home for a minute

The last picture that I took in London, of my favorite tea spot. I ended up ordering a tea pot that they carry for myself by the British designer Nick Munro.

Upon arrival back at home I quickly realized that my strawberries were in need of picking. My neighbor warned me that it would be a fruitful year and she was absolutely right. The day before I left yielded an entire pot of delicious red berries, warm from the sun and ripe to eat.

I also made a dress. It was supposed to be easy. This part was not. It went something like this: insert pins in fabric and elastic, match pins, stretch elastic band to fit to fabric, attempt to use hands - a foot apart - to navigate in a straight line, repeat, repeat, repeat. It felt like trying to hold magnets apart.

blazing

This is what I am going to look like as I go in to my final two exams. Fierce.

speaking of elephants

British Graffiti artist Banksy just opened his show 'Barely Legal' at the beginning of this week with a live elephant painted to look like wallpaper.

Here are pictures from my second trip to Paris.

And here is another London elephant. This one is behind Parliament.

reading tea leaves...

...at Bea's yesterday revealed a distinctive U.S. map, complete with Florida, Maine, and Hawaii conspicuously present. One week left in London!

Volcano: 2, Melissa: 0

There was no Dublin for us, but I really can't complain. The Eurostar got us home from Paris for a price just above normal and since it was an extra train under the circumstances and they were using all cars available we ended up in first class. We had several hours to kill in the rain and are now intimately acquainted with the Gare du Nord, but we made it home in time for dinner.

We came in to St. Pancras where this dandelion elephant is currently making its home. This one is dedicated to M.E.M.



I will post some pictures from Paris soon.

pow!

This is another one from Trafalgar Square. He is both happy and fierce - just think of the message you could send with this guy by your front door.

Today we're headed to Paris!

snazzy elephant

These guys are hanging out in a group of three right by Trafalgar Square. Ryan took the picture while he was wandering around waiting for me to finish my first final exam. They are definitely growing on me - I knew I would like them as public art, but I'm warming to the idea of them as auctioned art. They are scattered in small, colorful groups and it's like an Easter egg hunt any time I walk around the city.

elephants

From 3 May to 4 July two-hundred painted elephants, roughly 140 pounds each, will storm the city. Eventually they will be corralled into Sotheby's for an auction to raise money for an endangered species of Asian elephant. Most sources are claiming that this will be London's biggest public art event on record. I love public art, but when the end of the line is an auction I have a hard time accepting it as art for art's sake. I do expect that these guys are going to brighten up the city, and of course they are a whimsical installation - but that doesn't change the fact that their priority, besides raising awareness, is making money. I like to at least believe that artists create objects for reasons other than economics...

lose yourself

3295 miles
1311 pictures
986 pages of leisure reading
34 scoops of gelato
19 train rides
12 cities
7 wellesley women
and 1 volcanic explosion...

I am back in London, safe and sound. Excepting Eyjafjallajökul, the entire trip went off without any complications and I had a wonderful time.

I am still in the process of processing, but here are some of my favorite pictures.

ha.

I'm stranded in Italy. Isn't my life so hard? 

Our trip to Budapest lasted about 3 hours without ever leaving the ground, and due to the black cloud of death wreaking havoc across all of Europe I have had a slight change of plans. Italy for three more days. Think of all the food. We are retreating to Perugia for some more of the region's best pizza and chocolate. Then, I will be taking an overnight train from Bologna to Vienna to meet up with a Wellesley friend and attempt to salvage the last part of my trip. Hopefully I will be able to fly out from there in a week as planned. We'll see. 

Things to do with my extra time here:

1. gelato, lots more of it

2. art, a fair share more

3. relax after almost three straight weeks of travel

hirshhorn

Today was my last day in Italy and, provided that the wind patterns cooperate, I will be in Budapest by tomorrow evening. 

I just found out today that I have been officially accepted at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden as a summer intern, and I wanted to share with everyone equally since I don't have regular access to a phone or internet. This was my first choice for museums in DC so I am really looking forward to working there. 

