Meet Marie

Introduction by Chelsey

Whenever a trip was planned for a European tour, Marie Antoinette insisted on accompanying us. Though she was not too thrilled when she heard we would be in London, having to share her royalty with Queen Elizabeth, she greatly anticipates our trip to Paris and Versailles where she can return to the home of her adulthood and queendom. Though Paris does not bring back the most pleasant memories for Marie (after all, she was beheaded there!), the city returns to her a feeling of nostalgia that is unmatched by no others. Indeed she did spend some time there when the bourgeoisie decided it was time to return the royal family to Paris and needless to say she did enjoy it. Considered to be a fashion icon of her time, Paris offered Marie a chance to keep up with the latest fashions. Returning to Versailles over 200 years later will definitely bring up some memories for her, both good and bad.

Versailles offered Marie a chance to become acquainted with French culture, but at the same time, she was forced to give up her Austrian heritage in an effort to become Frenchified. Marie always said that Versailles was an opportunity to learn what was important in life: food, fashion, and gambling. Though she soon became bored with the ways at Versailles, her Austrian house allowed her to escape from the stuffy French attitudes and relax in the gardens that reminded her of her home.
Marie is also greatly anticipating our stop in Austria, especially the resort where she insists on an hour shiatsu massage and a relaxing facial. It will definitely be an opportunity for her to share her country with us. She is looking forward to the Sound of Music tour where she intends on performing her own rendition of the “The Hills are Alive.”

Last Day in London

For the last day in London, we had the option of a group tour, but we skipped out on that because we didn’t want to sit on a bus and just ride around to see things we had already visited and not get to go in what we had not. So off we went on the Tube, which was again challenging because of the closures and we made our first stop to see The Globe Theatre. After a few pictures (it rained on our whole walk) it was off to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels and an exhibit that showed the armor of King Henry VIII. The jewels were as sparkly as ever and the armor showed that the king didn’t miss a meal through the years. The last site to see was Buckingham Palace and some guards before going to see The Lion King. The first time I saw The Lion King was also in London and this time did not disappoint. We had the really cool box seats on the side which lost a little view, but it was so worth it. During the opening number, one of the animals was in our box to start off the show. The costumes, sets and choreography of that show is amazing and it brings the characters from such a beloved movie to life. Right after the show we rushed to meet Juliette, who goes to school with me at USC and was on the Germany trip last year, and some of her friends from school in London. Dinner was at a traditional pub and after many laughs, most from discussing the Bon Qui Qui YouTube video (if you haven’t see it, search it on YouTube as King Burger or Bon Qui Qui). Our last thing on the itinerary was Tick, Tick…Boom. I had seen the show at a community theater in Columbia, but this cast and staging was brilliant. If you know the story of RENT and its creator Jonathan Larson, the takes you into his life and also sets up so much of what you see in RENT. It was a great finish to London.

Late start to a busy day

So the morning started off on a bad note. Our wake-up call never came and when Chelsey saw the clock at 9, we were already an hour late. Skipping baths we were packed and out of the hotel in 22 minutes and headed to the Tube to take our luggage to the hotel where we would be meeting our group. There is major construction going on with the Tube, so two of the main lines we needed weren’t open, making the trip a lot harder and longer than we anticipated. Then we get to the ending point of our Tube journey and have to start our search for the hotel. We got the luggage dropped off (thank goodness because luggage and cobble stone don’t mix) and we were now in a rush to get to the London Eye for an 11 a.m. ticket. Luckily they don’t really go by the times because we didn’t get there until after 11 by the time we got a Tube path to take us back down there. The London Eye had spectacular 360 degree views of London, including Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Next it was off to see Spring Awakening and work on getting tickets for shows for Sunday. On a side note, London shows are dark on Sundays, not Mondays like Broadway. Luckily there are some shows that do play and so we had planned to see The Lion King and Jonathan Larson’s (RENT) Tick, Tick…Boom. But back to Spring Awakening. We have had our tickets since they went on sale and were really excited because they were the on stage seats. Since we have seen the show three other times, it was so cool to get the new perspective and really feel like you are in the show. The cast was amazing and it may be one of my favorite performances I have seen. I was sat next to an ensemble member during the show and Chelsey had various characters like Moritz throughout the show. Now it was time to meet the rest of our group we would be with for the next two weeks. We knew there would either be a group of cool kids or they would be really weird. Luckily we got what seems to be a cool group except for one really mouthy girl who puts her two-cents in on everything. It is a little weird getting throw in to meet 45 people on a trip when almost everyone came with their own friends. The group headed out to a few local pubs and we grabbed dinner before turning in for some shut eye before another busy day.

