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I'm sorry about the lack of pictures on the blog. I'm lacking in patience for the slow internet when there are too many fun things to do in Europe!

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Paris: The Land of Changed Expectations

I can honestly say I loved Paris. I heard mixed reviews from people who had been there before, but overall I had a great experience and loved the city.

After a long day of travel from Amsterdam, we finally arrived in Paris late in the evening. We had not eaten dinner so our first task was to find a place to eat. The problem is…everything closes early in Paris due to the labor laws. We did find food eventually, but the start of my Paris experience was a little frustrating. This was also the first time that I was scared of the language barrier. This first night made for an interesting first impression of Paris. Luckily, that impression changed the next day.

Our first full day in Paris was a Sunday, so we attended the Paris ward. They often have visitors, so the missionaries provide an English translation through headsets. Before getting to my row they ran out of headsets though, so a few of the other girls and I listened to the whole first hour of church (Combined Priesthood and Relief Society) in French. It was a great experience despite the language barrier because I had to listen by the Spirit. We were tired though from our travels and listening in a language you do not understand can only keep you interested for so long, so the second and third hours we went into a separate room where the English translation was playing over the surround sound. It was beautiful though to recognize how the gospel and the church are multi-lingual and multi-cultural; they are essential for everyone in the world.

After church we went to Notre Dame, toured the cathedral, and climbed the tower. It was absolutely beautiful! It felt completely surreal to be there. Multiple times on this trip I have tried to make where I am seem real by repeating things like, “I’m standing at the base of Notre Dame.” It helps a little, but this whole experience is so surreal. I feel so lucky to be here!

Sunday afternoon we also toured Sainte Chapelle and saw the incredible stained glass windows, ate sorbet on the shores of the Sienne, and walked through the Luxemburg gardens. I especially loved the fountain with the sailboats at the Luxemburg gardens. I could have sat there for hours watching the adorable children run around the fountain and push the sailboats. Plus, the weather was perfect! For dinner we had our first crepes. I had a egg-cheese crepe and a Nutella-banana crepe. Yum! We finished off the night with a walk along the bridge by Notre Dame at sunset. A wonderful first day in Paris!

Day two in Paris was also wonderful, but slightly overwhelming. We started out our morning at the Pantheon and then headed to Louvre. I absolutely loved architectural wonder of the Pantheon, but the Louvre overwhelmed me. It was so big with so much to see. On a positive note, I saw the Mona Lisa. From the Louvre we walked down the famous Avenue Des Champs Elysees. Thanks to some really good advice, I had to stop at the famous La Duree bakery and buy some expensive, but delicious macaroons. At the end of the Avenue Des Champs Elysees we finally reached the Arc de Triomphe. It was incredible to be there and the view from the top was spectacular. To finish off the night we went to the Eiffel Tower, watched the sunset, and watched it light up and sparkle. Once again, it was so surreal and beautiful that someone almost needed to pinch me. By the way, sorry to disappoint some of you dreamers, but there was no kissing done at the Eiffel tower – at least by me. I witnessed plenty of it though!

Day three in Paris we had a business visit with Mercer in the morning. It was very interesting to learn about the French business culture and the mandatory vacation weeks. It made me wonder how any company could survive there. The rest of our day and evening was spent in Versailles. I loved Versailles! The chateau was so extravagant and the Marie Antoinette village was an extreme contrast; both very beautiful, but completely different lifestyles. My favorite part of Versailles though was the gardens. They were so expansive and incredible that I could hardly believe it.

Our last day in Paris began with a much needed visit to the Laundromat. This process was a lot more difficult than expected, but I laughed through the whole thing. We got directions from the front desk at our hotel and started on our way. The directions led us to a clothing store. I laughed thinking that through the language barrier they may have misunderstood that we wanted to wash our clothes, not buy clothes. After wandering up and down that street we found a dry cleaner and once again had thoughts about the problems involved with a language barrier. After a quick prayer I turned the next corner and found the Laundromat. Then the laughter continued again as we tried to follow the directions in French. Anyway, it all worked out in the end.

That afternoon we had a business visit with Brinks. It was really interesting and I loved learning about their different business development models. We quickly changed from our business clothes to our street clothes and headed back to the Eiffel Tower. This time, we were going to climb it! After a few hundred steps and a cramped elevator ride, we finally made it to the top. Again, my surreal feeling returned and I was overcome with gratitude. Following the Eiffel Tower we took a boat tour of the Sienne with our entire group. To finish off our last night in Paris we bought a ridiculously overpriced crepe by the Eiffel Tower. It was by far the best crepe I had in Paris though – Nutella, strawberries, and whipped creme. We ate our crepes and watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 10. Then we hurried and caught the underground towards Sacre Coure (the dome on the hill). After passing through a really sketchy part of town and realizing how grateful I was to have overprotective guys with me, we made it just in time to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle again at 11. It was a wonderful end to a great adventure in Paris!

