The End of My Love Affair

It's safe to say I went out with a bang!  Here is a recap of the final week.

Our trip to Cambridge Tuesday was wonderful.  I hurried over to the open market and got Thai food again.  While we were under the tarp it started pouring rain.  We have lucked out with perfect weather almost the entire trip until it rained these last few days. We figure England was just crying because we were leaving. Then we had the privilege of meeting John Rutter, who talked to us for an hour about choral music and the dynamics of Cambridge choirs. He is a very funny man!  We went to King's College rehearsal and Evensong, and then we dashed over to another evensong at another college.

Wednesday we had a special guest visit our class, Gabriel Crouch (who I keep accidentally wanting to call Barty Crouch).  He is a former King's Singer and has a magnificent voice.  At the end of class we all sang together, "There'll Always Be an England."  That afternoon we went to the Natural History Museum, and I loved it.  We saw dinosaurs,

A lifesize replica of a blue whale,

and tons of other animals. 

The museum also had gems, astronomy, and fish.  The best part of Wednesday is what we did that night:

We saw Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall (a three-minute walk from where we stayed).

It was a magnificent ballet. I miss the year or so I had of ballet training and wish that I had decided to be a girl much earlier in life so I could have developed grace.  That night I got an early start on packing, which I was grateful for later.

Thursday = last day, and we had the whole day to ourselves.  Christiana and I went to Borough market and had our favorite fish and chips. We walked through the market and got the cinnamon-dusted, chocolate-covered hazelnuts and almonds.  Cebre joined us in the afternoon for central London. We did some last-minute shopping in Leicester Square and stopped at Haagen-Daas for Pomegranate, White Peach, and Orange Sorbet (best flavor ever!).  Then we hopped back on the tube and went to the British Museum.  It is massive!  We saw Cleopatra, all mummified.  I was excited to see the real Egyptian papyri. It made me really anxious to get back to my job (the research work). I don't have the pictures from this day yet.  

From the British Museum we went to the Royal Festival Hall and heard the Philharmonia Orchestra play Brahms' Violin Concerto and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.   The latter blew my mind.  The story of the character and his mental and emotional progression is so evident in the 5 movements.You don't have to be a music geek to appreciate the music.  The orchestra was very high class and advanced.  

That night we all said our goodbyes, and I got about 3.5 hours of sleep. It was a rough journey to the airport but we finally made it with time to spare.  Christiana and I both got window seats for the flight to Amsterdam.  An older couple sat next to me.  I began a new book, and before I knew it I was dozing off, but strangely every time I hit the apex of unconsciousness, I'd jerk awake for no reason.  My body flat out refuses to sleep on a plane!  About halfway through the 45-minute flight I heard rustling around me.  "Would you like a sandwich?"  The attendant asked me.  Would I? "Uh....sure."  The "sandwich" was similar to a roll with cheese. The roll was a dark brown, seedy, bitter bread. I couldn't decide which tasted worse, the bread or the mushy cheesy substance inside. I convinced myself that it was authentic Dutch food. When we landed, the woman next to me asked where I was headed. I told her and she replied, "All the way to Salt Lake City? And this is supposed to be a good way to get there?"  I explained that it was cheaper.  She asked me what I'm doing in Utah, and I told her I go to school at Brigham Young University and I was on a study abroad in London for music. "Oh, singing?"  How did she know?  Reading my thoughts, she said, "Do you know how I can tell?  Your voice.  Singers have such beautiful speaking voices because they are trained."  I had never heard that before.  She told me they had just come from visiting her mother in London, who was 101!  A pause, and then, "So are you going to serve a mission?"  I told her I would love to, but I still have to wait a year before I can go.  She asked if I get to choose where I go, and I briefly explained how apostles call missionaries.  I told her my sister served a mission in Madrid, Spain.  She explained that they had some Mormon friends and went to a wedding once "Well, not a wedding obviously because it was in the temple but we went to the reception afterward."  It was so fantastic to be able to talk about the Gospel with someone.  That has been my favorite part of this trip.  So many Europeans have not heard the ridiculous rumors about Mormons, so it's like a blank slate being able to tell them who we are without having to answer questions about having horns and worshipping the devil or whatnot.  I have such enthusiasm and zeal; every time we encounter someone and even so much as mention the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I get really excited and say, "We just planted a seed!!" 

