Madeleine in Europe

2004-01-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that this time last year I was preparing for my great European adventure. Some sad things happened while I was gone that I wish hadn't. And I missed Eric and my family and friends. But it really was an adventure. Even going to the grocery store was thrilling, or walking to class in the morning. Did I mention there was a sketch by Michangelo on the wall in the classroom next to ours? They'd just found it under layers of paint. My apartment was across the plaza from Santa Croche church. There were twelve flights of stone stairs to our rooms. In Paris, we stayed two metro stops away from the catacombs entrance. It was all so amazing and unreal I can hardly believe I was there. If Libby hadn't of come I would have thought it a dream.

Day to day life in Lawrence is more fascinating to me because of my trip. I thought I wouldn't be able to bear it, but instead I am more in awe of everything.

In Europe, there were place I simply shuddered to think of who else had seen what I saw--Galileo's instruments, St. Peter's, the palaces of Vienna, the plaza where Hitler held his first rally, the cell of Marie Antoinette, Ann Frank's house, the relic of the Holy Blood. So much history. Things I've been learning about my whole life.

Many of my friends from the trip are bored back at KU; can't wait to got out and travel again. I'm going to China for three weeks this summer and couldn't be more excited. But I'm not going because I have a sense of adventure, or I can't bear the US. I don't know why I'm going. I guess I've been a traveler my whole life, and I don't think I can stop now.

2003-06-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

well silly computer. I will expand more on the Libby-and-Madeleine-died-and-are-existing-in-some-other-state-of-consciousness theory later. Mom wants me to go to bed. Twenty years old--why do I feel like I'm twelve?

2003-06-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Right, back to nat'l protest day in Paris. We loaded up all of our luggage (I mean, I didn't bring that much, really) and walked all the way back to line 4. My hand fell asleep several times from the weight. Coming from the other direction were gobs of people with different signs, stickers, buttons, t-shirts. Some were singing; some were chanting. And the traffic was horrible! We walked faster than all of the cars the whole way, to the dorm and back. It was crazy--six weeks and I hadn't seen anything like it. At least the rain cleared up for a bit. . .

So we FINALLY make it down to the metro stop, and we got on right away. And then we sat there. And sat there. I think everyone had a seat; no one had to stand. After maybe 15 mintues, we got rolling. Stop after stop, the car filled. We sat at the first stop, and the car filled with people--protesters. And we sat there. It got stuffy. And then the second stop--more protesters. And by the third stop, I think we were as full as we could get. Everyone was squished together. But at the fourth stop, even more people decided to get in. Every stop after that, we'd stop, and four or five people would get out, and at least TEN more would try to get in. I had a lady leaning right up against me and two others sitting on my luggage. One man simply couldn't fit in, and he slammed himself in. The doors kept closing on him and jumping back open. Usually, when you feel like one more person can't fit on the metro, you just squeeze a little and then doors close and it's fine. This time, it was physically impossible. He just could not fit. Poor Libby had her upright suitcase and the guy yelled at everyone to move, and an elderly lady explained that no one could move. This jerk yelled to move the suitcase. It couldn't move because it was surrounded by people. So in the end the poor lady had her ribcage jammed into the suitcase by the man. Big city people. Drr. Luckily we had the sweetest men help us off. Two guys carried our suitcases and yelled at everyone to move out of our way. I was in the far back and had almost no hope of getting off. People always surprise me I guess.

We sat at the Gare du Nord for a while. First we thought we'd put our luggage in storage and wander around, get something to eat. We put most of our stuff in a big locker, and closed it. We didn't have the correct change, but the locker was dysfunctional. If you don't put money in the locker after 30 seconds or so, it pops open. This one didn't. So we got one of the men working there to come look at it, and he said it would have to wait until tomorrow. I said, oh no it can't, we have a flight tonight! We didn't have a flight that night, but it was at 7 AM which meant we needed to be there to check in at 5, and the locker room didn't open until 6. I didn't want to come back at 11 PM and have the locker not open! So poor Libby endured my paranoia and we took a taxi to Charles DeGaulle. A 60 Euro taxi ride. I think I still owe her for that, now that I think of it. . .

So on our last night in Paris, instead of getting to do all the things we'd planned, like our favorite restaurants and some last minute gift shopping, we sat up all night in DeGaulle Airport. I read Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," which I rather enjoyed. It had interesting ideas, especially since Libby and I had concluded that we had died at some point during this trip. Perhaps I should expand on this.

2003-05-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hello from Iowa!

So I have neglected concluding this blog for quite some time. Wow I've almost been home for a month! More on that in a sec. I'll finish up my adventure first.

What can I remember. . .

Sunday we went to Leuren in Belgium and took a self-directed walking tour. In the warm sun, we saw all the old university buildings, churches and parks. The neatest part was the UNESCO World Heritage site--a whole little walled in village. No cars were allowed; the whole village was made of brick. Very cool.

Monday we went to Brugges and met with Nicole, wife of my mom's cousin Anton, who has since passed on. As I remembered from years ago, she's a sweet, friendly lady who goes out of her way to make people feel welcome. Her english was amazing after having so few opportunities to practice it. She was darling and helpful. Bought us waffles too. For dinner we went to Maud's, my mom's cousin on the other side. My greatuncle Georges was there, along with Guido (another cousin) and his wife Marlene. They are such interesting, intelligent people, and it was good to see them again. Poor Libby endured my family all week!

Tuesday we had to leave Antwerp for Paris. Poor Gijs was sick with an infection, and Ann had to take off work to stay home with him. They drove us to the train station and waved goodbye. We were so lucky to have been able to stay at their house.

When we got into Paris, it was raining. Libby and I both slipped and fell on the train platform. To make matters worse, when we finally made it down to the metro with all of our luggage, they weren't running. We couldn't figure out why. When we FINALLY were able to get on line 4, it stoped for long periods of time at every stop. We then walked 500 meters to the Cite from the last metro stop. We were lucky to find one that close. We got our luggage out of storage from the basement of our dorm. Then we had to repack everything! We did it in the lobby! Everyone gave us stange looks, especially the people who had moved in after us.

Alright, well Mom needs my help. Moving and all. More later.

2003-05-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hello from Belgium!

I've been waiting weeks to say that. I am half Flemish you know. . .

So we're staying with my family on the Keldermans side. Rombout and his wife Ann and their three beautiful children, Gijs, Wout and Korneel. Such a great young family. I last saw Ann and Rombout in Texas in 1997, and before that I think I was 11 and Rombout was like 23? Anyways it's been a while but I recognized him at the train station right away. Ann and Rombout are remodelling their house so it's in turmoil. But of course they didn't tell us until Rombout picked us up from the train station. They keep telling us to come back in a month.

So yesterday we went into Antwerp for the day and say the major sites--the Cathedral, the river Scheldt (sp?), the Steen (9th century fortess, oldest building left; used as a prison for years), Peter-Paul Ruben house, that building with all the flags of the EU all over it next to the huge fountain (okay so I'm not the greatest tour giude), and the big shopping street, the Mier. I managed to find Libby some REAL, flaky Belgian waffles (oh so tasty) and we also had some asparagus soup and croquettes. Good Belgian fare. Ann promised to take us for frites (fries) sometime before we leave. There is no such thing as 'french' fries; who ever started that rumour need to take some European geography. Hopefully I can convert Libby. So much better in Belgium.

Today we're in Brussles. We first went to see the Church of St. Madeleine, and then wandered the market nearby and say the Cathedral and the beautiful old buildings. So dirty and still so appealing. And we'll do some more sightseeing after this and then head back to Antwerp. Ann or Rombout (or perhaps both if they can find a babysitter) offered to show us the nightlife. They told us stories about when they went out in college--often until past 5 AM!! We had to explain that you can't go out until the age of 21 (unliek 16 in Belgium) and that bars close at 2. . . such a different world. But we'll give it a whirl.

So Leuven (Ann's hometown and the university town) on Sunday. The beach (coast, but what's a little optimism going to harm?) perhaps and Bruges on Monday. Back to Paris to pick up our stuff on Tuesday, and then at the airport at 5 AM for our 7 AM flight home on Wednesday.

Four days and my European odessey is finished. I'm not really sure that the United States exists anymore except for in my imagination. It will be good to come home.

Oh and everyone wish your mom a HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.

I love you Mama.

2003-05-08T03:41:00.000-07:00

So it shut me down. . . but Libby wanted more time! Lucky me.

Neil Young. Amazing. We almost didn't make it. . . somewhere between entering the concert hall, going to the bathroom, buying t-shirts and getting up to the door, the tickets disappeared from Libby's purse. So close to not getting in. . . luckily I remembered our seat numbers, and I had to sign a form saying we'd lost the tickets. No one came in with our tickets, so I don't think they were stolen or scalped.

It was an excellent show. I almost can't really believe that I saw him. . . I guess because so many other people I'd like to see are dead. Right.

The first set was new stuff he's recorded but hasn't released yet. All the songs had overlapping characters and a good message. The rhyming was often painful (ex. disbelief and grief) but his voice was perfect. And I don't know, something about protecting Alaska because it's the last great wilderness on the American continent. . .

