Sunday, 24 May 2009
It's All Over
Today is my last full day in Glasgow, a place I have come to consider a home away from home over the past five months. It's strange to see an experience like studying abroad come to a close so quickly, especially after spending months in anticipation of the unknown. I swear I can recount every single event of January 7th, leaving Boston for a city I knew hardly anything about. Over the past five months I have really gotten to know Glasgow; it's culture, people, and what drives this off-beat Scottish 'metropolis' (making all of my initial anxieties seem like such a waste of worry). I have made great friends from all over the world in here in Glasgow, friends who I hope to stay in touch with and see in the future. That's one of the great things about studying abroad, the people you meet. Where before I left Boston I had friends all over the northeast, I now have good friends spread all across the globe who have given me insight into the lives and cultures of so many different places. That is one of the things I will never forget about this experience. Leaving Glasgow, I have some regrets for not spending more time here, wandering neighborhoods that I still know little about, but had I chosen that route I wouldn't have been able to visit all of the amazing places I did while in Europe. I think I was able to strike the perfect balance between travel and life in Glasgow, doing enough of each so that I can look forward to returning in the future. It's been an amazing five months, but Boston is calling, and I'm happy to say that I'm ready to make my return.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Roadtrip to the Isle of Skye
About a week ago, the seven other BC students studying in Glasgow and I got the chance to take an all expenses paid trip to the Isle of Skye in the Scottish highlands, courtesy of the BC International Office.... obviously I was all over that.
Our program coordinator, Kirstin Heggie, was our 'chaperone' for the weekend trip to Skye, driving us around, showing us the sights and taking us out to some authentic Scottish meals. We had a really great time with her and I'd like to think the feeling was mutual! The trip started out with a 5 hour shot straight up the western coast of Scotland to the Isle of Skye. Aside from a day of driving around the Ring of Kerry in Ireland last summer, I honestly have never seen such stunning landscape before. For about the first hour or two we wind up the two lane highway that serves as the main route to the Scottish Highlands, passing mumerous lochs and mountains dotted with sheep. Every now and then, as it tends to do in Scotland, it would downpour, shortly followed by a burst of sun and then more rain. About 3 hours into the drive we made a stop in an area called Glencoe so we could get a good veiw of the "Three Sisters", three mountains lined up next to eachother that overlook the valley below. From here we continued on our way up to the town of Portree in Skye. By the time we got there it was 10 at night, but it was still light out! I guess I hadn't thought about how far north we were (same latitude as New Foundland or St. Petersburg, Russia).
On Saturday we got up early to beautiful, sunny weather and were off for our full-day tour of the Isle. We started up the coast to the "Old Man of Storr" which is a giant rock pillar that sticks up out of the otherwise hilly terrain. From here we continued up the coast making stops along the cliffs, and finally to Kilt Rock (a giant cliff that looks just like the pleats in a kilt). From here we started to wind around the northen tip of the isle, making stops at the Museum of Island Life and the Talisker Whiskey Distillery. By the time we were back to our hostel at the end of the day we were all pretty tired, but Kirstin had made a reservation at a restaurant in town which we gladly accepted (I ordered a steak... when else can I afford a meal like that!).
Sunday we made our way off Skye, slowly working back to Glasgow. We first stopped at Eilean Donan Castle which is supposedly the most photographed castle in Scotland... I could defnitely tell why. Eilean Donan is located on its own outcrop of rocks in the center of Loch Duich, with views up and down the massive body of water. The castle itself is connected to the land by a long, narrow stone bridge and is honestly something you would expect to see in a movie. From Eilean Donan we continued south making sure to stop for a boat tour of Loch Ness. Unfortunately we did not spot Nessy, but I'm still convinced she's out there somewhere. From Loch Ness it was a straight shoot home (which unfortunately none of us remember because we were all asleep). I think without that trip I wouldn't have gotten a real sense of Scotland while over here, and it's made me realize just how much more there is to see in this small country. I'm definitely going to have to make a return trip in the near future....
Aside from travels, life in Glasgow has been pretty good these past couple weeks. I've had a bunch of visitors which has been a good way to see more of the city that I haven't seen yet. I think in the past 3 weeks I've visited the necropolis and cathedral four seperate times, and I can't even count how many times I've given a tour of the campus. The one downside, and yes I know it IS Scotland that I'm in, is that it before yesterday it had rained for 10 days straight. Luckily we're having a nice string of sunny days, and for the past two I've been out in Kelvingrove Park, taking in the sun and studying for my final exams. In fact, I just finished up my last one this morning which I feel very confident about, and have one left in my bagpiping class next Thursday. I would like to say I'll be studying all week for it, but Friday I leave for a weekend in Paris... I have a feeling that might get in the way.
That's all for now... hard to believe it but my study abroad adventure ends 11 days from now! Can't wait to see you all when I'm back in the states!
