London Town

We have had a few foggy days in London town over the past 2 weeks, but there have been beautiful ones as well. We take a coach to Bath tomorrow, and although London has been amazing, I am excited to downsize cities.

There is so much to do in London! It has been a bit of a challenge in fact to manage my time in a way that allows me to do and see everything that seems important. In the end, I decided to focus on enjoying my time here versus feeling pressured to see everything. Not to mention that I do study occasionally, and that takes up some time as well. :o)

One of my favorite things about London is that we were able to unpack our suitcases because we have been living in flats (apartments). There is something about the simple act of hanging up your clothes that makes you feel more at home. Here are some events that I have enjoyed while in London:

* Seeing The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater- the very theater where the musical was first performed.

* Taking a river cruise on the Thames

* Attending a performance of Shakespeare's King Lear at The Globe Theater- We were there on its opening night for the season (which happened to be Shakespeare's birthday as well).

* Attending Henry IV Part 2 at The Round House theater

* Having a picnic with friends in Hyde Park

* Shopping at Camden market and bartering for clothes

* Visiting Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and many other sites.

* Attending church at Holy Trinity Brompton- it was so nice to be in church. I have been traveling on most Sundays so church is an exciting event.

One of my very favorite times was just this past weekend when I went to visit my friend Robert in Germany- see my next post for all the details.

Cheers!

The Luck of the Irish

The phrase "the luck of the Irish" has taken on new meaning for me as I have found the Irish countryside to be one of the most enchanting places that I have ever visited.

Dingle, Ireland is perhaps my favorite spot so far. It might be a tie between Dingle and Edinburgh. Somehow, we managed to visit Dingle during a week of incredibly rare, warm weather. The last two days were absolutely gorgeous- perfect weather for exploring a coastal town full of ancient ruins and rolling countryside.









On Monday, our first full day, our tour guide took us on a 6 hour tour all around the Dingle peninsula (Slea Head Drive and Connor Pass) to the major, must-see spots. I believe that I said my fair share of prayers as our happy-go-lucky, Irish guide swung around the corners of the very narrow road in our massive tour van, with sheer cliffs dropping into the ocean right outside my window. He didn't seem the least bit nervous to drive at such a speed, dodging other cars, sheep and even dogs, but the rest of us were gripping our seats at several points throughout the ordeal.










Other than serving to further solidify my relationship with my Maker, the sights of the tour were spectacular. The Dingle peninsula is home to several, ancient ruins from early Christian times- it was amazing to see. The Galarus Oratory- the ruins of an early Christian church- is the oldest Christian relic in Europe. We also stopped at Kilmarkedar Church which is one of the most important Christian sites on the Dingle peninsula as it houses a 6th
century stone carved with the Latin alphabet. Outside of the church is a graveyard, and Ireland's first clock- a sundial.

Yesterday was my favorite day of the entire trip thus far. Immediately following morning class, three other girls and I rented bikes and set off along the waterfront peninsula that we had toured the day before. The weather was perfect- not too hot, but not too cold- and as we had about 6 hours, we took our time stopping at several spots for rest, lunch or just sightseeing. It felt so good to be active after about a month of travel, and we estimated that we rode somewhere in-between 10-12 miles total. Although Kelsey and Sarah ended up riding much further than my friend Taylor and I (about 31.5 miles!), the sore muscles that I have today indicate that I did about as much as I should have.

The best parts of the bike ride were definitely our lunch spot- a secluded, grassy ridge over-looking the ocean, and the little, country church that Taylor and I stopped in on the way home for some silent prayer and reflection.

Early tomorrow morning, we are driving about 2 hours north to Shannon airport and then flying to London where we will be staying for over 2 weeks. More updates to come!











Pictures: Spring lambs/ The country church/ Our bike ride view

Beatlemania and Dublin

Hello again!

Since my last update, we have once again traveled from city to country. Following the Lake District, we drove down to Liverpool for one night in order to pay tribute to the Beatles, and then flew out of Liverpool to Dublin the next morning. After spending five days in Dublin, we drove across the country (6 hours) to the countryside village of Dingle on the western coast of Ireland.

