Nostalgia

I've been feeling pretty nostalgic lately, for several reasons.

At the Mayan ruins of Tulum 

The first, and probably most immediate, is that I'm having a hard time believing that it's now been more than a year since I left for my study abroad experience in England. It was a wonderful period of time, where I met new people and saw amazing sights. I frequently consider the merits of buying a plane ticket to go back, despite the great expense.

Going on a cruise in the Carribean over winter break has helped with the desire to travel a least a little, especially considering that it was warm and beautiful while it was cold back home, but I definitely still want to travel so many other places in the future. I've been to Europe a couple of times (and still seen only some of the many sights available) and, as of this December, I've touched on a very small part of South America; however, I've never been to so many other places, and I hope to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way in the future to see a bit more of the world.

Another piece of nostalgia is the fact that this is my final semester at William & Mary. It's hard to think that it has already been almost four years since I began as a freshman and had no idea what a wonderful community I would build here. I love being a student here because of my friends, and because of the opportunities for new experiences (in classes, in clubs, and even studying abroad). I don't yet know what will come when I graduate in May, but I'm sure it will also be amazing if my time at William & Mary is any indication. However, I'm don't know where I'm going to find a group of friends as awesome as my friends in Spotlight Show Choir...so I suppose I'll just have to come back to visit everyone as frequently as possible (potentially to the point where they're a little sick of me, but such is life).

Not only does the idea of graduating make me feel nostalgic for my freshman year, I also feel
nostalgic for my childhood, because graduating from college seems like a landmark for growing up
and taking on new responsibilities. I don't know if I'm ready to think of myself as an adult quite yet, luckily I have quite a few months to get used to the idea.

Homeward Bound

So: This is it.

I'm sitting in the airport, waiting for our gate to be listed, and trying to find the words to sum up this experience. I will admit to having felt some apprehension before leaving about how well I would manage being away from home for so long a period. I do not generally tend towards homesickness, but I've never been so far away before. 

However, everyone is always saying that a study abroad is a life-changing and wonderful experience, and they are certainly not wrong. I do not regret for a moment my decision to come here, even if it does mean that I have had one less semester to spend at William & Mary. I loved living in Exeter almost as much as I have loved Williamsburg, and I am as sad to leave it behind as I will be come next spring and graduation.

I made so many new friends: students from the University of Exeter, other exchange students from around the world, and even some from back at William & Mary whom I might never have met otherwise. I saw new places, both in the British Isles and in continental Europe. Although I certainly hope that I will have more opportunities to travel in the future; I still have a very long list to get through, and quite a few continents that I haven't even begun to explore.

I think that being here has taught me so many things about myself that I never knew. 

I can survive on my own in an unfamiliar place, helpful knowledge, considering my looming graduation and entry into the real world. When traveling, and probably just in general, you will get lost and things will not work out the way you had planned, but if you just relax, things do work out. People are nicer than you expect. 

There's also the little lessons: learn some of the language (be it an entirely new language or just some changes in slang), don't overpack (you need less than you think), take advantage of the opportunities you are given, and above all, don't panic.

After this, I am no longer so worried about how my life will change after I graduate; I know I can handle what comes my way.

I am a bit sad to be leaving, but I also think that I am ready to go home. I plan to put my new life lessons to good use and to be much braver than I was before. Over the past few months I have realized how much there is to see back home, and how little of it I have seen.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I get another chance to travel abroad; but if it is, I will simply have to find some new adventures closer to home!

The Last of My Days in England

The day we traveled back to England from Ireland was the day that felt like it might never end.

We woke up at around 3:00 that morning and loaded the car up, before making the three-ish hour drive down to Dublin to meet our 8:30 ferry to Holyhead, Wales. We made good time and arrived with nearly an hour to spare before boarding, an hour we filled with caffeine and blank stares. The ferry itself was all right, if a bit rougher than ithe way over had been. Once again we had booked premium tickets, so I interspersed cups of tea with naps curled up in my little armchair.

Upon arrival in Holyhead, we made our way across Anglesey Isle and up the coast a little, to Conwy Castle. We parked on the far side of the city from the castle itself and walked most of the way on the old city walls. The castle was really interesting, although mostly an empty shell of stone at this point. The views of the sea from the towers were beautiful, plus I found some remaining stained glass in the chapel!

After leaving Conwy, we drove back down the coast a bit and made another stop at a castle. This one was Caernarfon Castle, and it looked to be in slightly better shape than Conwy, at least from the outside, and we did not actually end up going in. Instead, we took a few nice pictures of the outside, and of the surrounding town, before finding someplace to eat. We all know that, no matter how beautiful, historic buildings must be found wanting when compared to food (especially considering that we were all absolutely starving). We ate at the Black Boy Inn, just down the street from the castle; I'm not sure if the lamb shank (my second of the trip) was actually a delicious as I thought it was, or if I was just so hungry that anything would have tasted amazing.

After those two stops, we pretty much just drove continuously on our way down to Exeter (which our handy GPS estimated would take us at least another five and a half hours). On the way we did drive through both the Snowdonia National Park (Doesn't that just sound like thename of a made-up kingdom for Barbies?) the Brecon Beacons National Park, which were both beautiful. 

