Old vs. New

My very favorite spot in Edinburgh is called Calton Hill. From this hill you can see all of Edinburgh, both the old town and the new town. I liked to sit right in the middle of the two. Then you get the perfect view of both. 

This is my favorite structure on top of Calton Hill. 

Old Town 

vs.

 New Town 

And at night... 

Old Town 

vs. 

 New Town 

Why can't we have views like these in Utah? 

Oh Ya.

We sorta kinda saw the Queen of England. 

She's the one in the back seat. We saw a bunch of people up the street from our hotel in Scotland gathered around a church and went to see what was going on. All of a sudden the Queen of England walks out of the church decked in old fashioned robes for some royal event. She waved as she went past in her car but we didn't get a very good view. So what else could we do but stalk her? We found out when she was leaving her castle and waited. This time we got real close. She waved at me :)

Surrounded By Castles

Oh Edinburgh. Scotland has been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. There is no where else in the world like it. Even now that I am in Ireland, it's still different. Edinburgh has a stormy atmosphere, even when it's sunny it still feels stormy for some reason. It's a cozy little town. And the Scottish people welcome visitors with friendly smiles and no filters. 

The first day we got there I took an evening walk in the Prince's Gardens which was right close to our hotel. As I was staring, mesmerized at this structure above me a little old Scottish man remarked to me on its largeness. I agreed with him and intended to continue on my journey alone, but unlike most Americans I know the Scottish man kept up a conversation. He talked to me about my travels and life. He was hard to understand at times A) because he was old and slurred his words a bit and B) because he was Scottish. It's still the same language... but is it really? When I finally headed off in the other direction after a friendly chat the old man surprised me by giving me a hug and complimenting me on how warm and friendly I was. Never have I met a sweeter stranger in my life. That was my first impression of Scottish people and it continued to go up from there. 

The first day we went to Old Town and walked the Royal Mile. The streets looked like the picture above, with cute little colored shops filled with everything plaid and plenty of embarrassing kilts I considered buying for my brother. 

I found this old record shop on one of the streets and after promising myself for the thousandth time I would buy a record player, I bought my favorite Bob Marley album. Before you go thinking I am a total hippie, my dad served his mission in Jamaica and I grew up listening to good old Bob. He's my cure for when the occasional crappy day strikes. 

I also bought a Claddagh ring. Yes, I'm that cheesy. 

This is the infamous "Castle" of Edinburgh, although we were basically surrounded by castles so I don't know why this is the only one that is good enough to get the name. Probably because it's by far the oldest. 

The street performers were half the fun. Unlike most of the big cities I've been to where the street acts are highly disappointing, Edinburgh had some real talent. Bagpipe-blowing aside, there were some great guitarists and amazing singers. But this guy winked at me, so he gets to make it on the blog. 

Here is a back view of the castle walking through Prince's Gardens. 

Also we stumbled upon this mini-mountain (I've been away from Utah long enough to where I consider hills as mountains, yes) and decided to climb it the next day for a view over the city. We were out of breathe by the time we hit the top. It's steeper than it looks. 

Here is the view from the top. We got a complete view of "the castle" and of all of Old Town, Edinburgh. One of the prettiest views I have ever seen. 

Oh, and I saw the Sherlock statue. Sooo... famous by association? 

Leaving London With a Bang

On our last night in London we went to see The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's theater. Although our seats weren't really... high-class... I could see alright if I just bent forward with my elbows on my knees. (We are poor college students, what do you expect?) It was totally worth the back-ache I had afterwards because it was probably the most incredible show I have ever seen (or mostly just heard). I saw Phantom in Vegas once too but it was nothing compared to this. The music seemed to literally go through you. I couldn't have asked for a better way to say goodbye to London. We got to see the city at night and get all dressed up. And mostly we got to fall in love with the Phantom. 

