Where in the world am I?!

In front of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
Happy to be in the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. Also, happy to be Irish.

In London outside the Globe Theater on the Thames

At Macbeth in the Globe Theater. They had these weird black drape things to put your head into if you were in the standing area. It was to make it so you could experience the darkness of the play more thouroughly. We just had way too fun with that...

Some of the girls in Venice.

On the Grand Canal in Venice.

I finally got pictures up! So those are just a few of the many, but this internet is slow. ha! But lately it's hard to keep track of where I am. After London, we took the chunnel to Brussels, where we got a train to Antwerp. We stayed there a night (gorgeous city by the way but I was feeling sick and couldn't really enjoy it) and then took a morning train to Amsterdam. We are now staying at a hotel by the airport in Amsterdam, but we take day trips out to other cities. Yesterday it was Haarlem. Today Leiden. I'm having a hard time keeping track! ha. Anyway, it's been a really great couple of days. The Netherlands is a really beautiful country. I'm quite enjoying it. Well, Amsterdam is gross. But Haarlem and Leiden are simply delightful. So yesterday, we got to Amsterdam. We walked around for a bit and then went to Haarlem where we went to the Frans Hals museum. Really great stuff there. Then we went back to Amsterdam where I went to the Anne Frank museum. Yes. Finally. I've been dreaming of this day since the fifth grade when I made a model of the Anne Frank annex for my project on the Holocaust. I cried actually. I did. I cried. It was so different from what I pictured it and I can't imagine having to be in there for two whole years! Never going outside! I couldn't do it. Today we headed out to Leiden. I really like this city. It's so gorgeous complete with windmills and canals! We stopped at a museum here and at about 12:30 we were set free. Some of us went over to the Botanical gardens at the Leiden University. They were beautiful and so peaceful! And it was so great to be in a place like that and not have to take notes! I just enjoyed it. And fed fish. It was grand. So now I am at this internet place. I feel like there is just so much to write about! And I don't have a lot of time! I wish you could all be here experiencing this with me. It truly is amazing. Tomorrow we go to a conference in Amsterdam where my professor is running a session. She, a long with 3 BYU graduate students, will be speaking on northern art. I am so freaking excited to see Martha (my professor) in her element, with no stops holding her back. It's going to be intense. I don't know if you knew this, but she's one of the leading scholars in northern european art and has published several articles and I think even a book. She's amazing. Love her. I'm so glad I could come on this trip. I'm learning so so much. I have art coming out my ears. And I like it. Who knew museums for 5-6 hours a day could be liked?! I didn't. But now I do. I don't even realize I'm in there for so long. Side thought: this is the last year the university is allowing an art history study abroad. RIDICULOUS MUCH?! Of ALL the study abroads, aside for the language ones perhaps, this has to be the most practical! They say they're ending it because it is just like a vacation for us. FALSE! This is no vacay for us. In London there were two other programs from BYU staying at the same hotel. We talked with some people from the Accounting program and all I can do is LAUGH! They have class in the morning and then they have like the entire day FREE. I will now quote one of the boys directly: "Yeah, this is pretty much like vacation for us." Not fair that this program, and others such as the business study abroade (which tours factories every now and then and goes zip lining for their class activities) will continue on but this program will not. Quite ridiculous. I'm quite infuriated that the plans for an art history study abroad next spring did not get approved. YOU CAN'T SEE THIS STUFF ANYWHERE ELSE! You can study business anywhere. Why pay that much money to go tour a few factories on occassion and play for the rest of the time and call it an academic program?! Going to museums for 5-6 hours a day, having some of the most brilliant minds in their field lecturing to you, and then in your spare time (which you have very little of) go to more museums to write a little extra about what you are seeing (which we are required to do), get up the next morning and repeat...for TWO MONTHS! Now THAT'S an academic program that is valuable to your education. It's been quite the topic of discussion here on this trip. I'm quite infuriated about it. In fact, I will write a letter to BYU. Anyway, got that out there, now I can continue to the happiness and sunshine that I am experiencing here. I want a bike here. Everybody here has a bike. they have rows and rows of bike racks, some with two levels, everywhere. Because everybody rides their bike. What a healthy and fun way to live. I will strive to be more like the dutch. More like the Europeans really. Oh what a healthy life they live. I need to be more European. This is kind of turning into one of my blah blah blah-gs. ha! But I have a lot on my mind. One of my bffs since birth is getting married in July! I'm so excited for her! She asked me to be here bridesmaid. I'm quite excited about that job. And I feel honored. Have you seen Iron Man 2?! We went and saw it one late light in London just so we could have an excuse to sit and do nothing for 2 hours. It was so great! We all had a good laugh at the art humor: "You donated our entire modern art collection to the-" "Boy Scouts of America? Yes. It's a great organization....THIS is modern art. I'm going to hang it up. We'll just move this..." "Don't you DARE take down the Barnett Newman!" ba haha it was funny. Anyway. I think that's all I've got for now folks. I hope all is well in the states. Talk to ya lata!

Kell