Firenze Slept in til 8:30 am. Breakfast at 9 am where we met 2 girls from Pennsylvania. Three people (2 girls, 1 guy) came in before we left and 1 of the girls graduated from Augustana.
Medici garden
We went to the Medici palace and it was GORGEOUS! I was so happy! Then we walked to the Uffizi for Bryce. Meg and I walked to a the Piazza della Republica with a big arch and a carousel. We shopped at some carts and then sat at a statue where we watched in horror as a big ass sign fell over and scraped the lef of one of the street artists. The carabinieri (Police minus guns) got involved and Meg and I stuck around to see if we needed to be witnesses. The artist was sent to the hospital with what we think is a broken leg, so I bought 2 of his pictures to help pay his medical bills. Meg and I walked in a circle around the Uffizi by accident as we were trying to get back by 3:45 pm. We were 30 min late but oh well.
the giant sign that fell down
injured artist in the chair
emergency personnel
We went to the Ponte Vecchio where I found the perfect gift for Brandon, a wire motorcycle! Then we got gelato and ate dinner by the Uffizi and headed home. Our feet were disgusting from the dirty streets even with shoes (flip-flops) on. Tomorrow we wake at 5 am and hop on a train to Roma!
Friday June 12, 2009 - 10:08 pm
Florence-Rome Woke up at 5 am and hopped in a taxi for a 10 minute ride to the train station. We got on the train and sat down. We started out and then some people came and had our seats reserved. We started walking and found out there were only 2 cars of non reserved seats. A nice guy helped us find open ones. Meg and I were with a Russian(?) family which was fine except the car was ridiculously HOT!
Colosseum
We arrived in Rome, dropped off our stuff at the Hostel and went to the Colosseum to meet Federika, our private tour guide! We spent 5 hours with her and learned so much! We saw the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon (or as Bryce calls it - the church with the hole), Lunch - pizza, coke, & gelato, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica! She was awesome and completely worth the money! I felt like a VIP today because we got to skip all the lines and people just kinda stared at us, I felt super important!
Roman forum
Walking the Appian Way
Door to the Pantheon
amazing Gelato shop near Pantheon
Lunch of Champions
We had a bus/metro adventure and wound up at the Hostel. Our room is right next to the desk and we are rooming with Amy and Andy from London and Katarina (?) from I don't know where. Amy and Andy are hilarious and Amy complimented my fake British accent, which means I rock!
Amy and Andy
Met Ashley and Lauren from Colorado at dinner along with Ryan from Ireland. Went to the Shop and bought booze then sat around the room talking and drinking. Meg ran off with her friend Eva from home and haven't seen her since. Hope she's okay! Also met Az(?) who works at the front desk and he is crazy and a little creepy, not gonna lie. More of Roma tomorrow!
Author's Note: Watching the artist get hit with the sign was really scary! I could see a huge gash on his leg and he limped with help to the ambulance. His pictures were bright and colorful and BEAUTIFUL. So glad I have them as a momento. Had a blast in Rome! Met the Coloradans and the Irish boy at the spaghetti dinner our Hostel had once or twice a week. It was all you could eat and in a large dining room. It was a great way to meet others in the Hostel. I could've stayed another month and still feel like I hadn't seen everything there was to see. Some day I really hope to go back, who wants to come with me??
Venice
We ate at the Hotel Restaurant last night and had leftover spaghetti for lunch... delicioso!
We got our reservations for trains at S.L. Station and then Bryce went to the Academy and Meg and I went to the Post office and shopping. The Post Office was a nightmare! I didn't know I was supposed to grab a ticket let alone the Letter I needed, so I got up to the desk and the guy said "Where is your ticket?" I was sent back to the beginning and got a ticket - It took a whole 2 minutes until my number was blinking on the board. I finally got my envelope sent off!
swinging at the park
Meg and I stopped at a small shop nearby with tons of purple clothing. I found a really nice pink purse and Meg ought a nice purple dress. We met Bryce at the Academy and headed to St. Marks where we had a free guided tour in English. There were two really attractive guys in our group, alas they went a different way at the end of the tour. We went to the garden so Bryce could see the art exhibit and Meg and I swang [is that a word?] and sat and talked for a long time.
After, we went searching for a restaurant Bryce and his parents ate at but it wasn't open for dinner. We found a place with burgers, which Meg was craving, and had dinner.
