Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

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Friday, April 13th was magical! I took a visit to the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden (right outside of London) for The Making of Harry Potter. Every corner we turned had something new and exciting from the movies, and I swear I took a picture of every inch of the studios. There was so much to see, and the pictures really don’t do it justice. It started with a short movie about how Harry Potter became popular throughout the world then Daniel, Emma, and Rupert came on screen to share their experiences from their time spent at the studio. Then, the doors to the Great Hall appeared and we were able to begin the tour. It took Cassie and me about 4 hours to complete the whole tour because we wanted to spend time seeing everything and listening to everything Tom Felton was telling us on the audio guide.  We saw everything from the costumes and wigs they wore to how the creatures were made to the sets of the Burrow, the Ministry of Magic, the cupboard under the stairs, Diagon Alley, and different rooms of Hogwarts.

We saw how the mandrakes work, the creepy baby Voldemort from the last movie, and replicas of Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, and James and Oliver Phelps (they get the same one but it has a detachable ear so they can just put it on when they need it for Fred) that are used as doubles in the movies. Did you know whenever Hagrid needs to carry someone they use a floppy replica that is only about 80% of the actual size of the actor to make Hagrid appear bigger? For example, when Harry is being carried by Hagrid in Deathly Hallows Part 2, it’s not Daniel Radcliffe but a lookalike doll. And they were incredibly lifelike and creepy. Believe me. Emma’s was spot on, and I couldn’t look at it for too long without being freaked out. They also used a replica for Katie Bell when she was being thrown around in the air in Half-Blood Prince because, as the cute little old lady who was explaining it told us, you can’t legally thrash a human being around like that.

The tour saved the three best things for last: Diagon Alley, the scale model of Hogwarts, and the wand room. Diagon Alley really got to me. Everyone knows my obsession with the Weasley twins. As soon as we turned the corner to Diagon Alley, the bright colors (and the 20 foot version of one twin) of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes caught my eye. The detail put into this one shop was incredible. The Puking Pastilles display was out and running. Every toy and gag gift was painted with such color and detail that it was hard not to spend an hour staring into the windows of the joke shop alone. There was so much to see everywhere. The filmmakers put so much work into creating this magical world but we don’t really get a chance to see on screen all the detail they put into every single set. It was wonderful to look at everything up close and see what we are missing out on because it was tucked away behind the actors. The scale model of Hogwarts was breathtaking. It was much bigger than I was expecting but was exactly what I wanted to see. We were at Hogwarts!!! Ahh! It was beautiful. Words cannot describe the feelings we all had when we saw it for the first time. And last but not least, before you exited into the gift shop, was a room full of beautiful wooden wand boxes. In the center was the following quote by JK Rowling:

No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So, whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

After reading the quote, I looked closely at the wand boxes to see each one had a name on it. After trying to pull on a box and realizing they weren’t going to move, I finally looked at the man working in the room. He told me that each box had the name of a cast or crew member and every single person who worked on the eight films was represented. The best part was that no person was more important than anyone else. JK Rowling was surrounded by crew members I’ve never heard of. The trio was split up (as were the twins). Dame Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter were mixed throughout the people as well. It really showed how important each and every person is to the filmmaking process.

Also, the Burrow is officially what I want my house to be like when I’m older. Everything was perfectly mismatched and the window in the kitchen was amazing. (Once again, it was something I never really paid attention to in the films.)

P.S. This is only a small fraction of the pictures I took. Apparently WordPress has an upload limit and I have exceeded that limit. 😦 So, from here on out, my blog posts will not include images. Sorry! If you want to see pictures from now on, please check my Facebook.

France: Land of Pastries and Turtlenecks!

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Well, this blog title comes from a song called “Two by Two” from the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. But I think if my favorite tap-dancing Mormons really went to France, they’d say “France: Land of Crepes and Public Displays of Affection!” Okay, that doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily, but it’s true. Crepes are everywhere. The crepe vendors are to Paris what hot dog vendors are to New York City. Unfortunately, I forgot to eat one while I was there, but I did have some other lovely street vendor French food. Hot dog fromages are my new favorite thing. They’re hot dogs in french baguettes with melted cheese on top. DELICIOUS. Now, for the PDA. People were making out EVERYWHERE. People of all ages too. We saw a couple in their mid-to-late 50s making out in the park near the Eiffel Tower. The grossest one of all, though, was the couple in the subway station. How unromantic can a place be! Of all places in Paris to do that, the subway station would be my absolute last choice. Gross.

Anyway, my spring break in Paris was absolutely beautiful! We started the trip off perfectly: a visit to the Eiffel Tower! It was already dark when we arrived on the train from London to Paris so we checked into our hotel and took the Metro straight to the Eiffel Tower. Seeing it all lit up at night had us all saying “I can’t believe we’re here!” over and over again. It was also the first of many times I felt like Carrie Bradshaw that weekend so that made me happy. The rest of those times generally came when I realized that Katie, Anna, Janie, and I had formed our version of the famous Sex and the CIty walking line. You know, the one that looks like this:

Besides the lack of Manolos, did we do it right?