I was thrilled when we finally made it to Exeter. We parked the car, dumped our bags in my flat, and walked down to our hotel. Michael spent the night in my flat, as our hotel would only sleep two, while Mom and I spent the night at the Royal Clarence Hotel out on the Cathedral Yard (we had a view of the Cathedral from our window). That night was the best sleep I have had in ages, bar none.

The next day I introduced my mom to the wonders of the Exeter Cathedral, which I think is the most beautiful we visited (not that I'm biased or anything), before grabbing breakfast and heading out on our trip for the day.

We decided to head out, driving through Dartmoor on the way, to Tintagel, on the coast of Cornwall. Tintagel is the legendary birthplace of King Arthur and the town definitely banks on that connection. Everything that possibly could had a name that referenced some aspect of the Arthurian legends (in fact we had lunch at the King Arthur's Arms after we walked back from the castle).

The castle itself, mostly ruins, was on a rocky outcropping into the ocean and the views were spectacular. First we walked down to the beach and into Merlin's Cave. We chose wisely, because when we came back from our adventures on the higher ground of the castle, the tide had come in and the cave was inaccessible. But my favorite part was the rocky cliffs jutting out above the ocean. I was glad to get some gorgeous pictures in, but mostly I just enjoyed sitting there.

The uphill trek back into town was a little unpleasant; it was a fairly hot day and we were probably still a little tired from our long journey the day before. Once we got back in town, we found the first place that looked appealing and sat down to lunch. I had my last fish and chips of my study abroad.

We left Exeter the next morning; it was sad to say goodbye to the town that had been my home for e last five months, but luckily I had gotten the chance to say some last goodbyes already (I had run into Jen, Lucy and Simon the night before).

Our first stop of the day was Bath. It was just as beautiful the second time around, although we walked around a different part of  the city this time. We saw the Jane Austen Centre, the Circus (large town houses arranged in circular around a little park, and apparently inspired by the Colosseum), and some generally good examples of the beautiful architecture in Bath. Our one real stop was in the Fashion Museum, which Michael suffered through admirably. I loved looking at the clothes, but the best part was definitely trying them on. We were given the opportunity to try on a few different Victorian gowns and bonnets, as well as corsets and crinolines. I think I tried on all of the gowns that would possibly fit me, and the corset made my waist look amazing (although I will admit to some, by which I mean so so much, difficulty breathing while wearing it).

We continued our journey towards London and, on the way, visited Stonehenge (the second time for Michael and me) was still rather awe-inspiring, and once again the weather was perfect for the visit.

Although that was our last real stop, the day was certainly not over. Once we arrived at our hotel, a Jury's Inn near Heathrow, we unpacked the car and headed out to the rental lot to return it. I think we were all glad to be done driving on the opposite side of the road, and it was kind of relaxing taking the tube back to the hotel.

This morning we headed into the city, heading first to see the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Mom was especially excited to see the Tower Bridge because on her first (and only before now) trip to London there had been scaffolding covering it.

After that we headed over to St Paul's, which Michael was particularly interested in seeing. We walked around the church, enjoying the amazing mosaics and the neoclassical architecture for a while. We also climbed up the many stairs to the Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery, although we did not continue all the way up to the Golden Gallery, a decision my legs much appreciated. We had lunch at a nearby Pizza Express, before Michael left to grab his bags from the hotel and make his way to the airport for his flight back home.

Mom and I continued on to Westminster, where we saw the Houses of Parliament, as well as Westminster Abbey. The abbey was beautiful as well, although I will admit to a preference for St. Paul's versus the gothic architecture of Westminster (Mom had exactly the opposite preference, but to each their own). However it is still a close call, and I absolutely adore the stained glass windows, the detailing in the stonework, and the arches of Westminster.

The last thing on our agenda was to pay a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, although first we stopped into their cafe for afternoon tea (or coffee in my mom's case). The gallery was a wonderful as ever, and I could have spent at least twice the amount of time there than we were able to.

For dinner I introduced my mom to one of my favorite chains here, Wagamamas; then we headed back to the hotel, where I proceeded to pack frantically (this is always how I would characterize my packing, no matter how much time I spend at it, because I loathe it so very much) and then to write this very blog post. See: I can write posts in a timely manner. 

Tomorrow morning I will be leaving the UK and returning to the US, for the first time in more than five months. 

A Week in Ireland

On Tuesday morning we began the three hour drive down to the port for our ferry to Belfast. The drive itself was lovely, despite intermittent rain (although that certainly wasn't unsual). On the way we actually got a good look at Stirling Castle, and some pretty good pictures I think. We also got to see some amazing views as we drove through all the coastal towns on our way to Cairnryan.

The ferry ride itself was nice as well, especially since we got premium tickets and spent the trip in the Stena Plus Lounge. In any case, the trip was only about two hours, and before we knew it, we were on the road again, this time in Northern Ireland.

After arriving in Belfast, we went directly to the Titanic Belfast Museum, the exterior of which is intended to simultaneously evoke the iceberg and the prow of the Titanic. The museum left me feeling a bit drained, especially when you consider how much of that tragedy could have been avoided.

In need of a pick-me-up, we headed over to the Mount Stewart house and gardens. The house wasn't particularly impressive, partly because it was under restoration (lots of scaffolding); but the gardens were spectacular, and surprisingly Mediterranean feeling. In addition, the location of the house afforded some wonderful views of Strangford Lough.

