Our final full day in London, Thursday, July 7, was the day Matt and Dr. Warren co-presented a paper at the Society of Biblical Literature conference. Katie and I snuck in to watch the action. I was so proud. Matt did a great job. It was great to hear so many people ooh and ahh and nod their heads in approval of what Dr. Warren and Matt are doing at the Center for New Testament Textual Studies (especially since it is quite literally “all Greek to me”). One of the highlights of the experience (I think for both of us) was meeting and interacting with the other scholars from all over the world. Everyone was very nice and hospitable to me even though I clearly did not belong in the group. I hope we can meet them again in Amsterdam next year!

Matt and Dr. Warren were visibly relieved it was over. We took off and went to explore another side of town—the Old City and Business District. We found John Wesley’s church and house that was unfortunately closed to the public, so we visited the graveyard across the street that contains famous people’s tombs like John Bunyan and William Blake. Continuing our walk, we found incredible modern architecture like the tower we called the “Bullet” (locally known as the “Gherkin”). At this point we truly needed to take our obligatory coffee break, but we were determined to find a good pastry shop. The very cute and picturesque Leadenhall Market had just what we were looking for—a French pastry shop called Paul. Of course, the apostle Paul jokes flowed from Dr. Warren and Matt. We forged ahead and found “The Monument.” The Monument commemorates the Great Fire in London and is erected near the originating point of the Great Fire. Finally, we were close to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. It was too late for a tour, but we enjoyed the sites anyway. After spending so much time photographing the Tower Bridge, we finally just walked across it to our side of the river. We made our way down the South Bank riverfront and settled on Cote Brasserie for dinner. It was the perfect finale to our trip. Dr. Warren and I ordered the Seafood Linguine (one of the best meals I had in London), Katie ordered a fancy fish and chips, and Matt ordered a gorgeous salmon dish. We ate on the patio overlooking the Thames. It was truly the perfect end to the perfect trip.

Ronald introducing Dr. Warren and Matt before their presentation.

People left items on Blake’s tombstone. That squirrel was too close to me. The beautiful flowers at Wesley’s church.

The “Bullet” behind an old church. The Leadenhall Market (inspired Diagon Alley). Lloyds towers were my favorite.

Piano playing in front of the Tower Bridge. The different architecture styles in the Tower of London.

Walking the Tower Bridge. Seafood Linguine was amazing.

Matt and I had the most amazing time in London. The SBL conference was a great excuse to go on a vacation together. During the year, our time is constantly being pulled at by everything going on in our lives. I’m so grateful we have been able to take advantage of these incredible opportunities—first Greece, now London. I don’t think our wander lust will ever be satisfied—we hope to travel again and collect more amazing experiences!

On our seventh day, Tuesday, July 5, Katie and I had our first independent adventure while Matt and Dr. Warren attended their Society of Biblical Literature conference. We decided to check out Kensington Palace—the palace previously occupied by Princess Diana. We successfully navigated the Tube and the streets and found the palace. It was beautiful. Many memorials to Princess Diana are left by adoring fans on the palace gates. Apparently she would have been 50 this year. Katie and I searched for the entrance of the palace, but found out that since the palace was undergoing renovations, palace tours were not available. So, disappointed but not disheartened, we admired the gardens and the park and got some sun before Dr. Warren and Matt joined us.

Once our husbands found us, we took the Tube to Notting Hill to look for lunch. We all agreed that we wanted pizza and stopped at the first place we found which was a Turkish pizza cafe (did you know that there was such a thing? I didn’t…). It was amazing! Not only did the pizza completely satisfy my craving, but the spinach pie was INCREDIBLE. With full stomachs, we continued walking towards the Portabello Road Market. We finally found it—a never-ending road lined with shops. We shopped for a little while, but we parted ways eventually.

I wanted to get some more shopping and site seeing in, so Matt and I got on the Tube and disembarked at the Victoria and Albert Museum stop. We went through the first floor and gift shop then made a quick trip into Harrods. Harrods… what a bust (but still kinda cool)… crowded and over-priced. We stuffed ourselves on to the rush-hour crowded Tube and went back to the hotel. For dinner, we decided to check out the little Indian restaurant across the street. Chilies Tandoori was amazing—good food and warm hospitality. It was a great end to the day.

Kensington Palace and the birthday cards to Princess Diana.

Me in front of the gardens at Kensington Palace and a street to Portabello Road.

An Indian Feast in our hotel room!