Amsterdam: The City of Bikes

When I first thought of Amsterdam my mind immediately went to the canals and the architecture. Little did I know that I would leave simply amazed at the number of bikes.

We left London and drove down to the white cliffs of Dover. They were spectacular! From there we caught a ferry across the English Channel. Once we hit the mainland my cultural experience hit a new level. For the first time, I couldn’t speak the language or read the signs. I was so excited though! This is going to be one heck of a learning experience. Fortunately, most of the people speak English and they often have the English translation on signs and pamphlets.

After a long bus ride from France through Belgium and on to the Netherlands, we arrived in Amsterdam. Fortunately for me the bus rides don’t seem very long because the bus is always so entertaining. It was pretty late when we got there, so we quickly grabbed some dinner at the little Italian restaurant down the street from our hotel and headed to bed. We definitely didn’t want to be out too late in Amsterdam and we knew we had an early business visit in the morning.

Our business visit was to FloraHolland. It is the flower auction that Holland is so famous for. It was way cool to see and I left amazed at the logistics. I honestly don’t know how they do it! Plus, I really loved the flowers.

Our bus driver dropped us off at the central station of Amsterdam. From there we walked down into the Red Light District. It was an eye opening experience during the day, but I hate imagining what it turns into at night. What a sad life. It made me incredibly grateful for the life I have.

We walked through some very beautiful cathedrals and then ventured through the city. We took a break to get our next McFlurry…Rolo! It was so good! After a few hours of wandering, we started back in the direction we thought was the Anne Frank house. Little did we know that we were walking in entirely the wrong direction. That was our first funny, lost experience and I’m sure there will be more to come.

We finally made it to the Anne Frank house and had a really good experience. It was interesting to walk through the house she hid in for so many years. I cannot imagine living in those conditions of constant fear. It made me want to go back and read her diary again. I also left with a renewed desire to never let such horrible discrimination happen again.

After the Anne Frank house we went down to the Van Gough Museum. I actually really liked this museum. I have a new found appreciation for Van Gough. I especially loved his paintings of landscapes. There were also paintings from artists who influenced him. I really liked the Monet paintings.

For dinner we ate at the Hard Rock Café. It was nice to eat a hearty American meal and to be loud. I didn’t have to worry about all of us being loud and obnoxious Americans – which is especially easy to do when you have a group of college students together. And my food was wonderful! I had a delicious barbeque pulled pork sandwich.

After dinner we went on a sunset canal tour, which was really awesome! The tour gave us a good overview of the city and I really loved seeing all of the bridges lit up. It made for a good end of our trip to Amsterdam.

London Love

I love London! It seriously was such a fun few days. I can’t wait to go back!

We left Preston in the morning and drove to Birmingham. I was sad to leave Preston but my excitement about London was almost killing me. On our way we stopped In Birmingham at Cadbury World. The chocolate was incredible! We had tons of fun eating our sample cups of chocolate, writing our names in chocolate, and buying chocolate to bring home with us.

From Birmingham we drove the rest of the way to London. We were happy to learn that our hotel was only one block from a tube stop, so after dropping off our luggage in our rooms we immediately headed off for our first evening in London.

We hopped on the tube and off we went. I absolutely love the tube! It was so efficient and fun to experience locals and tourists alike. It was also really nice because Chad knew exactly how to get us where we needed to go. I’d tell him where I wanted to go and he would get us there. We never got lost!

Our first stop was Trafalgar Square. I loved it! You couldn’t help but imagine yourself in all of the movies that are filmed there. What was also really cool was the sign counting down to the 2012 Olympics in London.

From Trafalgar Square we walked down to Buckingham Palace. Our walk took us through the very beautiful St. Andrews Park. The moments leading up to and during Buckingham Palace were so surreal. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. I was standing in front of Buckingham Palace! What made it even more fun was knowing that I had watched “the kiss” happen there only weeks before. Yay for Will and Kate! We had tons of fun there and laughed so hard trying to take a jumping picture.

We decided to thoroughly enjoy being in “the most diverse city in the world.”So, after a yummy dinner in Chinatown, we caught the tube to Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. By now it was dark outside, but it was so incredible and surreal to be standing on a bridge over the Thames staring up into the night at Big Ben. And then to walk around the corner to Westminster was amazing! I cannot even explain how blessed I felt to have the opportunity to be there. I definitely soaked it all in.

