I survived! Well, granted, I still have to deal with ~24hrs worth of traveling tomorrow, but I made it through the trip, had a fabulous time, learned some really interesting things and met some great (and not so great) people. I also failed epically at German, but there's no surprise there!
I'll start with an update on how I spent my 22nd birthday on Thursday--it was pretty incredible, and no, it didn't involve any research! :) It started out with a panoramic train ride from Lucerne to Interlaken that was gorgeous. Still only the second most beautiful train ride I've been on (NOTHING beats the ride to the Isle of Skye), but just breathtaking. Snow covered Alps, crystal clear lakes, adorable chalets...it was like a fairy tale. And the weather even sort of cooperated! No blue sky at that low altitude, but at least I could SEE the mountains instead of just fog for once!
I dropped my things in Interlaken, then took another train, then a cable car, then another train to Murren, a little town perched across from three of the big peaks in that area, including the Eiger, which is my favorite. I saw an avalanche falling off of it, and you could hear it echoing through the valley--creepy, but amazing. But the best part of Murren was definitely that they had an outdoor skating rink! I'd been wanting to skate since I saw a rink in Geneva, so I finally talked myself into renting skates and giving it a go. The rental skates were almost unbearable--I've never had such an appreciation for my right inside edge until I tried this pair and they had no RI edge whatsoever--but hey, two foot glides are just fine when all you really want to do is stare at the mountains around you. The only "trick" I could do were ina bauers (happens to be my favorite move, but it really is just a glorified two foot glide!)which I happily proceeded to do in giant circles around the center of the rink so I could take in the panorama around me. :) Oh, yeah, and I may have done a butt spin or two (for you non-skaters, it's exactly what it sounds like, and kind of hilarious...) much to the amusement of the people watching. I really, REALLY wish I'd had my own skates so I could have at least done some spins or split jumps, but it was lots of fun even so. And now I have some motivation to drag my skates out when I get back to 'Gate!
Anyway, I had lunch in Murren, then headed slowly back down the mountain (stopping in the appropriate cute villages for pictures) to Interlaken, which I explored briefly (not much--mostly shopping, and I was so over souvenirs by that point) and then had a lovely fondue dinner by candlelight. I wasn't sure what to do after that, but the decision was made for me when I checked my email and found out my meeting in Lausanne the next day had been canceled, so I had to figure out what to do with a free day...hmmm...perhaps some more Alps?
I discovered that it was only two hours to Zermatt from Interlaken, and since I'd kind of really wanted to see the Matterhorn the entire trip, I decided I would head down there bright and early. You can imagine how delighted I was when I woke up to blue sky!! The train ride, as expected, was stunning (thank heavens for whoever invented panoramic train cars) and I will never forget walking out of the train station, turning around, and seeing the Matterhorn looming over me. It's unreal. And it got even better, because I took the train up, and up, and up again to a summit just across from it, where you can see it and 28 other huge peaks stretching out in all directions. Did I mention it was sunny? Just fantastic. I sacrificed my dignity a little (ok, a lot) because I'd left my snowboots in storage in Zurich with my big suitcase so I didn't have to haul it around on this trip, but I wasn't about to miss out on the view from above the train station, lack of traction or not! I may have nearly faceplanted and been rescued by an Asian tourist, but it was worth it. I was on top of the world.
The train trip down the mountain was nearly as memorable as the trip up it, though not for the views. I was sitting there, waiting for the train to leave, when something the size of a small horse stepped on my foot, then proceeded to put its head in my lap and drool everywhere. He was a St. Bernard (named Herbst--it amused me)and he was HUGE. I've seen others on this trip so I know they're huge, but seriously, his paws were significantly larger than my hands. No idea how tall he was, because he promptly passed out on my foot for the duration of the train ride (he would only wake up for a biscuit), but it was pretty exciting to get to pet him. He was so cute. His owner was kind of awkward...somehow we ended up talking about my research, which was interesting, but it was a very weird conversation. I was, needless to say, much more interested in the St. Bernard!
I finally made it back to Zurich late last night and did my final interview this morning. Then I went back to my favorite spot in Zurich (the Sprungli cafe on the Bahnhofstrasse--their hot chocolate is to die for, plus I got to sit in the furry chairs and people watch again)and came back to the hotel to pack everything up again. Somehow, it all fits--don't ask how. I didn't buy that much, but packing was still a challenge!
I can't decide if it feels like I've been here forever, or if I just arrived yesterday--a little bit of both, I think. Two weeks is about the perfect length of trip for me, since I've had enough time to adjust and get into a routine, but not enough time to get bored or exhausted. That said, I definitely want to come back to Switzerland someday. I wasn't sure, but somewhere on the way up the mountain from Interlaken, I started planning a return trip. I also realized that there are enough interesting religion issues here that I could write several books on the subject, so maybe more research trips are in my future...who knows!
I've been looking forward to my AMS project literally since I was accepted to Colgate, and it certainly lived up to my expectations. It's weird that it's over, but I suppose I'm going to be saying that a lot in the next few months....sigh. Back to 'Gate tomorrow for my last semester!
Thanks for reading, and if you're headed to Switzerland any time soon and want my expert opinion on food (or more relevant matters...), let me know! :)
Tchüss!