Notting Hill

THIS is my favorite place in London. If you've seen the movie "Notting Hill" with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts you know it's a little town in London near Kensington. So we thought we would check it out to see if it was like the movie. Well it was better. The apartments were all extremely nice and colorful like the picture above and Portobello Road was lined with little cafes and adorable boutiques and thrift shops. Let's just say my wallet took a hit here. And again. When we went back the next day. And then we couldn't help but go watch the movie that night. If only Hugh Grant actually lived there. Life would have been complete. 

This store gives all their money to fund cancer-research. Even more of a reason to shop :) 

The Dungeons

My family has always been obsessed with scary stuff. And no we are not crazy animal-sacrificers or Satan-worshipers. We simply like to be scared. We grew up with my grandma telling us scary stories at sleepovers and having scary movie nights at my Aunt Kerri's house. These are some of my favorite memories. And we all still enjoy haunted houses and get giddy over the latest scary movies coming to theaters. So when I discovered that the London Dungeons tour was not just an ordinary historical tour, I was in heaven. Instead of just telling about the history of the dungeons in London, they took us through an underground set made up to look (and smell) like a torture chamber. Then they would tell the stories of Jack the Ripper and Henry VIII's torture methods by acting it out. The lights went off multiple times and more than once I jumped because of someone popping around the corner. It was more like a historical haunted house than anything else. And I was obsessed. Probably one of my favorite things we did in London. My roommate Jill on the other hand hates anything scary with a passion and had just as miserable a time as I had an enjoyable time. But she put on a brave face... probably since we paid 20 pounds to get in and didn't want to let that go to waste. I just kept thinking how my family would love it.

The Only One.

Since I came to Europe I have not drunk any soda. Want to know why? ... It's because Europeans don't believe in Dr. Pepper!!! I am not sure what they see in Coca-cola, but I am not buying it. There was absolutely no DP in Italy, and I assumed I would be soda-less for the duration of my 9-week trip. But then... Jill's cousin Elise gave us a ray of shining hope in the form of this soda machine. The only one she could find in all of London. There, in that greasy little Burger King it felt like we had won the lottery. I don't think my Dr. Pepper has ever tasted so good in my life. I don't normally drink a lot of it, but when I am occasionally at a restaurant or need an energy boost this is my go-to drink. I've missed you DP. Cheers. 

Haven't Thrown Away the Key Quite Yet

There is a tradition in Paris for sweethearts to go to the "Love Lock Bridge" on the Seine River and put a lock on the bridge together, adding to the millions of other locks. They then throw their key into the river, symbolizing the permanence of their love. Well, since I went to this bridge with my roommate Jill... and she's not exactly my lover... we thought we would still do something cheesy that would involve our future husbands. We each put our own lock on the bridge, but instead of throwing our keys into the river we are going to keep them. Then when we find that special someone we will "give them the key to our heart" as it were and hopefully return to throw the key in together as husband and wife. Mostly I just want to use this as an excuse to persuade my future husband to take me back to Paris someday and since it's tradition he can't refuse, right? ... Right? 

Ummm. Paris. Wow.

Paris was nothing less than an adventure. Jill and I thought we had everything planned out pretty well. We had our bus and plane tickets, and knew which metro to take to our hotel once we got in the city. But I am learning that Europeans like to go on strike. Especially with public transportation. And it usually happens right when I need to use that particular public transportation. Our flight ended up being delayed by two hours and since it was already a pretty late flight we didn't get in to Paris until midnight. Much to our horror, there were also no ATMs in the airport and our bus was leaving in 5 minutes. The machine for tickets didn't take our cards. By some miracle Jill found a 20 euro bill in her wallet hidden among all the British pounds. We barely made it onto the bus and were on our way to the metro stop. We only then realized that the metro had stopped running at that point because it was already 12:30. Yep... we began to discuss walking to our hotel. Luckily a nice Canadian guy we met on the bus helped us get off and find an ATM and then grab a taxi. I swear I meet nice Canadians everywhere I go. The taxi driver spoke absolutely no English but we managed to finally make it to our crappy Hotel on some back street in Paris. Our hotel manager also spoke no English so after a lot of miming we got our key and went to our room, exhausted. After 10 minutes we figured out how to actually open the door and fell asleep after saying a prayer of gratitude that two inexperienced American girls managed to navigate our way through this strange country. We woke up at 11.