Baths, Stonehenge and Salisbury

For some reason, I have always wanted to see Stonehenge. Don’t ask me why, but we decided to take a tour that would travel down to the city of Baths then on to Stonehenge and finally Salisbury. I didn’t know what to expect in Baths, but we toured the Roman Baths, which were amazing. It was crazy to see the architecture and engineering that they had back then and how they built around hot water springs for a spectacular communal bathing area. Next we went to Stonehenge, which did not disappoint. It was hard to believe how people could have moved stones that were that big and set them up to deal with so many scientific things, like the moon cycles and the winter and summer solstice. It was really cold there, so we got our pictures and headed back to the bus where we would journey to our last stop, Salisbury to see the cathedral. By this point it was rainy and cold, like it is so much of the time here. Really, I couldn’t live in this gray weather all the time and the sky looking like it is going to rain all the time. The cathedral was magnificent with its souring buttresses and stained glass. Arriving back into the city we had about a half hour to jump on the Tube and head to the West End to catch Dirty Dancing The Musical. I knew I wanted to see this show because I had grown up loving the movie, but I wasn’t sure what to expect on stage. Surprisingly most of the show was great. The water lift scene was a little bizarre with a screen that showed water and them dancing behind it, but all in all it was fun. What was even more enjoyable was the audience. I have never been to a show where people got that into it. They knew all the songs, singing with the show and clapping along. What was really different from Broadway in NYC is that they were so strict in the theaters and would yell at people and call them down in a heartbeat. One girl stood up and was clapping and got in trouble and they threatened to throw her out! Also not like NYC, the cast didn’t sign autographs at the stage door. They also don’t have playbill, but their merchandise is really cheap compared to Broadways. All the shows get out at the same time, so the Tube was very busy. We decided to be adventurous and take the stairs. Bad decisions. Three stories worth of stairs later, we made it down. No wonder everyone was taking the elevator. This was another long day and it was nice when we finally got back to the hotel.
On another side note, the fashion here is interesting to say the least. Some of the people are the trendiest, stylish people you will ever see and some have Mohawks and black shoes with Piglet socks (and you know it’s true because you can’t make something like that up!

Arriving in London...

So our trip began in Myrtle Beach around 10 a.m. on Wednesday heading to Dulles-Washington Airport and then on to Philly to catch our flight to London Gatwick. We were flying US Airways, so we had already packed extra clothes to carry on because we don’t have a good history in flying with them. Our plane to London was way too small, three seats on each side, which didn’t make it very roomy. As usually, the food on the plane was mediocre at best and I lost most of my leg room to the emergency exit door. I spent most of the flight in fear that I would knock the door open and send us all plunging into the ocean. We arrived into Gatwick at 6:50 a.m. and finished our journey their through customs and baggage claim, where amazingly our bags actually made it! After a short train ride into the center of London, we arrived to the Tube just in time to meet morning rush hour. With luggage in tow, it took us six trains before we could get on in the throngs of people. I hadn’t remembered people in London being in such a hurry, but it is more fast pace than NYC and they will run you over if you don’t move. It is always weird getting used to the customs of another country, like they enter and walk up on the left and down on the right. Dropping off our luggage, we headed out to spend the day exploring the city. First off was Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, as well as Parliament. Chelsey is less picky than I am, but we just wanted some normal food, so we grabbed lunch at Pizza Hut. What was crazy was how nice it was, like most of their fast food restaurants. Their Pizza Hut was beautiful and so well designed, it was not like the nasty ones we have in the states. And of course what is a day without a little shopping. First up was a quick trip to Harrods so we could say we had been there and then to our favorite place, Tiffany and Co. To say the least, we needed a nap in the late evening before going on the Jack the Ripper tour.

The Next Big Adventure

It hardly feels like it has been a year since Germany! Now, after graduating from college and finishing a semester of graduate school, it is off to another great adventure in Europe. In total, I am traveling for 32 days. The first 15 days are part of the senior trip the alumni association puts together and Chelsey is traveling with me then. We are starting in London where we have added a few extra days to the beginning to make sure we have time to see the city. We are going to see Spring Awakening again, but this time we have seats on stage! The London Eye, a tour to Stonehenge, Dirty Dancing The Musical and a Jack the Ripper tour are also part of the London itinerary. Next we go to Paris where we see the city and Moulin Rouge. The trip continues through to Brussels, Germany, Austria and lastly into Italy where it ends in Rome. Sadly in Rome Chelsey will head home and I fly to Athens, Greece to meet my dad. We will travel for the remainder of the trip continuing on to Santorini, Barcelona, Seville and Madrid. Less than a week and we our in the air!

The map shows the journey through the first part ending in Rome.

Idina Menzel in Concert

This past weekend Chelsey and I ventured to Atlanta to see Tony winner Idina Menzel. After some mishap with tickets (we ended up with 6 for the 2 of us), the concert was finally here. We spent the day shopping in Atlanta before meeting some friends for dinner at Hal's and then it was off the Chastain Amphitheatre for the concert! Not only did she sing all the great songs off her album, she did songs from "Wicked," "The Wild Party," and "RENT." Except at the Tonys, I had never seen Idina Menzel live in any shows. It was a spectacular concert and I can't wait to see her on stage again somewhere!