Hello my dears,
So I'm back stateside-- got in a day ago now-- still alive and intact after going through customs (a bit intense that...). It was a long day and a half of travelling. I was exhausted when we made it in, but I'm much better now. It's incredible being back. Everything's familiar yet decidedly off in some way that I can't quite explain. Everything I took for granted before is all shiny now. Like going to the supermarket and buying milk and produce that's not rotten-- and granola bars! Yay for granola bars! And not having to think about where things are before I head out for the day. And I haven't see any pigeons in the last 2 days. It's been glorious. It's nice not having to lock up my stuff all the time either. And just sitting in the passenger side of the car singing along with the radio (there were lanes on the road lol). I listened to some of my CDs yesterday. I'd missed my music. I'd missed my home. I really do fit here.
That being said, my trip has stirred in me an insatiable need to keep seeing the world so I'm sure I'll be headed off again once I've got this trip and a chunk of school paid for. Seeing these beautiful places with their alien yet compatible cultures... it just integrates itself into your being and slowly makes you more and more human, if that makes sense. I feel like a purer artist now. It's been quite frustrating trying to explain to people what looking at a Van Gogh up close does for you. How you're a different person after walking along the Seine or Avon, when you close your eyes and just let yourself exist in something bigger than yourself, being kissed by the sun in an ancient city that's known philosophical and artistic greatness. And for that moment you're a part of it too, one line in the story that is Paris, or Vienna, or Athens, or London. That's basically the best I can do :). Do you ever wish there were just more words? I yearn for a pure vocabulary every day, some way to completely show others how you feel. Someday, yeah?
So I'm off to do tedious normal things like apartment hunt and paperwork, it's been an excellent adventure all, and I recommend you all get out there too. Now's the time before you're locked too deeply in a career or a family and the next thing you know you're 75 and knitting with 5 cats (no good). I love you all, thanks for being so supportive of this crazy lady. Talk to you all soon. Love,
Me
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
And now... the time is near...
Hello all!
So six weeks have come and gone. Can't believe it, but I'll be back Stateside on Tuesday (after about 24 hours of straight travelling mind you...). England's been great, I have to come back here. Today we went to church in the morning and then spent hours on Hamstead heath (this huge open park)... gorgeous. The weather's been amazing-- not a drop of rain. It was perfect I tell you. I loved people-watching there. There were these tiny kids trying to play cricket (one walked right into the ball, poor thing). And this dad and his son messing around with a soccer ball, and the dad kept holding the kid back so he couldn't kick it (Dad! No hands!, Alright, referee) so then the kid latched on to his dad's leg and rode it while his dad tried to kick the ball-- SO CUTE. And these two couples celebrating with a picnic basket of caviar and champagne. And this dad who had to climb a tree to get his kid done cuz he was singing at the top of his lungs over and over 'I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky!' no joke. Freakin' hilarious. Almost couldn't handle it. Made me smile. Oh, Sarah's addicted to Agatha Christie novels btw lol. It's very giggle-inducing. She's devoured 3 in like 2 days and is searching for more for the plane ride.
This has been an incredible experience for me. I don't even know where to begin with all I've learned, but I feel like I should be completely different than I was before, so much has happened. And I've met the most amazing people from all over the world. Eaten amazing chocolate (mmmm... chocolate...). Can't wait to show you all the pictures. I'm trying to think of a good way to say this, but the words just aren't coming, so I'll settle for that people really are good deep down. Slipping and falling on the bus is funny in every language. You can communicate with anyone no matter what language barriers there are if you really want to (and have a good time doing it). Honestly, we all want basically the same things: a good laugh and someone to miss us when we're away. And that's an end, all.
Oh, a warning. Once you start traveling you'll never want to stop... I'm already planning my next trips :). Love you all and thanks for your support. I'll see my US lovelies soon. As for the rest of you-- keep in touch.