To get to our flat in Belcoo, we actually had to head back through Belfast, which was lucky because this time we managed to stumble across some of the Unionist murals (those who supported Northern Ireland remaining with Britain), as well as one of the "peace walls" containing the Catholic neighborhood.

The flat in Belcoo was my favorite yet, not least because it provided a good Wifi signal (finally). It was actually located just across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, so all of our phones decided we had already crossed the border. Luckily the pub owner next door was willing to call our host so he could come meet us with the keys to the flat.

The next day we took advantage of the location and the sun, and walked around the park that could be seen from the windows of our flat. We even walked across the bridge and into the Republic of Ireland (which marks the first occasion on which I can say I walked into a different country). Later on, we drove into Enniskillen, where we saw the castle and cathedral, although we didn't actually stop at either.

On Thursday we got up fairly early, so that we could head up to the Causeway coast. We made our first stop at Mussenden Temple and Bishops Gate. The temple was originally built as library and is modelled after the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. Located right on the cliff's edge, the temple provides an amazing view of the ocean. The grounds of Downhill Estate, on which the temple is located, were full of rolling hills (there were definitely some "the hills are alive" pictures taken).

Next we headed further along the coast to Dunluce Castle, which was mostly ruins, located on an outcropping of cliffs above the ocean. What was cool was that you could walk down, almost to the water at the bottom of the cliff, and see a little cave running under the castle and into the ocean.

The final, and best, stop along the coast was obviously the Giant's Causeway, which was absolutely breathtaking. We also had enormous fun climbing around the various formations, which made me think of honeycombs. I picked up a necklace which imitated the pattern. This was probably my favorite stop of the trip thus far.

After that we decided to head home, because it was already past four, and the drive back would take at least another three hours. On the way back we drove through the Sparrin mountains, which were admittedly a bit more like giant hills, but still amazing to look at (not so amazing to drive through - hello motion sickness).

The next day we had a bit of a late start driving up to Derry (or Londonderry, depending on your perspective on the whole "Northern Ireland being a part of the UK" thing). Our first stop in the city was the Guildhall, which was the location of the Saville Inquiry after the events of Bloody Sunday.

After a quick lunch at a cafe near the Shipquay Gate of the wall around the city, we walked up onto the wall itself. The wall is the only completely intact city wall remaining in Ireland, as well as being the last city wall to be built in Europe. We walked along the wall for a bit, making a stop in St. Columb's Cathedral (the stones of the original cathedral are actually a part of the wall). We also walked down towards the Peace Bridge (which looks a bit like ship's sails passing each other) before getting back in the car.

We drove around the city for a bit, seeing several of the murals in the Nationalist (those who supported Northern Ireland becoming a part of "free Ireland") neighborhoods of Derry, the Diamond War Memorial, and the "Hands Across the Divide" Sculpture.

After leaving Derry, we drove up to the Inishowen peninsula, which was beautiful. We made a stop at Grianan of Aileach, a ring fort located at the top of one of the tall hills in the area. The height definitely allowed for some amazing views of the surrounding area, and the ring fort itself was pretty interesting.

The next day Michael wasn't feeling particularly well, so Mom and I headed out on our own. We drove all the way down to Galway and wandered around the town for awhile. We stopped in at the Thomas Dillon shop, the original makers of the Claddagh Ring, and I found a Claddagh necklace to bring home (I already wear two rings regularly and I don't really want to add another). We also walked down to the river and saw the Spanish Arch, which was originally a part of the city's walls and protected the quays. We had lunch at a pub in town before leaving the city.

On our way through the countryside we drove through Athenry, which is partly known because of an Irish folk ballad "The Fields of Athenry." We stopped to look around at Athenry Castle, as well as seeing remains of a stone gate.

Our next stop was Clonmacnoise, a collection of ruined temples, round towers, and (best of all) high crosses. Clonmacnoise is near the river Shannon and houses three high crosses. The best preserved is probably the Cross of the Scriptures, although I preferred the more abstract South Cross. One of the round towers is the only remaining tower in Ireland whose roof is unaltered.

As we headed back up to Belcoo, we made a quick stop at Boyle Abbey, which was pretty, but not quite as interesting as Jedburgh Abbey back in Scotland.

The day after that we took it embarrassingly easy, by which I mean we didn't do anything at all. Sometimes, even when you're traveling and want to make the most of everything, you have to take a break and just relax.

On Monday, our final day in Ireland, we decided to take it easy. We took the comparitively short drive of about an hour down towards Sligo to see Drumcliff, where Yeats is buried and the home of another round tower and high cross. This high cross was pretty interesting too, featuring carvings of Cain and Abel and the Fall of Man.

After Drumcliff we drove out to Rosses Point, which is the tip of one of the nearby peninsulas and which is home to a lighthouse and a monument called "Waiting on Shore" of a woman holding her arms out towards the sea.

We made a quick stop at the Creevykeel Court Cairn, before heading out to Carrowmore. Carrowmore has several examples of passage tombs and dolmans, and is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland, as well as one of the oldest (ranging from five and half thousand to six and a half thousand years old).

We tried to make a stop at Knocknarea, the tomb of Queen Maeve (or Queen Mab as she is better known), but the weather, and our footwear, did not really permit a hike uphill. On our drive back to Belcoo, we also saw the Glencar waterfall, which we had passed on our way down that morning but hadn't really noticed.

