Spring break, part 1

Come next Monday, we are released for four weeks to run wildly around the continent. Naturally, I've spent the last month organizing this trip in painful detail. Because that's how I deal with excitement. Ha. Anyways, here's the agenda:

• TUESDAY, MARCH 24: Fly into Milan. Spend the day checking out the Duomo, the Last Supper, and possibly the ruins of Constantine's palace (where he signed the Edict of Milan in 312). A friend from church recommended a life-changing calzone place, so I'll hunt that down too. Then, at night, we hop on the train to Rome.
• WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25: Vatican festivities. Our hostel is near the train station, so we'll walk past Keats' House/Spanish Steps and the Castel Sant'Angelo on our way to the Vatican in the morning. Once there, it'll be the standard St. Peter's, Museums, and Sistine Chapel till they close at 6. At night we'll take the train to the suburb of Ciampino where we'll stay the night, because it's close to the airport where we have an early flight in the morning.
• THURSDAY, MARCH 26: Day in Athens. Yup, a day. I found ridiculously cheap ($30) tickets which will allow us to arrive in the morning and leave at night. After talking to friends who were just there, it sounds like most of what there is to see is all near the Acropolis, so you don't need more than a day or two. Anyways, I'm guessing we'll have about 6-7 hours to see the Parthenon/Acropolis, Agora, and Mars Hill. Probably won't get to the museums, but that's ok.
• FRIDAY, MARCH 27: Roman ruins. We'll start outside the Domus Aurea and make our way around the southern ruins, from the Coliseum towards the Palatine Hill and Circus Maximus. Then we'll head to the Forum and have a picnic lunch there if that's allowed. Then it'll be Trajan's Markets, the Campo de Fiori, and Pantheon. At night, we'll toss our coins into the Trevi Fountain and get on a train to Naples.
• SATURDAY, MARCH 28: Pompeii. 30-min train to the slopes of Vesuvius, where we'll hike to the caldera. Then we'll get back on the train and go a little further south to the ruins of Pompeii, and revel in all the Roman nerdiness. Everything closes around 6, so we'll head back to Naples to explore and grab some authentic Neapolitan pizza.
• SUNDAY, MARCH 29: Train to Florence. I'm guessing we'll arrive around 11am, so we'll most likely miss church services, but I have some sermons on my ipod which will ease my guilt. Once we're there, we'll picnic in the Boboli Gardens, which have an amazing view of the city, and visit the Duomo. I'm a little nervous about crowds, as it's Palm Sunday and thus the beginning of Holy Week, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Other than the cathedral, I'm guessing we'll just wander around the city.
• MONDAY, MARCH 30: Hiking in Tuscany. After much research and breaking my habit of biannual Pinterest logins, I've decided to center our walking on Greve-in-Chianti, 50 minutes away from Florence by bus. About a mile from here is the village Montefioralle, where Amerigo Vespuci was born. I'm purposefully leaving the day wide open for whatever exploring we want to do. One thing for certain, we are not going to spend a day in the Chianti wine region without taking advantage of a bottle for a picnic lunch. Bethany & I plan on bringing our art stuff, so maybe we'll draw some of the countryside. Along the lines of art, we could also go north to Vinci to pay homage to Leonardo, but it all depends on time.
• TUESDAY, MARCH 31: Florence museums. Splitting the day between the Uffizzi Gallery (think basically every painting Boticelli ever did) and the Academy (David). Explore at night.
• WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1: Train to Venice. St. Mark's cathedral, canals, and a restaurant recommended by two different couples called "Pasta to Go." They make the pasta from scratch in front of you. Soooo excited. We're only going to spend a day here, though, because Venice is an incredibly expensive city and we don't want to dish out for a hotel. So we'll take a later train back to Milan for the night.
• THURSDAY, APRIL 2: Geneva. I'm still unsure about how I'll get us here, becuase we only have a France-Italy train pass and we'd have to pay a lot extra for a highspeed train to Switzerland. So my plan right now is to take slightly slower ones to one of the French towns about an hour away from Geneva and then transfer to a cheaper local train into the city. At that point, I'll we'll have the afternoon to see St. Pierre's Cathedral, the Reformation Wall, and walk around the old city and lakefront. The perverse side of me is so looking forward to dragging my Lutheran friends around the epicenter of Reformedom. I'VE BEEN PATIENT FOR THREE YEARS, I GET MY CALVINIST AFTERNOON. And then at night, we'll train hop our way to Paris.
• FRIDAY, APRIL 3 - SATURDAY, APRIL 4: Paris. Don't have a schedule and I don't think we'll make one. We just have a list of things we don't want to miss: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Shakespeare & Co., sunset from Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, Latin Quarter, and possibly the Luxembourg Gardens. And of course, hit some cafes. And then we'll take the Chunnel back to London to make it to Cambridge in time for Easter services on Sunday.