Paris was amazing. On Thursday, we spent about an hour in the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa and watched an art student recreate a painting. It was beautiful, and due to my lack of artistic skills, I was amazed watching the girl paint away. I’m always so impressed that someone can just set up an easel and start painting a picture, but again, I have no artistic ability. My 8 year old cousin has more ability than I do and I’m almost 20.

After spending some time watching her and exploring a little bit more of the Louvre, we went outside to the park surrounding the Louvre. We sat for an hour in lounge chairs by a fountain. I got sunburnt of course, but it was worth it. It was quite the spring break. You all can have your Panama City and Miami trips. I’ll take Paris any day.

We then walked down to the Arc de Triomphe (which was unfortunately closed due to a strike) and then down to the Eiffel Tower. We were able to grab some street food and eat in the park near the Eiffel Tower. It was the most beautiful view I’ve ever had during lunch. After lunch, we decided to climb the 674 stairs to the second tier of the Eiffel Tower. My fear of heights was kicking in a lot by the time we finally reached that second level and you had to pay to go all the way to the top so we decided not to go any further. However, it was a stunning view and we were able to stay up there until sunset. Seeing that from that view (as well as Paris lit up at night) was perfect.

Friday we made our way to Versailles and Notre Dame. Both were absolutely stunning. I’ve never seen as much gold as I saw in Versailles. Louis XIV may have been a little crazy, but he sure knew how to build a palace. Notre Dame was the first Catholic cathedral I’ve stepped in since being here. Because of Henry VIII, every cathedral I’ve seen in England has been Anglican. They’re all beautiful, but Notre Dame was very emotional for me. We didn’t get to stay for an entire Mass, but what we did get to see was one of the most beautiful experiences. And I was extremely excited to see a statue of my saint, Therese the Little Flower! Because she’s from France, she’s quite popular in Paris and it was another emotional moment to see a small shrine to her in Notre Dame.

Saturday, we went for a change of pace: DISNEYLAND! It was nice to get out of the city for a bit and to have something a little familiar from home. It was different though, of course. All ride instructions were spoken in French first followed by English, and the video that plays before the Tower of Terror was in French with English subtitles. While it felt somewhat familiar, it was still an interesting cultural experience. We also got a glimpse of some parenting styles in Europe, and they are quite different. One couple let their two year old run in the bed of flowers that form Mickey’s face at the entrance of Magic Kingdom. Parents in the US would have freaked out and the child would have been crying after listening to their parents scream at him. Another mom let her son hit and pull on the little girl in front of them (who they did not know by the way) while waiting in line and never said a word. However, when that same son didn’t move up in the line with the rest of the group, she punished him by pulling his hair. It was quite different from anything I’ve ever seen at either Disney park in the States, and Katie, Janie, and I were shocked.

Two things I want to bring home with me from Disneyland Paris? Toy Story Playland and Crush’s Coaster. I know we have a small Toy Story area in Orlando, but this one had three rides: a Slinky-dog ride, an RC racer ride, and an army man Parachute ride. They were so much fun and the area was adorable. Crush’s Coaster is a rollercoaster based off Finding Nemo, and it was a blast. You sit in turtle shells (four people in each shell who are back-to-back), and ride in an indoor rollercoaster. It was a long wait, but it was well worth it. We were expecting a little kiddie ride because most of the people in line were families with small children, but it was just as fun for us 20 year olds. It’s not quite as intense as Space Mountain or Rock n’Rollercoaster, but it did spin you in circles and had some pretty big drops. It was a blast and we were giggling throughout the entire ride. If the wait hadn’t been longer than an hour, we would have gone on it probably 3 more times.

My favorite part of the day, though, was the family we met while waiting in line for The Orbiter, one of the last rides we rode. While we were waiting, this French mother behind us opened up a box of chocolates and started passing them out to the rest of her family members (two children and two adult men and because of the language barrier, we couldn’t figure out how they were all related). They had two left over so one of the men turned to us and offered it to us in broken English. We asked if he was sure and he said “Absolutely!” so we took it and split the two pieces between the three of us. Then, the same man picked up the young boy and put him on his shoulders. The young boy (probably 5 or 6) started singing in French and giggling like crazy. We had no idea what he was singing, but we clapped along and laughed with him. After the singing party, the little girl asked the boy to play one of those Miss Mary Mack-like games with him. The boy wasn’t understanding at all, but I knew exactly what she wanted to do so I played with her. Again, even though we didn’t know what the other was saying, we were still having a blast together. One of the fathers knew a little English and was asking us questions like why we were in Europe and if we were enjoying ourselves. He then translated everything to the man and woman with them. We rode the ride, and after it was over, they came up to us, said goodbye, and we never saw them again. However, those happy little kids and their extremely nice parents were the perfect way to end a day in one of the happiest places on Earth! It was so nice to be able to communicate with someone even when we didn’t speak the same languages.

Day Trips Around England

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I’ve been on a few day trips to nearby towns and cities in England during my time here. None of them were big enough to write a full blog post, but I thought I’d give you a quick summary of the towns I’ve visited.