Love,
Kristi
So six weeks have come and gone. Can't believe it, but I'll be back Stateside on Tuesday (after about 24 hours of straight travelling mind you...). England's been great, I have to come back here. Today we went to church in the morning and then spent hours on Hamstead heath (this huge open park)... gorgeous. The weather's been amazing-- not a drop of rain. It was perfect I tell you. I loved people-watching there. There were these tiny kids trying to play cricket (one walked right into the ball, poor thing). And this dad and his son messing around with a soccer ball, and the dad kept holding the kid back so he couldn't kick it (Dad! No hands!, Alright, referee) so then the kid latched on to his dad's leg and rode it while his dad tried to kick the ball-- SO CUTE. And these two couples celebrating with a picnic basket of caviar and champagne. And this dad who had to climb a tree to get his kid done cuz he was singing at the top of his lungs over and over 'I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky!' no joke. Freakin' hilarious. Almost couldn't handle it. Made me smile. Oh, Sarah's addicted to Agatha Christie novels btw lol. It's very giggle-inducing. She's devoured 3 in like 2 days and is searching for more for the plane ride.
This has been an incredible experience for me. I don't even know where to begin with all I've learned, but I feel like I should be completely different than I was before, so much has happened. And I've met the most amazing people from all over the world. Eaten amazing chocolate (mmmm... chocolate...). Can't wait to show you all the pictures. I'm trying to think of a good way to say this, but the words just aren't coming, so I'll settle for that people really are good deep down. Slipping and falling on the bus is funny in every language. You can communicate with anyone no matter what language barriers there are if you really want to (and have a good time doing it). Honestly, we all want basically the same things: a good laugh and someone to miss us when we're away. And that's an end, all.
Oh, a warning. Once you start traveling you'll never want to stop... I'm already planning my next trips :). Love you all and thanks for your support. I'll see my US lovelies soon. As for the rest of you-- keep in touch.
Love,
Kristi
Friday, June 09, 2006
One day upon the Avon...
Hello my dears!
So I love London. And not just for the accents... Sadly I've had to watch the money a bit, seeing as how it's the end of our little journey and not the beginning. Still a blast though. There are tons of awesome things to see. It just takes a bit with the traffic (during rush hour in the morning I swear you go backwards). It's also glorious to understand everything I read and hear. I didn't realize how much I missed that.
Today we took a day trip down to Stratford upon Avon. It took ages it seemed on the bus to get there and back, but it was completely worth it for me. Bit of a pilgrimage actually to be completely honest... you all know how I am about Shakespeare... so I got to see his birthplace and the remains of his retirement house, his church, and his grave (all roped off of course). Sadly there were no matinees playing at the Royal Shakespeare Company theater and our bus was leaving way before any of the night performances so I'll have to catch them on my next trip to London (Someday...).
Stratford feels a lot like Warrensburg, crazy as it sounds. The people were so similar. All the families and high school rejects wandering about the park. Everything all claustrophobic yet charming in its way. We spent a bit of time by the Avon river, me writing, Sarah reading Agatha Christie. It was really nice. Like a scene out of a Kristi literary fantasy. We just relaxed. I did some decent work, don't know if a poem will come of it or not. I like where it's going so far though.
Oh, and just so everyone knows, there are pigeons in heat in Oxford, Stratford, and London. Yes-- the pattern holds true everywhere. Closure. Tomorrow I'm hitting Portobello market (like the song in Bed knobs and Broomsticks!) in the morning and then spending the afternoon in Westminster. I plan to see the Abbey, walk by Buckingham, and see Big Ben (yay!).
I've met lots of cool people on this trip, I just wanted to say hey to all the new friends reading this-- you've made my experience richer and far more memorable than I ever could have managed on my own. I hope to visit all of your countries someday (and you best get your butts to the US- you hear me?). I'll do my very best to make it to Canada, Northern Italy, Ireland, and South Africa. Love you all heaps and bunches! We're in London until Monday, we take the Chunnul back to Paris at 8 and we'll be back in the states Wednesday I believe. Whew, that's crazy. It's been an incredible 6 weeks.
