I Am No C.S. Lewsis, But...

    Table six, the table where two of the world's greatest writers met every Tuesday. The same table I ate lunch at during my time in Oxford. It is here that C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the other members of the Inklings debated their perspectives on Christianity, revealed rough drafts of soon to be famous novels, and laughed about their crazy teachers over at the University.

Down the Rabbit Hole

   Do you ever find yourself wishing that you could escape down the rabbit hole to discover your own little wonderland? Or that while playing a game of hide and seek you will suddenly find yourself stumbling out the other side of a wardrobe into a place where time magically stops? Here in London I get easily overwhelmed by the vast amounts of people. They rush by in blurs racing as fast as they can to get to wherever it is they are going. It is as if they are all competing in a secret race that we tourists don't know about. The goal is to get there before everyone else (extra points rewarded for every tourist you knock down along the way) and their grand prize is that they arrived at the tube station only to find that there has been a five minute delay. Congratulations...

Talking with a Princess

    I can't believe that I am standing in front of Princess Diana herself. She sits in a chair staring back at me almost expressionless; she isn’t smiling or waving proud like a royal woman should. Instead Diana hides secrets which are forever untold and locked up within the frames of her portrait.

  As I walk through the National Portrait Gallery studying Diana’s face I find myself wishing that I could magically jump into the picture with her. I imagine that she and I would gossip about her boys as well as Prince Charles. She would tell me what it is really like to be married into the royal family and how it is to have a mother-in-law who is Queen over all of Britain.

   Surely Diana would let a few royal secrets slip and then admit to me that the high life is not all that it seems to be. She reveals  some of the trials and struggles she faces on a daily basis but she does so with no hint of complaint in her voice. And although the princess never says it, I can sense that she felt relief once she traded in her tiara and pearls for a new title. No longer does she need to fulfill the duties of a Royal Highness, but is free to just be a princess. 

A Gentle Whisper

  It’s been less than a year since I last visited Stonehenge and to no surprise it hasn’t changed.  The oversized monument stands just as strong as it did last July and as it has since 2600 BC. The stones cling tight to the legend surrounding them and refuse to let their mystery ever be solved. However, from time to time it allows for lucky tourists to have their own epiphanies. Epiphanies which are not about the rocks themselves but answers to questions in their own lives. 

Across Those Party Lines

   After writing yesterday's post A Taste of the South, I started thinking about the Miranda Lambert song "Only Prettier". The lyrics reminded me a lot of the relationship between Scotland and England. Neither are to fond of the other, and Scotland is actually in want of independence. I believe it had to do with not wanting to pay taxes... (Hmm.. sounds familiar)

A Taste of the South

  My fellow travelers and I are back in England, and though I am excited for our upcoming adventures in London, I miss Scotland! Edinburgh was much more relaxed and slower placed than this big New York like city. In fact it reminded me of my southern suburban town back in the States.

  Unlike here in London, we didn't have to worry about being trampled over if we weren't standing on the right side of the escalator or sprinting fast enough to catch the train that hasn't even arrived yet. The Scottish were also much more open compared to the reserved English. It was no problem to strike up some small talk with them while waiting in line to tour the Edinburgh castle or when sharing a seat on the bus. They were just as much interested in us Americans as we were in them, and were always willing to share their home with us.

Out of Place

  My teacher gave us an assignment to find an object that inspires us and then to write about the object. I found a few items that I thought to be interesting, but every "inspiring" idea sounded cliché. I didn't want to write something that has already been written a thousand times before; instead I wanted to share something more original. 

 One of my "inspiring" objects was a single white tulip in a flower bed amongst hundreds of purple violets in the Holyrood gardens. I figured I could write about how the tulip is out of place amongst the other flowers and compare it to how I feel out of place here in Scotland. But truth be told, I don't feel out of place; in fact I feel very in place. 

  That is not to mean that I never get out of my comfort zone here abroad. Indeed I do become overwhelmed at times and wish that I could simply curl up in my own bed and watch Disney movies all morning. Traveling is both within and without my comfort zone. For me it is nothing to hop on a plane and fly or to eat something as "gross" as haggis. However, travel forces me to build confidence and to believe in my own abilities, something I constantly struggle with back home. 

Just Try It

   While traveling you are presented with once in a lifetime opportunities. You may not and most likely will not ever get a chance to do it again; therefore, you need do it while you can. Typically these opportunities allow for travelers like me to better understand the culture and to gain more respect for their lifestyle. If I am not willing to try something that is unusual, different, or "wrong" in my views then I can't expect others to come to the United States and try what I see as normal, custom, or "right".

Scotland, No need for Words

  Although I know the wonder of Scotland speaks for its self, I want to share how amazed I am with its beauty. This place is incredible. When I was looking at all the different views along the train ride which range from rocky beaches, to high cliffs, and endless fields of green and yellow flowers, I could not help but be awestruck with God and His creativity. Every step it just got better and better. The beauty in this country is truly endless from the man-made architecture to the creation that could only be formed by the one true God.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." -Romans 1:20

Reasons Why I Love my Last Name

   For the past twenty-one years I have struggled with people pronouncing my last name right, but that all ends today because I (Dani Fairbairn) am headed to Edinburgh, Scotland. My great-grandfather lived not too far from Edinburgh in the town Bathgate. He later adventured over to the good ol' USofA and brought with him a very non-American last name. But despite the monotonous struggle of explaining that it is FairbAIRn and not Fairburn, I still think I have a pretty cool name. And therefore I have decided to give you the top 7 reasons why I love my last name (and one reason why I hate it).

