Thank you and Farewell!

When I found out about the Roger M. Jones Fellowship as a Sophomore, it would be an understatement to say that I was excited about it. I was so ecstatic to learn that there were not only people like me in the College of Engineering that had an appreciation for both the sciences and humanities but there was also this amazing opportunity to explore my love for the arts in a completely new culture. When I learned that I had gotten this opportunity, I thought I could nearly burst with excitement! And that feeling didn't let up the entire time.

My experience over this past year has been nothing short of life changing. I know that everyone says that after studying abroad, but I mean it to the very fullest. The lessons that I have learned about myself, about the world and about everyone around me are indescribable and the friends that I have made will be life lasting. I am determined to continue to foster my passions in both science and engineering and the arts and humanities and I hope that my love of both will find a way to help the people around me in one way or another.

As I turn over this amazing opportunity to someone new, I can only hope that she has the same sort of unforgettable experience that I did. I am sad to close this brilliant and vivid chapter of my life but at the same time I am eager and excited to take everything that I have gleaned from it and apply it to brighten and augment the rest of my future in this lovely existence that is somewhere between art and science.

It's been an absolute pleasure and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Sarah

Germany and Switzerland

The last of my European travels include Germany and Switzerland. A friend and I rented a car and drove from Frankfurt all the way through the Black Forest, down through Switzerland and back! It was a whirlwind trip, but I loved the beautiful countryside, the breathtaking views, the chance to experience another culture! I took tones of good pictures so I hope that you enjoy! Zer Gut! :)


The first town we stayed at was along the Rhine river and was tiny, quaint and was situated at the foot of a hill which housed a castle from the early 12th century. The picture above is of the town during the day and below is a picture of the Rhine in the evening.

Here is a picture I snapped of the Rhine from our vantage point up the hill where the castle was!

I didn't end up buying anything more than a cookoo clock magnet (the actual clocks are all around 100 Euros and that's for a basic one!), so I did the next best thing and captured this giant one on the outside of one of the shops that sold them. Inside of this shop their most ornate clock was enormous, featured a little town, and cost over 1500 Euros!


This is a picture that I took of the German country side looking out from one of the Castle's 'windows'. You can sort of see it in this picture, but all along the country, there were vineyards and crops planted at extreme angles all along these steep hills/mountains. It was incredible to think what sort of effort it must involve since there is no animal or farming equipment that I know of that could handle that sort of gradient!

I absolutely love the way the light and colors turned out in the picture which I took in the castle. It was one of the many passage ways that we walked through. Some of the pathways (that I was surprised to learn we were even aloud to walk along) were completely enclosed or under the ground and there was no way to see anything of what was in front of you (unless you brought a flashlight of course, which we didn't have the foresight to do). Unfortunately I was mostly a wimp and avoided these dark, scary tunnels. I was too worried that I'd misstep and fall down a spiral staircase (of which there were many).

This photo was taken in a little German restaurant where we tasted the local cuisine! I absolutely adored the Wild Boar Ravioli (which weren't really what you would have expected with the word 'ravioli', but the taste of the Boar and the way it was seasoned was incredible! I highly recommend if you ever are presented the chance to try it!) and the white Asparagus (which Germany is famous for) left a little something to be desired. I think I'll just stick to the regular green stuff from now on!

This is a picture of the city center of the town in which we tried the wild boar and asparagus. It was really pretty and we had a lovely day to poke around the shops and take in the atmosphere.


This picture is of one the cathedral in Frieburg which was under construction (you can see the scaffolding in the picture). This city was much larger than the others that we saw and made me realize that I really enjoy the simpler, slower pace of the littler towns that we saw. I suppose I'm just not a city mouse, after all.

After checking out Frieburg, we began our scenic drive through the black forest. The next several pictures are the favorites that I took during our time there. While the scenery was indeed beautiful, I was more taken aback by the fact that of a country its size, Germany had left such a large percentage of its countryside undeveloped and completely preserved. I'd like to think that the US would have a similar philosophy about wildlife and nature, but if our country was the size that Germany is, I really don't think the Black Forest would have been left untouched and that thought is really humbling.


