Hey all,
I am glad to finally be checking back in.
One thing has made itself clear on the adventure so far is that the fun to blogging ratio is disproportionately in favor of the fun. It has been entirely too long since I have caught up with our (very loyal I'm sure) blog following so there are many adventures to be grossly under-described because the reality is: you just have to be here to fully understand the value of all these experiences and be able to take them for what their worth.
So much has happened that I feel the best way to at least overview my travels is a timeline of my journeys outside of London, keeping in mind I first arrived here in the British capital on January 8th.
January 16-18: Edinburgh, Scotland
January 24: Cambridge, England
January 31: Oxford, England
(Spring Break: February 6-15)
February 6-8: Budapest, Hungary
February 9-10: Prague, Czech Republic
February 10-11: Venice, Italy
February 11-12: Florence, Italy
February 12-14: Rome, Italy
Among the list of firsts that my adventures have provided include:
first overnight bus ride (London to Edinburgh),
first intra-Europe flight (London-Budapest),
first overnight train ride (Budapest to Prague),
first time sleeping in an airport (Prague airport waiting for a Venice flight),
first and best Italian pizza (Venice),
first water public transportation (Venice),
first missed train (Venice to Florence),
first Italian gelato (Florence),
best Italian gelato (Rome),
as well as a fair sampling of what I imagine to be typical European cab driver experiences,
and I couldn't forget the absurd prevalence of the baffling tourist phenomenon of "Selfie Sticks" (seriously, look this up and ask yourself if you would buy one from a sketchy dealer among dozens in any public square in Italy)
And that is not even including the trip that I leave on today through Athens and Corfu, Greece, as well as Istanbul Turkey.
In fact I am having to cut this blog short to head to Stansted airport to catch my flight to Athens. Stay tuned on what should be a great week around the Aegean, and I'll do my best to balance out that fun to blog ratio.
Until next time Cheers!
-Harris Smith
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
2 Weeks Later . . . the Spring Break Recap - Caitlin Boone
Quick Spring Break Recap . . . Better late than never!
After Statistics ended, 9 others and I ventured to Munich, Prague, Krakow, and Budapest. Each of these places brought us joy, enlightenment, and cold weather. The last of which I did not even consider when deciding on Eastern Europe in February . . . oh well!!
While in München . . . I ate German pastries, visited Marienplatz, found a little piece of heaven at a snow park down by the river, ate a bratwurst from the central market, discovered a playground in the middle of the city, encountered a protest, watched a Bayern Munich game in a café/pub, experienced the Hofbräuhaus, and walked to a train station in snow.
After Statistics ended, 9 others and I ventured to Munich, Prague, Krakow, and Budapest. Each of these places brought us joy, enlightenment, and cold weather. The last of which I did not even consider when deciding on Eastern Europe in February . . . oh well!!
While in München . . . I ate German pastries, visited Marienplatz, found a little piece of heaven at a snow park down by the river, ate a bratwurst from the central market, discovered a playground in the middle of the city, encountered a protest, watched a Bayern Munich game in a café/pub, experienced the Hofbräuhaus, and walked to a train station in snow.
Following München our group travelled to Prague, Czech Republic, where we went on a walking tour of the city, enjoyed some goulash and potato dumplings, walked the Charles Bridge, met up with 6 more of the GLS fan, watched the Astronomical Clock strike the hour, went on a walking tour of the Castle District, ate some bracelets, climbed the Astronomical Clock Tower for a panoramic view of the city, entertained by a fire street performer, and lastly, ate breakfast at McDonald's.
If you ever get the chance, GO TO PRAGUE. Honestly, it is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. The buildings themselves were beautiful because of the architecture and color. Also, the Czech people were very welcoming; the fact that they spoke English probably aided in our love of this city!
We left Prague with heads hung low because we didn't want to leave, but off to Krakow the 10 of us went. Our group toured Auschwitz (the most eye-opening experience), ate an authentic Polish meal- Pierogis, descended 130 meters below the surface in the Wieliczka Salt Mine (learned that in one of the chapels mass, weddings, and concerts are held regularly), met a man who is going through seminary, bought souvenirs and listened to the Hejnał in Old Town Square, and enjoyed a rose marmalade donut, or "paczki," in celebration of Fat Thursday.
Finally, we ended our trip in Budapest, Hungary. I walked . . . a lot, explored a Hungarian Market, ate falafel sandwiches, enjoyed a thermal bath with fifteen strangers, went on a dinner cruise, and conquered hundreds of stairs that led to an incredible view of both the Buda and Pes(h)t side of the city. Budapest was my second favorite place on this whole trip because of the vantage point we had over the city.
This journey would not have been the same, or possible, without this great crew of people. It was one heck of a trip that I will never forget. Hopefully, I will be able to venture back some day . . . soon!
The next stop on the travel list is Italia . . . until next time . . .