The second set was better but too short! He played "Expecting to Fly," "Don't Let it Bring You Down," "Old Man," and other favorites. His only encore was "Heart of Gold." We hung around after and saw him get into a Mercedes. So darling. He's all wrinkly and wearing a cap backwards with a Canadian flag on it :-) It was a great time--even though we were surrounded by middle ages couples and balding men wearing faded black t-shirts. Not the most enthusatic crowds. . . but the concert hall was amazing!! Philharmonic Munchen. So nice. Even Neil commented on how good the sound was.

When we got to Amsterdam, we first went to Ann Frank's house. Another downer. I can't take all this emotional turmoil--from Dachau to Neil Young to Ann Frank. When we first got in, I was surprise at how big the rooms seemed. Then I realized they had hardly any furniture in them. It was a well put-together place--lots of video boards with interviews of Miep the helped and Anne's father. It was another site that was unreal and depressing all at the same time. I'm glad we went.

What else have we done in Amsterdam? . . .

Musuem of Modern Art-- Stedelijk Museum. We walked past the massive Rijksmuseum (State Museum) and the Van Gogh musuem on the way. The Van Gogh musuem had crazy long lines! It was also fairly expensive--like 8 or 9 Euro. And no museums in the Netherlands have student discounts! I'm so spoled by the $1 fee in Budapest. . . even Vienna had cheap student fairs. Oh well, it was worth the money. They brought out the best of their collection, and a random exhibit on Pop Art. There was a lot of really intriguing Dutch painting from the 80s.

Since we were south of town, we headed into Vondelpark. Also beautiful, full of cyclists and children and shouting homeless men. We had one come up and ask us where we were from, and I said the US. He snapped at me: "I know HEARD you are from the US! I didn't ask WHAT COUNTRY you're from, I asked WHERE are you from? I couldn't place your accent." I left rather than explaining my life story. . . I've just been telling people I'm from Kansas, for lack of a better explaination. It was a nice park anyways. We enjoyed the sunshine.

It seems like we've also seen a lot of churchs in Amsterdam. . .English Church, West Church, New Church. . . so many! We've also been around Dam square a lot, and wandering the canals.

Today we're off to Belgium! To stay with my mom's cousin? I think that's the relation. Not important. I get to show Libby some of Belgium--waffles, fries, and chocolate! Maybe we'll squeeze in some sites or something :-)

2003-05-08T03:07:00.000-07:00

Hello from Amsterdam! I know my intros all sound the same. . . what can you do?

Munich was a very nice, very friendly city. So much more friendly than Prague.

Dachau was sincerely moving. Like the flyer promised, it is meant to be a memorial for the prisoners, not a horror show. The scene is so painfully familiar, rows of barracks lined by trees. We saw the iron gate with the inscription "Work Brings Freedom." And we saw the crematorium. They had two at Dachau, and a gas chamber that was never reported as being used. The barracks were so simple and quiet, and then you could see pictures of them crammed full of people. I also got to see the figure of the Madonna used by all the resistant priests who were sent to Dachau. There's a Carmelite convent, Holy Blood, right on the edge. I guess only the German priests were allowed to say mass or pray; all the Polish (and Czech, Slovak, Belgian, French) priests were punished if caught praying. Also, Dachau was where they performed experiments in the infirmary, under the direction of Himmler. Tests on healthy people for hypothermia, so the army would know after what time they should give up looking for German parachuters in the English Channel. How cruel is that?

I'm sure you've heard some of it before, but it was strange to be there. Much like it was strange to be on the beachs of Normandy, or at St. Peter's, or Wencelas Square, or the square where the Bastille stood. But at least those weren't places of unimaginable suffering.

Little shout out to my European Studies teacher, Matt-- we went to see the sight of Hitler's failed 'beer hall putsch.' Not what I expected. It was an open loggia with sculptures on it of lions and dead men, right by an open square, next to a bright yellow church. Maybe location was a factor in the failure? I guess Nazis had to salute the place when Hitler was in power.

What else did we do in Munich? Saw a good number of churches, but mostly from the outside. Marianplatz, the square of our lady, is the center of activity. The old town hall and the new town hall are right there. A statue of Mary tops the new town hall. I guess Germany isn't a secular as I thought. . . Karlsplatz, St. Charles square, is active and near by, with pretty fountains. The open market was nice, but more permenant than others we've been to, in Italy and Hungary. The English Garden north of town was beautiful--grassy open places, cool shady spots. There are biketrails, wading ponds, a rushing stream with surfers. Something for everyone! Playgrounds, beer garden, and a nudist area. I think in Munich we ate Indian and pretzels. And beer. Libby really liked the Hofbrau (which tastes more like lemonade than beer)--you could only get them in huge liter mugs in the English Garden. Intense.

Alright I think I'm almost out of time.

2003-05-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm in Munich! Libby said something funny at dinner last night. . . something like "Do you realize that one day, soon, our existance won't be like this? We won't be quickly packing up our stuff to check out of our hostel to get to the train station to ride a train for several hours to get to another hostel to wander a city looking for a restaurant with vegetarian opitions when most restaurants are already closed?"

I'm not complaining at all. . . but that's been my life for the past two weeks, and it feels like much, much longer.

Alright, what did we do in Prague?

St. Charles Bridge crosses the Danube. It is beautiful and lined with statues and street vendors. On the West bank there is a dirty old man with his arm in a cast. He shouted at me to come and look at his work. He paints pictures of himself (complete with his hat and the headband that has red bumbs on it), and he used bring neon colors. He had at least a hundred of these self portraits. When Libby tried to buy one, he wanted 900 crowns, which is like 30 dollars. He gave her a little one for 250, more like 10 dollars, but only after he'd grabbed the money out of her hand and they were both holding the picture. A crowd had gathered around. It was sad, the poor man. But he certainly wasn't all there. All the vendors have to have permits, and he had one.

On the other side of the river, we say the Church of St. Nicholas. Reminded me of my brother! Very Baroque, but also different from the western Baroque. We climbed a huge hill looking for the Prague castle. Instead we got a great view of the whole city. Lots of green. I'm so glad it's spring. Speaking of spring, we somehow wandered into the Wallenstein Gardens. Beautiful walled in gardens--with an outdoor stage! What seemed to be a high school band was practicing while we were there.

The 15th century clock tower was very cool. The twelve apostles come out, and the Grim Reaper rings a bell on the hour. It is in the Old Town Square right across the street from the Church of Our Lady of Tyn. The towers of that church match the clock tower and the end of St. Charles bridge. Very hat looking. When we went to visit, mass was being said. I almost couldn't find the entrance, because shops and restaurants have almost completely surrounded the outside walls of the church. Crazy.

The Communism Museum was fun, if not biased. . . we saw lots of old posters, schoolbooks and equipment. It was interesting after having read "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting" by Milan Kundera this semester. Kundera left communist Czechoslovakia, but described Prague a lot in his book. We also saw a little video on the protests in 1968 and then in the late 80s and early 90s. Small museum but full of anti-communist sentiment.

We also got to see Wenceslas Square, which is now surrounded by a shopping area. It was the sight of the huge 1989 protests for the Velvet Revolution. The joke in the communist musuem said the downfall of communism took ten year in Poland, ten weeks in Hungary and ten days in Czechoslovakia. Haha.

Umm, what else? Ah on the last day we saw the Jewsih Quarter. The little synagogue is one of the oldest left in Europe. We saw a memorial from the people of Israel thanking the Czech Jews for their support in their wars.

And so yesterday we arrived in Munich. Don't ask how my days have gone, it's out of control. We took a day trip to Ulm yesterday. We climbed to the top of the world's tallest cathedral. Very very cool view for the very cramped sprial staircases. Ulm was the birthplace of Albert Einstein. We also saw the Bread Museum. I bet you didn't knwo they had pretzel (did I spell that correctly?) makers guilds back in the middle ages. I learned more about bread than I thought I could. . .

And today I went to Mass in Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady. Interesting building--the towers are topped by domes that look like onions. Not at pointy as Russian domes, but different than I've evr seen before. It was built in the late 1400s and the doems in the early 1500s. Mass was really long, with all the mass part being sung by a full choir as whole pieces. They also did typical high mass things--incense, Latin chanting. It was beautiful and peaceful. Everyone was friendly even though I understood little of the readings and sermon. At least I finally have the mass parts down in German. . . kinda. . .

I think today we're going to try to make it to Dachau. So at that, I will leave and write more later. Most likely I won't be in such good spirits. . .

Have a good Sunday!

2003-05-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hello from Prague!

Tonight we leave for Munich. Internet places have been much less frequent here so I've been getting behind. My apologies.

Okay, of course, I should probably leave for the train station now. Prague is beautiful but full of tourists. St.Charles birdge, the old clock tower, Church of Our Lady of Tyn, Communism Museum, will write all about it. . . some day!

Oh and the marionette theater. Funny stuff.

Love you all!!