Liverpool was a much bigger city than I had imagined, and a bit run down as well. It is currently undergoing improvements, however, as it was named this year's European capital of culture, and was therefore given funds to renovate. I've never been a huge Beatles fan, but I enjoy their music, so it was fun to explore the Beatles museum- mostly because it is interesting how famous they were able to become. Liverpool is definitely proud of their rock and roll heritage, and the city is decorated with monuments to the Beatles.

We stayed in apartments while in Dublin which turned out to be the best possible arrangement because of how expensive the city is. It was unreal how much money even a simple meal cost, so it was nice to be able to buy groceries, and save some money. Dublin was much different than I had anticipated. I was a bit disappointed at first because it just felt like any other large, multi-cultural, metropolitan city. In fact, there were so many foreigners in Dublin that it was hard to find the Irish! I later found out that there has been tremendous immigration into Dublin ever since Ireland joined the European Union two years ago.

One of my favorite nights in Dublin was when I went to visit Liberty Community Church- the church that my Portland pastor- Bob Mihuc- used to pastor. It was so fun to meet people that know and love my pastor and his family. Two girls from my trip went with me for the Wednesday night service, but it ended up being cancelled so we chatted with those that were there for worship practice, etc... Mostly, it was just nice to be in a Christian community, hear their stories and fellowship.

Other highlights of Dublin were the shopping, visiting the Yeats museum, and admiring the architecture. Here are some of my tourist pics:

The rogue poet- Oscar Wilde and Trinity College

As you may be wondering, I am in fact in Dingle, Ireland now. There is simply too much to write for today, however, so I will cover the beauty that is Dingle in my next post. Cheers!

From City to Country

On Monday we left the city streets of Edinburgh and traveled by coach (bus) 3 hours south to the Lake District of Northern England. The prospect of almost a whole week in the country was a bit daunting at first, having just left fast-paced city life, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself by the second day. I didn't realize that I needed to slow down until I was forced to do so, and I have especially appreciated having time for solitude and prayer.











On our last night in Edinburgh, some of my friends and I celebrated my 22nd birthday with a night on the town. Kelsey and Katherine treated me to dinner and dessert, and then we finished up the night with a game of pool.










The youth hostel (see pic) where we are staying is an old mansion where the Romantic poet Samuel Coleridge once stayed. The mansion overlooks Derwentwater Lake and is surrounded by beautiful forest, pastures, and waterfalls- one waterfall is actually outside our dining room window. The scenery is breathtaking. Wordworth, another Romantic poet, actually grew up in the Lake District so it has been fun to read his poems describing the surrounding lakes and hillsides.

Our hostel is just 3 miles outside of the quaint, tourist destination of Keswick (see picture), so on nice days we often walk into town, and the nasty ones we take the bus. Yesterday we walked about 2 miles the other direction from our hostel to the tiny English village of Grange. I've never seen such beautiful landscape or such a pastorally perfect town. We had tea at Grange Bridge Cottage (see picture)- a family run restaurant/cafe, and spent some time reading. It was lovely.

We leave the Lake District on Sunday and head for Dublin. It will be fun to be in the city again, but for now I am enjoying my time in the country. The main thing that God has been teaching me this week is how to be comfortable being myself when those around me live differently- this is something that I have had to re-learn. Also, I am discovering that I needed this time in Britain to not only reconnect with God, but to rest up a little, and allow Him to revive me spiritually. Dr. Chaney once told my sister Erin that every 7 years, farmers let their fields rest so that can absorb needed nutrients for future harvests. The same is true for us spiritually- we often need a time of rest where we are not actively engaged in ministry, but simply take time to remember our relationship with God as it is the source of our strength. I have realized that it is time for me to be a fallow field for awhile, and I have been amazed by God's faithfulness in blessing my time of spiritual rest.

Here are some more pictures of the Lake District: