Valpo Voyager

Student Stories from Around the World

Author: hannahbauer (page 2 of 2)

The World of Beatles and Potter

January 30, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The Great Hall Christ's Church

Four day weekends are a magical thing. This week we decided to use them to our advantage in a new way. Instead of traveling from the second classes ended Thursday to late Sunday night, we left Friday morning and got back Saturday night. Only staying one night in a foreign city instead of three really cut back on expenses and having some down time in our beautiful “home” city of Cambridge really cut down on the brain damage. We were still able to see a lot of Oxford and Liverpool, even though we only spent one day in each location.

The Staircase from Harry Potter

On Friday we caught a train early in the morning, even though Thursday’s late night had us begging for more sleep. Luckily, trains aren’t horrible locations to catch up on some lost shut eye. We got into Oxford right around noon and had lunch at a pub called The Grapes (turns out there is one in Liverpool and in Cambridge too!). Then we walk to Christ Church where they did some filming for Harry Potter. Being a big fan, it was kind of awesome to see the staircase where the first years line up and the dining hall that the Great Hall was based on. After looking at the rest of the campus and walking around the town a bit we decided we were happy to be “from” Cambridge and could start calling Oxford “The Other Place,” like the Cambridge locals do.

After deciding we wanted to wait until Liverpool for dinner, we got on the train. BAD idea. By the time we got into Liverpool and checked into our AWESOME hotel, it was almost ten o’clock and we were sooooo hungry. We finally decided on a little Italian joint because most of the pubs’ kitchens had already closed. The food at the Italian restaurant was really good, albeit a little expensive. We splurged a little, but aw well. Then we went back to our hotel for some much needed cuddling, snuggling, and sleep.

Our Beautiful King Bed

The next day I reluctantly tore myself from my center spot in the comfy king bed and got ready for the day. We went to The Beatles’ Story which is a museum dedicated to– you guessed it– The Beatles. After learning as much as possible about the four biggest rockstars, um, ever, we went to go find lunch. With the help of our own personal map reader, Lauren, we went into The Cavern where The Beatles supposedly played the majority of their show. Ok, it was only a replica built from the same bricks as the original Cavern, but it was still cool. Sadly, they didn’t serve food so we ended up eating a couple doors down at another Grapes! Now this was pretty cool, they had pictures posted of The Beatles sitting in the seats of that very pub! Plus the food was cheap and tasty, my kind meal.

At The Beatles' Story

After a little more walking and another museum, I was glad to be on another train heading for King’s Cross and before I knew it, I was out. Before too long we were back in our temporary home, which is starting to feel like a real home more and more every day. My seven comrades and I had figured out that Oxford shied in comparison to it and the Liverpool(ians?) were extraordinarily kind. Then Sunday I slept in til noon and made myself crepes. Man I love studying abroad.

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It’s People Not Places

January 25, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Edinburgh from bridge

Their thick Scottish accent only allowed me to understand about every other word that they were saying, but I didn’t much mind because they were just so nice. You could feel the exuberance flowing off of them, as if telling us about their beautiful place of worship helped them feel closer to it. Only about halfway through their introduction to the Cathedral did they even tell us that they were married, but it made sense. This couple was by far the kindest people I’d met since my flight over the pond almost three weeks ago.
We only ended up in Glasgow because when we told our history professor that we were going to Scotland he told us that we won’t have seen Scotland without seeing Glasgow. After he said that, we altered our plans (which were for Edinburgh all weekend) and fit in Glasgow on Sunday. When we told Professor Murphy our good news, he asked us why on earth we were going to Glasgow on a Sunday because everyone there will just be hung over or maybe in church. Awesome. Well, against Murphy’s “better” judgment we made plans to go to Edinburgh on Thursday after class and stay there until Sunday when we would go to Glasgow.

Right after class on Thursday we took a taxi to the train station and hopped on the first of our three trains to Edinburgh. The first two trains were pretty quick but the last one took an entire four hours. The time went relatively quickly and before we knew it we were getting off the train and searching for a taxi. We quickly found the queue for a taxi and found a large taxi that would accommodate us all, but the bigger problem came when we told the taxi driver where we wanted to go. “High Street Hostel, please.” To which the taxi driver responded, “Grapwoi knsdnf oiwndn owei ponf?” At least that’s what it sounded like to us. “High Street Hostel? 8 Blackfriar’s Street?” Repeating those words over and over we eventually ended up at our hostel.
It was perfect! Our hostel was right in the middle of everything and it was truly amazing. Right off the bat, we were amazed at the beauty of the city and the architecture of Edinburgh. After a cheap dinner at a wonderful pub, we walked the (VERY cold) streets before we went back to our hostel and settled down for the night.

Edinburgh Castle

The next morning we walked the very short distance from our hostel to the castle, stopping along the way for some delicious breakfast at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The stone castle towers over the city with volcanic cliffs plunging down from either side. The tickets to the castle may have been the most expensive thing we paid for all weekend, but it was so incredibly worth it. With cannons protruding from the walls from 360 degrees and buildings dating back to many various eras, the castle just oozed character. In addition, since the castle was built on the top of a dormant volcano, every way you looked off of its defensive walls you saw picturesque Edinburgh cascading down below.
After the castle, we went to Scotland’s National Gallery. Now maybe I’ve just never been to any real art museums, but this was amazing. There is something about seeing Van Gogh’s name by a canvas covered in his brush strokes that left me in awe. In addition to Van Gogh, I saw works by Rembrandt, Monet, Raphael, Botticelli, and by far my favorite were the works by Degas. I grew up seeing copies of his paintings of ballerinas in every studio I ever danced in, so seeing one in real life was really fantastic for me. Plus it was free!