2003-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's so frustrating to have type a big long nice descriptive entry and then lose it because all the computers get shut down. . . so frustrating.

Well I will try to recreate what I had in the little time I have left. . .

St. Stephen's Cathedral: cool, Gothic, mass in German. I was so used to mass in French. Got to see little children in their First Communion garb. So cute.

Freud Museum: also cool. It was a rather large apartment, with one room restored to what it would have looked like when Freud worked there. The rest of the rooms were filled with photographs, published studies and letters. There was also a room filled with televisions showing old family videos. Neat stuff. The special exhibit was about the Jewish community in Vienna.

Leopold Musuem: Cool, had a visiting Tolouse-Lautrec exhibit. Lots of Austrian art like Klimt and Schiele (if I'm spelling that correctly). Also many landscapes that I skipped.

Carnival: BIG ferris wheel north of town. Mini-donuts. Lots of fun.

Vegetarian Thai restautant. Menu in German, didn't really know what to order.

Today---

Schloss Belvedere: old Baroque palace which now houses lots of Austrian art. Beautiful gardens.

Lunch in a little healthfood store. Yum. Good vegan cake with something resmbling cholocate mousse in the middle.

Film Museum: cutting edge film from Europe's advant garde artists. We saw the Anri Sala exhibition. He's an Albanian filmaker living in Paris, doing neat stuff.

Okay, again, out of time. Such a shame. Love you, hope everyone is well.

2003-04-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Guten tag from Vienna! I guess the Austrians call it Wein. Whatever, it´s their city.

So we had some trouble actually GETTING here, and then finding the way to our hostel, but we won't talk about that. . . I'm a navagational genius!

In all seriousness, it really was not our fault. Okay, I wasn't going to talk about it. Moving on. . .

Coming back to Austria definitely felt like coming back to the 'west,' for what that's worth. It didn't feel strange going to Hungary. Maybe my slight slight hint of an understanding of German helped? Budapest was a beautiful city filled with friendly people. I feel like a jerk CONSTANTLY asking people if they speak English.

So Vienna! A beautiful old city. Friday night we basically wandered the area close to our hostel. Well, by close I mean an forty five minute walk. Many things closed after 8, but we got a good idea of this part of the city.

Today we went to see the Sigmund Freud Museum--the apartment he lived in for a lot of his professional career. And then the military history museum--to see the car Archduke Fransic Ferdinand was shot in!! And his outfit!! It was creepy. I went to St. Stephen's cathedral for mass, and then the Leopold museum after. Oh shoot out of time, more later.

2003-04-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hello! Still in Budapest. Great weather today. I'm typing on thsi crazy plastic see-through keyboard, so please forgive me any typos.

Today was museum day! We first wet to the Hungarian National Gallery, which is housed in the Royal Palace. It was filled with all kinds of art, from Gothic altarpieces to portraits of Hungarian monarchy to very modern works by Hungarians. It had several floors and many rooms. It was a wide range of art in a very short time. They also had a speciaal exhibit on this Hungarian painter who did paintings of royalty all of Europe. The pictures themselves weren't all that exciting, but the stories of who he was working for and what he did besides paint is. I guess one family he was close to in Dresden supposedly had him assissinate someone!! Crazy.

After the main gallery, we found the Ludwig gallery which houses a lot of contemporary art. Downstairs there was a Picasso of a Musketeer with his sword. Libby, Katie and I kinda of picked up on calling people Musketeers after we were on a train in Spain and the movie "The Musketeer" was playing. It was during the ladder stunt scene and one of us said real people couldn't do that, and since then we've been calling the spacy people from our study abroad group Musketeers--lately this has mainly been ourselves. Ouch.

Upstairs they had a really interesting photography exhibition---all very recent stuff. One work had a block of blond ladies only wearing black knee high boots. Interesting. . . But there were some really neat ones, like of words burned into a flower petals. I'm not doing a good job of explaining it. Ah well.

After museum-ing, we wandered the top of the hill that the Royal Palace is on. We saw St. Matthias church as well. Also we wandered through an open air market, which had lot of tablecloths, jewelry and pottery. Since then we've just been wandering the city. We bought groceries for dinner tonight--making pasta fagoli! Have I already babbled about it? Libby and Lindsey took a cooking class in Italy and learned it. It's a soup with shell noodles, white beans and tomatos, seasoned with hot peppers and rosemary. It's very yummy.

So I probably should get going. I've been an internet fiend the past few days. Again, I hope everyone is well.

My cousin Katie is getting married this weekend. Congratulations Katie and Brandon!! All of my love to you two this weekend.

Alright, I'm out of here kids.Catch you later.

2003-04-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

From BUDA . . .

I'm techincally in Buda. Our room is in Pest. I think I like this city. . .

So my vacation! We left Sunday night for Salzburg. German overnight trains are much nicer than Spanish ones. I think we got the handicapped room, because there were only two beds and we had an automatic door. It was a large room. It was also quiet and comfortable. I slept the whole night through.

We changed trains in Munich and got into Salzburg at 10:30 on Monday morning. The hostels didn't look that great, so we took a local train out to the suburbs. After climbing a steep hill with our luggage, we came upon Haus Moser. Trudi, our little Austrian grandmother, took us in. We had a clean small room--with half of the horned population of Austria!! There were more antlers in that house than all the antlers I have seen in my life, combined. Antlers in the living room, in the breakfast room, in the stairway. . . it was creepy. All different shapes and sizes.

After settling in, Trudi served us coffee and gave us some flyers about tours. Something tells me she was working for the tour company. . . Anyway, we then went back in to town and wandered around. It was Easter Monday, which is a Holy Day in many countries. Most of the shops were closed. We did find this small vegetarian Indian restaurant. The food was good and the server was really friendly. He spoke very little English but we still helpful.

We wandered around Salzburg, looking at the Statue of Mozart, the churches and the fountains. The whole area smells so fresh and open, unlike Paris and even Florence. We had a Strongbow cider in an Irish pub, and happened upon a cover band playing the Beatles, U2, Radiohead and REM. What a strange world. We also met some boys from St. Mary's College in Minnesota who had just finished studying in Florence! One of them had studied history of church theology. How about that.

Tuesday was also a laid back day. Trudi came to wake us up for breakfast. I tell you, she's a grandmother. She and her husband spent most of the time gardening, he in little clogs and she with dirt up to her arms. They were both so friendly. We went down to the city and ate lunch at the same vegetarian place. Then we went to Mozart's birthplace. It was closed, but we got to see the outside. It was strange because it was on a street surrounded by lots of stores, just squeezed in. After a little window shopping, we went to the Mirabell Gardens next to the Mirabell palace. Beautiful peaceful place--where the von Trapp children sang "Do-Re-Mi" in Sound of Music. I was disappointed to learn many of the classic sites aren't in Salzburg but in nearby towns. I still got a feel for the place. I had songs stuck in my head the whole time--it was only for Libby's sanity that I restrained myself from humming or singing. Just a little conducting here and there. . .

We came home early Tuesday night, but not in time to meet the other American girls staying in the house. They went straight up to bed. Wednesday morning we got up to go to Budapest. When we got to the train station, Libby realized she'd left her camera lense back at Trudi's house. So we mad a mad taxi ride back, first being taking to Maria Plein CHURCH rather than Maria Plein the suburb in Kasren. Luckily we made it back in time to catch our train!

When we arrived in Budapest, we were welcomed by Edna, who took us to her hostel. Crazy scary lady had to show us every possible room available--after taking us by metro to her hostel, she had her husband drive us all to apartments across town! We eventually got her to calm down and bargined for one of the apartments. Now we have a little kitchen and it's nice. Last night we went out to eat at the Marquis de Salade. Libby read the name in the guidebook and coudln't resist. It was really good food--from Azerbaijan, Japan, France, India and several other countries. I had a spinach salad and vegetable tempura with baklava for dessert. Yum.

Today we're just been walking around the city. We stopped at a small Indian cafeteria type place for lunch--it was in a complex where they had a meditation room and yoga classes. Crazy stuff. Besides that we've just been walking, taking in all the old buildings and churches. So many people speak English here.

Okay, I've been on the computer for a while and should probably get going. Just wanted to update everyone :-) Hope you all are well, keep e-mailing and making comments! It's nice to hear from people.

2003-04-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so plans have changed. Tonight Libby and I leave for Salzburg, Austria, home of Mozart and location of the Sound of Music! Nick's favorite musical. And home of Mozart-balls? A hazelnut surrounded in marzipan, nougat and covered in chocolate. I'll have to give you an update on that situation.

I guess I haven't really done anything all that interesting lately! I did go to the Eiffel Tower on Friday night. It was all pretty and lit up at night. We took pictures--it really was one of the best views in Paris. Oh and I went back and spent time at the Pompidou Center on Friday afternoon. I got to see some works by Kandinsky, who I really like. He uses a lot of color and geometric forms, which appeals to me. . .

After the Pompidou I went to Good Friday mass. Very cool. Many priests dispersed and the congregation kissed medium size crosses, instead of one big cross like in the states. I think I was in the devout section though, because they were kneeling and bowing when no one else was. The group surrounding me also all genuflected before recieving communion. But they were very friendly.

