"That's another story"

Dear friends who are tired of hearing me rant about how amazing ASE was,

You probably don't want to read this blog post. That might sound a little odd, because there's a good chance that you read all the ones that I posted last year, but I promise that this one isn't for you. You don't want to hear about my wonderful weekend in Gettysburg, reconnecting and reminiscing with old friends. You don't want to hear about the memories that are back at the forefront of my mind even stronger than before.

You don't want to hear about the trip down, when Hadley and I wove through the back roads to Houghton College to pick up Elizabeth and thought that we had made a wrong turn because all that surrounded us were tiny towns and stretches of emptiness until a college suddenly appeared on the hills beside us, or how we jammed out to the perfect radio station amid stories of our senior years, or how Elizabeth and I bounced in our seats when we got close to the restaurant.

You don't want to know how loud our group was when the three of us finally arrived at almost 10 o'clock, or how a few of the girls leaped out of their seats to greet us, or the tears and laughter that mixed when we all got to see each other again for the first time in almost a year. You don't want me to describe the instant sense of wholeness we felt, as if 10 months had not gone by since we were all together. You don't want me to tell you how excited I was to finally see Megan after she handed in her senior thesis, or that we crashed minutes after and slept straight through the night.

You're not interested in our brunch at the Ugly Mug, or our trip to the campus art gallery. You'd rather I didn't describe our tour of the town, where we took pictures with Lincoln's statue and then stopped in a candy shop before grabbing ice cream at a favorite local haunt. You'll probably tune out my play-by-play of our visit to Gettysburg National Military Park and our tour of the battlefield, led by Emma with occasional help from Bobby and Rachel H. because they get too excited to stay quiet when we're talking about something that means so much to them. You aren't interested in hearing about our dinner at the Lincoln Diner, with the waiter who split the check more smoothly than any of us ever believed would be possible.

You don't care that I spent a quiet night in with Hadley and Megan, doing homework and catching a breath, or that homework eventually spiraled into the easy conversations we had had all of last spring. It doesn't matter to you that we turned in early so that we could get up and get ready for the trip home before we met Emily and Rachel P. for brunch. The picture I took with Megan so I could hold onto one more moment together before we said goodbye again doesn't mean anything to you.

But that's ok, because it means the world to me. The pictures, the friendships, the memories - they are some of the best parts of who I am, and seeing them again felt a little like coming home. No matter how tired of my stories you have become, I will never be tired of telling them. ASE friends, I love and miss you all. Next time let's meet in Bath, ok?

Love,
Melanie

One Year Later

Well, here we are. One year later. I have been sitting at my new computer (story to come later) for hours with this blog post open in an unchecked tab, trying to find the right words for this moment.

One year ago, I nervously walked through the security line at Newark airport after saying goodbye to my parents, who were more emotional than I was. To be fair, they were watching their little girl walk away, knowing that they wouldn't see me again for four long months. It was the longest single stretch I had ever spent away from them.

One year ago, I was a mile high, trying to sleep. I knew that I should get some rest, but I had taken off at 6PM NY time (just before the Superbowl kicked off) and I would land at 6AM local time, and the dark wasn't quite long enough to overcome my nervousness and excitement about the adventure ahead of me.

One year ago, I dragged a giant suitcase behind me through the winding corridors of an airport I had never seen, feeling too small in its path. In it, I had crammed four months worth of clothes, and shoes, and hopes, and fears, and everything that I thought I could possibly need.

One year ago, I stepped off a train for the first time in my brand new city, looking around until I found others who looked just as confused and lost as me. I dragged my bags across the cobblestones and the sidewalk and into the small house that would be my home for the duration of my stay. It took two of us to carry my bag up the stairs, and it would take the same effort to bring it back down after.

One year ago, I met some of my most trusted friends, though I didn't know it yet. Together we would travel, we would study and write, we would push our boundaries and try new things. We would share the adventures in a way no one else would be able to understand.

It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year. I can still remember calling my mom that day, telling her I had arrived safely, and unpacking four months worth of life, knowing even then that it would never fit back in quite the same way. I can't begin to describe the ways this year has changed me, no matter how hard I try, but I am who I am now because of this adventure and because of all the amazing people and places who witnessed it, and I will never stop being grateful for it.

Happy one year anniversary, ASE Spring 2014. Love you all.

Lucky Number 4

As I tried to sit down and write this post, I was at a loss for words. I didn't know where to start. There seemed to be no way to sum up the time I had spent abroad. No way, that is, until I started to think back further to my trip to Israel. That's when I realized today's date, and suddenly, everything came together.

Exactly 4 years ago today, on June 23, 2010, I left on my first trip abroad. I packed my giant suitcase and a small overnight bag and piled into the car. At JFK Airport, I met the 25 other students I would be traveling with that summer for the first time, and boarded my first international flight. We studied and traveled together for 45 days, and I will never stop being grateful for the friendships I made and the ways that travel changed me.

Fast forward to today. Not only has it been 4 years since my first trip began, Saturday marked 4 weeks since my semester abroad - which lasted 4 months - ended. A journey that started when I first landed in England on February 4 came to its conclusion at JFK Airport, where my first journey had begun.

At times, it feels like lifetimes have passed in the last 4 years. I'm so different today from the girl I was then. Even spending just 4 months abroad has changed me in so many ways. In the weeks since my return, I've started to pick apart the 4 months I spent in England, and here's what I've boiled it down to.

