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Cambridge Culture

Before our lovely excursion to Wales last weekend, the group had a whirlwind of a week. We were booked with a number of fascinating things to do that gave us a better perspective of what life used to like in Cambridge, and what English culture is like today.

The first thing that we did was visit the Imperial War Museum at Duxford Air Field. This air field is where pilots went to train during World War II. On display are many old airplanes from different wars, and even pieces from a Nazi plane that was taken down. There were also a lot of interactive activities where you could see how they make a hot air balloon fly, or understand what a plane looks like when it is flying into the wind.

My favorite part of the Imperial War Museum did not have to do so much with the planes, but the people involved with them. One section of the museum was dedicated to pictures and profiles of British veterans who served during World War II. Many of them were paratroopers who parachuted down into France during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. I always get emotional with anything that has to do with the military, but these struck me as even more special than before. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the beaches of Normandy. Many of these veterans were standing in places that I had visited. I felt the enormous weight of history on me, and I am very grateful to them for risking their lives so that I can travel here and look at their pictures and see their stories.

Our week continued when we went to Newmarket for the Rowley Mile Horse Races. A lot of us had never been to any kind of horse racing back in the US, and we weren’t quite sure if we would like it. By the end of the day, however, I think we all would have agreed that it was a lot of fun. Horse racing in the UK is different from the US in several ways. The biggest way is that they horses race along a flat, straight-lined track, not in a circle. In the US, you watch the Kentucky Derby, and it’s an all day event with only one race that’s a few minutes long. Our day was also quite long, but we got to see seven different races. We had fun picking horses and betting on which ones we thought would win.

It was a fun week full of lots of culture and events. This week marks our first week long break, and just about everyone is traveling to parts of Germany and France, with some going to Austria and the Czech Republic. Classes at Anglia Ruskin have also started, so for those of us not taking a class at the Study Center, it is nice to finally get going and have some other work to do. I’m looking forward to sitting around and reading books for fun :).

Until next time!

Aeroplane at the Imperial War Museum

Piece of a Nazi aeroplane from World War II

One of the horses being paraded at Rowley Mile

Group at the races
Photo credit: Breezy Scheffer

Wandering in the Woods of Wales

September 29, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

This past week was full of a whirlwind of activities, the most recent being our group’s weekend trip to Wales. Normally, groups travel to the Lake District in England for their hiking trip, but our director Matt decided to take us to Wales instead. And we were all very glad he did.

Our first stop was Caernarfon Castle in Wales. I have a fascination with royalty and princesses, so for me, seeing a castle was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours. Being able to see the passages and staircases and rooms in a castle gives me a better sense of what life would have been like for royalty back in the day. I can definitely see where a castle would have been drafty–there were a couple of times when the wind whipped right through the windows.

We also had the opportunity to go horseback riding on the beach. It was a gorgeous evening, and the sky was so blue, and it made it the perfect afternoon. My horse’s name was Tommy, and he was black with a little nub of a tail. He had a mind of his own, so by the end of the walk, we had moved up from sixth in line to second in line. This was only my second time on a horse, but I felt so secure and relaxed with Tommy that I was able to enjoy all the scenery around me without worrying about breaking away from the group or falling off.

The next day, we went on a “hike” (more like a nature walk) down a road from our hostel. The day was cloudy, and it rained a little, but it made for a very peaceful walk. The clouds were low in the sky, and covered the tops of the mountains in a sort of eerie fog that I thought was absolutely beautiful. We strolled through the rolling hills, next to the water and the estuaries, and then out to the sea. There were blackberries and gooseberries along the side of the road that we picked and ate along the way.

On Sunday, we drove to Liverpool and visited the childhood homes of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney. Our group stood in the front entryway of John Lennon’s house where the Beatles practiced, and sang a Beatles song. We can now all say that we sang where the Beatles sang :). Because Liverpool was the main dock where slaves were transported into the UK, we also visited the Maritime and Slavery Museum in Liverpool.

