David, Gelato Waffles, and a Thunder Storm

Today was our last day in Firenze with Amanda, and we certainly made the most of it. We went for an early morning coffee together before Amanda's class, then waited in line together at the Academia--where we got to see Michaelangelo's incredible David sculpture. Pictures are forbidden, but I do have photos of the "fake" David; they make copies of all the sculptures that were in front of the Piazza Signorio and moved the originals inside to keep them well-restored. I had no idea how large all of these sculptures were, but it is truly remarkable to see them in real life.

After the Academica, Amanda had to head off to class, so Jenny and I wandered into a bookstore for a bit and then met Amanda for lunch at the Oil Shoppe--a tiny but popular (and delicious) sandwich joint down a random side street. It was filled with study abroad students, likely because of the 5 Euro meal deal. A bit of a long wait, but it was well worth it!

We took a post-lunch rest and I helped Amanda figure out her SLR camera that she has been using very well despite the language being set to Italian. All is well now; we changed the language to English and I taught her how to adjust all the settings. We are excited for future photo adventures!

Amanda then had to go to class, so Jenny and I headed to the Pitti Palace gardens, but decided not to go in after learning it would cost 10 Euro to go in. Bummer. We happily wandered around Florence instead, and found converters for our UK cell phones (which were dead) and checked out the leather market--which smells divine.

Once Amanda was finished, we went for Gelato Waffles at "Hani's bar"(where we've now eaten three times since being here: lunch, breakfast, and dessert), then came back to rest before a lovely dinner at Dante's (also owned by Hani). We had a delicious meal with free wine! Cheers for being a student.

Following dinner, we stopped by the Be Bop's Beatles Night, then ran around the city for a little while and took some fun pictures. I cannot wait to share these moments with you!

We are waking up early tomorrow to have coffee together before Jenny and I set off for Venice. Will keep you posted!

Love,
lvp

"This is NOT Sparta!" -Amanda at 1:51 am.

We spent our last day in Rome at the Piazza del Popollo, and enjoyed a relaxing walk along the street amidst all the palm-Sunday churchgoers.

After slight difficulty finding our platform, we got on the train to Florence. On the way, Jenny and I met and talked with a lovely Portugese girl named Ana. She told us when we got off the train that the 4-hour  trip would not have been fun without us! I absolutely love the trains in Europe...you see such beautiful landscape and meet such interesting people.

We finally arrived safely in Florence and were greeted heartily by Amanda. Enjoyed a lovely little Italian meal in the Piazza del Republica before coming back to Amanda's charming apartment and celebrating her roommate's birthday! 

Now? Sleep. More adventures await us in the morning. Good night!

Love,

lvp

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Jenny and I had a wonderful second day exploring Rome!

Highlights: Spanish Steps, Keats & Shelley Memorial House, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon (which was, of course, in the process of being restored and had a huge scaffold in the front of it), two beautiful cathedrals that we happened upon, and seeing Amanda La Rocco! We are spending one more day in the eternal city, and catching a train to Florence later in the afternoon. Amanda is meeting us at the train station when we arrive and we will continue our Italia adventures in Firenze!

I am journaling every night, so I will try to give you all more details once I am back in London and have a good long sit down with my laptop.

Love,
lvp

Grazi, Uscita, y Via

Ladies and gents...

I have not time to waste telling you about this amazing city, but I will simply say that I nearly hyperventilated when I stepped out of the metro and was staring at the Colloseo. Jenny and I wandered around all day, and everywhere we walked, we found something else that was old, beautiful, and teeming with history.

Hoping to see Amanda tomorrow if we can find each other! Then Firenze-bound on Sunday for a sure-to-be-memorable several days with Amanda the Great in her "home," then onto Venizia. I can hardly contain my excitement! 

I took nearly 400 pictures. And I cannot wait to share them with you.

Also, to quote a friend,"You and your brother certainly have the gene that draws you to climb mountains and cross oceans." All that's left to say, I guess, is...thanks Mom and Dad!

Love,
lvp

Movin' Out

I have so much to say.

I have been writing blog posts in my head for days.

Unfortunately, I have not had a spare moment to sit down at the computer and actually type these poetic mind rants down. And, at the moment, I am taking a break from registering for classes, skyping with people, packing, and making last minute trip plans to tell you that the last week has been one of the most amazing weeks since my time here!