Ciao!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Weekend in Amsterdam
For most of my life my fun fact has been that I lived in the Netherlands for two years. We lived in Rotterdam where my father was assigned a two-year assignment. The unfortunate part about this is that this was from early ’97 to sometime in ’98 (go vols). So I was two and don’t remember much of anything about my early European travels. But recently I was able to rebuild those memories from so long ago with a trip to Amsterdam.
We left Friday morning and arrived in afternoon to snow covered grounds. The snow didn’t let up until late that night but it didn’t stop us from exploring. We headed out to see the city and immediately got some “frites”(Dutch fries) and an unhealthy amount Stroop waffles-one of my favorite foods. We were all soaked from the snow and soon decided to head back to the hostel.
With much warmer weather Saturday, we enjoyed a canal tour and a couple of parks. We also tried out some different street foods and the best Gouda cheese I’ve ever had. The amount of bikes zooming around was incredible. Crossing the street is tricky since you have to check both ways around 4 times to actually reach the other side. Mikhail nearly learned this the hard way after several close calls.
Things are going well back in London. Statistics class was challenging at times but the good people of flat 14 are helped to keep me (somewhat) sane. There is never a dull moment in our flat between the 7 of us!
Pictured below is young me in a cheese market in ’98 and my return 18 years later.
Flat 14 Spaghetti night..plus Rani and Abbey. I think we made enough spaghetti for 15 people.
-Adam Miller
We left Friday morning and arrived in afternoon to snow covered grounds. The snow didn’t let up until late that night but it didn’t stop us from exploring. We headed out to see the city and immediately got some “frites”(Dutch fries) and an unhealthy amount Stroop waffles-one of my favorite foods. We were all soaked from the snow and soon decided to head back to the hostel.
With much warmer weather Saturday, we enjoyed a canal tour and a couple of parks. We also tried out some different street foods and the best Gouda cheese I’ve ever had. The amount of bikes zooming around was incredible. Crossing the street is tricky since you have to check both ways around 4 times to actually reach the other side. Mikhail nearly learned this the hard way after several close calls.
Things are going well back in London. Statistics class was challenging at times but the good people of flat 14 are helped to keep me (somewhat) sane. There is never a dull moment in our flat between the 7 of us!
Pictured below is young me in a cheese market in ’98 and my return 18 years later.
Flat 14 Spaghetti night..plus Rani and Abbey. I think we made enough spaghetti for 15 people.
-Adam Miller
A Sort of Pilgrimage - Bailey Callaghan
I can't believe we've been in London for over a month now. When we were sitting in Statistics class all day, the weeks seemed to drag by. But of course, spring break flew by, because the universe has no mercy.
Friday after our last Stats exam, my flatmates all left early for their fabulous adventures abroad. I decided to fly solo for the week, and stayed in London for a few days. I spent all day every day for the first part of the break in museums. The British Museum is more massive than you could ever imagine, and after two days there, from 10-5, I still hadn't seen everything there. I've still got some time left, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to at least make a dent in the museum before I leave.
On Tuesday, I set off on an adventure all by myself. I have deemed myself the anti-tourist, so traveling alone, and not in a huge group of people (not that I don't love my classmates and traveling with them) was a huge relief for me. I could take the tube and the train to the airport and, if you ignored my massive backpack, I could almost pass for a local. If I didn't open my mouth and speak.
I headed out to Ireland on a trip that I had always dreamed of taking. I'd planned to spend two nights in Dublin, one in Limerick, and one in Cork. Although I was excited to go to Ireland in general, I was most excited for the last leg of my journey, in County Cork, as it's said to be the part of Ireland where the Callaghan clan originated. (I'm Irish? Wow no way. With a last name like Callaghan, you'd probably never have guessed, I'm sure.)
The first place I stopped was Dublin. Although it was rainy and dreary the entire time I was there, I could still feel the excitement of the city. There were churches on literally every corner all over the city. I spent both days exploring all kinds of amazing cathedrals, shopping, and even touching real skeletons in catacombs. After two great days in Dublin, I got on a train and spent a few hours traveling to the other side of Ireland.
I got to Limerick in the afternoon, and I had some time to kill before I could check into my hotel, so I walked around and explored the city. Out on an island just a mile or so from the city center was a huge castle. It was surrounded by houses and businesses, just sitting in the middle of a neighborhood. Limerick is mostly know for having a large shopping district, so I spent the rest of the day and evening shopping at all kinds of different stores.
After Limerick, I got on another train and traveled to the south of Ireland. I got to Cork, and for a few seconds, I saw the first bit of sunlight I had seen in weeks. Cork was a great city, and although I may be a little biased because it's the city were my ancestors are from, I thought it was the best city I had visited in Ireland. I walked around the city, checking out several beautiful churches, and tried to find anything in the town that had my name on it. I didn't find anything that said Callaghan, but I did find a rather large market to shop in, so I wasn't disappointed. After a great meal in a pretty fancy restaurant, (where everyone seemed to feel bad for me because I was eating alone on the night before Valentine's Day) I got ready to head back to London.
