Day 10: The journey home

I'm finally home after a very looonnnng day of traveling. Our flight left at 3 pm London time on Tuesday the 24th and it took a little over 8 years I mean hours. We were delayed a little before take off and landed after 6 pm Chicago time. We went through customs and picked up our luggage, then went to wait for the IWU coach that was picking up our group as well as a group that flew in from Thailand at around 5 pm. We left the airport around 8ish, then arrived back at IWU around 2 am. So here I am at 3:45 am... finishing my journal... and my body technically thinks it's 8:45 am. Weird.

What a trip. Definitely the highlight of my summer. Completely indescribable. :) It's nice to be home but bittersweet at the same time. I really hope I get to go back someday!

So, until next time, cheers!

Day 9: A not-so-foggy day in London-town :)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Today has quite possibly been one of the best days of my life so far – no joke. After spending a full day in London, I’ve decided that it’s my favorite city in the world so far. Definitely tops both Chicago and NYC. I am love struck with this city! I would pack up and move here in a heartbeat, I’m pretty positive.

We all hated to say goodbye to John last night but hugs went all around and I think we all went to bed excited for today to come. Free day in London? Aaklsdhfakasdkfa!!!!!! A group of us (Team London) all wanted to do similar things so we decided to try to stick together. We sat down and made our plans for the day. Then we all headed for bed.

This morning we went to breakfast around 8:30 and left the hotel around 9:00. Our tube passes didn’t start working until 9:30, so Lauren, Taylor, Ashlee, Noah and I decided to shop on the blocks closest to our hotel for awhile, then head to the tube and hit Oxford Street – one of the best shopping areas in London according to John. We shopped for a little over an hour, and then took the tube to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery where we met up with another smaller group. We went into the Gallery and saw the enormous painting "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey" by Paul Delaroche that we saw and discussed in class. It was pretty spectacular – I wasn’t disappointed. I could have spent hours in the Gallery – it’s magnificent (and completely free!!). I saw some Van Gogh, Cezanne, Serrat, and countless others... so much wonderful art.

I worked out to where my afternoon was free to tour Shakespeare's Globe Theatre! I originally had a big group interested but it ended up only being a few of us. Last night when we were working out the day’s schedule, it had looked like I was going to have to take the tube from the National Gallery to the Globe by myself but Dr. Buck wouldn’t have that, so he was so kind as to meet me outside the National Gallery and accompany me to the Globe. We stopped for lunch and were running a little behind, so after we got off the tube, he even flagged down a cab to get us there. We got there just in time, and Kellie, Jonica, Nancy, Kay, Andrea and I got to tour Shakespeare’s Globe. I was so happy. It was great. I loved the tour. There were people working on putting up a set while we were there (they’re currently doing Much Ado About Nothing and All’s Well that Ends Well – they switch from week to week, sometimes day to day, and sometimes they’ll even have a matinee of one show and an evening performance of another). While we were up in the highest level of seating, one of the actors from Much Ado came out and rehearsed one of his scenes – that was really neat. I was just so happy that I ended up being able to take the tour. I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to, and I probably would have cried to have come to London and not seen the Globe. :) But I got to. I was thrilled. :)

Then we headed back to the hotel to get ready and dressed up! The entire group met in the lobby at 4:30, got a couple of group photos, and then headed to Salieri for dinner. It was very good – I really enjoyed it. Then we headed for the Queen’s Theatre and Les Misérables – probably the absolute best ending to a trip there couple possibly be in the world. I was... of course... blown away. I lost count of how many times I got chills from how powerful and wonderful it was. You had to pay for playbills unfortunately and Cale bought one for me, which was very sweet of him. And to put the icing on the cake, the group went down to the stage door after the show and managed to catch... that’s right... Samantha Barks as she was coming out of the theatre. Several of us got her autograph and we even got a group photo with her. It was fantastic. :) She’s the same girl who played Eponine in the 25th Anniversary Concert Edition. Javert was also played by the same guy who was in the 25^th Anniversary Concert Edition and was magnificent – Norm Lewis. He darted off before we could catch him. Those two were the best in my opinion. Jean Valjean was played by the understudy tonight and he was very good but just wasn’t as much of a powerhouse as the one in the 25^th. The actor who played Enjolras – Killian Donnelly – was fantastic, and the guy who played Marius – Gareth Gates – was SO much better than Nick Jonas. Ha.