We split from Bryce who went to a concert in Venice and went back to the hotel. We are packed and ready to wake at 7 am to head to Florence :) I will miss Venice!
Wednesday June 10, 2009 - 8:54 pm
Venezia - Firenze
The name of our room :)
Easily got to and on the train this morning. Sat near some Canadians. Pretty cool people from what I heard of their conversation. Walked to Dany House, our bed and breakfast, and set our stuff down.
Walked down the street to the Galleria dell'Academia to see Michelangelo's "David". The statue was huge! There was also an exhibit comparing Michelangelo and [this was blank and I clearly never filled it in. Sorry!], and their use of repetition and the human figure. It was cool.
We walked another block or two to the Duomo. At first we were gonna postpone it because of Meg's shorts and my tank top. After finding a Gelato shop nearby and stopping for some ice cold deliciousness, we decided to try our luck and we made it in! It was so gorgeous and I totally understand why so many pieces were premiered there!
first gelato in Italy
We found a supermarket and bought bread, meat, and cheese, and then went to an internet cafe and bought an hour of time. We then went to a park with a big arch and lots of pigeons. We ate dinner and Meg fed the little birds while shoving the pigeons away. She was so happy!! Tomorrow is Medici Museum and another gallery.
the arch (and a light pole)
the fountain
shooing pigeons with her feet
Author's Note: I learned on this trip that spaghetti in Italy is veiwed as an appetizer but the portion size is enough for 2 people. Italians tend to look at you funny when you only order an appetizer and need a "take-away container". Is it swung or swang based on the context of my sentence? Neither makes sense to me but English was never my favorite subject so feel free to correct this verb in the comments. Upon further research [read google search] the Artist's name was Robert Mapplethorpe and you can find a short article about the exhibit here. For those reader's who aren't familiar with rules of dress in churches - it is a generally accepted rule in much of Europe that in order to enter Catholic churches/basilicas/etc your shoulders and knees must be covered. It is out of respect to their views on keeping bodies covered. Some churches are more lenient than others.
Dublin - Paris
Tegan, Bryce, Elie, Martina, Meg, and I went to the Irish national gallery Saturday morning. It was sweet! I saw the Caravaggio painting of Jesus' betrayal, he painted himself in as a bystander. The original illustrations for many Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales were on display as well. :)
Rehearsal went well except Dr. A was in 'New York mode' and a senior started bawling.
I spent the afternoon packing and then we had our concert. I didn't cry until right before Beautiful Savior when Dr. A called us "one of, if not THE best St. Olaf Choir." I lost it! The concert went great but it was hard saying goodbye to all the seniors.
I woke up at 4:10 am Dublin time, ate some breakfast, hopped in a taxi, though I was gonna die, and arrived at the Dublin airport around 5:15 am.
The flight was fine and we arrived in Paris safely. After running around to try to get a train reservation, and falling down in the airport train (see Author's note for more details), we finally got to see some of the sights.
At the Dublin Airport
Notre Dame
We saw Notre Dame, the Louvre, Eiffel Tour, Arc de Triomphe, and we walked down the Champs-Elyseé without an umbrella in a Spring Rain - Like in "Sabrina" feat. Audrey Hepburn.
We almost didn't get on the train to Venice because no one knew where we were to go for tickets from the conductor. We are currently in a sleeper car with a random guy we refer to as Pepsi. We have 15 hours ahead of us, minus the few we have already spent on the train.
Tomorrow, I will be in Venice and life will be grand! Almost Sleep time!!
Meg's beautiful picture skills
Monday June 8, 2009 - 9:07 pm
Our Sleeper Car
Venice
Pepsi got off the train at 4 am so the morning was just the 3 of us. We thought we got great sleep last night but apparently not, because we are all tired. After we showered and changed at our hotel, we headed out to the island. We took a tour of the grand canal on the water buses and Bryce read some info from Rick Steeves.
Then we went to San Marco Basilica and quickly walked through because we realized there is a free guided tour in English tomorrow.
We wandered around for a while and found a museum inside of a church with the history of the violin. There were all shapes, sizes, and kinds of string instruments and original mass books. Unfortunately, no "Puer Natus Est" could be found. Alice and Gerry would have been proud.
It was nice to have a relaxing day with no rushing after 2 weeks of nonstop choir tour.
The Violin Exhibit
Also the water bus guys who opened the fates to the boat were generally very good looking. :)
Waking up at 7 am to hit the train station to get our reservations. No more close calls!