Kristi
PS- Everyone in London is super nice. It feels a lot more like home here as well, they run on a much more American time schedule. It'll be a good stepping stone back down to reality for me I think.
So I love London. And not just for the accents... Sadly I've had to watch the money a bit, seeing as how it's the end of our little journey and not the beginning. Still a blast though. There are tons of awesome things to see. It just takes a bit with the traffic (during rush hour in the morning I swear you go backwards). It's also glorious to understand everything I read and hear. I didn't realize how much I missed that.
Today we took a day trip down to Stratford upon Avon. It took ages it seemed on the bus to get there and back, but it was completely worth it for me. Bit of a pilgrimage actually to be completely honest... you all know how I am about Shakespeare... so I got to see his birthplace and the remains of his retirement house, his church, and his grave (all roped off of course). Sadly there were no matinees playing at the Royal Shakespeare Company theater and our bus was leaving way before any of the night performances so I'll have to catch them on my next trip to London (Someday...).
Stratford feels a lot like Warrensburg, crazy as it sounds. The people were so similar. All the families and high school rejects wandering about the park. Everything all claustrophobic yet charming in its way. We spent a bit of time by the Avon river, me writing, Sarah reading Agatha Christie. It was really nice. Like a scene out of a Kristi literary fantasy. We just relaxed. I did some decent work, don't know if a poem will come of it or not. I like where it's going so far though.
Oh, and just so everyone knows, there are pigeons in heat in Oxford, Stratford, and London. Yes-- the pattern holds true everywhere. Closure. Tomorrow I'm hitting Portobello market (like the song in Bed knobs and Broomsticks!) in the morning and then spending the afternoon in Westminster. I plan to see the Abbey, walk by Buckingham, and see Big Ben (yay!).
I've met lots of cool people on this trip, I just wanted to say hey to all the new friends reading this-- you've made my experience richer and far more memorable than I ever could have managed on my own. I hope to visit all of your countries someday (and you best get your butts to the US- you hear me?). I'll do my very best to make it to Canada, Northern Italy, Ireland, and South Africa. Love you all heaps and bunches! We're in London until Monday, we take the Chunnul back to Paris at 8 and we'll be back in the states Wednesday I believe. Whew, that's crazy. It's been an incredible 6 weeks.
Kristi
PS- Everyone in London is super nice. It feels a lot more like home here as well, they run on a much more American time schedule. It'll be a good stepping stone back down to reality for me I think.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Paris continued... and a bit of London
Hello my dears!
So we have much cheaper internet in London than we did in Paris so I thought I'd toss up a better update than you've been getting of late (your patience has been much appreciated). So I can't recall what I've told you about Paris, so if any of this is a repeat I'm very sorry.
So Paris is fabulous. LOVE IT. Notre Dame was the only Cathedral that actually felt good to me. I actually felt close to God there as opposed to the overblown gilt grandeur thrown at you in the several others I've visited in the last few weeks. And the view from the towers amid those fabulous stone gargoyles is worth the climb and 4 euros definitely. Paris is meant to be photographed btw-- just gorgeous. The Seine frames everything so beautifully. There's a rhythm under the city, a current that kind of strokes the artistic ego... it's a city meant for artists and lovers and those who want to be artistic and lovely ;). I visited this bookshop across the river from Notre Dame called Shakespeare and Company that was floor to ceiling, two floors of books, all kinds, poetry, drama, philosophy. I thought I was going to weep from the beauty of it. Old gorgeous volumes as well. Loved it. Like I've mentioned the art in Paris is incredible. I much preferred the Musse Rodin and Musee d'Orsay to the Louvre. The Louvre sucks energy out of you... after 5 hours in it I needed crepes and a nap lol. I got sucked into the Egyptian section and didn't get out for 40 minutes, no joke, there was no end! Though there are amazing works of are there no question. Da Vincis, Botticellis. Good stuff. It's just not as invigorating as the others. The Rodin museum had a beautiful garden full of his sculptures. His Thinker was very cool in person. Sarah and I ironically contemplated him for a while :). We saw the Modern art museum (the Center Pompidou) on Sunday, they had a cool exhibit on art and the moving image-- neat stuff. Mad me think, and the building itself is incridible. It has pipes and such on the outside. I loved it around there cuz all these music students were out playing. I love how there are just random art exhibits everywhere in Paris. We stumbled on excellent ones on one of the brideges over the Seine and in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Fabulous stuff. I learned tons and grew definitely. Recommend the city to anyone. And if Italy spoiled ice cream for me in the states, Paris definitely ruined pastries for me. SO GOOD. Never will I taste croissants like that. Pure pleasure from heaven I tell you. Enough said.