Day eight, Wednesday, July 6, continued the royal adventure. Determined not to make the same mistake as yesterday, I researched the Buckingham Palace situation. Sadly, no palace tours. I guess the Queen doesn’t want the general public as guests! Instead, Katie and I visited the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. This is where they keep the horses and carriages for the royal family. The grounds, horses, and carriages were BEAUTIFUL. We even saw the carriage that carried Kate to her wedding. Amazing! We decided to go see the front of Buckingham Palace again and ran into the hoards of people watching the Changing of the Guard (or the Changing of the Marching Band as I saw it).

After a little miscommunication, Katie and I returned to the Chilies Tandoori restaurant for an incredible Indian lunch. Dr. Warren had to do some work, so Katie, Matt and I went to Piccadilly Circus to explore some of the shops and finally get some gelato. We explored a little outdoor market in front of a church, then found Fortnum and Mason, which is another historic department store. After oohing and ahhing at the incredible wares of the store, we got some gelato at the cafe (to the chagrin of our server who wanted us to order something more expensive). We looked around some more and met up with Dr. Warren to have an incredible Italian dinner. Since Dr. Warren and Matt were presenting the next morning, we called it a night.

The first carriage carried Kate in her wedding. The gold one doesn’t make it out often.

So many people… my camera got a better view than I did.

Matt sports the fashionable vintage aviation helmet from the church market.

On our fifth fabulous day in London, Sunday, July 3, Matt and I made our way back to the British Museum to finish what we had started on the second day of our trip. We looked through the Minoan, Cycladic, Egyptian, and Japanese galleries. It was so overwhelming. I don’t like tons of stuff stuffed into cases and hung on walls. Regardless, I was thrilled to see Cleopatra as a mummy and a couple of the Japanese woodblock prints I love so much. We also ran into Ronald—a previous colleague of Matt’s from South Africa who was also in town for the conference.

After the museum, Matt and I met up with the Warrens to visit the British Library. This had not been a high priority site for me, but I ended up really enjoying it! Seeing the incredibly old books, manuscripts, and letters was amazing! Matt was also able to show me an important codex he uses for his work. Wow!

Once we finished in the British Library, we all made our way to the Thames so we could see the unremarkable London Bridge and the beautiful Tower Bridge. Matt and I parted ways with the Warrens again and went to Westminster Abbey to attend a service and tour reserved specifically for attendees of the Society of Biblical Literature conference. What an amazing experience. I enjoyed worshipping in such an incredible surrounding. After the service, SBL attendees had almost free reign to wander around and take in all of the history in the cathedral. Another amazing experience. I could not believe I was walking the same floors that many important people have walked for many years before me.

Cleopatra—as a mummy!

The entrance gates to the British Library.

The obligatory coffee break with Dr. Warren and me picnicking in front of Westminster Abbey.

On day six, Monday, July 4, Matt and I ran to Trafalgar Square before going to meet Dr. Warren and Jeff Cate for lunch. We took Jeff down the riverfront until we arrived at the pub with the amazing bangers and mash. It was the perfect day to walk the riverfront and eat outside. After lunch, Dr. Warren, Matt, and Jeff went to the British Library to see if they could handle some manuscripts and I went to the National Gallery. The National Gallery was incredible. Almost every painting I have ever learned about through the Early Renaissance to Post Impressionism was at this museum. I walked around with my mouth agape. Matt came to pick me up and we went to Piccadilly Circus in search of Japanese confections. Not only did we find and purchase our favorite wagashi (the Oribenishiki), we also picked up my first macarons. Another great culinary experience. After this little adventure, we went back to the hotel and collapsed… we were so exhausted from going going going! I had also completely forgotten it was Independence Day…

Trafalgar Square and the riverfront were busy—but it was such a beautiful day!

Our beautifully wrapped wagashi. I felt so guilty having to unwrap it.

On the third day, Friday, July 1, we took an excursion to Oxford. Dr. Warren, Katie, Matt, and I took a train from Paddington Station (the Paddington Bear anyone?) and arrived in Oxford. We wandered our way to the heart of the city where all of the shops and colleges are located. After stopping for the obligatory coffee break, we set off in search of Christ Church College, one of the more famous colleges in Oxford (all of these colleges are under Oxford University). We toured the beautiful Christ Church and took pictures on the stairs filmed in Harry Potter movies and in the dining hall that inspired the one in Hogwarts. We continued through the city, popping in and out of shops and learning about “jacket potatoes” and other cafe specialties. Dr. Warren advised that we take a tour of the Bodleian Library, so we headed over there and joined the 30-minute tour. I’m so glad we did this. The library was incredible. I wanted to touch all of the old books, but I refrained. Side note: did you know that the library and hospital scenes in Harry Potter were filmed there? After looking through the King James Bible exhibit, Matt and I parted ways with the Warrens so I could take a picture at the Eagle and Child—one of the pubs at which the Inklings (C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, et. al) would hang out. My literary hero dreams fulfilled, Matt and I wandered some of the quieter streets and found an incredible tree root exhibit. We finally met up with the Warrens and headed back to London. Oxford was amazing.

