"What are men to rocks and mountains?"

As all normal humans know, this last week there was a highly commercialized holiday allegedly dedicated to love. I call it an excuse to eat massive amounts of chocolate and watch Pride and Prejudice and all things Sandra Bullock. Before we get to valentines day however, I will pick up where I left off in my ever expanding story of London.

Sometimes I don't feel as social as others, on these days I take walks in Hyde Park by myself. On this particular day (last Tuesday) I realized I had a ton of data left on my O2 pay as you go plan so I took my Skype chat with my mother on the go. I felt very posh video chatting from across the pond sitting a stones throw away from Kensington Palace.

Yes this is a selfie, but really, what can you do when you are by yourself in awesome lighting?

Then on Wednesday I took my friend Ellie out to buy her some New York style pizza because her best friend left on a mission to New York. Having said goodbye to my best friend on February 4th of last year, I know how she is feeling. During this chat, we realized that my best friend is in her home mission and they probably know some of the same people.... small world!

Thursday was a fun filled day. Becky and I queued for day tickets to the musical Close to You and got tickets... that sat us ON THE STAGE!!! Literally the actors were making eye contact and smiling with us. One even talked to me. Not real life. But after we bought our tickets, we went to Hamley's toy store which is 4 stories of fun. 

I met the royal family and hung out at the royal wedding.

Then I saw this and knew my nephews would love a massive Lego x-wing fighter plane.

Complete with navigational droid

Cause we are cute

We went home and ate food and such and then got to our show. It was a jukebox musical that felt like 7 friends jamming on state to Burt Bacharach's music. If you are saying, "I don't know any songs by him" you are wrong. Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head, Say a Little Prayer, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, and On Less Bell to Answer, to name a few. There were 30+ of his songs included in some form or another. During Close to You, the main guy played a guitar that was hanging on a girls back while they hugged?!?! Talk about talent. Each cast member played at least 2 instruments one guy played both forms of the bass, the cello, the guitar, the piano, and a ukulele and sang and danced while playing each from memory. Ugh talented people.

See the poor peasants in the regular crowd?

Our view.

Also did I mention we weren't sitting in real seats... they were couches!!! Most comfortable seat in the house guaranteed.

Friday as a group we went to Greenwich where all time zones start from, because the British thought they should be the center of everything. It was beautiful and while still kind of in the city, it was a nice reprieve from the highly metropolitan London we mostly stay in. Now we have gotten good at using the transport, Greg and Martha give us directions so we know where we are going in case we get lost. Because of who I am as a person, I left as soon as they told us too with about 4 other girls. They told us to meet at the observatory so that's were we headed. Some of the other girls wanted to wait at the train station and I said they were more than welcome to but I was headed up to the meeting place. They came with me and weren't very happy when we sat in the windy cold for an hour. Come to find out later they thought we had missed the train and went to the other site first while Greg waited at the train station for us. Um nope, we beat you there. Our professors were all on my side saying we did exactly what we were supposed to by leaving on time and heading to the meeting place, One day the people here will trust my navigational skills to know I don't get lost easily. I know what I'm doing.

Looking down at the Naval college and other city stuffs

From inside the observatory grounds for a different city scape view

The Prime Meridian... which is actual not accurately placed but...

Painted hall, where everyone went while they were waiting for us and we froze on top of the hill. (As seen in the new live action Cinderella fencing scene.)

Last but certainly not least this week was Galentine's Day. Similar to the over hyped Valentine's Day, Galentine's focuses on love, of your gal pals. For my holiday, Kate and I queued in the freezing cold to get front row center seats for the musical Kinky Boots. I doubt there is a better way to celebrate a weekend of glaring singularity than watching a show about drag queens. We hit an Italian restaurant and then enjoyed a two and a half hour, sassy masterpiece. Seriously, who knew Cindy Lauper could compose a good musical?

Front row babes

Pre-show set selfie

I have to put in a little blurb about the regular holiday, as students we set up a secret valentine and drew names, mine gave me a bag covered with cats (love) and a bunch of chocolate (love even more). But the best present arrived on Friday from my beautiful mother. She didn't sign the card so people would think I had a man... now you all know why she is my best friend. 

They came with chocolates and I made do with my water bottle for a vase. The buds weren't open when I got them so each day since it has been fun to watch them bloom and become more and more beautiful.