Our program coordinator, Kirstin Heggie, was our 'chaperone' for the weekend trip to Skye, driving us around, showing us the sights and taking us out to some authentic Scottish meals. We had a really great time with her and I'd like to think the feeling was mutual! The trip started out with a 5 hour shot straight up the western coast of Scotland to the Isle of Skye. Aside from a day of driving around the Ring of Kerry in Ireland last summer, I honestly have never seen such stunning landscape before. For about the first hour or two we wind up the two lane highway that serves as the main route to the Scottish Highlands, passing mumerous lochs and mountains dotted with sheep. Every now and then, as it tends to do in Scotland, it would downpour, shortly followed by a burst of sun and then more rain. About 3 hours into the drive we made a stop in an area called Glencoe so we could get a good veiw of the "Three Sisters", three mountains lined up next to eachother that overlook the valley below. From here we continued on our way up to the town of Portree in Skye. By the time we got there it was 10 at night, but it was still light out! I guess I hadn't thought about how far north we were (same latitude as New Foundland or St. Petersburg, Russia).
On Saturday we got up early to beautiful, sunny weather and were off for our full-day tour of the Isle. We started up the coast to the "Old Man of Storr" which is a giant rock pillar that sticks up out of the otherwise hilly terrain. From here we continued up the coast making stops along the cliffs, and finally to Kilt Rock (a giant cliff that looks just like the pleats in a kilt). From here we started to wind around the northen tip of the isle, making stops at the Museum of Island Life and the Talisker Whiskey Distillery. By the time we were back to our hostel at the end of the day we were all pretty tired, but Kirstin had made a reservation at a restaurant in town which we gladly accepted (I ordered a steak... when else can I afford a meal like that!).
Sunday we made our way off Skye, slowly working back to Glasgow. We first stopped at Eilean Donan Castle which is supposedly the most photographed castle in Scotland... I could defnitely tell why. Eilean Donan is located on its own outcrop of rocks in the center of Loch Duich, with views up and down the massive body of water. The castle itself is connected to the land by a long, narrow stone bridge and is honestly something you would expect to see in a movie. From Eilean Donan we continued south making sure to stop for a boat tour of Loch Ness. Unfortunately we did not spot Nessy, but I'm still convinced she's out there somewhere. From Loch Ness it was a straight shoot home (which unfortunately none of us remember because we were all asleep). I think without that trip I wouldn't have gotten a real sense of Scotland while over here, and it's made me realize just how much more there is to see in this small country. I'm definitely going to have to make a return trip in the near future....
Aside from travels, life in Glasgow has been pretty good these past couple weeks. I've had a bunch of visitors which has been a good way to see more of the city that I haven't seen yet. I think in the past 3 weeks I've visited the necropolis and cathedral four seperate times, and I can't even count how many times I've given a tour of the campus. The one downside, and yes I know it IS Scotland that I'm in, is that it before yesterday it had rained for 10 days straight. Luckily we're having a nice string of sunny days, and for the past two I've been out in Kelvingrove Park, taking in the sun and studying for my final exams. In fact, I just finished up my last one this morning which I feel very confident about, and have one left in my bagpiping class next Thursday. I would like to say I'll be studying all week for it, but Friday I leave for a weekend in Paris... I have a feeling that might get in the way.
That's all for now... hard to believe it but my study abroad adventure ends 11 days from now! Can't wait to see you all when I'm back in the states!
Sunday, 26 April 2009
The past month in one post....
As of today, it's been exactly one month since I last posted on this blog... To think that it's been a month is insane, but makes sense because of what I have been up to and how busy I have kept myself.
On March 28th I flew out of Glasgow, knowing I would not be returning for 22 days and with all of Europe in front of me. That day I arrived in Budapest and met up with Casey, Brett and Claire, all friends from high school in Medfield. Brett and Casey are studying in Budapest, and served as our guides through the capital of Hungary for the weekend. Most of our time was spent wandering the streets of "Pest", the side of the city that both Casey and Brett live on. However, our first afternoon was spent on the "Buda" side of the river exploring Castle Hill and the Baths which offered great views of Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica.
While we were in Budapest, we took full advantage of the exchange rate, going out for authentic Hungarian meals, enjoying Budapest's colorful nightlife and buying some souveniers to remind us of our time there. All in all I think I spent a grand total of $40 while there... unbelievable! While short, I really enjoyed my time in Budapest for it was something completely different than what I have been experiencing in Scotland. Although I can see myself getting frustrated if studying in a place so different from Boston, or even Glasgow, it was refreshing to be totally out of my element for those 4 days. That said, I have to hand it to Casey and Brett for being there for months, well done.