I've spent most of the rest of the weeking packing and cleaning. I really tried to use up all my groceries that I had in the fridge--Libby and I made some CRAZY stirfry. Somehow she made it work with the random veggie we had left-- she had snow peas, red bell pepper, and I had cabbage, bean sprouts, onion and broccoli. One thing I really like in France is tha cider. It's made from apples and has very low alcohol content. But it's tasty stuff.

I'm sad to be leaving; it really feels like home here in a way. I'm so used to riding the metro for 40 minutes to get to class. I love my little neighborhood grocery store--there's a really sweet Indian man who will stay open late for us! He has great produce too. I also like all the reasonably priced organic foods and organic food products! French food is rather questionable; I know everyone raves about it. . .the crepes are yummy. Now I'm going into the land of beer and sausage. Oh dear.

Paris has been great. The people aren't really mean about the language barrier--you know in the States we're not always helpful either. What can you do? And usually people are really sweet and patient about it. Only when you get someone in a bad mood :-)

Okay, I'm off! I'll stay safe, I promise.

2003-04-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

Once again, I've fallen terribly behind. Here's the better part--my studies are over!! Break time for Madeleine.

This week was busy and full of work. I wrote 5 papers in span of 72 hours. How about that? We had a farewell lunch AND a farewell dinner yesterday. I've had a great time with this group, but I'm definitely ready to go my own way and do things on my schedule. Too much time with the same people gets tense. Some people need attention and crave drama, and I'm glad to get away from it.

I still really can't believe school is over! I have to clean out my room and pack now--and do some sightseeing of Paris. I haven't even been to the Eiffel Tower yet!

I think the first place we'll go is Strausbourg (still in France) just to take a rest. Then on to Austria!

Well, I'm going to head out. I can't believe it's Good Friday. I'm planning on Notre Dame tonight. It's almost unreal to be there for Mass. Yet still cool.

I'll try to keep up, but internet access is always up in the air. Have a blessed Easter. And for the non-Christians, have a good weekend!

2003-04-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a long time since I've gotten to write in here.

The Jayhawks lost the National Championship to Syracuse. The whole program, even one of our grad instructors, came to watch the game. Okay, I guess Libby didn't come. But she was going to!! It was painful, but they had a great season and made it so far.

So I'm two weeks behind now? Jeeze.

What have I seen in the past few weeks? The Orsay Museum again, several times. I'm doing my final art history project over Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec, and the paintings I'm using are in the Orsay. What I love is how people will stop and take a second look at a painting when someone is doing work in front of it.

The rest of the two weeks has been kinda of a blur. We went to Saint Denis, the burial place of almost all the French monarchy. It was the first Gothic cathedral in all of France. We saw the graves of the infamous--Marie Antoinette, Pepin the Short, Louis XIV.

Last Wenesday we went to the Pompidou Center and saw their art gallery. Art from Matisse to Pollock on the 5th floor and more modern stuff on the 4th floor. I saw a lot of stuff that I really liked. I didn't really have time to look around as much as I wanted to, but hopefully I'll get to go back before we leave.

Just now I went to Palm Sunday mass at Norte Dame. It was very similar to Palm Sunday in the US--except the palms we had were more like shurbs taken off with a weed whacker. And you paid for them. But it was just as long :-) but luckily I had a translation of the service. I tried to follow with the French, but I know so few words, and mostly because of Spanish.

Shoot, again I need to head home. Internet places get sketchy at night, as I'm sure you can imagine. One week left of classes and then it's the biggest vacation of my life!! WOOHOO!!!!

Can you tell I'm excited?

P.S. I'm going to see Neil Young, on an acoustic solo tour, in Munich. So so so so thrilled. Thank you Mom and Dad.

2003-04-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

So first, I would like to congratualte the KU basketball team for making it to the National Championship. What an awesome game against Marquette. If I hadn't seen them play against Mizzou, I would have thought it was a first round game. We were in a Canadian bar at 1 AM this Saturday. Tonight it will be a 3 AM.

Back to Brittany. . .

Mont Saint Michel was amazing. Easily one of the most impressive places I've visited on this trip. It is an abbey and church built on top of a perfectly triangular island. We visited on a misty day, and you could just imagine visiting as a pilgrim during the Middle Ages. It was cold and beautfiul. So impressive. The monks spent most of their time illuminating manuscripts, and that was the only room with a fireplace.

In the afternoon, we took a tour of the city of Saint Malo, walking along the ramparts (the old city walls). Originally a privateering town (pirates for the French Government), the town lives off of shipping and seafood. Brittany is also one of the 6 Celtic lands of Europe, like Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man and Galacia. So there was Celtic knotwork everywhere, and I guess some people still speak Breton, the old Celtic language. Very cool place to visit for a weekend. Local specialties are apple, apple cider, and calvados--a hard alcohol made from apples, much like congac is made from wine. They also have mussels and oysters everywhere. I figured if I was going to be brave and try mussels, where better than a seaside town? They were actually really good. It was stange to eat any form of meat, but still tasty. I did feel guilty pulling them out of their little shells. . .

Sunday we went to see the Baeyux tapestry. It's a 211 meters long embroidered piece of linen and tells the story of the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Impressive.

This week was full of work and site visits. The Metro workers had a strike on Thursday and we had to have class cancelled!

Okay, I have to run to lecture, and tonight we have the ballet, and then the KU game.
ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!

2003-04-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry I am so unbelievably behind. It's been busy, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Let's see last week. . .
On Monday we went. . . somewhere. It really wasn't that long ago. . . ah ha! The Pantheon. We went into the crypt and saw the graves of famous French men--Voltaire, Rousseau, Marat, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Louis Braille. Pretty neat.
Tuesday we toured the Orsay Museum with our instructor Elissa. We looked at academic painting, realism and idealism, which don't excite me that much, but she did a good job of explaining their historical importance. I did like some of the realist work, which often was social commentary, like the conditions of the working class.
Wednesday we saw San Chapelle, the Concergerie, and Norte Dame. San Chapelle was built to house the relics obtained by the French monarchy. High Gothic architecture. It has beautiful stained glass windows. Next door is the Concergerie, which used to be a palace, before the Louvre palace and the chateau at Versailles were built. During the revolution, it was used as a prison. I saw the cell where Marie Antoinette stayed before her execution in the Concord Plaza (which I saw on Tuesday after class). Norte Dame I've already done, so I'll spare you a retelling of that.
Thursday we only had class, and I got caught up on my readings.
Friday we left for Normandy and Brittany. At noon we went to the WWII Peace Museum at Caen. We didn't even have enough time to run through the whole plan of the museum before we saw a movie on the D-Day invasion. It was strange to be in a peace musuem during a time of war. The set up was really overwhelming, but moving. There were lots of pictures and posters and historical artifacts, like Nazi flags, and letters home.
After the museum we went to the American cemetary and Omaha beach. It was misty and rainy, only adding to the mellow mood. We had just seen video footage of men crawling onto the beach and being shot down. It was odd to walk on the beach with those thoughts in mind.
I have much more to say, but I'm afraid my time is up. Saint Malo will have to wait.

Pray for peace, until the violence stops. . .

2003-03-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hello! Why is it that when I write, I have so little time left?

Many of the computers here don't want to find my page. I'm sorry for being behind lately.

Wednesday I went to the Musee d'Orsay in the afternoon. It's most famous stuff was all of the Impressionist and post-Impressionist pieces: Monet, Renior, Degas, Van Gogh. I got to see some pretty well known works, like Van Gogh's bedroom, and lots of Monet's green nature stuff.

Thursday we had class and were back at the Louvre in the afternoon. We looked at Neoclassical and Romantic stuff--huge paintings of ideal people pushing moral themes and then colorful, emotional stuff. Very different styles. The Louvre isn't as much fun for me because I am a little worn out on the Art History lectures, but I still appreciate all the art. Have I mentioned that the name of my program should be changed to Art History semester rather than Western Civilization semester? It's all art. That's what we do. At least I'm learning a lot.

Thursday night Mark, Libby and I went to Little India and had good filling food. Have I mentioned I haven't eaten meat since I've been in Europe? It's easier, especially because Mark and Libby are vegetarian, so we just look for vegetarian friendly places. France is not very veggie friendly. Chicken and ham in everything.

Okay, so actually what I forgot that what I just said came crashing down Friday night. I went with Dustin and the other Mark to watch some NCAA tournament basketball. They coerced me into buffalo wings. Chicken wasn't as good as I remember it being, and then my stomach was upset all the next day. So there's that. Plus, the one day I break down and eat meat would be a Friday in Lent. I didn't realize it until I was in mass on Sunday.

Anyway, Friday I did laundry, reading, homework, low key stuff. And then basketball at night. The bar closed at 2 PM, which is only 5 PM in the states, so we missed a lot of games. Okay, so I went Saturday night too. Saw the Missouri-Marquette game, with a few Mizzou alumni (also, there's a girl on our program that's from MU). It was intense, and Mark had to explain the MU-KU rivalry, civil war details and all, to some French ladies sitting by us, completely baffled by the noise and cheering. It was a good time.