All you need is love,

Kemarie

A Day in the Life

I will start by saying, I love the city of London. It is vibrant and historic. I have already grown accustomed to living here. So much so that I have started acting the way I do at home. Laying in bed and looking at a computer screen to see the world. I know, I know not the best use of my study abroad money, but I'm pretty happy with it. I do force myself to leave the Centre at least once a day though so here is my week.
Day 1:
     I went out of the Centre to go to class in the National Gallery. We talked about early and true renaissance art. Here is a picture from my notes for reference.

This is early northern renaissance. You can tell because of the golden halos that were utilized heavily in the mid evil period but have now been tilted to give the painting some dimension, but the faces are still stylized (look all the same ish) so it is still early in the renaissance.

Day 2:
Today I went to lecture then left the Centre to do my homework by visiting the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum. I also returned a shirt I bought at Primark that didn't fit like I wanted it to. Sorry no pictures this day, if you want, google the Elgin Marbles they are pretty impressive.

Day 3:
I had my religion class then I went after dinner to the play As You Like it at the National Theater. It was a modern production of the Shakespeare comedy that was incredibly well done. I was concerned during the opening monologue by Orlando because I wasn't understanding any of it, but after a while I caught on to the old English and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Day 4:
I spent most of the day inside napping and doing homework, but mostly napping. After dinner I went to Selfridges and got a passion fruit cupcake from Lola's which was divine. Kate and I weren't ready to go back to the Centre and it was a warm and not windy (we are rarely blessed with no wind) night. As we walked down Piccadilly Circus, we found a happy store of the Disney variety.

Me and my favorite Avenger.

As I was taking this picture a lovely Disney employee walked passed and decided Kate and I needed one together and proceeded to instruct us on how to stand and our faces. Google Photos then combined these pictures for me in a fun way.

Notice how we start so serious and then the man gave us instructions to be more fierce and we lost our edge.

Also I need to be in Star Wars

Day 5:

This day we were tasked with visiting the Natural History Museum and it had this awesome meteor that you rode an escalator through that felt like Space Mountain.

Exibit A

Exhibit B

Inside the meteor

Well that's all for tonight folks. Good night and don't do anything I wouldn't do...

Sitting on a corn flake,

Kemarie

"Words are flowing out like endless rain"

Hi ho, Kemarie the student here,
     Since I went to the most wonderful place on earth and the outer reaches of the universe, the rest of the week hasn't been a let down, but it has been less exciting.
My less exciting adventures include the Tower of London which was super cool. There was a paid actor who dressed up as King Edward II who was the first, and only, openly gay King. He was interacting with us and asked where we were from, specifically. We had girls from California, Arizona and Utah. He asked if there were fights among us because of our alliances. The girls started to say no but I honestly proclaimed, "I hope so!" He was surprised and laughed and called me a "true viking". "You a truly Danish." Yeah, yeah, I know I am tall and blond. This is me with the Tower Bridge. Also, the crown jewels are fierce.

Me with a random dragon in the Tower of London. Cause why not?

Then we went to the Museum of London for an assignment and I found the 2012 London olympic torch. 

Also if anyone is looking for the perfect gift for me...

And I ended the week on Saturday going to the Sherlock Holmes museum.

A wax statue of one of the mysteries

Because I am Sherlock without the crazy intelligence.

Okay basically I just am really good at offending people.

Eliminating the impossible,

Kemarie

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were proud to say..."

"...they were perfectly normal, thank you very much!"

Yes, the time has come for the post to end all posts. The post that should be bowed down to. The post that lived.
Okay, heavy on the melodrama, I know. But seriously, I have had a lot of great days in my life, but none compares to this moment. That is how grand it was. This day was the culmination of my entire childhood.

The Making of Harry Potter film Studio Tour

There were 16 hysterical girls crying at the sight of this simple tan building. There was a group of 9 year old private school kids who were very confused as to why the 20 year old women were crying and jumping up and down. Excuse me children this was my childhood! This is where the books jumped off the page and leapt to the silver screen. I was 6 when the first movie came out, and my champion of a sister, Rhiannon, had read the book aloud to me and had driven with me, Brett and Brett's brother Daniel (I believe this is how it went. Forgive me if my memory is off, it was 14 years ago) to see the movie release in Salt Lake. I have waited and finally I can say I saw all of these things.

Knight to E5!

This Ford Anglia is flying!

It was decorated for Christmas

The whole group

It was smaller than I thought it would be.

So they had you sit down in this movie theater and the trio talked to you and explained the tour and what it entailed and then they disappeared into the door behind them. Then the curtain raised and the door to the great hall was right in front of us!!!! AHHHHH!!!