From Budapest Claire and I traveled by train to our next destination, Vienna, Austria. Here we were meeting our friend Emily, also from Medfield but also goes to BC. From the moment we exited the train station I was stunned by how regal Vienna seemed. I felt like around every corner there was another palace or royal theater, giving the city an air which I have not yet experienced in my travels. After dropping our stuff at Emily's apartment, our first order of business was to get a pint of Austrian beer and a huge order of weiner schnitzel. I think my favorite thing about our three days in Vienna (aside from the architecture of the city center) was the food. While it may have broken the bank, Vienna offered food like no other city I have been to in Europe. Between the schnitzel, the pastry shops and the stands at the Naschmarkt, we ate like kings while there. On our last day in the city we decided we would take advantage of the weather and spend the afternoon in the gardens of the Schonnbrun Palace which were modelled after those at Versaille. While the gardens were beautiful, out in front of the palace they were holding an Easter market which offered some of the best waffles, crepes and potatoe salad that I can remember.
Feeling a bit heavier than when we arrived in Central Europe, Claire and I set off for Bratislava, Slovakia to catch our respective flights, mine to Rome and Claire's back to London. While we spent no time in the city of Bratislava, our drive through called to mind images I had seen in a class I took on the Soviet Union last semester at BC. As the motorway cut through the city to the airport, we were surrounded by a canyon of massive, cement Soviet-era apartment blocs. After just spending three days in palacial Vienna, it was interesting to see such a stark difference in a major city a little over an hour away.
By that afternoon, I had left Central Europe and arrived on the boot in Rome, Italy. Here I was to meet my friend from BC, Kerrianne, and later in the week some friends from Glasgow who would be making a stop in Rome to check out some of the festivities being held for Holy Week. Kerrianne was to arrive the next day, giving me and afternoon to wander the city on my own. Starting at the Spanish Steps, I wandered for a good 5 hours, weaving in and out of the streets that make up the Old City in central Rome. In that one afternoon I was able to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Panteon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Over the course of the four days following my first afternoon in Rome we made stops at all of these sights, but the fact that I was able to see all these places that have only existed on the pages of books in one "walk" is something I won't soon get over.
The next day Kerrianne arrived and right off the bat we took advantage of every minute in Rome. First we took a tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum (my favorite place in Rome), and then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Trastevere, a neighborhood of Rome across the river from the Forum famous for it's pizza. The next day was spent in Vatican City, touring St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. As impressive as the Basilica was, my favorite place inside the Vatican was the Hall of Maps in the Vatican Museum. As the name says, it is massive, arched hallway covered in maps and paintings. The sheer amount of artwork in the museum is still something I wonder at, almost a month after leaving. For our last day in Rome, we decided to pick off the "other" sights which we had not been to yet, including the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Aside from the sights, what I think I enjoyed most about Rome was the gelato. Before going to Rome, I feel like it's all I ever heard about, and was skeptical that it could compare to a cone from Big Daddy's in Maine... but gelato definitely held it's own. All in all I definitely plan on making a return trip to Rome at some point down the road (hopefully next time it won't involve an earthquake in the middle of the night that kept Deed's on the edge of her seat until I could find a computer with internet!)
From Rome I traveled north to Florence where my friends Alyssa and Hope are studying for the semester, both from Medfield. Arriving in the early afternoon, I had a good chunk of time to explore the city while my two friends were still in class. While Florence was beautiful, I was shocked at how small of a city it is. Within those 4 hours of wandering I was able to get a grasp on the entire city center, seeing the Duomo, Ufizi Gallery, Ponte Vechio and San Larenzo Cathedral. That afternoon I met up with Alyssa and got to see her apartment (which you could see the top of the Duomo from) and then later met up with Hope and headed to her apartment where I would be staying for the week. Florence is great because no matter where you are in the city, everything is within walking distance which I took full advantage of. Hope and I decided that night to hike up to the Piazza Michelangelo which overlooked all of Florence, and it was a great way to get a grasp of where I would be for the next four days.
My first full day in the city I spent at the Galleria Academia, which houses the collosal "David" statue. Before coming to Florence I had heard all about the statue and was excited to see it, but didn't understand how one statue could get so much hype... but then I actually saw it. The statue was enormous, must have been at least 20 feet high, and was of David just after he had defeated Goliath. I know I am not an art critic, but it truly was an amazing sculpture, and I would highly reccomend a visit to the gallery for anyone visiting Florence. I also got a chance that day to climb to the top of the Duomo which offeres an unparalleled 360 degree view of Florence and it's surroundings. It was a bit hazy when I was at the top, but it was still great to see the whole city from this vantage point.
