hello holy land.

homesick.

2010-08-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to be homesick for a place you haven't even left yet?

I think it is.

I go home in 3 days... three.

I am having a minor freak out about it.

july.

2010-07-27T01:01:00.000-07:00

It's been quite the month. Here is a little recap.

We celebrated the fourth of July, J-ru style.

I spent ten glorious days in Galilee, walking where the Savior walked. We swam, studied, and spent lots of time on the shores of the sea.

We conquered mountains.

And disgusting fish...

I ripped open my toe at Nimrod's Castle.

We went to about a trillion tel's (and by a trillion I mean maybe 10... but 10 is a lot, trust me)

We got back from Galilee and explored the Old City. I love this place. I can't bear to leave it in three weeks. Sometimes its not fair how fast time flies.

The steps leading up to the temple... one of the few place that Christ certainly walked.

The Dome.

Old City fresh-squeezed O.J.

The rooftops of the Old City.

August is coming far too fast... I am already feeling the onset of homesickness for this place.

these past few weeks.

2010-06-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have done quite a few epic things... let me fill you in on my adventures.

1. I learned how to be as hardcore as David and I mastered the art of slinging... after a few minor mishaps.

2. I went snorkeling in the Red Sea. Prettier than Hawaii? Yes. It was beautiful. I got a major sunburn that I coated with aloe vera for a week, but it was well worth it.

3. I explored Hezekiah's tunnel... in the pitch black dark.

4. I had a water fight in a biblical pool.

5. I visited Bethlehem. We went to the oldest church in Christendom, which sits atop the sight of Christ's birthplace. It was an amazing experience to visit and reflect on the birth and life of my Savior in the very place that it happened.

This list is far from exhaustive... in fact it barely skims the surface. But it will have to suffice until I am able to finish my game of catch up... which probably won't happen, so don't hold your breath.

midterms.

2010-06-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks we have had midterms, lots of midterms.

Studying for said midterms until all hours of the evening makes me feel like this.

And sometimes if things get really crazy I make masterpiece whiteboard works like this... that's right, be impressed.

So, sorry for being M.I.A. on the blogging scene... I can't allow my G.P.A. to fall into complete shambles by the end of the summer, although it may end up being pretty darn close.

sabbath.

2010-06-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

I love the Sabbath.

The Garden of Gethsemane.

The Garden Tomb.

Me, Abbie, and Bekah at the Garden Tomb.

Especially in Jerusalem.

I joined the ward choir, and I feel like on the Sabbath I have every excuse I need to burst out in hymns. It's glorious. And, the view from the chapel at the Jerusalem Center is particularly perfect. It is hard to pay attention to the speakers when I locating my favorite buildings in the Old City.

food, glorious food.

2010-05-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

I love food. I love it even more after Egypt... now that I can eat more than bread, rice, and potatoes. Now I have added gummies, ice cream, and fresh fruit to the diet.

I love gelato. Abbie, Bekah, and me on Ben-Yehuda.

Fruit.

Abbie and me with the most delicious fruit smoothie.

Mostly I have fallen in love with pita, hummus, shwarma, falafel, and other delicious middle eastern foods. Needless to say, I have come a long way from my obsession with ordering only grilled cheese sandwiches. Although, I miss them the most out of everything American. Yes... even more than cupcakes.

the things i learned in egypt.

2010-05-21T03:29:00.000-07:00

1. I learned that hot doesn't exist between the hours of 7 am and 6 pm in Egypt, rather it is scorching. 122 degrees makes me feel like I am a cupcake baking the oven. Its not pleasant.

2. I learned that dehydration is serious business and that it is possible for me to down 3 liters of water in one day (that's a lot of water by the way).

3. I learned that Israel (on the way to Egypt) has its very own version of Moab... except it has pretty white rocks instead of red.

4. I learned how to take cheesy pictures in front of Egyptian monuments.

5. I learned that it is possible to be violated by a form of transportation. We took a night train from Luxor to Cairo. I didn't eat. I only slept because I knocked myself out with sleeping pills (best idea ever). And I woke up in the morning with flea bites... disgusting.

6. I learned how to keep it cool on the nile.

7. I learned that it is possible to remain healthy in Egypt. You just don't eat the food, drink the water, and sanitize your hands every 10 minutes.

8. The term carbo-load has a whole new meaning. Bread, rice, and bottled water were on the menu 3 meals a day, all week.

9. I learned how to ride a camel, and that riding a camel can give you bruises the next day.

10. I learned to not only accept but welcome my chaco tan.

11. I learned that some Egyptian merchants can be even more stubborn than I am, but for the most part I can still get what I want.

12. I learned that I am so very blessed to have grown up in the United States and to have economic, political, and most importantly religious freedoms. Cairo is incredibly impoverished and I realized how blessed I am to be getting an education and to have lived in great comfort my entire life.

13. I learned that the Egyptian people are so friendly and kind. I was able to meet up with my friend Sean who is on a study abroad in Cairo for Arabic. There were a number of people from my group that met up with friends in his group. We were able to see the real side of Cairo while with them and I was amazing by the kindness and generosity of the people that we met, both on the street and the subway.

14. I learned that sunrise on Mount Sinai can be life-changing.

(and no... this wasn't photoshopped)

15. I learned that friends can become family after only a month.

16. I learned that Jerusalem is home... and it is so good to be back.

oh hey.

2010-05-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

i live here.

that is what i think every night before i go to bed.

i am so grateful to be here.

the dome of the rock.

2010-05-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

I am not going to lie, I didn't come here with a lot of background knowledge about Jerusalem. I did know what the Dome of the Rock was. It's lovely golden dome graces the skyline of the city, and can be seen from almost every window of the center. I have secretly tried to place it in every landscape photo I have taken so that people will know I actually live here. And they only let outsiders in for a few hours a day, making the place even more mysterious. So, I was pretty excited to go...

The place is beautiful. Words can't describe... especially my words. I am suffering from a lack of eloquence at the current moment. The combination of the blues, greens, and golds of the tiles is amazing. Being a minor architecture fanatic I am kind of obsessed. The dome is plated in gold... crazy.

Unfortunately we are unable to actually go in the dome, kind of a bummer.

What is amazing is that the temple mount, the place where the Dome of the Rock resides, is considered holy by the major religions. This is the place that Abraham was sent to sacrifice Isaac. This is the place that Solomon built his temple, and another temple was later rebuilt by Herod the Great. This is the place that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider sacred, and I can see it every morning from my bedroom window.

Keeping it classy in the Holy Land

(ps. hey look Talia... Jud and I are friends!)

hello holy land.

2010-05-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

I am bringing back the blog, and for good reason. I now call Jerusalem home. I am obsessed with this place. Its foreign, and slightly scary, but surprisingly I feel so at home.