Number of visits made to St. Andrew's: 10 (to a class of 23 students)

The school placement program was one of the main reasons I had initially chosen to apply to ASE. I liked a number of things about the program, but the education program had been the first thing that pulled me to it. Thanks in part to friends in Rochester who listened to me rant about ASE and another program that had accepted me, I eventually decided to go to Bath for the semester, which was the best decision I could have made. The students in Year 4 welcomed me with open arms, and I had a fantastic time joining their class every week. 

Number of formal essays written: 6 (plus a 40-plus page education portfolio)

That's right, I did take classes this semester. It's called "STUDY" abroad for a reason. I did plenty of reading, took lots of notes, and even learned a few things in the classroom. As torturous as my Shakespeare class was, it taught me quite a bit. My Tudors and Stuarts course was equally as informative, although significantly more enjoyable thanks to a friendlier environment. My favorites by far were the education courses (one theory and one based on our placements) when the seven of us in the education program basically just hung out with Mike Rix and Andrew Butterworth. 

Number of cities visited: 19 (spanning 6 countries)

Traveling, whether with the program or for personal reasons, was one of the most fun things I did all semester. I took more train rides than I can count, and saw more landmarks and museums than I'll probably remember. I got a taste of so many incredible places, which only made me want to see more. 

Number of blog posts related to my trip: 38 

Even though I knew not many people would probably read my blog posts, I was so glad I decided to write about my journey. I would get back from a new place and pour all the memories out. I realized I became a bit of an adjective junky, but I simply couldn't find any other way to describe all I had seen.

Number of photos uploaded to Facebook: 1252 (plus 1 video)

Where words failed, my camera at least came closer. So many people have yelled at me for not being in many of my own photos, but as cliche as it sounds, I loved the way that the world looked through the lens of my camera. There were so many moments I wanted to capture, and looking back, I'm so happy I did. 

And, of course, the reason you all probably read this post, my grand total.

Number of miles logged: 269.28

I still can't believe all of the experiences I had this semester, or how long it's been since I returned. Looking back to my first summer abroad, I never saw this coming. I never imagined these opportunities, or the wonderful people I would meet along my journeys.

Here's to my next 4 amazing years.  

"Those Trees are Holding Hands"

On top of all the big adventures I've had this semester, I also got to go on a few "mini-adventures" after Spring Break that never made it into blog posts.

Just days after I got back, Rachel and I took the train to Bristol for a Passover Seder. We spent much of the ride getting to know each other, as we hadn't spent much time together during the program. We stepped off the train and split a cab to the synagogue. We arrived just a few minutes early. We found a pair of seats at an unoccupied table, where we were soon joined by a mother and her 9-year-old son; she was originally from Washington DC and recognized our accents. A gentleman in orthodox dress sat at the head of the table, followed by another gentleman. Just as the seder was about to begin, a young man about the same age as Rachel and I took the last open seat at the table. We followed along with the seder, eagerly awaiting dinner, during which Rachel and I talked mostly with James, who we learned was just a few years older than us. He offered to drive us back to the train station at the end of the night, which we gladly accepted.

I undertook my next mini-adventure with nearly a dozen other ASE students when Lindsay led us on a walk along part of the Bath Skyline. The whole route circles around the city, but we just walked on a short stretch of it. From Nelson House, our journey took us past the residences south of the city to a hill overlooking Bath. The title of this post comes from this night; as we walked up the hill, we tried to distract ourselves from the exhaustion we were feeling, and Katie mentioned it at one point when she looked across the street. For most of the rest of the evening, we wandered through quiet, empty fields. One of the highlights of the night was running into a pair of dogs and their owner. One of the dogs ran right through our group to the fence behind us, but the other stopped, knowing we would likely shower her with attention. She was, of course, correct. We paused the walk for a minute so that everyone could have a chance to play with the dog, who loved all of the friends she had suddenly made.

My next two mini adventures brought me into London to check off items of my "to-do" list. The day we returned from Stratford, Megan and I took the train in to see "Once" on the West End. I was particularly excited because Arthur Darvill, a former star of Doctor Who, was playing the male lead in the show. His final performance would be the following day, so we made it just in time. While we were there, we learned that the female lead, who had held the role for 3 years, would also take her final bows when Darvill did. Both leads were fantastic, and I was so glad I finally got to see a show in London! We ran into Chelsea at the train station, who had been in London with Emily for a concert that evening, and rode back to Bath with her.

The following morning, I hopped back on the train to London to meet up with Ambar. We realized as we talked that we hadn't actually seen each other in just over 3 years, which meant that we certainly had plenty to catch up on. Although we had initially planned to spend just 2 or 3 hours together, the afternoon ended up lasting for over 5! I was so glad to get to see her after all this time, and we found we were able to pick up our friendship right where we had left it off. Our new rule has become that we need to see each other anytime we're in the same country :)

The last item on my tourist to-do list was to see the Roman Baths, which I finally did during finals week. Jasmyne, Amy and I met at Nelson house to grab a bite to eat at the Thai restaurant across the street, and then we walked to the Baths exhibit. We spent about an hour in the museum section, and then we took advantage of a free tour around the actual Baths. At the end, we tried a sip of the water (which was warm and tasted funny) before heading out.