Because I had so many days to spend in a relatively small city, I decided that on my last full day in Florence I would take a day trip out of the city to experience some more of Italy that I might not have been able to otherwise. After asking for reccomendations on where to go, I decided that my best bet was Cinque Terre National Park in the Liguria region of Northern Italy. This was probably the best decision I could have made. Cinque Terre is a string of five small Italian fishing villages tucked into the cliffs of northwestern Italy. Connecting the five villages is a hiking path that takes about 8 hours to hike. I started my climb around 10 in the morning, making stops in all five of the villages and arrived in the last, Monterosso, by 3 in the afternoon. Unfortunately the path between the third and fourth villages (Corniglia and Vernazza) was closed due to rockslides, and I had to take a train instead. The scenery was unbelievable both in and between the villages. While hiking, the path would sometimes shrink to just two or three feet wide, allowing enough room for only one person to walk. A hundred of so feet below was the Mediterranean and above were the mountains that hid these villages from the rest of Italy. Although my trip to Cinque Terre was made solo, it was the perfect way for me to have a quite day to myself, and soak in all the traveling I had just done.
From Italy I met up with some friends from Glasgow, and we headed by boat to Croatia for Easter Weekend. We arrived on Saturday the 11th early in the morning, and reached the small resort town of Makarska by 9am with a full day of beach ahead of us. Reading this you're probably wondering why in the world I would travel to Croatia, but in all honesty it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever traveled to. All down the coast are massive mountains which fall right into the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea. Just off the coast are hundreds of small islands (the Dalmation Islands - where the dog gets it's name from) that run the length of the country. With the islands on the horizon and the mountains at your back, the sea really just seems like a giant salty lake, void of any waves and lined by pine trees and rocky beaches. Most of my time spent in Croatia was on the beach, however the second day we were there we decided to hike down the coast to where a local had told us there was a "secret beach". After about an hour of hiking along the cliffs on the southside of Makarska, we had almost given up on the idea of this secret beach, but we finally came over a ridge looking down on a beach surrounded by tall white cliffs, with clear shallow water and bleach-white pebbles. We spent the whole day here and was really one of the only relaxing days I had on my 22 day journey.
After leaving Croatia I headed back to Italy by boat, then took a train north to Milan to meet up with my friends Dan and Pier from BC for dinner before I flew to my last destination in Spain. Sitting down to dinner with Dan and Pier, I couldn't help but think it was funny that this was the 3rd time I had seen them in Europe on seperate occasions, and here we were in Milan just grabbing a quick bite to eat. If things go according to plan, I might actually be seeing them one more time before I leave Europe in a few weeks when I go to visit our roommate Sean in Paris.
From Milan, I flew to Barcelona and met up with my friends Ben and Sal from Glasgow. This was the final leg of my trip, and to be honest I was looking forward to getting back to Glasgow. However, I didn't let this take away from our weekend in Barcelona at all, and this huge Spanish city quickly became one of my favorite cities in Europe. I think what I liked so much about Barcelona is that while there was structure and order, there was also a sense of spontinaity that had been absent in my previous destinations. To be honest, we were a bit intimidated by the size of the city, so on our second day there we decided to rent mopeds in order to see everything. Had we not done that, I'm confident that we would have only seen a fraction of the places which that we did on our scooters. We were able to venture to the edge of the city to see Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona, then across the city to Barceloneta and the beaches by the commerical district, and then back across the city again to the Olympic Park and Montjuic which offered amazing views of the entire city. By committing to our mopeds, we didn't spend much time on foot that day, so on our last day in the city we made sure to make stops at La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, two of Antoni Gaudi's most famous works (Familia is his famous cathedral which is still in the process of being completed, and Park Guell is the futuristic park which was once slated for Barcelona's elite upper class, but has since been opened to the public).
If you have made it this far into this post, I commend you. Three weeks of travel is a very difficult thing to summarize, and obviously there are countless stories and details that I had to leave out. However, these will all be filled in when I see you in person, which when I think about it is right around the corner. The next month will be filled with exams and final trips around Scotland, but I'm going to make an effort to really sit back and take it all in because as I can now see, a month will go by just like that!
On March 28th I flew out of Glasgow, knowing I would not be returning for 22 days and with all of Europe in front of me. That day I arrived in Budapest and met up with Casey, Brett and Claire, all friends from high school in Medfield. Brett and Casey are studying in Budapest, and served as our guides through the capital of Hungary for the weekend. Most of our time was spent wandering the streets of "Pest", the side of the city that both Casey and Brett live on. However, our first afternoon was spent on the "Buda" side of the river exploring Castle Hill and the Baths which offered great views of Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica.
While we were in Budapest, we took full advantage of the exchange rate, going out for authentic Hungarian meals, enjoying Budapest's colorful nightlife and buying some souveniers to remind us of our time there. All in all I think I spent a grand total of $40 while there... unbelievable! While short, I really enjoyed my time in Budapest for it was something completely different than what I have been experiencing in Scotland. Although I can see myself getting frustrated if studying in a place so different from Boston, or even Glasgow, it was refreshing to be totally out of my element for those 4 days. That said, I have to hand it to Casey and Brett for being there for months, well done.