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy warty, Hogwarts, teach us something please

My desire is not that old man with me... unless he has money

I got sent to the Headmaster office again, because I'm a Slytherin and I don't follow rules

I would be a parselmouth

There was this cool video that would teach us how to fight with wands and it was amazing.

I went with two groups to go again

I hate this woman, but love her style

My pimped out ride

Butterbeer = mediocre, butterbeer ice cream = heaven

"Mind your 'eads"

Little Whinging Surrey

Where is Neville to run with me?!?!

Diagon Alley

 I grew up with Harry. We were friends. It has been a 14 year journey that has finally come to a head. Just like when the 8th movie came out, I have a large pit in my stomach, a feeling that this is the end. But it isn't the end, JK Rowling told me, "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

 

Always,

Kemarie

"I woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head"

So far this week has been a big one for me. I will do the more boring stuff first that you won't care about but I will want to remember one day.

Monday I had more museum visits and then stood out in the cold for TWO HOURS while our professor told us history things that he could have said in our nice, warm, expensive classroom at the centre. But no. Instead we stood in a big group in Trafalgar Square. There are only 2 sets of people in the entire universe that like large groups of american tourists, street vendors and pick pockets. As we stood there I watched one get arrested and 3 circle our group predatorily.

After that I saw 10 Downing street, where the Prime Minister lives and went to Evensong in Westminster Abbey. Westminster is incredible and their boys choir sang like angels and the High commissioner of Australia was there. No big deal.

That night I talked Becky into going with me to the Hard Rock Cafe! I have been to the Hard Rock in Paris, Rome, D.C, New York and Vegas so it was clear to me I had to go to the original. It was amazing. The building it is in is an old bank with a vault downstairs that houses incredible artifacts like, a Beatles Piano and John Lennon artifacts. The lady worker there was laughing at how excited I was about these things, but they are very important.

John Lennon's final draft of Imagine with hand written changes

           

Me in the vault with famous people guitars

Excitement obviously

Me and Becky (Becky and me? I don't know if I have to use correct grammar when captioning a picture in which I appear on the left and therefore should be identified first)

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was recorded on that beautiful instrument!

Dorky me with our delicious burgers.

On Tuesday afternoon, I ran through Hyde Park. Alone. Because I live in London and I am an adult and I can do things like that. After last week when the forty of us trekked around the continent in a oblivious herd, it was refreshing to do something by myself. And to say my running place is Hyde park isn't too shabby either. The rest of the day I spent recuperating from the exhaustion of being around human kind constantly.  

Wednesday after classes, I went to a place I can only describe as a gift to womankind. Primark has the fashion of an H and M, is twice the size and less expensive. SCORE!! Because I have no self control, I bought a Friends t-shirt and Harry Potter sweats. 

Times this by 4 floors and you get the idea

Then I went to the most stunning play. A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is based of a book and is about the inner workings of a boy's head with Asperger's and how him and his family struggle to deal with the situations it causes. The stage was incredible and the acting superb and the directing flawless. And because my friend Madi qued up in the morning I got a ticket for only 15 quid (that is the slag word for pounds, peasants). Did I mention they were also in the middle of the front row. I could see the spit flying out of their mouths as they enunciated. It was perfect. If you ever get to London (or Broadway, it premiered there last year and won the Tony for Best Play) I suggest you go see it. So touching,

https://youtu.be/O704ld5WQnk 

Tune in tomorrow for my favorite post so far, about a boy wizard and his film studio. (I could have added it to this post because it was today, but it deserves it's own post)

Lonely Hearts Club groupie,

Kemarie

The Long and Winding ... Post?

This post is extremely long and action packed. It may result in feelings of jealousy or wistfulness. 

Other side effects include but are not limited to:

The desire to correct grammar

The painful knowledge that I don't care that you are correcting my grammar

The agonizing emptying of your wallet as you book a flight to Europe

The need for corrective eye surgery because of excessive/drastic eye rolls over my clever quips you don't appreciate because you don't have my intellectual reflexes (my reflexes can be seen below)

Hello people of earth. Okay lets be real here, hello people of Utah. Fine, hello family from various parts of Utah. I haven't written for a while for a good reason. I didn't take my computer with me cause all we were allowed to bring was one backpack and haul it around all day everyday. I honestly didn't want to put in that extra work carrying something as I ate my way from bakery to bakery.