I'm so glad that I decided to do something different for spring break and take a trip by myself. Although it was just a quick trip to Ireland, it felt great to be a Callaghan in the country of Callaghans. I can't wait to go back to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, this time with my GLS family.
Friday after our last Stats exam, my flatmates all left early for their fabulous adventures abroad. I decided to fly solo for the week, and stayed in London for a few days. I spent all day every day for the first part of the break in museums. The British Museum is more massive than you could ever imagine, and after two days there, from 10-5, I still hadn't seen everything there. I've still got some time left, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to at least make a dent in the museum before I leave.
On Tuesday, I set off on an adventure all by myself. I have deemed myself the anti-tourist, so traveling alone, and not in a huge group of people (not that I don't love my classmates and traveling with them) was a huge relief for me. I could take the tube and the train to the airport and, if you ignored my massive backpack, I could almost pass for a local. If I didn't open my mouth and speak.
I headed out to Ireland on a trip that I had always dreamed of taking. I'd planned to spend two nights in Dublin, one in Limerick, and one in Cork. Although I was excited to go to Ireland in general, I was most excited for the last leg of my journey, in County Cork, as it's said to be the part of Ireland where the Callaghan clan originated. (I'm Irish? Wow no way. With a last name like Callaghan, you'd probably never have guessed, I'm sure.)
St. Audoen's Church, Dublin
King John's Castle, Limerick
I got to Limerick in the afternoon, and I had some time to kill before I could check into my hotel, so I walked around and explored the city. Out on an island just a mile or so from the city center was a huge castle. It was surrounded by houses and businesses, just sitting in the middle of a neighborhood. Limerick is mostly know for having a large shopping district, so I spent the rest of the day and evening shopping at all kinds of different stores.
St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork
After Limerick, I got on another train and traveled to the south of Ireland. I got to Cork, and for a few seconds, I saw the first bit of sunlight I had seen in weeks. Cork was a great city, and although I may be a little biased because it's the city were my ancestors are from, I thought it was the best city I had visited in Ireland. I walked around the city, checking out several beautiful churches, and tried to find anything in the town that had my name on it. I didn't find anything that said Callaghan, but I did find a rather large market to shop in, so I wasn't disappointed. After a great meal in a pretty fancy restaurant, (where everyone seemed to feel bad for me because I was eating alone on the night before Valentine's Day) I got ready to head back to London.
County Cork, Ireland
I'm so glad that I decided to do something different for spring break and take a trip by myself. Although it was just a quick trip to Ireland, it felt great to be a Callaghan in the country of Callaghans. I can't wait to go back to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, this time with my GLS family.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Spring Break in Southern Europe and Africa - Tucker McLain
Hello all,
My name is Tucker McLain and I am laying in my bed writing this after just getting back home from almost 10 days of travel. For our GLS class, we just ended our Spring Break. While people from our class travelled all over Europe, my group journeyed to Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. This is the most I have ever travelled in my life, and I absolutely loved every second of it. Living out of a backpack and moving from place to place was so exhilarating. The best part was that, unlike London, the sun actually exists in these places.
Our first stop was Lisbon, Portugal. Going into Lisbon, I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting, but it completely blew me away. From the great hostel to the delicious food, I can't really pick out many bad things in Lisbon. It is also quite beautiful, especially in the afternoon sun.
While in Lisbon, we took a day trip to Sintra where we toured the Castle of the Moors, the Pena National Palace, and the Quinta da Regaliera (a historic estate). The sights were beautiful, the weather was warm, and looking into the history of Portugal was quite interesting.
After returning to Lisbon, we went on a walking tour of the city with the most hilarious tour guide ever. He showed us the historic, romantic, and humorous side of the city. If you're ever in Lisbon, be sure to go on a tour with Hugo from Wild Walkers. He only operates on tips, the actual tour is free, and you won't regret it in the least. Finally, we took the train to the Belem neighborhood of Lisbon to watch the sunset for our last night.
Moving on from Lisbon, we travelled to Seville, Spain. A little cloudy, but overall a very nice city in Spain. Unlike Lisbon, where nearly everyone spoke English in addition to Portuguese, barely anyone in Seville understood it. Fortunately, my rusty AP Spanish skills allowed us to at least get by for a few days. In Seville, we visited a bull ring, the Alcazar Palace, and went on another walking tour with another funny tour guide. One of the highlights here was a Flamenco Dance that we all went to see. They move their feet so fast that their legs are a blur. Seville was a great stop and the Plaza de España was a beautiful place.
Next stop on our trip was Barcelona, Spain. Unfortunately, we only had 1 full day in Barcelona, so it was a little hectic to get in everything that we wanted to do. Fortunately, we did get to visit Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia, two of the most beautiful places in all of Barcelona. First we went to Park Güell, which was atop a hill that overlooked all of the city. Despite falling up the escalator going there, it was a beautiful and tranquil place. We even found a hippie swing that overlooked most of the city.