~L
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A Castle, a Library, and everything in between: Lausanne, Chillon, Stein-am-Rhein, and St. Gallen
So despite what it may seem, I really have been getting work done. Today in particular was really productive--I only had one meeting scheduled for the morning, but ended up talking with two additional people from the group I was visiting. However, it's not possible to do interviews 24hrs a day (especially when dealing with the Swiss, who apparently originated "bankers' hours"--pretty sure they work 10 to 4 with a 2 hour lunch). Which leaves me with a lot of free time on my hands....and believe me, that free time is far more interesting to read about than my research! If you want to hear about the research, come to my AMS presentation or read the article/book I write someday on the subject. :)
Anyway....what have I done in my free time lately? Well, on Monday I went to Lausanne for some meetings with university students, then caught a train out to Chillon, a castle on Lac Leman, in the "Swiss Riviera." Wine country, lake, Alps in the background (not that they were visible...the weather was dreadful. Made Edinburgh look like paradise)...I could live there. And I have to say, as much as the Swiss fail at cathedrals, they can do castles pretty well. I was really there for the view, but since the weather didn't cooperate, I was happy enough with how cool the castle was. I also had an hour or so in Lausanne between trains, so I saw the cathedral there and wandered around (read: got lost and decided it counted as exploring). Then it was back to Bern to pick up my luggage and on to Winterthur....
Winterthur is boring as far as cities go, but I had contacts here and it's not too far from Zurich. Yesterday I did my site visit to the mosque in the morning, which was a complete and utter failure. Suffice to say that it's in the industrial part of town, I was the only woman on the street, and I didn't exactly feel safe, so I fled back to the bus stop. Unless one of the people there gets back to me in the next couple of days, that's going to be as much of a visit as I can do. Oh well. I met with someone from an evangelical Christian church after that--very interesting--then decided I needed to get out of Winterthur for dinner, so I went to Stein-am-Rhein, a beautiful little medieval town to the northeast of Winterthur (and, as you might be able to tell, on the Rhine) for dinner. It was pretty, but I prefer York as far as medieval towns go, and since it's the off season not much was open. There were some art galleries that looked cool, but they were closed, so all that was really left were souvenir shops and candy stores. So I had to go shopping for chocolate. Darn...
Anyway, today was one of my best days as far as research goes, plus I got to see an awesome library when I was done. I was in Zurich this morning for meetings, then caught the train to St. Gallen, the main city in eastern Switzerland and site of a medieval monastery with a fantastic library that has been fairly well preserved. The book collection, that is--the physical building was redone completely in the 18th century. The library is PERFECT. I wouldn't change a thing (ok, the Latin inscriptions could be in Greek--that's all). Totally overdone and ornate. Right up my alley. Plus they had an 820 copy of the Rule of St. Benedict (yay HIST 333!) that made me happy, and lots of medieval liturgical music that was kind of cool. It's nice that I've finally studied enough medieval history to appreciate these instead of heading straight for the illuminated copy of Plato (ok, so I may have done that anyway, but at least I look at the medieval stuff too!). Unfortunately, next door to the library is one of the most garish cathedrals I have ever seen in my life (Baroque, but it has this awful mint green paint for a lot of the embellishments, and it's just generally tacky and ridiculous looking, like it should be in Vegas or something) which kind of ruins the effect of the abbey, but the rest of the town is cute and medieval. All the old parts of towns are sort of starting to look the same--the same shops, same architecture, inevitably centered around the same sort of cathedral. But St. Gallen was worth the trip just for that library! They're pretty obsessive about not allowing pictures, but if I could manage to sneak pictures in the Sistine Chapel, I could definitely manage it here, so there are a couple in the album. I loved it! Seriously, best library ever.
And with that, I'm off to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. Just me and the Alps. Ok, and a thousand other tourists, but there are worse places to be. :) Just a few days left now...hard to believe!
A bientot,
~L
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
Anyway....what have I done in my free time lately? Well, on Monday I went to Lausanne for some meetings with university students, then caught a train out to Chillon, a castle on Lac Leman, in the "Swiss Riviera." Wine country, lake, Alps in the background (not that they were visible...the weather was dreadful. Made Edinburgh look like paradise)...I could live there. And I have to say, as much as the Swiss fail at cathedrals, they can do castles pretty well. I was really there for the view, but since the weather didn't cooperate, I was happy enough with how cool the castle was. I also had an hour or so in Lausanne between trains, so I saw the cathedral there and wandered around (read: got lost and decided it counted as exploring). Then it was back to Bern to pick up my luggage and on to Winterthur....
Winterthur is boring as far as cities go, but I had contacts here and it's not too far from Zurich. Yesterday I did my site visit to the mosque in the morning, which was a complete and utter failure. Suffice to say that it's in the industrial part of town, I was the only woman on the street, and I didn't exactly feel safe, so I fled back to the bus stop. Unless one of the people there gets back to me in the next couple of days, that's going to be as much of a visit as I can do. Oh well. I met with someone from an evangelical Christian church after that--very interesting--then decided I needed to get out of Winterthur for dinner, so I went to Stein-am-Rhein, a beautiful little medieval town to the northeast of Winterthur (and, as you might be able to tell, on the Rhine) for dinner. It was pretty, but I prefer York as far as medieval towns go, and since it's the off season not much was open. There were some art galleries that looked cool, but they were closed, so all that was really left were souvenir shops and candy stores. So I had to go shopping for chocolate. Darn...