The stairs and dining from the Harry Potter movies.

The famous pub patronized by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

The crazy tree roots! A beautiful garden of lavender.

The fourth day, Saturday, July 2, was the day Matt and I ran off and explored some of London that particularly interested us. We first went to the Tate Modern. I loved every minute. The exhibitions, the art, the galleries, the museum space itself. Inspiring. I won’t ramble, but I felt refreshed seeing the modern and contemporary art displayed in a way that wasn’t only by time period. Awesome.

After the Museum, Matt and I hopped on the Tube to get to the SoHo neighborhood and emerged in the middle of a Gay Pride parade. We felt right at home! After enjoying a minute of the parade, we continued on our exploration in search of food and shopping. Found it! We ran right into an outdoor mall and wandered up some stairs until we found an adorable tea shop. The Bob Marley blend, quiche, and scones called to us, so we indulged in a prissy lunch. SO GOOD! After feeling satisfied, we continued wandering until we saw cured meat hanging in a shop window singing a siren song. Matt could not resist. He ordered a sample board of chorizo, prosciutto, and salami. With that order, the bar tender warmed up to us. Amazing experience. We continued wandering until we ran into Chinatown and more Pride revelers. From that point on, we were taken in with the tide of Pride participants in costumes and holding signs stating, “Some people are gay. Get over it.” I loved the infectious energy of the afternoon. It carried us to Westminster Abbey where we met up with the Warrens for dinner. We went to a pub recommended by Justin L. I enjoyed my one and only order of fish and chips. We split up with the Warrens again. In the Tube station, we ran into some men in fabulous costumes. They graciously posed for a picture, shared a laugh with me and Matt, and sauntered off. What an incredible day.

View of the Millennium Bridge from a gallery in the Tate Modern.

Our fun culinary adventure in SoHo.

FABULOUS!

Well, on Tuesday, June 28, we headed to the airport (thanks, David!) and began our journey. We met up with Matt’s boss, mentor, and professor, Dr. Warren and his wife Katie in Atlanta for the flight to London. I applaud Matt for truly planning this part of our journey. He made sure that we paid the extra fees for “Economy Plus” (which, by the way, is COMPLETELY worth it for crazy long flights) and he made sure that we were on the same flight as the Warrens (Dr. Warren has been to London many times and knew what to do when we got there).

We arrived in London in the early afternoon on Wednesday, June 29 (my birthday!). The Heathrow airport, despite undergoing some renovations, got our bags to us quickly. We took the elevator to the Tube station, bought our Oyster Card passes, and begun the hour long ride to our stop—Lambeth North. Let me tell you: 24 hours of no sleep + lugging a huge suitcase through crowded stations+ anticipation to really get the sightseeing started made that hour seem like an eternity. We finally arrived at our hotel, the H10 Waterloo. I was very pleased to find the room very comfortable, new, clean, and small. Good job of finding a hotel, Elise! After settling into our rooms, we met up with the Warrens and went off to see the sites and make good use of our Oyster Cards.

Buckingham Palace! There was a fancy party going on.

Big Ben is beautiful in the evening light.

Waiting for the Tube so we can go back to the hotel and pass out.

The next day, we decided to go to the British Museum. After climbing what seemed to be an endless 175 stairs at the Tube station, we eagerly stopped in Russell Square for breakfast. Wow, traditional English breakfasts of sausages, eggs, grilled tomatoes, and baked beans are amazing. Finally, we arrived at the British Museum. AMAZING. OVERWHELMING. MOSTLY CLOSED. The strike somehow made its way to the museum. Oh well, I saw my Elgin marbles and Assyrian galleries. I was mostly pleased. After we met up with the Warrens, we continued our trek to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Beautiful! We said a little prayer in the prayer room and then proceeded to the Millennium Bridge and found lunch at a pub overlooking the Thames. Matt enjoyed the best bangers and mash of the trip at that pub. We walked up the riverfront and made an impulse stop at the Globe Theatre. We were in London. We were at the site (rebuilt theatre after the original burned down) Shakespeare’s plays were performed. We might as well go see a play. So, we bought tickets to see All’s Well That Ends Well. It was a fabulous experience.

In front of the British Museum.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

It was a cold walk across the Millennium Bridge.