Then we went to La Sagrada Familia, a Roman Catholic church that has been under construction since the 1880s with still a lot of progress to go. It's intricate marble work and beautiful stained glass made it a highlight of the trip.
After leaving Barcelona, we went to Marrakech, Morocco. This was my first time visiting anywhere in Africa, and I was stunned by how amazing it was. The people of Marrakech are the most friendly people I have ever met, by leaps and bounds. Like Lisbon, I didn't know what to expect here, but Marrakech was the crowning moment of this trip for me. Between the Souks and the gardens and, above all, the camel ride, there was not a dull moment. Even the hostel we stayed at was the most amazing hostel I have ever seen. The staff even gave us a free, traditional dinner on Valentine's Day with a musician to serenade everyone. My valentine this year was my camel, Toto. She was so kind, even though all the other camels liked to run into her. I couldn't ask for anything more in Marrakech.
Overall, this was easily the best spring break ever, and probably the best week of my entire life. If I wasn't before, I definitely am now hooked on travel. I am grateful for this awesome trip and the amazing people I got to travel with. Without their craziness, it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable.
Until next time,
Tucker McLain
My name is Tucker McLain and I am laying in my bed writing this after just getting back home from almost 10 days of travel. For our GLS class, we just ended our Spring Break. While people from our class travelled all over Europe, my group journeyed to Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. This is the most I have ever travelled in my life, and I absolutely loved every second of it. Living out of a backpack and moving from place to place was so exhilarating. The best part was that, unlike London, the sun actually exists in these places.
Our first stop was Lisbon, Portugal. Going into Lisbon, I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting, but it completely blew me away. From the great hostel to the delicious food, I can't really pick out many bad things in Lisbon. It is also quite beautiful, especially in the afternoon sun.
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| City of Lisbon from our walking tour |
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| Palácio Nacional da Pena |
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| Sunset in Lisbon |
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| Plaza de España, Sevilla |
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| Hippie Swing |
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| La Sagrada Familia |
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| Me and Toto |
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| Camel Convoy |
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| The Camel Crew |
Tucker McLain
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Rani Zaouk- Stats Stats Stats
Morning everyone,
Hope your having a great day. We've already been here for a month now and my fellow GLSrs and I are becoming more acquainted with the city of London. Tourism days are over in the great British capital, we finally became Londoners who are trying to go out of the country and explore multiple European cultures. Stats days are almost over with our final exam today.
Many of us became acquainted with the British lifestyle. This weeks highlights were mainly focused on stats because everyone is trying to boost up their grade and pass with a decent grade in the class. This past month was overwhelming being our first month here and taking stats, I feel that most of us are successful in balancing work fun.
In addition, a lot of us have traveled this past weekend to multiple cities in Europe. Some went to Denmark, others to Sweden, a couple went to Paris and a handful of students went to Hastings. I on the other hand went to Amsterdam with a couple of guys. This trip was definitely on my all-time-favorite list.
I know all you readers are excited to know more about my probabilities and margin of error adventures this week. This blog post is just a study break for my exam in 3 hours.
Tomorrow morning, I will be traveling to Budapest, Prague, Paris and the Alpes with Hannah Dunbar, Maggie Mobley and Adam Miller. Will keep all of you updated on our travel adventures.
Have a great day,
Rani Zaouk
Many of us became acquainted with the British lifestyle. This weeks highlights were mainly focused on stats because everyone is trying to boost up their grade and pass with a decent grade in the class. This past month was overwhelming being our first month here and taking stats, I feel that most of us are successful in balancing work fun.
In addition, a lot of us have traveled this past weekend to multiple cities in Europe. Some went to Denmark, others to Sweden, a couple went to Paris and a handful of students went to Hastings. I on the other hand went to Amsterdam with a couple of guys. This trip was definitely on my all-time-favorite list.
I know all you readers are excited to know more about my probabilities and margin of error adventures this week. This blog post is just a study break for my exam in 3 hours.
Tomorrow morning, I will be traveling to Budapest, Prague, Paris and the Alpes with Hannah Dunbar, Maggie Mobley and Adam Miller. Will keep all of you updated on our travel adventures.
Have a great day,
Rani Zaouk
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The Magic of the English Everyday - Eric Peters
Each day in London has its own
charm. One may never know what they will stumble upon. However, often times the only
way one finds the extraordinary is by getting hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar
borough of the city. I was lucky enough to do just that this past
Tuesday.
After
finishing off another two hour session of statistics with Dr. Mee, I decided
that today, instead of immediately starting my homework, I was going to go
explore London and see some marvelous ancient place I had not yet seen. After
consulting my nifty list of attractions to see, I settled in on seeing the Inns
of Court, specifically Lincoln’s Inn. From my quick, pre-trip research, I
noticed several words that stuck with me and gave me what I believed to be an
accurate representation of the purpose of Lincoln’s Inn. The words that stuck
with me: bar, barristers (which looked a lot like baristas), and bar again. Naturally,
I assumed I was about to walk into the fanciest bartending school in the world.