Then we came back to the hotel. It has been an utterly marvelous trip. I seriously could not have asked for anything better. This has been absolutely brilliant. There really aren’t words to describe how fantastic it’s been.

Tomorrow morning we’re eating breakfast, packing up, getting on a coach to the airport, and then getting on a plane and heading home. 

Day 8: Box Hill and an introductory tour to London

My sincerest apologies for the fact that these posts weren't posted on the actual days. When we got to London I discovered that internet access is a hot commodity and prices were a little too ridiculous for me. These next two WERE written and completed on the days they say they are, however. :)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Today was glorious! Exhausting, but glorious. :)

We started off from the hotel at 8:30 am and headed for London, making a quick stop at Box Hill to climb up just like the characters do in Emma. It was a very steep hill, and I think that everyone who climbed got a pretty decent dose of exercise for today. :)

Then we got back on the bus and headed for London. It didn’t take long – we were in the farthest outlying suburbs before too long at all. Then we got farther into the city and took a short bus tour through the city, stopping to get out and snap some pictures of the Tower of London (I’m pretty sure). Then Andy dropped us off at our hotel and we said goodbye to him quickly before he left for his 8 ½ hour drive back to Glasgow, Scotland. Then we checked into our hotel and dropped our bags off, heading out immediately into the city. John gave us some suggestions for lunch, and then we split up and got something to eat. We met back up after lunch and John introduced us to “The Tube” or the Underground. Then we want on a walking tour of London and, well, let’s just say I’m going to sleep REALLY well tonight because I’m pretty exhausted. :)

We saw Trafalgar Square and the outside of the National Gallery, went to Buckingham Palace, walked through St. James’s Park, saw the Prime Minister’s residence, got some great pictures of Big Ben, rode a double-decker red bus, and went to Piccadilly Circus.

I’ve already found my favorite part of London. We got to Piccadilly Circus (the Times Square of London) and found ourselves in the Theatre District. There were advertisements for half-priced show tickets everywhere. Everything from Wicked to Grease to Billy Elliot to Shakespeare. I wanted to cry just passing by some of the deals. Part of me wishes I could miss the flight on Tuesday and just stay in London seeing theatre, shopping, and eating great food. But, alas, one needs money for such things. =P

A little farther is Leicester Square – the heart of the cinema scene in London. There are probably five or six movie theatres around. At the moment it’s under construction for the 2012 Olympics and isn’t exactly pretty, but you got the gist of the area. Apparently it’s very touristy. Then we went to the marketplace, saw St. Paul’s Church (the Actor’s Church), and saw where Eliza Dolittle sat as she sang “All I want is a room somewhere...” Then we split up into groups to have dinner and explore some more. I went with a few people to the Spaghetti House and had some great Spaghetti Pomodoro, but our waitress seemed extremely offended that we had only ordered water and cleared the empty wineglasses away all in a huff. Then we walked back to the marketplace, listened to a street performer briefly, then went into Starbucks (just so we could say we’d been to a Starbucks in London). :) Then the six of us (Noah, Lauren, Ashlee, Taylor, Liz and I) managed to get back to the hotel on the Tube by ourselves. Tonight we have to say goodbye to John because he’s leaving early in the morning. :( He’s been so fantastic – I don’t know how anyone could ask for a better tour guide. We loved him!

Tomorrow will be our free day in London. I think several people are planning on seeing Abbey Road and the Globe. I would like to go to the National Gallery and perhaps the Modern Art Museum, but I don’t know what everyone else is doing. I guess we’ll figure it out. :) Then we go to dinner and Les Miz that night, and the next morning we leave for the airport from the hotel at 11:00 and our flight leaves at 3:00ish. Because of the time difference, we should arrive back in Marion at around 11:00ish pm. It’s been a fantastic trip.

Day 7: Bath

Today was fun. :) But then, what day hasn’t been? I can’t believe it’s already Saturday. We can’t be almost done already. This trip has been astounding.

Today we took a day trip to Bath. Jane Austen lived in this city for several years and set a couple of her novels there, including Persuasion, which we read in class.

Bath is rumoured to have been discovered by King Lear’s father, who was riding through the countryside and fell off his horse into water and was healed of leprosy (pre-Christian era). When Rome invaded Britain, the Romans discovered the natural hot spring and built up bath houses around it, dedicating one pool to the goddess Sulis Minerva. There was an entire complex, including a temple on the site at one time. People eventually began to build over the baths, but excavations have been in progress for quite a few years.