We got into London 8 this morning their time. Rode the chunnel. It was only 3 hours or so. We saw the British library today-- it was incredible. They have King George III's library in a giant glass cube in the middle of the library-- awesome sight. They have these vast holdings in there and they display some of it-- I was nerding out. I saw Shakespeare's First Folio, and an ancient copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and Chopin music written by the man himself (I kid you not), Beatles's lyrics, the Wycliffe Bible, the Magna Carta, notes from Leonardo de Vinci's notebooks... the list goes on. Just incredible. They had a cool temporary exhibit on the history of the press in England as well and you could design your own front page. Very cool. My top story was soccer (football) of course. MMMM football.
So we're having a good time. I met two great Italians tonight in our hostel (which is fabulous and clean btw, very nice) and had a fabulous enlightening conversation about similarities and differences between our languages and cultures. They think I should move to the north of Italy where their from and teach English lol. I would have a great time, but I'd miss home of course. Hopefully we get to hang out again. Like the Italian people. They agree that their driving is nuts lol.
We're going to attempt to visit Oxford tomorrow if we can figure out the bus schedules. Very efficient if you can get the drift. Love the language here of course... you guys know me, nerd that I am. I'll probably have a British accent for a bit when I get back. Please be patient with me. I'll write more in a few days. Love you all dearly! We'll be back soon.
Kristi
So we have much cheaper internet in London than we did in Paris so I thought I'd toss up a better update than you've been getting of late (your patience has been much appreciated). So I can't recall what I've told you about Paris, so if any of this is a repeat I'm very sorry.
So Paris is fabulous. LOVE IT. Notre Dame was the only Cathedral that actually felt good to me. I actually felt close to God there as opposed to the overblown gilt grandeur thrown at you in the several others I've visited in the last few weeks. And the view from the towers amid those fabulous stone gargoyles is worth the climb and 4 euros definitely. Paris is meant to be photographed btw-- just gorgeous. The Seine frames everything so beautifully. There's a rhythm under the city, a current that kind of strokes the artistic ego... it's a city meant for artists and lovers and those who want to be artistic and lovely ;). I visited this bookshop across the river from Notre Dame called Shakespeare and Company that was floor to ceiling, two floors of books, all kinds, poetry, drama, philosophy. I thought I was going to weep from the beauty of it. Old gorgeous volumes as well. Loved it. Like I've mentioned the art in Paris is incredible. I much preferred the Musse Rodin and Musee d'Orsay to the Louvre. The Louvre sucks energy out of you... after 5 hours in it I needed crepes and a nap lol. I got sucked into the Egyptian section and didn't get out for 40 minutes, no joke, there was no end! Though there are amazing works of are there no question. Da Vincis, Botticellis. Good stuff. It's just not as invigorating as the others. The Rodin museum had a beautiful garden full of his sculptures. His Thinker was very cool in person. Sarah and I ironically contemplated him for a while :). We saw the Modern art museum (the Center Pompidou) on Sunday, they had a cool exhibit on art and the moving image-- neat stuff. Mad me think, and the building itself is incridible. It has pipes and such on the outside. I loved it around there cuz all these music students were out playing. I love how there are just random art exhibits everywhere in Paris. We stumbled on excellent ones on one of the brideges over the Seine and in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Fabulous stuff. I learned tons and grew definitely. Recommend the city to anyone. And if Italy spoiled ice cream for me in the states, Paris definitely ruined pastries for me. SO GOOD. Never will I taste croissants like that. Pure pleasure from heaven I tell you. Enough said.