Anyway, today was one of my best days as far as research goes, plus I got to see an awesome library when I was done. I was in Zurich this morning for meetings, then caught the train to St. Gallen, the main city in eastern Switzerland and site of a medieval monastery with a fantastic library that has been fairly well preserved. The book collection, that is--the physical building was redone completely in the 18th century. The library is PERFECT. I wouldn't change a thing (ok, the Latin inscriptions could be in Greek--that's all). Totally overdone and ornate. Right up my alley. Plus they had an 820 copy of the Rule of St. Benedict (yay HIST 333!) that made me happy, and lots of medieval liturgical music that was kind of cool. It's nice that I've finally studied enough medieval history to appreciate these instead of heading straight for the illuminated copy of Plato (ok, so I may have done that anyway, but at least I look at the medieval stuff too!). Unfortunately, next door to the library is one of the most garish cathedrals I have ever seen in my life (Baroque, but it has this awful mint green paint for a lot of the embellishments, and it's just generally tacky and ridiculous looking, like it should be in Vegas or something) which kind of ruins the effect of the abbey, but the rest of the town is cute and medieval. All the old parts of towns are sort of starting to look the same--the same shops, same architecture, inevitably centered around the same sort of cathedral. But St. Gallen was worth the trip just for that library! They're pretty obsessive about not allowing pictures, but if I could manage to sneak pictures in the Sistine Chapel, I could definitely manage it here, so there are a couple in the album. I loved it! Seriously, best library ever.
And with that, I'm off to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. Just me and the Alps. Ok, and a thousand other tourists, but there are worse places to be. :) Just a few days left now...hard to believe!
A bientot,
~L
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Geneva, Annecy, and Bern
I would like to take this opportunity to make and announcement: I am officially DONE with grad school applications! FINALLY! If this doesn’t work out, I’ll go serve French fries somewhere… But yeah, they’re all in: Brown, UCSB, UChicago, BU, and Harvard. Now it’s out of my hands—scary!
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Geneva. On Thursday I spent most of the day at the Ecumenical Center, where various international non-profits have their headquarters (World Council of Churches, various European groups, etc.). That was a really good visit, though not exactly what I had anticipated. When I finished there, I rushed over to the Bodmer Library, which turned out to be the single biggest disappointment of the trip: the library itself is fabulous, but the papyri I wanted to see weren’t on display! The ones I wanted to see are the ones I had researched for Prof. Kalish last summer, and I’d been excited to see them on this trip literally since July. Alas, a temporary exhibition about medicine and literature took over the place until Jan. 30th. Guess I’ll just have to come back to Geneva someday. Darn.
Friday morning I did my mosque site visit, then late that afternoon I took the tram up one of the hills looking over Geneva. The view of the city was beautiful, but I’d been promised a view of Mont Blanc that was unfortunately obscured by trees! You’d think they’d have a tower or something, but no….oh well. I’ll get a perfect view of the Alps at some point before I leave Switzerland.
On Saturday I didn’t have anything scheduled in Geneva, so I took a quick trip to Annecy, France, because it’s only an hour away and kind of gorgeous. Getting there and getting home was traumatic—do NOT take buses in France. Ever—but miraculously I made it and really enjoyed the town. It helps that it was sunny and warm! There’s a beautiful promenade around the lake (where everyone walks their dogs—so cute! I met a St. Bernard named Henri and fell in love), and the best part of town is wandering along all the cute little streets and admiring the canals. It’s apparently called “Venice of Savoy” because of all the canals—I would add that it’s MUCH cleaner than the real Venice! You can see the bottom of said canals perfectly. It’s amazing. The castle was kind of lame, but it’s pretty from the outside at least. And, of course, since it’s France, the food was delightful. That’s really why I went. There’s nothing quite like eating a Nutella crepe and drinking hot chocolate outside at a café and people-watching. I also stocked up on pain au chocolat to take with me when I returned to my German exile Saturday night when I went to Bern…
Bern is where I am now. I haven’t done much today—I really needed a break, so I slept in, took a leisurely walk around the city, did some window shopping (everything is closed on Sundays—everything!), finally found a supermarket at the train station selling coffee and sandwiches, then came back to the hotel to get some work done. Not a very exciting day, but my feet were quite grateful for the break! Cobblestones and my ankles are a bad combination.
Tomorrow I’m off to Lausanne for a meeting (darn…have to go to Lausanne too…should probably see the cathedral while I’m there!) and if there’s time, there’s a castle on the lake nearby that I really want to see. Then I’m taking a late train to Winterthur for the next adventure.
It’s hard to believe the trip is only half over. It feels like I’ve been here forever! And school is a very, very long way away…except for the part where classes start a week from tomorrow. I’m just going to pretend that’s not the case…
Don’t forget to check out the pictures! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
A bientot,
~L
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Geneva. On Thursday I spent most of the day at the Ecumenical Center, where various international non-profits have their headquarters (World Council of Churches, various European groups, etc.). That was a really good visit, though not exactly what I had anticipated. When I finished there, I rushed over to the Bodmer Library, which turned out to be the single biggest disappointment of the trip: the library itself is fabulous, but the papyri I wanted to see weren’t on display! The ones I wanted to see are the ones I had researched for Prof. Kalish last summer, and I’d been excited to see them on this trip literally since July. Alas, a temporary exhibition about medicine and literature took over the place until Jan. 30th. Guess I’ll just have to come back to Geneva someday. Darn.