Inside the Globe Theatre.

Our evening reminds me of an excellent quote in a story in the TP today: “Lafcadio Hearn got it [what it means to be New Orleans]. The Ohio native moved to New Orleans more than 100 years ago and famously chronicled its happenings for a newspaper called the Daily City Item. He wrote about the good, the bad and the ugly of New Orleans, and loved all of it.

“‘Times are not good here,’ Hearn wrote to a California friend in 1879. ‘The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under a lava flood of taxes and frauds and maladministrations so that it has become only a study for archaeologists. Its condition is so bad that when I write about it, as I intend to do soon, nobody will believe I am telling the truth. But it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes, than to own the whole state of Ohio.’”

Matt is very busy with school work. Every semester seems to take him to a new and exciting way of thinking. I love hearing about what he studies and what he’s realizing through his intense work. He just returned from a long week of conferences in Atlanta. Even though being apart was tough, he came back inspired and overloaded from all of the information thrown at him!

I’m working away at the New Orleans Museum of Art. I feel so blessed that I can have a job doing what I love: promoting arts education! Every week is a challenge, but I know I have learned about my profession and myself. I really enjoy having a role in such a important cultural institution. Not only do I get to work with local schools, students, teachers, and community members, but I also get to work with some amazing people in the Museum. It’s been a great experience so far. I can’t believe I’ve been at the Museum for almost a year now (including the internship)!

Matt and I are flying to Dallas tomorrow morning. Mom and Dad have just moved into a new house there and wanted us to spend time together since we haven’t seen them in a long time and we will not be able to see them during Christmas. I haven’t spent much time in Dallas, so I am definitely looking forward to this trip.

Even though most of our weekends must be devoted to Matt’s school work, we were able to take a fun camping trip with our friends Derek and Ariel Brown. Here are some pictures:

The camping site.

Matt is doing what we came to do: relax.

Leila (Derek and Ariel’s daughter) and Pup.

That’s it for now! I can’t believe it’s almost time for Christmas!

First, we moved into a larger apartment.  Matt finagled us staff housing in a two-bedroom apartment on the seminary campus.  The extra room has been so wonderful!  Not only do we have a designated study area, but we also have laundry machines and another bathroom!  What luxury!

Next, my parents are moving to Atlanta, GA.  They’ve been back and forth between Atlanta and Pensacola, but they are establishing their permanent residence this month.  We had the opportunity to visit July 4th weekend.  We had a blast!  I was so happy to see where my parents have been living.  Matt and I also took the opportunity to spend time with our amazing friends Shawna and Caleb Mercer and Brian Roberson.  I also attended my first Braves game.  Atlanta is so much fun!  I can’t wait to go back and do some more exploring.

This week is my big week.

This Friday, I defend my internship report.  I’ve been working hard on this paper so I can finally finish up my Masters degree!  I’ll still have corrections to make after Friday, but the degree is so close, I can almost see it!

Also, today, I started a new, full-time job as the Education Department Assistant at the New Orleans Museum of Art.  I’ve been interning at the museum since January; and I’m so excited that all of my hard work and dedication led to a job!  I was concerned about what I would do at the end of the summer, but everything has truly worked out!  The new job is essentially the same thing I have been doing in my internship, so it seems that I will have a relatively smooth transition!

Matt and I are looking forward to even more summer-fun!  We’re truly enjoying the time we’ve been getting to spend with family and friends (and our beloved city of New Orleans)!

On our last full day in Greece, our tour guide, Kristiana, met us at the port as we unloaded off of the cruise ship.  She greeted us like children coming home from college, for she was our Greek mother!  After we got our injured and sick safely to the hotel, we headed off to briefly explore the Peloponnesian part of Greece.

Our first stop was the Corinth Canal.  Corinth is situated where Peloponnesus meets the Greek mainland and where the Aegean Sea almost meets the Ionian Sea.  The canal was cut deeply into the earth, and it also seemed very narrow for a canal (but what do I know).

It’s hard to give a point of reference so its deepness and narrowness is apparent.

Next, we stopped at the site of ancient Corinth.  Corinth boasts a beautiful, ancient temple to Apollo.  It is a Doric temple with amazing monolith columns.  Also, this is where Paul was judged by Gallio for trying to convert people to Christianity.  The ruins were in excellent shape.  Again, I loved walking where Paul walked!

The Temple of Apollo                            The Bema seat where Paul was judged

More of the Corinth ruins.

