Dude, what happened to my face?

This is what I look like on drugs. This is on the White Cliffs of Dover lookout points with insanely high winds, my camera only flew out of my hand. This one gave me a laugh and I thought it might supply you with one as well. Well, on our last bus trip out of London we went to Dover and Canterbury, two more incredibly beautiful spots in England, on the coast to the east of Londy. It was clear enough that you could see France across the English Channel there. We went through Dover Castle there and got these shots here on the cliffs overlooking the Channel.
I put this other one of me and these girls here because it was so windy that if you look closely at our faces it looks like we all have minor retardations, some more than others. Go ahead, have a chuckle. Man that place was beautiful, the lighting was amazing as well, just made it seem like we went back to midevial times and the days of old Henry the VIII who lived there, you know the crazy guy with all the wives?
Then the picture down at the bottom is Canterbury Cathedral. Another absolutely amazing cathedral. If those guys would have spent as much time on the doctrine as they did on their churches, maybe the apostasy wouldn't have been so deep. Canterbury, like Oxford was another beauty little English town, full of little shops and sweet British people. And lots of Asians on tours. I love walking around and seeing the little people in huge clusters sticking out worse than Americans do shouting in crazy languages at each other. Gotta love those Asians. Anyway, Canterbury is up there on the list of great little English towns. And it was all decked out for Christmas.
I swear every day goes by a little faster here. It is killing me. Absolutely killing me. We are down to two weeks left. I love this place, love the people, love the melting pot of cultures that reside in this city. I swear you can see people from every part of the world by simply walking around town for 10 minutes. Love the architecture, love the parks, sometimes I don't love the tube though cause it gets delayed a lot. Love these people here in the program. Living with 35 20 year old girls is something that is absolutely unexplainable/indescribible. It's great though. I have learned a lot of the dos and don'ts with girls. Gotta love the weird food they eat here, its like they like feeling heavy after they eat you know, instead of light like Japanese food. Gotta love walking along the Thames at night, the lights of the city. The list doesn't eng. I have come to love this city so much. I don't think this is the last time that I will live in this place. I might have to earn a bit of cash to support myself first, but then we'll see. It is amazing to see the roots of where much of our American culture started. Well. gotta live it up these last two weeks. As you might imagine the professors are hounding us with work and finals and papers and all that sweet stuff, but hey, it's all part of the game. It's gonna be crazy. Philosophy is the weirdest thing that ever happened to the earth. It is just like "hey guys, it is how it is because it is, quit trying to overanalyze everything." But then, I guess some like to overthink things.
Anyway, just wanted to let you all in my head for a minute to see what I am thinking about at this incredible time in my life. Love you all. Heard it was 4 degrees in SLC this morning. Yikes! It has been really mild here. Can't complain. You all are the greatest. Love from Londy!! Happy Christmas!!!!
Eli
There's a fewe more pics below to look at, have a gander

Christmas in Londy

Christmas is on. This is on Oxford Street, kind of like the Fifth Avenue of London. Hamley's, the giant toy store is there on the right.










Oxford. What a place. It was cloudy and overcast so that hastened the trip a little bit and screwed up the pics a bit, but oh well. That sure is a beautiful little town. If I had to put a picture in the dictionary next to English towns, I think this one would be it.








This is me and my friends standing half in the eastern hemisphere and half in the western hemisphere in Grenwich. Well, actually I think I was more than half in the eastern, but who's counting right?












Dover Castle. Something about the ocean and the cliffs and this beauty castle. It just took me away. The lighting was amazing. 