Friday morning I did my mosque site visit, then late that afternoon I took the tram up one of the hills looking over Geneva. The view of the city was beautiful, but I’d been promised a view of Mont Blanc that was unfortunately obscured by trees! You’d think they’d have a tower or something, but no….oh well. I’ll get a perfect view of the Alps at some point before I leave Switzerland.
On Saturday I didn’t have anything scheduled in Geneva, so I took a quick trip to Annecy, France, because it’s only an hour away and kind of gorgeous. Getting there and getting home was traumatic—do NOT take buses in France. Ever—but miraculously I made it and really enjoyed the town. It helps that it was sunny and warm! There’s a beautiful promenade around the lake (where everyone walks their dogs—so cute! I met a St. Bernard named Henri and fell in love), and the best part of town is wandering along all the cute little streets and admiring the canals. It’s apparently called “Venice of Savoy” because of all the canals—I would add that it’s MUCH cleaner than the real Venice! You can see the bottom of said canals perfectly. It’s amazing. The castle was kind of lame, but it’s pretty from the outside at least. And, of course, since it’s France, the food was delightful. That’s really why I went. There’s nothing quite like eating a Nutella crepe and drinking hot chocolate outside at a café and people-watching. I also stocked up on pain au chocolat to take with me when I returned to my German exile Saturday night when I went to Bern…
Bern is where I am now. I haven’t done much today—I really needed a break, so I slept in, took a leisurely walk around the city, did some window shopping (everything is closed on Sundays—everything!), finally found a supermarket at the train station selling coffee and sandwiches, then came back to the hotel to get some work done. Not a very exciting day, but my feet were quite grateful for the break! Cobblestones and my ankles are a bad combination.
Tomorrow I’m off to Lausanne for a meeting (darn…have to go to Lausanne too…should probably see the cathedral while I’m there!) and if there’s time, there’s a castle on the lake nearby that I really want to see. Then I’m taking a late train to Winterthur for the next adventure.
It’s hard to believe the trip is only half over. It feels like I’ve been here forever! And school is a very, very long way away…except for the part where classes start a week from tomorrow. I’m just going to pretend that’s not the case…
Don’t forget to check out the pictures! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
A bientot,
~L
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Zurich: So Many Clocks, So Little Time
Hello from Switzerland! Since I promised to keep a bunch of people updated on my various adventures, this seems to be the easiest way to do it. For those of you who don't know, I'm in Switzerland right now working on my AMS project on religious freedom as defined in relation to the minaret ban. That's the academic, official side that I'll probably be writing/thinking about for months, so rather than bore you with those details, I'll tell you a little about my other exploits...
The first thing I did upon arriving in Zurich (well, other than sleep for 12 hours) was naturally to find the tallest church tower around and climb it for a bird's eye view of the city. Shocking, right? It's not like I did that in every city possible last spring when I was abroad. In Zurich, this happens to be the Grossmünster. You may hear me refer to it as the "Gross Monster," not only because I enjoy butchering German, but also because it's just kind of a mess. Very Reformation-chic, ie boring. And Romanesque arches? Boring. Give me Gothic any day. Add in the hideous modern art stained glass and ridiculously rotund towers and you have a pretty dreadful church. Oh well. It did at least provide some nice views of Zurich (after I survived the crazy wooden staircase in the tower--if you think the stairs in Notre Dame de Paris or the Florence Duomo were bad, try these...), but it didn't exactly thrill me about Swiss architecture.
After that I did some more site visits to a two churches and a mosque with a minaret. The last visit was kind of hilarious, because one one side of the street is this itty bitty minaret, not something you would really notice (I missed it on the bus past it), and on the other side is a brand new, four story church tower that was clearly built in response (I looked it up. Hopefully I get to meet someone from the church, because I want the full story! Drama drama drama). That was the work part.
When I'd finished my site visits, I headed to the Bahnhoffstrasse, which is great for window-shopping (I repeat: WINDOW shopping) and people watching, and had hot chocolate at Sprungli, my new favorite cafe, not necessarily for their delicious chocolate, but more for the fact that they keep their sidewalk cafe open in the winter and just put little fur covers over the chairs so you can lounge outside in 35 degree weather and be just fine. Seriously, I want them.
On Tuesday my morning interview had to be pushed back, so since I had time to kill, I naturally headed for the art museum, the Kunsthaus. They happened to have a Picasso exhibition on, which was kind of amazing. I've never been a huge Picasso fan, but I found a period of his that I really liked, and just seeing that sort of range of his work was incredible. Very different from just seeing an isolated piece or two in a museum. What I was really there for, though, was the Impressionist collection (duh). Nothing like sitting by yourself in the middle of a room with three wall-sized Monet paintings of the lily pond for company.
I did the interview for the day, realized it was 2pm and I was bored, and reevaluated my schedule. I was close to the train station, so I thought, why not, I'll go ahead and take care of the site visit to Wangen bei Olten so I don't have to do it next week. Ten minutes later I was on a train out there, and it arrived just in time for me to catch the bus to the mosque. I love trains. They make life so much easier, and they're so frequent around here that I don't actually have to plan ahead. Which is good, because I've kind of been failing at that...