• Nottingham is a great little town about 35 minutes away by train. It has fantastic shopping (Primark, I love you forever and ever), good restaurants, good concerts (Florence + the Machine of course!), and wonderful people. For credit for my music class, I went to Nottingham with friends in January to see a symphony. The music was absolutely wonderful, and because it was my first symphony, it was very different from anything I’ve ever seen before. However, the best part of the night was meeting the man who sat next to us, Simon. Before we had even spoken to him, he asked us if we wanted ice cream at intermission. We weren’t quite sure if he was really offering to buy us ice cream so we politely declined. He then continued to offer ice cream to everyone in our row. I will never, ever know why on earth we turned down his offer for free food. After the symphony, Scott, Ryan, and I stayed to talk to Simon and his wife. We were the last 5 in the theatre besides the ushers who looked like they really wanted us to leave. He asked us what we were doing in England and gave us plenty of tips about where to visit and what to do. He was the best local I’ve met, and I so enjoyed talking to him. I wish we could have stayed to talk even longer but we sadly had to make our way back to Harlaxton. (January 20, March 6, March 28)
• York was not the best day. The weather was absolutely horrible. It was cold & rainy, and the wind was stronger than any I’ve ever felt. It really puts a damper on a trip when the weather is awful. The city was nice. It had a wonderful little market and a great museum about trains that my cousin Ethan would have loved. If the weather wasn’t so disgusting, I probably would have more to say about this city, but the weather really overshadowed the good because it made it difficult to walk around. (January 21)
• Cambridge was one of my favorite places. We didn’t have enough time to do everything we wanted in this little city, but it was wonderful. The city had beautiful museums, wonderful cafes and bakeries, and of course, the gorgeous university. I could have spent longer than a day here, but I’m glad we went back because it snowed that night at Harlaxton. We spent 2 hours playing in the snow, having snowball fights, and building snowmen. This entire day was perfect. (February 4)
• London is my favorite city in England and probably my favorite city that I’ve been to in Europe altogether. If not my favorite, it’s definitely in the top 3. Janie and I decided to take a day trip to London on a Wednesday after class to see two shows and walk around this beautiful city. We also took a relaxing weekend trip to London another weekend when everyone was gone. We spent a few hours in the park, enjoyed some theatre, toured the Tower of London, and saw the Crown Jewels. It was nothing too exciting but it was wonderful to have that weekend and that day trip. I love this city, and I will definitely miss being an hour away from it when I return home. (February 17-19, March 7)
• Grantham is the town closest to Harlaxton. It’s only about 3.5 miles away so there’s a shuttle service that takes you into the town for free when you need to run errands. I’ve been in numerous times to pick up food, laundry detergent, and other living necessities, but I spent two recent Saturdays in town while everyone else took trips. It’s not a huge town and there’s not much to do, but it’s great to walk around on a nice day. There’s enough shopping to satisfy a girl and there’s usually a little market on Saturdays. I also particularly enjoy the consignment shops of Grantham. Each one is for a different charity, and the clothes, books, and movies are all in excellent condition. Harlaxton hosts a costume ball for the students towards the end of the semester so I managed to get my awesome costume for about 10 pounds at the consignment stores in Grantham. For someone on a tight budget and for someone who doesn’t want to travel all the time but needs to get away from the manor, it’s perfect. (March 10, March 17 and others)

West End Shows

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Since my first weekend in London in January, I have had the opportunity to see seven West End shows. It makes me extremely happy to be so close to a city with a thriving theatre district, and it makes me even more excited about the possibility of spending the summer in New York City. I thought I would give a quick review of each show I’ve seen.