Par Le Vous Francey?

well. Paris. It is quite the city. Man oh man. We got there last Monday and stayed until Saturday and I swearwe didn't stop going the whole time. Every morning we would go somewhere together as a group, and then theevenings were our own to go out and explore. On these little group expeditions, we went to Shart,a little town with a sweet famous Cathedral, the Musee d'Orsay, (my favorite of the museums in Paris, full ofimpressionistic paintings), Versaille where me and three others decided the most effective way to see all of itwas to rent a golf cart they had there, so we cruised around on that thing and saw the place. Man, what a place thatwas, it made me realize though that some people just have way too much money. Spent a lot of time at the Lourve, saw old Mona Lisa, which was surprisingly small and not really that impressive, well I guess it was, that and thefact that it was covered by bullet-proof glass. But some of the big old french renaissance paintings they had therewere very impressive, like 12x12 or bigger. Had a trip up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you all know how much I love big buildings. That was awesome! It seemed like we just kept going and going. Spent a while up there taking pictures and enjoying the view. I don't know if you all saw it do the sparkle thing when you have been there, but on the hour, the whole thing sparkles for 10 minutes or so. It was just cool to see the tower and go up it, I guessthat is how it was with everything in Paris. You know, you see the stuff and hear about it for your whole life and then, bam there it is right in front of you. I ate a lot of Crepes. Those things are tasty I tell you what. They have everything, and I ate everything from French, to Greek, to Mexican to Italian food there. It was quite nice. The pastries are pretty nice too. So anyway, I will let the pictures tell you the rest, but Paris is sweet just for the record. I questioned at first why everyone always says that Paris is so romantic, but over the time there I realized why. It is quite a city withthe Seine River and all the amazing architecture. Went to a Pablo Picasso museum full of his personal collection, nowowned by his family. Man that guy was crazy, he had a lot of really weird stuff going through his head, but I reallyliked it. Went to the Catacombs, a place where the bones of 6 million bodies are organized into rows and stacks 60 meters under the ground. See the picture if that really confused you. It was pretty morbid and weird, but ratherinteresting. Pompodou. Modern art, the weird stuff at its finest. I liked the building more than the inside to behonest. Sweet Architecture. Basically we saw all that we possibly could, and tore the city apart. Now we are back in London, and I have a lot of stuff I have to got to see and do in the last month here, along withall the school garbage they are making us do. But hey, I am culturing myself and learning so much. It is finally really getting cold here. I am hoping for a little snow. It is weird it took forever but the trees are finally changing and all the trees around, especially the parks look so beautiful. Christmas is pretty much on here as there isn't any Thanksgiving. We are going to go and look at the lights for FHE tonight (yep, even here we have FHE groups, can't get away from that at BYU). But they are going all out. Harrods, Hamleys, all that good stuff. I am realy excited about that as you might imagine. Life is incredible over here, this is such an amazing experience. Yesterday at Church they asked me on the spot to teach the investigator class, and it was on Families. Eternal Families, how amazing is that. It made me miss you all a whole lot, and also it made me realize even more what an incredible family that I have, what incredibleparents that I have. Man oh man. The gospel is amazing. It helps us become better and better. I know that sounds simple, but it is pretty darn amazing. I love you guys sooo much. It is the Holidays! Let's all try to be more likethe Savior and really watch out for those Christmas moments where we can help others out as the Savior would. Just like Mom and Dad did with that little old lady from the airplane the other day. Love from Londy!Eli
Keep reading on for more pics below. Here is a bunch of at the Louve, a pic of the Louve remember from the Da Vinci Code and then a view from atop the Eiffel Tower of the city.
 

pretty leaf

Check out the leaves at Versaille here on the left. Then there are some of the 6 million bodies of bones that I saw. Then there is La Defense this building down in the downtown area that is supposedly the modern version of the Arc De Triumph. Then there is my favorite gargoyle on the top of Notre Dame in a pensive mood overlooking the city of Paris.


 

I can't speak french.

Can you name the places? Eiffel tower, if you didn't know that, well, you should have. Notre Dame. Saint Chapell, a chapel built inside of Louis the 14 palace full of stained glass. And Sacre Couer a big cathedral up on a hill overlooking the city.

 

Can you say Stonehenge?