Wednesday morning I was off to Geneva and very grateful to escape German-speaking Switzerland for awhile. Sadly, the situations in which I've needed to use my German skills have involved far more than bier and wurst, so I was a little lost. Thank heavens for everyone speaking English. Coming back to French was a nice change though, particularly where food is concerned...the pastries are just better here.
The highlight of Geneva (and potentially the trip) has been fondue (I blame Eugene for suggesting it...thanks a lot!). Last night I turned in my BU application (finally!) and celebrated with fondue. I liked it so much I had it again tonight...yay Switzerland.
Oh, one other thing I did Wednesday after checking into the hotel. The International Museum of the Reformation is here, so naturally I had to visit. Two things: 1) I've never been to a more biased/proselytizing museum, and 2) Martin Luther's disembodied head should never appear in a mirror during a dramatization (seriously, it looked like the evil queen's head when she looks in the mirror in Snow White). Don't worry, my friends from HIST 333, Cooper and Mark will be getting charming postcards with some of the better Protestant propaganda on them. It was a hilarious follow up to that class, definitely worth a field trip.
Last geeky religion thing: the archeological site under the cathedral I visited is also kind of amazing. They've excavated various chapels and cathedrals on the site going back to the fourth century, as well as a pre-historic burial site of a local chieftain (which, ironically, is still right under the main altar). Never thought I would be that excited to see a 1700 year old floor, but hey, it was cool. Did I mention I'm a geek?
Anyway, today was a marathon (four interviews and visit to the World Council of Churches--very interesting place, more later), so I'm off to bed. I'll try to post the more entertaining parts of my trip as I go, as well as pictures, of course!
A bientot,
~L
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
The first thing I did upon arriving in Zurich (well, other than sleep for 12 hours) was naturally to find the tallest church tower around and climb it for a bird's eye view of the city. Shocking, right? It's not like I did that in every city possible last spring when I was abroad. In Zurich, this happens to be the Grossmünster. You may hear me refer to it as the "Gross Monster," not only because I enjoy butchering German, but also because it's just kind of a mess. Very Reformation-chic, ie boring. And Romanesque arches? Boring. Give me Gothic any day. Add in the hideous modern art stained glass and ridiculously rotund towers and you have a pretty dreadful church. Oh well. It did at least provide some nice views of Zurich (after I survived the crazy wooden staircase in the tower--if you think the stairs in Notre Dame de Paris or the Florence Duomo were bad, try these...), but it didn't exactly thrill me about Swiss architecture.
After that I did some more site visits to a two churches and a mosque with a minaret. The last visit was kind of hilarious, because one one side of the street is this itty bitty minaret, not something you would really notice (I missed it on the bus past it), and on the other side is a brand new, four story church tower that was clearly built in response (I looked it up. Hopefully I get to meet someone from the church, because I want the full story! Drama drama drama). That was the work part.
When I'd finished my site visits, I headed to the Bahnhoffstrasse, which is great for window-shopping (I repeat: WINDOW shopping) and people watching, and had hot chocolate at Sprungli, my new favorite cafe, not necessarily for their delicious chocolate, but more for the fact that they keep their sidewalk cafe open in the winter and just put little fur covers over the chairs so you can lounge outside in 35 degree weather and be just fine. Seriously, I want them.
On Tuesday my morning interview had to be pushed back, so since I had time to kill, I naturally headed for the art museum, the Kunsthaus. They happened to have a Picasso exhibition on, which was kind of amazing. I've never been a huge Picasso fan, but I found a period of his that I really liked, and just seeing that sort of range of his work was incredible. Very different from just seeing an isolated piece or two in a museum. What I was really there for, though, was the Impressionist collection (duh). Nothing like sitting by yourself in the middle of a room with three wall-sized Monet paintings of the lily pond for company.
I did the interview for the day, realized it was 2pm and I was bored, and reevaluated my schedule. I was close to the train station, so I thought, why not, I'll go ahead and take care of the site visit to Wangen bei Olten so I don't have to do it next week. Ten minutes later I was on a train out there, and it arrived just in time for me to catch the bus to the mosque. I love trains. They make life so much easier, and they're so frequent around here that I don't actually have to plan ahead. Which is good, because I've kind of been failing at that...
Wednesday morning I was off to Geneva and very grateful to escape German-speaking Switzerland for awhile. Sadly, the situations in which I've needed to use my German skills have involved far more than bier and wurst, so I was a little lost. Thank heavens for everyone speaking English. Coming back to French was a nice change though, particularly where food is concerned...the pastries are just better here.
The highlight of Geneva (and potentially the trip) has been fondue (I blame Eugene for suggesting it...thanks a lot!). Last night I turned in my BU application (finally!) and celebrated with fondue. I liked it so much I had it again tonight...yay Switzerland.
Oh, one other thing I did Wednesday after checking into the hotel. The International Museum of the Reformation is here, so naturally I had to visit. Two things: 1) I've never been to a more biased/proselytizing museum, and 2) Martin Luther's disembodied head should never appear in a mirror during a dramatization (seriously, it looked like the evil queen's head when she looks in the mirror in Snow White). Don't worry, my friends from HIST 333, Cooper and Mark will be getting charming postcards with some of the better Protestant propaganda on them. It was a hilarious follow up to that class, definitely worth a field trip.