• Les Misérables (January 13): This show is considered a classic so I knew I had to see it, and I am so glad I did. It was so beautiful, moving, and intense. The ending had Janie and I both in tears. The acting was probably the best I’ve ever seen live, and the singing, especially by the main actor, gave me goosebumps. I’m excited to see what Tom Hooper will do with the movie later this year because he has a lot to live up to. If this show is anywhere near you, go see it! I think it’s one of my top 5 favorite musicals of all-time.  Grade: A
• Billy Elliot (February 17): I adore everything about the movie and since this show just closed in New York City, I wanted to see it before I left. Again, I cried during the show because parts were so beautiful. Some parts were a little slow but the young boy who played Billy had more talent in his pinky than I do in my whole body. His dancing was flawless and he was a great actor for a boy his age. I recommend it, but see the movie first. It’s better. Grade: B+
• Legally Blonde: The Musical (February 18): I absolutely adore this movie and this musical. This movie has been one of my favorites since I was young, and I’ve seen the MTV recording of Legally Blonde: The Musical before but it was so wonderful to see it live. Janie and I were both pretty homesick when we decided to rush for tickets to the show. For those of you who don’t know what rush is, you go to the theatre on the day you want to see the show when the box office opens (or usually a few hours before in order to get the best tickets) and get really cheap seats to the show. We got up a little later than intended so we arrived at the theatre with only about half an hour until the box office opened. Luckily for us, they still had seats for 10 pounds. When we arrived for the show later that night, we learned that our seats for only 10 pounds (about $16) were in the very first row! It was so fun to see it so up close and the show is so happy that it instantly cured our homesickness. I prefer most of the original Broadway cast to the cast we saw, but it was still fantastic. Grade: B+
• The King’s Speech (February 24): I kind of already gave a review of this in my Oxford, Bath, and Stonehenge blog post, but I absolutely loved this play. The actors were full of emotion and portrayed the inspiring story of King George VI very well. I can’t think of enough good things to say about it. It was phenomenal although I’m not sure if I would have been able to follow the story as well if I hadn’t seen the movie. Grade: A-
• All New People (March 7): I LOVED this play. It’s probably my favorite of all the shows I’ve seen. It was written by and starred Scrubs and Garden State actor Zach Braff. He did a fabulous job. The story followed a lonely man on Long Island in the winter who is visited by three surprise guests as he’s about to commit suicide. It was full of dark humor but also really thought-provoking scenes. It made you truly think about the idea of loneliness, people who are in your life but may not really be there for you, and people who you never expected to care about who have changed your life. I thought about this play for many days after. I still have these thoughts rushing back to me as I write this. It was phenomenal, and if it ever transfers to the US, I recommend it to everyone! Also, on a side note, I met Zach Braff afterwards, and he is currently tied with John Gallagher Jr. as the nicest guy I’ve ever met at a stage door. He took time with each person to talk, take pictures, and sign tons of autographs. For people who didn’t have someone to snap a photo, he took the camera, held it out, and snapped their picture for them. It was so cool to watch him with his fans. You can really see he cares. When the person next to me took my picture with him, she turned it around to ask me if it was okay. He stopped, looked at the picture, and exclaimed “CUTE!” before leaving. He was awesome. I have so much respect for him now. Grade: A 

• Crazy For You (March 7): This show is the definition of fun. The plot and the music aren’t that great, but the dancing and the songs were so lively that you couldn’t help but smile. And everyone knows I love a good tap number and that’s exactly what this musical had. It definitely had us smiling and dancing in our seats. It wasn’t my favorite, but it also wasn’t the worst. Grade: B
• Singin’ in the Rain (March 30): SO MUCH TAP DANCING. I adored every second of this musical. The cast had the same energy and happiness that made the movie so wonderful. They even made it rain on stage, and the cast really enjoyed getting the audience wet. I wish I had been sitting in the first few rows for that scene because it sounded and looked like a blast. I left feeling incredibly happy and wanting to dance and sing in the rain. Grade: A-

I also had the honor of seeing Florence + the Machine in concert in Nottingham, a town about 30 minutes away from Harlaxton. She was absolutely flawless. I’ve never heard anyone with a voice and range like hers. It was definitely one of the best concerts I’ve been to, and I hope to see her many more times in the future. She was so full of energy and so excited to be performing. She didn’t stop jumping up and down, twirling, and dancing the entire time. I don’t know how she does all of that and keep her voice so perfect. It was incredible. Grade: A

Let’s go to the mall, everybody!

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Harlaxton hosted a costume ball last night for us! Everyone, including our professors and their families, got dressed up in their best costumes, went to a fancy dinner in the Long Gallery, and danced the night away in the Great Hall. Enjoy my pictures above.

I decided to go as my favorite secret Canadian pop star, Robin Sparkles, from the TV show How I Met Your Mother. For those of you who don’t watch the show and don’t know who she is, here’s her most popular music video. Isn’t she great?

One month.

One month. 31 days. That’s how long it will be until I am running through the Louisville airport and up to Mom, Dad, and Kyle to give them the biggest hugs ever. A lot of people are sad we only have one month left, but I am content. I’m happy with my time spent here at Harlaxton, but I’m also extremely ready to see my family and friends at home. I’m ready to hug my parents, brother, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. I’m ready to eat my mom’s and my dad’s home-cooked food. I’m ready to see my brother run track.  I’m ready to go home and tell them all about my time here. I’m ready to meet Emma.

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But I’m also excited about what these next 31 days will bring. A visit from Uncle Patrick and Uncle LeLan, a trip to Amsterdam with them, the end of classes, a visit to the Harry Potter set in London, final exams, and a 9 day trip in Italy. It sounds like the perfect way to end the semester.

Before we left, we were told in a pre-departure meeting about the W-curve of studying abroad. Basically, it’s where you get really excited while planning the semester then you fall down in excitement as the time for you to leave gets closer and you realize you have to start saying your goodbyes soon. Then, your excitement spikes up again with the newness of the country you are in and the newness of the traveling you get to do. However, about midway through the semester, your excitement falls as the newness wears off, the stress of classes takes over, and homesickness settles in. Excitement once again peaks as the end of the semester nears and you’re ready to finish the semester strong but also get home. Let me tell you, that W-curve is the most accurate curve I’ve ever heard of in my life. I went through all of those emotions, including the homesickness settling in at exactly the midway point. My Oxford, Bath, and Stonehenge trip left me wanting a hug from my family. Then, I returned back to Harlaxton after that trip to learn that my aunt Erica was in labor. Emma was born and I spent the rest of the week longing to be home. Delta also decided to change my flight on me that week and that caused a whole new wave of stress and sadness. I cried a lot between February 24 and March 1. It was an awful week. Ireland helped boost my emotions as I realized that I only had a few trips left, and now I’m almost as excited as I was when I arrived here. I’m ready to finish the semester strong and enjoy as much as I can out of the 31 days. (How much can you really enjoy, though, when you have a term paper to write?)