Up until this point we weren't really loving Paris. It's amazing what a difference it makes to not be able to understand anything anybody is saying. At least in Italy I knew enough to get by. France was a whole different story. But once we got a hang of it, I loved Paris like I've loved every other place I've been so far in Europe.

The main thing I noticed about Paris was how quiet it was. Especially considering it's a city. But it was! Even the language seems to be whispered. I understand now why people say it's the most romantic city in the world. I loved this view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The buildings are all literally cream or white. It was stunning. 

We also went and saw Notre Dame. It was one of the prettiest buildings I have ever seen. The architecture is so intricate and detailed. I couldn't help but fall in love with it. We didn't want to pay to go inside... but someday. 

We also didn't want to pay to go inside the Louvre. Before you gasp at how I went all the way to Paris and didn't see the Mona Lisa let me tell you this: I am most definitely not a museum person. I saw more than my fair share in Italy and I did appreciate a few key pieces like Michelangelo's "Davide" and all of Bernini's sculptures, but I heard the Mona Lisa is small and hidden behind a huge glass box so you can't even get near it. Plus the museum is HUGE. And we were only in Paris for two days. But I did get the famous picture, as you can see! It only took us 20 minutes to get my hand in exactly the right spot. 

The streets of Paris were beautiful in themselves. They looked like this mostly and the street right by the Seine River was lined with old books and pictures. Jill and I walked these streets a lot... mostly because we were looking for somewhere reasonably priced food to eat and couldn't find a single thing. But the dessert more than made up for this downfall. 

This is just a taste (punny am I not?) of the desserts we had in Paris. Mostly because we only ate dessert and bread since everything else was outrageously priced. Macaroons are now one of my most favorite things in the world. But you can't find them in the U.S. like this. They are so rich that one is all you need. And the eclairs... don't get me started. My sweet tooth liked Paris, I'll tell ya that. 

Pieces of England So Far

LONDON BABY! 

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. It has a laid back feel (unless it's a Saturday and there is a gay pride event in Trafalgar Square) and for the most part the people are all very classy and well-behaved. The city exudes a sense of freshness and the hints of royalty laid throughout London add a regal impression. 

On the first day we saw Stonehenge and Windsor Castle where Henry VIII lived. Although Henry VIII pretty much lived in every castle in England so I am not sure why this one is specifically known as his house. > My favorite part of Windsor Castle was not actually the castle itself. It at two points outside of the castle. The first was with a guard who, every time Elise got close to him so she could get a picture with him, would begin to march away in the opposite direction. Then he would return, and repeat the charade all over again when she would try to sneak up on him. The next point was at a little fudge shop down the street from Windsor. We were greeted by a very enthusiastic British man who looked a lot like Russell Brand, Katy Perry's ex-husband. He gave us as many free samples as we wanted and began to sing a jolly little song about fudge. This was my first impression of Englanders. 

> My favorite part of Stonehenge was the mystery aspect to it. No one really knows what its purpose was or why it is still standing today. Some think it had magical healing powers. And since I love spooky things, I let my imagination run wild and enjoyed it all the more. 

The next day we did a double decker bus tour around London. I turned on "London Calling" on my ipod and had one of those surreal moments when I couldn't believe I was doing something I had always dreamed about. 

We drove past Big Ben and the London Eye. I got a picture of both at one time :) 

But let's be honest. My favorite part just may have been shopping on Oxford Street. 

Airport Adventures

My flights are always more exciting than I anticipate. I think this has proved to be both a good and a bad thing.