Also, Libby's friend from high school were visiting for the weekend--Stacie who's studying in France, and Diana who's travelling Europe. They were VERY nice and friendly, and we all went to the catacombs together Satuday afternoon. They were creepy!! Bones piles up, with skulls in between. Sometimes they made shapes out of the skulls and filled it in with leg dones and stuff--like we say a heart traced out in skulls. Everywhere you turned, there was a neatly packed and stacked pile of bones. It was long, dark, and sometimes twisty turny. I can't imagine hiding there from the Nazis!! It wasn't terribly cold, but the air was kind of stale. Maybe because of all the bones? I don't know. . . I'm glad I went. Oh! And lots of little stalagtites (is that right?) starting to form on the ceiling, and every so often a bunch would drip down on me. So I got a little shower in the empire of the dead.

Sunday was also really low key. I went to the international mass at Notre Dame. It was nice; the second reading was in English, and one or two mass parts. Ah right, and the intercession for world peace was also said in English. I think I might try somewhere other than Notre Dame next, just because all the tourist wandering around the edges of the church and taking pictures is rather distracting. Ah, but this weekend, we're going to Brittany and Normandy!! Yea! I'm very very excited. I've heard nothing but good things about both provinces.

Today we talked about the French Revolution in Western Civ. I would like to point out, even though everyone else has already thought of this--for everyone complaining that France should be grateful for how the US helped them during WWII--both are pretty equal, if you remember how much France helped the United States in its revolution against Britain. I don't know, I have gotten a few e-mails with anti-French jokes and it's kind of silly. Don't countries have the right to disagree with the US?

Okay, steering away from politics. . . I could talk about that forever. Today we went to the Pantheon, which is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, which I also got to see. The one here seems a lot bigger. I guess it was a church right before the revolution. I wonder if all those churches were deconcecrated or what, because after the revolution all church buildings were turned into 'temples of reason' and land was auctioned off.

Downstairs in the crypt, we got to see some famous people's tombs. Rousseau and Voltaire, Enlightenment thinkers who we studied last week; Emile Zola, Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo, novelists; Louis Braille, the blind man who invented Braille; Maurat and a bunch of other revolutionaries. So this week has been dead people week. . . I should go see Jim Morrison's grave, just for kicks. My HS English teacher, Ms. DeMoss, would never forgive me if I didn't. She's obessed with him :-) and Hemmingway and Dante, oddly enough.

So this is looking to be a busy week, with a midterm, two papers and reading as always. So, I apologize in advance if I get behind.

Oh, and tomorrow is my brother Nicholas' 12th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!!

Peace.

2003-03-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

"The people want peace; indeed, I believe they want peace so badly that the governments will just have to step aside and let them have it." - Dwight Eisenhower

So anyone on American anti-French sentiment? Neither French fries nor French toast is actually French, yet their names were changed in the Congressional cafeteria. Everyone here has been friendly and understanding, even though they don't agree with Bush's foreign policy. But lots of anti-war protests, epecially in Paris.

Okay, on to me. . .

Monday we had class and more French lessons. I think it will take me awhile. And unless you go into classy places, people are fairly understanding when I have a hard time. Florence is much more of a tourist town with much more English.

Tuesday we had class and a free afternoon. I spent most of my time catching up on reading--but I also figured out how to buy stamps and phonecards. I opened my phone line in my dorm room--the tones are really different, kind of low and electronic. Each local call costs money. Kinda different. . .

Wednesday we didn't have class and went to Versailles. Wow. It is easy to see why the French people rebelled against the monarchy after visiting the palace. First of all, it's huge. The front facade is large and daunting. Inside the rooms are so over decorated that it is almost hard to believe somone chose it. The ceilings are covered with paintings and gold framing, and the walls are many different colors of marble, covered with silk and tapestries. The hall of mirors was long, large and must be impressive at sunset.

Oh shoot--people are signed up to use this computer, and I need to be at the Louvre in an hour. You'd think that would be plenty of time, but the Metro takes a while. . .

2003-03-17T03:32:00.000-08:00

Yet again, too much to say and no time to say it!

So today is the day. Please don't attack Iraq.

Whoever is next on my computer is up. More later.

2003-03-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

First weekend in Paris

So now you'll get the short version of this week.

Friday night went to see a moive. Expensive. Very nice theater though. We saw Chicago, which I would only recommend if you like musicals. It was well-done, but nothing spectactular.

Satuday Libby and I were going to go to a war protest, but we couldn't figure out where it was. Turns out it was located right near our classroom building, where the Bastille used to be. 80,000 protesters or something. Crazy.

Also, I went across the street to the park and got kissed by an old man, on the lips!! AHHH!!! I typed out the whole story, but it got lost and I'm not up for that again. Maybe later. Let's just say I thought he was a nice old man trying to make conversation (he knew no English) and when I went to go, he did the three kiss on the cheek bit, and then said 'la bouche' which I'd learned in French class means the mouth. Yuck yuck yuck. It was like being pursued by my great-uncle or something. In summary, it was disturbing and gross and I will never go to the park alone, or talk to anyone. I was so mad for a while that I had to walk it off. Grr.

Sunday I went to Norte Dame for Mass, which was pretty cool. They let tourists wander around the side asiles of the church during mass, which was rather distracting. But it was better than the man infront of me, who videotaped the whole mass!! AHH!!! We're all at different stages, on different paths I guess.

Norte Dame was very impressive, especially to see it being used for its purpose, rather than visiting as a tourist. The whole mass was in French, but I was able to understand quite a bit. Exciting. Okay, well, I've used quite a bit of time, so I'll fill in this story later. Paris is lovely, despite it all. . .

2003-03-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

I just lost my last post, which I spent 40 minutes typing. Dah.

2003-03-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

Settling in, in Paris. . .

Monday we moved in to the Cite Universitaire. It's this whole group of dorms for students from all over the world who are coming to study in Paris. Pretty neat. The Cite is pretty nice, we just happened to get the 70s, paint peeling off the walls, communal all sex bathrooms hall. But it's Paris, so how can I complain? We have a mini fridge and a kitchenette down the hall, but nothing to cook with. The mini fridge is definately a very nice plus. Our classes are in the Accent building, a 40 minute metro ride into the city, and that's on a good day, if you can catch all the trains. They are very full at 8:15 AM.

Monday night we had our orientation for Paris and a boat ride on the Seine. The boat ride, even though touristy, was great because I got to see many things at one--the Louvre museum, the Sorbonne, Norte Dame, and various other bridges and monuments that didn't stick with me. Ah well.

Tuesday we had class but a free afternoon. I did my reading and got some rest.

Wenesday was busy. We had class in the morning and then a language class in the afternoon. The language teacher was tough. I know almost no French and it was a struggle to keep up. I think she picked on me because my name is french. Fun.

Wenesday evening we had a site visit at Monmarte. We started at the church Sacre Coeur, which was very neat, although we were a little late, so I missed the inside. I guess it holds up the hill! The church sits on 80 columns or something. Then we saw many of the artists homes, and sites from the movie Amilie, which I haven't seen yet, but Elissa has it on DVD, so maybe I'll see it soon. We also wandered down to the Moulin Rouge, which was very touristy and crowded. But still neat--there was a big red windmill, surprise surprise. Yeah, so no one told me that moulin is french for windmill. That's fine.

I'm so tired from all the travelling over break (which was still great) and now I have to do all these readings for class and papers and projects again. But I enjoy the learning, I mean, Thursday we discussed Locke, who I've read several times. So not a big deal, but still lots to do. Friday we had more French in the morning and then a visit to the Louvre in the afternoon. The Louvre is huge. I've been in so many museums this semester, but nothing can even begin to compare to this. So many rooms and so little time. By the time I got down to the Mesopotamian room to see the Code of Hammurabi, it was closed. I did see lots of Rubens and Van Gogh, and caught the Mona Lisa. It was crowed and lots of people were taking pictures. But we have museum passes for Paris, so as students (supposedly majoring in Art History, haha) we can get in to any museum for free.

Well I'm all caught up, and my time is finished. I don't know what I'm going to do this weekend. . . but it's Paris!

Have a good spring break, for all of you just beginning.

2003-03-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

Hello All! I finally made it to Paris, sweaty and dirty and tired. But I'm here.

Okay, Sevilla wasn't that exciting. We saw the outside of the Cathedral and the Alcazar, but couldn't get in to either. The next day we tried to go to the beach in Cadiz. Ultimate diaster. First, we got on a train, and then it went to the back area of the station for repairs. So we had to get off in the back area of the train station. Kind of scary, with only saintary workers hanging out on their smoke break. Luckily, a taxi came back to drop someone off, and took us back to the front of the station. Then, after asking two different workers if our Eurail passes would work, we weren't allowed on the next train to Cadiz, but were told to wait for the next regional train. That would have put us in to Cadiz pretty late, so we scrapped the whole beach plan and decided to go to Granada. Whoo!!