Sometimes, I can’t believe we only have a month left and other times it feels like time is moving so slowly that the month will never end. But I’m so very ready for everything coming up in my crazy life.

See you in ONE MONTH family, Allison, Brenna, Ryan, Kajen, and Jana! I hope you’re all ready for big hugs. I won’t let go for a long time. I just need to finish this British Studies paper first. 🙂

The second homeland!

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March 1st through March 4th was spent in my second homeland: Ireland. While my dad is a full-blooded, born-and-raised German, my mom’s side has a little bit of Irish blood, something my grandfather is quite proud of. I know he was extremely jealous I was going to Ireland so I want to dedicate this post to him. Sorry to make you wait so long for it, Papa. I hope it was worth the wait.

We left for Dublin on Thursday night and immediately settled into Paddy’s Palace, a nice little hostel where my only complaint was the freezing cold shower. This hostel also happens to run one of the most famous tour groups of all-time: Paddywagon tours. We decided to take two one-day Paddywagon tours of Ireland so we spent very little time in Dublin, which is my only regret. I really think I would have enjoyed touring in the city, but the tours were wonderful so I can’t complain too much.

Our first day was spent on a beautiful tour to the Cliffs of Moher. We had to get up pretty early to make it on the tour so I was quite tempted to fall asleep on the bus. However, you simply can’t fall asleep when you look out your bus window and see landscape like this.

The grass was so much greener than anything I’ve ever seen. It was like all of Ireland was a golf course. I couldn’t stop staring. In fact, most of the pictures I took are pictures of the green grass. There are not enough words to describe the intense beauty of this country so I invite you to look at my slideshow of pictures above. It was the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen.

Our Cliffs of Moher tour took us up the extremely interesting and rocky “mountains” of Ireland. I put mountains in quotation marks because the mountains were more like hills. They were extremely small, especially compared to the last mountains I saw in Germany: the Alps. On our tour, we got stopped on a small road because a horse owner was trying to put his uncooperative horse in a trailer. Our tour guide was cynical, sarcastic, and a little bitter the entire day so this really angered him. He reluctantly got out to help the man with no luck. The owner gave up, and the driver got back into the bus to continue our tour.  The road led to Corcomroe Abbey, old Abbey ruins that are surrounded by a beautiful cemetery.

We continued our drive and finally reached our destination: The Cliffs of Moher. If you’ve seen The Princess Bride or Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you’ve seen these cliffs featured in those movies, and they’re even better in person! The sound of the perfectly blue water crashing against the cliffs was beautiful, and the cliffs were absolutely stunning. If it was a bit warmer and a lot less windy, it would have been the perfect place for a nice picnic.

My day tour on Saturday had me up even earlier. We made our way from Dublin to Cork, and even though we only had about 45 minutes in Cork, I loved this city. It’s on my list of places to return to because what we did see of Cork was lovely. They had an incredible food market that was visited by the Queen herself a number of years ago. If I had a bigger budget and a refrigerator, I would have bought every meat, fruit, vegetable, and dessert there.

After leaving Cork, we made a quick stop in Kinsale. There wasn’t much to do in this town so it was only about a 20 minute stop, but the houses and colors of the town really gave it character. It was so interesting to see houses painted bright blue, yellow, lime green, purple, red, and pink. I kind of wish it was socially acceptable to do it in the States because the bright blue homes were my favorite. The houses and stores had so much charm.

We then headed towards Cobh (pronounced Cove in Gaelic). This wonderful little town on the coast was the final port of the Titanic, the Lusitania, and also the last part of Ireland that many immigrants to the US saw. On our way there, our bus driver (who was much better than the tour guide the day before) played “My Heart Will Go On” because he knew that a bus full of girls would absolutely love it, and we did. When we arrived, Anna and I had some other girls on our tour take a picture of us in the famous Titanic pose because it seemed completely necessary. We then had lunch on a pier and got caught in a hailstorm. We walked in the Titanic museum but only to go to the gift shop where I, of course, bought some postcards for the collection I’ve been building. Once the hail passed, we enjoyed walking around the town, seeing the Cathedral, and enjoying all the monuments to those who died on the Titanic. It was absolutely perfect for someone like me.

Then, it was time to kiss the Blarney Stone! We made our way to the Blarney Stone which was much higher than I expected. I made the HUGE mistake of turning around and looking behind as I laid down to kiss the stone. Because I’m kind of (okay, really) afraid of heights, it kind of freaked me out. There were bars blocking people from falling, but there weren’t enough to comfort me. The older man who held everyone helped me relax and then guided me towards the stone so I could kiss it and receive the gift of gab. After conquering my fear of heights, I decided to go exploring the poison gardens and the Rock Close gardens of the grounds of Blarney and both were absolutely beautiful. The poison gardens had crazy plants including mandrakes (HARRY POTTER!) and a spot for marijuana. The Rock Close was full of legends of fairies, witches, and magic. The grounds surrounding the castle were actually more fascinating to me than the castle and the stone.

