Paris while you turned 22?

Our last day in Paris was interesting, we waited 2.5 hours in line at the Catacombs. But once inside we were submerged in centuries of tunnels and ruins... Eventually you're lead to a passageway that reads(in French) "stop, you are now entering the empire of the dead" and you walk into a tunnel and before you realize it there are human skulls, layered in bones, ceiling high. The walls have now become meticulously placed bones that shape crosses and hearts, layered with the carefully placed bones that you hope belong to them: all 6 million of the bodies down there. It was a creepy/cool way to spend my birthday :) haha then we found a place to grab some food and wandered around more of Paris just seeing the sights and what the city was like. Grabbed a delicious crepe and then made it to the bus pick up area super early because we were tired and didn't have much to do. So we waited in this common area of the mall next door. Once on the bus we went through customs and then got stuck at the ferry port because our ferry was cancelled. So we're an hour delayed and waiting on the bus with nothing to do but stare around. So I chose to blog a little.

I honestly liked Paris. It was so amazing to see open expressions of love, life and genuine happiness in little moments. You can feel how open and free spirited Parisians are and it reminded me so much of New Orleans and made me miss it. The museums and major scenes reminded me of video games that I've played before haha. Including Lara Croft. But it was fun. And the food was delicious. We made some good deals with our student cards though and getting into the Louvre for free. Anytime Taylor and I saw a major or large statue or monument we would mock it and say "oh... Did Napoleon build that?" Haha. Quinn and Jamie were good company. It was such a fun little weekend trip. Now there are 26 days until I go home and today I got a text from my mom saying Happy Birthday and that she was finally divorced... It was good news to finally hear that my mom can start her life and I can start to reshape mine as a child of divorced parents. So here's to an interesting twist in my story, experiences like no other and the moments that last a life time... Cheers, salude, nostrovia, ect.

Too Blind to See It

Something that I wrote before I came to London. I was sitting at home, in my old house wondering where and when my life would take off like everyone said it would. Too bad I was too blind to see it already had :)

"Being here is like recognizing a shadow... Cast in an off shade of grey. A fuzzy impact between light and dark. Every time I come back I understand why I left. A desolate, unchanging place. People are supposed to be afraid of change and difference. I embrace it. My memory has sure faded from jumping off the haystack and running around the mountain, things changed... Shifted and altered its meaning. It's feeling. I used to belong here for a time. I then became aware that there was a bigger plan for me. Beyond my own knowing. Opportunity knocks and I answer. There's the saying you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. That may be completely true. But I've never been a country boy. I'm a beach rat in cowboys dust. A little part of my old history. A book long closed, stuck on a shelf to rarely be opened again. The next book has yet to be written... The pages left untouched by the harsh, scratchy stroke of a pen. There inlies the opportunity. The blank pages yet to be created... Leaps and bounds of grandeur."

 

 

Coming to another country has been so amazingly imapctful and today, I don't want to talk about being abroad or how weird it is. I want to talk about how much I appreciate because of this. I have songs and smells that remind me of the greatest memories, sights that bring me to tears and render me speechless, and moments that I am so happy to share with one of my best friends; Taylor. I keep thinking of all the great things that have happened to me and that I'm so thankful to still be in contact with my friends back home. They remind me everyday how loved I am and how much love I get to go back to when I come home in 30 days. The clock is winding down and although I'm really stressed a lot and sometimes complain more than I should today I'm going to try and change that... it 's time to start being positive even if it hurts. Emotions are contagious and I plan on being a plague :) On the bus this morning to took my headphones out to just listen. I heard a mother consoling her children, a guy humming to a simple tune, street cars, birds, sirens, dogs barking and the leaves blowing around with trash in the wind. It was beautiful. Don't take anything for granted and when you're freaking out and don't know what to do; stop and breathe. You'll realize it's all just small things and then deal and move on. Life is so amazing and when I get back to the states every person I see is getting a huge hug! Not everyone... maybe I should stick to people that I know.

 

 

 

Life's Little Lessons

Studying abroad is a really worthwhile experience. It's a chance to see the things you've never known, the things you've always wanted to and things you could never see coming. There's a lot of aspects that change how you see yourself and how you view the world around you. You become aware of the world, ideologies and cultural backgrounds that make up the global community. Simple things back home are complicated here and some complicated things are more than simplified. The opinions and customs of another country are so intriguing that you are submerged into different types of thought. It sounds philosophical and deep but that's what happens to a person abroad. You reevaluate and reanalyze everything in your life and develop a new re-shaped outlook on the world. It's taught me a lot. Rome taught me to be passionate, Ireland taught me to live simply, London has taught me more than my share of life lessons and most importantly that a place is only as good as the company you keep in it. There are so many other things like don't pack too big of a bag, print off all your papers twice and get up early enough to beat rush hour but those are more common sense ;) Also having a plan and an agenda is great... but my favorite moments are spontaneous and in the moment. A night at a pub with friends is worth more than a loud dance club any day. The farther you get from major cities the more you realize what true citizens of the country are like and that if you have the opportunity to do something to better yourself... take it. It's not a leap across the canyon or a battle of giants. You're in a boat, watching the water, and you have two choices; stay in the boat or jump. My advice? Jump. The world can be scary but you won't know what you can handle if you don't experience it. History is really important but something London and Europe have taught me is that history lies, writers make things up and power leads to your ultimate demise. One can do things but many can move things. People are the foundation that builds a society and they alone can choose to better it, the cities and countries in Europe constantly go through changes an adapt. It's beautiful to see it all in person. You don't really get a truer appreciation for things until you experience things on a different scale. So as a take home point: even the Pope lies, Leprechauns are hard to find and everyone has a story so go and write yours.