From Budapest Claire and I traveled by train to our next destination, Vienna, Austria. Here we were meeting our friend Emily, also from Medfield but also goes to BC. From the moment we exited the train station I was stunned by how regal Vienna seemed. I felt like around every corner there was another palace or royal theater, giving the city an air which I have not yet experienced in my travels. After dropping our stuff at Emily's apartment, our first order of business was to get a pint of Austrian beer and a huge order of weiner schnitzel. I think my favorite thing about our three days in Vienna (aside from the architecture of the city center) was the food. While it may have broken the bank, Vienna offered food like no other city I have been to in Europe. Between the schnitzel, the pastry shops and the stands at the Naschmarkt, we ate like kings while there. On our last day in the city we decided we would take advantage of the weather and spend the afternoon in the gardens of the Schonnbrun Palace which were modelled after those at Versaille. While the gardens were beautiful, out in front of the palace they were holding an Easter market which offered some of the best waffles, crepes and potatoe salad that I can remember.
Feeling a bit heavier than when we arrived in Central Europe, Claire and I set off for Bratislava, Slovakia to catch our respective flights, mine to Rome and Claire's back to London. While we spent no time in the city of Bratislava, our drive through called to mind images I had seen in a class I took on the Soviet Union last semester at BC. As the motorway cut through the city to the airport, we were surrounded by a canyon of massive, cement Soviet-era apartment blocs. After just spending three days in palacial Vienna, it was interesting to see such a stark difference in a major city a little over an hour away.
By that afternoon, I had left Central Europe and arrived on the boot in Rome, Italy. Here I was to meet my friend from BC, Kerrianne, and later in the week some friends from Glasgow who would be making a stop in Rome to check out some of the festivities being held for Holy Week. Kerrianne was to arrive the next day, giving me and afternoon to wander the city on my own. Starting at the Spanish Steps, I wandered for a good 5 hours, weaving in and out of the streets that make up the Old City in central Rome. In that one afternoon I was able to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Panteon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Over the course of the four days following my first afternoon in Rome we made stops at all of these sights, but the fact that I was able to see all these places that have only existed on the pages of books in one "walk" is something I won't soon get over.
The next day Kerrianne arrived and right off the bat we took advantage of every minute in Rome. First we took a tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum (my favorite place in Rome), and then spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Trastevere, a neighborhood of Rome across the river from the Forum famous for it's pizza. The next day was spent in Vatican City, touring St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. As impressive as the Basilica was, my favorite place inside the Vatican was the Hall of Maps in the Vatican Museum. As the name says, it is massive, arched hallway covered in maps and paintings. The sheer amount of artwork in the museum is still something I wonder at, almost a month after leaving. For our last day in Rome, we decided to pick off the "other" sights which we had not been to yet, including the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Aside from the sights, what I think I enjoyed most about Rome was the gelato. Before going to Rome, I feel like it's all I ever heard about, and was skeptical that it could compare to a cone from Big Daddy's in Maine... but gelato definitely held it's own. All in all I definitely plan on making a return trip to Rome at some point down the road (hopefully next time it won't involve an earthquake in the middle of the night that kept Deed's on the edge of her seat until I could find a computer with internet!)
From Rome I traveled north to Florence where my friends Alyssa and Hope are studying for the semester, both from Medfield. Arriving in the early afternoon, I had a good chunk of time to explore the city while my two friends were still in class. While Florence was beautiful, I was shocked at how small of a city it is. Within those 4 hours of wandering I was able to get a grasp on the entire city center, seeing the Duomo, Ufizi Gallery, Ponte Vechio and San Larenzo Cathedral. That afternoon I met up with Alyssa and got to see her apartment (which you could see the top of the Duomo from) and then later met up with Hope and headed to her apartment where I would be staying for the week. Florence is great because no matter where you are in the city, everything is within walking distance which I took full advantage of. Hope and I decided that night to hike up to the Piazza Michelangelo which overlooked all of Florence, and it was a great way to get a grasp of where I would be for the next four days.
My first full day in the city I spent at the Galleria Academia, which houses the collosal "David" statue. Before coming to Florence I had heard all about the statue and was excited to see it, but didn't understand how one statue could get so much hype... but then I actually saw it. The statue was enormous, must have been at least 20 feet high, and was of David just after he had defeated Goliath. I know I am not an art critic, but it truly was an amazing sculpture, and I would highly reccomend a visit to the gallery for anyone visiting Florence. I also got a chance that day to climb to the top of the Duomo which offeres an unparalleled 360 degree view of Florence and it's surroundings. It was a bit hazy when I was at the top, but it was still great to see the whole city from this vantage point.