Day two in London started with a lecture by Ron Judd. Ron is an expat working in London. I loved his lecture! He talked about how each of us is a brand and we need to be aware of it with its associated strengths and weaknesses. He also counseled us on priorities and how we must constantly evaluate them.

Before our second business visit of that day we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was my favorite thing we did while in London. The interior was absolutely incredible and climbing the dome and looking out on the city of London was unreal. The crypts below were also very intriguing. I would definitely recommend St. Paul’s Cathedral to anyone visiting London. It was worth every pound!

Our second business visit in London was to the Bank of England. It was interesting to make comparisons between the Bank of England and the U.S. Federal Reserve. After the Bank of England we spent a few hours in the National Art Gallery. I really loved some of the paintings, but there were also some very strange works of art.

For dinner we went to a pub where I proceeded to have the classic fish and chips that England is so famous for. They were fine, but compared to the other meals I had eaten I was slightly disappointed. Oh well, I can say I ate fish and chips in London.

To finish off night two, we went and saw Les Miserables. It was incredible! We got tickets for only twenty pounds, so we didn’t exactly have the best seats, but it was still amazing. I had forgotten how much I loved that music. Before heading back to the hotel we stopped at McDonalds for ice cream. Last year’s group told us we had to try McFlurry’s in every country because they have flavors that we don’t get in the U.S. They were right! I absolutely loved by Cadbury Carmel shake! Great end to a great day!

My last day in London started out with a bike ride through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. They were so beautiful and it was fun to be on a bike in London. From there we caught the tube to the Tower of London. I actually really enjoyed the Tower of London! Our tour guide was hilarious and then exploring after was way fun. My favorite part was the crown jewels though! I’m a girl. I can’t help it. They put you on a flat escalator to look at all of the jewels, but give you the opportunity to walk around and ride again. I probably rode it three or four times. I was so enthralled! And then we walked down from the Tower of London and took pictures at Tower Bridge. We actually got to see them raise the bridge to let a boat through, which was way cool.

From there we went to the British Museum where I saw the Rosetta Stone, lots of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, and Egyptian artifacts and mummies. Way cool! We could have spent many more hours there, but I wanted to see Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey during the daylight. That is where we headed next. In true London fashion, we caught the tube and then stepped out into the pouring rain. Worth it though! I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved seeing those sites again.

For dinner we continued our quest to explore “the most diverse city in the world.” We ate at an Indian restaurant. I actually really liked it. I had a lamb curry, which was pretty good. It’s not food I could eat every day, but every once and awhile would be great. You should all be proud though! While in London I have really branched out with foods I had never eaten before. I’ve had a bite of my friend’s duck and then ate lamb – not to mention that I ate Indian food! Awesome!

We had extra money left on our tube passes, so we decided to finish off London with a trip to Kings Cross and Platform 9 ¾. So great!

London was absolutely amazing! And like I said before, I can’t wait to go back! Next stop…Amsterdam.

Preston: Saints, Sites, and So much fun

Saturday we left Edinburgh and drove to Preston. The drive was so beautiful! I loved the rolling green hills, the cute little lambs, the stone fences, and the quaint cottages. It was so fun to get to the Preston temple grounds though. We are staying in the temple patron housing, so we are literally living on the temple grounds. The MTC is right across from us and the stake center and temple are just up the hill. The grounds are absolutely incredible! It is so green and I was in awe walking around.

Our first adventure here was to do baptisms at the Preston Temple. The temple is absolutely beautiful – inside and out. It was such a humbling experience as I sat there and thought about how many people sacrificed so much to bring the gospel to the United Kingdom, how many people sacrificed all that they had to follow the prophet and move to America, and how many people continue to sacrifice today for the gospel. How grateful I am for their example of faith and courage.

After the temple we had some free time, so we took a frisbee down to the MTC field and played a game of ultimate frisbee. It was so fun! So many hilarious things happened and it was definitely a good bonding experience.

Later that evening I was fortunate enough to get to see President and Sister Bullock. They are currently serving as mission presidents in the England Manchester Mission and I am really good friends with their children. They were so sweet to make the drive to visit me! I was so happy meeting up with them worked out and it was wonderful to finally meet President Bullock in person. What wonderful people! Their missionaries are so lucky to have two such wonderful leaders and it is easy to see why their children are so great.

The night ended with a rousing few games of mafia. Once again, some great bonding time. I honestly feel like we are already becoming the best of friends and this was only day three of our five weeks. It can only get better from here.

