Last few glorious days.....

Well its certainly been a little while since I've written anything substantial in this blog, but I've been out there living life. I don't have time to be tied down to a blog, haha. Anyway, I just got back from London and I now have only 3 full days left in the glorious Netherlands. Before I go and enjoy my last full day at the market though, I thought I'd catch this blog up a little (especially now that I know that some people are actually reading). This also gives me some time to listen to the CD that Justine made me- which so far rocks out.

So first order of business, my London trip. London was incredible- much better than I remember it when I was 12. I learned how to navigate via the overground train, underground (a.k.a. the tube) and the awesome red buses. On Saturday I spent the day with my cousin Nicola and my uncle David, and we got to see a lot. First, we walked around Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I did not know that Big Ben is actually not the name of the clock tower, it is actually the name of the bell inside of it. Afterwards we got to see the beautiful Westminster Abbey, which has so much history and famous people buried inside of its walls. To experience the entire thing would normally take 3 or 4 hours, but I didn't want to stay in one place for too long. After all, I wanted to see the entire city in just a weekend. After the abbey we had lunch in Trafalgar Square and then went to the National Gallery. All of the museums in London are free, which is the way I think it should be everywhere. We got a chance to experience some beautiful paintings, which isn't a new experience for me seeing as beautiful paintings are as numerous in Europe as cars on the Jersey Turnpike. The next day Nicola and I went to see the Tate Modern Art Museum, which sparked a lively debate about what art actually is. I think I'll elaborate below.

So, what is art? Most paintings are extremely difficult to create, and I would never imagine that I could paint on the scale of a Rembrandt or Van Gogh (my favorite painter). But at the same time we have modern art, which is basically a pencil on a table or a piece of moldy bread that is classified as "art." Some of the pieces in this museum I looked at and just shook my head. One exhibit that was getting a lot of attention was simply 4 TV screens, each a different color, with a clip of a girl doing some kind of telepathy or mind power. These clips were all from fairly famous movies (the two I recognized were Matilda and The Craft). But is this art? I'm not really sure. Some people look at a piece and say, "I could have painted that with a set of fingerpaints if I wanted to," which always elicits the response, "BUT you wouldn't have thought to do it." Frankly, I think this argument is full of crap. I oftentimes look at paintings and all I see if random assortments of colors with no definitive shape and believe I could do them, and might even do one that looks like a true piece of modern art. Whats more, if I did an identical piece to one of these artists, my piece would be dismissed while the artists would be adored. In this case, the only difference between art and my own personal hobby is the years of art school the artists attends. But should you have to get an education in art to be able to be an artist? Before he passed away, my grandfather, with no artistic education, painting 3 of the most incredible pieces I've ever seen. These were by new means modern art, they were incredibly accurate scenes in the English countryside that I have visited. Furthermore, the painting elicited a similar emotion to the actual countryside. THAT, is what I believe art is. I want to look at a piece and feel something, and if millions of people look at a painting and feel strongly about it, it is a masterpiece.

Anyway, now that I've successfully digressed, I enjoyed the rest of my time in London. Sunday night I hung out with my cousin Mark and watched a football (soccer) game. Monday I went to St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London on my own. St. Paul's Cathedral was one of the three most amazing things I've ever experienced. The climb to the top (there are three levels) is the scariest thing I've done in Europe, but the experience was priceless. The cathedral is the most beautiful I've ever seen, and the dome at the top literally does feel like a gateway between earth and heaven. I'm not even religious and I still felt this emotion as I climbed to the top. As for the Tower of London, I'd been before, but its always a fun trip to take. The crown jewels are incredible, including the Cullinan I (a.k.a. the first star of Africa), the largest diamond in the world, that sits in the royal sceptre. I always think the people who built the tower would have a good laugh if they knew how big of a tourist attraction it is today.

I think that's it for now. I might write another entry tonight when I'm packing, we'll see. I can't wait to be home and see everybody who's smiling faces I've missed so dearly for 5 months. You know who you are. Oh, I almost forgot music. Besides the two CDs I just had made for me (thank you Liz and Justine) I'm mostly listening to a mixture of Matt Pond PA, David Grey, Kings of Leon, and Death Cab at the moment. I also forgot a top 5 list, so I'll have to improvise a quick one. Ok, here goes:

Top 5 Cities I've Seen in Europe
5. Cork
4. Antwerp
3. Leiden (had to do it, this place has been so good to me)
2. Amsterdam
1. London

That's it for now. I'm having such a good time I'm not sure I want to stop writing, but all good things.... As always, be well.

AC