During the Georgian era, baths became the fashion in England (probably originating with a royal visit of some kind). The aristocracy began to come to Bath both for medicinal reasons and societal reasons. Because so many people visited, they began to build a city on the site. They built houses and apartments, assembly rooms, buildings for shops and other amusements. It became a center of society where prominent people would come to mingle with other prominent people, even to try to find husbands for their daughters (or wives for their sons... as the case may have been).

The first thing we did when we got to Bath was to go to the Jane Austen Centre, which was kind of nice, but at the same time not as interesting as some of the other things we've seen. It was basically just a building where they've several costumes and some information relating to Jane Austen and the period she lived in. A lady gave us a quick presentation and then we were free to walk through and explore for ourselves. It was somewhat interesting, but had little to nothing to do with the real Jane Austen. It's several buildings up the row from the house where she lived when she was a resident of Bath. She lived in number 25 which is now a dentist's office. We passed it on the way up the hill.

We then went to the fashion museum, which is in the building where the historical assembly rooms still are. We saw a tribute to fashion through the eras that was extremely interesting. I wished I could have spent more time there. I did, however, get one of my only souvenirs from the gift shop just outside the museum. 

The architecture in Bath is still the original Georgian architecture, designed mostly by John Wood the Elder and his son, also John Wood. Between them, the marvels of the Circus and the Royal Crescent were designed. Landscaping had also become important at the time. A landscape architect named Lancelot or “Capability” Brown landscaped over 170 parks in the 18^th century. An important concept in architecture at the time was that the view of the land was uninterrupted and that the landscaper, in essence, attempted to improve upon what nature had placed there naturally. This, as our fabulous guide John informed us, was the reasoning behind what is called a “ha-ha.” He had mentioned them the night before and many people looked slightly bewildered. Apparently Jane Austen talks about them in Mansfield Park and (perhaps?) Persuasion. I looked it up last night and saw that it was defined as a “sunk fence,” but I found further explanation detailing that it was created to divide properties and contain livestock without disrupting the view of the landscape. So, today, we saw a ha-ha in Bath. John also gave a fabulous explanation for why it’s called a ha-ha – he said he had always been curious so he researched it and found out that it was called that because you can’t see it, so when you’re walking and you come up on it, you’re so surprised that all you can say is, “Ha-ha!” Well. Perhaps the 18^th century British people said that. I think I would probably just say, “Oh.” :)

Then we split up into groups of three or four for the afternoon. Noah, Liz and I ate at the Roscoff Café, and I got salmon scrambled eggs and the best apple juice I’ve ever tasted in my life. Then the three of us toured the Roman baths (absolutely fascinating), then went into the Pump Room and had a glass of the spring water (it was warm and basically tasted like well water... kind of nasty. But they say it’s good for your liver), then went into the Bath church. It’s a beautiful, enormous cathedral with dozens upon dozens of ancient grave markers. The architecture is Gothic and stunning. 

After seeing the cathedral we wandered around some more, went into a few shops, got some ice cream, then headed back to the bus and started back for the hotel. Tonight’s dinner consisted of a tomato-mozarella starter, followed by a main course of penne pasta, followed by lemon tart for dessert.

Tomorrow we head for Box Hill first, then for London. When our coach driver, Andy, drops us off at the hotel, that’s the last time we’ll see him. He’s been fantastic! We’ll walk around the city some together, get accustomed to using the tube, and try to get our bearings before tomorrow when we’ll split up and take on London in smaller groups. Then tomorrow night will be the last time we’ll see John as he’ll be leaving extremely early on Monday morning. I can’t believe it’s already coming to an end! I’m very excited for London though. At the moment my plans basically consist of a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe (I probably would have cried if I’d left England and not gotten to go), and going to the British Museum and/or the National Gallery. Several people want to go to Abbey Road and I may go along, but I’m not much of a Beatles fan so it wouldn’t really mean much to me, but it would certainly be interesting.

Well, in any case. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in London. :)

Day 6: Chawton - Jane Austen's house and the Enchanted Forest of Southeast England

Today was a pretty easy day. We woke up and had breakfast, then got on the bus for a very long ride – about 4 and a half or 5 hours. We had some great times on the bus though. Lauren and Noah told an extemporaneous story about an enchanted land and incorporated everyone’s names. It ended up being about a magic carpet named Andy (our coach driver), a chimney sweep named John (our tour guide), a leaf named Mike (Dr. Buck), a fairy named Jessie, a gazelle named Ashley, two old hags named Hanna and No-Jonica, a death ogre named Nancy, a cloud goddess named Liz, a wood nymph named Ashlee, a sheep named Kellie, a gambling aardvark named Cale, a water droplet named Kendra, a pyramid inscription named Andrea, Taylor who could only saw the words “Jack” and “Slaw,” the good ice cream fairy Kay, and a pom-pom witch named Emily. :) Then we passed around cards that Liz made with all our names on the outsides and signed everyone’s cards so we have a memory from the trip. Then we started to watch Cool Runnings in the bus but didn’t quite finish.

