Just Keep Reading...

Note: Forgive spelling mistakes - the spell check isn't working. Because of technical and internetal (if that isn't a word, it is now) difficulties, I haven't been able to connect to the internet and post my latest adventures! But I promise you, I will be faithful to the account. Anyway, the last few days have been very exciting. On Friday, we went to the Andy Warhol Museum, which was weird. And when I say weird, I really mean it. Not only was there a room full of silver balloons floating around, but also there was a painting that he peed on to creating different oxidation patterns in the copper-based paint. We couldn't spent much time there becuase of the study abroad meeting, as well as a meeting about the honors college (on the 36th floor of the Cathedral of Learning - great view!!) at the University of Pittsburgh, but that was fine with me. I didn't really mind leaving the "vaguely porongraphic" videos and paitings being shown (my mom's words, not my own). After that hectic schedule, we left the city of Pittsburgh and drove for about two hours to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On our way out though, we were hoping to get some ice cream as a treat/lunch substitute, but all our plans were thwarted. We went to three ice cream stores that were on this phamplet and then on the GPS, and all were out of business, or at least moved. We finally resigned and went to this Ben and Jerry's near where the last store was supposed to be. As soon as we got within a mile or so of the actual town, there were differnt markers and cannons and such poping up every few feet. It was pretty cool. Once we got into town and settled down in the place we were staying in - the Inn on Lincoln Square (which is the town square of Gettysburg...I think...), we walked around and then went to the restaurant that the innkeeper had suggested, which was across the sqaure/round-about. There was a few minute wait so my mom, sister, and I went and walked around while my dad and brother stayed in the restaurant waiting. Unfortunatly, the store we were looking for was closed, and so we turned around to go back to the restaurant. By the time we got back to the restaurant, we were being seated. I got a Hawaiian sandwich on a pretzel roll, and we got onion rings and pretzel bites for an appitizer. The food there were pretty good, but not superb. But for some reason, we were so stuffed that both my dad and I only ate half of our sandwiches, and my mom, sister, and brother (who had only two pizzas between them) only ate like one piece each, and as a result, had a lot of leftovers. The next day was our tour of Gettysburg. We drove out to the visiter's center, where our tour guide (I think his name was Frank) met us. The way the tour worked was that he drove our car around the different areas of the battle, all the while expalining what we were seeing. Though I can't comment on the bus or self-guided tours, I can imagine that they weren't nearly as nice asd the arrangement we had. Not only could we stop where we wanted to to take pictures, but the tour was sort of personalized - beforehand, my mom had told him that we were from Michigan, so he pointed out the different monuments commemeerating the Michigan regiments that fought there, which was cool. I think my favorite place was the field where Pickett's Charge took place (though, now I know it should be more accurately called Pickett-Pettigrew Charge) and Little Round Top, a hill where a lot of fighting happened on the second day (I think...). From the top, you could see all around you, and it was easy to understand why it was such a strategic location to be in control of. After the tour of the battlefield itself, we went and viewed the museum at the visitor's center. There was so much information to absorb that I soon became confused about the different people involved, as well as the dates, and I lagged behind the rest of my family (by at least thirty minutes, which annoyed them. What can I say - I was interested.). I haven't really been that interested in the Civil War beforehand, but after seeing this, my interest has been piqued and I want to know more. After leaving the museum after being there for several hours, my family and I ate lunch at a french bistro in town. The food was only okay, the waiter was weirdly complacent, and there was a bridal or baby shower taking up half of the restaurant, so our expirence there was so-so. We did get some really delicious chocolate mousse from there (for desert that night), so I guess that comensated for the rest of our expirence. We didn't have anything else planned, so we dropped my brother off at our rooms, and then saw the cemetary where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Adress, then walked around town. That was the extent of what we on Saturday. After returning to our rooms, we warmed up the leftovers from the night before, rented a movie, and ate desert. The movie we saw was The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, and I really enjoyed it, despite the bad reviews that I remember from when the movie came out. It was nice for one night to just hang out and relax instead of traversing all over. On Sunday, we got to sleep in a little, and then we drove the few hour drive to Arlington Cemetary on our way to Washington DC. I have never been here before, so just the sight of all the graves streching on for what seems to forever was awe-inspiring. Finally, after days of cold and wind, it was a nice out, which was good since we walked all over to visit the unknown soldier's tomb, the Kennedy graves, and Arlington House (which needs a lot of work). I actually got a little bit of a sunburn on my face from all the sun. By the time we checked in at the hotel we are currently staying in, I was ready to be done for the night, but I was overruled. We got groceries from Trader Joe's, and then (after dropping them off) went out to eat at Pizza Paridiso, and then we had to go shopping!!Though, I have to concede that the pizza was delicious - I shared a roasted garlic pizza with my mom. Like the name says, it was like paradice. The few hours after that shopping, not so much. By that time, I was tired and cranky and ready to go back to the room, so I sat outside on the curb with my dad. Several old people stared at me weirdly, like I was homeless or something, and we counted up to ten languages passing us. Fun times. Until the next thrilling instalment!