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Hello! If you would like to see my photos, I upload them on picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/ms.katherinerobertson/

Enjoy!

Chartres, Normandy and Brugge!

On our last day in Paris, we took a day trip to Chartres to see the cathedral. It is an amazing cathedral because the townspeople volunteered their time and supplies to build it in the 12th century. As you can imagine, it's a really special place. The portals are so intricate that they are like encyclopedias for the Medieval mind. The stained glass is also impressive. The two spires are in two different styles because they were built over 300 years apart- one in Romanesque style and the other in the Gothic style. Inside, there is a huge labyrinth that was used as a poor man's pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There is one path to the center, unlike a maze, and the same path is taken out. It can be used for prayer or meditation and it is not at all New Age, rather Middle Age! I used it to meditate on Psalm 103 and make it my own prayer. It was such a beautiful experience because I find it so difficult to stay still and concentrate on something. Walking through the labyrinth as I meditated and prayed was perfect for the restless type. It was a really spiritual and calming experience.

We spent a couple days in Caen which is in Normandy, France. We went to a Peace Museum that covered the last century's wars. It moved from WWI and spiraled down to the Second World War. There were a lot of powerful images. For example, a large image of Hitler was projected above a dark passageway accompanied by sounds of Nazi rallies. It was chilling. That museum was emotionally difficult because I was losing an idea of the reason for war. It seemed so inhuman and horrifying. Yet, someone had to intervene in Hitler's plans for world domination and extermination of the Jews. One powerful quote was: "All war is civil war. Man is tearing out his own entrails."

I didn't get to go through the Cold War exibit but I did visit an exibit on the 9.11 terrorist attacks. It was strange to see something in a museum that I have lived through. The wounds are so fresh. We were given a global perspective on the attacks because we were reading about what happened to our nation in another country. There were profiles on all of the plane hijackers and how they got involved in Al Queda. A lot of them were not even religious much before Bin Laden recruited them. Many of them alienated friends and family upon becoming radical jihadists. There was a striking picture of the moment that Bush was told about the attacks. He was doing a reading at a school and his eyes were so intense with shock and fear that our lives would never be the same. There were also profiles of some survivors and some who died that day. One woman was a flight attendant who was flying because someone called in sick. Can you imagine dying on a day that you were even supposed to be working? And what about the woman who was sick? I felt pretty somber after that experience.

The following day, we visited a German cemetery, Pont du'Hoc and Omaha beach with the American cemetery. I really liked going to both cemeteries because it helped to remind us that we can't hate the Germans forever. It is a symbol of reconciliation and peace. It was even more beautiful because the Allies funded the cemetery to bury their enemies. Our professor reminded us that by D-Day, so late in the war, many of the Nazi soldiers were not necessarily supporters of Hitler. I looked for some soldiers that were my own age to imagine what it might've been like but I still have no idea.

The invasion at Omaha Beach was such a disaster that it caused many casualties among American soldiers. The cemetery was very calm and orderly with white crosses and stars of David. The campaign for Nazi-occupied France was costly but also necessary. Learning about the D-Day invasion is really fascinating becasue it was such a huge operation. I love learning about the little nuances like that Churchill didn't really believe in the idea of a large-scale invasion even when the Americans were really pushing it. It took Stalin to get a commitment from Churchill which was probably the best thing Stalin ever did. War is so complex because the enemy of your enemy turns out to be your friend as long as your interests match up for a time. We allied with Stalin to defeat the Germans then fought the USSR for the rest of the century.

The ideas of war and pacifism are really coming into conflict inside me now. At another museum about WWI in Flanders, I was struck by the quote that after the war-to-end-all-wars, "there has been armed conflict every day of every year somewhere in the world since 1918." Yet, I can't deny that there are times to intervene. I was looking for wisdom from the Bible (no better place than Proverbs) and fell upon Proverbs 3:27, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." Isn't that how fundamentalist Muslim's view jihad? Or does Bin Laden just have an evil agenda? Feel free to respond with your own thoughts...

On another note... I am in Brugge, Belgium right now, a place to rest my soul after such a difficult place to digest. Brugge is my favorite city so far because it is so tranquil and I have had only pleasant interactions. It is a Medieval town that was not ruined by either World War so it retains so much character. It is a northern version of what I imagine Venice to be like because it is full of canals and cobblestone streets. It also reminds me of Latin American cities because it is centered around the plaza. What city in Latin America doesn't have a central plaza (probably the Plaza de Armas) with a church? There was a market yesterday that we took advantage of after class. I heard a cheese vender speaking Spanish with a customer...so I just acted like I only spoke Spanish and he seemed convinced enough that I was from Spain or South America. I love those fun interactions with locals. We also went to a restaurant to get Belgiun waffles and wine and had a great time. We listened to live music by the Budapest Trio and were thoroughly entertained by our waiter who also enjoyed our enthusiasm. We saw our professors, Ken and Kim Khilstrom, sit down on the patio so we had the violinist play them a song and they loved it so much they sent us another waffle to share! It was a great night.