Solid.
10
minutes later, I arrived. Ok. An extremely nice bartending school in the most
picturesque park-like environment.
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| Random Park-like setting. Very nice. Peaceful. |
 |
| Lincoln's Inn. |
Personally, I didn’t understand how a
bartending school could be good enough to deserve such a setting, but I am just
a “silly” American. While exploring the grounds, I came across the Lincoln’s
Inn Chapel.
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| The Chapel at Lincoln's Inn. |
Yeah, beautiful.
Finally,
I made my way to the reception desk, to learn more about tours and the history
of the inn. There I discovered the truth. Much to my own personal chagrin,
what I had been exploring was not the world’s classiest bartending school, but
one of the four original legal schools in the London area, dating back almost 400
years. Bar. Bar exam. Suits. Yeah. It all made sense. Such scholastic. Nice.
A bashful Eric decided it was time to head back to the study centre and begin the statistics
assignment for the night. But what fun would a trek home be if we didn’t take
an alternative route? Answer: no fun at all. So, on the way home, I became lost
again. Typical. While trying to figure out where I was, I happened to walk by
one of these nifty signs…
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| Oh herro. |
And suddenly found myself on the campus of the world’s foremost thinking school in economics: the London School of Economics.
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| LSE: World Renowned in the Study of Economics. |
Not a shabby discovery. A truly neat place, and perhaps something to keep in mind for future days.
Eventually, after consulting the conveniently placed bus marker maps a number of times, I walked down
Drury Lane (the same Drury Lane where the muffin man is supposed to live) and
made it back home. Another adventure. Another day in London. Not too shabby.
- Eric Peters
Monday, February 2, 2015
Stockholm Syndrome Strikes - Troy Galyon
I try to write weekly, but I got caught up in class and the crazy London life last week to sit down and do it. Not to worry, I am back again, and I am here to tell you all about an amazing weekend in Stockholm. I will quickly mention that GLS took on Cambridge the weekend of the 23rd, and we all witnessed the history and culture of a school that dates back to the thirteenth century.
This weekend we Maggie, Abbey, and myself decided a trip to Stockholm was in order, so we hopped on a plane and flew to the most northern city we've ever visited. I expected a lot for this trip because Scotland was such an incredible trip, and I have to say that I was not disappointed in the slightest. I prepared for this trip by buying as many warm clothes as I could get my hands on. It seemed that everything was well prepared and ready to go for what I imagined was going to be the coldest weekend of my life. What I didn't realize, and I hate to get sappy, was that it was one of the warmest, best weekends with friends I've had in a long time.
We arrived on Friday and walked around the city to find our hostel, the local shops, and any attractions we could see after 6:00 pm on a Friday. Our first order of business was finding somewhere to get some food after what was an entire day of travel. After dinner we continued walking around Stockholm and stumbled upon a nice snow-covered park. Not only did we figuratively stumble upon this park, but Abbey literally stumbled and may have accidentally fallen on a half pipe. Needless to say, Maggie and I found that incredibly humorous and managed to bring it up at least once each day for the rest of the weekend.
The girls loving Skansen
The next day we got up and walked to what we called the "Museum Island" which surprise surprise contained a majority of the museums in Stockholm. We went to one called Skansen that showed old Swedish homes and relics as well as Scandinavian animals. The only bad part about this was that it was outdoors, and I was wearing the wrong shoes. After about an hour of walking in the snow, my socks were soaked all the way through, and after four hours I couldn't feel my feet anymore. At one point in the outdoor museum I would stop walking and a shooting pain would go through my left calf. I truly thought that my toes might not make it through the end of the day, but I would gladly give some toes for the memories of that day with Maggie and Abbey! After the outdoor museum, we went to the Vasa Museum which held a ship built in the 1600's that sank and was then pulled from the bottom of the sea in 1959. At first, we thought this ship had been a great warship that sank in battle and was rediscovered by the Swedish, but we soon learned that it had been built in a rush and only made it 1500 meters out of port before capsizing. That's some mighty fine Swedish ingenuity!
Sunday we got up early and went to the largest spherical building in the world and rode up the side of it. Sky View Stockholm is a huge tourist attraction, and it doubles as a concert arena. The Swedish are very proud of it and rightly so. It was amazing. We got to the top and could see all of Stockholm.
Only a few minor freak outs by Mom (Abbey) later we made it back to Stansted Airport in London and found our way sleepily back to our flats. It was an incredible weekend, and the only thing I would change about it would be to have more time there!
In other news, we started our last week of statistics today! It's a happy moment indeed because after Thursday the GLS fam has its spring break! We are all traveling to different places around the continent, and some of us are even venturing to other continents. I received a letter from my favorite Wake Forest girl today, and now I am on the lookout for a castle I can buy for us to live in when we come back to London to live forever!
I hope everyone is having a great time back at home! Stay tuned for future adventures!