That's it for the mini-adventures! I'm heading home tomorrow, but be on the lookout for two more blog posts for the semester in the coming days. Until then, cheers!

"If I had a Roman Sword, I'd run on it!"

As April turned to May, ASE - and particularly my Mythologizing Shakespeare class - got ready for a slew of Shakespeare exposure, starting with our class's study trip.

As with most trips, our class's outing to the Globe Theater started early in the morning. North Parade was the first pick up point, where we were joined by Andrew Butterworth, our chaperone for the day. Next was Widcombe, followed by Northampton, where we hit our first snag of the day. Because of a miscommunication, we waited for 20 minutes for Carrington, who had already traveled to London the previous evening and would be meeting us at the theater. Not the most auspicious start to the day.

Regardless, we set out for London, where we arrived a few hours later. We hopped off the coach and walked around the corner to the theater, although we managed to pass the street the first time around. When we finally arrived at the Globe, we met our tutor Brian Hazel, his wife Ruth, and the elusive Carrington. We were escorted on a tour of the theater and explored the neighboring exhibition before breaking for lunch. Megan, Chelsi, Carrington, Bella and I grabbed a bite at Wagamama, a noodlebar around the corner, and then headed back to the theater to rent cushions for the show.

The doors opened, and we took our seats for a particularly gory production of Titus and Andronicus. I couldn't watch much of it (as my classmates discovered, I don't exactly do well with blood), but the rest of the group seemed to somewhat enjoy it. We gathered at the gift shop following the show, where Andrew did a final head count and we said goodbye to Carrington, Kendall and Ola (who would all be staying in London) before we walked back along the river to where the bus would pick us up.

As we waited at the curb, Uriel spoke up from the back of the group. Somewhere between the theater and our pick up point, we had lost one of our classmates! Uriel and Miranda turned around to find him, and Andrew rushed after them. The bus pulled up a few minutes later, so those of us who had remained piled on, scouring the sidewalk for our classmates and chaperone. A few minutes later, Uriel, Miranda and Andrew returned with Brian and Ruth in tow. Andrew, unfortunately, looked extremely frazzled as he searched for his phone to call the student. As it turned out, the student would be staying in London for the evening and had neglected to tell Andrew. As he walked onto the bus so we could finally leave, Andrew blurted out the title of this blog.

The rest of the evening was uneventful, and before long, we were gearing up for our 3-day residency in Stratford-Upon-Avon starting on Tuesday. We piled onto the bus, where I took a seat next to Kris as we set out on our way. About halfway through the trip, Ali blurted out "Look whose face I'm wearing" from across the aisle, at which point I decided to start collecting potential blog titles. Keep a look out for those throughout the post.

We unloaded the bus and gathered in the park, where we sorted into groups based on our Bed and Breakfasts for the week. I scoured the crowd for Kendall and Rachel, my roommates for the week, and together we joined the rest of the Adelphi House group. Lindsay escorted us across the road and dropped us off with the owners, who welcomed us openly. Once we found our rooms, we returned to the park, which would be our meeting point for the week.

We split into two groups and took a quick tour around Stratford, which is a fairly small town. The tour ended in front of the Shakespeare Center, where we would need to meet for lectures during our visit. We broke for lunch, at which point Megan dragged me off to have my first fish and chips of my trip here (in my defense, I don't eat french fries, and I'm not a big fan of fried foods).

Our first lecture began with Brian Hazel, who discussed the history of Stratford and the theaters. His wife Ruth took over halfway through to introduce Henry IV part I, the first of 3 plays we would be seeing that week. After the lecture, a few of us visited Shakespeare's birthplace. A few of us grabbed a light bite before returning to the Royal Shakespeare Theater for the show. Jonathan and Lindsay met us at the entrance to distribute tickets. We found that our seats constituted 3 clumps - one group sat in the Orchestra (referred to as the "Stalls" here) and two groups sat on either side of the Mezzanine (which they call the "Circle"). After Henry IV part I, we split into smaller groups to either go out for a drink or go back to the B & B's. As Emma, Alyssa, Grace and I walked past the Dirty Duck - one of Stratford's best-known pubs - we started to talk about the name. This, of course led to a discussion of pub names in general, at which point Emma asserted that "If something sounds fairly improbable, it's probably the name of a pub".

Wednesday started early once again, this time with breakfast and a morning lecture. As in Oxford, breakfast was a chance to see other students in the program we might not otherwise see, in this case those staying at the same B & B. Lucy, who was staying at our B & B, walked us back to the Shakespeare Center, where Ruth led a talk-back session on Henry IV part I, followed by an introduction to Arden of Faversham - the non-Shakespeare play we would be seeing on our second night - with Brian. After the lecture, we had free time, so Emily, Rachel, Megan, Jasmyne and I grabbed sandwiches and set off on our adventure of seeing the city!

We started at the Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptized and later buried.The church was much simpler than many we had previously seen, which was a welcome change. From there, we walked down the street to Hall's Croft, which had once been the residence of Shakespeare's granddaughter. One of the most interesting parts of the house was actually outside of it, in the gardens. The flowers that have been planted in the garden all come from Shakespeare's works, and a sculpture in its center features the two heads of Bottom - human and donkey - fused into one.