It was a wonderful weekend, and the perfect way to see a new country. If anyone else has the chance to go to Wales while they are in England, take that chance. As several people in our group said, now that we’ve been to Wales, we couldn’t imagine coming here and not visiting Wales. It is such a beautiful and unique place, and absolutely worth the time to go and see.

Caernarfon Castle

Tommy and me on the beach 🙂

View from our horse ride to the beach

Exploring Cambridge

September 17, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

I’ve been in Cambridge for a few weeks now, and I feel like I have settled into a routine. My days these past couple of weeks have been filled with a few classes, but mostly going out and getting to know the city that is my home for the next eight months.

I keep myself busy during the days by walking around the small little streets of Cambridge. I don’t have any classes on Wednesdays, so I usually take that day to explore. I go out by myself and take my time going down whatever road I want to just to see what’s there. I love wandering around and exploring and even getting a little lost. It’s been a great way to get to know the city. I love the smaller shops and local businesses. You never really know what kind of shop you’re going to walk into, and I think that’s awesome.

Yesterday, the entire group went punting. For those of who who don’t know what that is, a punt is a wooden boat with a flat area on one end. Someone stands on that and uses a long pole to push the boat through the water. Anyway, it was another unusually gorgeous day outside with clear skies and the sun shining, and I had a blast.

The group split up into two punts, and our two tour guides had us go side by side so they could both talk about the things we were seeing at the same time. We passed St. John’s College, Trinity College, King’s College, and Magdalene College on the River Cam. Both of our guides were very knowledgeable and had a lot of interesting stories to share about the colleges and things that happen in Cambridge. It was nice to sit and relax for an hour and be outside in the sunshine and see Cambridge without having to walk anywhere.

Today I climbed the the highest spot in Cambridge. Granted, I live in Colorado, so this “high spot” was a little baby hill. But nevertheless, it still offered the best views of Cambridge. I could see the entire city, and I realized that it was much bigger than I thought it was. Because I can walk to anywhere I need to go so easily and relatively quickly, I always assumed the Cambridge was smaller than it was. I could see all the way to the King’s College Chapel.

The hill that I climbed was actually built by the Romans in the early A.D.’s. It was a point where four different roads met to cross the river Cam into the city, and, being the highest point in Cambridge, it was easy to defend. Like I’ve said before, and will probably continue to keep saying, it is fascinating to be in a place where the history extends over a thousand years.

I have really enjoyed getting to know Cambridge so far, and I am excited to do some more exploring. Tomorrow is International Student Orientation at Anglia Ruskin University, and a few of us are attending that. I’m sure there will be many more stories to tell and things to talk about when classes at Anglia start in a week and a half!

The only collegiate chapel in the world that is larger than Valpo’s Chapel of the Resurrection: King’s College Chapel

Keeping Up With the Times

September 12, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

As a whole, I don’t think people keep up enough with current events. You may think that the current events of the country you’re studying don’t matter, but I would beg to differ. I think that they can play a huge role in how you view a country, and how the people of that country might view you as an American.

In England, the biggest current event right now is the Scottish referendum. In just a few days, the Scots will vote on whether or not they should separate from the United Kingdom and become their own independent country, much like Ireland already is. For awhile, the vote to stay with the UK was much more popular than to secede, but in the past week, Scottish nationalists have gained a slight lead in voting to secede, jumping nearly twenty points in polls from a month ago. If, on September 18, the Scots vote to separate from the UK, this would be one of the biggest voting turnarounds in history.

There are a lot of factors that have to be considered if or when Scotland becomes independent. Many politicians say that it will be hard for Scotland to regain membership in the European Union, up to five or six years. It would be a big change for English people, because Scotland has been a part of the UK for such a long time. It will be a big change for Scotland too, because they will have to figure out their government, their military, and simply how to survive without being a part of the UK. This could even end up setting off a chain reaction, and Wales could be the next country to claim their independence.