We stayed one night inside of the Black Forest and this was our little table decoration at breakfast--a little vase of mountain wild flowers. I thought they were so pretty that I'd risk looking like a tourist and take a picture. :)

And if the flowers weren't dainty and adorable enough, they served us our eggs with little knitted hats on top of them so they would stay warm until we ate them!

Now begins our drive into Switzerland, which I must say, is to date my favorite country in all of my travels. It has astounding mountains, breathtakingly turquoise lakes and some of the most friendly people around. It has everything! If I were ever given the chance, I'd move there! I think this first picture that I took of the lake to the west of Interlaken speaks to the wonder of Switzerland.
This next photo I took of the town of Interlaken. It was a nice town, but I really did again prefer the smaller towns to the east and west which were situated on the lakes, not just between them.

This next picture is a good example of the roads that we drove in through the foothills of the Alps.

Here is another little village in Switzerland. It was beautiful in the summer and I'm sure it would be just as gorgeous in the winter (although in different ways I'm sure)!

This next photo is the last of the lot from Switzerland but it is again one of my favorites. It was taken in a harbor on a lake which borders Germany, but we were still on the Swiss side of it. I grew up sailing with my family and taking pictures of the water and of sailboats always makes me happy!

The last stop on my tour of Germany was at the Tubingen where the world famous University is. Below is a sign for the uni as well as a sign for the famous white asparagus.


This next picture was taken in the town which has a city center that is almost reminiscent of Venice. There are twisty turny little pathways that are mostly just for people on foot and it is almost impossible to keep your direction straight! It was a quaint little college town and probably my favorite place in Germany.

Here is a picture of the river which runs through the town, where the fraternities and sororities buy row boats to paddle across the river to get to an island in the middle. The picture was taken at dusk, but unfortunately there weren't many little row boats around.

This is a picture of the giant fountain in the city center's square. It wasn't turned on, but I thought that the fountain with the backdrop of the very typically German looking architecture was beautiful.
This last picture is again of the town, and I included it because I love how beautiful the design and colors of the buildings are.


Germany and Switzerland were beautiful countries that I am really glad I got to visit! I hope that sometime in my future I'll be able to go back again (especially to Switzerland!).

Cheers,
Sarah

general musings

Hi there! I'm just getting a chance to do some catching up with the goings on in England (and elsewhere)! This first picture I took of a giant snail that was crawling along the sidewalk in front of my apartment. It was one of about 5 or 6 snails making some sort of Exodus from the greenery on either side of the path. I love how the texture of his skin came through in the photograph and how you can see the 'slime trail' behind him too!

This picture is of me and one of my course mate's daughter who was kind enough to give me her opinion on my picture book which I wrote and illustrated. I'd put up pictures of the illustrations and such, but I'm hoping to send it off for publication so I don't want to ruin my chances! My friend and her daughter and I went on a walk in the New Forest and this tree that we found was so old and so huge that we couldn't not take a picture!


Finally, I drew this picture in 90 minutes (a new record for me!) and I'm not sure which way I want to have it oriented yet... :) Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,
Sarah

Rome!

Our last stop on the trip was Rome. And I thought it would be best to start off with none other than a picture of moss (I'm sure by now you know my fascination with moss). This particular bit of moss/vine was growing on the wall surrounding the Vatican.
Here is a photo of one of the streets surrounding the Vatican. I took this while waiting in line to get into the part of the Vatican which holds the Sistine Chapel. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside (obviously), but I must say, next to the David, it was the single greatest piece of art that I've ever witnessed. My particular favorites of the chapel included the wall which holds 'The Day of Judgement' as well as the painting in the center of the ceiling, 'The Creation of Adam.' The rules of the Chapel is that you must be modestly dressed, there is no photography, and most of all, there is (supposed to be) no talking as it is a sacred place. It was really frustrating to see so many people disrespect these rules. I was especially appalled at two children fighting with each other and being completely obnoxious. Their parents neglected to tell them to be quiet or stop fighting or explain to them how important the ceiling they were standing under was.