We arrived in Haworth and some of us had lunch in a little tea shop called “Cassandra’s Cup” right across the road from Jane Austen’s house. (Cassandra was Jane Austen's sister's name.) I had a toasted bacon sandwich and tea – it was perfectly lovely. Then we toured Jane Austen’s home where she lived for the last eight years of her life. It was here that she revised Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice before sending them to publishers, and she wrote Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion while living there. I even have a picture of the tiny little desk where she sat and wrote every day.

Probably my favorite part of the day was, after touring the house, when our group went out into the garden, and gathered around John, who read us the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice. It was absolutely perfect and I got a great video of most of it. :) If I’m ever having a bad day I’m pretty sure I’m going to pull up this video and watch it because it’s just that fantastic. :)

Then we left Jane Austen’s house and walked to Chawton House which is where Jane’s brother lived. He inherited the estate in Chawton, and we went to the church where Jane’s mother and sister are buried. Jane herself spent the last days of her life in Winchester so she could be near to her doctor, and is buried inside the Winchester Cathedral. She died when she was only 41.

Then we got on the bus and came to our new hotel. We’ll stay here for two nights. Tomorrow is our day trip to Bath. Touring Jane Austen’s house today, it sort of dawned on me for the first time that Jane lived in Bath for awhile but really didn’t like it. She didn’t like the city atmosphere and it’s been recorded that the clacking of pattens (people’s wooden overshoes) on the stone streets got on her nerves. In class we read Persuasion, and in the novel, the heroine (Anne Elliot) doesn’t like Bath either. It’s just interesting to see the little pieces of herself that she sometimes wove into her characters.

When we got to the new hotel, a few of us took a walk on a footpath through the woods near the hotel. (All hotels seem to have woods and places to explore here. Having “grounds” must be a UK thing.) The guys (Cale and Noah) acted as tour guides and gave a fantastic impromptu tour of the Enchanted Forest of Southeast England. (Which happens to be beside a Best Western hotel in Chawton. Who knew?) We saw Dotty-Dotty-Woo-Toos, Amazonian Tree Snipe tracks, Ugwumps, Guppydactyls, fossilized dragon claws, a wishing stump, and even a Hisser. And Cale told us all about the epic battle between the Welsh clan and another clan I can’t remember the name of on Swan Lake as we stood on the edge and looked out. It was fabulous... and extremely entertaining. Dinner was delicious – an appetizer of goat cheese, followed by a main course of poached salmon and vegetables, and a dessert of apple crumble and custard. Andy (our Scottish coach driver) sat at our table so we asked him several culture-related questions and laughed. A lot. :)

Tomorrow, as I said, is our day trip to Bath. I’m pretty excited. :)

Day 5: Haworth - Brontë Parsonage, St. Michael's, and a talent show

Another great day. But, then, how could I expect anything else?

We had a wonderful breakfast this morning at the Cragwood, then headed out from the Lake District. We drove to Haworth, the home of the Brontë family – Charlotte, Anne, and Emily, and then their brother Branwell and their father Patrick. When we arrived in Haworth, the first thing we did was to walk down the streets to shop and look for a little place to have lunch. Some of us went quite a way down the road because we were determined to have fish and chips. Since, of course, we’re in England now and all. :) We did find a place - "The Golden Hind." Delicious!

After our fish and chips we wandered back up the road, going into shops here and there and looking around. Ashley (my roommate) and I went into the visitors’ center, actually, and we found copies of some of Anne and Charlotte’s books. After reading all about them and studying them in class, I would really like to collect and read all their books. I found a copy of Charlotte’s Villette for only £2.00, so of course I HAD to get it. :)

