Life Lessons & Mini Break- Samantha Steichen

Hey everyone!
     Since I forgot to introduce myself on my first post, I'll go ahead and do that now. My name is Samantha Steichen, I'm from Connecticut, and I'm a marketing major. Living in London has been one of the best experiences of my life and I never want it to end! We just got back from mini break and I can honestly say it was one of the most eye-opening trips of my life.
    Our first stop was Madrid, Spain. The second we got out of the airport and we realized it was warm and sunny outside, we all got about 1000 times happier. Not that the sun never shines in London, but it is rather rare. Spain is probably one of my favorite places I've ever been to. Everybody is so happy and it's very family-oriented. We stayed in a smaller city outside of Spain called Alcala, which I liked even more than Madrid. It definitely helped that Laura Beth was on our trip and knew the city quite well since she has spent her past 3 summers working there. On Saturday night we walked around the town square and we were surrounded by families that were visibly so happy to be together.
    On Sunday we went back to Madrid and spent a majority of our day laying down in the parks, soaking in the sun. At one point in the day I saw a huge dog that I just needed to pet, so a group of 4 of us went up to the dog's owner and asked in somewhat broken Spanish if we could pet his dog. We ended up having about a 15 minute long conversation with Miguel. We could tell it meant a lot to him that we were at least trying to communicate and it meant a lot to us that he was willing to listen and help us out with our Spanish. Overall, Spain was the most accepted I've felt while traveling during this entire trip. It was obviously easy to tell we were tourists once we began speaking but nobody put us down or treated us badly because of it.
       One of the best parts of the trip by far was meeting Laura Beth's host grandpa. We went to his restaurant for lunch on the last day we were there and on the way out LB asked if we wanted to meet him. We all (mostly Taylor King and I) started freaking out because we were so excited. He was so sweet and tried to use some of the english he knew.

       After we left Alcala we had an interesting time getting to the airport. We accidentally got on the wrong train and basically thought we weren't going to make it to our next stop on the trip, Marrakech, Morocco. After running through the airport we ended up making it to our gate with plenty of time to spare. Getting to Marrakech at midnight was probably not our smartest decision. While our taxi was taking us to our hostel I was overcome with fear when I looked out the window. The streets were different than in any city I had ever been in and it was quite dark because, again,  Marrakech is not like a European city. I had never been in a third world country before and really didn't know what to expect. Although for me the trip started off on not such a great note, the rest of the trip was incredible.

      The first full day we were there, Eric, Laura Beth, and I went camel riding. I will honestly never forget that day. We went far outside of the city and it was beautiful. The camels were so much fun to ride and it was the experience of a lifetime. Halfway through, we got off the camels, had water, mint tea, and pancakes that were made for us. I ended up spilling syrup everywhere, including all over LB's knee. Once we got back on the camels, the camel behind Laura Beth was tried to bite her knee because it smelled the syrup. Once we got back to the hostel, we met a girl named Liz who was from Estonia. She travelled to Marrakech alone, so we ended up going to lunch with her. She was extremely interesting and we had a lot of great conversations.

     The people in Morocco are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They are willing to help you when you get lost and they want to make sure your experience is as enjoyable as possible. We had a really great conversation with the manager of our hostel. She wanted to make it clear that the people of Morocco are good, peaceful people which most of the world has difficulty understanding. After being in Marrakech for only one day, we could already see that what she was saying was true.

     The last day we were there, we spent a majority of the day in square bargaining. Eric and I made a great team and we soon learned that if you hold the amount you want to pay in front of the vendor, they will take it.

    Overall, going to Marrakech was a really great experience. Although I was a little scared at first, I think it showed me that keeping an open mind when it comes to different cultures and countries is really important. I'm glad my initial fear didn't get in the way of my time there because it was truly amazing! 

The Chronicles of a Polish Girl in Poland - Abbey Rozanski

Well, here we are.  Classes are over, and we are about to start our internships tomorrow morning  (very excited but crying at the same time because I'm kind of an adult now).  After a month of what felt like a non-stop adventure around Europe, I'm back to London with a pretty awful cold but more importantly a lot memories I won't ever forget.  

Before this semester started, people began talking about and planning what they wanted to do over our two breaks.  I knew I really wanted to somewhere in Poland (preferably Kraków), but I didn't think anyone would want to go there. I figured Poland wouldn't strike many people as a pleasant tourist destination, so coming into this semester I was mentally prepared to throw away my pride and flat out beg people to come with me.  Both sides of my family are from Poland, and ever since I can remember I have always wanted to go there.  To my surprise, there were quite a lot of people that wanted to go to Kraków and my dream of visiting Poland was finally fulfilled.  

The buildings weren't as pretty as Prague and the weather was certainly not as pleasant as Madrid, but there was something about being in the same country that my great grandparents grew up in that made Kraków such a special place.  Poland, especially Kraków and the cities surrounding it, has so much history and I think there is a lot of beauty in that.  I might be a little biased but I also think the food in Kraków was the best out of all the cities I've traveled to this semester.  I mean I didn't get my excellent pasta cooking skills from nowhere (lol). 

Anyway, here are a few pictures of some of my favorite things from visiting Poland. Do widzenia!

The Kraków Barbican in front of the entrance to the Main Square

Alter at St. Mary's Basilica

Sculptures carved into salt at the Wieliczka Salt Mines

Top of the bell tower at Wawel Cathedral

Two months in an all too brief review

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

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.

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!

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

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.)

St. Audoen's Church, Dublin

 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.

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.

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.

City of Lisbon from our walking tour

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.

Palácio Nacional da Pena

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.

Sunset in Lisbon

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.

Plaza de España, Sevilla

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.

Hippie Swing

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.

La Sagrada Familia

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.

 

Me and Toto

Camel Convoy

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.

The Camel Crew

Until next time,

Tucker McLain