I have learned so much about myself over the past week, and have made some life-changing personal decisions that you are more than welcome to ask me about. I have met some of the most amazing people and have experienced British culture at its finest.

And tomorrow morning, I am off for a week in Italy with Jenny and Amanda. I have to pack first, I suppose. The trouble is, I have to also pack for the following week, during which I will be in Belfast, Ireland for Chris & Fiona's wedding! I am not traveling with my computer, but I will try to post updates when I find internet access. Expect loads of photos when I return from break, though!

Love,
lvp

You mess me around.

When your day begins with "Build Me Up Buttercup" playing on repeat in your brain, you know it's going to be a good day.

I left today unscheduled so I could work on my 19th Century "close reading" assessment. Katie and I met at a new favorite spot of ours: Foodie. It's an adorable, quaint restaurant owned by Jo, Justin, and baby Erin. Krista, Katie and I happened upon it one morning when we were looking for a quiet place to have an early lunch, and it was the perfect find. In thinking of a distraction-free environment in which to write my paper, Foodie was the sensible option. So Katie and I met there this afternoon...and were pleasantly surprised to find that Krista and her mom, who is visiting this week, had the same brilliant idea!

Katie and I worked diligently for several hours until closing, and then meandered downstairs to pay and say goodbye. We talked with Jo and played with Erin for a few minutes, and amidst our conversation, discovered that Jo and her family also attend Hillsong London in Surrey! Jo encouraged us to find a way to come to the Colour Conference, and we told her about Passion. God is moving in mighty ways here. It is amazing to be a part of it all and to watch it unfold.

I'm heading out now to have dinner at Wagamama with the peeps, Jeff, and Jeff's family (who are also visiting this week). Then we'll probably head to the pub for a bit before we go our separate ways this weekend. Katie and Krista are headed to Scotland, and Erin and I are going to Sussex! I'm sure there will be lots of pictures to show you on Sunday.

Have an incredible weekend, dear reader.

Love,
lvp

[Re]cycled Conversations and Glimpses of Spring

Today was a good day.

>>My alarm went off at 8 am. I half-consciously hit the snooze button over and over again until 9:30.

>>I showered. I blogged. I made a delicious sandwich.

>>I soaked in the sunshine and delightful weather on my walk to campus.

>>Class went by fairly quickly. Despite my love for this module (19th Century English Novel) and the teacher, I was having a difficult time staying awake, so the fast pace was a good thing.

>>Katie and I spontaneously decided to wander into Surbiton for some coffee and a chat.

To end my day, I should be finishing up a paper I have due tomorrow. But blogging just sounds like a better idea. So here I am. Talking to you, yet again...for the second time today. To quote a dear friend, "Procrastination is the devil."

I regret that I forgot to mention, in my previous post, another upcoming event to which I am looking forward in April. Sarah and I are going to see two Royal Opera Ballet performances: La Fille mal gardée and Cinderella. Pure bliss.

And now I will leave you with a passage that describes, to a blossomed extent, how I felt this morning upon waking and seeing the sun...

On that first morning when the sky was blue again, Mary wakened very early. The sun was pouring in slanting rays through the blinds and there was something so joyous in the sight of it that she jumped out of bed and ran to the window. She drew up the blinds and opened the window itself, and a great waft of fresh, scented air blew in upon her. The moor was blue and the whole world looked if something Magic had happened to it. There were tender little fluting sounds here and there and everywhere, as if scores of birds were beginning to tune up for a concert. Mary put her hand out of the window and held it in the sun. 'It's warm--warm!' she said.*

I actually said that this morning...although by "warm," I mean 50 degrees.

Love,
lvp

*extract from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Bigger than my body gives me credit for...

I have so much to look forward to in the coming days, weeks, and months. I know what you're thinking: "Of course you do; you're in Europe." But some of what is coming up is better than I could ever have imagined.

On Friday, I am going to a pig farm resort (yes, that is an oxymoron) with the young adults from Hillsong, where I will be fellowshipping with some amazing people, worshiping my awesome God, and hopefully capturing these moments on camera. I know that there will be a bonfire (and Erin and I are going to teach these Brits about s'mores), games, mud, torches, beach party (in honor of the long winter), and a hot tub. Expect an update with lots of images!