Overall, Ireland was spectacularly beautiful, even during the few rainstorms we experienced, and I will be sad to leave it behind. However, there is still almost another week in England left ahead.

Weekend in London

This entry is coming a bit late, and a couple more will follow, but it's been a busy couple of weeks so cut me some slack, kay?

Way back, on the 26th of May, I finally got around to packing up my room at the Printworks. I had been putting it off for as long as possible, meaning that I finally did pack on the day before I would be leaving for London. So basically I put it off for as long as I could possibly get away with. As anyone who knows me knows, I can't stand packing (or unpacking really).

It was weird going through all of the odds and ends I had collected over the course of the last five months, and deciding whether any of it was worth taking home, things like: museum tickets, magazines, and the incredible number of brochures and visitor guides I had brought back from my travels. I settled for keeping as few of these things as possible, but took pictures of the rest.

That evening, I had a goodbye roast with Jen, Lucy, Welmoed, Laura, Lina and Liv (Simon dropped by during the prep work, but didn't stay for the actual meal...although he did tolerate a hug goodbye). The roast itself was delicious and it was really great that we were able to get together again before I had to leave. I was a bit worried that I might not get the chance to see anyone when I come back through Exeter to actually check out of the Printworks (especially since I won't be sleeping there). It's been a really wonderful term with everyone, and it was sad to say goodbye, but I'm sure we'll keep in touch.

The next morning I left Exter at around 8:30, I slept very little the night before and didn't do much better on the actual trip to London. Worse, when I arrived it was absolutely pouring. By the time I picked up an Oyster card, took the tube to London Bridge, and walked to my hostel from there, I looked a bit like a wet cat. The hostel itself, Destinations at the Rose & Crown (based above the Rose & Crown pub), was lovely. I spent some time drying off in the comfort of my room, before heading out for the evening.

I walked down towards the Thames and dropped by the Globe Theatre to pick up my tickets for the show, before heading to the Tate Modern. Some of the paintings and sculptures were beautiful, particular the Monet (who remains my uncontested favorite artist), but some of them were just weird. There was one in particular that was literally just a mirror (although the philsophical reasoning behind this decision, as noted in the sign's blurb, made it sound like less of a cop-out than it actually was).

I decided to eat at the Swan at the Globe for dinner so that I wouldn't have to worry about running late, it turned out to be a good choice because it was already getting crowded when I eventually made my way into the theatre.

The play was absolutely amazing.

By the time it actually started it was pouring again, to the dismay of those who had purchased standing tickets, but the actors seemed hardly to notice (there were a couple of close calls and slips on the wet edges of the stage, but the actors were pretty well able to disguise these and keep the show on
track). The atmosphere of the Globe certainly seemed more casual, but also more energetic, than the typical thatre. In part, I think, to the fact that it is outdoors/open to the air. During the play people entered and exited as need be, had discussions about the play (and about their own lives), and every now and then the actors interacted with the audience (the actress playing Cleopatra actually kissed one of the audience members on the cheek). The costumes were well-rendered and interesting (particularly, and unsurprising so, Cleopatra's) and were able to clearing distinguish the sensual, passionate world of Egypt, with the more rigid world of Rome.

Cleopatra was certainly the most interesting character, mercurial by nature (plying an unfortunate messenger with promises of gold only to threaten his life moments later, and on their next meeting proclaiming him to be an excellent judge of character) and yet still a beloved and charismatic ruler. Antony and Caesar were also both interesting, and each lacking in different ways. Antony, while a strong leader, seemed unwise and more easily led by Cleopatra than he ought to be and Caesar, while he ultimately triumphs, is ruthless and unbending.

The atmosphere added to my enjoyment of the play. The scent of incense as the play opened lent a sense of the exotic and of authenticity almost, the glitter thrown at the close of the first act seemed to hang suspended in the air, and the music was absolutely perfect. As Antony lay dying the musicians played with so light a touch that I almost didn't notice the sound until it suddenly died, with Antony, and the building tensions dropped away with no warning.

When the play ended, at around 11:30, I made my way back to the hostel. The play was an amazing experience. I've always loved Shakespeare, we used to attend the Shakespeare Festival in Williamsburg in the summers when I was younger, and it was incredible to see a Shakespeare play as it would have been performed when he was alive (in the replica of the theatre in which Antony & Cleopatra is supposed to have opened no less).

The next morning I was up and out of the hostel by nine. I headed directly to the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was absolutely wonderful, and absolutely enormous. It didn't help that you couldn't get a map of the museum without paying for one, so I got turned around several times.


My favorite exhibit was probably the one on fashion, you know how I am about my clothes, followed closely by the scupltures. However, despite these exhibits being my favorites, most breathtaking was the room full of plaster casts of architectural and sculptural wonders. When I walked into the room and saw the plaster cast of the Column of Trajan, I was absolutely awestruck.

Along with these, there were also beautiful paintings, ceramics, jewelry, a couple of ornate harpsichords, and exhibit on architecture (which was particularly interesting when viewed in comparison to the Islamic architectural drawings I had seen in an earlier room). I think I managed to see most of the museum, although i went more quickly than I might have otherwise, and certainly skipped some rooms entirely. Despite my fast pace, I still spent about three hours in the museum.

