After saying goodbye to my packed suitcases that contain my life for the semester, Beth and I still had a couple more London things to do before heading off on our end of the term adventure. After seeing Dad and eating with him, we made our way to the British Museum. There I showed Beth the Parthenon pediment sculptures. It’s funny that they are in the British Museum seeing that they are such an integral part of Greek art history. In just a few days we would be standing next to their original home atop the Parthenon! Next, we went to Covent Garden before heading back to Victoria where Beth got a spur of the moment hair cut! Friday, Beth and I wandered around Camden Town before, once again, returning to my room to cook tacos! Then Saturday—my last full day in London. With a little Greek planning trouble in the morning due to the lack of internet in my room, we had a rocky start but the rest of the day was great. Beginning at Borough Market, I enjoyed all my favorite things including juice, chocolate covered raisins and bananas, brownies, and I even tried some minty Pimms. You can never have your fill of Borough Market and every Saturday I’m still jealous of those who live close enough to just walk over or hop on the tube to get a delicious snack. After saying goodbye to one of my favorite parts of the city, we made our way to Hyde Park to rent the boats on the Serpentine. They were what I call “bicycle boats” where you row with your legs. It was quite fun, but quite tiring! We made it to the bridge, our destination/goal, but then floated, slowing pedaled back. Our final big event of the day was to stand as lowly groundlings for King Lear at the Globe. Somehow, I always seem to forget how long Shakespeare’s plays are until I’m a couple acts in. The acting was great; however, the standing and being slightly confused with the plot line weren’t so much. Needless to say, it has become yet another story to tell. I paid five pounds to stand in the Globe and watch a play written by Shakespeare and they walked down the Thames to see Tower Bridge lit up at night. Some things are just too fantastic to sound real. Pretty much the entire semester can be thrown into that category.

Well, leaving London was quite interesting and tear wrenching. After already being a bit stressed about packing for seventeen days of traveling plus a couple extra since dad took my bags, I had to completely empty my room. Since there wasn't really anywhere to donate my bed and kitchen things, the rubbish bins received a lot of gifts. It was so weird seeing that tiny room empty. It was solely my room in England--no sharing, just me. The last zone 4 to 1 tube ride was also crazy. On the EasyBus things picked up, especially with the London radio and "Bleeding Love," a song of the semester, played back to back with "All you need is love" by the Beatles. The flight went smoothly and we landed early which was great. However, we were quickly becoming familiar with the phrase "It's all Greek to me!" As we were looking at the baggage claim screen, all the names suddenly switched to the Greek alphabet—clearly a foreshadowing of our utter confusion when it comes to the Greek language. So, we got to the Metro to arrive at our hostel... it was quite the interesting walk around the Omonia stop with hookers on the corner, but we found a bakery just closing up, got directions, and once inside we “upgraded” to a double room instead of a triple. So began the Beth and Laura sharing of one double bed!Up early to beat the heat, we headed to the Acropolis. Climbing up to the Parthenon, we were quite surprised to see it was smaller than we imagined. A good number of the pediment sculptures are in the British Museum leaving only one or two atop the Parthenon. We saw the Theatre of Dionysus, Roman Forum, Hadrian's Arch, the Agora, and the Temple of Athena Nike. After walking around, plenty of bottles of water, and the internet cafe to sort out the ferry situation, we headed to the site of the 2004 Olympic Games. Next, we headed to the National Archaeological Museum where we got our fill of sculptures, reliefs, and vases. The great thing about Athens that made up for some of our hesitations about it is their generous outlook towards students. Because we both have id cards from European universities, we got in free to the museum and Acropolis! After a little rest back in the room, we headed to see the sunset atop Lykavitos Hill. But before that, as a little pit stop, we went to the older Olympic Stadium. In order to get into the stadium, we needed to somehow pass the police barricade on the street. Beth practically peed in her pants asking how we could get there when they easily just moved the barricade shields aside in order for us to pass. Down the street on the way to the stadium, we passed the funny marching guards with pompoms on their shoes and the President's palace. Then there the Olympic Stadium was, too bad my Olympic obsessed friend Chm wasn't there. I get all my Beijing updates from here. And the fact that the Olympics are in London in 2012 makes her even more ecstatic! The rest of the evening we enjoyed the sunset atop the breezy Lykavitos hill before calling it and extremely productive day. Sightseeing the majority of Athens in one day....check!


One story I do have to tell about our Athens hostel is about the elevator. We attempted to take a video of it but sadly it didn’t record! Well, coming in off of the street was already a little sketchy. So we get in the elevator. It is one of those pull open doors. Ok, no big deal they have those in Spain. Well, there was absolutely no sliding door to box us into the elevator!! As we went up and down we could easily reach out and touch the doors for each floor. Additionally, it had red velvet walls with mirrors all over. Creepiest elevator ever and the stairs (which we took once) weren’t any better at all.

We planned to check out the street markets before heading to Aegina, an island only 40 minutes away from Athens, for the day. Passing town hall and seeing the Acropolis in the distance, we bypassed the meat and fish section heading for the fresh fruit. We even passed a pet store where next to the parakeets, chipmunks were in cages ready to be sold as pets!! So weird! Once overcoming the rocky ride (so rocky due to the fact the boat was high speed meaning it rose above the water to practically skim the surface) and docking on the island, we headed for the beach where we spent the majority of the day before the clouds rolled in. With some shopping and purchasing of pistachios, the island’s specialty, out of the way, we ate at a beach front restaurant. With our pizza we had our first of many Greek salads. Needless to say, we fell in love with Greek food and used the many restaurants to our advantage. The mountains and other islands in the distance made a great backdrop and perfect setting for our first visit to a Greek island. Oh! And it was exactly two weeks from flying home!

Beginning our day early and literally running from what they told us to be the correct departure gate to the new correct gate, our ferry departed the port of Piraeus to Santorini. With a few stops to other islands in the Cyclades (Paros and Naxos), Beth sleeping the majority of the ride, and a lot of people watching on my part, we recovered from our brisk morning sprint and settled in our economy class outdoor table seats for the next eight hours. Let me just say with all the people watching, especially the four playing Egyptian War, the pair drinking Amstol at 9:30am, and the country origin guessing, I had a lot to update Beth on when she woke up every so often for a snack. Despite the long ride, it went by rather quickly and we arrived at the port…except a different port than we were expecting! After being whisked away on a bus and up and incredibly windy cliff, we were conveniently dropped off two buildings down the street from our hostel. After setting in to yet another cozy double bed room, we headed to the pool for some evening sun and called it an extremely early night.

Waking up to presents and happy birthdays, the birthday girl and I headed downstairs for some free breakfast before catching a bus to Perissa, a beach on the other side of the island. We drove past vineyards as the coach bus, which is the normal bus that drives the routes around the island, traversed over the top of the mountains and cliffs that make up Santorini. Settle in our lounge chairs and quickly getting our feet out of the hot black sand, we laid back, admired the sheer cliffs, sipped Paradise and Tropicana (fitting for birthday celebrations) and got our fair share of sun burn. After walking down the beach, we ate a nice dinner overlooking the water complete with chocolate cake. Earlier in the day we had mentioned how we would have to find a substitute birthday dessert but to our luck we found chocolate cake at the first place we looked! Later, back in the room Beth blew out her “fake” or paper made candle flames before using a match from her brother’s gift to light the candles I used for my birthday to make her 21st birthday wish!

On Friday morning we planned to go on the day tour to the volcano but during our daily hotel breakfast Maria told us it wouldn’t be a good day to go due to all of the clouds. Rearranging our plans, we decided to spend the day in Fira, the town where we were staying on the island. Checking our email and reading up about Santorini on the official tourism site and Wikipedia, we decided to walk up the cable car path once we saw a sign for it on our little stroll. That is when we found the cute buildings and DONKEY PATHS! If it hasn’t become obvious by the caps, I’m obsessed with the donkey and pretty much all of the animals—dogs and cats—of Greece. We walked the wall of Fira while stopping for photos and shopping. Although I love those two pastimes, watching the donkeys arrive at the top of the island after climbing over 600 steps from the port of Fira was definitely a highlight! After spending some time resting and some time by the pool, we climbed back up to the Fira wall for a scenic dinner which of course included a terrific Greek salad and bread in olive oil. The food was great; the breeze was not. Our dresses were not the correct attire for sunset so we ran back to change quickly before heading back up the hill in proper clothing. The day was great because we leisurely got to explore the city; however, the night was a little rough with the restlessly falling asleep and Beth’s creepy “Oh no, help me” dream. I thought Chm would be the one to talk in the night but I guess not!

Well, Saturday we didn’t get to go to Borough Market but to answer the question “what did you do today” would not be a quick response! At breakfast we made plans to go visit the volcano. Boarding the bus after watching young police officers unsuccessfully try to redirect traffic (mainly motos) we were unnecessarily driven just down the street to walk up to the cable cars. Pretty much they were a death ride because I was so petrified the entire time. Nevertheless, we were off to Nea Kameni, the dormant volcano of Santorini. They kept us on a lively schedule just allowing enough time to climb to the summit before hiking back down. It was a bit nerve wracking knowing I was walking on a volcano but also quite a once in a lifetime chance. Back on board the boat, we headed to Palea Kameni, another uninhabited island known for its hot springs from the volcano. Instead of quickly walking, we jumped off the boat into the Aegean Sea for a super speedy swim to the hot springs. Once we escaped the cold sea for the warmth of the hot springs, the ship blew its horn calling us to return! Needless to say we were exhausted and it was only just after noon! Sailing around the Caldera, or the area between the volcano and land, we were rumored to be in one of the supposed locations for the mythical island of Atlantis. The next stop was the island of Thirasia. Enjoying yet another Greek salad, we staying in the port for our short visit rather than climbing the steps of riding a donkey to the top of the island. We were there for such a short time that we would have had to come right down once we got up there. Instead, we sat by the dock, listening to music that I swear is in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants while watching boats bob and enjoying the incredibly royal blue water. Blue and white perfect describe the Greek islands and it is quite fitting that those two colors make up the country’s flag. The colors blue and white are seen everywhere on the islands from the water, sky, clothing, domed churches, and homes. On our way back to Fira before once again boarding the freaky cable cars, we quickly stopped at Oia and saw part of the coral reef from the glass bottom of the boat. We quickly said goodbye to our Australian friends and the Kentucky couple before going for, this time, a leisurely dunk in the pool. In the room we ate and relaxed before another lovely evening of shopping, a less windy sunset and a MA run in (due to my Cape Cod t-shirt) on a little side street. And of course, on the restaurant strip before hitting the donkey steps, we were bombarded with people enticing us to eat at their tavernas. “Hi ladies. Upstairs…very nice.” A good majority of the locals know English due to the popular tourist destination; however, their spelling and sentence constructions are quite interesting and entertaining sometimes.