The only wish I had when at the Sistine Chapel was that Michelangelo hadn't died before he could paint the entire thing (not that he was necessarily commissioned to do this, but I think it might have happened eventually). And the most interesting thing I learned while at the Sistine Chapel was that Michelangelo thought of himself as a poor painter in comparison to his skills as a sculpture. He was such an incredible artist that it's amazing to think that he ever thought any of his work was anything less than amazing.

Here is a photo of the Vatican and the main area to which all the papal addresses are delivered.

Here is a picture overlooking the majority of the ruins. It was taken from an overlook at a museum that we went to (that didn't turn out to be quite as interesting as we had hoped!). It's amazing to think about how many more ruins might have been destroyed when present day Rome was built or might still be buried under the ground. In fact, just this year they uncovered more ruins in this area that suggests a building which may have been the living place of the governor. Most interestingly, this building featured a rotating column which would allow the d



This next photo was taken in the ruins and shows a place which was likely used for Olympic-type athletic events. The main track around the outermost perimeter of the building was likely used for chariot races.


Here is a photo of the Colosseum taken from the highest vantage point inside the ruins. It looks so beautiful contrasted against the modern city around it. Parts of it are gone because it was dismantled and scavenged for useful building materials, but I'm glad that they didn't destroy it entirely--so much would have been lost.

This is a photo of inside the Colosseum. The forward most part is a portion being constructed where the floor would have been. The further portion in which the floor has been torn away exposes the underlying channels which were likely used for boating competitions.
Here is a photo of the iconic Trevi fountain. I think the picture gives a good idea of its beauty and grandeur.

Here is a photo of the pantheon, another relic of ancient Rome. The columns have been reconstructed in order to suggest what was there initially, but the top and parts of the columns are from the original structure.

Florence, Italy

Next stop on my tour of Italy is Florence. I was really expecting it to be my favorite of all the places I went, but other than seeing Michelangelo's David, it paled in comparison to Venice.

This is the best shot that I got of the David, but I really like it, I think it turned out rather artistically. It was incredible to see a work of art so monumental and significant to the rest of all history. The creation of David solidified the way in which all artists after portrayed the proportions of the human body. It was simply breath-taking. I've seen a lot of sculptures (even a lot of famous ones) and I've never seen sculpture that looked so life-like. The only way I could describe him is that he looks as if a 15 foot tall man just woke up one day and turned to stone, so incredibly real!

This next photo is of one of the rivers running through Florence. It was a really beautiful city and a really beautiful river. Every day there were these vibrant markets that filled the streets, they were just lovely.

This next photo was taken in a square which displayed several copies of Michelangelo's work. In the background to the right of the statue here, you can see a replica of David. It was much less impressive than the one in the museum and I'm glad that the work got moved from the square and to a more appropriate place which isn't so exposed to the elements. Even for as long as David was outside, he suffered no damage whatsoever. It is incredible. Anyway, this statue I thought was particularly striking from this angle, it shows the beheading of a figure lying at the be-header's feet.

Here is a picture of one of the many busy walkways in Florence and to the right is one of the famous cathedrals. We toured through it, but weren't allowed to take photos of the inside.



Finally, this is a picture taken of the city looking down from above. The city and surrounding landscape are just gorgeous, I think the picture speaks for itself.

Pisa! (And the Leaning Tower Thereof...)

Next stop on the tour of Italy, Pisa! We only spent two days here, since our primary reason for visiting was, of course, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was a really nice little town, and some parts even looked tropical. (See above, palm trees everywhere!)

When I first saw the tower, I was surprised how leaning it actually was! I knew that it was leaning, but I really didn't expect it to look as unstable as it did. And it used to be even worse: ten years ago they corrected it by 10 degrees. Before it was corrected a bit, it wasn't safe to go up to the top, but now you are allowed to climb the spiral staircase inside all the way to the top, which we did.