Fears and Flying

   I. do. not. like. birds. They are just terrifying creatures for one (like the tower from yesterday, birds just scream scary movie to me), and I am always paranoid that they are going to take care of their "business" on my shoulder. So if I don't like birds so much then why did I decide to run at them and make them scatter? No, it was not because I was suddenly filled with the courage to overcome my fear. Instead I was simply being foolish, and to my unfortunate surprise the birds decided to take revenge and fly back at me. I repeat I. DO NOT. like. birds.

   So why am I sharing this fowl story with you? Well mostly because there is picture evidence of my ridiculous adventure, and I would like to just go ahead and own up to it rather then have it held against me as blackmail. But I am also writing about the bird incident because it is crucial to overcome your fears. It is terribly cliché, but people need to dream BIG!!

   I want to travel; I have a passion for learning about all types of cultures and people. I wish to share with them the love of Jesus, and in order to do that I must know what they believe first. I need to and want to know how they live on a daily basis, and what better way to learn that then through travel?

The Makings of a Horror Movie

   Everything is gray and gloomy. The weather calls for overcast and though it looks like it's going to rain it never does.

   I imagine that the sky didn't look much different back in May of 1536 when Anne Boleyn was "sent to the tower" to be executed. Unfortunately for Anne she was unable to bear a son for her husband King Henry VIII, and as punishment she was killed in her very on castle The Tower of London. However, she wasn't the only one to lose her life at this chilling prison. Hundreds upon hundreds of "enemies to the throne" have been murdered here including another of King Henry VIII's six wives Catherine Howard.

Travel Playlist

In light of my trip (2 more days) I thought I would share with y'all some songs that I love and inspire me to travel! 

Southern Comfort Zone: Brad Paisley

Spice Up Your Life

   If you've been reading you should know that last summer I went to London and left only a couple days before the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. In one of my posts I briefly mentioned my mission to reunite the Spice Girls, but there is something I never told you...I was successful!

My Summer in London

"All in all London was great, and I would really love to come back when I have a little more time. Four days just wasn't enough to fit in all things I would like to do, you know the things like hunting down Prince William and reuniting the Spice Girls..."

   Last July when I wrote those words in my post Let The Games Begin, I truly believed that I would one day return to London; however, I never thought I would be going back so soon. In a couple weeks I will once again be leaving my little southern town and making my way to Europe. This time around I will be studying at Regent's University and learning all there is to know about British Literature. Although a small part of me (okay okay a large part of me) wishes that I was returning to Spain, I am so thankful and excited to revisit England and see Scotland for the first time.

Home Sweet Rome

 I'm back in Rome! Rome, Georgia that is... It may not be Italy (or Spain), but it's home. And home is always a good place to travel to. Trust me, I really miss being in Europe, but it is nice to see my family and friends, as well as do things that I wasn't able to do abroad (like speaking English for example). And now before I bring my blog to a close, I would like to share with you a few last pictures from my trip.

Colosseum in Rome

Let the Games Begin

 Let the games begin! No, I am not making a reference to the Hunger Games, I'm talking about the London 2012 Olympics! I have spent that last few days in London watching the city prepare for the big event that starts this Friday. Unfortunately, I leave tomorrow and will just have to settle for watching the games on tv, but it was still fun to see where the events will be taking place. Just earlier today I took a tour of Olympic Park and saw the main stadium, as well as the aquatic center and the athlete's training ground.
  In addition to everything Olympic related, I also did a few of those typical touristy things like going for a ride on the London Eye and snapping some picture of Big Ben. I even tried fish and chips while I was here, despite the fact that I hate fish. All in all London was great, and I would really love to come back when I have a little more time. Four days just wasn't enough to fit in all things I would like to do, you know the things like hunting down Prince William and reuniting the Spice Girls...

The Olympic Rings

Where In the World

 Definitely ready to relax in my hotel room after a long day of travel. Yup that's right, I said hotel room. You didn't think just because I was leaving Spain, it meant I was headed back to the States. Well if you did you thought wrong. There is still one last stop on my journey, and I bet you are wondering where in the world I am now. Well, you will have to wait until my next blog post to find out, because for now I am going to write about my last day in Spain. But I will leave you with a little hint...

She Has Not Abandoned Me

 Once upon a time (the 13th century) in a far away kingdom (Spain) there lived a King (Alfonso X). And one day the King's son, Sancho, attacked his father in hopes to win over the throne. However, his plans failed due to the loyalty of one particular city. Any guesses to what city it might have been? Well, Seville of course! After, the battle with his son, King Alfonso rewarded the town's loyalty with a gift, NO8DO. To this day the random group of symbols acts as the motto of Seville, and can be found everywhere you turn within the city. So what exactly does NO8DO mean? It translates to "no me ha dejado", "She has not abandoned me".
 I can't believe (more like refuse to believe) today is my last day in Spain. My time here has been absolutely amazing, and I am in love with Seville. I admit i'm probably a little biased after spending eight weeks here, but it is definitely my favorite city in all of Spain. The town is so beautiful and full of history and life. I am going to miss it so much when I leave tomorrow. But instead of dwelling on the fact that I have yet to finish packing or that the hours I have left here are dwindling down, I am going to go enjoy my time with friends and experience the city for one last day. Hasta luego Espana. You will never abandon me.

She has not abandoned me

Sevillian Bucket List

  This past week has been pretty relaxed here in Spain. Therefore, since I don't have much to write about I am going to give you a list of things you should do in case you ever decide to visit Seville (which you definitely should do).

- Learn to flamenco (literally translated flamingo) or at least go see a Flamenco show. In June I took a flamenco class (technically it was Sevillana folk dance, but it is very similar) and let's just say learning the dance of the flamingos isn't as easy as it looks. Especially if you are me and have a major case of clumsiness.

Flamenco Show at Casa de la Memoria