Our last full day in Santorini was once again jam packed. First, we headed towards the town of Oia by bus. There, we found the picturesque spots of blue domed churches. We even saw the Greek Orthodox priests and women dressed in black huddled together leaving the churches. The town was too cute and exactly what I had pictured it to be. We didn’t spend much time there except to take pictures (I got my domes, dogs, and doors covered) before heading back to Fira on the bus to switch buses for the Kamari beach. After plenty of time spent burning our feet on the rocks that made up the “sand” of the beach, swimming out to rocks in the sea, jumping off said rocks by Beth, and hiding in the shade for me, we returned to Fira to escape the intense sun. What better than a dip in the pool before going out to eat?! With the sole intention of getting Greek salads, we were enticed to enjoy a pretty big meal. With the perfect view of the sunset and excellent view of the donkey path, we savored (some more slowly than others) the delicious meal. Marios, our waitor, was keen to learn where we were from and how long we were there until. He then treated us to free dessert wine and asked if “you girls go clubbing tonight?” It was quite cute by Beth and I opted for a leisurely stroll before heading back to the room. However, it became quite the joke.

For our last day in Greece, we combined a few of our favorite pastimes—shopping in Fira, eating Greek salads while overlooking the sea and volcano, and obsessing with the donkeys. Ok, so the last one was more me than Beth but still great even if I forgot to take a picture of myself with the donkeys! Oops! Getting some snacks for the ferry and upcoming night in the airport, we expected a boring afternoon. That was not the case at all! With much less sleeping for Beth and much less people watching for me, we made even more friends from around the world during our stay in Greece. Canadian Chris, who I still prefer to call Robert, talked with us for hours and hours. It was quite the entertaining “triangle” conversation and to say the less an entertaining way to pass the long eight hour ferry ride. We even talked with a cute older Greek man who was more than excited to share his islands and talk with Americans and Canadians who seem so friendly. Once off the boat and still hungry after my “tosted cheese” disaster, we decided to go for dinner to pass the time before the flight. We got in a taxi with a friendly driver who gave us a taste of the popular Greek radio stations while driving to a “ritzy” part of Athens where his Grandma lives. We had the Greek version of schwerma accompanied by a licorice flavored shot first lit on fire! After walking along the pier Beth and I got in another quick driving taxi and headed to the airport, thankfully with much less time to waste there. Boarding the plane for our 4am flight, we closed our eyes and the next thing we knew we were in Krakow, Poland!

The Greek hospitality and way of life are very liberating. Whether it be shouting “Calimera” across the street, sipping iced coffee for hours, and leisurely going for a walk, the culture is intriguing and relaxing. The beaches are also liberating (in other ways) but that is a more European mindset. In Greece we were welcomed although we were clearly tourists—sometimes not American ones but Russian and Canadian. It may have been the places we stayed, but I preferred the islands rather than Athens. The history is so interesting but as a city it isn’t very pretty or enticing. Nevertheless, my time in Greece was more than enjoyable. From the water to the salads to the sun and warmth it was like a vacation from traveling where we indulged I a slower pace without worrying about missing things or regretting hours spend laying down or floating in the water.

Due to our early arrival in Krakow, we spent some more time attempting to nap in the airport since it would have been way too early to get into our hostel. After watching little boys running under the queue ropes and ducking their head when they didn’t need to, we decided that little Polish kids love life and we should venture out of the airport to the center of the city. And it was an adventure. The bus ticket machines didn’t work, the bus drivers were helpful but only spoke Polish, the stops were confusing, and the parking lot security for some random hotel oriented and directed us down the correct street. We ended up getting of a completely different stop than we thought it was but to our luck it was only a couple streets away and within walking distance to our hostel. This hostel was great! The beds (we each had our own this time!) were so comfortable, the showers were spectacularly clean, the internet was free, but it was only 9am and too early to experience any of those conveniences. So with hours to spare, we walked around the area. The Planty, or pear shaped park around the city, was a great place to rest on a bench and think of a Krakow game plan. Later, we wandered towards the Wawel Castle (such a fun name) before circling it and walking around the block multiple times to find a grocery store. After an extremely early lunch/meal since we were so screwed up on times, we napped by the river and unforgettable bush used by the two young girls before going back to take a real nap in beds! Refreshed, clean, and after booking tickets during halftime of a EuroCup match, we headed to the Market Square for our evening walk. We passed Pope John Paul II’s childhood home and learned that at one point he was the Bishop at the Wawel Cathedral. We quickly learned how manageable Krakow is on foot. The city is quite compact which is nice for a change. Circling the square, we found a pizza place and with the conversion from zlotzy to euro, the whole meal cost about 8 euro for two! Another reason why we were quickly growing to love Poland despite our exhaustion… it’s cheap! A delicious scoop of gelato was only about 50 cents in euro! In just those few hours Poland was growing to be one of our favorite places! The city was unlike any I’ve been to but a welcomed change. The language is interesting to listen to but still confusing to decipher. Unlike some other languages, it never got on our nerves after being surrounded by it for an extended time period. With each corner we turned down it felt like we were stepping into another part of history. The old is mixed with the new; the shambles with the new developments. Krakow, on the first day, was intriguing and interesting.

Once back on a normal schedule, we were up at a reasonable time and ready to go on a walking tour of the Old Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz. The Jewish Quarter is completely different from the Jewish Ghetto of World War II; instead, it is where the Jews were moved much earlier in history to try and remove them from some of the trading and market competition. We began outside Temple Synagogue, the newest reform synagogue of Krakow. Moving through the Jewish Quarter, we stopped at various locations seen in the movie Schlinder’s List. Stopping for a “coffee break” we were able to learn more about the other 3 people on the tour (a woman from Australia and a couple from Belfast) in addition to our guide. The first 15 minutes of the tour when we walked from the meeting point to the neighborhood, our tour guide solely talked with Beth and I. He’s in his last semester at the University in Krakow which is called the Oxbridge of Poland. Thus, it was really interesting to hear his perspective on Polish University. Likewise, we was interested in schools in the US, England, and Spain. Needless to say, it was all very intriguing and gave all three of us a new perspective. From the get go it was my favorite walking tour I’ve been on. Not only was everyone friendly and interested in each other, but our guide was great! Immediately hitting it off with him gave us extra insight to the city, country, and history. We would have never learned so much if the tour guide was different. The three hour tour flew by and after walking past the oldest synagogue in Krakow, we stood outside Schlinder’s factory down across the river and out of the main city in the Jewish Ghetto of WWII. I’m kind of shocked I’ve never seen the movie…it’s definitely been added to my list. Late on, Beth and I walked around Wawel Castle and hill passing up the opportunity to visit the dragon’s lair. There are myths and legends about dragon bones but the large school groups make me worried that I would be disappointed with the exhibit. Before dinner we went back to the main square and walked through the Cloth Hall purchasing amber, a popular Polish keepsake, among other gifts. Or course after dinner we had gelato, we can’t pass that up! “Hey, go big or go home. And we can’t go home for another week so I guess we will just have to go big!”

Thursday morning we go up early to go on a bus trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau. After about an hour of driving from Krakow, we arrived at Auschwitz I, the concentration and extermination camp used by the Nazi soldiers during World War II. We had a guide who spoke into a microphone that played on our individual head sets so it was quite literally as if every visitor was in their own world. Entering the 1st site through the “work brings freedom” sign, we stepped into another world—one where torture, humiliation, starvation, suffering and death ran rampant. At moments during the exhibit I felt my stomach turn knowing the vast number of people who died within these very barbed wire fences and in the gas chambers and crematorium. Personal belongings of the prisoners from eyeglasses to shoes and from brushes to luggage, were piled high, each unique yet all clumped together and disregarded. One of the most sickening parts was the huge amount hair. When first arriving at the camp, each person was stripped of their clothes and possessions and shaved of all hair before heading to the scalding hot or freezing cold showers, branded with a number, and given uniforms. The hair was collected and thrown in huge mounds. Some of it still in the museum but a large amount was made into blankets. Imagine sleeping in these camps with blankets made from hair of those surrounding you or those who were already killed. While constantly being able to see a watch tower in some direction, we walked among the barracks, silently stood besides some torture chambers, and stepped in the courtyard with blackened windows where the execution wall stands. All the while we were enclosed by barbed wire fences and treading on stones and soot that have seen too much suffering to far too much death. Ending the exhibit at Auschwitz I, we stood outside the barbed wire and passed through the gas chambers and crematorium where Cyclone B killed so many in such a confined space and such a short time span. The compact and overcrowded rooms stood one wall away from the ovens. Absolutely sickening. With a few moments to collect ourselves we boarded the bus and headed down the road a bit to Auschwitz- Birkenau or Auschwitz II. The first camp was like a prison but the buildings were firm; however, the second was horrid and what after all my reading and studying, I pictured a concentration camp to be like. The railroad tracks and overbearing watch tower quickly show the immense size of Auschwitz II. To the left were the women’s barracks made of brick but opposite the train tracks to the right amid the shambles and ruins from the Nazi’s trying to destroy the evidence of their inhuman scheme were the wooden barracks for the men. Walking in the “restroom” rows of holes lined the barrack which must have constantly smelt foul. The next one down, we witnessed the amount of three story bunk beds in each barrack, crooked so to fit more beds in the confined area. Each layer was said to old upwards of 8 people. When one wanted to turn from one side to the other since laying on your back or stomach wasn’t an option due to the limited space, all had to. The sheer size of the camp in addition to the sheer horror and atrocities that happened there were astounding. Sixty years later, those camps are still bearing witness to the obscenities that occurred during Hitler’s reign and the Holocaust.