Tomorrow we head to Leiden, a university town outside of Amsterdam. It sounds like we'll be taking a boat tour instead of going through the Red Light District as a group...

La Tour Eiffel, Sacre Coeur et Versailles!!

On Tuesday afternoon after class, Wendi, Janna and I went to the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top to get a good view of the city... too bad it started raining after a few minutes at the top. Then we walked around Champs Elysee (sp?) which is a street famous for good shopping. All we could afford were sandwiches though.

That night was a real highlight... we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower! It cost 12 Euros to go all the way up (why would you go part way? I'm not sure...). Most of our group went up at around the same time so we had fun hanging out there until nightfall. The view was so amazing at night! The city lights and the Seine were gorgeous!

Another highlight for me, besides my Nutella crepe from the Latin Quarter, was sitting in the Luxembourg gardens on a sunny afternoon. Of all the parts of the city that I've seen, that was the most pleasant. Palm trees, flowers, grass, statues, and a pond... lovely. After the gardens, we went to Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) which turns out to be really close to our hotel. It's a beautiful basilica on a hill that has a great view of the city. We had a picnic lunch, listened to people play music and then explored the inside of the church. I appreciate that no photography is allowed inside because snapping pictures always takes away from the serenity of such a center of worship.

Today we went to Versailles Palace, home of Louis XIV and Napoleon I. It was not what I expected. Something about it seemed really fake or insincere... I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was the tourists, maybe the plaster replicas of statues. I felt like it was a huge display of French snootiness- similar to the Louvre. The strangest part of the visit was the sculptures in the style of modern art that were placed throughout the palace. There was a massive magenta balloon dog in the middle of room, then an inflatable lobster pool toy hanging in the middle of a drawing room... I completely lost it when I saw a porcelain sculpture of Michael Jackson and a monkey in another room. It was really hard to focus on the palace and learn about history with such distractions. I'm not sure what the purpose of the placement of modern art in Versailles was. I haven't learned to appreciate that style of art- it isn't as appealing to me as Monet's paintings of his garden. I definitely didn't get was I was expecting!

I did learn a couple of interesting facts about Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette. Louis had "going to bed" and "awakening" ceremonies where he was assisted by numerous people. He usually changed shirts in the morning because he would often sweat a lot. The queen gave birth to her children in public so that there would be no question of the legitimacy of the heirs. Marie-Antoinette, following the ideas of the Enlightenment, made several changes to the palace according to her tastes and created a small play town where she could pretend to be a peasant. I guess when you are queen you pretend to be a peasant and when you are peasant you pretend to be queen!

Tomorrow we are going Chartres to visit the cathedral that has two different spires because they were built four centuries apart! There is also a labyrinth in the church so it should a really interesting place to visit. Even more exciting is the fact that the pope is coming to Paris tomorrow and there are special services at Notre Dame in his honor. I will hopefully make it to see him.

If you are reading my blog, please leave me a comment or shoot me an email once in a while to keep me updated. And I'd love the encouragement to keep writing--- hopefully my thoughts aren't lost somewhere in cyberspace...

Love you all! Bonsoir!

Vous etes ici, Paris!

Well, I’ve been in Paris for a few days now… we’ve tried to do lots in the city during our free time, that is, between homework and class. We went to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday night but we decided not to go up because there were too many people. So we watched it sparkle from the base of the Seine. It was beautiful! Then on Sunday, I went to mass at Notre Dame Cathedral! It was quite the experience. I followed the scriptures in my Bible and chimed in for the parts in Latin. The music was beautiful. Then we walked around the outside taking note of the flying buttresses which became very important for the stability of the building even though they were originally included in architecture for aesthetic reasons. We walked along the Seine River (check out my pictures on the slideshow) towards Musee D’Orsay, a museum with many works including lots of Impressionism. Going to so many museums in a condensed amount of time has encouraged me to develop favorites… I am loving the paintings by the impressionists! Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Manet, Seurat and others. Pointillism is so fun with all its bright colors and Degas’s Blue Dancers is really amazing in person. I also enjoy works by Austrian Gustav Klimt. Look up his paintings! Art nouveau is so enticing. I can’t wait until we go to Vienna because I will be able to see a lot of his works in a museum there.

Monday was set aside for the Louvre. Yes, nearly the entire day. We went in the morning, took a break for lunch then continued for another few hours in the afternoon. I started on the top floor to explore the French paintings. Silly me, I was actually hoping to see some Impressionism. Apparently, Impressionism is not yet considered art by the Louvre. It’s too new and has not yet proved itself. What a disappointment! And I spent all that time looking at the French paintings… I did see the famous painting of Louis XIV which is very appropriate because I am going to Versailles tomorrow to see his castle. After lunch, we saw the Mona Lisa. I saw once when I was 8 and I felt the same way this time. It is a bit underwhelming. It is roped off and people just stand around it snapping pictures and not even looking at the painting itself. I suppose the fame lies in the mystery of her expression but I am not a huge fan. Sorry Da Vinci. I prefer works that are more aesthetically pleasing or that have significance or meaning. Pilgrimage to Cythera by Watteau is really interesting because it shows an entire story and it synthesizes mythology with everyday life of the 18^th century. If I must be so blunt it shows the stages of seduction or love in the depiction of 8 different couples as the progress towards a mythic boat that will take them to Cythera where Aphrodite lives. “Going to Cythera” was an idiom for making love in the 18^th century. Reading from right to left, 8 couples show the different stages of love. First, a man whispers “sweet nothings” (thanks to the audio guide) into her ear, then in the next couple, the woman accepts and the following one begins to walk to the boat.