More tomorrow!
Just remembered...
This morning as we were waiting to get off the bus a woman and her young son went to the W.C. on the way back to their car and the little boy, started to sing/chant the following: We're having an underpants party! - and various other phrases including the words underpants and party.
It was adorable!
Gondolas
Rialto Bridge
Famous Casino
Author's Note: Falling in train. It was a public transport train from one terminal to another terminal where we could hop on public transportation. I was wearing my hiking backpack that was pretty heavy and I decided I was such a pro at riding trains that I didn't need to hold on. OOPS! The train suddenly lost electricity and I flew backwards in front of the whole train. Meg and Bryce laughed while 2 random American strangers helped me up. One took my hand, and the other grabbed my bag. It was ridiculous. Bryce and Meg didn't let me live that down for the entire trip, but now it is HILARIOUS!
Yesterday at Blarney was really fun! We ate at Kopi Cafe (which is where Thomas, Breana, Kristin & I ate 3 years ago!
The concert was not as energetic as it could have been. There were very few people at the concert but it went fine. We are just pulling up to the Rock of Cashel now, so there will be more later.
Friday June 5, 2009 - 5:37pm
Belfast-Armagh-Dublin
We took a bus tour of Belfast (the home of Titanic). I learned a lot about the history, but we sat for too long.
At dinner they were REALLY slow. 20 people didn't get dessert so we had to wait to eat it until No-Talent night.
The concert went well and the Deputy Mayor was present for the concert. The Lord Mayor hosted a reception at the "palace" for the choir before dinner. It was amazing! I felt so honored and sophisticated.
Amanda, Gabe, and I speaking with the Lord Mayor of Armagh
This morning we drove to Dublin and had a bus tour. Then we saw the book of Kells at Trinity college and had lunch in Temple Bar. We then headed to the Guinness storehouse. I don't like Guinness so I had sprite and met a guy wearing a pink tutu and fishnets. I was caught by his friends trying to snipe a picture!
Yes. Those are fairy wings.
I'm currently chilling in my single room at Wynn's Hotel in downtown Dublin.
More tomorrow... the last day before deviation!
Author's Note: Upon further research it seems as though my beloved Kopi Cafe no longer exists. :( I was going to add a link but it is non-existent. My second trip to the blarney stone means that I now have the gift of the gab x2! I still freak out when I think about leaning backwards because let's face it, no man holding me up would make me feel safe... except maybe Channing Tatum or Ryan Gosling... back to reality! In Belfast we learned about the Catholic vs. Protestant battle that is still ongoing. The picture above and to the left of the blurb is a sign for a youth club on the infamous Shankill road where the 1993 bombing occurred. The photo to the right is of a gate that the city can close in case of escalated tensions between the two religious sides. I love Dublin. I'd move there in a heartbeat. I get a good laugh and how red my face is with the "Dancing Queen" at the Guinness factory. I was so embarrassed when I was caught trying to sneak a picture. His friend practically yelled "Mate, she wants a picture of ya" so the whole of the gravity bar could hear. My friends around me definitely got a good laugh at the situation. I will never forget that day - and I sincerely hope he was having a Stag Party rather than a normal day out!
Swansea-Cork
Swansea is the Miami Beach of the UK! Everywhere I turned there was a guy with no shirt on. We ate at TGI Friday's, which was better than I thought it would be.
We did devos (devotions) outside since we robed in an entirely different church. At the end of devos some drunk guys on their balcony - shirtless, of course - started scream-singing "He's got the whole world in his hands". We had a short moment of silence and then simultaneously join in the song.
Light up bench on the streets of Swansea
To top things off 2 birds were doing something odd on a building... it looked like sex because one was on top of the other, but apparently (according to Tom) birds don't have sex.
It was a pretty good concert and we had wine with some pretty important people! :) I've been up for almost 2 hours as we are ferrying to Ireland today!!
THE FERRY
Leaving England behind
Monday June 1, 2009 - 11:52pm
Cork-Kenmare-Cork
Our bus driver, Liam, is just as awesome as John, from England!
We arrived in Cork yesterday and had an amazing dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Isaac, Chris, Bryce, Tegan and I walked around a bit before sleeping. Today we had a scenic bus drive to Kenmare in Country Kerry.
Green - Must be Ireland!
Beautiful!
Me with the beautiful scenery
Sarah was my bus date and we saw SHEEP!