Needless to say, Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon felt like separate days with a necessary nap and rest period in between. Later in the day we spent more time walking around the city and exploring (and shopping) in different parts. While walking down one side street I spotted Beth’s friend from Spain, whom we happened to know was visiting Krakow on overlapping days. The funny thing was that I spotted him and his girlfriend who hadn’t previously met Beth spotted her! We made plans to get together later in the evening to watch Poland play in the EuroCup. In the mean time, Beth and I enjoyed a dinner of pierogies and of course gelato! After another rest and becoming at least a little more “perky,” we were once again circling the main square looking for Ben and the others. Instead we found a hot air balloon with Krakow 2012. We decided it couldn’t be for the Olympics since those will be in London next. When we finally found them at a wine bar—the only place with open seats where we could watch the match—we discovered that the EuroCup will be in Krakow in four years. The evening was a lot of fun because instead of just talking with each other, Beth and I could talk and listen to others without having to hold the entire conversation the entire night! Even though I didn’t know them to well, it was great to have a little taste of home or American in general while reminiscing and still enjoying Europe.

For our last day in Poland, a country that Beth and I had no expectations about but grown to love, we decided to have a leisurely day. Beginning with a little walk, we returned to the Jewish Quarter to try and find the Wailing Wall. This wall in a cemetery was built from tombstones destroyed during World War II. Connected to an Orthodox Synagogue, we were able to walk around inside; thus, comparing it with the more modern, reform synagogue we had seen a couple days earlier. For our backwards lunch, we headed to the main square (yet again) for gelato! With just a bit more present hunting we made several more circles before finding some of the University buildings and then taking a break to sit in the Planty. With Beth’s 1,2,3 FUNKY shirt, we said goodbye to Krakow and were ready to arrive at our final destination before starting the journey back across the Atlantic. This time as we switched countries, we took off and arrived in daylight! Being a bit to excited in the Amsterdam Schipol airport, we spent time in the Crocs store that instantly reminded us of Wes and the grocery store in the airport before boarding the train and metro to get to our hotel! That’s right, hotel. It always seems I stay at an Ibis in the ending city during long trips. We stayed in for the night enjoying the English movies on tv and the Holland game in the EuroCup.

On Saturday we began by walking to the Van Gogh Museum. On the walk there down the many canals we passed the Heineken Factory. Once at the museum we followed Van Gogh’s artistic career around the building which was much smaller than I anticipated. Afterwards, we stumbled upon the I Amsterdam sign. This isn’t just an ordinary sign. All of the letters are larger than life size making them a great playground for a photo shoot. Needless to say we spent a good portion of the afternoon climbing on the letters once others reluctantly got out of the way. Once we took our hearts content of pictures we walked to the Anne Frank Huis. After visiting Poland I was even more interested to visit the Secret Annex than I previously was. After climbing the skinny, narrow steps on the other side of the book case, we entered the empty Annex where eight people lived for almost two years without ever seeing sunlight. Currently the rooms are bare besides for some photographs of how it looked. This is because Otto Frank, Anne’s father wished to have the factory and annex remain as it was left by the SS Guards. The rooms may have seemed a comfortable size walking though but that was without furniture or anything in them. It is mind blowing that they hid for so long in such a confined space. Like visiting the concentration camps, silence was respected throughout the rooms. Visiting these historical places made the stories, in a way, come to life. However, I still can’t imagine being in that situation and daily fearing I would be whisked away from my family and friends all because of my faith and heritage. Walking along the canals, Beth and I once again drifted into our own worlds before coming back together to figure out a new game plan. We managed to walk to Dam Square where we got some chip/fries/frites/whatever they are called! I saw a big fancy building at the end of the street which anticlimactically we found out to be the Centraal Station, or the train station we arrived at the previous night. On the way back to the room we quickly, without pausing a moment, walked through the Red Light District. I guess it is one of those things on the list of things to see in Amsterdam but after a couple steps down the canal street we were ready to turn the corner. Not only were prostitutes in all of the windows but the area reeked of pot due to the multitude of coffee shops lining the street, since it is legal in the Netherlands. The sun doesn’t set until after 10:30 in Amsterdam so we didn’t get the full “Red Light” effect; however, neither of us minded in the least.

Sleeping in since it was Beth’s last real night in a bed in Europe due to her crazy traveling schedule, we started the day at a leisurely pace. In Dam Square, we rented Dutch bikes with the back pedal brake and all. It was quickly determined that I couldn’t be in the front due to my tendency to slow down or stop when a car, other bike, or person came too close for comfort. I hadn’t ridden a bike in about four years so I thought I wasn’t doing too back even though my butt was sore, my hands numb because I was holding on so tightly, and my back tense. Slowly getting the hang of it, we rode up and down the many canals before heading to Vondelpark, a huge park set up in the style of English gardens. I love greenery within the city, hence why I love London so much. Random tidbit: London has the most open space/ parks out of any major global cities. So, biking was certainly entertaining. Taking a break and regaining feeling in my limbs, we walked around the Rijksmuseum and sat beside a popular canal tour destination where two canals meet and boats carefully and craftily turn. Returning our bikes meanwhile losing my map while riding in the wind, we found the only tourist shop in Amsterdam that we liked complete with wooden clogs and Delft-ware. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The canals and bikes make it charming; however, there are certain aspects that I could easily live without. I think our time there was just the right amount. We go to see what we wanted and then we were off on our last leg of the semester, our separate journeys home-home. After dinner in the hotel and postponing our walk to the train station we eventually arrived at Schipol Airport where we would spend the next nine hours. Visiting the grocery store in the airport we stock up on some goodies for our night in the airport. In the dead of the night that airport isn’t all that quite! Well, at 5am we finally checked in for our flights…separately.

The sad goodbye was masked with our anticipation of finally getting home. I was off to home number three before returning to home number one. I arrived in London (with the time difference) in just fifteen minutes! Needless to say, I certainly couldn’t check in to take a nap yet! The hotel concierge asked if I wanted a map. Finally a city where I no longer need a map poking out of my pocket… this one is already engraved in my mind. Running all over the city to buy some last minute gifts and souvenirs that I previously hadn’t gotten, I spent some time in the park before my long rest. For dinner I stopped at trusty old Sainsbury’s before taking the tube to Trafalgar Square. There, I sat on Nelson’s Monument next to the lions eating my meal. It was chilly but the sky wasn’t too cloudly so I was able to enjoy the sunset from my favorite spot in the city. At dusk I walked down Whitehall to say goodbye to Ben before walking back up to Trafalgar to hop on the tube and head back to my single room over on Lancaster Gate.

Then it came—June 17th, my last day in Europe. Riding up to zone 4 I finally got off at Wembley Park, solely for an England shirt! With a few other stops it was already time to head back, pick up my things, and get on my last Piccadilly line ride to Heathrow. Using up my last bit of money on my phone I didn’t have to worry about topping up anymore. On board Virgin Atlantic, I was leaving my home of five and a half months and headed back across the pond. The whole thing was seeming entirely surreal, even more surreal than my plane ride to London on January 1st. Two and a half movies, sevenish hours, and a ride with a nervous English girl going to camp in upstate New York later, I was back on American soil anxiously waiting for my suitcase to fall down the conveyor belt so I could be greeted by Mom climbing under the arrivals rail to wrap me in a hug. Of course Dad was there grabbing the bag and directing me to the nearest café to get something to eat and drink. Home again, home again.

Well, this entry has taken just about forever to write due to the fact that once I finished it I knew the semester would have officially come to an end. It has been two weeks since my arrival back in the United States, I’m itching to walk around a city and visit Stonehill friends that I have been separated from for far too long, and in some ways life seems to pick up where it left off. I’ve visited the diner, swam at Lauren’s, enjoyed everyone’s company and laughter, and planned the upcoming Christmas in July celebration. Muffy isn’t too mad at me, my bed is more comfortable than ever, home cooked food is incredible, and my bank account is suffering due to the store closing the end of the month (although I have been working with my boss’s English parents…boy, I miss that accent). A small package of digestives costs almost six dollars at Stop and Shop, gas prices are through the roof, and I can’t just pop into a museum or just hop on the tube (although I do incorporate the word into daily conversation). I suppose it had to end sometime, but the stories, photographs, and memories from it are enough to last a lifetime.

PS. London, I miss you.

Well, my five months in London are just about over. First off, when did that happen? Second, I’m not quite sure what to think about it. My new home won’t be my home anymore but just another spot I’ve lived. No more tube rides, walks around the city, or visits to the museum but back to filling an expensive gas tank, driving to Shelton, and working a good ol’ summer job.

It’s reassuring to know that I can make it on my own in a city. Granted, I may experience my lonely bouts, but I’ve grown to be even more independent and confident. I still have my shy moments but I’m not ashamed to ask for help (or directions) when I need it. As much as it can be hassle and expensive to get into central London, Harrow has become my haven. My little box room is my space. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city I had my spot to call home in the busy, international city of London.

The couple days before Beth arrived, in addition to the several days she has been here so far, I’ve been able to visit some spots I hadn’t ventured to as well as some favorites. Before she came, I finally went inside Westminster Abbey. Walking around the church is like going on a history scavenger hunt. It is incredible whose entombed bodies you pass while just walking through the nave, transept, and other art history terms for the church. The area where the knights and princes sit may have been my favorite, just because they sit below their code of arms and flag. How cool would it be to have a designated seat with your own flag hanging above?! Poets corner with Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Chaucer, and just about every author I studied senior year of high school in British Lit., Handel tomb which when I passed I heard the Hallelujah Chorus (literally because I overhear one of those personal handheld tour speakers), Queen Elizabeth I, Charles Darwin, and the tomb of the unknown soldier were just some of the spots I found while wandering around. Out back I stumbled upon the quad for the boys’ choir school—it kind of looked like part of Oxford in the middle of central London. Overall, the Abbey was interesting to visit and I’m happy I eventually walked around inside—even if it took me the entire semester to actually pay to go in it.