From Hall's Croft, we visited Nash's house, beside which New Place once stood. The former was the home of Thomas Nash, while Shakespeare lived in the latter. Nash's house featured a dress-up station, which we of course latched onto. As I prepared to photograph the rest of the group wearing crowns, Emily turned to me seriously and said, "You may bow to us". This elicited a round of laughter from us all, and we continued through the exhibit, testing our knowledge of Shakespeare's plays (which sadly was fairly low). Unfortunately, New Place was destroyed many years ago when its owner became tired of the multitude of visitors who would flock to the site. However, the gardens behind the house still remain, and we wandered through, visiting the various sculptures depicting scenes from Shakespeare's plays. From there, we crossed the river Avon to visit a monument that once stood in the courtyard of the Royal Shakespeare Theater. When fire destroyed the original theater and it had to be rebuilt, the monument was moved to its current location. We stopped in the theater on our way back to the park, where we met Lindsay and Lucy for a trip to Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, grew up about a mile outside of Stratford. The house in which she lived remained in the family for over 400 years. Surrounding the house is a vast garden, including a small lavender "maze" shaped as the comedy mask. We eventually walked back into town, picking up Sarah on our way. As we got ready for dinner, Emily yawned, which Sarah pointed out, saying "Let's go take you a nap". We were all so exhausted from the long days that it took us a moment to realize what she had said, but eventually we caught it. I split off from the rest of the group I had been with to meet Kendall and Rachel in the park. We had decided to get dinner that night at a local Greek restaurant, which was definitely one of the best meals I ate all week. Afterwards, we walked to the Swan Theater (a small theater right beside the Royal Shakespeare Theater) for the performance of Arden of Faversham.

We mingled as we waited, and suddenly, Sarah turned to me and aggressively asked "DO YOU HAVE A DOG NAMED HUMPHREY?" (for the record, she insisted that I use all capitol letters). Sensing her disappointment that I did not, in fact, have a dog named Humphrey (or any dog at all for that matter), I attempted to help her determine whose dog she was thinking of, recalling the conversation from when I sat beside her the previous night. We soon discovered that Humphrey (as well as a dog named Teddy) belonged to Emma, who had been sitting on my other side for Henry IV part I. We had decided that their names, "Humphrey and Teddy," sounded like a sitcom, which was why it had stuck in Sarah's mind. After the show, we milled about the lobby, deciding what to do next. Emily and I opted to go back to the B & B while others went to the Dirty Duck. When Bobby was asked what he would be doing, he looked at us and replied, "gotta ask the boss lady", waiting patiently for Emma to join us.

On our last day in Stratford, we packed our bags before we assembled for breakfast, sad to have to say goodbye to the wonderful hosts of our B & B. Brian began the morning's lecture with a talk-back of Arden of Faversham, followed by an explanation of what we would see at Kenilworth Castle that afternoon. The lecture ended with Ruth's introduction of Henry IV part II. We broke for lunch, taking with us instructions to meet back at the park just after noon so we could load our cases onto the coach and ride to the Castle.

The first thing we did when we walked off the coach was take a group photo, after which we spent the afternoon wandering through the remains of Kenilworth Castle. I had a wonderful time practicing my photography skills on some of the ASE students as we climbed through state rooms, dungeons, and more before finally strolling through the Elizabethan Garden. A few hours after we arrived, we loaded back onto the coach to return to Stratford, thoroughly exhausted.

Before our final play of the week, most of us grabbed dinner at a local pub called the "Golden Bee", which is part of the Wetherspoons chain. The UR students gathered in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theater to take a picture with our mascot Rocky (our first time all semester!) before we watched Henry IV part II. By the time the show ended, we were ready to go back home and happily piled back onto the coach for the ride back to Bath, where we finally arrived at nearly 1 AM. Our last big adventure had come to an end.

"Just don't eat my arm"

Although Spring Break had technically ended already, I still had one more adventure in the books: a weekend in Manchester and London. Around midday Thursday, Megan, Mackenzie and I grabbed our bags and headed back to the train station to catch our train to Bristol. Because of a delay, we missed our initial train to Machester, but we were able to grab the next train, getting us into Manchester at around 4:30. A bus took us to our hostel, where we dropped our bags, and then back into the city center.

We ate dinner a few blocks away from the concert hall we would be sitting in later that night at a cute little Italian restaurant. I managed to find a dish that was mostly kosher for Passover - no pasta or breading on the chicken - which was a welcome surprise. We ate quickly, knowing we only had a limited amount of time before we had to be out. From the restaurant, we walked to the main feature of our visit: a Piano Guys concert! Although Mackenzie isn't as big of a fan, Megan and I were ecstatic to be there. We bounced giddily in our seats as they played our favorite pieces - "Secrets" for me, "Titanium" for Megan - and even Mackenzie jammed along when they closed the show with "What Makes you Beautiful." We returned to the hostel after the show and went straight to sleep, excited for the rest of our weekend to begin.

I spent Friday morning doing some important shopping in Manchester while Megan and Mackenzie found a cafe to do some work, where I met them in time to catch our midday train into London. Once we got into London, we decided that we needed to drop off our bags and then find something to eat (Megan's response to Mackenzie's complaint of hunger became the title of this blog), so we hopped on the tube to our hostel to check in. Once we had left our things, we took the tube back in and grabbed a late lunch (this time I found Passover-friendly salmon), followed by a quick scoop of ice cream.