I loved Ireland and am already ready to go back. After looking at all the tours Paddywagon offers, I realized there are so many fabulous places throughout the country I would love to visit, and like I said earlier, I’d love to spend some time in Dublin as well. I can’t wait to return to this beautiful place. Anyone want to go with me?

Oxford, Bath, and Stonehenge

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Well, this weekend was my most interesting weekend at Harlaxton so far.

We left Friday morning (because I’m writing this so late, I’ll let you know this was February 24) for Oxford. We only had a few hours in this famous university town, but I absolutely loved it. We headed for Christ Church College of Oxford University first to see some of the filming locations of the first movie of Harry Potter. The stairs leading to the Dining Hall of Christ Church were used when Professor McGonagall is explaining the sorting process to the newest students of Hogwarts and the dining hall served as the Great Hall. The locations were absolutely stunning, and it was crazy to think about all the talent that stood in those rooms. It was also crazy to think that people actually go to school in a place like that! Students just like me eat in that dining hall every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Once again, it put Harlaxton to shame. 😦

After our tour of the Harry Potter locations, we went to eat our lunches out in the park behind Christ Church. Because of the beautiful weather, plenty of Oxford students were jogging through the park and playing football on the lawn. After lunch, Janie and I decided to walk around and explore the wonderful little shops of Oxford. The area is full of small bookstores, interesting clothing boutiques, and wonderful sweet shops. My favorite was the fudge shop where they gave us free samples. Unfortunately, the fudge was too expensive to purchase but the store was precious.

We then left for Bath, which would end up being the sketchiest city yet. Once we arrived at our hostel, we headed out for dinner and the play version of The King’s Speech. The play was excellent. I’ve seen plenty of musicals in my time but this was my first professional straight play. It was done with a rotating stage and a see-through screen that cut the rotating stage in half. On the screen, news clips of the king from the 1930s were integrated into the play and truly added to the story by making it feel even more real. The best part of the play was speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Jonathan Hyde. You may know this man better as Mr. Ismay from the greatest movie of all-time, Titanic.

After the play, we went to the stage door to meet him. He seemed to be in a hurry but he stopped to sign my program and take a picture with me. For those of you who know me really well, you know how excited I was to meet someone from my favorite movie. As we walked away, I just kept thinking about how I took a picture with someone who sat at a dinner table with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. All the excitement washed away, though, as we walked through Bath and learned how frightening this city could be at night. The streets were dark and deserted. I’ve never seen a town so unlit and absolutely dead by 10 pm. Unfortunately, the hostel the school booked for us was so far away from the city that we would have to walk in the dark for at least half an hour. Two drunk hooligans came up to us and started shouting and whistling at us. We all quickly put our hands on our purses, moved closer together, and started speed walking. We decided to pay for the bus to take us back to the hostel because we didn’t feel safe walking all the way back. Little did we know that the next day would be even scarier.

Janie and I decided to sleep in a bit Saturday morning before heading out to the Fashion Museum. This museum turned out to be one of the best museums I have been to so far. It started with a special exhibit about fashion in sports because of the upcoming Olympic games. It showed the changes in outfits for women’s tennis over the years, in swimming for both men and women, football fashion, and more. Let me tell you, it’s just developed into less and less fabric over the years. We continued on to fashion dating from the 1600s to modern day. We saw a dress that Queen Victoria wore when she was mourning the death of her husband and we saw the infamous Jennifer Lopez Versace dress from the Grammys. It was fascinating to see how everything has developed over the years and even how we are using some older fashions today. We then ran into Anna at the Jane Austen Center where we spent a few hours learning about the life of Jane Austen and her time in the city of Bath. After that, everything changed.

We found a pub that had been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. A rugby match between Wales and England was on television and despite not understanding a single thing about that sport, we thought it would be a wonderful atmosphere to eat dinner. We weren’t completely wrong, but it wasn’t perfect either. While we were enjoying our meal and watching the crazy fans scream over their favorite rugby team, a homeless and dirty man came up to us and started harassing us. I don’t want to go into the details of what happened, but it made me so uncomfortable that I finally broke down crying when the situation passed. I do want to say how wonderful the locals were to us during the entire situation. We consistently asked the bartenders for help and they did. They kept asking him to leave us alone and he finally listened after the manager screamed at him in the street. The manager also gave us our money back for the meal and called a cab for us so we didn’t have to walk back to the hostel. Another man came up to me when I started crying, asked if we were okay, and when I said yes and thanked him for checking he replied, “Not a problem. I hate seeing pretty ladies in distress!” The taxi driver got us back to our hostel safely around 7:00 and we stayed in the rest of the night. It ended up being a great night at the hostel though. We met some students from North Carolina and some from Italy who were studying at a university in Manchester. We discussed our different experiences, added each other on Facebook, and played cards in the lobby all night.