Since Beth’s arrival I’ve revisited some of my favorite London spots since I’m intent on giving her a full tour of the popular destinations along with some of the hidden treasures. Had the weather been nicer so far we would have succeeded with our quest to visit a park a day however the cloudy, grey skies have put a slight damper on that part of our plan. I guess I’ll start with her arrival. Her plane landed just after midnight as the tube closed. Easy enough, she would just take the bus. After quite the few difficulties and the loss of service on her phone, she got on a different bus, rode in a black cab, and experienced the night bus in efforts to arrive at the Harrow Campus. Ok, she found the campus but the real test was to find me. Her phone didn’t work, the pay phones didn’t work, the hospital wouldn’t let her use the phone, the police were of no help, a British man’s phone wouldn’t work, and she couldn’t “see me in any windows.” Needless to say, I was worried about her since it was nearing 4am at this time. After dozing, calling Mom, and her calling me back just before 5am my time…I saw the sun was starting to rise so I decided to go for a little stroll around campus and to check the bus stop. Walking across the empty parking lot, I was told that I looked like a mirage coming toward her. After we both believed our eyes that we were actually looking at each other, we began to quite literally run across the empty lot at 5am to embrace. Since then, she hasn’t left my side from fear of getting lost in London…again.

After some sleep and showering (a phenomenon that is a significantly shorter pastime in Spain due to the drought), the next days were filled with walking and tube riding around the city. The first stop was, of course, Borough Market. The Tate Modern had quite interesting “games” and “concerts,” Primark was as busy as ever, and Africa Day took over Trafalgar Square. I finally saw the procession, changing of the guards, and actually saw the band play a selection of Billy Joel and Elton John from up against the Buckingham Palace gate. We walked from my favorite view from Trafalgar down Whitehall to my other favorite spot by Big Ben. We went out to dinner at my favorite “American” place, tried once again to get onto Platform 9 & 3/4, and visited Portobello Road during the week when it is like a ghost town. I’ve shown her the highlights, or my favorite spots, in the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, and the food hall of Harrods. And I’ve finally started to do some of my London tourist shopping that I have waited just about the entire semester to start for fear of never being able to stop.

Tomorrow morning I bid farewell to my suitcases as they are packed up for Dad to take back home. Along with that goes my computer, backpack of treasures (or presents!), and entire life for the past five months except for the carry on size suitcase I will travel with until June 17th. It’s incredible that there is room in those bags. However, the weight of some items makes up for the small pockets of open space. Let’s just say I refuse to go home without, quite literally, bringing a taste of England with me.

So, in exactly three weeks time I will be sitting at the diner replacing afternoon tea, cucumber sandwiches, and scones with milkshakes, grilled cheese, and nachos at the diner. I’m sure I’ll still be saying pound instead of dollar, I’ll miss riding the tube yet continue to work the word into daily conversation, and I’ll walk on the left hand side of the sidewalk but ride on the right hand side of escalators. I’ll say “sorry” with a different vowel pronunciation all while sharing endless stories and laughter with friends I haven’t seen since the first day of 2008. My five and a half months of living and traveling in Europe will become an endless supply of stories and memories.

Well, I guess I’ll end with a “Cheerio” and see you back on the other side of the pond.

I spend my days in the parks. And if it is raining, I go to the museum. And sometimes, depending on the day, I go to a market. I love the simplicity of that—the total ease and accessibility of both activities in London. However, I can’t wait to just drive. I know that after a week and when my gas tank nears empty I will be wishing I had the tube to hop on to arrive at my destination. I know I’ll miss that. It’s a lot of can’t waits and missings coming up. That, I am certain of. Wandering around making all my little stops makes me get nostalgic for the city that I have spent almost five months in. Little memories flood in once I step on a familiar street corner or wait on the right hand side of an escalator.

Besides for spending my time reading outside, well the first week on May when it was in the 70s every day (!), I’ve visited the Victoria and Albert Museum since some rain showers have returned. Affectionately called the V&A, one of their special exhibits was on artists’ books and journals! Of course, after my bookmaking class last spring, I absolutely loved the exhibit, especially the earthworks piece since I also wrote a research paper on the artist last semester. I still have a couple more museums to check out. I can’t believe after an entire semester I still have yet to visit all of the free ones. That, right there, shows the sheer size and quantity of London museums.

Last Thursday, my program director, Dan from Arcadia, took us out to an end of the semester afternoon tea. Next to the Kensington Palaces, we dinned in The Orangery in Hyde Park. Even though only a few people from the program showed up, the ones who did were the ones I enjoy. Thus, it was an enjoyable afternoon. We began with cucumber sandwiches, my first of the semester, followed by scones, and ending with our sweet cake dessert. Many cups of tea and many shared stories later we parted to our different parts of the city.

Over the weekend, I stopped at Borough Market (of course!) and I made my first trip to the National Portrait Gallery. I even went to the bridge by Waterloo, the Cans Festival Tunnel, where a special graffiti and street art exhibit featuring Banksy and others is winding down. Chelsea and I also went to Camden Lock. It’s funny, we didn’t have any intention of going there… it just kind of happened. Full circle since that was the first place we went together back in January. It’s funny how things work out like that without intentionally doing so.

Since Sunday was Stonehill’s graduation and I was an ocean away, I made sure to keep busy most of the day so not to think about it. It is mind boggling to think that now, I’m a senior. As of that Saturday it was exactly a month unlike I arrive back on US soil. Additionally, it was exactly one year until I graduate college (assuming it is the same weekend as this year). Wow. How did this all happen so quickly?! One month, one year… two drastic changes that are all to quickly approaching. Thus, I made sure I wasn’t in my room for the majority of the day. After going to Mass in the morning, I began my walk. The sun finally came out and it warmed up a bit since it has gotten chilly again. Without any thought of it, I passed six tube stops on the same street! Starting at Tottenham Court Road, I walked the entire length of Oxford Street until it turned into Bayswater Road by Hyde Park. I knew that section had an art market on Sundays so I just kept walking until I got there. I did take pit stops, in this store and that one. I sat in Hyde Park to eat my lunch. I strolled through the lively and loud Speaker’s Corner just after lunch time when everyone seems to be the most fired up. Taking advantage of the somewhat nice weather (nothing in comparison with the beginning of the month) I visited Big Ben before heading back to Harrow.

This week, saving some tube money, I’ve spent the majority of my time within walking distance of my room. Most notably Sainsbury’s and the laundry room. Funny, well not funny but interesting story. So, walking to Sainsbury’s I have to walk through the tube stop to get to the road on the other side. I notice that they gates are closed and no one is allowed to get on the tube. I keep walking to get out of everyone’s way just noting it as an inconvenience for those who need to get somewhere. On the way back I pause to check the announcement board. Now, I’ve heard of this happening all semester but hadn’t experienced it first hand. No sugarcoating, they just write the plain out truth. “There is no Metropolitan Line service between Preston Road and Northwick Park due to a person on the tracks.” It’s really a horrible thing but it becomes so trivialized that is actually becomes a bit funny. Now, I can say I’ve witnessed what so many people describe and tell stories about. Still, quite odd.

Last night, I went to see Billy Elliot—the Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre. The show was fantastic! The kids in it were absolutely great dancers. I wanted to see this show because one, I had recently watched the movie, two because it is one of the most popular shows playing in the West End, and three because it is set in England. It is always better when you see the show in the country it was written about. All the shows I’ve seen this semester, Spamalot, The History Boys, and now Billy Elliot are, I imagine, better here than at home because of the English history, wit, slang, and of course, accent that are authentically used. The end of the show was quite sentimental; it even got a few tears. Overall, it was a great show and I’m happy I went, even if I didn’t have anyone to question “what was your favorite part” on the tube ride home.

It’s surprising how many firsts I’ve been experiencing this past week. First trip here, first outing there yet I’ve been living in this city for almost five whole months. There is still a list of things I haven’t done, places I haven’t gone… it is kind of daunting actually. Let’s just hope Beth wants to do a lot of going here and there since it will be my last week in London. I DO NOT like the sound of that.

With essays handed in, internships completed, and small carry on suitcases packed, Chm and I were off on our 12 day adventure throughout Spain and France! Working with the different languages, we balanced each other nicely, never causing big strifes or upsets. Our trip was certainly eventful, let’s just hope I can recount it as incredibly as it actually spanned out…

Meeting up early Monday morning at Victoria, we hopped on the Easybus headed for Stansted. The first leg of the trip seemed almost effortless, arriving with the perfect amount of time for security and lunch, getting my suitcase past the weight limits, sitting in the seats with more leg room, and dozing on the short flight. All that was great and to top it off we arrived in warm, sunny Valencia! Finding our hostel, which was much better than the door we originally thought it was, we set our bags down in the brightest room I’ve seen! Before leaving London, I told Chm that I was going to wear my “bright shirt” for our first day in Spain. Our hostel room with its lime green walls, bright blue blankets, hot pink lampshades and curtains, and exuberantly bright orange door put me to shame. Nevertheless, we had a three person room to ourself, the middle bed perfect for dinnertime picnics! We walked to the town center to start exploring. Passing the Mercado Central, we went to the Plaza de la Reina. Eating helado by the fountain in La Plaza de la Virgen watching the children chase and feed the pigeons we felt like we were in our own San Marco. Since we never got to go to Venice it was a nice treat! As it was right on the edge of the plaza, we went inside the Cathedral and ended up climbing El Miguelete, the bell tower. I love being able to get a bird’s eye view of the places we visit. Valencia was dotted with colorful domes that reflected and captured the greens and blues of the sky. From the bell tower, we spotted an interesting looking building just down the street from our hostel. Before heading to the grocery store for dinner since we couldn’t find any restaurants open due to the different eating schedule, we took a stroll to the Torres de Quart. It used to act as an entrance way to the city, but now it stands as monument that looks reminiscent of chess pieces! Back in our room, we pulled out our Valencia book to plan the next couple days before heading to bed.