This week has been crazy. I have finally slightly normalized my sleep schedule. Jet lag brought me in into multiple afternoon comas this week and I would find myself suddenly wide awake at four in the morning. The naps not so weird but the 4 am wake up calls... completely out of character. The mosque down the road also blares the call to prayer every morning. I thought this would be slightly more exotic and appealing... waking up to middle eastern prayer and chanting. Not so. Especially when running on 10 hours of sleep in a 36 hour period of time. Jet lag aside I love this place. SO much.

Thus far I have oriented myself in the old city. We have walked around the walls, through the winding streets, and basically all over. I know which streets are disgusting meat markets (very sketch) and which house friendly merchants who will stop at nothing to gather your attention. I am going to become a professional haggler by the end of the semester and will be very good at avoiding eye contact in order to evade the unwelcome comments and glances that are thrown out on a daily basis. We have seen most of the major sites. I can't wait to come back and take the time to really learn and experience these places.

Bekah and I in the Old City. This picture reminds me that I am glad that I get 3.6 shekels to 1 dollar and that sometimes I feel like I am in the movie Aladdin.

I have learned that it is socially acceptable for me to dress like a 52 year old woman at Disneyland. I repped it one day and still have friends. Please note the fanny pack is strictly utilitarian.

The BYU Jerusalem Center is everything that it promises to be. The building is beautiful and offers impeccable views of the Old City from almost every window.

The building is behind me and Bekah. Its the pretty one, of course.

By far the most amazing thing about being in this place is that I am so close to the sites of the most important events in human history, the atonement, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I live a walks distance from the Garden of Gethsemane. From my home I can see the city that he lived in, and the places he spent his last moments in. One crucial thing that I have realized during my brief time here is that the growth that I have already felt here didn't come from proximity to these places. It is such an amazing blessing to be given the opportunity to walk where he walked and live where he lived, but the I know that most important moments of my experience here will be during the small quiet times of reflection. This place offers the catalyst for growth and change... I am constantly being reminded of the importance of this place and the events that occurred here, but being here will not miraculously make me grow. I am responsible for what I bring back from this place, and I hope that I can make this most of this once in a life-time opportunity.

a spoon full of sugar...

2009-03-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

Twice a week for a few hours a day I am happy to take a break from the studying to work. Yeah, I am happy to go to work and thats because I work at the cutest/most adorable/most delicious cupcake bakery on the planet... The Sweet Tooth Fairy.

I get to enjoy all the broken cookies, lick my fingers after frosting cookies and cupcakes and other delicious treats (and then wash my hands of course). It is delightful and I love it. My favorite treats...

1. Peach Cupcake

2. Iced Oatmeal Cookie

3. Orange Roll Cupcake... Lemon Cupcake... okay just all the cupcakes.

It's too bad I don't like chocolate (for those of you who were unaware, I know I am crazy and not a woman and everything else, but I do like Christmas and puppies and babies, so does that make up for it?). If I did like chocolate I am sure these little babies would be at the top of my list. They are called cakebites and even Rachel Ray is a fan.

So come visit me at work! And try a treat... I'll warn you though. You'll probably get addicted.

Oh and if you want to check it out click here thesweettoothfairy.com

thoughts from a desk at the harold b. lee library.

2009-03-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have been a very poor blogger. But as I sit here in the library utterly miserable from being stressed by all the midterms I have procrastinated studying for I thought I would turn my procrastination into something a little worthwhile and write something on my blog that nobody but myself and my mother read. So here goes.

Update on Life:

For those of you who aren't aware I am going to be an elementary teacher. I decided this semester and I am quite excited about it (despite the fact that I will be getting paid next to nothing for a job that is difficult).

It seems like a good fit mainly because I kind of act like a 7 year old a lot and I figured I should probably hang out with kids my own age. I think the fact that the nickelcade is one of my favorite provo hangouts is evidence of this, and my adoration of the dinosaur stickers I am able to win by obsessively playing games and winning tickets also proves that point.

Also the saying "those that can't do teach" can be kind of true in my case. Its not that I can't do anything its just that I can't do any one things well. I can however understand everything at about an elementary level, so no fear future parents your children are in good hands. I can handle the addition, subtraction, and times tables... I might be a little iffy on carrying over for big numbers but I'll work on it.

Plus I like teaching and I like children. So why not teach the children? And I'll get to decorate my classroom and color. And I am really excited to make a difference someone's life. I would love to teach inner city kids or something like that. We will see. For now I had better get back to studying human development so that I can stay in college.

check it...

2009-01-25T13:49:00.001-08:00

So. I have this assignment to start a blog about history, and religion and all the things we are learning in my Honors 240 class (aka... American Heritage but we get to do fun stuff). So I started a new blog because some of it could be potentially boring, but some of it is cool too. So I might put the highlights on here, or you could check it out...

click here!

So if you are a blog stalker, or if you just want to read about my thoughts on history (really riveting I know) take a peek... if not it's okay, I am getting points for it anyways.

Back to Life in the 801

2009-01-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

So here I am. Back in Provo. I can't say it's lovely, but I am loving it. It's weird to be back and this whole week has been a massive learning experience. So since I like lists here is a list of all things that I have learned this week.

1. Change and I had a very big battle this week. I learned that I don't like change... and then I learned to like change, because it's definitely not going anywhere. Every semester is going to mean new friends, new classes, new places. This semester is going to be so different, I mean it already is so different, but its up to me to decide whether its a good different or a bad different.

2. The snow really can be my friend! I don't really like living in the cold or living in the snow, but I'm going to be here for awhile so I decided to like it. And now I do! I just get nice and bundled up an book it to class. Plus I got a snowboard pass to sundance, which helps to eliminate the seasonal depression.

3. I can't live in the past. I have had so much fun the past year and a half. I have met people I care so much about and I have spent four months in London, I mean really, how is Provo supposed to compare? But I know that I have so much to look forward to, its just up to me to find it. So I am going to.

4. My dad always told me about this infamous weather phenomenon called the inversion, where this gray smoggy air gets stuck covering the valley. Well its here, and its kind of disgusting.

5. Being social can be tiring... actually it is tiring. I wish I could just be a homebody and sit at home, oh wait, I do... that's called studying. So the combination of studying, playing, and making new friends is tiring. In a good sort of way.

So aside from odd weather patterns this new year is shaping up to be a good one. I have been making lots of new friends and spending time with lots of old friends. My classes are great and I am really excited for my new major. 2009 is going to be a good year.

The End.

2008-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here amongst the three large bags of things I brought to London. I have finished packing up my London life... and am trying not to think about the massive charges I will get for my overweight bags. But that's not really what's on my mind. I am thinking about all the million things I will miss here. I have fallen head over heels in love with this place. I love everything about it. Being here has changed me in so many ways. I have grown up so much in the past 4 four months, in ways that I didn't even know possible. I have met 42 amazing friends who are such wonderful people. I learn from them everyday. Coming here was a dream come true. I have always wanted to go, and here I am... 4 months later and I feel like I haven't woken up yet. This whole time has seemed like dream. England is magical. Everyday I just fall in love even more.

I love the random faces that I see on the tube.

I love the beautiful parks that seem to be right out of a storybook.

I love the london dogs, that are more like people.

I love all the london animals, the sauntering squirrels, and the friendly pigeons.

I love the architecture and being awestruck everyday by the amazing buildings, including the one I live in.

I love the National Gallery, and the way that it taught me to fall in love with art.

I love the greenest green I have ever seen... in all the plants and hills here.

I love getting so excited to see an empty tube train and not having to fight to get a seat.

I love having dinner with 42 of my closest friends.

I love the feeling of coming home after being away for a couple of days.

I love the shows I get to go see.

I love my professors, who teach me so much and have helped to make this experience even more meaningful.

I love St. Pauls.

I love being so tired and sleeping so well every night.

I love 27 Palace Court.

I love Shakespeare, and the RSC.

I love the tube and all the billions of places that it takes me.

I love my ward... and really loving and caring about people I hardly know.

I love grilled toastie sandwiches at Bourough's market.

I love my roommates.

I love the opera, and the ballet.

I love talking about feelings.

I love Tony the busdriver, even when he tells stories about war monuments while I am trying to nap.

I love movie nights in the classroom.

I love playing Spaz.

I love being the only one in the room and finding a bit of peace and quiet.

I love having 12 awesome roommates, so that I can enjoy my peace and quiet.

I love walking in the city alone, and just being in the city alone.

I love the markets, especially Portobello.

I love searching for Peter Pan books, and getting to hold ones that are 800 pounds.

I love old books.

I love all the adorable London families.

I love the little children's school uniforms, and matching hats, and backpacks and everything.

I love Victoria station and traveling there every Sunday.

I love talking to my mom on Sundays.

I love getting letters in London, and putting the letters I send in the pretty red mailboxes here.

I love the double decker buses.

I love my camera.

I love escalators.

I love palaces and pretty places that we go visit.

I love the Queen... even if I never got to see her, or meet her.

I love pounds.

I love Marks and Spencer, and Percy Pigs.

I love Monet, Van Gogh, Holbien, Turner, Renior, Constable, Degas, Cezanne, Rodin, Caravaggio, and all the other artists I have fallen in love with here.

I love being so excited to wake up every morning and knowing that I will have an adventure every day.

I love the person that I have come to be here.

I love all the other millions of things I can't even remember right now.

I just can't really bear to say goodbye. So I guess I'll just say see you later...

I am in denial that I am leaving on tomorrow and I don't know if it will even hit me until I have woken up from my 48 hour post-London recuperation nap that I am planning to take. I'll wake up with all the other things I love, my family, my home, Christmas, Kwazi, my bed, and 2 weeks of relaxation. And although I will miss my new home very much it is no replacement for my old home. I am just so grateful to have had this amazing life-changing opportunity.

I love you London... and I will miss you oh so very much.

Chapter Eighteen

2008-12-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

Okay so I suppose my decision to forgo the blogging until I get home didn't last long, but I was taking a break from my essays and watching Elf so I decided to multi-task and at least catch up a bit on my blogging. So here goes. The past few days... er, the past few days of last, last week.

Regents Park:

Okay so let's start with Regent's Park. The squirrels at Regent's are the most precocious squirrels I had ever met. I was just pretending to feed one and then he decides that it's cool to climb up my leg... like shimmy up my leg, which is not cool, when you are a squirrel, or anyone for that matter. But hey, I don't think I have rabies yet, and at least I got this awesome picture out of it.

Squirrel on my leg!

Jane Austen's House:

Yay for Jane Austen! And yay for her house! There is only so much to do at Jane Austen's house so I saw it, and then we went and played at this awesome park that was across the street. They had the coolest swing thing ever. If only America's parks were this cultured and awesome... I mean Jane Austen probably played there too right?

Thanksgiving!

a.k.a. We get all dressed up and go to tea at Kensington Palace. What could be more American? Well probably a lot of things, but I do think it's appropriate to do something typically British while celebrating Thanksgiving in Britain. Although this is a little late I would like to take this time to give thanks for some of the things that I am thankful for. I can't even believe how blessed I am to be here in London. I love everything here, the shows, the parks, the museums, the history... everything! I have learned so much here and met so many amazing people. I am so grateful for all the awesome girls (and boy) that I live with... it is so fun to live with 40 of your best friends. Not to mention all my other amazing friends that I have at home... who I miss very very much. I am so thankful for my parents and family and for all that they have taught me, and encouraged me in everything that I do, and for helping me to go on this program. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.... the church makes me so happy and I don't know where I would be without it, but I am glad I don't have to find out. I am grateful for my bed... after being run ragged every day I really understand how glorious a good night sleep is... oh and I am grateful for naps too! Okay so those are the big ones I guess. I really am just so grateful to be alive and to have so many opportunities in my life. I am so blessed in so many ways.

Chapter Seventeen

2008-12-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

To my dedicated blog readers:

I don't know if there are many of you, but if there are, please note, it is finals week and I am stressed. So there may be a lack of blogging in the next week until I go back home in 8 days and recuperate from the the busiest three and a half months of my life. I will be sure to blog about anything and everything Londony from my couch... I am sure I will be going through withdrawals and will want to relive every moment, and share it all with you.

Sincerely,

Lauren

Chapter Sixteen

2008-11-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

"je ne parle pas francais".... translation: I do not speak french.

Basically the story of my life this past week. We took a little trip to Paris and I basked in the classy Parisian streets and saw all that Paris has to offer (well maybe not... but pretty close). I did so much that I can barely even remember it all, so I am going to give the highlights.

Eiffel Tower:

The first place we went in Paris. Oh and it is amazing. It is grand and tall and sparkles on the hour. We went up to the top at night and the view was amazing. It is tall, really tall, Dad you wouldn't have liked it. Day or night the Eiffel Tower is so pretty, its odd such an industrial looking tower could be so romantic... maybe everything in Paris is just romantic.