Because I had so many days to spend in a relatively small city, I decided that on my last full day in Florence I would take a day trip out of the city to experience some more of Italy that I might not have been able to otherwise. After asking for reccomendations on where to go, I decided that my best bet was Cinque Terre National Park in the Liguria region of Northern Italy. This was probably the best decision I could have made. Cinque Terre is a string of five small Italian fishing villages tucked into the cliffs of northwestern Italy. Connecting the five villages is a hiking path that takes about 8 hours to hike. I started my climb around 10 in the morning, making stops in all five of the villages and arrived in the last, Monterosso, by 3 in the afternoon. Unfortunately the path between the third and fourth villages (Corniglia and Vernazza) was closed due to rockslides, and I had to take a train instead. The scenery was unbelievable both in and between the villages. While hiking, the path would sometimes shrink to just two or three feet wide, allowing enough room for only one person to walk. A hundred of so feet below was the Mediterranean and above were the mountains that hid these villages from the rest of Italy. Although my trip to Cinque Terre was made solo, it was the perfect way for me to have a quite day to myself, and soak in all the traveling I had just done.
From Italy I met up with some friends from Glasgow, and we headed by boat to Croatia for Easter Weekend. We arrived on Saturday the 11th early in the morning, and reached the small resort town of Makarska by 9am with a full day of beach ahead of us. Reading this you're probably wondering why in the world I would travel to Croatia, but in all honesty it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever traveled to. All down the coast are massive mountains which fall right into the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea. Just off the coast are hundreds of small islands (the Dalmation Islands - where the dog gets it's name from) that run the length of the country. With the islands on the horizon and the mountains at your back, the sea really just seems like a giant salty lake, void of any waves and lined by pine trees and rocky beaches. Most of my time spent in Croatia was on the beach, however the second day we were there we decided to hike down the coast to where a local had told us there was a "secret beach". After about an hour of hiking along the cliffs on the southside of Makarska, we had almost given up on the idea of this secret beach, but we finally came over a ridge looking down on a beach surrounded by tall white cliffs, with clear shallow water and bleach-white pebbles. We spent the whole day here and was really one of the only relaxing days I had on my 22 day journey.
After leaving Croatia I headed back to Italy by boat, then took a train north to Milan to meet up with my friends Dan and Pier from BC for dinner before I flew to my last destination in Spain. Sitting down to dinner with Dan and Pier, I couldn't help but think it was funny that this was the 3rd time I had seen them in Europe on seperate occasions, and here we were in Milan just grabbing a quick bite to eat. If things go according to plan, I might actually be seeing them one more time before I leave Europe in a few weeks when I go to visit our roommate Sean in Paris.
From Milan, I flew to Barcelona and met up with my friends Ben and Sal from Glasgow. This was the final leg of my trip, and to be honest I was looking forward to getting back to Glasgow. However, I didn't let this take away from our weekend in Barcelona at all, and this huge Spanish city quickly became one of my favorite cities in Europe. I think what I liked so much about Barcelona is that while there was structure and order, there was also a sense of spontinaity that had been absent in my previous destinations. To be honest, we were a bit intimidated by the size of the city, so on our second day there we decided to rent mopeds in order to see everything. Had we not done that, I'm confident that we would have only seen a fraction of the places which that we did on our scooters. We were able to venture to the edge of the city to see Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona, then across the city to Barceloneta and the beaches by the commerical district, and then back across the city again to the Olympic Park and Montjuic which offered amazing views of the entire city. By committing to our mopeds, we didn't spend much time on foot that day, so on our last day in the city we made sure to make stops at La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, two of Antoni Gaudi's most famous works (Familia is his famous cathedral which is still in the process of being completed, and Park Guell is the futuristic park which was once slated for Barcelona's elite upper class, but has since been opened to the public).
If you have made it this far into this post, I commend you. Three weeks of travel is a very difficult thing to summarize, and obviously there are countless stories and details that I had to leave out. However, these will all be filled in when I see you in person, which when I think about it is right around the corner. The next month will be filled with exams and final trips around Scotland, but I'm going to make an effort to really sit back and take it all in because as I can now see, a month will go by just like that!
Thursday, 26 March 2009
A short recap of Stockholm and what's to come...
Hello all. Again, sorry about the really late posting, it's been a busy couple of weeks.
So that last I checked in I had just gotten back from a great weekend in Italy/Switzerland. That following week was business as usual here in Glasgow, had some homework, went on a couple runs, nothing out of the ordinary. The following weekend was also pretty mundane, I had my second politics paper due Monday the 9th about American foreign policy which took up most of my time, but I got it in and am confident I did well. That week was the kick off of March birthdays in Glasgow, with birthdays on the 9th and 11th, and then my big 21st on the the 15th. We had a fun week celebrating, and on Thursday afternoon it was off to Stockholm to celebrate mine!
We arrived late Thursday night to Stockholm and didn't really see much in the dark. We quickly found our hostel and went to bed so we could be up early Friday morning to explore the city. Our hostel was fairly large, located right in the center of the city, surrounded by restaurants, stores and bars, ideal for travelers like us.