SHEEP
The Ceilli tonight was awesome and I have lots of video from our Irish dancing attempts.
approx. 70 Americans trying to learn Irish dancing
Off to bed and Blarney Castle tomorrow! :)
Author's Note: Swansea was a bit sketchy. Don't get me wrong, shirtless guys was fine, but I felt uncomfortable the whole time. I know I was in a new place and all that jazz, but I genuinely felt like I was gonna be in the middle of a bad action movie at any moment. So glad my friends were there to make me feel safe. The Irish Ceili was amazing! I'm sure the performers and dancers were frustrated with us at times but we were genuinely interested in learning more about the culture. We had a blast and I will NEVER forget the time we had in Cork.
London -- Henley-on-Thames -- London WOW! We sang at St. Paul's Cathedral and it was amazing! We sang so well and things just locked!
The St. Olaf Choir in St. Paul's Cathedral
We sang at Christ Church in Henley-on-Thames and it was fabulous! Comparable to Emory (a university in Atlanta, GA, where we gave an impeccable concert 4 months prior) for sure! The MP, member of parliament, and Mayor talked with us and started the standing ovation. We've had 2 (standing ovations) which are not customary by British standards. They don't normally give standing O's in Britain.
People have been getting on my last nerve because of their rudeness and lack of respect for locals. On the plus side - Free time tomorrow!! I'm going to The Tower of London & Westminster Abbey.
Friday May 29, 2009 - 11:02pm
London
FREE MORNING!! Erik A. and I went to The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. The Tower was sweet and the crown jewels were amazing and soooo sparkly!
Erik being a knight
Crown Jewels building
Westminster was great and I saw the graves of all of the politicians from my history class and some great musicians & poets!
We sang at St. Clemont Danes in London. A group called Choro sang an opening set and they held a reception with champagne & invited us to a pub after. They sounded really good and even did a Whitacre piece.
Tomorrow to Swansea!
Westminster Abbey
Author's Note: On my first trip to London I regrettably did not visit some of the "Must-see" tourist attractions. I'm happy to say that the only thing left undone in London is going on the Eye of London. St. Clement Church is a church on an island in the middle of a fork in the road. It was crazy to walk outside and be surrounded by traffic. Stick around for the [mis]adventures of Swansea, Wales!
Chicago
Arrived safely. Starbucks is the way to go right now! I am super excited to get back to the British Isles.
Wednesday May 27, 2009 - 1:00pm
London-Oxford
Sandwiches for lunch and dinner for pretty cheap at Covent Garden. :)
We're staying in the Regency Hotel in South Kensington.
Chris D. and I went to "Spring Awakening" at the Novello Theatre last night, and it was amazing! They conveyed the emotion so well that I started crying even though I knew what was going to happen. They had a chair attached to a wall that Melchior stood on and I thought it was going to fall off! The chair moved all the way to the other side of the stage so it looked like he was floating.
Spring Awakening Night
This morning Chris, Tegan, and I went to the Peter Pan Statue in Hyde Park. We almost got lost but luckily we had a map and got back on track.
My shoes got soaked on the walk and I could barely keep them on my feet! Unfortunately, they are my choir shoes so they are drying on the bus floor. We are driving to Oxford for our first concert. :)
Me with Peter Pan
10:23pm
Oxford-London
First concert is done! It wasn't the best but it was so fun! People are still tired and snap easily.
Sam E., a 2002 Ole grad, showed us around New College of Oxford (built in the 1360's). He is getting his doctorate after 7 years and then is going to Harvard. He got us into the Chapel and bell tower. It was a HUGE climb and I got tired half way up but the view was worth it!! Harry Potter used the cloisters of the chapel for a movie and the gate's gold accents were paid for by the movie.
the view
the gold gate
To get into one of the colleges of Oxford you have to take a 3-day test and then be interviewed by the professors who can ask ANY question and you MUST answer. Upside? You can research anything, and everything is paid by college for 7 years.
St. Paul's Tomorrow! :)
Author's Note: Two days worth of posts since the first one was barely a post at all! Chris and I got tickets for £20 by going straight to the Novello and asking. The seats were technically partial view but we just leaned forward and saw the whole stage just fine. I will never forget my first (and so far only) West End Show. I feel privileged that I was able to see a show that I had been DYING to see. I got to see the US tour of "Spring Awakening" in 2010 and I'm a little biased towards the West End version. They were able to do so much more technically speaking because their set was fixed. Both were amazing though!