Being broke college students, we're going to be staying in a bunch of hostels and eating out of grocery stores. We're also bringing only what we can fit inside a bag/backpack. That includes room for souvenirs. IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE THE HOBBIT!!! SO MUCH ADVENTURE!!!

So that's the first, and most insane, leg of our break-time European festivities. 11 days, 8 cities (plus Pompeii and the Tuscan villages). But before then, I have two papers to write, provisions to cook for the first few days, trains to reserve, and a bunch of documents/boarding passes/maps to print out. And there's a solar eclipse to gawk at on Friday morning. It's a busy week ahead of us.

Walk to Grantchester

Following George Herbert and C.S. Lewis. (....and Pink Floyd...but they're not as classy....)

 

 

February festivities

We walked on top of a cathedral.

 

Hung out with the angels...
 

...up there.

 

Figured out that the less money I spend on food, the more I have for travel. The inevitable consequence of living on £10 a week for food is that you quickly amass an array of domestic, making-everything-from-scratch skills.

 

Ravioli, for instance.

 

In my moment of triumph as I dropped the ravioli into the water to boil, I realized that the pieces at the bottom of the bowl stuck together. So I took the natural course of action and baked it. It was strangely good.

 

Checked out the inside of Trinity College on a lazy Saturday,

 

 

and gawked at the Sir Isaac Newton memorial in the chapel.

 

 

Almost made it to the Bridge of Sighs, but we couldn't get into St. John's College (where it's located). But the Backs were lovely to walk through anyways.

 

 

Explored St. Edward's Passage,

 

 

and found a copy of George Herbert's poetry inside one of its old bookshops (IT'S NOWHERE IN THE STATES).

 

 

Met up with a new friend from church for a drink at The Eagle.

 

 

Went for a midnight walk through the city.

 

 

The chapel is....to use the cliché....hauntingly beautiful at night.

 

 

And looked back at it all on Castle Hill

 



He restores my soul

Ely Cathedral

After going through the trifecta of death last semester (school/work, money, and interpersonal drama), I made no secret here of being worn out. Mercifully, by the time things in Milwaukee seemed a little too claustrophobic, I was boarding a plane that would keep me five months and an ocean away from ground zero. I could regroup in Europe and deal with whatever problems still lingered when I returned home.

In my anticipation for Europe, I didn't realize just how much of a balm living here would actually be. Nearly two months in, I see how God has given me a new perspective. My church here is going through Hebrews 11 on Sundays, and I am pointed to God's faithfulness week after week. I'm making godly friendships which I hope will last long after I fly home. And for a while, I'm living in a place I had always thought would simply be a daydream on my part. This spring, so far, has felt like a rest after a long period of struggle.

I wish I could go back to November Sarah and show her that God really does follow through on His promises. I'm living through Susannah Spurgeon's words: "He may make us sore, but He will bind us up." I asked God to build my faith, and He showed me that I had misplaced my trust in an assortment of earthly variables. That whole process hurts a lot. But instead of stopping there, He drew me back to Himself and showed me His goodness. He daily makes me more and more reliant upon Himself alone.

Someone shared this at the women's bible study the other week, and it's resonated with me ever since:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

     his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, 

    “therefore I will hope in him. 

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, 

    to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly 

    for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear 

    the yoke in his youth. 

Let him sit alone in silence 

    when it is laid on him;

let him put his mouth in the dust— 

    there may yet be hope;

let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, 

    and let him be filled with insults.

For the Lord will not 

    cast off forever,

but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion 

    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not afflict from his heart 

    or grieve the children of men.