Last geeky religion thing: the archeological site under the cathedral I visited is also kind of amazing. They've excavated various chapels and cathedrals on the site going back to the fourth century, as well as a pre-historic burial site of a local chieftain (which, ironically, is still right under the main altar). Never thought I would be that excited to see a 1700 year old floor, but hey, it was cool. Did I mention I'm a geek?
Anyway, today was a marathon (four interviews and visit to the World Council of Churches--very interesting place, more later), so I'm off to bed. I'll try to post the more entertaining parts of my trip as I go, as well as pictures, of course!
A bientot,
~L
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315769&id=579896063&l=f96932a989
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Heading home tomorrow!
Hi all,
It's my last night in St. A., and I'm feeling ever so slightly nostalgic and wanted to write a little bit about the semester as a whole now that it's coming to a close. People keep asking me if I'm sad to leave Scotland, and truthfully, the answer is no. I was ready to come here in January, and now I'm ready to go home. It's time. I've done what I came here to do, and while it may not have surpassed my wildest dreams, it certainly lived up to my expectations. As far as study groups go, I'm quite happy with my choice!
I can definitely say that the highlight of the semester has been my two real classes (sorry, Theology of the Musical--you're not a real class). How is it that classes outrank all the traveling I did on my list of highlights? Well, two reasons: Georgia Frank and Kelly Iverson. They are amazing professors, and I loved both classes and am still slightly in shock about how much I learned from them. Georgia's class on heresy is one of my all-time favorites, partly because the subject is right up my alley (religious dissent! People not getting along! Figuring out ways to make them get along! Yeah, I'm a geek...) and partly because there were some great discussions. Georgia's great at leading discussions, and we had a really good mix of people with differing viewpoints who (mostly...) were willing to express them. Way to go, Gnostic Gnation 2010! Some of the issues raised may have kept me awake at night, but that's the sign of a good class--that the material is challenging enough and interesting enough that I can't stop think about it long after class is over.
Kelly's class was also amazing, in a totally different way. I haven't done any work with the New Testament since freshman year, so taking a class on the Gospel of Matthew here was enlightening, to say the least. Kelly's a brilliant lecturer, and every Tuesday he would lead us through some complicated theory to arrive a one of those "Ah ha!" moments where you realize something you never would even have thought to look for, but it's so simple and brilliant you can't believe you almost missed it. I still have a lot of catching up to do in terms of early Christian studies, but after this semester I have a much better appreciation for how complex the field is, and also why it matters. I'll admit, I've never been very history-oriented when it comes to religion. I care about what's happening right here, right now, and how we can shape it to be better. But the history of Christianity that I studied in both classes this semester DOES matter, and it matters a lot. It's like reading a text in translation if you ignore the earliest years of a religion--you completely miss the most important things because you're looking at the things someone else has highlighted for you. And we all know how much I hate reading things in translation when I have access to the original! It's definitely given me a different perspective on my field, and lots to think about as grad school application time rolls around....
So yes, my classes and the things I've learned from them--and the way they've changed my thinking--are the things I am most grateful for this semester. But I will say that I'm also grateful for all the beautiful places I got to see! I didn't make it everywhere I wanted to go, but I did see some extraordinary places that I wouldn't have seen had I gone abroad to France or somewhere else in mainland Europe. The Scottish highlands are AMAZING--I could spend weeks or months and never get tired of mountains, mists, and lochs. And castles. And coos. And I'm really happy I made it to Dublin, for the sole reason that I happened to be talked into going into the Chester Beatty Library, that amazing collection of religious manuscripts, where I realized yet again how important the study of religion is to me. I'm officially obsessed! And, of course, my epic spring break adventure, though not quite what I expected, was still an incredible opportunity, and hopefully just a preview of far more European adventures to come!
So, before I sit on my suitcase and wrestle it into submission, I wanted to share one last quintessential St. Andrews experience. Tonight (and last Thursday) I went to the Compline service at St. Leonard's Chapel, and enjoyed it so much. The chapel dates back to the 1400's, and it's just a small, rectangular stone room with pews facing each other across the aisle and an organ and altar. For Compline, the evening service, it's lit by candles--so cool! The service starts at 10pm, so it's barely dark by that point, but it's still beautiful. The university choir sings for it, so there's actually (relatively) good music, and the organ makes it that much better. But the liturgy of the service itself is what I really love about it. All the psalms, readings, and prayers are about preparing for the night and sleep. But there's a crescendo to it too--at first the verses are about the physical night, but the metaphors gradually build up until night corresponds to death, and it ends with a line surrendering to God's protection in this night and forevermore. Somehow, it take every uncertainty about tonight and tomorrow and lets each one go. It's an absolutely beautiful ritual, and I would attend every night if I could. It's the perfect way to end the day, and I think a perfect way to end this trip.
I'll keep updating my blog until I get through spring break. Fair warning though, it may take all summer! My next update will come while sitting on the couch, trying to keep the corgi's nose out of my plate of bacon. :) Can't wait to be home!