The Language Barrier:

The language barrier is called a barrier for a very good reason. You can't communicate. At all. So that made for an interesting week. "Parlez-vous anglais?" (do you speak english) is my new favorite phrase... and so is merci... which came in handy when I took off after my camera. I had left it on the public bus... so it was basically a goner. Rather than behaving normally and assuming that it was gone and sulking for a week then buying a new one I took off after the bus. I left Hillary and Becky and booked it. For those of you who are unaware running is kind of out of character for me, but I forgot my normal character and ran like the wind. By the time I was winded I got on the first 69 bus I saw. I attempted to communicate to the driver in english/french/sign language (heavy on the sign language) that my camera was on the bus that was ahead. He was able to decipher that he should call ahead. Miraculously the camera was found and I rode triumphantly to retrieve it. I found Becky and Hillary, who thought I was mad (as the British like to say). I have never loved a french bus driver more in my life, or my camera. Anyways my that is my heroic story for the week... although it doesn't fit into the language barrier topic. Whatever.

Museums:

Oh my oh my. Forget the city of love Paris is the city of art. We spent a whole day in art museums: the Louvre, the Musee d' Orsay, and Musee de l' Orangerie. Oh it was glorious. We started the day at the Louvre and were there right when it opened. We saw the Mona Lisa which wasn't as cool from five feet away and shrouded under plated glass, but its all good. We cruised through Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, and all the highlights. Which was still nothing. Apparently if you spend 30 seconds at every painting in the Louvre it would take you 3 months to finish it... not cool... if you only have a week.

Next stop was the Musee d' Orsay. It was so awesome and again filled with far too many priceless pieces of art. Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Manet, Renoir. Love it.

My very favorite was the Musee de l' Orangerie. Basically it was designed just to house Monet's giant paintings, "The Water Lilies." There were these blank white circular rooms with these beautiful paintings on the walls. Oh is was lovely. Like heaven on earth... heaven better have Monet's "Water Lilies."

Beautiful Cathedrals:

Chartres Cathedral was our first stop. We got there kind of lateish so we didn't get to see the full lighted Cathedral but what I did see was still amazing. The stained glass windows were so beautiful and straight from Medieval times. We had this awesome tour that deciphered the meanings of the windows. This is probably one of my favorites. The building is so tall and so impressive, and just beautiful.

Notre Dame... very pretty. After Chartres it wasn't as impressive but it was still beautiful. I loved the rose window, and that it was on a little island. We pretended to be the huntchback of Notre Dame and basked in the building's greatness. I love the outside of the cathedrals. The flying buttresses and the architecture of the building are probably my favorite parts.

Saint Chappelle. This is my favorite. By far. I love love loved it. I had no idea what to expect from this one and I walked in and was astounded. All the walls in the room are covered in stained glass. It is so beautiful. The glass illustrates from the beginning of the world to the end of the world. I can't even say how beautiful it was, and the photo below does not nearly do it justice.

Public Restrooms:

Really, really sketchy. Automatic closing doors... and homeless men... and I really have to go pee. Need I say more?

Catacombs:

Creepy, not quite as creepy as the public restrooms, but pretty creepy. We strolled through a whole mile of walls filled with piled up human bones. Kind of gross, but really awesome. I mean where else can I go see thousands of bones on a Thursday afternoon? Maybe go visit Chopin's grave in a crazy graveyard... which is what we did next.

Rick Steves:

He is our hero... everything we did came from Becky's Rick Steves Guidebook. We went on the walks that he had in the book and it was awesome. We saw windy Parisian streets, awesome old bookstores, Picasso and Renior's hangouts, Jewish nieghborhoods, etc. None of which we would have seen without good ol' Rick.

French Food:

Ooh la la. I love french food. Crepes, baguettes, pastries, gourmet ice cream... mmm... delicious. I ate far too much of it, and yet I was still always wanting more. I mean you can never have too many sugar crepes right?

Au revoir Paris! As much as I enjoyed being with you, it's nice to be home.

I love that London is home.

Chapter Fifteen

2008-11-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Just when you think that London couldn't get any better you turn the corner and a little piece of paradise appears. Candy colored row houses, a pretty park with peacocks... I mean really? Is this real life? And I am fairly certain it is, but sometimes it really doesn't seem that way.

green, pink, yellow, blue...

a piece of paradise.

pretty as a peacock in a public park.

Chapter Fourteen

2008-11-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have got me thinking about how blessed I am, not only to be here, but for so many other things. The other day we went to the Imperial War Museum, and it has been Remembrance week, with Veteran's and Armistice Day. We went and visited Westminster Abbey and the Field of Remembrance. They had a memorial set up for all the soldiers who died in the great war. The museum had exhibits on World War I and World War II, and it just really showed me how lucky we are today. The lives that those soldiers, and civilians lived were so difficult. I start complaining when I get only 7 hours of sleep. So many of these people would work all day and then almost all night as well. They had no beds, during the Blitz they went down into bunkers all night and tried to sleep through the air raids. I can't even imagine. After the World War exhibits I went to the Holocaust Memorial Exhibit. I hadn't ever really been to a Holocaust musuem before and it was so upsetting. I still cannot believe that people could be killed simply because of their beliefs, but I know that it happens and that it still happens. It disgusted me how all the people were persecuted and tortured, and how many innocent people were killed. It made me so grateful for the peace that we have in our nation and made me realize what a blessing that peace is. I do not need to live in fear because of my religion and can enjoy my day to day life. It is such a blessing that I take for granted every day.

I am so grateful for everyone who has fought and died for the cause of freedom, and for all of the blessings that I now enjoy because of their sacrifice.

Chapter Thirteen

2008-11-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

I love birthdays, but I really love London birthdays!

I am now 19... there isn't much exciting about being 19, but if my birthday day was any indication of how the year will go I will have a lovely 19th year. We spent the day at Hampton Court Palace which is where King Henry the Eighth lived. It was so pretty... I love palaces, especially on my birthday. I think everything is just better on birthdays.

We went through a hedge maze! I have never been in a maze before... so it was fun. This was us at the heart of the maze, hence the hearts.

Pretty, pretty Hampton Gardens.

I love jumping pictures!

We had lunch at the palace and frolicked about the gardens. It was just such a good day. After Hampton court we came back. Unfortunately we had a bunch of work this weekend, like two papers and a test. So I didn't go crazy on my birthday night. We all went to this yogurt place called Snog. It was good. Then I came back and wrote a paper (happy birthday to me!) Then we watched Peter Pan! It's the perfect birthday movie. My favorite movie, plus it's set in London, and its about growing up. What more could you want right?

It was a lovely lovely birthday. I love being 19. I have a feeling it's going to be a good year.

Chapter Twelve

2008-11-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

A Lovely London Weekend in Pictures

Oh yes, that's Leo... good old Leonardo DiCaprio. We went to Body of Lies premiere and basically stalked Leo and took a lot of pictures of the back of his head. Such a good time. It's weird... I really only know Leo from his old Titanic days, and even then I was in elementary school, but when you get in a group of screaming girls and Leonardo is right in front of you, you feel the urge to start screaming to. So I did. And it was oh so fun.