I’ll admit, England is probably an exception, as this is not the sort of current event that happens every day. And I am by no means an expert on this subject. But I still think it is important to listen to what is going on, and understand the implications this could have for the country. Whether you realize it or not, whatever happens in your country will affect you in some way. Maybe not in as drastic a way as the end of the United Kingdom, but it is still important to pay attention. I would encourage anyone who travels abroad to read the newspapers, watch the news stations, do whatever you have to do to stay informed about your country’s current events, because they just might have an affect on you.

The group at Parliament, which could see a lot of changes within the next few days when the vote goes up for the Scottish referendum

A Lovely Day in Londontown

September 8, 2014 / stephanieblack / 0 Comments

This past weekend, the entire Cambridge group packed up our backpacks (with a few suitcases) and travelled to London. I loved London the last time I was in the UK, so I was really excited to go back and see what I remembered, and enjoy what was new.

While there were many things that I enjoyed seeing in London, I would have to say that my favorite thing was Westminster Palace and Parliament. When I walked into Westminster Hall, I was overwhelmed by the amount of history that was in that one room. I could imagine King Henry VIII holding a masque and everyone dancing in that room. I could imagine Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators in the Gunpowder plot being tried there. It was absolutely amazing to stand in a place where so much history had occurred.

Touring Parliament is a lot like touring places in Washington D.C. In D.C., you get to see where all of our government’s action takes place. I got a similar feeling when I was touring the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It was there that I began to realize and appreciate the similarities the American government shares with the English government. In both cases, we have two separate houses with a figurehead. No one group has too much power, and everyone keeps each other in check. It’s very cool to be in a place where you know that the greatest issues of the country are discussed and resolved.

Going to the theatre in England is one of the most exciting things to do. London especially is exciting because it was the home of William Shakespeare and other thriving playwrights of the Renaissance and later. I was thrilled that as a group, we had the opportunity to see two plays this weekend. My favorite would have to be Matilda, based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl. The sets were intricate, the music was fantastic, and the emphasis on Matilda’s brilliance and ability to read and tell stories was refreshing. I would absolutely recommend going to a play while in London.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend, but I am definitely glad to be back in Cambridge, where it is not so busy and everything is smaller. I am looking forward to class this week as we start to get into the swing of things!

Going off to Hogwarts!

Big Ben

Cambridge Theatre where we saw Matilda

Introduction: Stephanie Black in Cambridge, England!

August 18, 2014 / studyabroad / 0 Comments

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

―Marcel Proust

Words. For years in school, that’s all that Europe was to me. A bunch of words about important people who did important things that didn’t seem to have any effect on me today. I’d seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower, learned about the ancient Romans and Greeks with their great architecture, and memorized important dates and battles.

It took awhile to realize that these were actual places, not just words on a page. And when I did, I was ecstatic to be able to go to these places I’d heard so much about. Who wouldn’t want the chance to make those pictures and words a reality?

So far, I’ve traveled to six different countries. I’ve traveled by train, plane, bus, taxi, boat, cruise ship, and bicycle. I have seen hundreds of things, taken thousands of pictures, and shared experiences with people that I will not soon forget. But I want more.

When I traveled before, I saw a small portion of the world in two weeks. That’s a nice glimpse of the world, but it’s not reality. It’s not how people live.

I wanted to study abroad because I would be able to completely immerse myself in a culture that’s different from my own. I’d be able to have new eyes, to gain new experiences. I find that when I travel, I have a greater appreciation for the things that I take for granted here in America.

Don’t get me wrong, I still want to see all the sites. I love the history in Europe, and there are so many exciting places to see. But I also want to participate in the culture I’m seeing. I want to become a part of something bigger than myself. I want to see the world through new eyes, and appreciate the differences in culture.

I can’t even describe how thrilled I am to be studying abroad, and I can’t wait to go. I can’t wait to see the things I’ve always been taught come to life. It will be a once in a lifetime experience, and I can’t wait.

The Gang

Another Sappy Goodbye Post

May 18, 2014 / Danielle Steinwart / 1 Comment

I love them.