I enjoyed our layover in Amsterdam and did some touristy shopping.  Boarding wasn't fun.  We had to go through security again and this time we were patted down.  Call it immature but I felt violated. I though only suspicious people have to get patted down anymore!  However, I was extremely grateful for the caution they took and the scrutiny of our personal lives.  It made me feel just a bit safer about America.  The 9-hour flight from Amsterdam to Detroit was the most luxurious I've had.  They fed us an amazing dinner and another snack later, pizza and ice cream!  It was gourmet pizza too.  We had unlimited access to movies, and I finished the book I started that morning. Even the complementary blankets were nicer than usual. Thanks, Delta!

At Detroit we had to go through customs AGAIN, recheck in our luggage, and go through security.  I was getting really tired of being a foreigner.  The four-hour flight to SLC was less comfy, but we arrived at 9:15pm, got our luggage, and mom picked me up.  It was so nice to sleep in my own bed. 

5 weeks in London was the perfect vacation and experience.  I learned a lot and gained confidence in my independence.  Who knows where my wings will take me next!

There is Castle on a Cloud...

Sunday we took a day trip to Windsor Castle.  A real castle!

We didn't take the tour since it cost £15 (about $23).  

But we hung around the beautiful building, people-watching and relaxing.  Some in our group went on a walk or boat ride. 

We weren't alone, the Queen was there! Well, she is every weekend. It's the Windsor castle. She's part of the Windsor line. 

At 5pm, we queued (lined up) for Evensong in the St. George's Chapel. This was the one time we got to enter castle grounds.  We felt pretty special.  This was one of my favorite evensong services of the trip.  The chapel was beautiful and the choir was fantastic.  For the second (New Testament) lesson, the priest taught the parable of the sower, which I studied in class this past semester.  It was interesting to listen to it again and learn about all the types of people who accept/reject the word of God.

Monday we had class with Simon Berridge, a member of Harry Cristophers' Sixteen.  He is also a converted Latter-day Saint, so we asked him questions about how he balances his faith with singing Anglican music and being involved in choirs in England.  We also got to sing, which was unbelievably refreshing.  We have hardly sung on this study abroad, and that has been the greatest disappointment. We pulled out a few pieces and he coached us and taught us a few things.

Today (Tuesday) we are taking another day trip to Cambridge. I can't believe there are only a few days left of this trip.  I am definitely going to live them up.

B.O.C.I.A.R.

B. Blues Bar
Monday night some of us went to a Blues Bar on our day off.

It just so happened to be open mic, so Jonnie signed up with Julien, a new friend we made at the bar.  The music was fantastic, and it got even better when the two boys went up.  I really loved the atmosphere of the place.

O: Opera.
Wednesday night we went to Tosca at the ENO,  and I loved it, although it was depressing. Operas are super dramatic. When I had unrequited love at age 13, I'm sure I would have related much more to the characters.  Now I just sighed and rolled my eyes thinking, "Relax!"  Haha really, it was beautiful.  The singers were incredible, the orchestra magnificent, and the story intriguing to follow....after the first act.  The story is about Mario and Tosca, two lovers.  With some bad luck, Mario is arrested, and to prevent him from dying Tosca must give herself to slimeball Scarpia.  Well, the third act is full of surprises, and let's just say it's not sunshine and butterflies.

C: Canterbury.
Thursday we took a day trip to Canterbury.  I've been in lots of cathedrals this trip, but this was one of my favorites.  It was massive and full of history.  We attended eucharist there that evening, and Christiana and I went up and received a blessing.  It was a neat experience participating in the service.

We got lunch and did some shopping around as well.  I finally got to eat one of these: - click the link. They don't have them in America. They are fantastic!  And Randi, they are now £1.09.  Then we had another punting experience.  It was more quiet and relaxing.

I love this picture.  The willow tree, the sun rays, the bridge....breathtaking.

We also saw the ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey.  It was a really good day trip!