We spent most of Friday wandering around "Galma Stan" (the Old Town) which is a perfectly preserved Viking neighborhood. What's cool about Stockholm is that it's situated in the middle of an archipelago, with the city center spread out between about 5 or 6 islands. On Friday we got a chance to see much of the old town, the Royal Palace, the Parliament, the National Museum and the Nobel Museum (every year Stockholm is the host of the Nobel Prize presentations). Later in the afternoon our group split up, with some of us wondering to another island which housed the Museum of Architecture and Modern Art. Here are some pictures I took on Friday:
On Saturday we got another early start to the day and headed across the archipelago to "Sodermalm" which I think means "South of Town", although I'm not sure since I don't speak Swedish. Sodermalm is a really cool section of town with cobblestone streets weaving up and down steep hills, and great views of the city from high up on cliffs at the water's edge. We spent a majority of the day exploring this section of the city, and headed back later in the evening to get ready for a nice Swedish birthday-dinner for yours truly. Here are some pictures I took during our day in Sodermalm:
Since my birthday was on a Sunday, and we would be flying back to Glasgow that night, we decided to celebrate on Saturday going into Sunday. We had a nice dinner (I had a huge plate of salmon and mashed potatoes) followed by some Swedish dessert. Afterwards, we didn't really have a plan for where to go or what to do to ring in my 21st year. We had seen some flyers for the "Absolut Icebar Stockholm" which happened to be right around the corner from our hostel, so we decided to check that out. It was by far the coolest bar I have been to so far in Europe (no pun intended). First you're outfitted in massive blue ponchos with fur inside them to keep you warm, and gloves on either side to hold your drinks. Then you enter a chamber where the door closes, and cold air is blasted in, followed by the other set of doors opening so you can enter the Icebar. Literaly every single thing in the Icebar was made of ice (the bar, tables, stools, chandalier, glasses). We ordered drinks at the bar, and without me knowing my friend told the bartender that it was my 21st and we were from America, so at midnight he paused the music and the entire place sang happy birthday... As embarassing as it was I have to admit I enjoyed being sung to by a bunch of well to do Swedes. The singing was followed up with a "Happy Birthday To You" by Stevie Wonder, and then what proved to be too many drinks on the house. Here are some pictures I got of us at the Icebar:
Sunday we had to check out by 10, so we were up early and out to take in our last day in Sweden. Our main priority was to get to the "Djurgarden" to see the famous "Vasamuseet", of Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a warship built in the 1600's which sunk Stockholm's harbor upon completion. After 333 years sitting at the bottom of the bay, the ship was surfaced and restored. It was probably my favorite thing in Stockholm. After the museum we headed to the train station and were on our way back to Glasgow.....
Since returning from Stockholm two Monday's ago, I've had a lot of work which is something I haven't had to deal with yet abroad. My classes wrapped up for the semester last Thursday (SO EARLY!) and this week I had two final papers to hand in. One was addressing the main cultural effects of the Scottish Enlightenment for my class on Exploring Scottish Culture, which was challenging but actually quite interesting. The other was a critique essay on the process in the UK of drafting an Environmental Impact Assessment for developments. This was more up my alley, and I had a much easier time completing that. I was able to wrap both of those up by this afternoon, a day ahead of schedule, and since have been relaxing and preparing myself for the three weeks of travel ahead of me....
This Saturday at 6:45am I will be heading off to Budapest and Vienna until next Thursday, visiting my friends Casey and Brett in Budapest, and my friend Emily in Vienna. It will be really nice to finally see some faces from home, and I'm really looking forward to it! From Vienna I fly to Rome where I will be meeting my friend Kerrianne from BC. We are there from April 2-6, and on the 6th will be taking a train to Florence and visiting my friend Hope until the 9th. I would have to say that coming abroad, these two cities are on my top 5 list of places to go, so I can't wait to get there! As if I haven't been traveling enough up to this point, on the 9th I'm meeting some friends from Glasgow in the port town of Ancona where we will be catching a ferry to Croatia. We will be there for Easter weekend to hopefully a relaxing time (and no worries I already have figured out where a church is and when they will be holding Easter mass). On the 14th it's back to Italy by ferry, and then a train to Milan airport to catch a flight to my final destination... Barcelona! I am meeting my friends Ben and Sal in Barcelona, and we will be there until the 18th of April....
All in all I have a crazy 3 weeks ahead of me, but I can't wait to get them started and I will definitely be updating you all once I get back at the end of April!
As always, I hope everyone is doing well and that I hear from you all soon. Crazy to think but as of today I've been in Scotland for 80 days, and will be leaving in 60... time really does fly by.
So that last I checked in I had just gotten back from a great weekend in Italy/Switzerland. That following week was business as usual here in Glasgow, had some homework, went on a couple runs, nothing out of the ordinary. The following weekend was also pretty mundane, I had my second politics paper due Monday the 9th about American foreign policy which took up most of my time, but I got it in and am confident I did well. That week was the kick off of March birthdays in Glasgow, with birthdays on the 9th and 11th, and then my big 21st on the the 15th. We had a fun week celebrating, and on Thursday afternoon it was off to Stockholm to celebrate mine!