It’s six in the morning, and I’m curled up on my aunt and uncle’s couch in Buckley, Washington. My mom, sister, boyfriend, and I arrived here on Friday, but the eight hour time difference between here and Cambridge is still taking its toll on my internal clock. Our days are crammed with hiking, going to the city, and eating pizza. Although hopping on a four hour flight to Seattle less than 24 hours after I got off my 9 hour flight from London didn’t exactly sound appealing, it’s probably good that we went on vacation so soon. Helps distract me from what I’ve left.

Toga Murder Mystery

When I first got to Cambridge in January, I absolutely despised it. Everything was all old and crumbly. So much precipitation. The half dozen pipes next to my bed let me know whenever anyone flushed, showered, or washed their hands. I was determined to dislike everyone on my trip. At one point, my reason for not liking someone was that they were “unnaturally nice.” Obviously, I was just lonely and missed my friends, family, and Clint. Even more so, I was scared. I was terrified no one would like me, neither my housemates nor any Britons in the town. I had decided to take the immature route and dislike them before they figured out they didn’t like me.

Stereotypical Phone Booth Shot

And then, after about a week, the sun peeked out (and not just symbolically, thank goodness). I started to figure out how truly wonderful my housemates were. I envied Laura and her relentless confidence, had my days continually brightened by Kelly and her giggly disposition, grew even closer with the hilarious and marvelous Madalyn, suppressed laughter as Jon accidentally offended someone, fell in love with everything about Hannah, and strengthened my friendship with the best friend anyone could ask for. I allowed myself to relax, to be myself, to not care if I didn’t get along with everyone. I learned to revel in and cultivate the friendships I was fortunate enough to have. In addition to my housemates, I was lucky enough to make a few good friends from Anglia Ruskin University. Bonding with Lauryn over our shared love of One Direction and obsession with each other’s countries was easily my favorite part of class. Meeting James and realizing that I was getting to know the most extraordinary person in England was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.

Hannah, Madalyn, and I in the Lake District

As I formed friendships with the people in my house and in Cambridge, I also learned more about myself. Studying abroad helped me make certain realizations about who I was, what I wanted, and who I wanted to be. Living abroad, I caught a glimpse of how massive the world is, of how small I am. I figured out that all the plans I had for the future were anything but fixed. There is so much more to life than some comfort in the tri-state area. Furthermore, traveling on my own and constantly having my expectations not match reality helped me understand that I can’t (and shouldn’t) be in control of every facet of my life. This semester has made me realize, accept, and embrace that many aspects of my life are out of my hands, that Someone infinitely more powerful and able is watching over me. Goodness, what peace that realization has brought. My perspective has broadened, my mind has opened, my trust in God has deepened. Sometimes, I feel as though someone has put my maturity in fast forward (and other times, it feels more like rewind). Ultimately though, I’ve grown up a lot in Cambridge and have changed in ways I won’t fully understand until I completely adjust to life back home.

The Gang

There were an embarrassing number of tears in the days leading up to our departure, not to mention the sobbing on the plane and in O’Hare. And in the car. And in Steak ‘n Shake. It was incredibly hard to accept that one of the best stretches of my life was coming to a close. I’m going to miss countless things about my life in Cambridge: talking deeply with Bryn on our journey home from Anglia, doing absurd things to get a laugh out of Daniella, cracking up at Emma whenever she got weirdly excited about things, realizing the full extent of Frances’ awesomeness and ability to get animals to love her, shaking my head at Brendan’s crazy schemes, gawking at Allison’s vast knowledge of, well, everything. And then there’s the incredible blessing of having Matt as a director and getting the pleasure of knowing his family. Oh, and the crepe cart, obviously. However, all I’ve learned and all the friendships I’ve made can thrive back home. And the reunion with Clint, Sam, and my family was so needed. Making who I’ve become while in Cambridge continue and grow in the States is key to successfully adjusting to life at home. In any case, who’s to say I won’t be visiting Cambridge next spring break? (right, Mom?)