I love pick up pictures, especially awkward ones in the middle of Gelato Mio... and I basically am in love with Gelato Mio. Pear and strawberry-- to die for.

I walked up to the National Gallery after a nice hunt in some old bookstores and this is what I found. I love London sunsets and Trafalgar Square, especially together. And then I went to the National Gallery and basked in the brilliance of beautiful works of art... typical Friday afternoon.

I love the Lord Mayor's Parade! And British flags and poppies! This week has been a week of festivities to remember all the people who fought and died for Britain. Everyone wears paper poppies that I love. I have three. The Lord Mayor's Parade was so exciting. We waved our British flags proudly and were the lone cheerers on the street of quiet Brits. Yay for London!

Ohh how I adore Big Ben... and London at night. We went to see the firework show the night of the Lord Mayor's Parade. We didn't know where it would be we just knew it was on the Thames, so we got off at the Westminster tube stop and camped out under Big Ben. We couldn't see the show very well, but hey who can complain. I saw fireworks over the Thames, in London, 200 yards from Big Ben. I love my life.

Chapter Eleven

2008-11-07T03:41:00.000-08:00

This week we went on a short jaunt to Wales and a bit of England that is next to Wales. Our first stop was the Big Pit, which is a coal mine. Basically it was awesome. We got to go down in the mine and take a tour. It was intense. We had to wear hard hats and leather belts with ventilators on them, in case the mine caved in or something. Basically we were looking really cute.

Coal Mining Cuties.

Our tour guide was a hilarious little Welsh man. He told us all about how he did drugs once in Amsterdam and he would never do it again... basically my favorite middle aged Welsh coal miner ever. The mine was awesome, but would be no fun to work in and made me so glad that I will never be a coal miner, even though I did love the hard hat ensemble.

Our next stop was the Welsh Folk Museum. It wasn't really a museum, but more like a Welsh Folk version of Disneyland. There were all these old Welsh buildings that took you through all different aspects of Welsh life. The whole area was very pretty and the autumn trees were my favorite. Growing up in Newport didn't give a lot of opportunities to bask in autumn's loveliness. So I did in Wales.

I love autumn.

Chicken fight in the Cock Pit.

The next day we went to Tintern Abbey, or what was left of Tintern Abbey. When Henry VIII began the Church of England he had all the montessoris disolved. The churches were stripped of everything, including the roof, so they fell into disrepair. There are tons of Abbey ruins all over England. I loved Tintern. It was so beautiful and majestic. In a way I thought it was almost more beautiful as the intact abbey's. The mixture of the grand building and nature was really beautiful.

The rest of the day we went on a church history tour of the Hereforshire area. We visited the places where Wilford Woodruff taught. It was really great to be able to see the places where miracles happened and learning about the difficulties that many early members of the church faced. One of my favorite places we visited was British Camp, Malvern Hill. It wasn't really a british camp, but was used in a battle or something. That wasn't why it was cool though. It was this huge green hill. When we got to the top we could see all of the countryside. It was beautiful. The sun broke through the clouds while we were up there and we could see the whole expanse of the Malvern hills and the fields and villages.

I am still amazed by all things that I have done these past few months. Whenever I look back at the things I have done it seems unreal. Everyday is such an adventure, it seems unreal. I have climbed to the top of the Malvern hills, explored ruins, and traipsed through tunnels 400 feet underground, and that was just these past two days. Somebody pinch me, please.

Chapter Ten

2008-11-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Fall is now leaving... off to bigger and better things I suppose, but what could be better than shielding me from winter? I don't know. The leaves have changed and fallen... fall has been so good to us. It's been sunny and relatively warm, now it's full time glove and coat season, I guess it's good I brought four. Hooray for overpacking! Today it rained. Hard. And it's dark early, and cold... but you know I love it. I don't know how that works. If I were in Provo I would be crying with this weather but somehow London makes it okay. It's charming freezing windy rain. Is that possible? Yes indeed it is.

Hello London Winter.

Chapter Nine

2008-11-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday all my childhood dreams were fulfilled.

I was finally Wendy from Peter Pan... in London no less.

Captain Hook, Rufio, Tinkerbell, Wendy, and Tiger Lily in front of Big Ben.

Wendy and the prime meridian... I really am magical because I am in two places at once!

I'm flyiinggg.

Hook is a codfish.

The nursery with Michael and Tink.

Wendy is a gansta.

The whole group. Alex as Rufio. Brooke as Tinkerbell. Rebbie as Peter Pan. Me as Wendy. Sara as Tiger Lily. Jordyn as Hook. Marin as Michael.

The end. It was one of the loveliest days of my life.

Chapter Eight

2008-10-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend was quite an adventure. We left on Thursday and made our way to Edinburgh, Scotland. We had it all figured out, the train tickets were ordered, the hostel was booked. Nothing was supposed to go wrong.... but alas. It did. Everything, well almost everything, went wrong, but it really made the whole trip much more fun and funny and exciting.

The first mishap happened in a little place called Berwick-Upon-Tweed. I have no idea where that is but we got dumped off at the train station because something or other was going wrong with our train. Were told to get on the next train heading to Scotland... they didn't tell us the next train heading to Scotland was completely full and that we would have to be crammed in the in-between sections of the train next to the bathroom. Lovely.

That's not all... the new train decided to stop for 2 1/2 hours. Not fun. The upside: we got all our train money refunded, got some really great recommendations of things to do from some Scottish men, and we had a ridiculously funny situation involving a drunk lady who wanted to have a smoke. And that was before we even got there.

We arrived in Scotland far later than we anticipated but still had time to go on a ghost tour! It was really scary and fun. We went through Grayfriar's Graveyard and Covenanter's Prison, the lair of the Mackenzie Poltergeist. Scary huh? It was... but it was really fun too.

We got completely lost after the tour, which ended like two blocks away from our hostel. By the time we got back it was 1:30 in the morning and completely pouring. It was fun though and we got to see a lot of the city and a lot of drunk people, and enjoy the Scottish weather.

Friday we went down the Royal Mile and saw fun Scottish sights like the Holyrood Palace and Scottish Parliament, loads of Scottish gift shops, and an awesome indian store. We went inside St. Giles Cathedral and admired in the quaint, charming Scottish streets. I had no idea that Edinburgh was going to be so cute and charming. All the buildings in the Old Town were, well, old and cute and charming. The roads were paved with cobblestones and everything was adorable.

The gang: me, Anna, Holli, Alison, Hailee, and Lauren

We went to a storytelling festival and the Museum of Childhood. I was basically loving life, I think I am a five year old at heart.