Granada was excellent. We got in, had a lady show us to a hostel and went out in search of food and e-mail. I think we've spent most of this break on trains, but I enjoy them. You can sleep, listen to music or read. Much better than driving. . . which some people on our trip actualy tried. Eh.

On Friday we spent most of the day at the Alhambra. Amazing. It was beautfiul--reminded me a lot of Saudi. Basically, it is made up of the palaces, the gardens and the fortress.

Okay, I guess we have to be signed up to use these computers, and we need to be at the Cite soon. More later.

2003-03-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

hotmail hates me, so I thought I'd make a post. I'm in th train station in Madrid, en route to Paris. Sapin has been great. Now I'm out of time. Love you all!

2003-03-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, we're only supposed to be checking the e-mail, but I thought I'd say hi! Went to the beach today. . . very cold. So don't make beach plans in March.

And it's dinner time. . . Mediterranean food :-)

2003-03-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Live from Granada . . .

Barcelona finshed up with some disappointments-- Monday morning we tried to get in to the Miro Museum, only to discover that is was closed, always on Mondays. Ouch. At least we got to see the complex from the 1992 Olympics along the way.

In consolation, Katie, Mark, Libby and I walked along the beach and played in the sand. Then we spent quite a while trying to find a place where Mark could have his beard shaved. Basically, this consisted of me going in with Mark, asking ¿Puede cortar su barba? and pointing at his beard. We went in five places, being told by one hairdresser that barbers don't exist anymore, just salons. Eventually we found a place and got him cleaned up. Actually the barber cut Mark in multiple places (due to acne) and then rubbed lots of cheap aftershave all over his face. Ouch.

After the barbershop, we went to see Gaudi's unfinished cathedral. Crazy spiral modernist thing. It's been unfinished for years and recently has had lots of work done. Pretty cool, very different.

Okay, I guess the roommates are ready to go eat. Anyway, Barcelona, then Sevilla and now Granada. I love Spain. More later.

2003-03-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!! I'm in Barcelona. What a beautiful, beautiful city. I think I could live here.

Firday we spent the day wandering Milan. We found our way to the famous Cathedral, only to see a facade totally covered by scaffolding. Dah! We took a night train from 8 PM until 9 AM Saturday monring. Steve our professor, Angela and Erin were on the same train, and invited us for some wine. We had a nice, aren't you glad it's break chat. It was a little bumpy for sleeping, but we made it though.

We got in Saturday morning, and crashed for an afternoon nap in our hostel. We spent the night wandering the city. We saw the main strip-- Las Ramblas, with lots of stores, hotels and restaurants. We also saw the Maremagnum, which is like a mall. In Europe, they eat rather late and we had read that some places don't open for dinner until 9. When we started looking for a place to eat at 9, everything screamed fish and meat. When we finally stumbled into a middle eastern place, they said we needed reservations. So we settled on Pizza Hut, after everything else was closed. And it was the worst Pizza Hut ever. It took them 30 minutes to bring out garlic bread, they completely forgot the onion rings, and our waitress left halfway through our meal. It was all so funny to because we were starving.

Today, we say the Picasso Museum and the Park Gruell. Cool cool stuff. The Picasso musuem was under renovation, so we got to see other various works brought in from around the world. But still nice, they had scultpures, drawings, paintings, and photographs. I really enjoyed it.

The Park Gruell was amazing. We read in the guidebook that it was one of the world's best parks. I think we came in the back way, because we saw lots of beautiful views of the city, but nothing like what we were expecting. The hill we walked up to get to the park was very steep and had escalators for part of the way! We walked and wandered for a while, and finally, after about an hour and a weird experience with an automatic, put coins in bathroom, we came around to the front of the park. Very cool architecture by Gaudi. The world's longest park bench, all squiggly. The entrance, when we finally got around to it, was guarded by a mosaic lizard and two little dwarfish houses. Very neat, open park.

In the park, we ran into Mark and Kendall, who are on our program. Mark joined us for an early dinner, before heading to this internet cafe. I think it's fairly expensive, so I should go. But I will try to write again, which shouldn't be a problem because my travelling companion Katie is an e-mail addict. So, until then, adios!

2003-02-25T14:33:00.000-08:00

Busy week-weekend-week! Thursday and Friday was spent writing a European Studies paper, Saturday and Sunday were spent reading Descartes and writing a short art history paper, a long art history paper and a presentation about the long art history paper. Monday we went to the Science Museum and saw Galileo's lenses, telescopes and middle finger. They had an awesome model of the Ptolmeic universive--where the Earth is motionless at the center and all the planets and stars move around us. It was this huge wooden thing that turned all different directions. Pretty spiffy.
They also had all these 16th and 17th century medical instruments, and weird models of what can go wrong during labor. Scary. . .
Monday afternoon I finished up my art history paper and wrote my take-home essay for European studies. Today has been spent writing my take home essay for Western Civ and studying for the European studies exam. I'm sure everyone is excited to hear about all the work I've been doing. Needless to say I haven't had much time to enjoy the beautiful weather this week. But. . . after all my test tomorrow. . . Spring Break! Yea!!
Well, by spring break I mean, cleaning our apartment and packing. But at least no more papers, no more exams. And then. . .
Friday morning we leave for Spain!! Libby, Katie (a girl we've met on the trip) and I. Our current plan is Milan-Barcelona-Granada-Costa del Sol-Sevilla-Toledo-Madrid-Paris. Ambitious for ten days? Perhaps. Going to test my Spainish? Probably. Excited? Very.
Okay, I'll stop. Just pray for warm weather.

2003-02-19T03:05:00.000-08:00

Hello again! This week is proving to be another busy one, full of papers and the like. In Western Civ, we've read Martin Luther, Machiavelli and Galileo. Did I spell that correctly? Ah well. It's been an week of revolutionary change, so to speak.

On Monday we got to see two small churches-- Santissima Annuzione and Santa Felicita. In Art History we've started to study Mannerism, which is a weird, undefined period between then end of the high Renaissance and the beginning of the Baroque. The thing that makes Mannerists different, especially coming right after the Renaissance, is their lack of concern for realism, especially when it comes to anatomical proportions. So these churchs have paintings and frescoes of people with freakishly long legs and large heads. The babies look the weirdest--a painting we saw in the Uffizi looked like a miniture human with an ugly baby's head stuck on it. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan on Mannerism. And they use bright, crazy colors which clash and distract you. Alissa (art history instructor) says they were acting in reaction to the perfection and careful condern of the Renaissance.

Yesterday we went to the Palazzo Pitti. This was the third major residence of the Medici family, after the Palazzo Medici and then the Palazzo Vecchio. Mark said it reminded him of Versailles (sp?). It was so decadent I can't imagine real people living there. I guess it served it's purpose--intimidating visitors. It was a beautiful place, with lots of art crammed in to every possible space. It was almost too much to take. I managed ;-) Attached to the Palazzo Pitti is the Boboli gardens, which is supposed to be one of the most fabulous gardens in Europe. Unfortunately, by the time I got out of the museum part, the gardens were closed for the day. I guess it takes a while to walk though them. Hopefully I will be able to go this weekend.

Today we went to the Palazzo Vecchio, the second major residence of the Medicis. After they moved in to Palazzo Pitti, the building was turned into a town hall. It looks like a fortress from the outside (I have a good view of it from the window in my bedroom). I went to see the offices Machiavelli worked in when the Medicis were expelled from Florence and they had a sort of republic after the execution of Savonrola. I forgot to mention that we got to see Savonrola's cells in San Marco. Now, they have a painting of his exection in his room, which seemed strange. These Italians surprise me sometimes. . . yes, the Palazzo Vecchio is still used to house the office of the mayor of Florence, so I only could see a part of it. But it was also very heavily decorated. I think what made the Palazzo Pitti more intimidating was it still had a lot of furniture in the rooms, where as the Palazzo Vecchio was empty.

Okay, time for me to get some homework done :-) Enough fun for one day.

2003-02-17T04:32:00.000-08:00

The internet cafe here closes at midnight, and the guy who works the last shift gives me dirty looks because I'm always the last one to get off the computer. I just can't tear myself away. . .

The Sistine Chapel was amazing. [vatican.va/museums/patrons/index.htm] The Last Judgement on the end wall was so full of figures that it took a long time to absorb. The ceiling was so brightly colored and complex. The center panels tell the story of creation through the drunkeness of Noah. On the sides are prophets and Jesus' ancestors, along with the Sybils. It was so beautiful--I can't imagine the months Michangelo spent, with his neck craned, laying on scaffolding.

In the afternoon we toured the inside of St. Peter's. It doesn't seem huge after the many many churches I've been in--but then I walked from one end to the other. It's two football fields long. The sculptures on the walls get larger the higher up they are places. So at eye level, the sculptures are 9 ft tall, but near the top they at 16 ft. It was all designed intentionally to make the space seem smaller that it really is, to feel like a home for Catholics. It did feel like home, oddly enough. There's an inscription running around the whole building, I think the verse where Jesus entrusts the church to St. Peter, and if it wasn't in Latin, I could have read it clearly. What really threw me off was to learn the letters are six ft tall.