Cheers,

Danielle

Coming Home

May 16, 2014 / bryncooley / 0 Comments

So I’m sitting at my kitchen table, surrounded by my familiar house. Out back is a patio I saw for the first time last night, even though it was put in 8 months ago. I saw my best friend and hung out with her all night, I talked to my brothers (like, real conversations… it was strange, I’ve clearly been away too long), I drove a car on the right side of the road and didn’t freak out (too much, it was weird), I’ve slept and showered and eaten in the house that was my home before this. Everything feels so familiar, almost like I never left. But at the same time, it feels like I’ve been gone for ages. Things are the same yet different, people are familiar yet strange, and I’m just slightly not what I was when I left this place 9 months ago. There are people to see, stories to tell, and fun to be had, but for the moment, I’m just sitting here, staring out the window, and contemplating the enormous thing that’s happened to me since I last sat here and saw this view.

Going to Cambridge was a literal dream come true. That phrase gets tossed around a lot, but for me, it really was. I’m not really a future-oriented person, I never had a ‘dream job’ growing up, I never even knew where I wanted to go to college until I was forced to figure it out. But going to England was always there, in the back of my mind, lurking there like a kind of dark horse dream that swiftly overtook my imagination once I went to Valpo and saw that I could actually do it. I applied as quickly as I could, for the soonest semester I could, and did everything I could think of to get there. I don’t regret speeding through that process, and doing this as soon as I did, but I am sad that it’s over now. I have many great things left to do in my life, but that was one of them and now it’s over.

What do you do when a dream has been realized? It’s not that it left, my desire to go to England didn’t magically vanish after I’d been. It’s just that I’ve done it. There’s less mystery in that dream now, there’s less adventure in the prospect of achieving it. But I’m starting to realize that accomplishing a dream doesn’t mean that it has to be over and done with. More dreams come in and replace that burning desire to do that which you’ve already done, but that first one doesn’t really go away. I’ll go back to England as frequently as I possibly can in the future, that much I do know.

I wanted to thank everyone who’s taken the trouble to read all of these, all of my stories and experiences and long-winded descriptions of things I find fascinating. It’s been a long and short 9 months, but it really is true–I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Thanks again.

Bryn

How Do I Say Goodbye?

May 8, 2014 / bryncooley / 0 Comments

So I’m sitting here on my bed, and I’m supposed to be finishing my 3000 word Popular Culture final paper. I really should be working on this paper, seeing as it’s 100% of my grade in that class, but I can’t seem to bring myself to keep working on it. I thought it was just laziness, or tiredness, but I decided to write this instead. That’s when I realized… it’s not that I don’t have the energy to write that paper. Obviously I could do it, cuz I’m writing this just fine. The real problem is that this is the last paper I have to write here, and once I’m done with that… my study abroad experience is essentially over.

I know, I know, I’m being dramatic. After all, I don’t actually leave for another week. But today I had my last class at Anglia Ruskin. I’ve finished my papers for my other classes, taken my French exam. This is the last thing I have to do here, and that’s freaking me out. Tomorrow is our last Friday here. Last night was our last meal at Matt’s house. I’ve been here for 9 months, how am I supposed to say goodbye to the place that became my home faster than any other place has?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly excited to come home. I can’t wait to see my family again, my friends and the people I care about most. What I’m worried about is leaving. It’s kind of unfathomable to me at the moment, that in one short week I won’t be here, in this place where I feel so present. I keep staring out the window instead of working, I keep trying to imprint my brain with the sight of the pastel-colored buildings that line the main street into the city centre, I keep looking up at the stone facades of the colleges and thinking ‘how is it possible that I might never see this again?’ I don’t know how to say goodbye, no matter how excited I am about coming home.

Map from 1st Semester

All my life, I’ve wanted to come to England. Something about this place called out to my soul, as cheesy as that sounds. It wasn’t even something I could explain, really, and I don’t think I could explain it now, either. There’s something about the history; there’s something about the rolling green hills and rows of hedges; there’s something about cobblestone streets and huge open parks; there’s something about the castles and manor houses; there’s something about the very air I breathe here. It’s an atmosphere I’ve never felt anywhere else on all my travels in Europe and America, and it’s the most comfortable one I’ve ever felt. Even being gone for a weekend while visiting an amazing city in Europe was hard for me this year, how am I supposed to leave Cambridge for good?