Lamentations 3:22-33

Living the lifestyle of the rich and famous

To round up all my recent activities, here is the good old bullet-point list, in no particular order. Because those always make the most satisfying travel journals.

• Been to three cathedrals: Ely, Salisbury, and Winchester.
• Snuck into the crypt of a cathedral as they were closing.
• Found a Roman oil lamp in an antique shop for £49. In that moment, I regretted being poor like I never had before. Lamp? Five weeks worth of food?
• Stared at what they claim is King Arthur's Round Table.
• Watched a swan try to swim against the current of the Avon River.
• Checked out the ruins of a Roman villa.
• Paid homage to Jane Austen at her grave.
• Stayed at the home of strangers. TAKEN 4!!!!
• Experienced an Anglican evensong service.
• Tried authentic samosas, made by friends from Africa. So good.
• Learned that "pants" does not mean the same thing in British as it does in American. For example, if you say "I haven't washed my pants in weeks," you will raise serious questions about your personal hygiene habits.
• Attended a Lutheran baptism.
• Met up with the student crowd at church, and found out that spotting Stephen Hawking around the university is almost a right of passage.
• No, I haven't yet.
• Saw Henry V at the Cambridge Arts Theater. I am now a culture snob and American Shakespeare plays (with the fake British accents) will never be the same again.
• Had a dance party in our room. Ok so it was just Bethany and myself, but that totally still counts.

The pictures (in chronological order) (#historynerd):

 

Ely Cathedral. Since it was my first cathedral, the awestruck-ness is all over my face. Mid-afternoon was a beautiful time to come, with the light casting a golden hue throughout the place. Made me think of heaven. We were too cheap to pay the entrance fee, so we didn't get to explore much of the cathedral. However, this Saturday, my art class is going back, so I will finally get to see the famous octagonal lantern at crossing of the transepts.

 

 

On the balcony in the baptistery, there were stained glass windows depicting biblical love stories, like Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob & Rachel, Ruth & Boaz, etc. Very pretty.

 

Authentic ancient kitsch.

 

 

OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIP!!! Day #1: Lullingstone Roman Villa.

 

 

The Romans were stylin people. We took this picture for our honors professors back in the states. Look at us, all grown up. Also it just hit me how disturbingly shorter I am than anybody around me. No wait, I'm just funsized.

 

 

Down a path, about a mile away from the villa is a tiny village-castle-manor setup. I can't figure out what to call it. This is the "castle." From what I read of the signs, they've turned the bottom floor into public restrooms. Kind of shatters the illusion.

 

 

A quaint, blurry shot of the church.

 

 

Inside the church.

 

 

Last but not least, the manor house. And as these are the only three buildings around, I have no idea what this place was.

 

After this, we hopped back in our van and drove south of London until we hit Salisbury.

 

 

CATHEDRAL!!!

 

 

CLOISTER!!!

 

 

SARAH!!!

 

 

They have a George Herbert memorial window. afiuidvoafdh0rdghfboshfdbp

 

 

The coolest chapel I have ever seen.

 

 

This cathedral was absolutely stunning. Both powerful and elegant. The whole time, I was trying to wrap my mind around the possibility of something being this spectacular. I couldn't help thinking of the majesty and power of God.

 

 

The Little Swan That Could. He never actually made any progress, but I have faith in him.

 

 

Day #2: Fareham. It's near Portsmouth and Southhampton. The fieldtrip served a dual purpose. First, all the academics. Second, the particular Lutheran denomination I'm studying in while in England is really tiny. So our school organizes trips to visit different congregations around the country. It was a good setup for students like us, because members of the church fed us and put us up for the night. And we got to see all the cool cathedrals and such along the way. Free trip = no brainer. Anyways, this was the church we visited. TINY. And it was packed full because our hosts' granddaughters were being baptized.

 

After church, we drove to Winchester.

 

 

THE ROUND TABLE. Ok, so they know it's a fake from the 13th century, but that doesn't stop me from claiming I saw the Round Table. No indeed. Anyways, the great thing about this is that each knight's place is labeled. We found Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, and Mordred. Pretty cool.

 

 

Winchester Cathedral. As we were walking up to it, the bells were ringing out and it lent a very joyful feel to the whole experience. I was so excited.