We decided to buy tickets for one of those hop on-hop off buses and spent the rest of the afternoon seeing the landmarks of London from the top of a double-decker bus. Although it got a bit chilly on the top deck, we had a fantastic time seeing the city from a whole new perspective. After dinner at a normal time, we finally headed back to the hostel to plan our Saturday adventures.

My Saturday started a bit earlier than my roommate's. As part of our tour bus ticket, we could watch the changing of the guard ceremony with the tour company. Although Megan and Mackenzie weren't interested, I certainly was, so I headed into the city early and agreed to meet them afterwards for lunch. The tour left from Trafalgar Square and traveled to the oldest residence of the palace complex, the soldier's barracks, Buckingham Palace, and finally the Clarendon residence. Getting to watch the changing of the guard was fantastically fun, and I was glad to have taken the opportunity.

After the ceremony ended, I took the tube to King's Cross Station, where Megan, Mackenzie and I took our pictures at platform 9 3/4. We waited in line, growing increasingly excited each time we got closer to the front. When our turn finally arrived, I went first, announcing "Slytherin" when asked for my house. One of the women working there had wrapped the Slytherin scarf around her neck to demonstrate how to avoid crushing your fingers, and she had to be called over so that I could wear it for my photo. When she heard that I was a Slytherin, she cheered and gave me a high-five before handing over the scarf. While I posed, she chatted with Mackenzie. When I went to return the scarf, she asked me what I was doing hanging out with a Gryffindor. I joked that I was really friends with her sister the Ravenclaw, and all was forgiven.

After we took our pictures at King's Cross Station, we rode the tube to Westminster Station for a London Walk to see some of the locations used for filming the Harry Potter. The guide asked trivia questions, and we were proud to answer some of the more difficult questions. Our answers regularly earned stickers not just for us but for some of the younger participants. Unfortunately, we had to duck out early so that we could make it to London Euston Station and take our train to Watford Junction. From there, we caught a bus to the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

The Studio Tour was incredible. We walked through the Great Hall and marveled at the costumes and still-standing sets. We gaped at the various books and potions, amazed by the number of props that had been created for the film series. Outside, we met a pair of owls, who had played Hedwig and Pigwidgeon in the films. We climbed aboard the night bus and rode on Hagrid's motorcycle. We crossed the bridge that exploded in the last film ("BOOM!"). The second half of the tour brought us through the creation of many of the monsters, followed by a stroll down Diagon Alley. Finally, we reached the exhibit on model building and concept art, which led to the model of Hogwarts built for the last film. The moment of seeing that was overwhelming, as if for a moment, the fiction became reality, and every instant of the tour had led to it.

We explored the gift shop and grabbed a bite at the cafe after the tour before heading back into London, where we took the tube back to our hostel for the night. We had to be up early the next morning to get to Paddington. I waited there while Megan brought her sister back to Heathrow, and then we hopped on the train back to Bath. Back home.

Spring Break Part 5: "I've never been serenaded by an accordion on the French metro"

I arrived back in France on Saturday morning and made my way to the hostel on the metro. Once I arrived at the right stop, however, I got a bit turned around and ended up heading in the wrong direction. Luckily, a number of kind locals helped me get back to where I needed to go. Megan and her sister Mackenzie arrived not long after I did, and we set off for the center of the city.

To get back into the city, we hopped back on the metro. Just after we got on, a gentleman stepped on carrying a speaker and an accordion. As the train began to move, he began to play, swaying with his music. Megan, Mackenzie and I just turned to each other, at which point Megan made the comment I pulled for the title.

Our first stop of the day was the Tour Eiffel, where we ate lunch. They served the food picnic style, basket and all, with each dish in a small tuperware. Although it was a bit expensive, how many times will you get the chance to eat a meal on the Eiffel Tower? The view was incredible and well worth the trip up. Although Megan and Mackenzie decided to continue up the rest of the tower, I opted to go back to the base. I wandered through the garden behind the tower for a bit and then met them when they returned. We decided it was time for a snack, so we found a stall selling crepes and at them as we walked along.

Our next stop was the Arc de Triomphe, which unfortunately was covered in scaffolding on one side. We walked along the Champs Elysees, passing the many restaurants and shops along its route as we headed toward the Louvre. We walked by three palaces on one corner and monuments to Charles de Gaulle and King Louis XIV (or maybe it was XVI?). We meandered through the gardens that led us to the Louvre, where we finally arrived. Although we didn't have the time to go in, we did get to see the courtyards and the pyramids within them.

Our stomachs started to growl, so we found a creperie around the corner and grabbed dinner there. After we ate, we found a bakery a few streets away so that we could buy macaroons to eat as a snack later that night. Snack in hand, we returned to the river bank beside the Louvre and bought tickets for a hop-on-hop-off boat tour that would bring us past many of the monuments. We hopped on at dusk and rode first to the Tour Eiffel, watching as it lit up for the evening, showered in gold light. We stayed on for the full tour, riding by the Notre Dame as we came around to the Louvre again. There, we hopped of for just a few minutes to see the pyramids again - now lit - and devour our snack. One of my favorite moments was standing in front of the Louvre and being able to look all the way down the Champs Elysees to see the Arc de Triomphe glowing at the other end. We rejoined the next boat to arrive, which brought us back to the Tour Eiffel so we could take the metro back to our hostel.