I get back from that adventure on Sunday night, and have three days to get my life in order before I head out on Thursday, 25 March, for Italia! Jenny is flying out from Dublin and meeting me in Rome where we will spend a couple of days and hopefully see Amanda who will be there with her class. Then we're heading up to Florence to visit Amanda in her new home and see all the amazing sites she's been sharing via Facebook photos. Then it's off to Venice for a day or two! We fly from Venice to London on 2 April.

On 3 April, Jenny and I are hopping on a plane again...Jenny will be returning "home," to Belfast, but I will be visiting for the first time! I'm spending the week there for Fiona's wedding, and can hardly contain my excitement. Also in attendance from the big USA will be Courtney, Natalie, and Rachel! So, so, so looking forward to seeing these people for such a wonderful occasion. 

I return to London on 10 April, and haven't exactly decided what I'm doing with my last week of break. I have some friends who will be in Paris, so I may meet up with them there. But I also have a lot of work to do, so I may try and be productive that week while also saving money. We'll just have to see! I am also debating whether or not to go to a Joshua Radin concert on 16 April in Oxford...

And then...eventually...14 and 15 May will be here. Passion. London. 2010. There are just. no. words.

I'm off out. Need to grab some food before I head to class. Thanks for listening! 

Love,

lvp

E.M.J.

Happy twenty-first birthday to my forever roomie, despite the ocean between us now and the unlikelihood of ever being roommates again. I love you, Emily, and I miss you something crazy. I know you're holding down the fort in our suite, though. Except for tonight. Go wild tonight, and have pictures to prove it.

The second best advice I ever got was from Tony Pierce.

And this is what he said:

"'now, if you were teaching creative writing,' he asked, 'what would you tell them?'

'I'd tell them to have an unhappy love affair, hemorrhoids, bad teeth and to drink cheap wine, to keep switching the head of their bed from wall to wall and then I'd tell them to have another unhappy love affair and never to use a silk typewriter ribbon, avoid family picnics or being photographed in a rose garden; read Hemingway only once, skip Faulkner, ignore Gogol, stare at photos of Gertrude Stein, and read Sherwood Anderson in bed while eating Ritz crackers, realize that people who keep talking about sexual liberation are more frightened than you are. 

listen to E. Power Biggs work the organ on your radio while you're rolling Bull Durham in the dark in a strange town with one day left on the rent after having given up friends, relatives and jobs. 

never consider yourself superior and/or fair and never try to be. 

have another unhappy love affair. 

watch a fly on a summer curtain. 

never try to succeed. 

don't shoot pool. 

be righteously angry when you find your car has a flat tire. 

take vitamins but don't lift weights or jog. 
then after all this reverse the procedure. 

have a good love affair. 

and the thing you might learn is that nobody knows anything---not the State, nor the mice, the garden hose or the North Star. 

and if you ever catch me teaching a creative writing class and you read this back to me I'll give you a straight A right up the pickle barrel.'" - bukowski

And then he said,

"keep writing baby."

So I did.

In the Land of Academia

Yesterday, we went to Oxford. And instead of conforming to the posh, elitist student image, we had a barbaric and uncivilized photo war. Here are the remains...from my eyes, anyway.

        

The end.

Love,

lvp

I love the miles between me and the city.

Several times, I have been asked the question "What is your favorite part about London so far?" And the longer I am here, the harder it is to answer that question.

One of my favorite parts about being in London is not being in London. I live in Kingston-upon-Thames, which is a suburb of London, and a 20-minute train ride outside of the city. I have been into Central London numerous times now, but I definitely enjoy having a calmer place to return to at the end of the day.

Another thing I love about being here is the history that surrounds me and seems to permeate every aspect of life. You cannot walk down the street without acknowledging that past of the River Thames or old cathedral. There is something remarkable about being a small part of a place so old; it makes history seem much closer and the future unclear. Who would have imagined 400 years ago what Kingston would look like today, in 2010? And even if they had imagined, how would they have possibly fathomed this swirling together of commerce, history, entertainment, and culture? Perhaps, though, it is fair to say that, although visually it is obviously much altered, conceptually, this town isn't a whole lot different than in was in the 1600s, 1400s, 1200s...