We travelled a bit further to Mycenae.  First, we saw the beehive tombs of the Mycenaean people.  Then we went up the road a little further to the palace of Mycenae.  Have you seen the movie Troy?  Well, we walked through King Agamemnon’s palace!  This palace held King Agamemnon’s grave, not the beehive tombs as originally thought.  The Mycenaean people were one of the first cultural groups in Greece.  The palace we visited was important because it set an example of the importance of establishing an acropolis.  Also, some of the details of palace were very impressive.  The gate had (essentially) the symbol of the cultural still placed about the post and lintel entry.  The stones used in the palace’s construction are so big that scholars are still baffled as to how these ancient people got them in place—of course, the most logical answer is that only someone as big as Cyclops could move them, so they are still called Cyclopian stones.

Inside the beehive tomb.

The palace ruins—set in rolling hills of olive trees.

Finally, we went back to Athens for our last meal at a taverna in the Plaka.  At this point, I was feeling kind of sad to leave such an enchanting place.  I was able to walk arm-in-arm with our guide, Kristiana, as we went back to the bus. I had to tell her just how much I loved her country and her culture.  She was an essential part of what made the trip so educational, but most importantly, so enjoyable. 

We spent a hasty night in what Matt and I considered to be the best hotel of the whole trip.  Each floor and each room was decorated individually with very outlandish items (we had a paper tiger head lamp jutting out of our wall).  But, early the next morning, we loaded up, said our good-byes (particularly to our AMAZING bus driver, Costos, who was like our Greek father), and left for the United States.

Our time in the country left a deep impression on me. Everything is epic. Deep and wide valleys cut into the heart of its mountains, which are smashed against the dazzlingly blue seas. History dances a complicated step with mythology. Greece is epic. It’s overwhelming and wonderful.  I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience Greece.

This was our first cruise.  It’s definitely something we will do again!  We loved that we were travelling but that we could still move around and have fun.  The Aquamarine wasn’t the biggest or fanciest ship, but it was very comfortable!

Our little but comfortable cabin!

Getting some sun while drinking our cocktails (virgins).  Had have a real cruise experience!

The first stop was Mykonos.  We didn’t get off because we were exhausted and because it was getting dark and we wouldn’t be able to get many good pictures or see very much.  It ended up being a good choice.  One lady in our group actually broke her ankle slipping on some loose gravel! 

The next day, we awoke at Kusadasi, Turkey—the site of ancient Ephesus.  We disembarked and met our HILARIOUS tour guide (he has a friend from Tennessee—Jack Daniels, who visits him every birthday).  He showed us around Ephesus.  Ephesus was definitely the most impressive set of ruins we’d seen.  Again, it was very exciting to see the places Paul visited and to imagine what life would have been like.  After Ephesus, our tour guide took us to a Turkish carpet demonstration.  The carpets were BEAUTIFUL.  Each was hand-made, taking months of labor.  Matt and I were so impressed, we actually bought a small carpet.  Turkey/Ephesus was really great.

The ruins were so well-preserved.   The library of Ephesus was breath-taking!

The Turkish carpets were so beautiful!

Later that afternoon, we stopped at Patmos.  Patmos is a very small island where St. John had his visions for the Book of Revelation.  The cave has been turned into a shrine.  There is also a monastery on Patmos.  It had a beautiful chapel with very old frescoes and an impressive collection of old manuscripts.  Dr. Warren immediately purchased a very high quality facsimile of a manuscript.  Of course, Matt and Nathan were very excited to see it too!

Steps to get to the Cave of Revelation.            The island of Patmos—very small!

Nathan, Matt, and Dr. Warren were very excited about the facsimile purchase.

Early the next day, we stopped at Crete.  We took a tour of the Palace of Knossos.  I had been looking forward to this ever since we signed up for the trip.  The Minoan civilization is one of the first known civilizations of Greece.  The fact that palace is still around is absolutely amazing!   After the tour, Matt and I went to the museum.  The artifacts held here put the palace into perspective: the people who lived at the palace were extremely rich and powerful.  The frescoes, jewelry, and pottery were absolutely amazing.  Matt and I enjoyed this museum probably the most.

The inverted columns of the Palace of Knossos.

The beautiful throne room.                          The Bull Jumping fresco.

The last stop was Santorini.  This island was the most beautiful.  Hundreds of years ago, a volcano erupted and took out most of the island and left it with extreme cliffs that drop off into the bay.  The people of Santorini have precariously perched their white-washed buildings on the sides of the cliffs.  The effect is so dramatic and beautiful.  Matt and I fell in love with the island.  We sat on the cliff and watched the sunset.  It was magical.

The beginning of the sunset behind our cruise ship.

Matt and I had such an amazing time on the cruise.  We fell in love with the Greek isles.