 

So where was I you ask? Patience people I will get there! First I will tell you about my Saturday and Sunday in London (the 16th and 17th) cause there were some pretty spectacular things that went down.

So first off I went to a museum... voluntarily. Like not one that was required. This place is making me loose it. But there were some pretty great stuff in it. 

Like Monks doing sand art.

This relic of international importance. If you can't see it, see the picture below for further zooming.

There it is! Napoleon Bonaparte's toothbrush preserved for the generations. I kept thinking, "That is a long time to use the same toothbrush."

Then I moved on to something that I have been dying to do since I was 12...

I went to Hogwarts!!!

Okay, the barrier recognized that I am *gulp* non magical and it didn't let me through. But it was still special all the same. No one else in the que (that's how they say standing in line here on the Isles) got through either so I felt a little better.

After that crushing disappointment, I went into the shop and found something special. Most of you know (if you don't please exit this blog immediately and commence unfriending me on Facebook. Thank you.) Alan Rickman, who portrayed Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, passed away about a week and a half ago. I visited Platform 9 3/4 a few days after and found a beautiful tribute to this incredible actor.

So that was an phenomenal day. Then on Sunday something cool happened.
 I was at a random British ward with 40 BYU girls and I heard a man's voice call my name. I don't know any men here, or so I thought. Turns out I do. Jed freaking Murri!!! A kid I went to high school with! We almost hugged (which is weird cause I never would have hugged him otherwise) but then we remembered he wasn't supposed to do that and laughed and exchanged a hearty handshake. He is doing great. He said, "I'm so excited to see you I'm shaking." So funny.

At this point of the post we have officially made it to Monday of last week. We woke up 4 am to get on an Easyjet plane to Amsterdam. Yep, you heard that right, 4 in the morning.

Amsterdam was cool. Dirty and scary and had terrible public transport, but cool.

It was kinda pretty... if you like picturesque views and such.

Van Gogh (pronounced hgohg.. basically loogie sound, o sound, loogie sound) This picture was to prove to my mom that I am actually doing what my professors ask and getting some culture.

Cool big letters like they used to have at California Adventures in Disneyland. Please pay close attention to the remnants of a Stroop Waffle in my left hand. Those little delights are our day's manna from Heaven.

I've been to the Hard Rock Cafe in every place I've been... except this one. But I did snap this picture so I get partial points. Ask any math student... we live for partial points.

Amsterdam's Royal Palace turned City Hall turned Palace turned museum. Soon to be turned into Kemarie's primary residence.

Note this next section is for me to gloat to all the people who thought my idea was crazy!

So the Dutch were forward thinkers, waaaaay before everyone else they were giving the power to the middle class and giving people votes and such. The best part was women decided they were independent and could do things without men. So they set up what I have told everyone I am going to set up for the last 5 years!!! It is a convent without the vows. Basically it is a bunch of single women in their own apartments living in a community. It's called a Begijnhof. No I don't know how to pronounce it, Dutch escapes me. But it is pretty and perfect. I plan to start a Mormon version of this.

Don't mind the crazy hair I have, instead focus on this marvelous little hamlet of women! 

The last note I want to make is completely contrary to my non-convent, convent idea but, I feel inclined to share it anyway. Amster-dayum! Dutch men are attractive. And tall. And blond. And beautiful. And tall. And beautiful. Did I mention tall and beautiful?

Next we went to Paris, where I have been before so I will try to keep this one shorter even though we were in Amsterdam only 2 days and Paris 4.

Top of the Arc de Triomphe

I was unimpressed with the Mona Lisa last time... no more impressed this time.

The Lourve was once a palace and I feel really good about living there.

Ditto with Versailles

Seriously, if I had been alive in the 18th century I would have been a royal and would have lived in Versailles and would have been beheaded. But it would have been worth it.

So my professors Greg and Martha had visitors from their home ward come to tour with us. Thy had 3 kids ages 9, 8 and 6. I met the kids on the platform in the train station and by the end of the train ride I had been told: I was their favorite college student, they wanted me to babysit them, I was tall and beautiful, and I was the most fun to be around. You better believe I ditched the college students to hang with these flattering children. They were cute and we had a fun time walking like royalty, skipping while holding hands, and dancing in the hall of mirrors like we were in the 18th century. They even fought about who got to hold my hands. Every girl in the program asked me if they were my nephews and niece because they loved me so much. Nope! I am just excellent with kids. At this point I would like to give a shout out to my real nieces and nephews who trained me to be the cool aunt to all kids. Here's to Shy, Reed, Gage, Max, Stockton, Beckam, Oaklee, and Kate. And a bigger shout out to the women who brought them into this world and had patience with me as I taught their kids bad habits. Dede, Rhi, and Linds, you guys are the real MVP's.