It’s raining as I’m writing this, and I’m laughing at the irony that someone like me, who basically needs the sun to keep up a positive attitude (no ‘but Bryn you’re sooo pale’ comments, you guys), can love a place that is overcast and rainy on the regular. But I think it speaks to my incredible love of this place that I just don’t care. I’d dance in the rain for months with the joy of being here if I could. I’d forego seeing the sun for months on end and take as many vitamin D supplements as I needed if it meant I could be here. I don’t want to leave, I want to come home. But the problem with that is… this feels like my home too.

I think it’s possible to have many homes, many places where you feel like you belong. My home is where I grew up. My home is wherever my family is. My home is a cabin in the Northwoods that has been the most constant thing in my life. My home is Valpo. where I’ve met incredible people whom I love dearly. My home is Cambridge, where I learned so many things and most of all, where I truly met myself. Home is a place I’ll always love, and home is a place I never want to leave.

People keep telling me I need to walk around to all my favorite places and say goodbye. People keep telling me that it’s gonna be hard to leave and hard to not come back. People keep telling me that it’ll be okay, that I’ll be so busy over the summer and back at school in the fall that I won’t remember to be sad about not being here. I believe all of those people, but I’m finding it hard to contemplate at the moment. I’ve said this so many times already in this post, but I can’t really comprehend the idea of leaving here. It doesn’t seem real, that I could be anywhere on earth that isn’t here.

What I do know, more truly that anything, is that I will never forget Cambridge. I’ll never forget the way the trees outside my window look, I’ll never forget the cows in the greens, I’ll never forget the colleges or the market or the bookstore by the church were I can look at all the antique books and marvel at literature. I’ll never forget the pubs or the coffeehouses or the tree-lined walk that lit up with fairy lights at night. I’ll never forget what the city looks like, all spread out in front of me as I stand on Castle Hill. I’ll never forget what it felt like to see it for the first time, to live here and to revel in the place where so much history was made and have the privilege to call it home.

With gratitude, sadness, and much love,

Bryn

On Arthur's Seat!

The Weekenders

April 28, 2014 / Danielle Steinwart / 1 Comment

Warwick Castle

I think when my friends and family picture me here, they think I’m constantly traveling. They think I have days on end to hop on planes, trains, and automobiles and spend masses of my time outside Cambridge. Although we are lucky enough to have two breaks that combine to make three weeks off, on weekdays we have to be in town for class (I know that sounds like an obvious observation, but sometimes even I forget, though it’s more out of hope than anything else). In order to travel outside of our breaks, we have to cram certain trips into the weekend, which is made easier by the fact we have Fridays off. Yeah, I know, woe is me, having to confine trips around Europe to three-day weekends. My life is so tragic. Fortunately, my purpose is not to evoke pity, but to inform future study abroaders (definitely a word) or anyone else who’s interested about popular types of weekend trips you can take as a student abroad. And if you think I’m only doing this, not out of concern for future study abroad students, but as a desperate attempt to tidily sum up what I’ve been doing for the past month, well, frankly I’m appalled (by how accurate that thought is).

Class Trips

Brendan sleeping on the bus

Okay, these are mandatory and we have no control over them whatsoever. Our director Matt, a beautiful soul, plans the whole weekend and pays for basically everything. This makes planning, booking, and budgeting a total cinch. We have three class trips this semester: the London trip I already wrote about, the “Castles Trip” (though we only saw two castles) that we took in March, and a trip to the Lake District, which we are taking next weekend. One common theme is that we always have to wake up at some ungodly hour to leave (meaning 7 am). On the Castles Trip, we at least had a few hours to sleep on the bus before we got to our destination, which basically turned out to mean everyone else sleeps while I take embarrassing photos of them.

