Favorites

Favorite things about Paris:
The art galleries! (I saw the Mona Lisa)
The history
The food (I was expecting it to disappoint and it didn’t.)
The gardens at Versailles
Sans Chapelle: it’s my favorite church in Europe (architecturally speaking)

Favorite plays in London:
Ivanov starring Kenneth Brannagh. It was extremely thought provoking and a well acted production.
Hamlet starring Patrick Stewart and David Tennant. It seriously changed my life and how I think about Shakespeare. I saw it twice.
War Horse. No stars, just an enchanting play.
Les Miserables was stunning. Not only was it a great musical, but the production I saw was fantastic as well.
I also saw 6 characters in search of an author with Ian McDiarmid– It was a good production, but very VERY disturbing.

Favorite places in London:
Hampstead Heath
The national gallery
Millennium Bridge looking up to St. Paul’s cathedral
Kensington Gardens
The Southbank
The V&A Museum
The tube
Covent Garden
Little Venice

Favorite Places to Eat in London:
Gelato Mio
The Hummingbird Bakery
Nandos
Bella Italia

Favorite Places in the UK:
The lake district
Stourhead
London (obviously)
Cambridge
Porthcuro Beach
Edinburgh
Tintern Abbey

Favorite parts of Salzburg (Michele and I went on holiday there after the semester)
The sound of music sights
The Christmas festivals
The beautiful snow
The amazing Haunsburger I had (and still have no clue what kind of meat was on it)

Favorite Parts about being home:
Mexican food
Egg Nog
Family
Not working at Pier 1 again
Not having to deal with a ridiculous exchange rate

And now I’m back in Provo, and it’s really cold here. But otherwise I think it’ll be a good semester. I’m excited for my Early British Literature Class and I have a great apartment so those are good signs. I'll keep you posted.

Sainte Chapelle

I went into Sainte Chapelle with absolutely no expectations. Someone had mentioned that they wanted to see it and it wasn't far from Notre Dame so we went. I wasn't expecting anything, but what I got was the embodiment of everything associated with Catholicism as opposed to the heavily Anglican-ized cathedrals in Britain. It was fascinating to actually see the painted walls that I've heard of so often in reference to their being painted over during the reformation. These colors, combined with the massive amount of stained glass had an overwhelming affect, something I think the Catholic church was going for when they constructed the chapel for the monarchs of France.

Turn of the Season

I've been away from my beloved England for 5 days and it's already changed during that time. The wind now bites as it rushes past you, the last leaves have fallen from the trees, and the shopping centers are now into full fledged Christmas decorating mode. I'm sad to see fall pass away and with it most of my stay here in London, but as I rambled around Little Venice and Chelsea this afternoon, I realized that I love this city more than ever. Leaving it will truly be like leaving a good friend and so I'll attempt to enjoy every blessed second here.

But you were probably wanting to know a little bit about my trip to Paris.

We basically walked around all day (no exaggeration there) and so there would be a lot to describe. Therefore you just get my favorite parts.

The grounds at Versailles were stunning
Sants Chappel was my favorite cathedral by far (out of the entire trip)
Crepes everyday (and sometimes two)
The salad I had at the Pizzeria by the Louvre
Doing the polka down the gallery at the Paris opera house
And number one on my list goes to all of the museums.
The Louvre, The Rodin, The Orangerie, the Orsay, the National Gallery of Modern Art. It was mind blowing to see real life Micheal Angelos, and Picassos, and Van Goghs, and Monets and so many others. Seriously so awesome!

You can check out my pictures to see what else I did.