More photos

Me in Gimmelwald. That would be a cloud there on the horizon, partially obscuring the mountains. We're kinda high up.


The path outside town.


Me in front of Geneva's jet d'eau, standing in the Jardin Anglais (English Garden).


The pulpit from which Jean Calvin preached.


Geneva's jet d'eau.


The Last Judgment. Cameras are supposed to be forbidden in the Sistine Chapel, but I may have snapped off a few without them catching me. Shhh.


God and man.


The Colosseum at sunset. The glory of ancient Rome rekindled.


In front of the Colosseum in the evening.


In Piazza di San Pietro in the Vatican.


Michelangelo's Pieta, possibly the most beautiful sculpture ever. You can't see, but it's behind bullet-proof glass since some crazed guy took an axe to it in the 80s.


On top of the Spanish Steps, overlooking the city.


In the Piazza di Spagna, in front of the Spanish Steps.


The Colosseum by day.


The ruins of the Forum.


The Duomo in Firenze from the Piazzale Michelangelo.


A view over Florence.


The Arno river running through Florence. In the back is the Ponte Vecchio, lined with jewelry stores.


The Grand Canal of Venezia.


The Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, one of the many art museums. In front of the entrance, you can see a replica of the famed David.

High up in the Swiss Alps...

The Ponte di Rialto


Venezia by night


Venice by day


Nice from the Chateau hill


the beach at Cap d'Ail where we spent an afternoon


me skipping stones on the Mediterranean


I conquered Eze Village. Actually, we took a bus up there. Don't think less of me.


in front of the Palais Longchamp in Marseille


on a boat out to the Chateau d'If in Marseille harbor


Hello again from the roaming gnome! Yeah, I'm afraid I'm looking rather gnomish these days with the month-old scruff on my face that I'd like to call a beard, but just can't in good conscience. A lot has happened since my last update, beginning actually approximately two hours after the last time I wrote. When we last left our hero, he was poised to board the train from Nice to Venice, which would involve a series of train changes over the course of the night, but would get him between the places without wasting a day of travel (and also saving on accommodation). Our intrepid band boarded the train from Nice to Ventimiglia, just across the France-Italy border. Just as we were about to get off the train, an evil conductor (no doubt the spawn of Satan - his name was even Fabio! I mean, seriously) came around looking for tickets. We dutifully showed him our Eurail passes. Mine is a global pass, meaning basically that I can go anywhere for a month. The girls', however, had a deal where it was travel for four days in a month, where they had to write in each travel date clearly on their pass. Well, they hadn't gotten around to filling that out yet. Fabio saw that immediately, went on a power trip, and seized each of our passes as well as our passports. We were now at the station, and he proceeded to tell us that for "misusing" our passes, we had to pay 118 euros before getting them back. All this time, he hadn't even realized that mine was valid. I finally got him to look at it, at which point he gave mine back. But I couldn't leave the girls behind. So, long story short, the girls wouldn't pay, Fabio left on the next train still holding their passes, and we were without travel means for the night. We went back to Nice. The next morning, through some act of God, the girls managed to get their passes back by talking to Fabio's superior (who agreed with us that he was a moron - her explanation: "he's Italian, you know?"), and we were on our way. So... accommodation was still paid for (although I got a discount since the hostel was booked and I only got a mattress on the floor thanks to the kindness of the owner) and a day of sightseeing in Venice was still lost. So much for my planning. But we got to Venezia safely after the debacle, and it was entirely worth it. We spent the entire day and a half there wandering around the streets, getting entirely lost or turned around, and walking into random chiesas (churches). Piazza di San Marco was incredible, but also incredibly frequented by tourists. I've rarely seen so many people gathered in one place at one time. I'd say my favorite part of the city was the cemetary (I know, morbid), which was an island entirely separate from the main city, reachable only by vaporetto (water bus).
Next, it was on to Florence. It was another beautiful city, but probably one I should have saved for another time. The main things to see in Florence are the museums and the churches, all of which charge ridiculous prices. I wouldn't have any of that. I spent our two days there wandering around the city (I had a great climb into the hills south of the city, seeing a small church up there as well as a convent, both mixed among the olive trees dotting the Tuscan hillside). The famed Duomo would probably have to be my favorite sight there. The inside was pretty lame (basically just a huge open gallery) but the outside was gorgeous. Finally, it was on to Rome. It was a whirlwind. We had two days there. The first we spent seeing just about every renowned tourist site: the Colosseum, the Forum, the Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, the Fountain of Trevi, the Spanish Steps, the Piazza de Popolo, and the Piazza Navonne. It was a long day. I got nearly 11 hours out of my unenthused troops. The next day was spent at the Vatican: walking around St. Peter's Basilica and then touring the Musei Vaticani, where the Sistine Chapel is. That night (the 30th), I boarded a night train from Rome to Geneva. What a contrast: from the heart of Catholicism to the heart of Protestantism and the Reformation in less than a day. It was immediately apparent. Geneva is a beautiful city. It's quite small compared to the places I'd seen in Italy, and there aren't many "attractions," but it was nice to have a breather. I got to walk around, see the pulpit from which Jean Calvin first started his reformative ministry, discuss politics with the members of the United Nations, and lounge around in various lakeside gardens. I just arrived in Gimmelwald from Geneva this evening. Gimmelwald is a little town up in the Swiss Alps (it required taking a cable car ride to get here!) that was recommended to me by one of my high school teachers. It is incredible. The views are breathtaking. I plan on just hiking around the next couple days, stopping on mountain sides to read or write a little, but mostly just taking in the air and the sun (if it comes out). I'll also probably buy some home-made products from the locals, such as bread and cheese. If you're interested, just google the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald, and you can see the views available just from my hostel. Pretty unbelievable. Okay, I tried to keep this short so I can attach some pictures from the journey. Hope everyone's doing well and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in AZ in a couple weeks!