The next morning we set out for a tour of the Roman Baths and Stonehenge, two beautiful and historic sites. It amazed me that the baths were still working. Obviously we couldn’t get in them, but you could still feel how warm the water was and see how in tact the structure was. Stonehenge was unbelievable. The pictures in the slideshow above are only about one-fourth of the amount of pictures I actually took. It’s incredible to think about all the different ways the stones could have gotten to that spot and how they have lasted this long.

I was more than excited to get back to Harlaxton after this weekend. Little did I know that this weekend was the kickoff to what would become my worst week at Harlaxton but that’s a post for another time.

The homeland!

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Well, I can cross two travel things off my bucketlist.

1. Sleeping in an airport
2. Traveling to Germany where my father is from

I’ll admit sleeping in the airport wasn’t something I truly wanted to do, but I felt it was a necessary evil for me to be considered a true world traveler/study abroad student. It was absolutely exhausting. The airport was under serious construction and bright fluorescent lights were on all night. To make it worse, the man next to me decided to watch a movie on his laptop without headphones. And it wasn’t just any movie. It was a war movie in which bombs were exploding, people were screaming, and babies were crying. It didn’t exactly make for peaceful dreams. I spent my whole night looking like this:

We did make it safe and sound to Munich though so I can’t complain too much.

Once in Munich, we took the train from the airport to the hostel. However, we couldn’t figure out which exit to take out of the train station to get to the hostel. A lovely older lady saw that we looked lost and stopped to help us. She was from Munich originally but had spent some time living in Chicago. She spoke English very well and was excited to talk to six young ladies from America. She got us where we needed to be and told us a lot about her adventures in America with her husband. She was precious, and it was such a nice way to start the trip.

We couldn’t check into our hostel when we got there so we put our luggage in the storage closet and headed out on a free Munich walking tour. There, we learned that Munich is full of older, richer, conservative, Catholic people, and it really showed in the architecture and set up of the city.  Munich was almost completely bombed during World War II. In fact, everything was destroyed except the few tall towers of the city because the American pilots needed those tall landmarks to navigate. Munich is so conservative that it decided to rebuild in an old-fashioned way. This means that the city looks much older than it is. Berlin, on the other hand, decided to rebuild as a new city, and our tour guide compared the architecture of that city to New York.

Munich is so Catholic that the main square of Munich is called Marienplatz because it features a statue of the Virgin Mary in the center. Our tour guide also pointed out two lions to us. One was facing the government building and had its mouth open. The other was facing the Church and had its mouth closed. This was to symbolize that people should speak out against their government but not against the Pope.

 

We also saw the former Church of Pope Benedict XVI, the Glockenspiel performance, and the Hofbräuhaus on our tour. Inside the Hofbräuhaus, I felt one of the strangest feelings I’ve ever felt. We stood in the banquet hall of the Hofbräuhaus as our tour guide explained that the room we were standing in was the birthplace of the Nazi Party. That’s a lot of awful power for one room to hold, and there was something about the room that I could feel wasn’t right. It also probably didn’t help that Ozzie told us that the Bavarian flags (the white and blue checkered flag in the photo below) on the ceiling were in a pinwheel shape to cover up the swastikas that Hitler had painted on there. That feeling was nothing compared to what I would feel the next day though.

Friday, we found a tour guide at the Munich tourist office to take us to Dachau, one of the most infamous concentration camps of the Holocaust. I don’t want to say too much about Dachau as it was a very personal experience and I could talk forever about this day. I mean, the Dachau entry in my journal is 8 pages long. But I will say it made me very sick to my stomach. I was most upset by the gas chamber and crematorium. The gas chamber had never been used at Dachau because they didn’t have enough coal to burn the bodies, but the fact that it was even built absolutely disgusted me. Our tour guide had us walk through it to get to the crematorium, and I couldn’t stand in there.  I cannot imagine being locked in a room like that and then gassed to death. The crematorium, where they burned bodies of those that died, was the part that made me almost vomit. Dust covered the “ovens,” and I knew the dust wasn’t just dust because it was old. It was clearly left over ashes of the victims. I managed to stay in there long enough to take a picture before I absolutely had to leave. I thought I was going to vomit so I stepped outside while the rest of the group continued to take photos.

Saturday, we had a much more relaxed and happy day. We went on a day tour to Linderhof and Neuschwanstein, two palaces in the German Alps. The drive was absolutely stunning. Because it had been freezing and snowing the entire time we were there, the Alps were covered in snow. I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t imagine going at any other time because it truly added a wonderful wintery feeling to the experience. I’ve never seen true mountains in my life so starting with the Alps was pretty spectacular.

Linderhof and Neuschwanstein were amazing. They were both built by Ludwig II, but Neuschwanstein was never completed due to Ludwig’s death. Linderhof is a small “getaway” home modeled after the Palace of Versailles. Despite being constantly reminded by the tour guide how small it was, I thought it was quite grand, especially for only one person.  Neuschwanstein was much more massive with decorated and detailed rooms that put Harlaxton’s rooms to shame. Believe me, I thought the Grand Hall and the Long Gallery were spectacular here. While they are great places to have classes in, they are nothing compared to what the rooms in Neuschwanstein looked like. Also, one random feature of Neuschwanstein? The cave. That’s right, a cave inside a castle. For some reason, Ludwig thought it would be a nice addition to his palace. It served as a walkway from one room to another and looked like an actual cave. It was one of the most bizarre but coolest things I’ve ever seen.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to have the chance to go to Germany, a place I’ve heard about my whole life from my dad. I wish my family could have been there with me. They would have absolutely loved it. I’m so grateful for this trip, and it is definitely my favorite so far. I can’t wait to return to this beautiful country one day. Maybe next time I’ll get the opportunity to see where my dad grew up!