All you need: Ireland

So far one of the most interesting trips I've taken was to Dublin. Honestly the city of Dublin is a giant tourist trap in need of some saving. It's got it's interesting pieces and history but the real pots of gold are out in the countryside! Dublin has some good architecture including Trinity College which was gorgeous! the Spire, and some really fun places but they're all crazy expensive! We stayed in a hostel called Jacob's Inn and it was like staying in a really nice hotel compared to our other travels! it was quite a nice little place. The second day in Ireland we booked a Wild Wicklow Tour and took a bus around the countryside of Ireland and had the most amazing experience. It was green, rainy, gorgeous and reminded me so much of home! Mountains, forest and the best part... the nicest people I've ever met! They were so friendly and started small talk and said the sweetest things to us! I would love to move to the country parts of Ireland if I ever really want the simple quiet life. It was such an amazingly relaxing place to be and see things. Once again, reminding me of the Wyoming hospitality. I keep seeing why people talk about coming to Wyoming. We are really nice bunch of people. Europe has shown me some flashy sides to life but Ireland showed me the humble side. I loved the Wicklow Tour! We stopped at historic sites, went to lakes, the sea, and some really interesting places like the PS I Love You Bridge :) and of course I took a picture with it! haha Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler were in the same spot as me! (as seen in the above photos) One of the last things we did was walk to Dublin Castle, the few historic sites, grabbed some food and then went to see the Great and Powerful OZ movie that was phenomenal! But word to the wise. Three days in Dublin in the rain is too much time. Go for a day or two or leave the city and explore the country side if you can. It's a gorgeous country to go and witness first hand. Especially this Wyoming boy who's a little homesick.

The Eternal City: Roma

So when really great things happen, I always think "could this really happen to me? Do I deserve this?" and for one of the first times in my life... Yes I do. I finally went to a small sliver of my dream vacation! Rome. Italy is the one place I've always wanted to go and this weekend I went to Rome with Taylor, Jamie and Heather. I had the most phenomenal time! We arrived and got our hostel and when I sat down on the bed the support fell off the frame so Taylor and I played some hardcore McGyvor(sp?). We wandered to a little pizza shop and grabbed some food. I loved it! Jamie and Heather found their way and we decided that the next day we would be going to Vatican City on account of the 28th, the day we landed, was the last day the Pope was in his seat before retiring. So for the first time in over 600 years the pope has quit and vacated the throne... Which means they were going to shut down the Sistine Chapel for Concleave and we were getting ourselves inside before that happens. They're also closing the Sistine Chapel to people soon because the frequent traffic is eroding the art inside. Upon arriving in Vatican we of course grabbed some really delicious Gelato! The most amazing desert on the planet to be exact! While stumbling around we ran into a nice older lady in her 50's-60's and she asked if we spoke English, thinking we could get scammed she told us about the official tours, how they were about to close all the Vatican in the next week and that we could listen to an introduction and then if we liked the guide we could go to their office and purchase the ticket. NOTE: NEVER BUY TICKETS FROM VENDORS ON THE STREET. After the intro we LOVED our guide and went to their official office a few minutes walk away. Our guide was named Valaria, she said it's like "Malaria" with a V. She was funny and sarcastic and called us all a family and said she was "mamma", true Roman woman to the maximum. She also gave us some really good advice of "don't look at cars when crossing the sidewalks or you're dead meat, look straight ahead and walk and they will have to stop. We don't wait for cars here unless there's a crosswalk light." She was great! We went through the Vatican Museum and saw some of the most phenomenal artwork, sculptures and artifacts of my entire life! Michelangelo and Rafael! it was seriously amazing! Rome surrounds itself in history and culture it was unlike any world I've ever been in. We hit up the major tourist sites: Campo di Fiori, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum, Colosseum, and basically wandered around Rome. Also, Gelato is perfectly acceptable to eat at all times of the day if I haven't mentioned that yet. There's literally so much to do and see and so many foods to try that I wish I would have spent weeks or a month in Italy! I recommend it to anyone even thinking of going there! It changed my world.