One week left!

from base camp bologna

A view of Zurich, home of Europe's largest clock face.

Melissa tea, Ali insisted.

The best pizza in Rome! But, really.

The market today in Bologna.

Six hundred and sixty six perilous steps to San Luca.

I am celebrating a birthday in Bologna, and then leaving for a romantic rendezvous at the Trevi Fountain tomorrow. There has been a slight change in the itinerary - after three nights in Rome we will be going to Perugia for some Baci. We realized that Naples in just a little too far south for a one day trip, and that skipping it gives us a legitimate reason to come back soon. I will be back in Bologna on the 10th. Ciao!

its warm in italy!

Katie and I made our way over the alps this afternoon from Zurich to Milan. I've already enjoyed some gelato Katie had a whole pizza. Of course I came to Italy for the art...

Basel is beautiful

I am safely landed in Switzerland and after a long day traveling and one very good pretzl Dara and I called it a night. After just a few hours here I feel like the Swiss mean business. I wouldn't mess with them. On to Zurich tomorrow!

if its tuesday, this must be naples

One of my grandmothers just left and I've got about 12 hours before I head out to go on an extensive trip with various wellesley friends. After having been asked for my itinerary for the 10th time I decided it would be easier if I just posted it. I've indicated when I am changing countries for those of you who need a geography refresher. I will have very limited access to the internet for the trip, so don't take it personally if I don't email you back right away. I will try to post updates when I get a chance.

mar 30 - london to basel (switzerland)
mar 31 - basel to zurich
apr 2 - zurich to milan (italy)
apr 3 - milan to bologna
apr 6 - bologna to rome
apr 9 - rome to naples
apr 10 - naples to bologna
apr 11 - bologna to venice
apr 13 - venice to florence
apr 14 - florence to bologna
apr 17 - bologna to bratislava (solvakia)
apr 18 - bratislava to budpest (hungary)
apr 19 - budpest to vienna (austria)
apr 24 - vienna to london

undue credit

For the past two weeks I have been silently commending the British for abstaining from that silly little thing called daylight saving. All I have to say is curse you, William Willett.

natural curiosities

Black swans fishing in Regent's Park

Some very interesting pruning methods here - which make all the trees look like weeping willows.

A tree at Hampton Court

ryan's visit

For his spring break, Ryan came to visit me in London. I can't even explain how wonderful it is to have someone to go to Sainsbury's with at 23:56. It took a couple of days for the jet lag to wear off but one taste of clotted cream and we were back in business. Fish and chips for £3 didn't hurt either.

We spent maybe an hour walking to Abbey Road, and then another fifteen minutes debating whether or not we were at the right end of the street. We started out to the other end of the road just to be sure but after several blocks the weather won - we decided to trust the small group of tourists blocking traffic at the closer end and call it a day. Later we discovered that we were at the correct place and that we don't know as much about our Beatles covers as we should.

We were out walking in the typical afternoon drizzle and all of the sudden the clouds cleared a bit and the sun shone through. We had been waiting for the perfect weather all week to go on the London Eye, not the best strategy in this city, so we dashed over and got in line. It was a bit long, but when we got through the sun was still there - and then they ushered us into the 4D experience (in case you have 3D glasses on hand) very much against my will. Apparently its not a free bonus, its a crowd diffuser.

It was partly cloudy the whole way up and then mostly cloudy and drizzling on the way down, but I am so glad we ended up going. The view was pretty clear, even with the sub-par whether, and it was nice to share something new to both of us.

Neither of us is very photogenic, Ryan doesn't ask strangers for photos and I don't like to, and I never got very into myspace - in other words, this is the money shot for the week.

Notice my scarf? Apparently, he's not just a good driver. He spotted it in a vintage shop buried under other not-so-pretty ones at the Camden Markets for a very good price, and you all know how I am about scarves.

We finished up the week with Avenue Q, a muppet musical. Which sounds so absolutely terrible, but I thought it was funny and Ryan actually didn't mind it. Win.

Link to all of our pictures.

last night

I made my first pizza from scratch.


It tasted a lot better than it looks.