The canopy over the altar is wood covered in bronze, and it weighs two tons. It was very impressive, and different to the rest of the Basilica. The columns are copies of columns from the old St. Peter's. Our guide was a darling Art History grad student, who is studying early church history, and is entering seminary when he's finished in Rome. He was great though, and had so many stories. Apparently no one sits in the big throne at the front, but there's a little wooden chair that people used to believed belonged to St. Peter, but has been proven to be much younger.

What else did we see. . . ah yeah Michangelo's Pieta. I think it was the most beautiful piece of sculpture I've seen on this trip. Everything about it is peaceful and graceful--Jesus looks asleep, not dead. It is polished to such a high level that the marble doesn't look like stone. Even far away, behind thick glass it amazed me. I also went down into the crypt and saw the tomb of St. Peter. It was behind a lot of glass as well, but neat to see.

Saturday we spend in looking at ancient Rome. We saw Capitoline Hill, the Forum--which was the ruins of the court buildings, temples to Jupiter, Juno, Minerva and Castor & Pollux, the senate buildings, the altar on which Julius Caesar was cremated-- and the the Colossuem. It was all pretty impressive. All these places I've spent vears learning about really existed. The Colossuem was huge. I can't imagine going to see people kill each other there. We read Seneca, the great Stoic writer, and what he had to say about the 'games.' He was opposed to them, and it's nice to know everyone wasn't crazy about them. Augustine also wrote about their addictive nature. But still an impressive structure, still standing.

In the afternoon we went to the Panthenon. The dome is amazing. I mean, the Duomo is Florence is larger and more verticle, but this dome was done before the birth of Christ. It has a large hole in the middle. I guess it's a Christian church now, which is why it's well preserved. Then Libby, Mark and I threw a coin in at the Trevi fountain. It is this massive sculpted fountain behind a palace, with lots of gelaterias (ice cream places), vendors and gypsies. I guess when you throw in a coin with your back to the fountain, over your head, it means you'll come back. So we'll see. . .

Sunday I got to see the Pope. At noon, he came to the window of his library, which is right around the edge of the center square in front of St. Peter's. There were tons of people, even a labor union protesting across the street. He was far away and very tiny, but the speakers blared his voice. He blessed us, and spoke in Italian for most of the appearence. I think he said something against the war, and we said a decade of the Rosary. He ended with shoutouts to different groups, but no English. French I recognized, and Greek. It was funny and people cheered. The group next to us was Greek and they had guitars and tambourines and after he left, they danced in a cicle. It was festive. And moving. Everyone was quiet and peaceful when he spoke, and even though I could only understand a little of what he said, he looked at all of us, and thanked us for our faith. It made me laugh, because I was surrounded from people from our KU group and I was the only Catholic. I think there are some other Catholic girls, but they went seperately.

So Rome was great. A beautiful old city with lots of great things to see. Great food too. I had a local speciality--fried artichokes. It was really tasty. It was just the whole artichoke, fried and crisp. And I had some of Mark's pizza, which had fried zuccini flowers on it, also a local favorite. It was a nice change from the Tuscan food I get so much of. And you wouldn't believe how much difference salt makes in bread--there is none in Florence.

Last week I spent working, on papers and exams and all that good school type stuff. We got to see Michangelo's David in the Accademia, and Fra Angelico's frecoes in San Marco. I think we did other things. . .I'll let you know when I remember them.

Friday we had the day off, and my roommates (well, Libby, Lindsey and Sarah) made me dinner. It was really nice, and Katie and Renee joined us. Everyone else was travelling over the long weekend, but I had a lot of fun, just the six of us. We had bruschetta, steamed artichokes, roasted asparagus, and pasta topped with artichokes, olives, onions, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes all cooked in butter and white wine. It was so tasty and filling. They also made me tiramisu with fresh raspberries for dessert. Lindsey and Sarah helped, but I give Libby most of the credit. She knows me (and all my favorite foods) too well. It was a lovely dinner, and then they took me out to a Scottish pub from Stongbows. It's a British hard cider, similar to beer but I enjoyed it much more. I felt very loved :-)

Saturday we went to Siena, a little town an hour and half away by train. They had their own Duomo, and inside it was very different than the one in Florence. And I saw three couples, probably early 30s, making out, in church. How inappropriate. But Siena was a nice little town with a very middle ages feel. We saw their famous plaza and wandered in the narrow streets. It was a nice relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Now I have lots of things to wrap up. A paper due Thursday, Friday, next Monday and Tuesday, and two exams next Wenesday. And then we're leaving Florence!! Time flies so quickly. So I hope everyone is well, and forgive me for taking so long to get back to this. It's snowing the Florence today, nothing bad, but still very cold. I hope the big storm that hit the midwest this weekend isn't too bad!! Alright, I'll catch you all later.

2003-02-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

Okay Vatican City. Cool cool stuff. We spent the morning in the Vatican Museum. Saw lots of Rapheal and ancient Roman sculpture. We got to see the Papal Apartments, with his frescoes. The library was really cool--it had a fresco titled the School of Athens. There was another neat fresco of an angel leading St. Peter out of prison. Then we got to see the Sistine Chapel. Just the night before when we were going out to dinner, one of the guys in our group, Brett, said the Sistine Chapel was overrated. He said it was popular because everyone knew Michangelo. . . he couldn't be more wrong.

Okay getting kicked out of the internet place. More tomorrow I guess.

2003-02-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

There just aren't enough words. My vocabularly is going to embarass me.
Rome
Day One: We spent most of the day on the bus. Most everyone slept, but I watched the countryside. It's so beautiful, with rolling hills and dormant vineyards. Cows and trees and little villages. Great ride. When we got to into the city, our first stop was at the Galleria Borghese. This was a art collection started by Cardinal Scipio Borghese, who was the nephew of the reigning pope. He amassed an amazing collection of young and upcoming artists. Caravaggio's paintings were amazing. The most memorable were this boy with a bowl of fruit--it looked more real than a photograph. He did a beautiful piece on St. Jerome, just working on his translation of the bible. And the last one I remeber was of the Virgin, St. Anne and baby Jesus. Mary is barefoot, stepping on the head of a snake, and Jesus' foot is on top of hers. Powerful and unnerving at the same time.
Cardinal Borghese discovered the sculptor Bernini, who did a lot of work in St. Peter's, most noticably the canopy over the altar. His work was phenomenal. The piece I remember most vividly was out of mythology--Apollo and Daphene. Cupid shot Apollo with the arrow of love and Daphene with the arrow of repulsion. So Daphene is running, trying to escape Apollo. Her father is a river god, and she asks him to save her, but her father can do little against Apollo. But he can turn her into a tree, and does. The sculpture is of Apollo, reaching, with his cloak still flowing, just grabbing Daphene, and roots begin to come out of her toes, and her hair turns to leaves. Bark comes up and begins to swallow her. You can see the transition as you walk from behind Apollo and watch him grab her, and slowly she's becoming a tree. Amazing.
After the Galleria Borghese, we checked into the hotel and went to look for dinner. As I keep company with the two vegitarians in the group, we went looking for a recommended restaurant. When we found it, it was more expensive than we wanted, so we found a little place in a historic food district. It was plesant and cheap. We had a music group come in off the street-- a bass guitar, a double bass and a violin with an amp. No one spoke English, but they were very nice to us. Life in Italy is centered around food; I kid you not. So I apologize in advance for spending so much time talking about it. It's quite an ordeal.
After dinner, I came home and went to bed. I wanted to be well rested for the Vatican.
Woah I need a break. I promise I will talk about the Vatican soon. It will be worth the wait. I'll just say this--you should all go.

2003-02-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hello hello!
Tomorrow morning at 8 AM I leave for Rome. Very very exciting things. We get to see ancient Rome and Vatican City. I will be back Sunday night. I will tell you all about it when I return.
Today we went to see Santa Maria Novella, which is right by the train station with the same name. Odd things. It was a very peaceful sort of church. But clever--the columns get father and father apart when you're standing at the altar. It gives the illusion that the church is larger and longer than it really is. Libby and I noticed something as well--there is a lot of stonework, with layers of black and white. When you stand in the back of the church, the black and white contrast decreases in frequency. Does that make any sense? What I mean it there are actually less pieces, bigger chunks of black and white. It was strange, because it contradicted with the whole arches thing.
So that's my strange little observation for the day. There were some excellent frescos. We talked about one of Jesus on the cross, with God the father taking him off and a small dove in between them. It was very simple but calming.
Okay time to go do some work and packing--papers due Monday. Love you all!!

2003-02-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a quick moment an apologize for being out of touch lately. I've had a lot of reading and paper writing. I miss everyone. Please feel free to spread this address around, leave comments, or e-mail me. I love hearing from everyone and wish I could keep up with all the e-mail. But know that you are all in my thoughts.

On a different note, we go to Rome on Thursday morning. I couldn't be more excited. *happy dance* Now I must go get some sleep, to be awake durring discussion tomorrow morning. Goodnight!!