Happy birthday, Daddy! Love you!

Sometimes I get emotional about (American) football

This isn’t a post about any traveling I’m doing or anything happening here at Harlaxton, but it is a post about something very important to my family and me: football. More specifically, Indianapolis Colts football.

If you know anything about my family, you probably know to stay away from us on Sundays (or Monday nights depending on the week) during the fall. We get a little crazy. Our blood bleeds white and blue. Remember that time my dad answered the phone thinking it was his friend Joe and started yelling about the terrible play the Colts had just made only to find out it was my new Kansas City friend? Yes, me too. Dad, you’ll never live that one down, but it does show exactly how we are about our favorite sport. (And Dad, as a side note to this post, I hope you learned to check the caller ID.)

But this week we’re not screaming or cheering or smiling about much of anything with our Colts. In fact, I just finished watching the joint Jim Irsay and Peyton Manning press conference, and I started crying the minute Jim Irsay opened his mouth. As I write this, the crying continues. I haven’t had a chance to Skype with my family about it yet, but I’m going to assume, knowing how we are with our emotions, that they experienced the same sort of thing. I knew the day would come, but I never expected it like this. I thought it would happen after a final season of Peyton playing in that blue uniform on the field of Lucas Oil Stadium. I never thought it would be after losing almost every single game with quarterbacks who were not named Peyton or Manning. I was sure Peyton would retire as a Colt, and I’m incredibly sad that he isn’t. I understand why he doesn’t want to retire and I respect the decisions of both Manning and Irsay, but I am so sad.

When I was six, I went to my first Colts game. It was a preseason game on my brother’s second birthday against the Bengals, something I find incredibly ironic considering my brother’s decision just a few years later to be a Bengals fan without any explanation. My dad’s friends joined my dad and me for what was Peyton’s second game as an Indianapolis Colt. We won, and my dad’s friend Joe put me on his shoulders and we danced on the streets of Indianapolis back to our car in celebration.

From that day on, for the next 13 years, I would celebrate Peyton Manning’s wins with my dad, my mom, and my brother. We drove to the Kansas City airport to see the team when they beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. The team was boarding when we arrived, but we did get a big smile and wave from Tony Dungy. We braved the Chiefs fans on that Halloween day game, and let me tell you, it was awful but we did it for our boys. We went to the St. Louis Rams preseason game against the Colts where we met Brandon Stokely. Dad took my friend Kristen and me to Indianapolis for a game in high school. We screamed, danced around the living room, and cried when the Colts came back and beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. In fact, let’s just relive that moment here:

And we did the same during the Super Bowl. We went to training camp in 2010 and stood about a foot from the future Hall of Famer himself before heading to the Lemon Drop Diner. So many of my favorite family memories are associated with this team, with this quarterback. So, I want to say thank you to Peyton Manning.

Several things were said in the press conference that I want to talk about.

Jim Irsay said, “The #18 jersey will never be worn again” by a member of the Colts, and I can only hope that is true for Peyton as well. I know a player doesn’t usually change numbers when they change teams, but a part of me hopes he keeps #18 as a sacred number to the Colts. I would hate to see him wearing that number on a jersey for Miami, Denver, Arizona, or Tennessee.

Irsay also said, “There will be no other Peyton Manning,” and truer words have never been spoken. He is the NFL’s only four-time MVP, but more importantly, he’s a good person. He’s done fantastic things for Indianapolis. He’s one of those rare players who gives the NFL a good reputation. I cannot wait to tell my children I saw Manning play live and in the flesh. I am so lucky that I can say that because there will be no other Peyton Manning.

Finally, Peyton said, “I truly have enjoyed being your quarterback.” I hope he understands truly how much we have enjoyed him being our quarterback. It has been wonderful to watch him play and represent our favorite team. He’s been a Colt for all but six years of my life. I grew up with him and this team that is very suddenly falling apart. So, I want to thank him and all the “boys” who are leaving us for the wonderful years they gave us. It’s truly been fantastic.

There’s a song that Kenny Chesney sings called “I Go Back” about a song that reminds you of your favorite memories. I never, ever thought I’d say it was a Lil Jon song, but every time I hear “Let’s Go” by Lil Jon, I will always think of Peyton, Edgerrin, Reggie, Dwight, Robert, Gary, Jeff, Marvin, Dallas, Austin and all the other fabulous men who have played for our team over the last 13 years. I know the team will continue, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the future, but I know it will never be the same. Thanks for a wonderful time, boys!

P.S. Dad, did you ever think you’d see the day where your daughter wrote a blog over 1000 words long about FOOTBALL?! 🙂