After I finally left, I found a tapas restaurant in which to have lunch, before walking around the area for a bit. I found a bookstore around the corner and, not so shockingly, spent longer inside than I had intended. About forty minutes later, I finally headed to my next destination, the British Museum.

I was way less systematic than I had been in the Victoria & Albert Museum, and consequently probably saw much less, I think by this point I might have spent a little too much time in museums (they can be really exhausting after a point). However, I still managed to spend about two hours there.

The best part was definitely the pieces of the Parthenon, since I still haven't managed a trip to Greece, despite their suspect ownership (one of the relief plaques noted that the heads of those particularly figures were still intact, but were also still in Greece, so they could be complete if the sections were reunited!). There were also some amazing sculptures, I adore Greco-Roman sculpture in general and it was particularly interesting to see some of the busts that I had studied in class. Another flashback to my art history classes of freshman and sophomore year was the exhibit on Chinese watercolors (a topic on which I remember writing an essay).

Interestingly, I saw very little of the actual British stuff in the British Museums, but the Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Egyptian (hello Rosetta Stone) artifacts were so interesting!

After this I stopped into a Starbucks to take advantage both of their free Wifi and the outlets, for my much exhausted camera, before taking the tube over to the Roundhouse for the Paloma Faith concert.

The concert was also absolutely amazing, so clearly I did really well with my choices for my two day London adventure. King Holiday, who opened the show, was pretty good. The lead singer was an energetic Michael Jackson-esque sort of dancer, and the band in general was a lot of fun. Obviously, however, Paloma Faith was the best part of the show. Not only is she one of the those singers who is equally good, if not better, live than she is on her tracks, but she's pretty funny too.

She opened the show with a few quips at the Evening Standard's expense. Apparently they had quoted her joking comment she had made at the previous evening's show that "all her best songs weren't written by her," but they had taken it seriously. So for this show she instead said,"I am probably the songwriter of my generation," before following the laughter with, "I'm just kind of hoping they'll print it, I'm also the Annie Lennox of our time...that was for the Evening Standard, for everyone else, I'm deeply insecure."


In between songs she talked a bit about her inspirations for the new album, her life, and even about how awesome the rest of her band is and that the only reason she's famous is that she's pushier than they are (so the takeaway is, be pushy?).

She sang some of my favorite songs, both from her old album and the new one, as well as a pretty large number of covers. She prefaced one of these covers with, "I'm good at finding old music that noone's every heard of...I didn't write this one either."

She closed the show with Can't Rely On You, and the energy in the Roundhouse was amazing. It was certainly the best concert I have ever attended, even if I did have to remain standing for the entire four hours I was there, but I am so glad I decided to go.

I finally made my way back to the hostel for my last night in London, the next morning I could look forward the start of my two-week, last hurrah, road trip around the British Isles with my mom and Michael, so there's certainly more excitement to come.

Finals and Final Weeks

Sorry I haven't written in so long. I didn't want to have a blog post that basically amounted to, "I slept and studied...oh and I had some food in between that," which, up until last week after my last final exam, was pretty much my life.

After I got back from all my travels, I had a lot of work to be done. First I had a final essay for my Business and Tourism class. I turned in the essay a couple of days early, unfortunately I chose the wrong day to print my paper at the student guild. Apparently it was also the day before everyone's dissertations were due, so I spent more than an hour waiting for an eight page paper to print.

My first exam, for my economics class on behavior and decision making in the marketplace, was on May 7th. The exam setup here is incredibly different from my exams back at William & Mary. It was a bit like having another round of SATs or AP testing. Everyone is seated alphabetically, at individual desks, and they aren't allowed to have anything on (or by) their desks except a clear pencil case, their student ID, and a calculator if necessary. Even more intense, if you leave to go to the restroom during the exam (which you can't in the first or last half an hour), they check your pockets...and your forearms. My accounting exam was unfortunately on that Saturday (Why would anyone schedule exams on a Saturday? It's cruel and unusual punishment). The format of this exam, like my earlier one, was solely essay questions. Which was a little weird, considering it was accounting.

In between my second exam and my last (Strategic Operations, also on a Saturday), I had a final dinner with my fellow study-abroaders from William & Mary. It was only three of us this time (Maddy, Liv and I), because everyone else was taking advantage of their further free time to do more traveling. We went to Nandos and caught up on what everyone had been up to over spring break, and what other awesome things everyone had planned for the summer. Maddy actually left for home first, the day after outr last exam. It was sad to see her go, but I will definitely be seeing her back at William & Mary (especially considering that once again we will have nearly identical schedules, unsurprising considering our shared major).

The week following my last exam had been amazing however. That period between school ending and summer employment beginning is always wonderful, when you finally have absolutely no responsibilities remaining. The Sunday immediately after my last exam, after Mass was over, I walked into home with some of the other girls from the Chaplaincy. Audrey, Malorie and I headed down the high street before making a stop at the John Lewis. The view of Exeter from the roof top cafe was gorgeous, though I got a little too much sun (still worth it), and had a fun time chatting about everything from heart transplants to shopping (so a very wide range clearly).