During our second day in Valencia the two of us recessed into childhood. Before getting on a tour bus at la Plaza de la Reina, we quickly walked through the modern looking Mercado Central. Fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and anything else you could need for a meal are sold in stalls throughout the market place. The set up, since it was inside, reminded me of how Harrod’s food hall is set up, but the prices and small family runs stalls were definitely more Borough Market-esque. Sitting on the top of the bus where we were the youngest passengers, we were able to enjoy the sun and wonderful smells of Valencia. The streets of Valencia are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Blooming flowering trees create a canopy of color and wonderful scents. There is so much greenery on each street that the city doesn’t feel as hectic or crowded. Additionally, the dried up river bed was transformed into a garden running thought the entire city. There are recreational areas, fountains, playgrounds, and plentiful benches for just sitting down and resting. Unlike London you don’t have to seek out a spot to rest, they are just everywhere! Passing the town hall and other important buildings, Chm and I were eagerly awaiting our arrival at L’Oceanografic! As the largest marine park in Europe, it was a definite activity of our trip. That, and the fact that we didn’t have time to go the aquarium in London. We spent a good majority wandering around to all the different climates learning about the animals and realizing that they understand more Spanish commands than we do! The seals and dolphin shows were definitely highlights. And I absolutely loved baby beluga. However, nothing compared with the 30meter shark tunnel. The two of us took one step into the tunnel and jumped back at the exact same instant after fully realizing that sharks were just two feet above our heads!! That room also housed Crush (!), Mr. Ray, and a Japanese animae looking sting ray. We were like two kids seeing these animals for the first time. We were so excited! But, unclear to us, no one else seemed to have an issue with the sharks swimming feet away and on the other side of a sheet of glass. We enjoyed ourselves but we were freaked out the entire time. Later on we visited the jellyfish, sea horses, sea dragons, and Dory and friends in the 70meter tunnel! Our trip to L’Oceanographic was definitely worth it! As part of the Cuidad de las Artes y las Ciencias, L’Oceanographic is close by to other interestingly designed buildings for, you guessed it, different art and science exhibitions and activities. One building in particular, L’Hemisferic, was designed to look like a human eye! Saying goodbye and thank you to our marine friends and walking past the rest of the Ciudad, we were off on our next mission…to find GULLIVER! On the bus tour map we saw that he wasn’t too far away and the picture we saw of him on a postcard intrigued us to go search for him! As I said before, Valencia has open greenery throughout the city, the Jardines del Turia. While strolling though it, enjoying the palm tree’s shade and cooling fountains, we succeeded in finding Gulliver in between the Cuidad de la Artes y las Ciencias and la Palau de la Musica! It is a huge person lying down, complete with a hat and sword. I haven’t read the novel, but apparently he is tied down by little people. In effect, the climbers on the playground become those people climbing the ropes and sliding down the slides. It was bit slippery in flip flops, but Chm made me climb it with her. Looking at our handy dandy map, we realized that we had already walked pretty far back towards the center of town. So, we headed back to see the Plaza de Toros. Unable to get inside and not really sure of our opinions of bull fighting, we just shopped in the local markets before heading to the Metro to go to the beach! After getting off at the wrong stop and walking further than we thought, we finally found la playa and put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea! It was so much colder than we expected! Holding out on getting dinner, we were just about famished by 8pm and still, no restaurants were visibly open! Thus, we headed back to the tienda del barrio for some good old peanut butter sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. Back at the hostel we learned dinner doesn’t even begin to start being served until 8:30. So close but not close enough.

For our last day in Valencia, we decided to head back to some of our favorite spots and return to the tour bus routes to take proper photos. In the morning we walked past the Ayuntamiento, or Town Hall, Teatro Principal, and Palacio de Justicia, or Court. Along the way we enjoyed our new pastime of people watching in each plaza and park we met along the way. Sitting near fountains and getting some sun, we enjoyed a relaxing morning with some shopping throughout. Chm obsessed with looking at every fan while I continued the postcard obsession. Before lunch we popped into Cortes Ingles, the Spanish store that I seem to equate with Primark. For lunch, we waited until 2pm, quite the feat for us! I swear I ordered pollo, chicken sandwiches, but the waitress returned with mystery meat and mayo. Not good. However, we can say we did eat at a Spanish lunch time! Making up for our unfortunate lunch, we headed back to our trusty fountain to get helado before setting off for the beach! After laying down for a bit on Chm’s big United Kingdom flag towel, we were too overblown with sand to stay much longer. Grabbing a disgraceful dinner (but still ordering in Spanish) we headed back to the hostel to hang out for a bit, check our email, and play some cards before getting a taxi for the bus station. There, we quickly made friends who helped translate for us. The man just kept saying 23 and I didn’t know if he meant that was the number of the bus or if it meant it is coming at 11pm. Once that was settled, and midway through telling Chm a funny story, another student asks if we are waiting for the bus to Granada. Sweet, he heard the story. But the funny thing was he too was studying abroad this semester and in Perugia, Italy, the same city as Alyssa, my roommate from Stonehill. He said her name sounded familiar. Crazy! After understanding the bus driver and his quick “adonde vas” questioning, we boarded the somewhat smelly bus for our nine hour ride through the night. Without too much trouble, yet annoyingly loud and bright hourly stops, we were on our way to reunite with the Granada girls!

Bright and early after an entire night on a bus and before the majority of Granada was even awake (or going to bed for that matter) we were greeted by our Granada tour guides, Beth and Sara Shea. On the phone the hostel owners seemed nice but for some reason we got there and the door was locked! We went to a little café across the street for some tostada and Cola Cao and still, no one answered the door! Luckily, we could leave our bags at Sara’s madre’s house for a couple hours while she gave us a tour of the city. Passing their school, multiple plazas, and the almost dry river, Chm and I were running pretty well considering our lack of sleep. Once Beth finished with colegio where she volunteers with highschool aged kids, she became our tour guide while Sara went to class. With her we got lunch and our first scoops of Tiggiani’s ice cream! With full bellies and entrance into our hostel which happened to be more like a hotel where you needed a key to enter, Chm and I were certainly ready for a siesta! After a well deserved and necessary nap, we met up with the girls who were headed to Deportes for a pick up soccer game with the rest of the kids in GRIIS, their program in Granada. After watching the game and being introduced to everyone, we headed to get more ice cream! Afterwards, Chm and I went to Beth and Keri’s house to learn how to make churros for the party later! The batter was temperamental since their madre left it out for a couple hours, but we figured it out and succeeded in making delicious churros in our assembly line in the narrow kitchen. Meeting some of their friends for a schwerma dinner, we tested the local sangria before heading to the GRIIS gathering at Jen’s. Their program in Granada is composed of a tight knit bunch, mainly from Stonehill and BC. That is one thing I wish my program had more of, community bonding and social time. I guess that is the difference between living in a huge city as opposed to a smaller community. For the evening, we got to mingle with everyone enjoying our churros, rice krispy treats, and oranges with cinnamon. At the end of the night, our beds never felt so good.

Sleeping in the next morning, we geared up for a relaxing day in Granada. Our plan was to have a picnic. Stopping at the local fruit markets and grocery stores, we made a picnic of strawberries, grapes, peaches, bananas, digestive like cookies, chips, and Fanta. After the little hike to get to the Carmen Gardens, a park-like area on one of the hills of the city, we enjoyed our delicious lunch. There was even a peacock garden there! Heading out before 2pm, since Carmen closes for siesta, we wandered down throughout the city to the other end to another park, Garcia Lorca. There we rested, reminisces, and relaxed. After talking about Stonehill and abroad for a good while (and getting really excited for senior year in Becket!), we tested out the exercise machines before heading to get a snack of churros. This time, we sat at a café and ordered them with chocolate rather than making them from scratch. Delicious. Beth and I got sodas, CocaCola Light to be specific since they don’t understand Diet Coke, and surprisingly they came with tapas! It wasn’t much, but a nice introduction. Wandering shops for a little while, we met back up with Beth, Sara, and Jen before getting pizza and literally running through the Albaicin to get to see the sun set. Through the old Arab barrio and past Sacramonte, we quickly got a view of the huge Alhambra before continuing down the narrow (and steep!) cobblestone streets to get a great view of the sun setting over the Sierra Nevada. Once we got there and were able to stand still, my feet started to feel it. Painful blisters quickly ensued; cobblestone roads and hills don’t mix well for me as I had already learned in Edinburgh. After the beautiful sunset, we walked down the mountain-ish hill through an incredibly painted graffiti area. There was even an image on the vertical parts of the steps! That takes talent! Before calling it an extremely enjoyable day, we stopped at a teteria for some delicious juices. I got a watermelon slushie. It was so refreshing and sweet. Instead of drinking an iced drink, like it was, it tasted like I was biting into a freshly cut piece of watermelon! A perfect ending to another perfect day in Spain.

Since the girls had a field trip with their program, Chm and I decided Saturday was the perfect day to visit La Alhambra. It is the biggest attraction in Granada and I learned about it my sophomore year of high school when we studied the region of Spain called Andalucia. Built by the Muslim rulers of Spain, the influence of Moorish art is seen throughout the palaces and fortress. As Christians later gained control in 1492 (thank you Spanish class), some of their artistic influences have been added. In order to see La Alhambra, Chm and I woke up super early to attempt and beat the lines. Clearly, being in line at 8am si not early enough. We got in one line after hearing it was for people without reserved tickets. Hours later we were still in line and the number of tickets allowable for the day was quickly diminishing. However, there was another line that moved significantly faster. The rough translations said it was for people with reserved bookings or those who knew their “secret code.” Assuming we needed a confirmation number, we stayed in the original line. Well, as I said, we were beginning to panic that we wouldn’t get tickets. I went up to one of the security guards and speaking solely in Spanish proceeded to ask my question four times, rephrasing it so I wouldn’t get it wrong. It turns out we didn’t need a confirmation number…just a pin number to our credit card!! Secret code, pin number. Some translation! Well, we finally got tickets but our entrance time wasn’t until 7pm and it was currently 10:30am and we just stood in line for two and a half hours! Walking up to la Alhambra isn’t an easy trip. It is atop a huge hill, typical since it is a fortress. We decided the only thing to do was walk down back into the center of town. We wanted to do some shopping but nothing was open yet, we were starting to get hungry but it wasn’t even close to lunch time. Thus, we just sat by the Isabella statue, which is a typical meeting place for the GRIIS kids, and Plaza Nueva. After another schwerma meal, come chips (Chm and I missed them!), and ice cream we did some more shopping, up and down the hilly street, before climbing it one final time. We had entrance to General life, the garden-esque part of la Alhambra at 2pm. Also, we could walk around the alcazaba or citadel where the military was originally stationed, and the Medina or general city area. Resting our tired and sore feet, we sat in one of the arch ways. I went to get a snack but instead of regular chips I came out with jamon flavored. Ham, really? On chip?! Needless to say, I quickly tossed them and tried one more time. Finally after a bit of waiting, sitting, and some burning, it was almost 7pm. The sun still shinning in the sky and it was finally our time to enter the Nasrid Palaces! Coincidentally, a tour group entered the same time as us. The guide spoke English so we casually walked around with them before they darted off. The palaces were beautiful. The intricacy of the Moorish designs, the complexity of the tile and mosaic placements, and the incredible ceiling decorations were just incredible. Once again, we saw the Albaicin from just about every window and arch way. Walking through the palaces we saw the Palace of the Lions (under contruction), the most famous archway, and Washington Irving’s writing room. I don’t even know how to describe the palaces they were just that cool to look at. Being rushed out since it closes at 8pm, Chm and I took a multitude of photos before realizing that we still had to walk down the huge hill to get back to the hostel. Oh no. My feet were dying due to the painful blisters. Not good. After a short time to change and relax, we met back up with the girls so Chm and I could get dinner. Then we went for tapas. If you order one drink, which turns out to be cheap because we are in Spain after all, you get a small snack or appetizer. We ordered tinto de verano and were given a potato tapa. Funny because we just had loaded potatoes for dinner! On our way to meet up with some of the other kids in the program, we stopped at one of their hangout spots, Chupies, which was empty since it was only 10pm and no one goes out until around midnight. Once we had a taste of what they experience in Granada, we headed to meet up with the others and share a tube of tinto de verano while playing games and enjoying each other’s company. Once again, our beds never felt so good.