Troy
King's College in Cambridge
This weekend we Maggie, Abbey, and myself decided a trip to Stockholm was in order, so we hopped on a plane and flew to the most northern city we've ever visited. I expected a lot for this trip because Scotland was such an incredible trip, and I have to say that I was not disappointed in the slightest. I prepared for this trip by buying as many warm clothes as I could get my hands on. It seemed that everything was well prepared and ready to go for what I imagined was going to be the coldest weekend of my life. What I didn't realize, and I hate to get sappy, was that it was one of the warmest, best weekends with friends I've had in a long time.
The typical scenery for our Swedish weekend
We arrived on Friday and walked around the city to find our hostel, the local shops, and any attractions we could see after 6:00 pm on a Friday. Our first order of business was finding somewhere to get some food after what was an entire day of travel. After dinner we continued walking around Stockholm and stumbled upon a nice snow-covered park. Not only did we figuratively stumble upon this park, but Abbey literally stumbled and may have accidentally fallen on a half pipe. Needless to say, Maggie and I found that incredibly humorous and managed to bring it up at least once each day for the rest of the weekend.
The next day we got up and walked to what we called the "Museum Island" which surprise surprise contained a majority of the museums in Stockholm. We went to one called Skansen that showed old Swedish homes and relics as well as Scandinavian animals. The only bad part about this was that it was outdoors, and I was wearing the wrong shoes. After about an hour of walking in the snow, my socks were soaked all the way through, and after four hours I couldn't feel my feet anymore. At one point in the outdoor museum I would stop walking and a shooting pain would go through my left calf. I truly thought that my toes might not make it through the end of the day, but I would gladly give some toes for the memories of that day with Maggie and Abbey! After the outdoor museum, we went to the Vasa Museum which held a ship built in the 1600's that sank and was then pulled from the bottom of the sea in 1959. At first, we thought this ship had been a great warship that sank in battle and was rediscovered by the Swedish, but we soon learned that it had been built in a rush and only made it 1500 meters out of port before capsizing. That's some mighty fine Swedish ingenuity!
The Vasa
Sunday we got up early and went to the largest spherical building in the world and rode up the side of it. Sky View Stockholm is a huge tourist attraction, and it doubles as a concert arena. The Swedish are very proud of it and rightly so. It was amazing. We got to the top and could see all of Stockholm.
Sky View Stockholm
Only a few minor freak outs by Mom (Abbey) later we made it back to Stansted Airport in London and found our way sleepily back to our flats. It was an incredible weekend, and the only thing I would change about it would be to have more time there!
Chillin in Sweden (get it?)
In other news, we started our last week of statistics today! It's a happy moment indeed because after Thursday the GLS fam has its spring break! We are all traveling to different places around the continent, and some of us are even venturing to other continents. I received a letter from my favorite Wake Forest girl today, and now I am on the lookout for a castle I can buy for us to live in when we come back to London to live forever!
I hope everyone is having a great time back at home! Stay tuned for future adventures!
Troy
Hi everyone!
Today we started our forth and last week of statistics and I can't believe we're almost done with our first class of the semester. By the end of this week everyone is leaving me to go on spring break while I will stay here until Sunday, because my dad is coming into town for the weekend. Although I am flying out to Sweden on Sunday and am super excited to see one of my best friends in Sweden, I wish I could go with everyone else to all the amazing places they are going.
Last weekend we went to Hastings and Oxford which were both amazing places to visit. Hastings looked like a location from a movie and everyone took a ton of pictures. We are so lucky that we get to be here in London and travel to so many different places.
Starting the program here in London I was a little bit worried about living with 6 other people (Abbey and Rani also pretty much live with us, so actually 8) and having to share a room. Turns out it is actually amazing. Everyone gets along great and the flat is always filled with lots of laughter. I couldn't have asked for anything better than this.
That's it for now,
xoxo German Girl/Julia/Jules/JGannse/Goose/Hulia
Today we started our forth and last week of statistics and I can't believe we're almost done with our first class of the semester. By the end of this week everyone is leaving me to go on spring break while I will stay here until Sunday, because my dad is coming into town for the weekend. Although I am flying out to Sweden on Sunday and am super excited to see one of my best friends in Sweden, I wish I could go with everyone else to all the amazing places they are going.
Last weekend we went to Hastings and Oxford which were both amazing places to visit. Hastings looked like a location from a movie and everyone took a ton of pictures. We are so lucky that we get to be here in London and travel to so many different places.
Starting the program here in London I was a little bit worried about living with 6 other people (Abbey and Rani also pretty much live with us, so actually 8) and having to share a room. Turns out it is actually amazing. Everyone gets along great and the flat is always filled with lots of laughter. I couldn't have asked for anything better than this.