 

 

It's just as beautiful as Salisbury, but in a different way. A lot more feminine and botanical. The pillars melt into the ceiling and the ribs are decorated with flowers. It'd be easy to forget that this is all made of stone.

 

 

What I really came here for.

 

 

And I wasn't going to leave without a picture of Jane and I together at last.

 

 

The chapel after evensong.

 

 

The crypt. There's a random foot of water filling it.

 

All in all, a good trip.

 

Other random pictures:

 

 

 

The view when I walk to the divinity lectures. Except normally there isn't snow, because England is just a really cool place like that.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with anything I've been talking about. But it made me way too happy.

It was inevitable



 

For my Pauline Epistles class, we are reading An Introduction to the Study of Paul by David Horrell as a brief overview before we dive into each of his letters. (By the way, this is the first of 10 REQUIRED books we will be reading. I am torn between giddiness and fear. Such is the nerd lifestyle.) Anyways, in the introduction, Horrell notes that his aim in writing the book is not to necessarily to present what he "thinks Paul said, one particular interpretation of Paul" (p. ix); rather, he hopes to give the reader an idea of the current critical topography in Pauline studies.

 

So far, so good. But then I started getting a little nervous, for various reasons:

• The above quote is Horrell's paraphrase of a statement by N.T. Wright. I probably don't even have to list anything else.
• In attempting to remain critically neutral, Horrell also takes a theologically "neutral" stance on the historicity of Luke's account of early church life in Acts or traditional, orthodox doctrines such as inerrancy and inspiration.
• He suspects whether half of Paul's epistles were really written by him, or even during his lifetime.

Then there was this kicker:

• "Conversely, the title 'Christ' is never found directly on the lips of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, but appears frequently throughout Paul's letters. Most scholars would agree that the early church developed  an increasingly high 'Christology' - that is, its view of the person of Christ - which may have been an appropriate reflection of who Jesus was, seen in light of his resurrection, but can hardly have been a reflection of how Jesus himself understood his identity." (p. 10)

Aaaanndd I am only two chapters in. This is going to be an interesting read.

 

But to depart from all of my naysaying, there are a few observations I've appreciated in the book. One of the most interesting things it highlights is Paul's tendency to utilize preexisting formulae such as creedal statements or hymns throughout the text of his letters. Some of the more obvious which come to mind:

• 1 Timothy 3:15-16
  "By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
  He who was revealed in the flesh,
  Was vindicated in the Spirit,
  Seen by angels,
  Proclaimed among the nations,
  Believed on in the world,
  Taken up in glory."
• Ephesians 5:14
  “Awake, sleeper,
  And arise from the dead,
  And Christ will shine on you.”

I've only mildly followed the current debate amongst Reformed Baptists over the issue of Confessionalism, so I'm not the person to consult for earth-shattering arguments. However, seeing how Paul makes robust use of creedal statements in his own apostolic writing speaks to the high value he placed on such tools in church life. In light of the arguments promoting a Bible-only approach to theology, what do we make of passages of Scripture which include preexisting creedal statements? It's kind of a paradox. All in all, I find this to be one of the strongest incentives for adopting a confessional perspective in my theology. So there's my two cents.

Cambridge

Update on debit card saga: It is now working. I have money. Now I just have to figure out how to make sense of infinite varieties of coins they use here.

 

It's been a while, I know. My internet connection here is rather sketchy so uploading pictures to this blog is next to impossible. And I didn't want to post without including some. All of this is just a long-winded way of refusing to accept responsibility for neglecting ye olde blog.

 

But at last, I here give you the colleges of Cambridge:

 

 

 

This is the view from the main bridge in the city. On the left (only its shadow is visible) is Magdalene College, and on the right are all the punting boats. If you keep going to the right, you'll end up in the center of the city. The high street (main street) is full of a bunch of random shops and restaurants. Every day I pass things like "Byron's Proper Hamburgers" and an indie music shop which sells ridiculously cheap British cds. There's also a Sainsbury's grocery store which sells even cheaper pizzas and has a self-checkout which is eerily similar to the ones we have in the US, except the accent of the audio instructions is British. That threw us.