We arrived late Thursday night to Stockholm and didn't really see much in the dark. We quickly found our hostel and went to bed so we could be up early Friday morning to explore the city. Our hostel was fairly large, located right in the center of the city, surrounded by restaurants, stores and bars, ideal for travelers like us.
We spent most of Friday wandering around "Galma Stan" (the Old Town) which is a perfectly preserved Viking neighborhood. What's cool about Stockholm is that it's situated in the middle of an archipelago, with the city center spread out between about 5 or 6 islands. On Friday we got a chance to see much of the old town, the Royal Palace, the Parliament, the National Museum and the Nobel Museum (every year Stockholm is the host of the Nobel Prize presentations). Later in the afternoon our group split up, with some of us wondering to another island which housed the Museum of Architecture and Modern Art. Here are some pictures I took on Friday:
On Saturday we got another early start to the day and headed across the archipelago to "Sodermalm" which I think means "South of Town", although I'm not sure since I don't speak Swedish. Sodermalm is a really cool section of town with cobblestone streets weaving up and down steep hills, and great views of the city from high up on cliffs at the water's edge. We spent a majority of the day exploring this section of the city, and headed back later in the evening to get ready for a nice Swedish birthday-dinner for yours truly. Here are some pictures I took during our day in Sodermalm:
Since my birthday was on a Sunday, and we would be flying back to Glasgow that night, we decided to celebrate on Saturday going into Sunday. We had a nice dinner (I had a huge plate of salmon and mashed potatoes) followed by some Swedish dessert. Afterwards, we didn't really have a plan for where to go or what to do to ring in my 21st year. We had seen some flyers for the "Absolut Icebar Stockholm" which happened to be right around the corner from our hostel, so we decided to check that out. It was by far the coolest bar I have been to so far in Europe (no pun intended). First you're outfitted in massive blue ponchos with fur inside them to keep you warm, and gloves on either side to hold your drinks. Then you enter a chamber where the door closes, and cold air is blasted in, followed by the other set of doors opening so you can enter the Icebar. Literaly every single thing in the Icebar was made of ice (the bar, tables, stools, chandalier, glasses). We ordered drinks at the bar, and without me knowing my friend told the bartender that it was my 21st and we were from America, so at midnight he paused the music and the entire place sang happy birthday... As embarassing as it was I have to admit I enjoyed being sung to by a bunch of well to do Swedes. The singing was followed up with a "Happy Birthday To You" by Stevie Wonder, and then what proved to be too many drinks on the house. Here are some pictures I got of us at the Icebar:
Sunday we had to check out by 10, so we were up early and out to take in our last day in Sweden. Our main priority was to get to the "Djurgarden" to see the famous "Vasamuseet", of Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a warship built in the 1600's which sunk Stockholm's harbor upon completion. After 333 years sitting at the bottom of the bay, the ship was surfaced and restored. It was probably my favorite thing in Stockholm. After the museum we headed to the train station and were on our way back to Glasgow.....
Since returning from Stockholm two Monday's ago, I've had a lot of work which is something I haven't had to deal with yet abroad. My classes wrapped up for the semester last Thursday (SO EARLY!) and this week I had two final papers to hand in. One was addressing the main cultural effects of the Scottish Enlightenment for my class on Exploring Scottish Culture, which was challenging but actually quite interesting. The other was a critique essay on the process in the UK of drafting an Environmental Impact Assessment for developments. This was more up my alley, and I had a much easier time completing that. I was able to wrap both of those up by this afternoon, a day ahead of schedule, and since have been relaxing and preparing myself for the three weeks of travel ahead of me....
This Saturday at 6:45am I will be heading off to Budapest and Vienna until next Thursday, visiting my friends Casey and Brett in Budapest, and my friend Emily in Vienna. It will be really nice to finally see some faces from home, and I'm really looking forward to it! From Vienna I fly to Rome where I will be meeting my friend Kerrianne from BC. We are there from April 2-6, and on the 6th will be taking a train to Florence and visiting my friend Hope until the 9th. I would have to say that coming abroad, these two cities are on my top 5 list of places to go, so I can't wait to get there! As if I haven't been traveling enough up to this point, on the 9th I'm meeting some friends from Glasgow in the port town of Ancona where we will be catching a ferry to Croatia. We will be there for Easter weekend to hopefully a relaxing time (and no worries I already have figured out where a church is and when they will be holding Easter mass). On the 14th it's back to Italy by ferry, and then a train to Milan airport to catch a flight to my final destination... Barcelona! I am meeting my friends Ben and Sal in Barcelona, and we will be there until the 18th of April....
All in all I have a crazy 3 weeks ahead of me, but I can't wait to get them started and I will definitely be updating you all once I get back at the end of April!
As always, I hope everyone is doing well and that I hear from you all soon. Crazy to think but as of today I've been in Scotland for 80 days, and will be leaving in 60... time really does fly by.
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