Kaylee, Austin and Dade my adopted niece and nephews.

Because

 

the lighting of the tower

was stellar.

See mom, I haven't lost my flexibility... it was freezing outside too. So take that!

Oh yeah, it sparkles every hour, on the hour, for 5 minutes.

It's funny, I didn't think London would ever feel like home. But leaving for a week, coming back was such a relief. The streets of London feel safer than either of the other cities we went to and the BYU Centre is a glorious building... with more than just a backpacks worth of clothes. It feels like my home now (as my second home. As much of a home as any of my apartments)

I love London so much but really,

J'amie Paris

I am the walrus,

Kemarie

P.S. If you haven't gotten that my post titles are all refrences to Beatles songs, step up your music game. Listen to the good stuff.

Well it's my birthday too

So I promised I would take up where I left off yesterday. So where was that... ahah! Yesterday morning we went to the National Gallery and saw some cool paintings. One from a guy named Da Vinci, whoever that is. And many other paintings by artists whose names have too many vowels for me to even attempt. That was the day I had my first official fish and chips. For those of you that know me really well, know I hate fish. Battered and fried fish isn't bad, but when you are the one who gets the biggest portion by far and you feel pressured to eat it all because England is crazy expensive, you start to wonder if there are forces of nature working against you. Then we shopped a bit for people to buy shampoo and the like and went home. We had delicious chicken and I watched the Man from U.N.C.L.E with Sam and called it a night.

Today was the day I decided to start taking pictures. And it is kind of special because.... IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. I no longer have the option of being a teenage pregnancy statistic.

For the last few years I haven't really been able to do much for my birthday because it is in the middle of the week so I woke up feeling less than enthusiastic about birthdays when everyone here started singing to me.
                                              
It was thoughtful... but I had to say the breakfast prayer in front of people for my birthday. Boo.
Then it was business as usual and we headed off to the National Gallery again to learn about the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries through art. This time I did take a picture of a painting I saw. It's kinda famous I suppose.
                                                   
I know my mom is somewhere saying, "You could see a picture of that online, why didn't you take one with you in it." Well jokes on you mom, cause I did. It is even the classic selfie, but what's a girl to do?
Before I post said selfie, I should explain. There is no plug near the mirrors nor are there any in the bathroom. I basically have accepted the au natural poodle look at this point.
                                                    
After discussing the sensual and erotic Rococo period, the hopeless impressionists (yes I saw a Van Gogh for that one) and the reemergence of the classical style Neoclassicism, we were free to spend our time as we wished. My good pals Sam and Kayla said because it was my birthday, I got to pick our location. And that, my friends, is how I ended up at the one, the only, ABBEY ROAD!!!!


We discovered that people out of the main part of the city are nicer to foreigners than people in Central London. A man in the cafe talked to us and was talking about Mitchigan, Michigan said the British way I suppose. And then a lady asked us if we needed help finding our way and another man did the same.

From there we went to catch our tube train at the Baker's Street London underground station when we found two bucket list places.
                                          
Obviously I would go here. The Beatles = life. (This hot lady next to me is Sam. Picture credit Kayla.)
And
                                                
Sherlock Holmes museum for all your die hard fandom needs!
And of course right next door to the museum there was one of these.
                                                   
Because if I can't realize my dream of living in 221B Baker street, you better believe I am going to take a picture in front of it!
Next was nap time. Because I am basically a cat.
Dinner was great and then some of the girls decided that I needed cake of some kind for my birthday so we jetted off to a fairy cake (cupcake) place on Oxford Street. Little did we know that google maps was taking us to Selfridges.

For those of you peasants who don't know what Selfridges is, it's a massive department store. One of the first in Europe. It swept the nation.
                                                       
This was the place we got the treats, Lola's!
                                      
Me, Sam and Kayla. Photo cred Ellie
                                                     
We selfied so Ellie could get in on that Lola's picture action.

Don't be alarmed citizens, I won't be writing until next Sunday because next week we are headed to the continent to go to Amsterdam and Paris. I am not lugging my computer around for a week so it will stay here. Maybe a mini post on Sunday night but I doubt it.

Well all in all a successful birthday. Got some contact from home in the form of emails, messages, videos and Skype. Love my family and London.

Cheri o,

Kemarie