 

 

This is the Round Church. Also the second oldest building in the city. Because it's next to a major crossroads, it's a good landmark to orient yourself from for directions. An evangelical organization maintains the church and offers a bunch of tours and resources demonstrating the positive impact Christianity has left on Britain. I highly recommend visiting it.

 

 

 

This is Magdalene College's courtyard. I took the picture from underneath the gate. In front is the dining hall, and on the left is the Chapel. Magdalene was a big stop for us because this is where the great C.S. Lewis taught for the last years of his life. According to our tour guide, when Lewis would give the chapel devotional, he'd set a tea kettle going across the hall, and when it'd go off, he'd know that he was going on for too long. I found that entertaining.

 

 

Trinity College's gate. In the alcove above the great gate, there's a statue of Henry VIII, who I believe was involved in founding the college. What a festive guy. Some of the famous students here included Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon. AND GEORGE HERBERT. AHHHHHH!!!!!!! It makes me giddy just thinking about it.

 

 

This is the chapel of Sidney Sussex College. Along with Emmanuel College, this was one of the biggest centers of Puritanism in England. Which is cool. However, there is another important thing about the college....

 

 

THEY HAVE OLIVER CROMWELL'S HEAD.

 

This is how the story goes: After the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II, there was a major PR overhaul and they were very concerned about erasing any signs of republicanism from the country. So in their efforts to cleanse England of the taint of Cromwell, the natural course of action was to dig up his body, lop off his head, and stick it on a pole outside Westminster. That'll show them. In what I think is a surprising case of longevity, it stayed there for something like 25 years. However, amid a dark and stormy night, a gust of wind blew it off the pole and the watchman chilling out nearby stashed the head and brought it home. It became a family heirloom, being passed down from generation to generation until the 60's, when, as the plaque says, they donated it to his alma mater.

 

I just love how random and macabre that story is. After reading about the first part in a history book when I just started homeschooling, I have always wondered whatever happened to the head. And now I know. It's in Sidney Sussex College's garden, and only the Warden knows where it's buried. 

 

King's College chapel. The picture is really dark, I know, but I needed proof that I was there. The structure dominates the surrounding area - it's HUGE. Sometime, when it isn't sunset, I'll come back and get a better picture.

 

Next to King's College is a plaque commemorating the site of the original White Horse Inn. Not only is it the namesake of the podcast, it was the heart of the Reformation in England. I reacted as any good reformed person ought to react. And now you have evidence.

 

---

 

So there's your short tour. Other interesting things:

• I found a copy of Harry Potter translated in classical Greek in one of the bookstores here. So English. So nerdy.
• The one hill in Cambridge is the site of an old roman fort/castle that used to control the area. I climbed to the top with some friends and the view is gorgeous. I'll add that to the list of photos I need to take.
• I now have a library card for the university library, which grants reading privileges. The place is so huge, I don't know what to do with myself inside it.

Coming back to the States is going to be hard. I am absolutely smitten with England. Pubs are fun. You can walk pretty much anywhere, and in the cases that you can't, there's fantastic public transportation. I've been spending an embarrassing amount of time planning trips around the country. I was going to go to Bedford today to see the John Bunyan attractions, but I don't have a bus pass (=cheaper fares), and it's cold outside. And by cold I mean upper 30's. I'm getting soft.

 

I made it to the congregation I'll be attending here - Cambridge Presbyterian Church. The people are lovely and very welcoming, and the preaching is excellent. I've already been invited to bible studies and people's homes for dinner, and got to grab some coffee with my new pastor. And then on top of all that, the building they meet in on Sunday mornings is incredible. Every surface is covered in some form of Gothic Revival décor. As much as I miss my church in Milwaukee, I know I am in a very good place here as well.

 

Also of interest, I had my first week of classes. Philosophy of Religion has emerged the frontrunner. Throughout the two hour class period, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, barely able to stay calm because IT IS THAT GOOD. Christianity and the Arts is also going to be lovely, with all of the fieldtrips we have planned. Keywords include "Roman Villa" and "Salisbury Cathedral." And then there's the whole issue of the 2nd Commandment and its implications on art. I'm the lone descendant of the Puritans here, so it's going to be a trip.

 

Off to buy some shampoo and $0.30 pasta from Aldi. Not going to confirm or deny whether we have been living off the latter. Living the dream.