- My first adventure started while I waited for 4 hours in the airport for my flight (my friends' flights were all earlier than mine). There was a large group of Brazilian ladies sitting around me and it was obvious they didn't speak any English. They were having trouble connecting to the free wifi and once they saw that I was successfully using my computer... they flocked. So I helped each Brazilian woman log onto their phones and computers, one by one, while they showered me with hugs and squeals because that's the only way we could communicate. I love that appreciation can be shown simply through expressions and gestures. Language barriers can't stop all communication.

- Later while I was standing in line, a guy came up behind me and surprised me by saying in English "Why, you're as American as shit, aren't you?" He was referring to my leopard print luggage, which I lovingly bought in my junior high years but now wish I could leave on the side of the road. We got talking and apparently he makes commercials in New York for a living. Budweiser commercials, and Skullcandy commercials... or so he says. But all I could think about was the movie "Taken." I mean, he was a good looking guy in his thirties, flirting with me and telling me he lived a fabulous life in New York City. I ran away quickly.

- The flight was pretty painless from Italy to England. I slept for most of the short three hours. It was landing that was the issue. I have never been through such an intense customs line before. First off, the line was probably a good hour and a half long wait. But I met a nice Canadian girl and passed time talking with her about Italy since she had just come from studying there too. The Heathrow Airport workers are pretty fierce about their questioning. It was like an investigation and I almost didn't get through the border because I didn't have an address of my friend's cousin with whom I would be staying. Luckily they took a phone number. I was finally officially in London  :)

Leaving Home

For some reason I never got homesick for Utah. I definitely miss my family and want to be with them, yes. But Utah? Nah, I haven't really been feeling any of that homesickness stuff. Until I left Italy. Siena started to feel like home to me after living there for 5 weeks. I had host parents and ate dinner with them every night. I had a roommate and friends in my program who began to feel like my brothers and sisters. I started to make friends with locals and through practicing my Italian with them, began to feel like I was finally getting a hang of the language. I went on daily runs on the Fortezza with a beautiful view of the city (as seen in the picture below). And then my time was up. Utah is home because that is where my family is, but aside from my family, Siena feels more like home than anywhere else in the world. Sometimes I miss it so bad it hurts.

Miss These Moments in Italy

Empty park + Empty swing = Me having my very own view of the Tuscan countryside. 

My Italian Idol

I didn't know what it was specifically that was different about Italian women when I first came to Italy but I have realized it is because they are confident in themselves so completely that they can't help but be happy. It's obvious in the way they present themselves and interact with one another.

One time I was sitting in the piazza switching between reading and people watching - two of my favorite pastimes- and I saw the cutest Italian couple. Both in their 20's and gorgeous, they were just relaxing in the piazza like they didn't have a trouble in the world. The guy would tease the girl and she just laughed and waved him off. They laugh so easily and seem so carefree, I can't help but admire them.

There is one Italian woman in particular that I especially admire. She is the daughter-in-law of my host mom and came over a few times for dinner with her adorable little girls Vittoria and Claudia. Everything about her struck me as intelligent. The way she held herself so upright and came in with a presence that overwhelmed the room. She immediately greeted me and Melanie with a smile and a firm handshake, and was outgoing and good-mannered, making sure to slow down so we understood her Italian. She just looked like walking success. But what really struck me about her was her confidence. She didn't seem cocky, but rather like she knew she was someone with a worth that didn't come from outside sources but from within. Later on I found out from my host mom that she did really well in school and is now a successful lawyer working to help people who struggle with jobs and things like that. She is smart, but she uses that intelligence to help other people. Really she is just my Italian idol. She possesses many of the qualities I hope to see in myself some day. There is a passage from this book called "Juliet" that I read while in Italy because it is set in Siena, where I was living. The main character comments on one of the Italian women she sees around her saying:

      "She laughed out loud, a warm knowing laughter that made me once again wonder about the secret ingredient in these women's lives. Whatever it was, I was clearly missing it. It was so much more than just self-confidence; it seemed to be the ability to love oneself, enthusiastically and unsparingly, body and soul, naturally followed by the assumption that every man on the planet is dying to get in on the act." 