That's it for now,
xoxo German Girl/Julia/Jules/JGannse/Goose/Hulia
Oxford
Hello again,
Well since we last left off, I was getting lost in the metropolis and enjoying the sights. Along with becoming more acquainted with the city this week, I had the opportunity visit Hastings. We rode down Friday morning on a two hour train ride. Once leaving the station we quickly ran over to the beach. Now, this beach was a little different. If you can imagine rocks about the size of fifty cent pieces being the beach, then yes, we went to the beach. We dashed over to the Hastings Country Park and climbed up the stone path to a massive fairway on the cliff. The city must have maintained it, because it was beautiful. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining (for the most part), and I was getting to see greenery that was not a local park. I also was able to explore the woods and see the cave that the park boasted. Overall, the trip was a great success.
The next day was Oxford. We arrived to a cold, rainy Oxford. The streets were empty for the morning as the rain descended. We stopped by the covered market there and were presented with the opportunity to purchase full pheasants right across from a store selling Barbour jackets. Yes, we had made it. We were due to meet Dr. Mee for a tour of Oxford, so we walked over to a French cafe called the Buttery. We had baguettes and then proceeded to the tour.
My favorite part of the trip was not in Oxford. I had the opportunity to travel to the home of C.S. Lewis, the Kiln. We toured the house and the gardens.
This weekend went by quickly but I' looking forward to see what next week has in store!
William Gass
Well since we last left off, I was getting lost in the metropolis and enjoying the sights. Along with becoming more acquainted with the city this week, I had the opportunity visit Hastings. We rode down Friday morning on a two hour train ride. Once leaving the station we quickly ran over to the beach. Now, this beach was a little different. If you can imagine rocks about the size of fifty cent pieces being the beach, then yes, we went to the beach. We dashed over to the Hastings Country Park and climbed up the stone path to a massive fairway on the cliff. The city must have maintained it, because it was beautiful. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining (for the most part), and I was getting to see greenery that was not a local park. I also was able to explore the woods and see the cave that the park boasted. Overall, the trip was a great success.
The next day was Oxford. We arrived to a cold, rainy Oxford. The streets were empty for the morning as the rain descended. We stopped by the covered market there and were presented with the opportunity to purchase full pheasants right across from a store selling Barbour jackets. Yes, we had made it. We were due to meet Dr. Mee for a tour of Oxford, so we walked over to a French cafe called the Buttery. We had baguettes and then proceeded to the tour.
My favorite part of the trip was not in Oxford. I had the opportunity to travel to the home of C.S. Lewis, the Kiln. We toured the house and the gardens.
This weekend went by quickly but I' looking forward to see what next week has in store!
William Gass
A Snowy Weekend in Stockholm - Abbey Rozanski
Although this post doesn't involve anything related to Harry Potter or me crying, I hope it'll still be a good one. Last Monday, Maggie, Troy and I decided that we wanted to go somewhere for our last three-day weekend. To be honest, we had no idea where to go and ended up picking Stockholm because Maggie found cool pictures of it on Pinterest. I am forever indebted to Pinterest (and Maggie) for making us want to go to Sweden.
We arrived Friday around 4 and spent the afternoon wandering around the city. That night we went to a Swedish pub and thought the man sitting at the table next to us was Chris Martin (the lead singer of Coldplay) and I may or may not have almost freaked out. It's fine.
Apart from our almost Chris Martin sighting, some other highlights from this weekend were walking to an island full of museums, getting bitten by an otter, eating really good Chinese food, meeting a Spanish man who went to school in London but is working at an Irish pub in Sweden, and seeing all of Stockholm from the top of the world's largest spherical building.
Overall, it was an incredible adventure, and I would love nothing more than to go back.
300 year old boat at the Vasa Museum.
We heart ABBA.
Church at the Skansen Outdoor Museum.
View from the top of the Ericsson Globe.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
The joy is in the journey
What has happened during Taylor's first three weeks abroad you ask? I'll happily tell you.
I have climbed Arthur's Seat (a slightly huge mountain that you can see from everywhere in Edinburgh), visited the Edinburgh Castle, gazed at the Rosetta stone, explored the streets of Paris, selfied at the London eye, ate curry flavored goodness at Mikhail's grandmother's, figured out the tube (metro) system, walked fourteen miles in Cambridge, heard a live band at a local pub, found a favorite coffee shop, had flat (apartment) family dinners, and (almost) survived Statistics. It took three days to fall in love with this city, three weeks to begin to get to know it, and there's only three months left until I have to leave it (or be deported); so, I'm going to make sure it's awesome! Stay tuned for more hiking, exploring, and flying to foreign places.
-Taylor King
I have climbed Arthur's Seat (a slightly huge mountain that you can see from everywhere in Edinburgh), visited the Edinburgh Castle, gazed at the Rosetta stone, explored the streets of Paris, selfied at the London eye, ate curry flavored goodness at Mikhail's grandmother's, figured out the tube (metro) system, walked fourteen miles in Cambridge, heard a live band at a local pub, found a favorite coffee shop, had flat (apartment) family dinners, and (almost) survived Statistics. It took three days to fall in love with this city, three weeks to begin to get to know it, and there's only three months left until I have to leave it (or be deported); so, I'm going to make sure it's awesome! Stay tuned for more hiking, exploring, and flying to foreign places.