Then we walked to the parsonage where they lived which, of course, has now been converted into a museum. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the house but we saw the room where both Branwell and his father slept (where Branwell eventually died), the couch where Emily was lying when she died, their dining room table where they sat and wrote and discussed the stories they were writing, Charlotte’s room (which contained a dress, shoes, stockings, and spectacles that she actually wore), and the room where the siblings played as children and first started making up their fantasy worlds. It was different from what I expected. Part of that had to do with the fact that it was sunny and when I pictured their house in my mind I always saw dark gloominess, an isolated house on the moors where the wind is always whipping mercilessly, chilling you to the bone, and the ominous sound of crows cawing accompanies the bending of the leafless trees to and fro. That’s not really how it was. The house was a little bigger than I expected, the trees had leaves and everything was very green. Instead of being intimidating and dark, the moors were very pretty, actually (we hiked on them after the tour of the parsonage). I think most of it had to do with the fact that it was sunny. But I was almost hoping that it would be miserable, cloudy, and windy so that I could better imagine Cathy and Heathcliffe’s ghosts walking and sighing across the dark, foreboding moors. As it was, we had a lovely hike full of laughter and sunshine. I don’t know which I would prefer. :o)

After seeing the parsonage museum, we went next door to the Sunday School building for the Brontës’ church (St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church), where Charlotte taught. We offered our services as a group to the people there and we ended up doing a little cleanup outside the building. Some people weeded and scraped moss off the rocks outside the building, and a few of us planted flowers in wooden tubs out front. I think we helped out some. :) Here is the tub of flowers I planted. :) 

After that, we went into the church for a little bit, and then headed to one of the members of the church, Jens Hislop’s house. Dr. Buck has formed a friendship with him over the years of visiting, and tonight he and some friends had us over for dinner and we had a talent show of sorts. We had singing, a poetry recitation, Noah and Jens played some trombone duets, Emily Bair did some cheerleading tumbles out on the lawn, I performed three Shakespeare monologues, they put on a skit for us about Jonah that was HILARIOUS, and then we finished up with Noah performing “If I Were a Rich Man” from Fiddler. SO funny.

After that we headed to the hotel – we’re here in Bradford, West Yorkshire for one night tonight. Tomorrow we’re headed to Chawton and Jane Austen’s brother’s house where she lived for most of her life and wrote most of her novels. :) I can’t wait!

Day 4: Grasmere, Rydal Mount, Bowness, and Cultural Reflections with Mr. John Lionet

Today we woke up at the same hotel we were at the night before – still in Scotland, in Symington – about an hour drive away from Edinburgh. We ate a quick breakfast, then hopped on the bus for a two and a half hour drive south across the border into the Lake District in England (where William Wordsworth grew up and lived for the majority of his life). I have to admit, I napped for a big part of the trip down. :o)

We got into the Lake District and John (our guide) told us about the differences between a U.S. state park and a European state park. In the U.S. a state park is preserved as a wilderness where no one really lives. In Europe, a state park is a place acclaimed as a natural beauty, but there are still villages and neighborhoods and communities where people live and work. There are strict regulations about houses and buildings, etc., but there are villages and communities.

We found out that most of the lakes are actually not called “lakes,” most are called “Ullswater” or something ending in “-water.” Only the largest, Lake Windermere, is actually called a lake. The drive was just beautiful! I tried to get lots of pictures out the windows (the sun peaked through occasionally and shone on the water), but in most of them there’s a glare and you can see my reflection. =P But I tried. :)

We stopped at a lookout on Kirkstone Pass which is named for a (rather unremarkable) stone on the hillside that apparently is supposed to look like a church. Maybe it did at one point, I don’t know. :)

We went into a town called Grasmere which was charming. We went into a few shops and stopped for lunch. A few of us got lunch at a little café called Potted Out. Noah and I got spaghetti and tried to inconspicuously eat sugar cubes from the container in the middle of the table. :) Then we went and visited Wordworth’s grave in the church cemetery, where he is buried along with his wife, Mary, his sister, Dorothy, and his daughter, Dora. I visited the graveyard with Noah, and it WAS a graveyard and there SHOULD be a sort of unspoken reverence that goes with you into such places, but you know those times when you get the giggles when you're supposed to be serious and then it just gets worse? Yep - that happened.

Grasmere is also famous for Beatrix Potter and her stories about Peter Rabbit and Aunt Jemima Puddleduck. I haven’t read the stories since I was little and I was very tempted to buy a few of the children’s books to take back with me. :)

Then we got back on the bus and went to see Wordsworth’s house, called “Rydal Mount.” It was fairly modest, but the grounds covered 4 acres that he landscaped entirely by himself. THAT was very impressive. The grounds are still kept up today, and the house is owned and kept up by his direct descendants. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the house, but I took plenty outside. It was simply splendid walking around the grounds – just gorgeous. You could even see a little bit of the lake at times.