Travel Time!

Hey all,
A quick update. I know it's been awhile since you've heard from me. I'm currently in Nice, France, and about to leave for Venice. We (myself and my traveling companions, Krista and Shannon, from CMRS) left London Stansted airport on the night of Saturday, April 18th, bound for Marseille, on the coast of France. We got in really late, and, rather than braving public transport to get from the airport (entirely outside the city limits) to our hostel for the night, we took a taxi ride. Pricey, but convenient. The first hostel was, well, interesting. There was a nice little karaoke contest going on in the lobby when we arrived, and the drugged-out receptionist provided a warm welcome. The advertised breakfast seemed only to be pieces of bread, bananas, and coffee. But then we had to move our stuff to a different hotel for our second night. This was all due to some bizarre mishaps when booking hostels for our stay. So we walked to the Hotel le Huitieme, which I specifically name only in the hopes that you never, ever try to stay there, no matter how cheap it is. Honestly, it couldn't have been much worse. They locked us out without telling us about it beforehand, then misplaced our bags and were unable to find them for a couple hours, then gave away our room to someone else. The room we finally had prepared had questionable stains on the ceiling, mold in the shower, and an ant infestation. I thought it was hilarious, but horrible at the same time. Just another of those traveling experiences. The city of Marseille itself was interesting. The part where we stayed our two nights was a little sketchy, and we didn't dare stay out too late. But down by the port, the old part (or vieux port), was pretty cool. Lots of impressive forts overlooking the Mediterranean and some pretty incredible cathedrals. It was so nice to see water again! Plus, we took a ferry out to the island If, where the Chateau d'If sits, the site of Edmand Dantes's imprisonment in the Count of Monte Cristo. Pretty sweet.
After two days there, we came here, to Nice, which was a welcome respite after the insanity of Marseille. We visited upscale Monaco and Monte Carlo on Tuesday, sat on the beach (and got incredibly burned) yesterday at Cap d'Ail, and walked around the Old Town and climbed the Chateau hill this morning.
Leaving Oxford was tougher than I would have imagined. I was fairly sick of a lot of the people in the program by the end, but it was still hard to say goodbye. Funny how that works. And I'm really going to miss the city itself, which I grew to love in my stay there. More on all this later, and I promise it'll be a little more cheerful. Miss you all a ton, and, for now, au revoir!

Photos

In front of the Radcliffe Camera of the Bodleian Library. Yeah, I study in that building!


In front of the wrought-iron gates of All Souls College.


The Bridge of Sighs, Oxford.


The Basilique du Sacre Coeur.


A small, small part of the enormous Cimitiere Pere Lachaise.


The Opera Garnier.


The quartz crystal tunnel at the Memorial de la Deportation.


The extensive grounds at Versailles


Just one of the hundreds of rooms at Versailles


The family at Chartres.


Shameful.


I was family photographer for the trip. Here's the back of Notre Dame from a bridge over the Seine.


Le Tour Eiffel.


Notre Dame.


Brother bonding in front of the Louvre.


The three literary Oles at Slain's Castle in Aberdeen.


Valentine's Day prom. Dress: funky fresh.


St. Peter's bop night. Theme: anything but clothes. This is our prom photo prior to leaving. My date and I are toga-clad. The orange couple on the right ironed together plastic grocery bags, and the couple on the right mixed and matched grocery bags and newspaper. We're a classy bunch. And no, there's no particular reason for the sunglasses.


Staring out to sea.


I don't think I'd have fit in half the passageways of Medieval Britain.


The dilapidated tower of Dunnottar Castle.


Me being majestic?


I shed my tears over Greyfriars Bobby's grave. Wiki the story, it's a good one.


The view from our hostel in Edinburgh. Not too shabby.


God save the Queen.


The ruins of Holyrood Abbey, open to the sky.


I'm ready to climb Mons Meg, the huge cannon at Edinburgh Castle. The sign says not to. I'm such a rebel.


In front of Edinburgh Castle.


Hume and I contemplate empiricism on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.


Me and my banana bread.


Snow in Oxford! This is the view from my window.


The entryway at Christ Church, the city's most illustrious college, and the site of several Harry Potter filming locations, including the great hall.


Me in my St. Peter's choir garb outside the chapel. The little "tail" is from my Oxford gown.


The red telephone booth.


St. James' Park at sunset. The Eye is in the background.


Me in Paddington. This one's for you, Keeg.