I see London. I see France.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Just thought

Dear Home,
I miss you. There's quite a distance between us and though it should be where my heart is- but my heart still seems to be in my living room and not under my raincoat. Thus it is hard to grow any fonder of something that is not with you and is across a sea. So I've been pretty effective of tugging and warring my heart across that pond. I'm truly having the time of my life. The time that for the rest of my life I will remember. Not only am I in a totally different world, and on the other side of the world, but for the first time in my life- but I am meeting and appreciating people and place that I've barely known to exist (if at all). I know- you're supposed to out grow homesickness around the time you stop sucking your thumb... BUT I don't really know how it's so bad that I love my normal life enough to miss it while in paradise. Let there be no misunderstanding- I'm very much loving this trip. I am very happy. I feel more than lucky for everyday. But the days I spend visiting towers that have been standing longer than my country has been known of, gardens that were depicted by famous artists, and monuments that have a common name around any dinner table- I do not feel as though I am gaining anything by checking them off the list. I feel that the fact that I can say, "I've seen the gardens that Monet depicted in his paintings" means very little in comparison to the thoughts that occurred while I was there in discovering how beauty can really effect the world. Saying, "We visited Tower Bridge," means nothing compared to the moment of realization of standing on the bridge over the water that led Anne Boleyn to her death. Visiting England and France have more weight than the snapshots outside Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower. Visiting England and France mean changing your mindset to that of a guest of the world- a guest that owes more than they can pay, but is very welcome. In this discovery of debt to the history and people of the world- one becomes like a child reading a fairy tale. There really are adventures out there. There really is magic. There really is purpose in this huge, accessible world.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

LONDON (catch up)

Tower of London

Beheading?

London Eye

Tower Bridge

Piccadilly Circus (picnic breakfast)

older than America

changing of the guard

Big Ben

Charlie Chaplin

I'll show you Paris in the morning

Alright- well we are now in France. Sally took us to the train where we chunnelled. We sat across from some Aussies and had a nice chat. We were kind of nervous because we hadn't really gotten in touch with Donnie and didn't really know if he would be there. Also, since we barely knew him, we weren't sure if we'd recognize him and Martine even if they were there. Soo- we got off the train (welcomed by a swarm of protestors) to be greeted by our lovely family members. THANK GOD. Soo we wandered and drove through Paris for a while. Then went to the goat farm.. then came home to Don's. SOO now we're here and today wandered around a little villiage and we're just enjoying overselves.

I'm le tired.

pictures?
(there's not a lot)