This description is completely accurate. These Italian women have got something figured out. They know how to love themselves, and that seems to be directly linked to confidence and happiness, two of the qualities every girl wants to have. 

Just. Wow.

I had heard from a few people that Venice may not even be worth going to because it doesn't have much to offer. Well, to those few people all I have to say is... "Whaaaaaat???!"

Venice is probably the most beautiful place on earth. Although it's due to the fact that the island is sinking, the streets are lined with beautiful canals and gondolas on every corner. I think I was in shock for at least 15 minutes after I got off the bus and stepped into this dream of a place.

We had a lot of adventures in Venice last weekend. Here's a few of the most memorable:

- We checked into a sketch hotel run by sketchy people who kept complimenting us and calling us "belle ragazze." But I gotta say I have loved getting free stuff because I am a girl. These Italians really pull some serious strings for you if you just stand there and look pretty.

- The room was a sauna because it was 91,000 degrees outside and even with the fan on, one sheet as a blanket, and minimal sleepwear, we all still woke up multiple times in the night sweating. Ick. (Ps. I hope you all get that reference)

- Saturday night it started raining. Hard. Somehow the expensive umbrella my mom bought me especially for Europe broke (I'm so suing the expensive umbrella company) and so I had to get a new one to avoid drowning. I purchased one from an Indian who owned a little shop on the side of the street. While I was getting my money out he gave me an umbrella to hold over my head so I wouldn't get wet. Which was really nice of him... Well, I walked away with said umbrella... not realizing that I had the other umbrella I actually wanted to by under my other arm. I got all the way around the corner before I realized and ran back to give him one of the umbrellas. As I handed it back to him and explained what happened in Italian, he just started laughing at me. He just kept laughing.. so I backed away and said a hurried "Ciao, mi dispiace!" and then split before other people figured out what was happening and joined in on the joke. I swear I embarrass myself every day in Italy. Hopefully I'll at least be humble by the time I come back.

- We met a waiter on the side of the street who claimed he used to be Vittorio, a former player on the Italia Men's soccer team. He insisted that we get our hands signed by him. Too bad I can't sell my hand for money. And too bad he probably was senile and had no idea what he was talking about.

- On our last day we had heard rumors that a train strike was happening right at the time we were supposed to take our train home. Italians have these strikes all the time. It's a totally normal thing to do. Ya we didn't know that. We started making plans to take a late train, since the strike stopped at 9pm and get home really late, or take some kind of bus instead. But luckily we found out the strike was only for trains within the Venetian region and not the fast train between regions of Italy like the one we were taking. Close one.

MURANO 

There are two little islands that are part of the Venetian region just a little ways off the main part of Venice. The boat ride to get there is beautiful and to me that was half the fun! But these islands... they are something else. The first one is called Murano, and it's the island where they do glass-blowing. There are a lot less tourists and it's more laid back than the main island of Venice. It's worth it for the free glass-blowing demonstration alone. 

This is the "maestro" at work. It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen. But if you do go here, make sure to not buy the Venetian glass jewelry right outside the demonstration room. You can find it for half the price anywhere else in Venice and my 20 euro ring broke after 3 days. Yep. I am THAT tourist who fell into the trap. You live and you learn. 

BURANO

Okay but Burano... Burano is the place to go. Granted there is not much to do there because it's a small island, it was my most favorite place in Italy. It's like Cinque Terre and Venice combined. It has the beautifully colored buildings and the canals running through the streets. It's the island of lace-making too... and in case you didn't know I am obsessed with lace. Obsessed. I bought way too many things because I was overcome by all the lace. Again... THAT tourist. But it was worth it this time. There is nothing like this place. 

Island of lace!