After an incredibly busy day, Chm and I were a little sluggish the next morning. Additionally, my feet were absolutely killing me. With attempts to heal the blisters in order to be able to continue walking, Chm came to the rescue. Once we started out, we went to an Arab market on the outskirts of town. The vendors would scream their prices, trying to entice you to come over. Actually, I didn’t want to get any closer to the yelling. That practice is certainly not put into use in London, markets may be crowded but they are much more low key. I have to say, I appreciate that about the British, their reserved nature is somewhat comforting. After a banana snack, we hopped on the bus back to the center of the city to go to Mass at the Cathedral. It was absolutely freezing in there! Elaborately decorated but freezing! After lunch and, of course, more ice cream (in the upcoming days Chm and I went through ice cream withdrawal!) we leisurely made our way back to Garcia Lorca. Once we laid down on the grass, not a word was spoken and we were all asleep within five minutes. It was a lovely hour long siesta under the trees. When we all finally woke up again, because the sun moved and it was chillier in the shade, we were entertained by just people watching… or in our case little girl watching. I think she was just as entertained by us as we were by her! Hours and many laughs later, we returned to the upright position leaving the park and heading towards Table Games. They are cafes where you can play any board or card game; they have almost everything. We relaxed with our Cola Caos while playing cards before we had to say our “see you laters” to our wonderful tour guides since they were expected home for dinner. After another “disgraceful” dinner with Chm, we packed up at the hostel to be prepared to catch an early, but this time much shorter, bus to the airport for the last leg of our adventure—Paris! So overall, I loved, loved, loved Spain! After learning about the culture for so many years in school it was rewarding to experience it first hand. I could draw some connections to Peru while sharply contrasting it due to its seat within Europe. As much as I enjoyed my time there witnessing the traditions, purchasing a number of handcrafts, enjoying the helado and tinto de verano, participating in siesta, soaking up the sun, and starving due to the different eating times, I don’t know if I would be able to adjust to the culture and schedule for an extended period. However, I would love to travel to different regions, getting a feel for them and their unique cultural traditions.

On day eight, we survived our stay in the Spanish speaking land without too much confusion—now it was Chm’s turn to test her French knowledge. After the flight and RER ride to our new neighborhood, we arrived at our hotel (yes, we splurged this time!) in the Montparnasse area. After settling in and finding the nearest grocery store for later, we headed to the typical first tourist destination of Paris… the Eiffel Tower! Upon arrival in Paris, I wasn’t yet thrilled with the city. I guess I had preconceived notions of the tourist parts and snobby French attitude. The closer and closer we got to the Tower, the more they disappeared. From far away, it just looks like heavy metal structure pointing up among much shorter buildings. Standing underneath, you see the golden color and the intricate craftsmanship that created it. Sadly, the wind picked up and the sideways rain began. So after a ham and cheese croissant lunch, we ducked into the nearest Metro to escape the rain and find a new destination. Arriving at Notre Dame, Chm and I quickly found one of our favorite Parisian spots. Sure, we learned about the Cathedral in Art History, but the inside of it is just incredible. The vaulted arches in particular. Circling it outside, we saw some gargoyles and the all important flying buttresses. Notre Dame is situated on a little island in the middle of the Siene River, so we walked to the end of it, Point Neuf to see the little lovers’ park and bridge. Crossing the bridge we stopped at the St. Michel Fountain, a spot we were sure to return to. Quickly growing tired, we stopped for our first of many visits to Monoprix for baguettes, mozzarella, and tomatoes for our hotel picnic while watching German news, French Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Novella Star. Feeling a bit under the weather, possibly due to allergies but who knows, I had an early night. My love for sleep sure doesn’t disappear in different countries. I may push myself to stay awake to enjoy myself and do new things, but every once and while an eleven hour sleeping period does the body wonders.

We decided we would get up bright and early to try and beat some of the tourist lines. Well, for our first stop we thought we did. We arrived at the Louvre and there was barely anyone in the courtyard. After some investigation, we learned that along with most of the museums, the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Crossing the Seine, we made out way to Musee D’Orsay. We knew it was open due to the line extending around the block. We stood there, inched up, made friend with the Brits behind us, and stood some more. The line wasn’t monitored well since we were almost in the roped off section and suddenly a whole loop was cut out. Lines merged, it was chaos. Our British friends told us to pivot around the poles, cutting some people off. Everyone around us, that got cut, seemed to become a mass of people banding together and all working to take back what we lost. Group bonding, museum line style. Once we got inside and saw the size of it we had to make a game plan. We headed for the impressionist and post impressionist rooms since that is what the D’Orsay is known for. Coincidentally, that is one of my favorite periods of art. It was also interesting to see the Chat Noir and French theatre exhibit. After spending a good amount of time walking around to just about every room and seeing the highlights and a lot of pieces I studied with Sheckler we decided we had seen enough art for one day. It’s nice going to museums with Chm because we both are equally as interested. We don’t feel like we need to rush going through the rooms since we both enjoy it. For that reason, we were a great duo in Paris. Heading to the Montmartre area we quickly stopped outside Moulin Rouge before visiting the Sacre Cour. This church is seated high up on a hill. Climbing the steps to the top, we decided the outside of it is much more interesting than other churches we’ve visited. However, after walking around inside, Notre Dame still takes the gold. After a bit of shopping and postcard searching, we headed back to the St. Michel Fountain to find the 3 Euro panini and soda place recommended by Beth Doyle, a friend who studied in Paris last semester. It was very easy to find and extremely centrally located. Of course, the price was perfect too! We also walked down one of her favorite streets wandering in to a local boulangerie to test the pastries. Since we had plans to climb the Arc de Triumph at sunset and that wasn’t for a few hours, we went back for a little rest and email check before heading back out. The Arc de Triumph was another highlight. Of course we studied it, but its location in the city is just…picturesque. It is at the end of the Champs Elysses and it is the roundabout point for eight streets. Once at the top, we had an idea view of the streets and the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the city from above while the Eiffel Tower was sparkling was surreal. I believe it was at this point in the week that I developed my obsession for taking pictures of it while it is lighted from within and sparkling. Even thought we were exhausted, we were thankful that we went back out to climb the Arc and equally as grateful that it didn’t rain while we were at the top.

Day ten and still plowing through, we rose early again to climb the Eiffel Tower. We experienced some rain and wind while waiting in line but we managed to get on the first elevator up to the top! On the third floor, the highest one, we experienced a wind tunnel on one side, cloudy skies on another, drizzle on the third, and sunshine on the last. Obviously, you can guess where we took pictures from. Chm and I seem to balance each other on the whole heights issue. She doesn’t like climbing man made structures, I freak out on hills and mountains. I’d have to say we were pretty composed on the Eiffel Tower, except for the elevator rides, those were intense. Once we walked around all the different floors and arrived safely on the solid ground, we walked across the street to the Trocadero for some pictures as well as walking through the Jardin Des Tuileries. It started raining then. The whole trip we were joking about our romantic getaway together. It was the perfect time for that picture—the two of us, under an umbrella with the Eiffel Tower in the background through the haze. How picturesque. After escaping the rain in a café for lunch, we were determined to go back to the Louvre. Let me just start out by saying it is completely massive. There was no hope to even attempt to see the whole thing. Additionally, you couldn’t even get close enough to the actual art work to thoroughly enjoy it. I found I took more photos of the crowds surrounding the major pieces like the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and Mona Lisa than I did of that actual artwork. I was thrilled to see the world renowned pieces, but the huge crowds certainly made it a bit harder to enjoy and study. At one point, Chm and I took a reflection picture in a mirror around a little corner. A man stopped to see what we were taking a picture of… surprise! Just our pretty faces! We did our best to make it through as many of the galleries as possible, but it was evident that we both were getting tired and exhausted from walking. In addition the huge crowds made it stuffy and very warm. We gave in and got a cool Starbuck’s drink to cool off with. I know, I want to hold out but at least I didn’t pay for it in pounds. Exiting through the pyramid, we were greeted with ominous looking skies. We had intended to walk down the Champs Elysses to see the Arc de Triumph in the daylight but a sudden hail storm quickly changed out minds! Ducking under and archway and finding the nearest Metro we rode down two stops were we came aboveground to blue skies. Paris weather is, dare I say it, more temperamental than London! Passing the ritzy, expensive stores, we succeeded in seeing the Arc in daylight and once again, without rain. Growing even more tired after our busy day, we enjoyed another hotel picnic while playing along with the French participants of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I’d sure love to win here since the prize is in Euros!