When we woke up Sunday morning, we had enough time to grab a leisurely breakfast and pack our things before heading back to the train station. We took the chunnel back to London, then the tube to Paddington Station, and finally a train back to Bath. Spring break had come to an end.

Spring Break Part 4: Hamburg, Germany

As night began to fall in Venice, I rolled my suitcase onto my first night train, which would take me to Munich. From there, I jumped on a train up to Hamburg. I took the tram to my hostel before I set off for the small neighborhood of Harburg.

You're probably thinking - why Harburg? It's a valid question, and one that I was asked often. Each time, I had the same response.

In the late 1920s, my grandmother was born in the suburb of Harburg-by-Hamburg. Her family fled in the mid 1930s to America, and she's never looked back. She'll tell us stories about growing up in New York, like how her older brother used to sneak her under the subway turnstiles, or about the day that she got home and met the man she would later marry studying with her brother, but Germany is off limits. To this day, my grandmother has never returned to the town where she was born. In fact, to my knowledge, none of the family has been back.

Until me.

I couldn't do much while I was there. Because she won't talk about her old life, we don't know exactly where she grew up, or what school she went to, or anything like that. I was, however, able to find a few buildings that were built in the late 1800s, old enough to have seen my grandmother's childhood. I wondered often whether she ever knew they were there.

After an emotional afternoon in Harburg, I returned to the city center and wandered through the botanical gardens. After the flowers in Italy had been in full bloom, it was amazing to see the buds in Germany just beginning to open up. I took the trams back to the hostel and found something to eat before going to bed.

The next morning, I set off just after breakfast, leaving my suitcase in luggage storage once again. I spent the morning near the center of town, exploring the Brahms and Telemann museums, honoring a pair of musicians who called Hamburg "home" at different points in their lives. From there I saw St. Michael's, the most famous church in Hamburg, and then it was off to the old town hall, called the "Rathaus" (which I pronounced as "rat house" but I'm not sure if that was right), where I picked up a late lunch.

I spent the afternoon down on the harbor, including a visit to the Miniature Wonderland. I'm not an artist, so the precision of the work there was absolutely incredible. Tiny people lived in little houses. Day became night and then day again. The USA area was particularly entertaining, featuring Mount Rushmore and Las Vegas as the main attractions.

I took the trams back to the hostel to pick up my bag and then went back to the central train station, where I bought dinner until it was time for my train. The second night train would take me to Paris, the last stop on my spring break.

Spring Break Part 3: Venice, Italy

From Florence I took a train to Venice, arriving in mid afternoon. I checked into my hostel and then set off to explore the beautiful city. Although you can get a map of Venice, they don't help all that much. It's easier (and more fun) to just follow the signs from one place to another. I spent my first few hours just exploring, wandering through the narrow streets and over the innumerable canals.

Unexpectedly, I found the old Jewish quarter on my travels. After learning about it in my Mythologizing Shakespeare class (we covered The Merchant of Venice among other plays), it was intriguing to see its remains. To this day, the area is populate by Jews. The restaurants in the area are kosher, as is the little grocer's stall. Shops sell Jewish jewelry and art. Around every corner was a sign wishing residents and visitors a happy Pesach. After exploring the area a bit, I noticed the sun had begun to set, so I headed back to the hostel to grab dinner and get to bed.

The next morning, I woke up early. I packed my things and brought my bag to the luggage storage that the hostel provided before grabbing a cup of tea and a light breakfast. I set out for the Ponte Rialto and the Piazza San Marco, two of the most famous aspects of Venice. One of the greatest parts of waking up early was that when I arrived at the Piazza, very few tourists had woken up. I got to see the monuments without the crowds that would appear later in the day. I wandered around for a bit and then headed for Academia, an area filled with art schools and galleries. I found a cafe for lunch, and then treated myself to gelato before going back to the Piazza to go into some of the monuments I had seen earlier in the day.

I started with the Doge's palace, which was probably my favorite site of the day. I especially loved the golden staircase, so named because of the gold leaf covering much of the ceiling. After spending a good portion of the afternoon there, I toured the inside of the Basilica and then walked across the Piazza to a museum made of rooms that were once the Empress's chambers. It was so interesting to see the two different living areas on opposite ends of the square. Though originally inhabited at different times, they both had the same royal feel.

Finally, I made my way back toward the train station. I grabbed a bite to eat and picked up my bag, moving my belongings around so that I would be ready for the train that would take me to my next stop: Germany.

Spring Break Part 2: Florence, Italy

On Sunday, I spent much of the day traveling by train, first from Cannes to Ventimiglia, then Ventimiglia to Milan, and finally Milan to Firenze. Each leg of the trip was vastly different, but I have to say that the first two were my favorites of my whole trip. From Cannes to Ventimiglia, I chose a seat on the top level of the train, settling in next to a window that faced the south. We rode along the beautiful coast of France, by far my favorite scenery from my journey. The trip to Milan was my other favorite because of the actual train. I walked onto the train and discovered that it was made up of compartments stretching off a long corridor. Each compartment held 6 seats in two rows facing each other. Being the nerd that I am, I realized that this was my first ever trip on a train in the style of the Hogwarts Express. Even though no one came through with a trolley of sweets, I had a wonderful time on the ride.