After exploring we took refuge in The Elephant House, which is where J.K. Rowling conceived the idea for Harry Potter. We ate delicious elephant shortbread cookies and beef stew, and wrote on napkins. There were all these other napkins hidden in a drawer on our table from other people who had visited as well. It was a really great time just to sit and think and try to be creative.

That night we went and saw Mary Poppins, it was really good. The set was amazing, but the story was a little different. It was fun though. Oh yes, and in the middle of the show the curtains closed and we had a short break due to technical difficulties... when does that ever happen?

Saturday was almost as much of a success as our train ride. We were planning on going to the castle and to Arthur's seat, but sadly we couldn't do either due to the wind and rain. The gusts were so strong we could hardly walk up to the castle, or down from the castle, because the wind couldn't decide which way it wanted to blow I suppose. Instead of going to the castle we went to this awesome museum called Camera Obscura. Like I said it was awesome. The whole things is filled with optical illusions and fun things.

After that we braved the weather and walked to the Frankenstein Pub, which is apparently world famous, although I wasn't aware. We ate lunch and then headed to the train station to head back to London. Of course the day we go home the rails were undergoing service so we had to go the opposite direction and then back to London, so our four hour train ride ended up being 7 hours. Needless to say we were pretty thrashed by the time we got back home to London. The whole trip was so fun, even though Scotland was out to get us. I think Scotland won.

Oh yeah, and I love this guy. It's always good to be prepared.

Chapter Seven

2008-10-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have fallen in love... with England. It's decided... I don't know if the feeling is mutual, but I like to think it is.

Thursday we went to Stratford Upon Avon... the birthplace of Shakespeare. It was so fun! We saw Anne Hathaway's cottage and the place where Shakespeare was born. We seem to visit a lot of houses where someone or other is born... frankly I don't really like thinking about the fact that they were born there. We tried to see Shakespeare's grave but the church closed right before we got there. We did see this pretty rainbow though!

Holli, Sara and I being Shakespearean in front of Shakespeare's home.

Rebbie and I in this hut. You go in there if you are suffering from unrequited love... I don't know if I am suffering from unrequited love, actually I know that I am not... but since Spenser's on a mission I think that that might count :)

We finished up the night with a performance of Love's Labors Lost by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The show was amazing... I really have never seen a better Shakespeare show, which isn't surprising since they are supposed to be the best in the world. It was the best way to end my lovely Stratford shakespearience.

Yesterday was a super fun/wonderful/stressful day. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I LOVE St. Paul's. I love the outside. I love the inside. I love the sparkely mosaics. I love the whispering gallery, and the all the stairs up the tippy top of the Cathedral. I have always had this odd fetish for architecture and houses... I would read the Sunday house sales and everything. Anyways I guess that's why I love the architecture here, St. Pauls may be my favorite. We have been learning about the Baroque architecture, which makes it more fun too! I am a nerd. Anyways we trekked up like 500 stairs to get to the top. The view was so worth it. I loved it.

Holli and I on the steps of St. Pauls. It's kind of massive and huge, so its hard to get the whole thing in the picture.

Hello lovely London.

Chapter Six

2008-10-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay I know everyone is probably sick of me saying that this is amazing and that is amazing, but really that is the only way to describe England. Maybe I need to expand my vocabulary, but until I do amazing will have to suffice.

This week we went to the north of England specifically Liverpool, Preston, the Lake District, Haworth, and Chatsworth. As always, it was amazing, but the thing I loved most about this trip was how different each day was. There were very spiritual, beautiful, and fun things that I saw and felt.

Our first stop was the Quarry Bank Mill. We took a tour of the mill and were able to see all the different machines that were used during the Industrial Era. I had always wondered how fabric was made and now I know! But more importantly than that I really learned a lot about my heritage. A lot of my ancestors from my dad's side are from a town called Oldham in Lancashire. Oldham was completely dedicated to cotton factories. I most likely had ancestors who worked in these factories and it was an amazing experience to see what their lives would be like. They would work twelve hour days in noisy, polluted, and dangerous conditions. I can't even imagine working for that long, and it puts my 8 hour office job to shame. I can't believe I ever complained about sitting behind a desk all day! It made me so grateful for the things that I have and all my many blessings.

Our next stop was Liverpool, home of the Beatles! Yay. We visited the Cavern Club which was the first place they played at and reveled in the Beatleness of Liverpool. It was fun.

The best part of the day was the Liverpool Docks. These docks are where all of the Latter Day Saint converts left to go to America. I was able to see where my ancestors left from to give their posterity a better life. They gave up their homes, their friends, and everything they knew for their faith. It was so amazing to look at the same body of water that they looked at and contemplate the sacrifices that they made for me. I am so grateful for their sacrifice so that I can be able to have the blessings of the gospel in my life.

The Liverpool docks at night. It started raining and we got so soaked shortly after this. I love the England rain!

This picture is next to the statue that the church donated and commemorates all the families that left from Liverpool.

After Liverpool we went to the Preston Temple. It is so beautiful. We admired the beauty of the temple and I played ring around the rosie with Francis, Professor Benfell's darling daughter. She says it's okay to color even though I am almost nineteen years old. I tend to agree.

We then took a tour of Preston, which is the first place that the missionaries taught in Britian. I learned a ton about the history of the church in this area and saw the place where the first baptisms took place. It was really great to see how the church developed in England and all the amazing miracles that took place.

This is the River Ribble. The first converts to the church were baptized under that bridge... well at least that's what they think. The bridge has been rebuilt. But they were baptized in the River Ribble.... River Ribble, has a nice ring to it huh?

The next day was one of the best days, among all of my many best days. We went to the Lake District, which is one of the the 1000 Places to See Before You Die. So I guess now I can check it off the the list. It is such a beautiful area. I really loved it and would love to own a home there (I guess I'll have to have a bunch of summer homes in England). The whole Lake District is filled green rolling hills and mountains. There are little creeks running everywhere and sheep just roaming about. I love sheep. The lakes are so beautiful and realllllllllly cold. I would know. We went swimming on our first night. I guess I should have figured that my skin would be numb after getting out, after all the lake is glacier fed. But it was really fun and was one of my favorite parts of the trip. And don't worry mom I am not sick, and did not catch my death or anything. This is the view of the lake from our hostel.... it's okay I guess :)

The Lake District is home to some famous people. We visited Henry Wordsworth's cottage. It was really adorable and unfortunately I hadn't ever read Henry's poetry... shame on me. I do like it now though and am adding that to my to read list when I get home. We also visited Beatrix Potter's home, called Hilltop Farm. It was as cute as all her stories... and would be the perfect place for a lady like Beatrix Potter to live. I saw Peter Rabbit's garden too!