A bientot, tout le monde, and thanks for reading!
~L
Link to Compline liturgy, if you're interested (my favorite parts are near the end, after the Lord's Prayer) http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/ireland/compline.html
It's my last night in St. A., and I'm feeling ever so slightly nostalgic and wanted to write a little bit about the semester as a whole now that it's coming to a close. People keep asking me if I'm sad to leave Scotland, and truthfully, the answer is no. I was ready to come here in January, and now I'm ready to go home. It's time. I've done what I came here to do, and while it may not have surpassed my wildest dreams, it certainly lived up to my expectations. As far as study groups go, I'm quite happy with my choice!
I can definitely say that the highlight of the semester has been my two real classes (sorry, Theology of the Musical--you're not a real class). How is it that classes outrank all the traveling I did on my list of highlights? Well, two reasons: Georgia Frank and Kelly Iverson. They are amazing professors, and I loved both classes and am still slightly in shock about how much I learned from them. Georgia's class on heresy is one of my all-time favorites, partly because the subject is right up my alley (religious dissent! People not getting along! Figuring out ways to make them get along! Yeah, I'm a geek...) and partly because there were some great discussions. Georgia's great at leading discussions, and we had a really good mix of people with differing viewpoints who (mostly...) were willing to express them. Way to go, Gnostic Gnation 2010! Some of the issues raised may have kept me awake at night, but that's the sign of a good class--that the material is challenging enough and interesting enough that I can't stop think about it long after class is over.
Kelly's class was also amazing, in a totally different way. I haven't done any work with the New Testament since freshman year, so taking a class on the Gospel of Matthew here was enlightening, to say the least. Kelly's a brilliant lecturer, and every Tuesday he would lead us through some complicated theory to arrive a one of those "Ah ha!" moments where you realize something you never would even have thought to look for, but it's so simple and brilliant you can't believe you almost missed it. I still have a lot of catching up to do in terms of early Christian studies, but after this semester I have a much better appreciation for how complex the field is, and also why it matters. I'll admit, I've never been very history-oriented when it comes to religion. I care about what's happening right here, right now, and how we can shape it to be better. But the history of Christianity that I studied in both classes this semester DOES matter, and it matters a lot. It's like reading a text in translation if you ignore the earliest years of a religion--you completely miss the most important things because you're looking at the things someone else has highlighted for you. And we all know how much I hate reading things in translation when I have access to the original! It's definitely given me a different perspective on my field, and lots to think about as grad school application time rolls around....
So yes, my classes and the things I've learned from them--and the way they've changed my thinking--are the things I am most grateful for this semester. But I will say that I'm also grateful for all the beautiful places I got to see! I didn't make it everywhere I wanted to go, but I did see some extraordinary places that I wouldn't have seen had I gone abroad to France or somewhere else in mainland Europe. The Scottish highlands are AMAZING--I could spend weeks or months and never get tired of mountains, mists, and lochs. And castles. And coos. And I'm really happy I made it to Dublin, for the sole reason that I happened to be talked into going into the Chester Beatty Library, that amazing collection of religious manuscripts, where I realized yet again how important the study of religion is to me. I'm officially obsessed! And, of course, my epic spring break adventure, though not quite what I expected, was still an incredible opportunity, and hopefully just a preview of far more European adventures to come!
So, before I sit on my suitcase and wrestle it into submission, I wanted to share one last quintessential St. Andrews experience. Tonight (and last Thursday) I went to the Compline service at St. Leonard's Chapel, and enjoyed it so much. The chapel dates back to the 1400's, and it's just a small, rectangular stone room with pews facing each other across the aisle and an organ and altar. For Compline, the evening service, it's lit by candles--so cool! The service starts at 10pm, so it's barely dark by that point, but it's still beautiful. The university choir sings for it, so there's actually (relatively) good music, and the organ makes it that much better. But the liturgy of the service itself is what I really love about it. All the psalms, readings, and prayers are about preparing for the night and sleep. But there's a crescendo to it too--at first the verses are about the physical night, but the metaphors gradually build up until night corresponds to death, and it ends with a line surrendering to God's protection in this night and forevermore. Somehow, it take every uncertainty about tonight and tomorrow and lets each one go. It's an absolutely beautiful ritual, and I would attend every night if I could. It's the perfect way to end the day, and I think a perfect way to end this trip.
I'll keep updating my blog until I get through spring break. Fair warning though, it may take all summer! My next update will come while sitting on the couch, trying to keep the corgi's nose out of my plate of bacon. :) Can't wait to be home!
A bientot, tout le monde, and thanks for reading!
~L
Link to Compline liturgy, if you're interested (my favorite parts are near the end, after the Lord's Prayer) http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/ireland/compline.html
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Back to Spring Break--Nice
Hi all,
In an effort to evade packing, it's back to reminiscing about spring break, specifically one of the best days of the trip, spent in Nice, France. The following is an excerpt from the travel journal I kept, part of which was written on a hill looking over the beautiful beach--I miss it already!