I arrived at the Santa Maria Novella train station just as dusk began to fell and was glad that my hostel was just a few blocks away. I found my way there in just minutes, dragging my small suitcase behind me. There, I met up with a group of students on my program, some of whom had forgotten that I would be joining them for a short part of the break. They greeted me enthusiastically, and after dropping my bag in the room where I'd stay, I sat with Mila, Katie, Clare, Amy and Bella outside in the cool night air. We sat up talking until it got late, laughing and joking loudly.

The next morning, we took advantage of the free breakfast at the hostel before setting out for the Piazza Michelangelo, the highest point in the city. Along the way, we paused briefly at the covered market to pick up some fruit, which would be the perfect snack that afternoon. We walked past the Santa Croce, where Galileo is buried (among others). We crossed the canal and walked down a few small side streets until we came to the base of the stairs leading up to the Piazza. Halfway up the climb, we paused to explore a sculpture garden before finishing the journey. The view from the top was worth every step, and we roamed around of a bit. We were glad to have left our jackets back in the hostel as the warm sun shone down, illuminating tulips already fully in bloom.

I split off from the group, descending the stairs and walking back over the canal toward the palazzo vecchio, where I met up with Elizabeth for lunch. One of my favorite parts of visiting with other people who are abroad is that they tend to show you their favorite places off the beaten track, and in Elizabeth's case, a deli and a gelato shop were in order for the day. We grabbed paninis and caught up on our semesters so far. Our stories grew toward more distant pasts as we realized how long it had been since we had last seen one another - just over a year by our calculations - and we brought our gelatos along as she showed me the Palazzo Republica, famous for its arches and the carousel that has been erected in its center. After, we made our way back to the palazzo, where we sat until it was time for Elizabeth to head to class.

I met back up with the group at the Ponte Vecchio, the city's most famous bridge. We found a cafe (they hadn't yet eaten lunch) where we sat for a bit, happy to be off our feet after a long morning of walking. After our break, we walked back over the bridge to the Duomo. The cathedral rose before us, and we waited in line for just a few minutes before being admitted to explore. I marveled at the ceiling, high above us, painted so clearly that the details were clear, even from the ground.

We returned to the hotel for the afternoon, sitting out on the porch and breaking into the morning's fruit.We relaxed for much of the rest of the day, venturing out only to get dinner and gelato. I was glad to have a chance to catch up with some of the people on the trip, realizing that even with Oxford, there were so many people I simply never got a chance to talk with. I said goodbye to them that night, as they would be leaving early the next morning to continue their journey through Italy to Roma.

The next morning, I met up with Olivia. I dropped my suitcase in her room so that I wouldn't have to drag it to lunch and such. I had my first taste of Italian pasta for lunch, and then we sat in a park near her apartment until I had to go to the train station and she had to go to class. I loved getting to see her and catch up - we had last spent time together a year and a half earlier - and I was sad to have to go. At the same time, I was excited to see what the next stops on my break would bring.

Spring Break Part 1: Cannes, France

I had initially thought about writing one massive blog post for my spring break, but I have far too much to write in each one for that, so I've decided to separate the different cities. The result will be 5 shorter blog posts instead of one exceptionally long one.

The first part of my spring break brought me to Cannes, France. I arrived at my hotel late Friday evening, where I checked in and grabbed a bite to eat before settling in for the night. The next morning, I set out for the Hotel Martinez, where my sister Stephanie and her husband Jeff were staying.

To say the Hotel Martinez was a step up from the places I stayed during my break would be an understatement (perks of being on a college student's budget). The hotel, which sits along the beautiful Cannes boardwalk, caters to the stars during the famous Cannes Film Festival. I entered the ornate lobby and rode the elevator up to the seventh floor (which Jeff liked to refer to as the penthouse, as it was the top floor of the building).

We went down to breakfast together, indulging in the hot and cold buffet. We then decided to take a walk along the boardwalk toward the harbor. I relished the warmth of the day, which contrasted starkly to the rain we had endured in England leading up to my departure. We strode casually from the harbor through a local craft market before walking along the streets just inland. There, we found a bakery selling fresh macaroons and picked up a box to have as a snack later in the day. We found a cafe and sat down for lunch before doing a bit of shopping for the early afternoon.

In the middle of the afternoon, we returned to their hotel and opened the macaroons on their rooftop terrace. I have to say, the view from the terrace was magnificent. Definitely something to which I could have grown accustomed. After a short period on the terrace, we returned to the lobby for happy hour and then walked back along the boardwalk to find something to eat for dinner. I was sad to say good night at the end of the evening, but took comfort in the knowledge that while their trip was coming to an end, mine was only beginning.

Blenheim Palace

Friday morning one last Oxford breakfast, we piled our cases back onto the coach to head back to Bath. On our way back, we stopped for a short day trip to Blenheim Palace, just outside of the city where we had stayed for a week.

Blenheim Palace is the only palace in the UK that was not built by royalty. Queen Anne rewarded John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, with the land and money to build his estate after he won a decisive battle in Germany against the French during the War of Spanish Succession. His wife oversaw the process, which took 28 years from start to finish, while he was away with the military.

As we pulled up, the imposing building stood before us. We piled off the coach and wove through school groups, also there on a field trip, to start our tour. The guide took us through the ornate east wing of the house (the family still lives in the west wing), which houses the former state rooms and a large dining hall that can seat over 40 people around its table. The space is used once a year for the Duke's annual Christmas dinner because it is the only room in the estate that can hold all of the invited guests.