I. Imperial War Museum
In light of studying the the World Wars, we went to a museum Friday after class.  When you first walk in it looks like it will be a crummy museum (wow, three planes and a few tanks, cool...). The place was loaded with exhibits and plenty of things to look at. I feel I hardly scraped the edge of what I could do, so I vowed to go back when I return to Europe.

A.bbey R.oad

By George said Paul as he sat on the John, where did my Ringo?  Today, I walked barefoot across Abbey Road, McCartney style.  I like this shot because of the double decker bus.  And I'm barefoot.

We also skipped across

Here's the winning shot.

It was a highlight.  And it was free!   Haha there are plenty of free things to do in London.

We relaxed outside the tube station and purchased some memorabilia. 

After this epic experience, we went to Covent Gardens to some really cool open markets. I LOVE open markets. You can always find unique, antique, and homemade things you couldn't find elsewhere.  My lunch was fantastic.  I got a crepe with turkey, spinach, cheddar, and cranberries!  It was from this place:

If you want to market to Rycee, definitely use pink and black polka-dotted decorations.  

Tonight we are going to another concert at Cadogan Hall.  I can't believe I will be back in Utah a week from today. Phooey!

World Wars

Friday is Poppy Day for us (it's really in November), and we're going to the War Museum.  As a homework assignment, we were asked to express our current perception and feelings of the two world wars, especially from a British rather than an American perspective, and list any music I can associate with war.  Since technically this blog is a homework assignment, I will write thoughts here.  I had to refresh my facts about these wars since AP European History was 5 years ago. 

WWI

A British perspective? According to BBC History, Modern Brits think of WWI as a pointless mess that led to the death of a whole generation of young men led by foolish generals.  I'm sure the 15 million people who died wouldn't appreciate that much.  But back in 1918, many believed the war was a miracle and they had been delivered from a vicious enemy.

It's amazing to think that in just a few years we will reach the 100-year anniversary of this war. So what did WWI do for me?  Why is it important?  What caused it?  Scholars still argue today over that, but there are multiple factors.  Germany wanted more power because Britain and France were gaining a lot of land through imperialism.  Britain went to war because it saw German victory as a threat to security.  The two competed for mastery of the seas.

WWI changed the role of women, leading to greater confidence, independence, and a small step toward voting rights.  How grateful I am that although today gender discrimination is still a large political issue, the gap is nowhere near what it was 100 years ago.  Sometimes it takes a drastic event like a war to allow people to step into positions they would have not otherwise occupied and unite the whole body of a country together, men and women alike.  The role of government changed from this war, and ultimately led to WWII, where I have much more of a connection.

WWII
My grandfather fought in WWII, and had I not been in Europe during this assignment I would have loved to sit and talk with him about it.  The movie Saving Private Ryan is based on true stories of several families, including mine: my great uncles.  I haven't seen the movie yet but I do know that many of my relatives have chosen to fight for justice, freedom, and rights in wars past and present.

In Europe, the fight was against Nazi Germany; in Asia, Japan fought China and other countries.  To date, WWII was the largest armed conflict in history, involving almost the entire war with the exception of a handful of countries. Nuclear weapons had their debut.  WWII was the catalyst for the drawing of new European borders, the communist takeover of China and Eastern Europe, and the birth of many organizations.  A multipower world became a bipolar world: US and Soviet Union.  Reading through a brief timeline it is almost hard to imagine how this war even ended, there were so many countries involved.  What would have happened if Hitler hadn't committed suicide and Germany was forced to surrender to the Allied forces?  Would WWII in Europe and WWII in Asia have combined and wreaked greater havoc?

What is a real miracle to me is how many individual changes happened.  WWII changed so many hearts.  My favorite story is the true story of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi business man who used Jewish labor (because it was cheaper than Polish labor) to start a factory.  But as WWII progressed and the depressing fate of the Jews became more and more clear, Schindler changed from wanting profit to human sympathy, and he was able to save over 1100 Jews from death.  The story of Anne Frank is a story of hope and inspiration to all who have read about her experience as a Jew.  When we were at the American cemetery in Cambridge, it was the first WWII memorial I saw that did not mention Pearl Harbor.  That was such a huge deal to America but it wasn't as big of an event to the rest of the world, except that the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the US into WWII.