Hilltop Farm

I thought it would be cute to do bunny ears for Peter Rabbit. Some people weren't as enthusiastic as me I guess.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Ambelside, which is the town we were staying in. Almost all of the buildings in the town are made with the grey stone and there are all these stone walls everywhere, some of them are hundreds of years old. I loved it. We ate at this cute restaurant named Lucy's On a Plate and I had the most delicious macaroni and cheese and lemon cake. It was so good. Then we found a trail to a waterfall, just off the road in the middle of town. I love exploring. After our waterfall adventure we went back and had the real "hostel experience." We made friends with the hostel workers and had a jam session. My friend Holly is so amazing and sang some of her songs... she is going be discovered one day. It was just an all around good day. I have had so many of those here. Days where there is nothing you can complain about and you go to bed completely content. I love it.

These are some of my friend here. Alex, Jordyn, Sara, Me, Rebbie, Brooke, and Marin.

Our last stop was Chatsworth and we saw yet another amazing palace. Seriously. They are like a dime a dozen here. Well not really, but there are a lot, and they are all so amazing. They filmed that new movie the Duchess here, which I haven't seen. So I will have to see that. The whole palace was filled with beautiful art, decoration, and sculpture. This particular palace was neat because the current residents, the Duke and Duchess of something or other have a bunch of their art there as well. It was kind of fun to see the new art mixed with the old art, and just fun to see the art in general.

After Chatsworth we had a nice long bus ride... like four hours. So that was fun. The bus and I have become very good friends this past month. This week was so great for so many reasons. I really learned so much about my heritage and my faith. It was such an amazing experience to learn about the lives of my family and what they sacrificed, and also the history of my church. The lake district was fun and beautiful. This whole experience has been so amazing and I can't believe I still have two whole months! I don't know how can get any better... but I have a feeling it will.

Chapter Five

2008-10-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went on a day trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford University. I know I say this a lot but it was amazing (seriously everything here is amazing). The palace was beautiful and Oxford was beautiful and everything I do here seems to be beautiful.

It was freezing at Blenheim Palace... well maybe not freezing but cold, and windy. Which makes it very cold. I think it is finally fall now. It is getting cold and the leaves are starting to change. I love it. Blenheim is a Baroque Palace and it was so pretty. There were beautiful gardens and beautiful rooms in the palace. It was the place where Winston Churchill was born too!

The gardens were so pretty. The first thing I wanted to do when I got off of the bus was sing "The Hills Are Alive" from the Sound of Music. I didn't but I did take a picture frolicking in the grass with my friend Hailee. It was very satisfying.

After Blenheim we went to Oxford. It wasn't what I expected, well really I don't know what I expected but whatever it was it wasn't what Oxford was. That was confusing. But I did love Oxford, I guess that's all that matters. We went and toured Magdelene's College. It was really pretty. Here are some pictures to illustrate:

The highlight of the day was punting down the river. Punting is a way to steer a boat down the river. You stick this long pole to the ground and use it to push off and steer the boat. It was so fun! I gave it a go and was so close to falling in the water. Not fun. It was really hard though, especially because I have zero upper body strength. My friend Alex who didn't go with us really did fall in the water. She has a whole new Oxford outfit now... lucky her. Here are some pictures from my punting adventure.

We finished off our Oxford adventure with evensong. It was so amazing. I love being able to learn about new religions and their customs. The service was beautiful and the mens choir was really great. I really enjoyed being able to worship my beliefs in a different way and to learn about how other Christian religions worship. It was a perfect end to a really great day.

Chapter Four

2008-10-02T04:24:00.001-07:00

So this past week, has been very crazy. I have had so much schoolwork (well really I have been catching up on schoolwork because I was off playing here). So most of the evenings I stayed in and caught up on reading and whatnot. This semester has already been so amazing and I can't believe that I have been here almost a whole month! Ah, its crazy. I have learned so much about so many different subjects and myself. I love being in a different culture and seeing different people. You might not think that the British culture is much different but it is. There are so many different ethnicities and customs here and it is a really great place to be a part of. Anyways that was may have sounded really corny, but it's true. Now for the really cool things I did this week.

Buckingham Palace

We took a tour of state rooms of the palace. Apparently they only open these rooms up every so often so I was really excited to be able to get to go. It was so beautiful inside! Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures during the tour so I don't have any on the inside, but in a way that was nice because I could just take in the decoration and architecture of the palace. The tour was really great and I learned a lot about the history of the palace.

The Globe Theatre

Since I am a drama nerd I loved The Globe. We saw a Midsummer Night's Dream here and it was so fun. We were "groundlings" which means we only had to pay 5 pounds for our tickets but we had to stand for the whole show. Luckily the show was really funny and engaging so I really didn't notice that my knees were about to collapse (that is an exaggeration). Other than the standing it was really fun.

A Stroll Through the Country

On Saturday a man from one of the stakes that we go to took us on a lovely walk through the country. London is SO beautiful and green. Since green is my favorite color I love it... among other reasons. We hiked nine miles through fields, farmland, and quaint country towns. We ate lunch at a castle... at an actual castle. One day I would love to buy a country house and visit every summer.... I don't know if that will ever happen though. I was talking to one of the men from London about it and on the lower end of things a small town home could be about 400,000 pounds, or 800,000 dollars. I better start saving now.

Other Highlights:

1. Ivanov- an amazing play by Anton Chekhov. Kenneth Branagh played Ivanov and it was the best play I have ever seen. I was speechless at the end.

2. St. Bartholomew's Cathedral- the oldest church in London. It looked old and smelled old and was so cool.

3. Gelato Mio- the BEST gelato I have ever had. They have delicious flavors like pear and plum. So delicious.

Chapter Three

2008-09-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

This past week we went to the West of England. I really had no idea where we were going or where the west of England was and what there was to do there. I just got on the bus and hoped that it would be an exciting three days... and it was. The west of England is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Our first stop was Stourhead Estate.... my future home.... I wish. It was so beautiful and had a mansion that could house probably about 100 people comfortably. The mansion wasn't even the most impressive part of the estate. The gardens were. They surrounded a lake and were filled with dense trees and perfectly manicured lawns. I can't even express how beautiful it was. So here are a few pictures that will attempt to do so (although it is a rather poor attempt).

The next place we went was Thomas Hardy's cottage. I didn't really know who Tom Hardy was. He is an author... a pretty famous one. But aside from that his cottage was cute. It was nice to see a real country cottage. The inside was tiny!

So basically I didn't know that the water in Britain looked like Hawaii. We went to this cove and it was beautiful! I live by the beach, and I am still amazed. The water was crystal clear blue and perfectly picturesque. It was surrounded by cliffs topped with bright green grass. The whole place was beautiful. Again. My description can't do it justice.