Thursday was out day designated for a trip to Versailles. Sadly, to our surprise, the palace was closed but thankfully we were still able to see the jardins. They were so perfectly symmetrical and arranged. After a morning in zone 4 (they always have special things!) we headed back to our trusty panini stand. We wanted to climb Notre Dame, but that too was closed. We later realized and researched that May 1st or May Day is a holiday and that is why people were selling flowers one every street corner. The lily of the valley is a good luck charm and symbol of springtime. Also, it reminded me of Gram’s back rock garden. When we bought our dinner later we were sure to pick up our very own French good luck charms. However, before that, we visited the I Love You Wall in Montmartre. It is a wall in a tiny little park that is covered with I love you in supposedly all the languages of the world. It’s a very cute idea and of course Chm and I took pictures in front of it. It isn’t one of those typical tourist destinations but Chm heard about it when she went to Paris in highschool so, like Gulliver, we just had to find it! From there, we walked down the street to the Sacre Cour area for some shopping. Back at the room after a very enjoyable nap, we walked around the Cemetery of Montparanesse where Satre and Man Ray, among others, are buried. We also had a clear view of the only skyscraper in Paris located just a few blocks from our hotel. After yet another picnic dinner, some authentic baguette fighting, and email checking, we made our way back to the Eiffel Tower to watch it sparkle one last time. It was quite the romantic outing in the jardin… good thing Chm and I had each other! The sky behind the Eiffel Tower looked so awesome that night. I love the pictures but I don’t know if they can even do it justice. I feel like that summarizes all my pictures. They are great for memories and sharing but so much of this semester is made up of you had to be there moments. I constantly feel like I’m forgetting things. I just hope little things will jog my memory and remind me of little conversations or funny jokes that were shared and experienced throughout this whirlwind of a semester.

Day twelve. We made it! Since our flight didn’t leave until later in the afternoon, Chm and I decided to climb Notre Dame one last time. And was it worth it! Up top, we got to hang out with the gargoyles and other creatures. It made me really want to watch the movie the Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as Mary Kate and Ashley’s Passport to Paris among others. We climbed the bell towers, sadly didn’t meet Quasimodo, but enjoyed seeing the skyline one last time before our au revoir to Paris. That along with bonjour, merci, pardon, and excusez-moi was all the French I mastered. I didn’t even get oui down since I was so used to saying si. I made that mistake multiple times within one minute at a bakery. So, before beginning our travel back to home sweet England with less language confusion, we had our fill of crepes, croque monsour, pain aux raisins, and paninis. Tacos were awaiting us after long custom lines and bus rides and tube trips back in London! I can successfully say I’ve either flew into or out of every major airport in London. Another check for the to do list of London is completed.

You might think that once we got back to England it would be time to relax and enjoy Chm’s last few days in the country. We did enjoy them but once again we were back on buses visiting other cities. The beginning of the semester I signed up for a day trip to Brighton with Arcadia. Luckily, I was able to bring Chm along as my guest. Once in Brighton, we visited the Royal Pavilion before exploring for the rest of the day. They gave us those silly headsets with slow commentary to listen to. I preferred just to look around myself considering we exited and entered a new room before the commentary was finishing their introduction. After that, we saw part of the parade since it was the first day of the May Day celebration. The school kids were all in their “fancy dress” for different board games! It was a clever idea! Heading down to the beach to get lunch our feet had to make a quick adjustment to rocks! That’s right, no sand. The Brighton beach is just rocks! Hannah, some other Arcadia kids, and Chm all got fish and chips, how typical. After walking around the Pier and town, we headed back to the rock filled beach to people watch and take a nap. At times the sun was warm but when clouds floated past it was quite chilly. Certainly, not like our previous beach weather. Getting back to Harrow after a bus ride that took far too long, Chm and I settled down to watch Harry Potter in preparation for our next day’s outing to Oxford!

Taking full advantage of her last day in England, Chm and I planned to meet Ashleigh at Oxford. She studied there last fall and was currently visiting from Grenoble, France, where she is studying for the spring semester. Boarding the Oxford Tube and taking a short nap, we quickly arrived in one of my favorite English cities. I visited there a couple months ago, before I really traveled anywhere else, and now I was back! It sort of reminds me of Edinburgh without the hills. After signing up for a walking tour, Chm and I ate a delicious pancake brunch at Giraffe, a restaurant we spotted at Stansted Airport but never had time to eat it. Obviously, we just had to eat there. It was very cute with its “Live Eat Love” slogan; however, they probably didn’t like us too much because we paid with so many coins since Chm had a huge semester’s worth stock of them! Once thing we learned about each other is that neither of us get sick of going in tourist shops! And that is just what we did until our tour started. Walking around the city, we were able to learn a bit of history about the different colleges within Oxford University as well as some of the university buildings. Sadly, we didn’t go into Christ Church to see the Harry Potter scenes, but we did get to see the quad, chapel, and dinning hall of Oriel College. I’m happy with my decision to study in London seeing that so many things were at the tips of my fingers, but Oxford would have been incredible. I still have a slight obsession with it and I don’t think it is going to die down soon. Later on, we met up with Ashleigh for tea and an insider’s tour of the cute streets, shops, and Christ Church Meadows. Thankfully, the rain held out to just about an hour or so before we got back on the bus.

Seeing Chm off to Heathrow on Monday was quite rough. Going from constant twenty four hour, seven days a week Chm companionship for fourteen days to nothing is quite the shock. It is bad enough my room is quite, but I can’t get “Bleeding Love” out of my head! As for the rest of this week, it has been catch up week. Catch up on sleep, making lists of things I still want to do in London but haven’t had the chance to do and lists of more preparations, and of course, writing this massive update! I witnessed the British student’s think it was summer outside when it just started getting to 70 in the afternoon, I watched some pickup football games from my kitchen window, I did some shopping at Covent Garden and some eating at Borough market, and I rested in Regents Park and Green Park. Only two weeks until Beth comes, thank goodness I won’t have to spent too much more time alone since everyone is still traveling or packing up to go home. Speaking of home, I miss you all! Since Chm left it has been a little rough but a month and a week and we can celebrate my return to the US. I’m sure by then I’ll be crying over missing London and Europe so much.

Phew, that was a massive update! Hope you enjoyed traveling with me!

I can officially say that I am done with my junior year of college. Wow, that is completely surreal. I am a senior?! When did that happen? Besides for finishing up my final essays and handing them in, the end of this week has been filled with little exciting activities.

Friday, I went with Chm and two of her flatmates to Greenwich. Our sole mission of the trip was to find the Prime Meridian and stand in two hemispheres at once. Beating the rain and staying dry, we quickly boarded the train for a short ride to Greenwich. Once there, we effortlessly followed signed for the Royal Observatory, walked through the Greenwich Park, and climbed the hill. There, we found the Prime Meridian and stood straddling the line. Mission Accomplished. It was a very Walk to Remember-esque when they stood in two states at once. At home, I have stood in two towns because the dividing line is in my friend’s front yard, but two hemispheres… that just sounds like a bigger accomplishment.

Giving the flatmates some time to themselves, I didn’t meet up with them again until Saturday night. That was when we had seder dinner for Passover, complete with matza pizza, soup, and a delicious apple crumb cake dessert. One of the girls is Jewish and cooked the feast for us! Since they all move out tomorrow, I spent the night there hanging out with the large group of them for the last time in London. That too is another surreal thing. They are going back home and I’m here for just under two more months! However, everyone is from the Northeast, so we’ll see if any reunions happen next year. I’m sure if Chm goes to visit anyone she’ll drag me along.

Now, it’s back to packing. It seriously is the part of traveling that I could do without. Twelve days is a long time period to fit into one carry on size bag!

Lectures and seminars are over, I have one paper left to write, and the majority of my friends are close to being done with their traveling. How on earth did the end of the term creep up on us all?! The past two weeks have been busy ones, but busy ones around London. It has been nice to be able to spend a solid amount of time in this city while having some friends visit. Finally, they got to see my home for the semester.

The first weekend of the month, Chm and I had the chance to meet up with Alyssa and her friend from home. I meet them at Tate Modern before going out to dinner. Although it was great to see Alyssa, it was also a relief that I didn’t have to play tour guide that weekend. We were able to hang out, catch up, and eat at my favorite “American” food restaurant. I seem to end up taking every visitor there.

Over the course of the next week I spent a good amount of time writing papers. I never realized how much I would rather take a test. Studying is far less time consuming than paper writing, for me at least. The one good thing about papers is that you can do it on your own schedule where as exams you have to be present at a certain time. However, getting yourself motivated to sit and write when there are so many other things you could be doing is the real trick. I don’t think I have mastered that either…

This past weekend was the big Jefferson visit to London! Mara, Kristen, Kathleen, and Susanne all came from different parts of Ireland to visit Chm and me. On Thursday I picked them up from Heathrow, having a Love Actually moment where they ran into my arms. Too bad we all didn’t jump on to the tube in time! Mara and I just had to loop around to pick them back up, oops! It was just like dejavu in Rome when Jen and Melissa didn’t have time to get off the Metro! I took them back to Chm’s flat to drop off their bags before going out to dinner at, once again, my favorite “American” place. Luckily, Chm’s intership meeting was shorter than she anticipated so she was there to greet us when we arrived back with our special surprise to make our own milk shakes! We saw them on the menu, and just couldn’t resist but we weren’t willing to pay the price. After some catch up time, Kathleen and I headed to Harrow since there weren’t quite enough beds at her flat.

Making our way to meet the others in the morning, I brought our visitors for a walk along the Thames past St. Paul’s, Tate Modern, and the Globe down South Bank to Borough Market. Of course no trip to Borough Market would be complete without a chocolate brownie! Encountering a downpour of hail we decided to head back to the flat to rework our plan and meet up with Chm who just got out of work. Luckily, by the time we go back there the sun was out! Taking a quick break, we were back out showing them more of the city. Our first stop, Trafalgar Square, was where we finally climbed the lions. Let’s just say getting up on the base isn’t an issue, but getting on the lions is quite tricky and terrifying! Chm was quite a bit more scared than I was, surprising because of my whole dislike for heights. Luckily, having a large group made it much easier with people to give you boosts and pull you up. It is just one of those London things I felt like I needed to do! En route to Big Ben we stopped at the Horse Guard Parade to take the typical pictures with the perfectly still soldiers. Unknowingly, it was also time for the changing of the guard there! Perfect timing! Next, we walked through St. James Park where we met some friendly squirrels and pelicans all on our way to see Buckingham Palace. Sadly, the Queen wasn’t home and Kathleen’s hopes for having tea with her were shattered. But, our next stop outside Westminster Abbey perked her up a bit. She recreated Joey the “going into the map” scene from Friends. After photos of Big Ben we walked around by the Eye waiting for sunset (which was taking far too long after the time changed). Without waiting any longer we rode the London Eye, this time the sky was perfectly blue and I could see all the way to Wembley Stadium. It was much nicer having a feel where everything was in the city rather than riding it my first week in London, certainly the clear sky helped too. Heading back to Chm’s for dinner and the evening, we were all happy to be surrounded by friends from Jefferson…and soon to be Beckett!