Me, Cliffs, Edinburgh, Canadian

The next day we did something truly awesome which none of the guidebooks recommended. Close to town were two hills, one boasting multiple monuments and the city’s observatory. The other hill was much higher with sheer cliffs on one side. We walked them both and they both offered superb picture taking opportunities. The city was bathed in the glowing light of midday sun and it was just perfect. Not to mention we did all of this with our fun Canadian friend that we had met in the hostel. Hostel folk are just fantastic; you can meet interesting people from all stages in life who are trying to see the world, just like you.

That night we took a tour of the cavernous rooms lurking below the Scottish streets of Edinburgh. They were spooky for sure, but definitely had a dark and interesting path. With each new turn, a story was told showing some dark aspect of that room or corridor’s past. Not for people who are easily spooked, but definitely an interesting stop on our journey. However, no thanks to the complimentary whiskey that tasted like death itself.
After the short train ride the following morning we stepped out of the train station and into a Glasgow town square, abandoned by everyone but Santa. Yes, you read that correctly. Every direction there were clusters of people dressed like Santa. Within the walking of the first block we found there source with a big sign that said “Glasgow Santa Dash 2010”. Maybe it got delayed or maybe Glasgow doesn’t realize that Santa is usually reserved for December and that it is no longer 2010, who knows? Almost as entertaining as the “art” we found at the free Modern Art Museum we went to next…

Modern Art? Ok...

Then we walked to the Glasgow Cathedral which was just getting out of church. Before we could go into the main part of the church, the nicest couple ever met us and started telling us all about the cathedral, what was there, when it was built, how beautiful it was, everything. They were just so nice and happy to share with us. It really touched my heart, reminding me of the warmth of my own grandparents and my own church and even home. As abandoned and hung over as Glasgow, Scotland may have been that chilly Sunday morning in January, I found there a little piece of home. My dad always says, “It’s people not places,” I just know how amazing it is to experience a weekend where I get the best of both.

Goodnight, Scotland

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The Land of Fairytales

January 12, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Cambridge from Castle Hill

When I was little, I used to read a lot, like a lot, a lot. The majority was on my own, books I’d picked out from the small school library or books I convinced my parents to get me at the store. But what sticks with me most were the ones my mom and I read together every single night before bed. All the way through fifth grade I would curl up next to her in my parents’ big bed and she would read to me. I only read on my own because it was impossible for her to read to me as much as I wanted to hear, but if I could choose I always preferred her voice over that of the one in my own head.

My mother’s absolute favorite genre, so then of course mine as well, was historical fiction. We read about all sorts of people from princesses in Hawaii at the turn of the century to poor girls in England during the First World War. My favorite series were the American girl books and the Royal Diaries. The one book from the hundreds that I read that comes to mind during my travels thus far is the one about Queen Elizabeth I. Here I am, living in the country she ruled. I used to dream of being royalty, having no idea of the price that that would entail. Then, during the first week of my travels, I got the amazing opportunity to go to the Tower of London and walk around the streets that she lived in. All the names and the stories came rushing back to me, Queen Mary, King Henry the VII, Jane Grey, and there I was. I intensely studied the crowns they wore, the armor they fought in, and the stones upon which they died. It’s definitely hard to wrap your head around, but it is also one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my entire life.

Tower of London

I’ve had a lot of those coolest-in-my-entire-life moments since I have been here. I landed six days ago. The first drop jaw moment I had was when I was waiting in the New York airport for my flight and realized that everyone around me had this lovely British accent and they were all so interesting. A man two rows behind me had broken out his guitar, yea, his guitar, in an airport, and was just rocking out. The lady who needed by me said “Cheers” instead of “Thank-you,” and I was just elated. Then I got on the plane and found my seat. I didn’t get a wink of sleep the entire flight, maybe I was too excited or maybe it was the awkward German man who kept falling asleep in my lap, or maybe it was a combination of the two. Either way, when we approached London and I saw the pretty lights in the shallow darkness of morning twinkling back at me, I couldn’t wipe the ridiculous smile off of my excited face. I watched the cars driving the opposite way on the roads and even from thousands of feet above them, I found it hard to comprehend all the differences that I was so excited to experience.

The ADORABLE British Taxis

St. Stephen's Tower (holds Big Ben)

The next couple days flew by in a blur of jet-lagged bouts of tiredness, squeals of “that _______ (insert anything here) is so adorable and British!!”, and long walks around Cambridge. Before I knew it, I was on my way with my thirteen other comrades into the big city of London! The arrival into King’s Cross Station was exciting, but nothing compared to the moment we came around the corner and spotted the tower housing the most famous bell in history (Big Ben is the name of the bell, not the tower!). At that very moment, the clouds that had been hovering over us all day separated into lovely bunches allowing the sunlight to stream down and send lens flares into all of my shots. The blue sky made its appearance and it was like London, with Big Ben and Parliament, were just begging to be photographed, and I happily obliged.

The next day we went to the London tower, the castle of England’s monarchs, and there I was, walking the streets remembering all those stories my mom read to me. I felt like I was cheating her, going there without her, she would love to see this so much. So I tried to take in as much as I could, for her sake. I have so many memories of her wandering around in museums reading every single sign, moving at snail’s pace trying to comprehend every little bit. I did my best to walk in her footsteps that day and I hope one day I can take her there, to the place of our fairytales. I am so blessed to have the chance to come to a place that can make history come alive for me. And I’ve been here less than a week, I cannot wait to see what else Europe has in store for me!

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