I know there are a hundred things I haven't mentioned. War Music? All war music I think of usually revolves around any modern American war (anything by Aaron Copland) and pre world-war wars, like Tchaikovsky's 1812 Finale and the Braveheart soundtrack, a movie about 14th century Scotland fighting for freedom.  I even think of Mormon Battalion music before I think of music about World War music.

We are studying Ralph Vaughn Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem in class, as well as Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. 

Sweet for Sweden

Native name: Sverige (SVAR-iuh)
Population: 9.4 million

Capital: Stockholm

People: Beautiful

Currency: Like monopoly money

Wildlife/nature: Puts England and America to shame

Food: Oh my. 

The taxi was on time Thursday at 3:30am to take us to the airport.  Just a few minutes into the drive I noticed a couple red flags: the driver shook his head violently and turned up the radio. Oh no.  The following hour was agonizing and terrifying. It was dark outside and pouring rain, and I was in a car with a drowsy driver.  My eyes watched his through the rearview mirror the whole time.  I couldn't do much; we tried talking to him but he couldn't hear us over the loud (and very gentle soothing music), and there was a language barrier since he mostly spoke Hindi.  I didn't have the heart to tell the other girls; they were completely oblivious that anything was amiss until the last 10 minutes, when he swerved off the road. Christiana, who sat right behind him, immediately began asking him questions, "So....have you been to Sweden?"  At one point he completely slumped over the steering wheel and she grabbed his shoulders.  "Sir! Are you awake?!"  It really was scary, and I advise everyone reading this to never get into a similar situation. Don't book a flight (even if it's cheaper) for 6 am.  You can't trust even a paid driver.  It's not worth your life!  We did arrive at the airport safely and on time, and the flight was much better.  I had gotten a half hour of sleep so I was pretty tired but unable to sleep on the plane (as usual).

We exchanged money.  Kronas are really funny. Check out this bill I carried around:

   A lot of money, wow!!  Actually, 500 SKr is about $64, or £44.  Haley's friends met up with us, and we saw the Royal Palace with a guard carrying a bayonet. Sweet.

Got Kebabs for lunch in Gamla Stan, or Old Town.

One of my favorite Mid-Eastern desserts is Baclava.  

Swedes are famous for some of the first vikings!

Ida and Beatrice took us on a tour of Old Town Stockholm, and we had fun looking around and shopping.

This is in front of the Stadshuset, or City Hall. Haley's UK phone home screen changes based on location, and it showed this when we first arrived, so we wanted to find out what it was. 

In Stockholm, there are beautiful open markets that sell fresh flowers and produce.  The men are hilarious. "HEY! Half price for you!"  You get used to ignoring them. We did buy a bouquet for Anna though.

Another very Swedish thing is the Dala Horse.  Take a minute to read the article about this, since I won't write much about this.  As you can see, they would thus be very expensive, so instead of buying one I have this picture:

Then Pelle and Gustav picked us up from the bus terminal, bought us a few Stockholm maps and guides, and took us home.  Gustav left and Johan and Olle came with us to dinner.  Every meal I had in Sweden was amazing. London food isn't fantastic.  We got to meet Anna that night, and the next morning we woke up and she made us a delicious breakfast.

Oboy is NesQuik on steroids. It's so amazing. 

Then Pelle took us out and we hit the city. Stockholm is made up of 14 smaller islands all connected by bridges, and we went to a few of them.  We started at the Fish market (REAL Swedish fish!).

We stopped at a beautiful church, and then on to the Vasa Museum, which according to Pelle, is one of the best museums in Europe. I admit it was one of the coolest I've ever been in. Here is Pelle, our navigator.

And now, the Museum. 

Here's the story: Gustav Adolphus, king of Sweden in the early 1600s,

wanted a grand ship to be built because the Swedes needed a stronger navy in the Baltic Sea, with their fighting with Poland and the 30 Years war going on around them.  But sometimes kings aren't wise. He was so adamant about making this a powerful ship that he ordered the shipbuilder to build another gun deck after the keel had already been constructed.

