So, Robyn, What's your dissertation about?

So glad you asked!

My dissertation is about a medieval manuscript that lives in the British Library--the largest library in the world that just happens to be half an hour away from my dorm. With the oh-so-descriptive marker Stowe MS 17 (because it used to be in a house called Stowe House), the manuscript is a Book of Hours, that is, a personal book of prayers used by medieval lay people throughout the day. Stowe 17 belonged to an aristocratic woman who appears many times in the pages of her own manuscript.

 
My dissertation in about the way female viewership affected the way the manuscript was made.

 A few weeks ago, after lots of persuading, I got to go see the book in person.  It's very small, fitting snuggly in the palms of my hand just like it probably would have for its original medieval owner. What an amazing feeling, to hold a 700 year old book that I've been studying for months. It's filled with a sorts of funny marginal images to puzzle over too.

In the front are pilgrim badges, where someone sewed in proof of their journeys to holy sights--sound familiar? :) Only their imprints remain now, but originally they would've looked something like this:

So there's a little peek into my day in and day out research! The paper is due in June 9th, and here's hoping I get it done in time.

You are not the first to come this way...

      With London finally having a warm day here or there, it seemed perfectly reasonable to plunge back into winter by taking a whirlwind holiday up to Norway at the beginning of May with the one and only Kyleigh Naughton, who came all the way from Memphis to visit! We were there five full nights, with two nights in Oslo and three in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway.

Ice Bar! 

Me with Edvard Munch's Scream at the National Gallery in Oslo

Another Norwegian artist I discovered, Harold Sohlberg

A traditional Norwegian timber church (Stavekirche) at the Folk Museum

A Viking Ship c. 900 at the Viking Ship Museum! (We went to a lot of museum in our one day in Oslo)

A model from the Arctic Expedition museum (Cause Norwegians do stuff like that)

The sun finally came out in the afternoon on our Oslo day

The famous National Opera house with a roof you can walk on

We encountered all kinds of terrain: city, coast, forest, snowy fountain, and fjord! Our adventures included a wonderful combination of culture and art as well as the unparalleled natural beauty of Norway. My one regret is that I did not see a reindeer. I did, however, see viking ships, waterfalls, and a glacier. We also watched Frozen about four times in our Air BnBs (this was my first time trying staying with people in their homes, but it was highly successful. The trick is choosing people with amazing reviews.) 

 From our very icy day trekking over the frozen lake in Finse (the shooting location for the ice planet of Hoth in Star Wars)

 I got really sunburned but had an amazing time! 

 Shots from our fjord cruise on the Norway in a Nutshell tour

Our fjord cruise was truly unbelievable, and I felt like we got a really nice understanding of the country. Some funny things: Norway is incredibly expensive. Like, absurdly expensive, and I live in London. Second, Norwegians all speak English, and acted like it was a little rude to ask. They were like "obviously!" In fact, everything seemed to be obvious to the Norwegians. Maybe it was a cultural thing. Does the bathtub work? obviously! Does Tram A stop at Location B? Obviously! Can I get that on the side? Obviously! 

 Ice cream and a bird's eye view of Bergen! 

         Getting to go to Norway with a best friend was a perfect break from school and got me ready to buckle down and spend the last few weeks working on my dissertation.