We got into London 8 this morning their time. Rode the chunnel. It was only 3 hours or so. We saw the British library today-- it was incredible. They have King George III's library in a giant glass cube in the middle of the library-- awesome sight. They have these vast holdings in there and they display some of it-- I was nerding out. I saw Shakespeare's First Folio, and an ancient copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and Chopin music written by the man himself (I kid you not), Beatles's lyrics, the Wycliffe Bible, the Magna Carta, notes from Leonardo de Vinci's notebooks... the list goes on. Just incredible. They had a cool temporary exhibit on the history of the press in England as well and you could design your own front page. Very cool. My top story was soccer (football) of course. MMMM football.
So we're having a good time. I met two great Italians tonight in our hostel (which is fabulous and clean btw, very nice) and had a fabulous enlightening conversation about similarities and differences between our languages and cultures. They think I should move to the north of Italy where their from and teach English lol. I would have a great time, but I'd miss home of course. Hopefully we get to hang out again. Like the Italian people. They agree that their driving is nuts lol.
We're going to attempt to visit Oxford tomorrow if we can figure out the bus schedules. Very efficient if you can get the drift. Love the language here of course... you guys know me, nerd that I am. I'll probably have a British accent for a bit when I get back. Please be patient with me. I'll write more in a few days. Love you all dearly! We'll be back soon.
Kristi
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Grand ol Paris
Hello my dears!
So I love Paris. I mean I'm actually in love with it, everything about it, from the free clean public restrooms, to the everpresent fountains, to the crepes, to the coffee-drinking poets spouting philosophy in the parks... (sigh of contentment). So I've had a wonderful past few days. We've seen monuments and museums mostly. The Musee d'orsay was by far my favorite. It houses mostly impressionist stuff, though they had an incredible exhibit of art nouvou furniture (very cool). I spent at least 15 minutes in the Van Gogh room communing with the master. It was an intense experience. All of the art was fabulous, blew Florence away by miles, and the museum itself was incredible. It's inside an old train station-- and everything is easy to find, and well displayed... it's just a nice change from dark corners and ridiculous lines. So I don't have a ton of time, but I wanted to let you all know that we're safe and we'll be in London on Tuesday (we take the chunnul at 6am). Very much looking forward to England, expenses not withstanding. I'm learning a ton from the city and from my roomies. There's a girl in our hostel from Virginia-- I've gotten the best lines off of her. Ask me for the stories and the imitations when you see me :). I love you all and will email soonish!
Kristi
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Paris, etc, etc
Hey all!
So I was reading over these entries and I realized there are many typos, which, let's face it, is really unaceptable seeing as how I'm an English nerd and stuff. So we're going to blame it on European keyboards. Blasted euro keyboards...;)
So Sarah and I are in Paris! The train ride was a bit long and cramped. We had our first and only sleeper car of the trip-- those things are interesting. A triple bunkbed strapped to the wall that I felt very large in. No head or feet room (gotta love being over 5'5"). They had a sink that we did use and a chamber pot (yeah I'm serious) that we didn't. They gave us water in little vacummed-sealed containers to brush our teeth with cuz the sink water wasn't potable and served us croussants and oj for breakfast, that was nice.
Paris is freezing btw. Like honest to goodness COLD. It rained off and on all day today. I was standing in the gardens outside the Chatue Versailles- most beautiful gardens ever- shivering my butt off. It was tragic. The gardens and chateu are gorgeous though. Totally worth going to see. I wish I'd had more time and better weather to explore them. Love gardens. It had incredible fountains as well (not that they were on... but I imagine that would've been cool as well).
Our hostel is nice, 4 to a room with free showers. We have 3 more nights here and then it's off to London. Tomorrow is our monument/church day and then we have 4 fabulous museums split over two. Hopefully we get to see most of it, though if I've learned anything from this it's that you'll never have enough time, but the time you do have will be wonderful.
That's all for now... love you all!
Kristi
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