Tuesday night I had my first night out in quite a while. I went out to Arena with a bunch of the girls (Lucy, Jen, Welmoed, Laura, and Lina), we had an awesome time dancing in the club. During the course of the evening I ran into several people, since Arena was crowded with everyone who had finally finished their exams, including Emily from Take Note. To commemorate the night, Lucy and I got our pictures taken in the photobooth. By the time it was over, I was kind of sweaty and disgusting, but I had so much fun that it didn't matter. I pretty much collapsed into bed and immediated fell asleep.

Wednesday was also a busy day. First, I had my final practice for Take Note, it was a bit sad thinking about how it was in fact my final practice. I'll definitely miss everyone from Take Note, it was one of the best parts of my term at Exeter and I made a lot of friends. Later in the day I headed over to the Chaplaincy for a barbeque. I had a lot of fun, although I had to make a few more goodbyes.

Friday night Jen came home from work and spontaneously decided we were going out to Arena. After throwing on some non-pajama clothing, the downside was the discovery that the line to get in was incredibly long (which I should have known because on the nights that Arena's crowded, I often get waved to by the somewhat drunk strangers queuing past my window). Lucy and I ultimately decided to head back inside, thanfully avoided what turned out to be an hour long wait for Jen and the others.

Today was my last trip out to the Chaplaincy, and my final goodbye to the people there. During lunch Malorie and I spent quite awhile talking (shout out to her, and good luck with her dissertation on how skeletons with fused ankles are more likely to have had arthritis in their hips...I think). Not long after I finally got back, at nearly 4 in the afternoon, I headed out to the Firehouse with my group from Arena (plus their friend Catheleine). Miraculously we found a table outside, where we had amazingly delicious pizza and strawberry cider. Yum.

Tomorrow is my last day in Exeter, with the exception of a quick stop back on June 11th to pick up the rest of my stuff and check out of my room at the Printworks, and I still haven't done any pack. Better get to that.

Glimpse of Europe

So, here's another long post. I honestly wasn't sure how to break it up in any manner that made sense, so I figured one post would have to do it.

I had to wake up obscenely early Monday morning, by which I mean we left the hotel at 4:00 am (or, as I like to put it, not too bright and far too early). We took a bus from London to Dover, where I caffeneited myself (you can use that as a verb right?) before we got on a ferry heading to Calais. Since Calais is part of France, my passport stamps for this trip are French (even though we spent comparatively little time in France).

On our way towards Amsterdam we drove through France for a little while, before entering Belgium. We drove through the Flanders region, which was lovely, and passed Antwerp (where there are lots of Gothic churches).

As we entered the Netherlands Annerieke, our tour director (who is from the Netherlands), educated us on the disinction between Holland and the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the country, while Holland is just a part of the Netherlands (although north and south Holland do contain many of the more famous cities: Amsterdam, the Hague, Rotterdam, etc).

Among the other interesting facts we learned during our drive was the fact that most of the Netherlands is below sea level (leading to a saying that while God created the world, the Dutch created the Netherlands), tht around 8000 bikes are stolen each day in Amsterdam and that there are actually more bikes than there are people (leading to another saying: that the canals are made of one meter of water, one meter of mud, and one meter of bicycles). A non-bicycle related fact is that if you see a coffee shop spelled with a "c" then they will sell you everything but actual coffee, and if you want coffee you need to find a coffee shop spelled with a "k" instead.

Once we got into the city we had a little free time to wander around and find something to eat. I picked up a container of stroopwafel (basically waffle cookies filled with a honey/caramel syrup), which were delicious. Some of the souvenir shops were mildly traumatizing, including a particularly memorable apron with appropriately (or not) placed male anatomy.

Then we went on a canal cruise around the city, which was a pleasant way of seeing a lot of the sights (especially considering the fact that it was rather rainy and it was nice to sit in a covered boat). Among my favorite sights were: the house boats in which seem to line every one of the canals (with the apparent exception of the Gentlemen's Canal), the Sea Palace (a pagoda on the water which houses a chinese restaurant), the Blue Bridge (which is no longer blue but retained the name even after it was no longer accurate), Westerkerk (the church where Queen Beatrix was married and Rembrandt is buried), Anne Frank's House, and the Basilica of St. Nicholas (the largest Catholic church in the city).

After our cruise we headed out on a walking tour of the Red Light District, which was a combination of uncomfortable and interesting. The district itself contains a combination of actual brothels, sex shops, and museums (also frequently of the vaguely innappropriate variety). However, because there has been a drive to take back the neighborhood, there were also fashion houses, high-end chocolate shops, and fancy restaurants. Also, on the ironic side, the neighborhood was original the area of Amsterdam in which monks lived and was the religious center of the city.

The next morning I had an appropriately Dutch breakfast (as recommended by Annerieke), of bread with butter covered in chocolate sprinkles. Healthy, right?

We settled in for more driving (there's going to be a lot of driving in the recounting of my week, but I have some gorgeous pictures from the drives, so it was worth it). We drove through the Netherlands towards Amersfoort, before entering Germany. In Germany we drove past the Cologne area, although we unfortunately could not see the famous cathedral.

We made a stop at a lookout on the Mozel river, in a white wine producing region of Germany. The view was lovely, but we certainly had no shortage of gorgeous views during the rest of the day.