Getting our tan on at Stonehenge

Matt is a whiz at balancing out the typical tourist activities that you feel you have to do (Stonehenge. The sheep beside it were more interesting. I worked on my tan. But still, you have to do it) and some really interesting, more off beat activities. For example, we met up one night in Stratford for a ghost tour. It was very entertaining, except for the fact my toes were slowly going numb because apparently I haven’t yet learned how to dress appropriately for the weather. During these class trips, we get a lot of free time at night, giving us the option to relax or go explore the city on our own. I particularly liked the Castles Trip because I’d been to all the places before when I was 14, and it was really interesting getting to re-experience the various sites, unfortunately remembering 14-year-old me and what a weirdo I was (“What a weirdo you were? I don’t remember that ever becoming past tense!” Oh look, I just saved my parents a comment).

Crashing With Your Friend Trips

On Arthur’s Seat!

Or, in my case, crashing with Julia’s best friend’s boyfriend, a bit too specific to have its own category. Toward the end of March, Julia and I went to stay with Brooke, who was visiting her boyfriend in Scotland. Leo and his roommate Nick were incredibly generous to offer up their couch to us as well as offer to show us around Edinburgh for the weekend. Because we used our Britrails to get to and from Scotland and stayed with friends, the trip cost basically nothing, aside from the occasional nourishment in the form of some Scottish delicacies (okay, McDonald’s).

“photo break”

One of the best things about staying with someone who lives in your destination is that they know the must-see places as well as cheap or free activities. For example, Leo told us paying for a castle tour wasn’t really worth it but accompanied us on a hike up to Arthur’s Seat. I blame my rampant cold for my constant need to stop during the mountain hike (note the word “mountain”) in order to take a breather, or as my mom calls them “photo breaks.” The foggy view at the top was worth the trek up, though the journey downward was very unconventional and led to Julia and me crab-walking down a steep hill.

Out of Country Trips

From Ireland to Germany to France, close approximation and cheap ticket prices made it easier than ever to hop a plane to

Amsterdam canal

continental Europe (or Ireland) for a weekend. Julia and I recently kicked off our two week break with a weekend trip to Amsterdam. We used Couchsurfers again, so we were able to avoid weekend hostel prices. Another way to save money on any trip is to be ignorant. Now, you have to be careful in which situations you choose to be ignorant because you could inevitably end up losing money if you choose incorrectly. This strategy works best in foreign countries. In Amsterdam, we didn’t really understand the tram system. We would just hop on and get off at our stop without paying because we honestly didn’t know where or how to buy tickets. It wasn’t until our host filled us in on how you need to buy a card (ranging from 1 hour to 2 days) at a desk upon entering the tram and check in and out with the card. Although I found this information out the night we arrived, I played up the dumb American stereotype a little bit, so that I only had to pay for 1 one hour pass the entire weekend (I’m not sure if I’m officially allowed to recommend this, so I’m simply just relaying what happened). Amsterdam also offered a free walking tour, a cool way to learn about the city’s history.

Market on the wharf

Although the tourists are the most prominent on the weekends, these trips are the best for experiencing the thriving night life of any city you visit. In Amsterdam, we got to see the Red Light District in full swing. The Van Gogh museum had live music on Friday nights, which made the atmosphere a lot less like a stereotypical museum. But we also got to hop on a ferry (which was either free or didn’t have any clear way of collecting a fee) during the day to a weekend market on the wharf. Some of my favorite parts of traveling are experiencing what the locals do on a daily basis, such as attending the market. To me, weekend trips to mainland Europe were relatively stress-free because even if we didn’t do much during our days there, the trip itself was pretty cheap and it always beat the alternative (staying home and binge watching all the rom coms in the house while feasting on pita bread). Plus, I imagine it’ll be quite fun once I’m home to say, “Oh yeah, we just hopped on over to the Netherlands for the weekend. No biggie.”

Although I have spent a good number of weekends right here in Cambridge, it was fun to get out of town for a few days at a time and experience the other countries and cultures that are currently at my fingertips. Julia, Hannah, and I spent the rest of our two week break in the UK, falling in love with the British all over again. As my last few weeks in Cambridge wind down, I am getting progressively more sentimental. So it would be wise to expect my next blog to be about all the things I’ll miss about the UK. Expect tears as well.

Danielle

Valpo Voyager

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