Hey you all. I went to Stonehenge. Wow. So many years of seeing it and hearing about it and then all of the sudden, kabam there it was right in front of me. It was a fun day there, a little cloudy but still quite nice. This is me and Kent and Erika reinacting Stonehenge. It was a good one, we started off at Stonehenge, then went to Aveberry (another old ruins place like stonhenge), then we went to Bath. Remember when we went there when we came to pick up Jonah? And the story about our ancestor who went from Bath to America but then came back to bath in search of healing in the roman baths there?
It was pretty cool to think about that as I was there. It was also interesting to think about Stonehenge and the mystery that it is. All these years, all these scientists, yet no one knows what it was or what it was used for? That shows man, we can't do it all you know what I am saying? I personally think that it is the end circle of a big old maze of rocks. but all the other ones are gone now. Anyway, it was a fun week in London, saw an Alfred Hitchcock movie turned into play called 39 Steps. An entire play done by 4 people playing like 100 parts. Saw an old Agatha Cristie play called Mousetrap as well, murder mystery.
We are headed off to Paris first thing in the morning for the week. I am so excited. Paris, ya boy. If you have any suggestions for there send me them, we'll be there all week and we will have some free time. So send them my way. Man this trip is amazing and it just keeps getting better even though it is getting colder. These other pics are of Bath and the river Avon there at night. I love you guys so much! More info and pics on the way from Paris or as soon as I get back. They are already putting up the Christmas Lights here and ooh baby. You know me, I love this stuff. You should see Harrods. I get an extra 3 weeks of it this year cause there isn't any Thanksgiving to celebrate here. Love you all. Praying for you.
Eli
 

Firenze - Italia

Bongiorno. Hey everybody. We are watching the 5 hour version of Pride and Predjudice for one of my classes right now (it's sunday night) Shoot me please. Just kiddin. But I do have a while to write some stuff. Well, we went, we saw, we conquered. We packed about as much as you possible can into the 3 days we were there. Found a sweet little hotel for 25 bucks a night, right there in the city. Highlights included: A trip to Pisa (see below pics and words), wandering/exploring the incredible streets of the city, Going to teh Accademia and seeing the David. Michaelangelo's big old naked man. I always thought that was a little weird, but I must say it was pretty amazing to see. He sculpted that 13.5 foot tall man all the way down to the veins. Just sat there and looked at it for a while and listened to the ladies yell, "no fotos!" .
A lot of amazing statues there in that place. The Ufizzi Gallery, which was also pretty sweet. My favorite part there was this huge old exhibit they had on Leonardo Da Vinci. A lot of his drawings and ideas all made interactive. It was really cool. That man was a genius, he had to have been inspired in some way.
That night we went up to the Piazza de Michaelangelo, this big hill overlooking the city, where these pictures were taking. I love the city there, the red roofs, the river, the hills.


That night we went to this amazing restaurant that was recommended by one of the girl's parents. It was a family restaurant that was like 100 years old. Best pasta I ever had, and me and Chris and Lyndsay split a steak that weighed a kilogram (no exaggeration) it was the bloodiest most rare steak I ever ate, but it was really really good. Dad, you would have loved it. Man those Italians know how to cook.
It was really cold so we would eat dinner late and spend time talking and eating. then stay out as long as we could bare it, then go back to the hotel.


The weather was beauty, never saw a cloud, but that also made it pretty darn cold. Can't complain though. Went to an awesome market there with all the leather goods, italian silk ties, and stuff you could imagine. Got me a nice silk tie to go along with all of my polyester Japanese ones. Can't wait to go back to Italy again soon, what a place. I might have to learn some Italian first though, I swear no one there speaks English. Keep reading on and looking, more pictures below. 

Firenze Fotos

This is the little square in which we had dinner one night, complete with an Italian band acordion and all, and a carousel.










Can you say sweetness. Here is the Duomo. (Florence Cathedral)













What is it about European cities and these amazing rivers going through them.