-Taylor King
Exploring a Little Town by the Sea -- Sara Seaman
On Friday I had a perfect day...not in London. Are you thrown off?
Now don't get me wrong, I am loving London. I am one of those crazy people who actually enjoys the hustle and bustle of a big city. I love the bright lights, endless options for dinner spots, countless tea and coffee shops, and all the different people and cultures who find themselves in a big city. London is particularly special because it has all of these things as well as lovely architecture. However, it is a bit gloomy sometimes with the cold, rain, and clouds...and sometimes the big city life is just too much. This week it seemed to be that way for most of us here from Tennessee - where the sun usually shines and one can always find a get-a-way spot. Those spots aren't so easily found in the center of London. So...we left the city and found a very large, and quite arguably the most beautiful, get-away spot. A little town by the sea called Hastings.
Eight of us got our tickets - very last minute - and took a two hour train ride out to what became my favorite day in the three weeks I've been here. As the train pulled up to our stop, the sun shone so brightly that all of us smiled as we saw the much needed sun. I had no idea where I was going when I got on the train...no really, I did not know the town's name, that it was by the sea, or what we would do when we got there. I just hopped on that train.
The ocean is my happy place, so you can imagine my joy and surprise when I caught my first glimpse of it. We walked in the direction of beach, and when we were close enough we all ran to the water's edge. (I ran a little too close because soon after my moment of pure joy I kind of soaked. Oops.)
After we ran around for a bit on the pebbly beach we found a lunch spot and then headed in a direction that would hopefully take us up the very large hill we spotted from the beach. We walked down little streets with brightly colored homes and the higher we got the more beautiful the view was when I turned around. Which I think I did about every three steps.
We got to what we thought would be the most beautiful spot and saw the whole town as it lined the ocean.
Then we walked a little higher and I really did see the most beautiful view I could ever see - the largest green space lined with little yellow flowers that looked out over the town and the ocean all under incredibly blue skies. (Quite a big contrast to the city.) After running and cartwheeling all over, we spent the next few hours simply exploring and enjoying each other's company.
It was such a joyful and full, refreshing day. London is wonderful and so much more than anyone could put into words. But so was Hastings. It was exactly what we all needed - a little sunshine, untouched land, salty air, the sound of the ocean, and no agenda. I have never been more happy to have no plan for a day...and let me tell you, I am a big planner.
I am not sure I have ever felt more free in my life. No matter where you live or where you go - take a day and go explore a place you don't know much about and see how it can surprise you. Because it will. And if you ever find yourself in England, take a day to get to know Hastings.
Cheers!
- Sara Seaman
Now don't get me wrong, I am loving London. I am one of those crazy people who actually enjoys the hustle and bustle of a big city. I love the bright lights, endless options for dinner spots, countless tea and coffee shops, and all the different people and cultures who find themselves in a big city. London is particularly special because it has all of these things as well as lovely architecture. However, it is a bit gloomy sometimes with the cold, rain, and clouds...and sometimes the big city life is just too much. This week it seemed to be that way for most of us here from Tennessee - where the sun usually shines and one can always find a get-a-way spot. Those spots aren't so easily found in the center of London. So...we left the city and found a very large, and quite arguably the most beautiful, get-away spot. A little town by the sea called Hastings.
Eight of us got our tickets - very last minute - and took a two hour train ride out to what became my favorite day in the three weeks I've been here. As the train pulled up to our stop, the sun shone so brightly that all of us smiled as we saw the much needed sun. I had no idea where I was going when I got on the train...no really, I did not know the town's name, that it was by the sea, or what we would do when we got there. I just hopped on that train.
The ocean is my happy place, so you can imagine my joy and surprise when I caught my first glimpse of it. We walked in the direction of beach, and when we were close enough we all ran to the water's edge. (I ran a little too close because soon after my moment of pure joy I kind of soaked. Oops.)
After we ran around for a bit on the pebbly beach we found a lunch spot and then headed in a direction that would hopefully take us up the very large hill we spotted from the beach. We walked down little streets with brightly colored homes and the higher we got the more beautiful the view was when I turned around. Which I think I did about every three steps.
We got to what we thought would be the most beautiful spot and saw the whole town as it lined the ocean.
Then we walked a little higher and I really did see the most beautiful view I could ever see - the largest green space lined with little yellow flowers that looked out over the town and the ocean all under incredibly blue skies. (Quite a big contrast to the city.) After running and cartwheeling all over, we spent the next few hours simply exploring and enjoying each other's company.
I am not sure I have ever felt more free in my life. No matter where you live or where you go - take a day and go explore a place you don't know much about and see how it can surprise you. Because it will. And if you ever find yourself in England, take a day to get to know Hastings.
- Sara Seaman
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