Today we attended the Corley 2^nd ward and had a great experience. The members were so welcoming! I loved talking with them. In fact, the best idea I had all day was to separate from the big groups of students and mingle with the ward. I wanted to get a better feel for what the saints in England are like. I can easily say that I was highly impressed.

A few of the ward members were so wonderful that they spent their entire day showing us around to the church history sites. Some of the sites we saw were market square (where some of the first preaching happened), Wilford street lodging (where the famous incident of the evil spirits with Heber C. Kimball happened), President Hinckley’s flat (where he received the letter of “forget yourself and go to work”), the River Ribble (where the first saints in England were baptized), Pendle Hill (where it is believed that the ancient prophets dedicated the land), and the cities Chatburn and Downham (where many of the early saints were baptized). It was so wonderful. The spirit was so strong as we visited these places. I especially loved the view of Pendle Hill from the city of Downham. The experiences today were priceless and the tender feelings of the Spirit are unforgettable. I feel so blessed to be here.

Off to Birmingham and London tomorrow!

A Walk to Remember: Edinburgh Royal Mile

I’m in Europe and it seems so surreal! I’ll let you know when it finally sets in. I keep saying it out loud, hoping that it will finally seem real, but it hasn’t quite yet.

Everything went well with my flights. We had about a 45 minute delay in Salt Lake on our stifling hot plane because something was wrong with our engine valve. After they got it fixed we made it safely to Minneapolis and quickly hurried to our next flight. Instead of a couple of hours for a layover, we had minutes, but it was alright and we were on our way to Amsterdam.

I was afraid this flight to Amsterdam would be terrible because it was so long (And I know a lot of you are thinking it’s not a long flight because you’ve been on 14 hour flights, but when the longest flight I’ve only ever flown was 5 hours, 8 and a half seems like an eternity). It ended up being just fine though. The group I flew with was lots of fun! I watched 2 movies, ate my dinner, and tried to get some sleep. My plane food was actually pretty good. My hunger may have contributed, but I was pleasantly surprised about the food after hearing bad reviews from others about “nasty airplane food.” It was also nice because unlike some of my group members, I went straight to sleep and slept comfortably until the pilot announced on the intercom that we were approaching Amsterdam. This was definitely helpful in adjusting to the time change.

Our final flight was from Amsterdam to Edinburgh. I was so happy to finally get here! Edinburgh is beautiful! Windy, but beautiful. Professor Kimball had planned a tour for us on the Royal Yacht Britannia to keep us awake. That was really fun and thoroughly impressive. I especially loved the formal dining hall where the Queen hosted many foreign dignitaries.

At that point we were all pretty exhausted, so we ate dinner at a pub near our hotel, walked out to the lighthouse right behind our hotel, and headed to bed. I slept wonderfully and only woke up once in the night. Unlike some of the others in my group, I made myself go back to sleep. It has helped a lot today because I’m almost adjusted to the time change.

Our second day in Edinburgh began with a tour of Scottish Microelectronics. It was really cool to see their clean rooms and hear about how they filter the rooms to allow the microchips to be developed in a completely sterile environment. Between this business visit and our next we had a few hours on the Royal Mile. We walked down to the Elephant House, which is best known as “The Birthplace of Harry Potter.” It is here where J.K. Rowling began to write the Harry Potter books. Really cool! We walked through a beautiful cathedral on the royal mile and then down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (where the Queen stays for part of her summer). Our second business visit was through the Scottish Parliament. It is a very modern, unique building with very special architectural features. It was interesting to learn about how the Scottish government works and the symbolism behind the architecture. My favorite part of this visit was seeing how open the Scottish government is to the public. The public is welcome to any meeting of their congress and all of the meetings are filmed and posted online for later viewing. Very cool!

After the Scottish Parliament we walked up the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle. My first castle! It was so cool! I loved the history of the castle that the tour guide told us about. It was interesting to learn about the dynamics between Scotland and England over the centuries. That would definitely be an interesting history to study more fully. I loved walking around and seeing all of the levels. The crown jewels of Scotland were in one of the museums in the castle and that was really cool to see. We also saw where American prisoners of war were kept during the “American War of Independence” (aka. The Revolutionary War). I loved seeing how the war is viewed from the British perspective. I loved the castle so much and it gave us incredible views of Edinburgh.

We walked around the city a little more and ate at a really incredible Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant before catching a bus back to our hotel. To finish off the night we walked along the shore of the Firth of Forth. I touched the North Sea! Anyway, Edinburgh has been great! Unfortunately I only heard bagpipes once, but the city was beautiful enough to make up for it.

We head to Preston tomorrow and I can’t wait! Hopefully I can find better internet there and I'll upload some pictures.