But before we went to the top, we saw the cathedral next to it as well. Below is a picture of the inside, the paintings and mosaics on the ceilings in wall were really intricate and beautiful. You can see one of the mosaics on the dome like ceiling in the front of the church in the picture below.

This next picture I took just before we started climbing the staircase to the top. It's amazing how far off center it is! It became difficult to take pictures with the horizon straight in the background. I kept wanting to take pictures as if the tower was straight and the horizon tilted. As an engineer, it's amazing to me that they continued to build something that was so structurally unsound (and so expensive! It was made almost entirely out of marble).

Here is a view of the city of Pisa from the top of the tower. It was really beautiful and though I'm not afraid of heights, I really had no desire to stay at the top for long! Since it was so off center, it really felt that at any given moment I might slide right off the top. It was a really strange feeling!

This next picture is of the bells inside the tower, not exactly on the top but pretty close. I don't believe that they are functional, but they are beautiful.


This last photo I took from the very top platform and I tried to capture the un-levelness of it, but I'm not sure if it came out very well!

Venice

After seeing Paris, we got on a plane and flew over to Venice. It was storming when we arrived and so we thought it might be a good idea to take a taxi to our hotel. So, we asked a cab driver to take us there, and he looked at us with a really goofy expression and then informed us that we would have to take a boat. I was so tired from the traveling and such that I had completely forgotten that cars aren't allowed on the islands. I felt pretty stupid at the time (and I hated contributing to the American stereotype) but afterwards it was pretty funny.

Aside from that, Venice was amazing. Hands down, it was my favorite city in the entire string of places that we visited. Maybe it's just because I love the water and I hate being around cars, but really, it was incredible and I'd love to go back the next chance I get. That being said, I think the best way to give a sense of Venice is through pictures. The one at the very start was taken looking down the length of one of the many many markets that seem to be running every day of the week.

At every one of these markets you'll find loads and loads of masks that are worn during Carnival time in Venice. Lots are fake knock offs for tourists, but I hunted down and awesome authentic one while I was there (And it cost the same as the fake, cheap looking ones. Go figure!). Some of the really expensive ones are just gorgeous and ornate works of art.

This next picture is of the main footpath over the Grand Canal. It was always really crowded with people, as was all of Venice, but since there were no cars or motorbikes allowed on the island, it didn't seem as stressful or annoying.

This next photo is one I took while standing on the footpath from the picture above. So, this is a view of the grand canal. The picture doesn't do it justice, but all of the buildings are these beautiful, earthy tones. Orange, Rust, Tan. Those sorts of colors, which I happen to love.


This next picture is of graffiti that I found. I love finding poetry spray-painted onto walls (not that I condone vandalism). Anyway, it was such a striking phrase, that I couldn't help but take a picture.


Here is a picture of a group of gondolas docked along one of the canals. It gives a little glimpse of the colors I was mentioning before.

On one of the days, we took the boat bus (it is literally a bus which is a boat, how awesome is that?) to Lido, which is the island that is on the Mediterranean. The picture below is of one of the beaches on the Mediterranean side. In high season (summer) it would be loaded with tourists, but since it was only early spring, there weren't many people around. But even with hardly anyone around, a man selling scarves and other tourist merchandise was trolling around trying to solicit the handful of people there. That is the one aspect of Italy that I really didn't enjoy. They can be pretty aggressive! (But that story is saved for Rome...)


Here's another photo of some gondolas, I thought the colors turned out well, so I included it. :)


Same for this next one, I just had a fetish for taking pictures of gondolas, I guess.


Here's another picture of the Grand Canal, opening up on the west side of Venice, I believe.


I'm sure this is no surprise, but here is another photo of gondolas. This canal is the one that we took on the boat bus to get to Lido.


Also while I was there, I got to peek into lots of different cathedrals and the mansion of the past 'governor' of Venice. They didn't allow pictures, so I don't have any, but they were all very ornate and beautiful. Inside the governor's mansion he had these giant globes, they stood nearly as tall as me. It was pretty cool.

Now, onto Pisa!