Visiting places like Westminster Abbey, Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Tower of London, you develop a sense of awe at the vastness of time. And you realize that you are merely a speck, a splotch of paint on a massive canvas, a single letter in a thousand page novel, one drop of rain in an all-day storm. And yet, no matter how small your part, it is a part nonetheless. Take it away and the painting is severely altered, the novel is misread, the storm is less impacting.

I want to be clay in the hands of my Creator.

Love,
lvp

Every morning, the sunrise says 'I'm madly in love with you.'

I was going to attempt to write about the sky. But instead, I think I will just show you.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Trafalgar Square

Camden Town

Thames Ditton

I don't know what you see in those paintings...but I see the image of grace, majesty, sovereignty, and omnipotence. And I am humbled in the presence of a God so big who loves so much.

Love,

lvp

The Wind in the Willows - An Allegory

"'O stop, stop,' cried the Mole in ecstasies: 'This is too much!'

'Do you really think so?' inquired the Rat seriously. 'It's only what I always take on these little excursions; and the other animals are always telling me that I'm a mean beast and cut it very fine!"

The Mole never heard a word he was saying. Absorbed in the new life he was entering upon, intoxicated with the sparkle, the ripple, the scents and the sounds and the sunlight, he trailed a paw in the water and dreamed long waking dreams..."

*

"'There's real life for you, embodied in that little cart. The open road, the dusty highway, the heath, the common, the hedgerows, the rolling downs! Camps, villages, towns, cities! Here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that's always changing!...'"

Another thing I love about the bus...

...is that, sometimes, you see the same people.


And you wonder what their story is.


And you wonder if they remember you from the last time.


And if they wonder what your story is.

Everything I once held dear, I count it all as lost.

The last week or so has been an absolute blur of events and activities. I could not possibly summarize all that has gone on since we last spoke, but I will attempt to update you on my recent growth and my current state of mind (which is, as usual, befuddled).

I am increasingly grateful for the people I have gotten to know during my time here. From the North Carolinian students I easily cliqued with to the amazing group of young people at church to the accepting friends of a friend, I am constantly overwhelmed, in the best possible way, by the individuals I am encountering. Meeting people in a place out of my comfort zone, in unfamiliar territory, was one of the aspects of being abroad that I was most looking forward to. And it has proved to be no disappointment. I wish that I had the ability to tell you how special and cherished each of these new friends are to me, but there simply isn't enough time. Just trust me when I tell you that, while those I am meeting here certainly don't replace the loved ones I left behind, they definitely make being away from home feel a little more like...well...home.

As much as I have discovered reasons why I love being here, especially at this time in my life, I was also harshly reminded, this week, of the realities of what it means to be an ocean away from family and friends. It is so difficult, in the face of tragedy, to merely be an onlooker who mourns and supports from afar. And yet, through the loss of a child, the compromised safety of a friend in Chile, the illness of a grandfather, the health complications of a friend, I am merely reminded of the tangible power of prayer. It is, perhaps, even when in the presence of these difficulties, the only thing that can really be done. And the greatest part about prayer is that the burden is no longer ours to carry; in this very act of sending requests to the Lord, He gently receives them and promises to fulfill His good work. I don't know about you, but I would much rather these trials be handled by a God whose love is bigger than all of it than to even think that little, tiny, insignificant I can take them on alone.

So, there you have it. For the second time in my life, I realized, treasured, and was thankful for the value of Home. This is not to say that I do not love my home, because I do. But I often get very caught up in exploring and getting away from what I know that I forget to appreciate what it is I am already blessed by. Rest assured, I am very aware of all that I have left behind in Jacksonville and in Charlotte. But I am also very aware of how important this time is to my growth and to my future. Learning the pain of being away and helpless from loved ones in a time of need is an inevitable life lesson, and perhaps I have encountered it earlier than others. In contrast, making lasting friendships with people who have had wholly different life experiences and cultural exposures than I have had is something that some people never encounter in their entire life.

I count myself richly, richly blessed to be here. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for those who have made and continue to make it possible.

Keep praying to our Mighty God, whose perfect love is casting out fear.

Love,
lvp