2003-02-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

So where was I, San Marco? So after San Marco, we went and bought 24-hour water taxi passes. We went out to the island of Lido. We walked around the shops, and saw the beach. Ate lunch at this tourist-y restaurant. A little sparrow came in and was trapped. It took us a while to help him escape. He just didn't want to leave.
Anyway, Lido was nice. Then we went to Murano and got to watch the glassblowers. Very cool. They just blow and pinch and suddendly it's a horse! Lots of beautiful glass. I resisted purchasing any of it--I don't think it makes sense to buy something so breakable ;-)

After Murano I ran into Libby on the water-taxi with another group, so we wandered off on our own. Saw lots of shops and tourists. We tried to find the Guggenheim, but by the time we got there, it had closed. We went out to dinner with a big group (well 8 is big for Italy) and had a great meal. The best I've had in Italy-gnocci with asparagus and shrimp. We had good, salted bread (no salt to be found in Florentine bread) and excellent chocolate cake with real whipped cream for desert. It was good. I feel like I talk a lot about food. But life in Italy revolves around food!

Venice is a ghost town. We spent a long time looking for a bar. When we found one, it was packed and smoky. Blech. It was werid to be in a bar, not even being twenty and all. Anyway, I met some kids from Kentucky. Very very nice bunch. They were in Venice studying architecture. And then we met a British couple who were talking about how hard it is to find a bar in Venice. They were funny and took pictures for us.

So we didn't have time to do as much as I would've liked in Venice, but life is short. Sunday morning we took the 12:30 Eurostar home to Florence. It was a comfortable train ride. I got home, read some Seneca, and am seriously considering taking up stoicism. Great idea. Simple and pure and natural is the way to go. Now I must go read the Gospel according to Mark and some of Paul's letters.

And anyone who has any information on the Columbia disaster, please update me.

2003-02-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. This is the first moment I've had to pause since my action packed weekend. And this weekend looks like it will be just as busy. . .

So. . . where do I begin? So I got up at 6 AM to prepare for the weekend. We walked to the train station, and took a bus. It was a lovely ride though the Tuscan countryside. I got 2.5 hours of reading, writing and napping in, all with a little Neil Young. It was nice to have a period of calm with all the crazy activity of the past weeks.
Ravenna was freezing but amazing. We went to two major churches. Both were strongly influenced by the Byzantines. The mosaics were amazing. Our guide was excellent and she explained every detail. In one, St. Appolinare is watching over 12 sheep (which I assumed to be the apostles). Our guide pointed out that on one side, the sheep our clean and smooth, but dirty and scragly on the other. So the sheep did not signify the apostles, but the faithful of Ravenna, who could become clean through bapitism and the help of St. Appolinare. Cool stuff.

From Ravenna, we had a 3 or more hour train ride to Venice. We arrived, and it was dark and cold and very quiet. We took the water-taxi to our hotel. That was cool. It took much longer than it would have on foot, but we got a taste of the city.

After settling in, we wandered out to try to find dinner. Actually, Mark Silver was trying to get away from one girl who had been getting on his nerves, so he and Libby and I ran to dinner. It took at least 45 minutes to find anything that was open. When we did, the only thing on the menu that looked reasonably priced was the pizza. So we had pizza our first night in Venice.

Wandering home was quite an adventure as well. Venice by foot without a map was like being in a maze--you'd turn the corner and find youself at a dock right at the edge of a canal. It made me feel like a mouse. But luckily Mark and I have a decent sense of direction, so we made it back.

The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel. The juice was all much more watery and smooth than in the states--more like Tang than juice. But they also had blood orange juice. When Libby was sick, she bought some oranges to squeeze fresh juice. When she sliced them open, they had streaks of red thoughout. Almost as though the orange had veins. It was very odd. When she juiced them, the juice was very red. But now we know it's a real thing. It tasted like sugared orange juice.

Anyway. . . I started out with the group. 22 or so came from the program, and maybe 12 of us went as a large group. We started off on our way to San Marco, which is the biggest, most important church in Venice. It took a while to get there, and then to get in. The square in front was amazing--I have never seen so many pidgeons in my life!! One girl bought some birdseed and they swarmed her. It was like a sinkhole of birds piling on top of each other, diving and jumping and falling.

San Marco was fantastic. It was a mix of many different styles and time periods. We were really rushed, with lots of tourist groups coming in and out. But I got to see the beginning of Benediction, which was cool--a church serving its purpose, not just being a tourist site. The church itself was large and dark. The mosaics on the ceiling were amazing, almost too many of them to take in at one time. Altogether it was an amazing, busy church.

Okay, I have no time left on my card, so I will finish Venice later. I will just say, it was great, but I'm glad to be 'home' in Florence.

2003-01-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hello again! I did manage to get all my work finished, and even talk with Libby about her papers. Libby, just for a heads up, is my roommate from KU who I managed to drag along with me. Also, she is good with her French, so it will be great when we get to Paris. It's great now too! I have someone to wander around with, try new things and feel overwhelmed together.

Oh so about getting my work finished. . . well I forgot to read the first chapter of Kundera for European Studies. But that's okay, we mostly talked about WWII and the beginnings of communism in eastern Europe.

Speaking of class, let me set up a typical day for you. MTWR, we have class from 9 to 12. Western Civ first, and then Art History: Art and Architecture of Florence and Paris or European Studies: Europe since 1945 on alternating days. In Florence, we have Western Civ I, Western Civ II will be in Paris--so we have it every day. In the afternoon, we have 'site visits.' Today we went to the cathedral, bapistry and campinile, all affectionately known as the Duomo. Duomo means dome in Italian. On Fridays, we have 'excursions.' Last week we went to Fisole, which is 20 minutes outside of Florence. We looked at Roman ruins and the spectactular view.

The Duomo was beautiful, as was the Bapistry. The bapistry is an octagon, with a dome and mosaics all over the ceiling. Very impressive. The dome of the cathedral is painted on the inside, by Vasari. His use of perspective is phenomenal. You feel as though heaven opened up and there really are people and angels on clouds floating around. Really amazing. I can't imagine being able to go to Mass in churchs as beautiful as this all the time. Very inspirational.

Tomorrow we are going to Ravenna. Apparently to look at Byzantine churches. I don't think I spelled that correctly. Ah well. Yes, Ravenna tomorrow morning. Dante was burried there as well. Then in the afternoon, we're taking the train to Venice. I'm glad I will get to see Venice before it SINKS. We'll be back from Venice on Sunday night. So there's the end of my week. I'll let you know how it was when I get back. Until then, have a good weekend.

2003-01-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well, sometime when I have a bit of free time I'll fill everyone in on what's happened up until now. Tomorrow I have a paper due for Western Civ (which I've finished) and a detailed outline for our final, comprehensive project due in Art History (which I have not finished). Oh and some Aristotle to read. No big deal, I'm on European time, right? . . . Today we went to the Musuem del Duomo. Basically all of the original art--painting, sculpture, balconies, door panels, etc.--has been removed, copied and replaced. All the originals are in this museum. It was a lot of art in a small space. I wonder who operates these museums--the church or the Italian government? Beautiful things though. Donatello's Mary Magdalane.
Last night we saw "Madame Butterfly" at the Teatro Comunale. A cultural experience to be sure. I've never been to an opera. Besides the fact that I couldn't understand the lyrics, it was beautiful. From the sets to the costuming, it was well put together.
Okay, well it's almost midnight here folks, which means the lady who works here is coming to kick me out. So buona sera! I'm out. . . or up 139 stairs to finish that outline. .

2003-01-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

22 Jan 2003
We moved into our apartments on Friday the 17th. We have a cell phone (split between the six girls in our apartment). The number is 339.248.1407. You probably need an italian code before it, but incoming calls are free for us.
When you come in to the apartment, there's a little room off to the side. It had a bed room with a little kitchen in from and its own bathroom. It's like a grandmother's room or something. Then you enter the living room, with a dining table over towards the window. It's 139 stairs up, so you can see the whole city. Then off that room is bedroom with the same view and its own window, and a bath/lanudry room. Then you go upstairs, and you see our little kitchen. Well it's long and rectangular, with a bench alond the eaves. But it gets cramped because of its design and six girls. Eh. Then there's a bathroom with a tub/shower, and a seperate shower, toilet and large counter. Then there's Libby and I's bedroom. It's not too small, about the size of Zak's room, with two twin cot-like things. But we have three windows--two above our beds, pointing out the other way from the downstairs window. We can see the Duomo and its dome, and the campanile. Right down the street is Santa Croce, which we visit as a class tomorrow.
Yesterday we visited the Uffizi, which was amazing. The best Italian Renaissance art collection in the world. I saw so many classics you'd never believe it-- the Annunciation by da Vinci, birth of Venus by Botticelli, on and on and on. It was overwhelming. But beautiful.

2003-01-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hello one and all! I decided a diary was the best way to let everyone hear about my time abroad. Hopefully I'll get a comments section soon. Until then, I'll try to fill you in on what's happened so far.