The whole experience of the Louvre was overwhelming due to the masses of tourists snapping pictures at every famous painting and sculpture. It was annoying because they would hardly pause to look at the art, just get the picture and move on. I felt as though I couldn’t enjoy the works in the busy areas. My favorite sculpture was Cupid and Psyche by Casanova. It is truly a masterpiece that suspends you in a moment of their embrace. Cupid’s wings, although made out of stone, look as light as air. Each one’s embrace creates a circle around the other and every angle is gorgeous (check the slideshow!). Overall, the Louvre felt like it was too much. It ends up seeming like a matter of pride rather than art. The Louvre is the largest museum in the world and the French will keep it that way as long as they can.

I will write more about Paris soon! The Eiffel Tower at night was amazing and the Luxembourg garden on a sunny day was a definite highlight. Bonsoir!

photos...

Check out my slideshow to see pics of Scotland!

Here Comes the Bride!

I’m now on my way back to London to join up with my group. This weekend was packed but amazing. I had such a good time with family and friends. I arrived in San Diego completely exhausted because it was already 8am London time and I hadn’t really slept. My dad and little brother and sister picked me up at the airport and we began our search for our hotel. Once we got there, I just about passed out. Ok…a little exaggeration. But I was tired. My dad and step-mom hosted the rehearsal luncheon at Il Fornaio, one of our favorite Italian restaurants, that was right on the water on Coronado. The rehearsal was at Point Loma Naval Base, where the wedding and reception would be held the following day. It was a gorgeous site! We were outside right on the water with blue skies to gaze at. I loved being so close to the ocean while enjoying San Diego’s amazing climate.

That evening, the bridesmaids, Erica (the bride!) and I went to downtown San Diego for a late dinner. We ate at Stingaree, a very posh and trendy place to be. We felt a little out place among the short skirts and high stilettos but we still enjoyed ourselves. We stayed that night downtown in the Sheraton; the girls in one suite and the guys all packed in another. The luxury of an evening wedding allowed us to use the whole day to get ready. Crystal came to the hotel to do the bride’s and bridesmaids’ hair. Ashley, my 9 year old sister, was the flower girl so she and Kim, my step mom, joined us to finished getting ready. I had fun doing Ashley’s hair in an up-do, so different from her normal ponytail. Before the ceremony, the limo took us to take pictures right by the bay. I think all of us girls enjoyed feeling like models for the day. I’m sure Erica felt like we were her entourage/Paparazzi as we followed her around snapping photos.

The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous and very touching. Daniel escorted our mom to her seat and even their dog, Kenzie, got to come down the aisle! They incorporated a lot Philippino traditions into the ceremony as well as many relevant scriptures and symbolism throughout. The seven sisters (Erica’s five sisters, Ashley and I) read blessings for the couple, a Hebrew tradition. We each got to choose our blessings which ranged from Hawaiian, Scottish, Irish, and Catholic to Native American. I felt honored to read the Catholic blessing but could hardly look Daniel and Erica in the eyes because the emotion was too much.

After the ceremony, we enjoyed and beautiful and fun reception on the deck by the water. The DJ was really good- and that’s a rare occasion. He played all my favorites: Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and Norah Jones. We danced all night long to disco and other dance floor classics. A lot of their friends from UCSB came as well as old friends from high school. Dan’s best man was Joe Purcell who he’s known “since the mid-60’s as Joe put it. Both he and Kayleen, the maid of honor, gave nice toasts. And one lucky girl caught the bouquet… ME! Haha… That was actually the second bouquet that I’ve caught… I’m not sure what that means but I think I have good reflexes! I better stop catching those because I have a feeling that none of the other girls are going to like me anymore. ;)

We left the venue late and totally spent; a long weekend. I had to say goodbye to all my family except my mom and Rich who took me to the airport this morning. I’m so glad that I was able to share that special time with my brother and new sister or sisters (I inherited six more sisters to make a total of ten including my step sisters!). Everyone was so joyful and the bride was gorgeous! I wasn’t able to play them a video I made in Scotland for the newlyweds but I gave them a copy to watch later.

Now I need to switch modes and get ready for Europe. I feel like my trip is finally beginning now that I have three and half straight months of travel and study. That reminds me…I have a paper due on Thursday! I’m sure Professor Khilstrom will be gracious to his jet-lagged student. Congrats if you made it to the end of the long blog! I love you all and until Paris, keep being your awesome selves!