new video! goodbye europe :(

HAPPY UP HERE // rome 09 from Becky Murphy on Vimeo.

needy projects

I am more excited to be done with this semester than anything else. That's making me EVEN MORE excited to be home. We're all cramming projects. Here is a taste. Yesterday:

12 AM- 4:30 AM :: projects
4:30-8 AM :: slept
8-8:30 :: got ready for the day
8:30-9 :: tram to studio
9- 6 PM :: studio
6-11 :: stayed at studio to work on projects
11-11:30 :: tram home
11:30-12 :: journaled / doodled / prayed

ready for a break.

faces of rome

faces of rome

I took these photos for photography. They are inspired by Vivian Maier. She has an amazing story and fantastic work. Check her out. It was scary asking these people to take their photos when I could hardly even speak their language but I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. It's a start.  I hope to do more when the semester is over.

Hey Paris and London, you're not so bad!

Paris // London

If you asked me a year ago if I'd go to Paris when I'd be in Rome, I would have snapped back a confident, 'Y.E.S.'. But...since being here, I realized I'd have to give up some trips because it's just not that practical. Then I thought, pshhht [+ shoulder shrug], it's probably OVERRATED ANYWAY.

Laura was probably our best trip planner / flight booker. When she suggested a trip to France and England over Thanksgiving break, I was all over it. It ended up being a short (only a day and a half) stay before we left for London.

Paris is so soso soososososo beautiful. I never understood the huge draw to the language, or why the city is supposedly so romantic. I get it. Please visit this city. This is a place everyone I know who's been there just adores. It's so magical. So many lights, pastries, museums, and black boots (fashion is superb- the posh women wear all black. Black boots, black tights, black/gray coat).

I can't forget to say the best part of the story part one- Karen bought the wrong flight ticket. She purchased one for the day before, so while we were waiting to check in in Rome to fly out, we were like, "OH DEAR GOD PLEASE HELP THEM TO SOMEHOW NOT NOTICE" while pretending to reassure her. She made the flight. Those crazy Italians apparently let anyone on a flight.

Paris  =
1. Musee D'Orsay
2. Notre Dame
3. Arc de Triomphe
4. Angelina's (best caffe I've ever been to. Known for having the best hot chocolate in Paris. Best I've ever had. Coco Chanel used to go there.)
5. Louvre Museum
6. Montemartre

----
Now for Londontown....

I knew this would be crazy because Justin had studied there for a year and loves the city more than he may love running water. Laura's cousin and friend, Genessee and Katy, moved there on a whim. They had the idea, bought the flight tickets the next day, and moved in the next month. We stayed in a pretty rank neighborhood. It WAS free though. We really didn't do a lot of touristy stuff.

London=
1. National Gallery
2. Big Ben
3. Parliament
4. Buckingham Palace
5. English pubs...

Fact: it gets dark around 4:30 in London. You could sleep in, lounge around, and once you make it outside, possibly only have a couple hours of daylight. We found ourselves in that situation. We met a lot of Genessee and Katy's friends. Everyone is London was so friendly. They have a sharp wit and even liked us Americans! Wow!

Oh best part of story part two: Karen also bought the wrong flight for the trip home. This time they caught her. She had to spend the day in the Gadwick airport in London and buy a new flight for 150 pounds. She was not a happy camper. THEN when we got back to customs in Italy, we didn't have our permit to stay (because the guy in charge never gave it to us). We were supposed to have that to get back into the country...oops. Somehow they aren't very strict about that either...


Those were my last trips of the semester :(
I will be back in Dublin for a day because our flight goes out from there. I'll be home soon.

Not ready to leave, but ready to be home.

watch these!!!

another video karen created!
these are from london / paris.

barcelona

barcelona 1

barcelona 2

i'm pretty behind on this stuff, so i'll make it brief.

i went to barceona on the 20th for the weekend. i had a flight ticket purchased a while ago, but i wasn't going to go so i could save money and work on projects. but then the day before everyone left, i thought. IT'S BARCELONA!!!!!

so i went. i had a ball.

beautiful. modern. best design/architecture. it certainly gives berlin a run for its money.

look and the pics and then purchase yourself a flight ticket. oh- one thing that there aren't pictures of is the picasso museum. look: we ARE scholastic away from school...

Northern field trip.

switzerland, venice, milan 09.09.09

Holy goodness,
I am going to say this right now: I am still enjoying my life abroad.

I have been a stinker about updating. I say that EVERY SINGLE TIME but i mean it EVERY SINGLE TIME. Where do I start. I'd like to thank my heaps of readers :)

I left off with Berlin. OLD NEWS. Since then, I've been to Basel and Zurich, Vitra, Milan, Venice, Barcelona, Paris, and London. The first few were with a school trip. We visited some gnarly poster museums, the oldest paper mill in Switzerland and made our own paper, listened to a special lecture from Rosemary Tissy, visited the Vitra Design furniture showroom. That was in Vitra Germany. Beautiful. I have a new-found love for great furniture. On our way back we drove through the Swiss Alps. It was so beautiful. I felt like I was on a magical planet that doesn't exist in real life- but it so so exists. I know mom would love it. Really really love it.

Obviously a class trip to Switzerland and Germany isn't complete unless...YOU EXTEND IT AND TRAVEL MORE! That is exactly why we went to Milan for a day and then Venice. Everyone raves about Milan. I did enjoy, but it was rainy, extremely crowded, and our "hostel" was rank. As long as we could save a few euros, we were in for the musty smells and creeky stairs.

It really was a beautiful city, though. The fashion was great. I noticed how polished everyone was compared to Rome. Especially the men. It was great fun. After that, we caught a a train to Venice. I don't know what I expected, but it was so wonderful. It was raining and miserable the whole time, but I loved it more seeing it in it's natural state. They have to put up mini bridges everywhere because it gets so flooded. You walk across these planks and hope the person next to you is nice enough to not push you into the sea of puddle. I remember jumping in puddles and getting myself soaking wet, then I had a thought, "I wonder if this is a good idea since I was JUST sick. Naaah. Puddle jumping is always fun!"

We got back to Rome after about 10 days [Berlin > Rome for half a day > Switzerland > Vitra > Milan > Venice ]. We were exhausted and rather happy to be back at our flat. It was nice to make my own pasta and sleep in my own bed. What wasn't so nice: the homework world. I must say, I don't know how I jungle all this school nonsense in with my fun, but I've found a way to manage...

Don't worry parents; someone will hire me. somewhere. somehow.

Ciao!