Ms. Ren Bishop

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My friend Teresa and I went to Paris a week ago and we had photoshoots all over the city. Here are about half of the pictures we took.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a high-speed train to Aachen, Germany – a tiny little German town right over the Belgian/German border. I had always wanted to travel in Europe for myself, and I thought a little day trip to Aachen would be a good way to step out on my own without being overwhelmed. The train was easy; with my iPod and my own window seat, I just watched the countryside fly by at about 150 miles an hour. In a little over an hour, I arrived in Aachen and was immediately taken back by the language. I have just, sort-of gotten used to being able to figure out with signs where I am because of my French, but with German I was totally lost. I relied on following signs that said ‘Dom’ and a little picture of the fortress to find my way around.

After a sandwich and a stroll, I found my way to Charlemagne’s fortress Rathaus. For a couple of Euro, I got into the now town hall that has been built, added onto and remained standing since around 800. The first Roman emperor commissioned the only portion of the original fortress, the tower, in 789 and is now so fragile that no visitors are allowed in it. It was still quite a place to be, walking through the Coronation Hall that housed banquets and coronations of over 30 prince-elected German kings over the centuries. The silence and the respect of the visitors for the place for Charlemagne is still apparent; even children that were there when I was were quietly poised in curiosity.

After the town hall, I walked a few paces and wandered into the Aachen Cathedral, by far the most famous landmark in the city. Around 800 again Charlemagne commissioned the cathedral to be built, with later additions made in the 14th and 15th centuries to the cathedral. It’s really quite beautiful on the inside, the contrasting time periods, architectures and artworks blending together seamlessly. However, I didn’t know that drinks weren’t allowed inside, so I got yelled at in German as I was on my way out and I guess “kicked out” of the Cathedral. Put that on the list of things I didn’t think would happen while I was here in Europe.

After the cathedral, I walked down to a small inner city park and journaled, thinking about the day and what Europe really means for me, how I have grown as a person. I have written over 100 pages in that journal since I arrived here, and while I was flipping through the pages I realized that every single line, sentence and paragraph I was writing about how I was changing as a person. How I was trying new things, exploring who I am and figuring out how to best be happy when I enter that “adult world” in less than year. This summer was the perfect time for me to look back on who I am, and look forward to who I want to be.

But I can’t wait to go back home to the Ozarks.

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Ireland is full of clovers and character. I wasn’t very surprised to step off a plane and walk down the dock of Dublin to see street after street of “for sale” signs and half-constructed buildings due to its economy, but I was surprised to find that the Irish are relatively upbeat about their misfortune. The Bachelor’s Inn we popped into for a pint of Guinness had a smiling bartender, a boy on the street stopped us to ask if we needed help finding something. The tourists on double decker green buses and swarming the breweries aren’t met with resentment or rudeness, they are simply embraced for their Euros (or American dollars, which they strangely take at some places) and the Irish go about their day.

My friend Alysha and I went about our two days in Ireland seeing a live show of the very popular television show Glee, wandering around Dublin and Trinity College, saw the most popular sights all in a very long Saturday. On Sunday, we woke-up late and went to the Cliffs of Moher, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It was a long day in four different buses, but hiking along the cliffs was worth it.