Wordsworth has quite a few poems that we studied in class about nature. Well... Nature really. Wordsworth had a very pantheistic view of the world which comes through in a great majority of his poems, especially in the “great decade” of his life (from 1798 to 1808). And it was easy to see where he got his inspiration – the grounds were beautiful.

Then we got back on the bus, went to the dock in Grasmere where we got some ice cream and wandered around a few more shops, and then took the ferry across Lake Windermere to the town of Bowness. We got to wander through the town of Bowness as well – a very pretty town.

After about forty-five minutes, we got back on the bus and headed to our hotel, the Cragwood, which is right on Lake Windermere. It’s a wonderful hotel – I am very impressed with it. From the rooms to the food; and I especially love the grounds here. A few of us took a walk on a trail that led right down to the water’s edge. It was a very nice walk through the woods and around the stunning house. I absolutely love it. I went on another walk with my roommate Ashley so that she could get some pictures as well (her camera had been charging earlier). Then we came in and sat by the fireplace (it was a tad chilly outside), and read The Times. Fortunately, John was there and I asked him about some of the things I was reading in the newspaper. He kindly explained to me a little bit about the English political parties (of which I was totally ignorant). They have three – the Tory or conservative party, the Liberal Democrats in the middle, and then the Labour party. Currently, the Tories and the Lib Dems are being lumped together and having to share power because of some situation where neither party came out on top in a recent election, and the Lib Dems are apparently griping about it.

Then we had dinner. The appetizer was a chicken liver pate (or parfait as it was listed on the menu). It bore an interesting resemblance to bologna in a way. The meal was absolutely delicious – roasted saddle of lamb with lentils. Then dessert was orange crème brulee and blackberry ice cream on what John called a “cracker,” which reminded me of a sugar cone.

After dinner we had some free time, so our whole group let me do a dress rehearsal of my Shakespearean monologues that I prepared for the talent show at the Brontë sisters’ church in Haworth. So I did a run-through and I think it went well. I got positive feedback. :) Then we sat down and had a fascinating conversation with John about the main differences he perceives between American culture and European (more specifically British) culture. One of the main differences he talked about was how we raise our children. In the U.S., a lot of times, everything is about the kids. He gave the example that they occasionally have American friends stay with them and when the adults will be having coffee or sitting around having wine, their friends’ kids will come in and ask for something and they immediately jump up to take care of it for them, whereas if his kids come in and ask for something, they’ll often say “Hold on for awhile, we’re talking,” or “Yes, all right, but you’re going to have to wait for a bit.” He also said that for his kids to walk into the house and just go grab something out of the fridge without asking even though they’re 14 and 16 would be extremely rude and disrespectful and they would never think of doing that.

Another difference is the way Americans talk to their children. He said he’s heard Americans tell their kids “I’m proud of you” and “I love you” about ten times a day whereas in England and France, parents only really give high praise to their children if, quite frankly, they’ve earned it. Teachers also, he said, seem to give students a more truthful picture of how they did instead of sugar coating everything. Basically, they don’t give undue praise.

We asked what his favorite thing was about different cultures that he’s been to. He said that his favorite thing about France is the determination of its people to preserve and uphold their culture – even the uneducated class will go to museums and art galleries on Sunday afternoons, etc. His favorite thing about Scotland is the pride and respect the people have for their nation – their patriotism. His favorite thing about Italy is just how full of life and joy people are. His favorite thing about the U.S. is that it doesn’t matter who you are, most people will accept you. He also likes Americans’ ability to apparently be comfortable wherever we’re at. :o) He said that, yes, on a whole, Americans are quite a bit louder than really anyone anywhere in Europe, and, as a tour guide, he has seen his fair share of Americans’ insensitivity to other cultures, but for the most part seemed very fond of the U.S. and its people.

Just to give a little background about John – his name is John Lionet. He’s English, and I believe married to an Englishwoman; they have two boys and moved to France awhile ago because they liked it much better than where they had been living in England. He speaks English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian all pretty much fluently, and guides most often in English, French, and Spanish. He’s been all over the world and is very knowledgeable about pretty much anything you’d care to ask him about. It was great to talk to him and hear his opinion about the cultural differences.

Well, tomorrow we head to Haworth – the village where the Brontë sisters lived and wrote. We’ll do some service projects for their church, and then have dinner and the talent show. I am loving this trip. :)