Our next activity was a cruise of the Rhine River. On the cruise we saw several castles, including: a set of two that apparently belonged to two warring brothers (and appropriately named the fueding brothers' castles), Rheinfels Castle (the largest castle overlooking the Rhine), Maus Castle, and Katz Castle. We also saw the Lorelei, which is the rock that marks the narrowest part of the Rhine. According to the famous poem by Heinrich Heine, later set to music by Franz Liszt, a siren sang sailors to their deaths (basically the men got distracted by a pretty girl singing while combing her hair and crashed into the rocks, totally not an embarassing way to go at all).

After the cruise was over we drove along the Rhine for a little longer (seeing another castle in the middle of the river, Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which was used as a toll station), before heading towards Heidelberg.

Heidelberg is a famous university city, which was luckily not bombed during World War II, and is home to a Gothic Renaissance fortress and the Church of the Holy Spirit (which originally housed the Palantine Library, the most important library of the German Renaissance), as well as the Zum Ritter St. George (one of the only buildings to survive the War of Succession in the 1740s). There was also the Old Bridge that bridges the Neckar River, at one end there is a statue of a monkey holding a golden plate with mice around its feet. The story goes that if you touch the plate you'll have wealth, if you touch the monkey's fingers you'll come back to Heidelberg someday, and if you touch the mice you'll have many children. I of course only touched the plate, I figure if it does turn out to be true I'll be plenty wealthy enough to come back to Heidelberg should I so choose.

The next morning we drove towards the Black Forest, a wooded mountain range in the German state of Baden Wurttemberg. The name originated from the Romans, due to the dense growth of the trees blocked much of the light.

In the Black Forest we made a stop at a cuckoo clock shop, where we saw a demonstration of the making of the clocks. It was interesting seeing all the parts involved in making cuckoo clocks, as well as seeing what the iterations of the cuckoo clock looked like over time. The coolest part of the shop was that the front of the building was also a cuckoo clock, and on the half hour life-size dancing couples rotated around the little balcony. There was also a glass blowers' shop next door, which I will admit was a little more to my taste.

Following that stop we continued our journey on into Switzerland, where we saw the Rhine Fall (the largest waterfall in Europe). It was gorgeous, but size-wise it had nothing on Niagara Falls (which admittedly I still have yet to see in person, I'll have to add that to my list).

We made it to our hotel (the Pax Montana) fairly early, so we got to enjoy the beautiful views of the mountains and lakes while the sun was still out. It was by far my favorite place we stayed during the course of the trip, what the hotel lacked in amenities (like decent wifi), it made up for in its amazing location.

On Thursday we started out our day with a trip up to the top of Mt. Pilatus (whose highest peak is about 7000 ft high). We traveled up to the top by way of the Pilatus Railway, which is the world's steepest cogwheel train (and which I admittedly found a little unnerving).

Unsurprisingly the views from the peak were amazing. I braved the stairs up to the highest point we could reach (which involved some probably a bit unsafe scrambling up actual rock to a sheer drop, but YOLO?), Shaunta' (my roommate and partner-in-crime for the course of the trip) chose to stay on the main platform (which housed a restaurant, gift shop, and a hotel). Afterwards we headed into some tunnels that curved around the side of the mountain and which had some periodic lookouts down the side of the mountain.

After about an hour at the peak, we all headed back down the mountain, this time by way of a gondola system (which I found rather more terrifying than the cogtrain, although the views it granted us were superior).

We headed into the city of Lucerne for the rest of the day, making our first stop at the Lion of Lucerne, a monument to the Swiss soldiers who died during the French Revolution. Mark Twain describes the monument as "carved from the living rock of the cliff" and says "the Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is" in his book A Tramp Abroad.

For lunch we attended a folk show, which included demonstrations of several interesting swiss intruments (my favorite being the alphorn) and, of course, yodeling. We also got a taste of Swiss food: swiss cheese fondue,  rosti (a wonderful potato dish), and beer. I have a somewhat misleading picture of myself holding an empty glass, which I planned to tell people was mine. Then I realized the unlikihood of anyone actually believing that, the truth is that I barely finished a third of my own glass (clearly I am not a beer person). Ironically I got another free glass of beer (which was completely wasted on me) because I volunteered to yodel during the course of the show. The yodeling was actually really fun, even if Koenraad (our largely silent, although very nice, driver during the trip) did yodel at me everytime he saw me the next couple of days.

After lunch was over we met up with some of the rest of our group (since not everyone decided to go to the folk show and lunch), for a boat ride around Lake Lucerne (which is actually called the Lake of the Four Forest Cantons). The ship's captain pointed out some of the sites as we sailed around the lake, like the Richard Wagner Museum and an example of a traditional Lucerne farmhouse.  The lake itself was apparently the inspiration for the naming of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata when a critic said it reminded him of the moonlight on Lake Lucerne.

We had a little more free time in Lucerne after the cruise. I got to see the famous Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered bridge in Europe (although most of it is replacement from fire damage in 1993), next to the bridge is the Water Tower (an octagonal fortification from the 13th century). Shaunta' and I also made a stop at a bakery, where we grabbed a box of macaroons to eat while walking around.

We had another early night back at the hotel, druing which I almost lost my camera. We'd been sitting out on the patio and when I headed upstairs to our room I left my camera on the couch I'd been sitting. Shaunta' kindly waited with it downstairs when she noticed I'd forgotten it, so that we wouldn't pass each other in the hallways (and so I wouldn't spend even more time panicking). Luckily that was the closest I came to losing anything over the course of the trip, so I'm going to count that as a win.