Saturday we began our day by taking the typical phone booth photos. Chm had seen a grouping of three over by her university so we headed there to escape the busy streets (and thousands of people awkwardly staring at us). Once on the tube, we headed for King’s Cross to attempt to get through Platform 9 3/4. Muggles must have seen us because we weren’t able to get all the way through! Heading to Portobello Road we got delicious crepes and walked around a bit before encountering another downpour of hail. Thankfully we were right by a shop close to the tube so we were able to round the corner without getting too soaked. But once again, by the time we got off the tube at Harrods, the sun was back out. Apparently my other trips to Harrods weren’t up to par because we wandered through so much of that store that I didn’t even know existed… including a pet shop! Back at the flat we once again cooked dinner and hung out Chm’s flatmates for the night. More were around than we expected because some of their plans for Paris were booked incorrectly. However, it was an extremely fun night with the Ireland girls. We tried to get into O’Neils (which had a cover for the first time ever…lame!) and then went to Waxy O’Connors by Leicester Square. We momentarily lost K and Kristen in McDonalds and later Kristen had a little encounter with the sidewalk. Let’s just say this night was filled with memories.

Up too early for our liking, we got ready to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham. Due to the rain and London Marathon we didn’t see much guard changing, but we were there when an American runner broke the record for the US! Seeing some of the winners run past the last bend, we headed to Tower Bridge before the rain picked up again. We ate lunch, some girls getting fish and chips, before attempting the jumping photos. This is a thing that Mara, Kristen, and Susanne have done in every country they visited except their first trip, Scotland. This weekend we had a chance to join in on the hilarity. Before walking across Tower Bridge we got ice cream! Our next stop was Oxford Street for some souvenir shopping. This made me realize how many London things I really want to buy! Then we went to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park before calling it a day and going home to our pasta and blueberry buckle!

Kristen, Mara, and Susanne were up early to catch their flight and Chm when to work, so K and I slept in before getting on the tube and parting ways. It was a really, really fun weekend with them. It was the first time I really got to show off my city for the semester and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy it! And it didn’t rain nearly as much as it did when we were all together in Galway and Rome. Right off the bat that makes everyone have a much more enjoyable time. I guess I’ve perfected my tour guide skills for when Beth comes next month! But for now, its back to procrastinating my last paper of my study abroad term and junior year before heading off to Spain and France!

So, March is over?! And tomorrow is my last day of lectures?! When did April get here and how did March pass so quickly?! I knew it was coming but it passed even quicker than expected. Besides for going to lectures and seminars, I took a free tour of the BBC Television studio on Wednesday and I spend this past weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland visiting a friend who graduated Stonehill last June and is currently finishing up grad school at the University of Edinburgh.

Getting on an early Friday morning train at King’s Cross, Hannah, another Harrow student, and I began the four and a half hour ride up Great Britain. The weekend had a Harry Potter theme and fittingly so did its London beginning even though we didn’t depart from Platform 9¾. Arriving in Edinburgh at lunch time, Duffy greeted us at the Station and began our walking tour of the city en route to his flat. While walking through New Town to get to Old Town and back to his flat, Duffy showed us some spots off the beaten path. Our first stop was to see Dolly the cloned sheep who is stuffed and unnecessarily rotating in a glass box in a museum. Then he took us though the University of Edinburgh’s campus. In one of the university buildings we saw elephant bones and the largest jaw bone (of a blue whale) I have ever seen! He also brought us into the room he graduates in; completely grandeur is the only way to describe it. It sure isn’t the Stonehill SpoCo! Above one of the university building entrance doors is a relief sculpture that may be influenced JK Rowling’s creation of the Sorting Hat. When Edinburgh students graduate, a piece of extremely old cloth is placed over their heads. Once back at his flat, reminiscing about Peru, and letting Hannah and Duffy get acquainted, we set back out to see more of the city. We walked to the Edinburgh Castle (attempting to get in for free) and minding not to step on the heart in the sidewalk on our way, visited a graveyard and castle that Hogwarts may be based upon, and saw a real pirate working in a shop! After stopping for food, we continued our personal walking tour climbing Calton Hill where the Observatory, Nelson’s Monument, and a Scottish-Greek Parthenon was started to be built then halted due to lack of funds. While walking there, it began to rain but five minutes later, the sun was shinning and a double rainbow crossed the sky. The rainbow ended on a house—I wonder what is hidden in there! Wasting a little time before we were to meet up with some of Duffy’s friends at the Blind Poet, we saw the Queen’s Palace and the horribly designed Parliament building with bamboo and elements looking referential to guns. Duffy’s university friends welcomed us in and invited us to a rugby match at the Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh versus Cardiff Blues. The Welsh team won. Stopping at a Chipper after the match, I tried some authentic Scottish food, haggis. After walking all over in search of somewhere ‘suitable’ to go, we ended up walking back to his flat where we just hung out and talked for a good majority of the night. Even though he and Hannah had just met, nothing was awkward and they were getting along great! A big relief to me, the middle man. Giving up his bed and a lot of blankets (one thing I miss from my Stonehill bed!) for Hannah and I, he slept out in the sitting room on the pull out couch when we had the big bed! I love how I haven’t had to resort to the floor when visiting anyone yet!

Our goal for Saturday was to climb Arthur’s Seat which is in Holyrood Park next to the Salisbury Crags and thankfully the weather held out for us! I guess when I over pack and bring the necessary rain gear, the weather decides I don’t need it! I should have learned that two weeks earlier. So, climbing… we pretty much took the path directly up the side of the mountain/hill/cliff-ish mound. Midway to the flatter top portion I started to freak due to the sheer height and fierce wind. With a lot of reassurance and faith, we kept climbing upwards. 250.5 meters later we had made it to the top of Arthur’s Seat! Holding on for dear life and not getting to close to the edge, I reveled in the accomplishment. It was an adventure because despite the numerous times Duffy climbed it he had never taken that path before. However, we did take the easier, but longer, path down all the while being passed by world class cross country runners and middle aged hikers bounding up and down the hill. Then we meandered, sore feet and all, to the Mosque where we had a good, cheap lunch. After having our fill, we headed for the National Gallery of Scotland. Finally, someone that I could let out my art history dork-ness with. In London when I go to museums and galleries no one really talks when walking though the different rooms. This was a well welcomed change filled with stimulating, interesting, and engaging conversation! Of course, the impressionist rooms were my favorite, but that was a giveaway. After an exhausting morning we had intended to go to The Elephant House but being to busy from all of the Harry Potter hype, we went to another tea house which is rumored to be JK Rowling’s new spot. Upon resting our feet and getting warm, the sky was growing darker by the second. We determined it would be the perfect afternoon for a nap! Ok, you might not expect to go to another country, take an over an hour long group nap, play the ‘who is the most relaxed’ game, and then proceed to sit in the same room for over 10 full hours just talking and listening to music. Oh, but we did. After waking up, that is Hannah, Duffy, his flatmate Dave, and I, after over an hour nap we just sat and talked. While Dave went to the library, we didn’t budge an inch. It was a group where we could say whatever, the topics flowed from one to the other and there was never really a dull moment. At some point, Duffy cooked dinner because we gave all hope of putting our shoes back on to venture out to get food. And of course the clock change provided the time to fly past even more quickly. Next thing we knew it was 5am and we were still in the sitting room, drinking tea, listening to music and the boys playing the guitar, and just talking. It was just one of those comfortable, relaxing evenings.

After too few hours of sleep, we were once again up trying to plan our final day in Edinburgh. Originally, Duffy was supposed to have baseball practice (Yes, Edinburgh has a baseball team. And yes, he is probably the best on the team considering its status as an American sport). But to our advantage, it was cancelled and our tour guide was still around for the early afternoon! It was time for the traditional tourist shopping and in the mean time we took a few more photos while walking on the Royal Mile. After making our purchases, we headed back to The Elephant House. Now, this isn’t any tea house. It is THE place where JK Rowling sat in the back sitting room with a view onto the Edinburgh Castle and a graveyard while she wrote Harry Potter. Due to this little fact, the place is overrun with tourists at certain times of the day and with students and writers at others. We each got a pot of tea, something I have grown to love during my time abroad. Similar to Rowling’s writing, we ‘read’ our tea leaves just like Ron and Harry did! The Elephant House was just very relaxed and chill, very comfortable. Maybe that is why Rowling liked it so much! And it definitely had a great pot of tea! With a couple hours left in the Scottish city, we walked through the Princes Street Garden to see a home that literally is IN the park with a great view of the castle. On our way back to Duffy’s flat we walked up and down a million stairs due to the different ‘layers’ and built in bridges of the city. On minute you will thing you are at ground level then step past a building and notice you are actually on a bridge with another street level below! We stopped en route for another traditional Scottish food. It is no wonder the Scottish have such high heart attack rates—the fry everything from pizza and cheeseburgers to hot dogs and haggis. Those didn’t appeal to us so we had a fried battered Mars bar! It was delicious with all the melted chocolate but I felt like I was slowing digesting my death. Collecting our bags and stopping at Tesco for some train food, we headed to Waverly to say see you later to Duffy (who is coming to London in a few weeks to stay with other Stonehill grads). I love how Stonehill is all over Europe!

What I loved about Edinburgh was the eased pace of life. I’m sure it was a combination of the people I spent the weekend with as well as the city itself. People get where they need to be, but the hustle and bustle is nothing to the extent of London. This isn’t a slight against London as I am extremely thankful for its myriad of activities, but the calmer, more relaxed pace of life in Edinburgh is something I could easily and swiftly adjust too. It is a city, so there are things too do and see, but overall if it is rainy outside you don’t feel bad just staying indoors and hanging out listening to music.