The next place we went was St. Michael's Mount. It was magical. That's really the only way to describe it. St. Michael's is an island off the coast of Penzance and when the tide goes out you can walk to it on this little old path, but when the tide goes in you have to ride on a boat to get to it. On top of the island is this old castle and a family still lives in it! How awesome would that be? But it was the first castle I have seen on my trip and it was beautiful. It was amazing to think that there had been battles on the same ground that I was walking on (and I know there were from the really cheesy documentary we watched about it). Really though. Things like this are only supposed to exist in fairy tales.

After St. Michael's Mount we drove about 3 hours to Exeter and stayed the night at a youth hostel... real fun, it really wasn't that bad. The next morning we wen to Exeter Cathedral, which was absolutely gorgeous. The building had so much history and portions of it dated back to 1112 AD. Most of it was in the gothic style, which is just beautiful. I can't imagine the sacrifice that must have gone into the extreme detail and ornamentation of the building, not to mention the building itself. The pictures below really don't illustrate how impressive it was. It was hard to get good ones because the lighting was funny and there were people everywhere, but anyways these were the best I could do.

After Exeter we drove to this darling town called Lyme Regis. It was so cute! The beachfront was lined with little shops and cafes, and these cute bright colored sheds. I got the most delicious ice cream I have ever had in my life... and I have had a lot of ice cream. We were so lucky to have beautiful weather the entire week. We just sat out on the Cobb (a pier thing) and attempted to take in the beauty and maybe get a little sun. Unfortunately I am still just as white as I always am. At least I fit in among all the fair-skinned Londoners.

So basically this trip was amazing and this really is a brief and inadequate description of the trip and leaves out many details such as our excruciatingly long bus ride and our stay at the really classy YMCA (and I really can't help but put a picture up of the YMCA, so here you go).

Chapter Two

2008-09-20T01:54:00.000-07:00

My uncle Roger came to visit me in London! It was so fun. I can't even say how nice it was to have family around... don't get me wrong the first week was fun, but kind of hard because I didn't know everyone yet. So getting a break was just the thing I needed. We went to this delicious Italian restaurant that had this cute little old Italian man. So rather than adding that to my list of brief highlights I decided to do another post. The visit deserved that!

Chapter One

2008-09-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I have created this lovely blog for all things London, and I suppose all things Lauren... well really all things about Lauren's study abroad in London.

So I have been in London a week and I am loving it! I have already learned so much and have seen so much and I still have a little more than three whole months left. It has been kind of hectic, and kind of stressful, and now I am kind of tired, but it has already been one of the best experiences of my life.

This is my new home... the BYU London Center. I love it! All five stories of it! I live right down the street from Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace, it is such a nice location. I share a room with 12 other girls... which is fun? Really, it is fun, and I really love all of the girls here... and the one boy that is in our group as well. I have already met so many amazing people and I know we will all become really close throughout the semester.

I am a little overwhelmed by how much I have done, and am not going to do a day by day debriefing of all things Lauren in London... it would be a bit too much, for you and for me. So here are the highlights of the past two weeks.

Tuesday, September 9

Today we started an assignment for my London Walks class (yes I get credits for walking around London). The walk followed the path of the old Roman wall that surrounded the ancient city. It was amazing to think that there are still remnants of that wall. Anyhow, as exciting as ancient walls are, I enjoyed seeing the real current London a little bit more than thinking about the ancient wall.

I got to see awesome things like the tower of London, with my new friends...

And finding awesome churches, like this one, where mother goose was buried. I know the door doesn't exactly tell you a lot about the church, but I liked the picture. So I am putting it on here.

Okay so maybe I am a nerd, but this was my favorite spot of the walk. It contains remnants of all of the time periods in London's history (well most of them). The mossy rock in the right hand corner is part of an old Roman tower that was on the Roman wall. The brick strip on the left hand side is pre-WWII, as are the other walls. They were all bombed during the WWII air raids. They found the Roman wall when cleaning up the remnants of the bombings. Then there is a contemporary building on the right and an old church on the left. That is exactly how London is though, there are these beautiful old cathedrals, with a modern skyscraper right next door. They build new in with the old. I love it. It is so amazing to be able to walk through the city and see over a thousand of years of history. Anyways, nerdy moment for the day. I thought it was awesome though.

Wednesday, September 10

Today we went to Bath and Stonehenge. The whole day was so amazing (I will be saying that a lot, because everything I have done has been amazing)! Stonehenge was so cool. There isn't a whole lot to know about Stonehenge except for the fact that they don't know a whole lot about Stonehenge. So after seeing how awesome it is we just took a bunch of awesome stonehenge pictures. It was really fun though, and although they don't know a lot about Stonehenge there is a lot of history behind it. The rocks apparently came from some mountains in Wales. It is amazing to think that somehow these ancient people brought these huge rocks to this random field.... I am assuming that whatever it was used for was pretty important.

After Stonehenge we drove to Bath. For those of you who are unaware (as I was), Bath has a very long history. The city started as a Roman temple. There are ancient baths in Bath (who would have guessed). The amazing part is that the baths that you see when you are there still use the original drainage and pumping systems, as well as the original sealant for the baths. The picture below is of the baths and Bath Abbey (which was also beautiful).

The city was also home to Jane Austen and two of her books were set there. Anyways enough history. I loved Bath! It was perfect, like out of a book. The whole city was absolutely pristine and looks as though it hasn't changed since the time that Jane Austen lived there. Around every corner there were charming houses and gardens. We went and had a tea at the Pump Room and drank the healing bath water. It was lovely.... that's really the perfect word for Bath. Lovely.

I really think I must fast-forward through the rest of the week as this is taking much to long to write. And really Bath and Stonehenge were the highlights to the week, and I have so much more I must tell you about. So highlights of the rest of the week were:

Parliament: went on a tour with the group, absolutely amazing how much history and tradition there is in British government.

National Gallery: I have fallen in love with art. I have never before been so awestruck by it, I cannot believe the amount of detail and beauty in each painting. My favorite was "Madonna of the Rocks" by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Walk Along the Thames: It is a really fun area of London and has a different feel than central London.

Portobello Road: So fun. It is this awesome market with antiques and fun shops. I got cute new shoes and a new wallet to hold all of the change that they give you in Britain! That is one thing I am still getting used to.

Thames Festival: I ate delicious Moroccan food. It was delicious.

Vivaldi Concert: I hadn't really ever love loved classical music, like I liked it, but never loved it. This concert was so amazing. I love classical music now.

The Tube: I love the tube. It is a great place to people watch, and a great way to get around London. I think I have a pretty good handle on it now, although I still have to use the tube map.

I feel awful for skipping over such amazing portions of the week, but it might take me a whole week to explain them in detail. Everything I have done has been so amazing... that's really the only way to describe it. Amazing.