April 2, 2010
After a rocky start (French travel workers are the most unhelpful people in the world), I finally made it to the beach and all was forgiven. I'm completely in love with this city, which should come as no surprise considering it feels like a cross between Athens and Paris. The water is blue and turquoise, and the weather is sunny and warm--does it get any better? Oh, yes, and the flowers are blooming so it's colorful and even smells good. I walked through the famous flower market and it was basically heaven in street market form. There's also a fruit market, where I bought a 1/2 kilo of strawberries, which I'm currently eating as I sit on the hill with the ruins of the chateau, admiring the view of the sea. Earlier, I bought some postcards and wrote them in a cafe on the beach, 20 feet from the waves. It was surprisingly peaceful, with the sound of the drowning out pretty much everything else. Mediocre coffee, but I was really paying for the view.
After I finished, I walked back into the vieux ville and visited a few churches--the one in the flower market was beautiful, the others so-so--and then came the best part of my day. I sat in the cathedral square, in the sun, eating a Nutella crepe and listening to a street musician play some of my favorite pieces: Pie Jesu, The Mission, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Aranjuez, and, ironically, Lascia Ch'io Pianga, which seems to follow me whenever I'm in France for some reason. I was so happy sitting there, I could hardly bring myself to leave. But I did, and found the castle hill and climbed up to enjoy the panoramic views of the Cote d'Azur--the name says it all. You can even see the Alps, covered in snow, to the north. Talk about the best of both worlds. Now I'm just writing and waiting for Brandon to join me so we can grab our last French lunch before getting on the train to Milan...
As you can see, I adored Nice! Brandon did join me eventually (after getting lost several times--he didn't love Nice as much as I did after that...) and we had an epic lunch of mussels and tiramisu. Provencal food is seriously the best in the world. Then it was off to Milan. More on that later!
Back to packing...
~L
Photos from southern France (I already posted these, but here's the link again if you want it): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=203237&id=579896063&l=839c8a707f
In an effort to evade packing, it's back to reminiscing about spring break, specifically one of the best days of the trip, spent in Nice, France. The following is an excerpt from the travel journal I kept, part of which was written on a hill looking over the beautiful beach--I miss it already!
April 2, 2010
After a rocky start (French travel workers are the most unhelpful people in the world), I finally made it to the beach and all was forgiven. I'm completely in love with this city, which should come as no surprise considering it feels like a cross between Athens and Paris. The water is blue and turquoise, and the weather is sunny and warm--does it get any better? Oh, yes, and the flowers are blooming so it's colorful and even smells good. I walked through the famous flower market and it was basically heaven in street market form. There's also a fruit market, where I bought a 1/2 kilo of strawberries, which I'm currently eating as I sit on the hill with the ruins of the chateau, admiring the view of the sea. Earlier, I bought some postcards and wrote them in a cafe on the beach, 20 feet from the waves. It was surprisingly peaceful, with the sound of the drowning out pretty much everything else. Mediocre coffee, but I was really paying for the view.
After I finished, I walked back into the vieux ville and visited a few churches--the one in the flower market was beautiful, the others so-so--and then came the best part of my day. I sat in the cathedral square, in the sun, eating a Nutella crepe and listening to a street musician play some of my favorite pieces: Pie Jesu, The Mission, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Aranjuez, and, ironically, Lascia Ch'io Pianga, which seems to follow me whenever I'm in France for some reason. I was so happy sitting there, I could hardly bring myself to leave. But I did, and found the castle hill and climbed up to enjoy the panoramic views of the Cote d'Azur--the name says it all. You can even see the Alps, covered in snow, to the north. Talk about the best of both worlds. Now I'm just writing and waiting for Brandon to join me so we can grab our last French lunch before getting on the train to Milan...
As you can see, I adored Nice! Brandon did join me eventually (after getting lost several times--he didn't love Nice as much as I did after that...) and we had an epic lunch of mussels and tiramisu. Provencal food is seriously the best in the world. Then it was off to Milan. More on that later!
Back to packing...
~L
Photos from southern France (I already posted these, but here's the link again if you want it): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=203237&id=579896063&l=839c8a707f
Monday, May 24, 2010
Done with Finals!!
Hi all,
I'M DONE!!! Despite the usual end-of-semester burnout, I managed to finish everything and now have an unprecedented three whole days in which to pack my life back into the three suitcases and a backpack to take it back to the US on Friday. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll manage to find better things to do with my time until at least Thursday afternoon...
Any, in celebration, I've been alternating between watching TV and uploading spring break photos, so here are some links to entertain you. Both are albums of photos from Italy, so enjoy! Yes, I'll get back to actual updates at some point, but photos are better than nothing, right?
See (most of) you next week or shortly thereafter!
~L
Milan and Venice:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=213633&id=579896063&l=5872d42f6b
Pisa and Florence: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=213947&id=579896063&l=5e0a67ea86
I'M DONE!!! Despite the usual end-of-semester burnout, I managed to finish everything and now have an unprecedented three whole days in which to pack my life back into the three suitcases and a backpack to take it back to the US on Friday. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll manage to find better things to do with my time until at least Thursday afternoon...
Any, in celebration, I've been alternating between watching TV and uploading spring break photos, so here are some links to entertain you. Both are albums of photos from Italy, so enjoy! Yes, I'll get back to actual updates at some point, but photos are better than nothing, right?
See (most of) you next week or shortly thereafter!
~L
Milan and Venice:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=213633&id=579896063&l=5872d42f6b
Pisa and Florence: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=213947&id=579896063&l=5e0a67ea86
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