Despite the shipbuilder's resistance, it was constructed; this made the ship very top heavy, so when it set sail in 1628, it toppled over from gusts of wind and water filled the open cannon ports.

In 1955, the Vasa was discovered down in the seabed.  Using this gear

Scuba divers carefully extracted the ship from the sea and it now rests on the coast here at this museum.  

I also saw my governor at the museum!  I can't remember the reason he was there, but here is Arnie:

After the museum, we went to Skansen island, the coolest open air zoo I've ever been to.  This took us up to the top.

Then as we continued climbing, we caught a terrific view of the city.

We saw Elk, Moose, (including babies), Bison, a lynx, otter, seal, wild boars, bears, and Hedwig's long lost twin.  Here you can get really close to the animals.

Here was a new sight.  Wolverines!  Go X-Men.  I thought they were kinda cute.

While we were walking through the zoo, I heard a strange bird call I hadn't heard of. Kind of like an angry womanchild screaming.  Then this thing came charging at me.

This peacock meant business. It would have barreled through if I hadn't moved. See, there's my sweater. And the bird.

 We were tempted to make the peacock angry so it would plume. But we used better judgment.

Skansen is just so beautiful.  Here is some more of the scenery.

Give, Said the Little Stream, as it Hurried Down the Hill. You know the rest.

We left the beautiful park and got lunch ate at the Josefina, a lovely outdoor restaurant furnished with couches that gets packed at night time. 

This is what I ordered. I don't remember its name in Swedish, but it's essentially shrimp on toast.

After lunch, it was down to business. We went to find some amazing European chocolate, and happened upon beautiful tulips along the way. It reminded me of BYU.

Chocolate selection is wonderful.  I wish Sweden was the last place I went to before going back to the states; because I would fill my suitcase with this delicious goodness.

Here is some Swedish culture for you.  We chose a wild day to walk around town; it was the day the seniors were doing their party cruises.  To celebrate graduation, the seniors get old trucks, pack in like sardines, install amazing sound systems, and have dance parties as the truck drives through town!  Other than the beer, I think it's an awesome idea.

There is a short clip on my Facebook too.  We decided to take a ferry back to Vaxholm, the small village where the Helgessons live.  We waited in a fancy hotel and sipped hot cocoa.

If I had to pick a highlight of the day, it was the ferry ride on the Baltic Sea.  Prepare for a beautiful ocean, and artsy pictures.

We walked home from the ferry stop through the breathtaking (I'm running out of adjectives!) neighborhoods.  When we got home, Anna began making Swedish meatballs for dinner.  I thought I'd had real meatballs before Friday night. I was mistaken.

Those berries are called lingonberries.  They're like tiny cranberries, and a tiny bit sweeter.

Saturday was an equally extraordinary (help!) day.  Anna sacrificed her morning to happily drive us an hour and a half to the Stockholm Temple so we could do ordinances.  It was heavenly. 

One of the temple workers, Anita, had a remarkable experience.  After Haley finished her turn at Baptisms for the dead, Anita came up to her and said, "You were just baptized for my ancestors!  Today is my 68th birthday.  I couldn't ask for a better birthday present!"  It was a special day for all of us. After the temple, we went back into Stockholm city and spent the afternoon in the mall.  We met Johan's girlfriend, had lunch, and split off to go shopping; i.e., I made a beeline for H&M.

Then we frove back to Vaxholm, and stopped by the WalMart equivalent. I was determined to find me my Fazer chocolate.  We walked out of that store with pounds of candy in our arms.  

You thought I was joking, didn't you? Hah!  When we got home, we were surprised to find that Pelle had hung an American flag next to the Swedish flag in our honor.

We ordered kebabs for dinner 

Then Anna, the best and most lovely cook in Europe, made Swedish pancakes. 

We spent the rest of the evening singing and talking.  Pelle has the best stories of his mischievous childhood that had us laughing hysterically.  I hope I don't have a son like Pelle, although he turned out great as an adult!

The next morning we departed for London.  This is how we felt.

"Tack" for everything, Helgessons!   Goodbye Sweden. You were a dream, and I can't wait to go back. I will.