The next morning we had a fairly early start (though still nothing on the first day), because the drive to Paris was going to be a long one. After entering France we drove through the Franche-Comte region before reaching thr Burgundy region. In Burgundy we passed through Beaune, which is the wine capital of Burgundy and a wine region in which the pinot noir is the most used type of grape. In Burgundy we also passed Chateau Neuf, so I can say I saw at least one chateau over the course of my time in France.

Once we'd arrived in Paris, after checking in to our hotel, we drove into the city for a cruise on the River Seine. While on the cruise I got my first glimpses of the Assemble Nationale, the Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre, the Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris, whose name translates to 'new bridge'), the Notre Dame, and of course the Eiffel Tower. The lights of the tower came on just as we docked, it was so pretty!

Then we took a drive through Paris by night, during which we saw: the Champs-Elysse, L'eglise de la Madeleine (a church built in the Neo-Classical style as temple to Napoleon's army), the Garnier Opera House (where the Phantom of the Opera supposedly takes place), the inner courtyard of the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde (the largest square in Paris, which features an obelisk brought from the Luxor Temple in Egypt), and the Arc de Triomphe (twelve avenues meet there and it's a terrifying example of traffic, I would not want to drive there).

We made a stop at Trocadero, which grants an obstruction-free view of the Eiffel Tower, to watch the lights show. The Eiffel Tower lit up and glittered like a diamond, it was amazing! I took a, probably excessive, amount of pictures which all look essentially the same (but it still seemed like a good idea at the time, and they're all gorgeous pictures).

Back at our hotel Shaunta' and I got into being in France and watched Bones on TV (it was in French, so it counts right?), it was actually a little weird.

Saturday was our final day as a group, and our only full day in Paris. We started the day with a driving tour around the city (it was a lot easier to get good pictures from the bus in the daytime, so I appreciated seeing some of the sights again). We saw several amazing places: the Boulevard du Montparnasse (where in the 1920s you could meet artists like Picasso and writers like Hemingway), the Latin Quarter (so called because Latin became the official language of the students there), the Luxembourg Gardens (which houses the miniature original Statue of Liberty), the Pantheon, the Chapel of the Sorbonne, the Pont de la Concorde (a bridge built from the stones of the Bastille), and Les Invalides (the church which houses the burial place of Napoleon).

Then we took a tour of Notre Dame de Paris, one of the most famous examples of French Gothic architecture and whose stained glass rose windows are articular fantastic and which were miraculously spared during the rioting of the Huguenots.

For lunch I had a particularly healthy meal of a Crepe Canelle (basically a crepe with cinnamon sugar liberally sprinkled on top), it was amazing. Besides, everyone knows calories don't count when you're on vacation. I picked up a gorgeous silk scarf and some prints of iconic sights in Paris by which to remember the trip.

We then headed to the Eiffel Tower, where we took the elevator up to the seocnd landing (about 350 ft up). It was windy, rainy and foggy and yet the views were still breathtaking (if not quite as far-reaching as they might otherwise have been).

During our remaining time in the city, at this point we had about another hour and a half, Shaunta' and I decided to head to the Louvre. we basically sped walked to the museum from our drop-off point at the Opera House and, after waiting in line for security and then tickets, heading straight for the Mona Lisa. After we'd finished getting our tickets (excitingly, I got in for free with my EU student ID) we only had about half an hour to actually spend in the museum, so we didn't get to see as much of the museum as I would have liked. We walked through the exhibits on greek, roman, and egyptian antiquities (although I was admittedly a little distracted by the painted ceilings). We also saw some gorgeous statues, including the Venus de Milo in passing, on our way to the hall containing the Mona Lisa. I wasn't disappointed by the size, I had never actually pictured it as being that  large (it measures 30 x 21 inches), I was a little disappointed by how hard it was to see though. It was so crowded that I basically had to squeeze through a hoard of people and awkwardly take my photo of the painting from above people's heads (not an easy feat when you're my height). After our visit, which was enjoyable if a bit short, we booked it back towards the Opera House to meet up with our group.

That evening we attended a show at the Moulin Rouge. The show was actually amazing, if a bit risque (you know something is up where anything that covers as much as a bikini can be considered modest), but the costumes were still specatcular (lots of sparkling stones, feathers, brocade fabrics, and elaborate headdresses). My favorite act was an amazing segment of acrobatic rollarblading, which was a combination of terrifying and unbelievable. The dancing in general was impressive, although the lipsyncing was hilariously awful. It was a show-stopping end to a wonderful trip.

Sunday morning the few of us who were going all the way back to London got on the bus, enjoyed some more of the French countryside, took the ferry from Calais back to Dover (I got an amazing view of the White Cliffs of Dover on the way back), and said our goodbyes in London.

I took the train back to Exeter from the Waterloo Station, unfortunately the second half of my train had been canceled last minute, so I spent an hour or so waiting for the next train to Exeter at the Salisbury station. Luckily I had recently added several new books to my Kindle, so I was well-occupied.

It was surprising how much getting back to Exeter felt like coming home, I'm not sure how I'll feel when I leave it for the last time.