They were having a big commemoration of a big old flood in Florence. We happened on to the big ceremony. complete with firemen repelling down this building unveiling the flag. This building is right next the to Ufizzi gallery, rememer it? 

A little place called Pisa.

Well. We flew into the Pisa airport which was conveniently right by the old Leaning Tower of Pisa. I gotta admit that it was pretty sweet to see it after years and years of looking at in textbooks and seeing it in movies. The little town was really nice and there we had some of our first tastes of good old italian food and gelato. It was awesome the girls with us couldn't go longer than an hour without gelato, so we ate plenty of it on the trip.
You know how you always see people holding up the tower in the pictures they have there, well I decided that I wanted to take a picture with me holding it up by my feet. It took a while and a lot of people looked at me rather funny, but hey not bad eh?
Man I just loved Italy, the way it was. It just had a feeling about it. The streets, the narrow cobblestone roads meandering through the city. I loved just wandering through them and seeing what was around each corner. I have barely cracked the surface in Italy, and I will most definately be back. Especially to spend some time on the Mediterranean, we flew over it on the way in and oh baby.
Love you all. This place is amazing. We have a week here in London and then next week we will be in Paris for the week. Not bad eh? I am pretty excited. We are going to Stonehenge and Bath on Wednesday and then maybe Cambridge on Friday. Whoa, that got me excited just writing that, didn't realize we were doing all that.
It is getting cold cold in Londy. It was Guy Faux day. You can hear fireworks shooting off all over the city and there is a smell of fire because of the bon-fires. wahoo.
 

a place called penarth wales

Well. Sorry it has been a while, it was a pretty crazy week coming back with some tests and stuff that kept us busy. But it has been too long now, and I had to get some pictures up. Wales. Live in experience with some member family.An experience that I will never forget. It was really awkward and long, but hey I went to Wales for a while and youcan't complain about that. Great family, just had way too much on their plate. Trying to do way too much, withoutenough time or resources to do it all. I think I need to get them a copy of life balance. From the second we got there (I went with Spencer's cousin Ross) the confusion never ended, never really knew quite what it was that wewere doing, just kind of that awkard "ok, so what do I do know feeling". They had 3 kids, one of whom was 22, Sama recently returned missionary, he served in the Ivory Coast and Ghana and had some crazy deportation stories. Sam is a professional DJ. On Saturday he double booked, and so me, Ross and his mom June, were the DJs at some 40 yearold lady's surprise birthday party. It was hilarious, we had all the lights, the big speakers, all the equipment, but man o man was it just weird or what. See the picture of me getting my DJ on. Enough 70's and 80's music to lastme for the rest of my life though. Crykee. They had two cars, a sweet 80s mini van with a leaky roof so if you sat ina certain spot you got soaked, and a little convertible, and also had a leaky roof and we were there on a crazy rainyweekend. see the picture? The dad was a great guy, Tim, good hard worker just as crazy and talkative as everyone else.All in all though, it was a great but weird experience. oh Ya, the grandma, she was awesome, she was like 80 or soand she said "flippin heck" a lot. It was sweet. Here's the pic of the family. I was excited to get back to London, but for the record, Wales is an incredibly beautiful spot. Brought me back to the time we went and stayed in that house on the estuary and dad ate at that one restaurant every day, and one timeNoah ordered Chicken Patte, because he thought it would be chicken patties, boy was he wrong. See some more pictures of some castles below.
We went to the ballet tonight. The Sleeping Beauty. Pretty interesting at the grand opera house. It was intersting, I don't think I will ever understand what drives grown men to go prancing around the stage in unitards, it is just weird.I got a new calling in my ward yesterday to be the teacher of the investigator sunday school class. I am so excited. I love having oportunities to do things like that. Ya boy. So I will get to help teach the young men, and then teach the investigator class each week. Can't complain about that. The Church is True guys! London is amazing. Seven of us are taking a trip to Florence this weekend, we are leaving on thursday, I can' wait, so if you have any advice for the place send it my way. Love you all, praying for you!