Our tour dropped us at the long library. From there, we explored the Winston Churchill exhibit. In addition to being the cousin of one of the Dukes, he was born prematurely when his mother and father attended a banquet at Blenheim. Churchill spent quite a bit of time at the estate growing up and considered it a second home.

Having completed our exploration of the palace, we grabbed a quick bite at the cafe and then set off to traverse the grounds. Megan, Emily, Rachel and I began with a single goal: to find the tree from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The flashback scene of James, Sirius and Severus was filmed beside a lake on the property, so we scoured the banks, searching for a clue as to where it may have been. Sarah and Jessica joined us in our quest, and we finally found it just across a small bridge. We flocked there, photographing our discovery with joy.

For the remainder of the afternoon, we explored the grounds, reveling in their beauty until we noticed clouds begin to roll in. Knowing the change in the weather that would follow, we began to walk back to the coach, quickening our pace as the sky continued to darken. Though the six of us stepped on in time to avoid the rain, others got caught in the downpour, which quickly turned to hail in typical English fashion. By the time we had driven a few minutes from the site, however, the sky had cleared again, which was how it remained for our return to our home, Bath.

"I broke Oxford"

For the record, I didn't actually break Oxford. And don't worry, I'll include the story of this title in this blog post.

For one week every semester, the students of ASE move to University "Univ" College in Oxford. The residency started this year on Saturday morning, when the coach pulled up outside of Nunes House. We loaded our cases under the bus and hopped on board, prepared for the hour and a half the ride would take. We rode through the English countryside for most of the time, eventually reaching our destination. When we pulled up outside of the College, we had to quickly unload the bus and clear the sidewalk, so everyone just grabbed any case and brought it into the main quad, where we redistributed all of them to their rightful owners. The staff picked up our keys and directed us to our rooms, where we had time to unpack and get settled.

Once we found our rooms, the process of settling in was quick, so many of us began to wander back out to the courtyard looking to find where others would be staying for the week. I met up with Megan, Katie, Heather, Chelsea and Tory among others. We wandered to Megan and Heather's suite, which had a large common room between the two bedrooms, and found seats on the various chairs and couches. Katie slid behind the massive desk and began to play with the drawers, at which point one of the knobs fell off. We were able to screw it back in, but only after she announced to the room that she had broken Oxford, hence the title of this blog :)

Our next stop was Tory's room for M & M's (no one had eaten since breakfast early that morning) and then we were off to the JCR (Junior Common Room). The JCR was ASE's "headquarters" for the week, where we could grab a cup of coffee or tea, use the computers or printers, and gather when we weren't in class. Once everyone arrived, the ASE staff reviewed various rules for our stay and distributed academic timetables so we could find our classes. Luckily, they completed all of this quickly and released us to lunch.

During my week in Oxford, despite all the other things that were going on, I found that breakfast and lunch were my favorite parts of the day. Because we didn't have access to any cooking facilities aside from the small kitchenette in the JCR, we were provided with two meals a day in the Buttery (the dining hall). We ate in Univ's beautiful dining hall, sitting on benches pulled up to long tables. For the first time since we arrived, the whole program could spend time together. I had the opportunity to interact with people I don't usually see, and for that I was incredibly grateful.

After lunch on our first day, we attended a lecture by one of the Univ fellows, who provided a formal welcome to the college. Subtle jokes wove through his speech, unheard by all but a few of us, whose laughter rang out regardless of our peers' inattention. The lecture was followed by a tour of the library (which I'm sad to say I didn't take as full advantage of as I could have), the college grounds (where we learned quickly to keep off the grass) and the town of Oxford. We had a bit of time remaining, so Amy, Chelsi and I took a trip to the Eagle and Child, where CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein used to meet. On our way back into town, we stopped into Blackwell's to explore the huge bookstore. We grabbed dinner at a pub just around the corner before heading back to Univ for the night. The day ended with a small party in the campus bar, which I actually attended for once. I spent most of the night on the dance floor until it was time for bed.

On Sunday afternoon, we had our first real adventure of the week: punting. For those who don't know, a punt is a type of boat, similar to a gondola, which is driven by a long pole or "punt". I volunteered to be the first driver of my boat, trusting my ballet training to provide the balance I would need to stand on the flat back of the boat. I pushed us out onto the river, but within minutes, our boat began to turn sidelong and we wedged between a set of docked boats and the river bank. Although we caused a bit of a traffic jam, we eventually escaped with the assistance of a few other boats. I continued to attempt to guide us toward our destination, but it wasn't long before I handed the task over to Hadley.

Though reluctant at first, Hadley turned out to be our most accomplished punter, skillfully navigating us along the next stretch of our route. As we reached the bend in the course, however, our pole became stuck in a muddy patch. Instead of tumbling overboard, Hadley released the pole. We drifted for a few short moments until we were able to paddle our way back. However, just as we reached the pole again, the sky clouded over and down fell rain, quickly turning to hail. Within seconds, we were all cold and drenched. Megan managed to maneuver us around the bend after the current almost dragged us out toward the Thames, after which point she handed the pole to Ashley to have a go. Halfway down the next stretch Ashley turned it over to Tory, who eventually handed it back to Hadley to take us home. After two hours out on the boats, another boat came out to rescue us, taking us back along the last stretch. We emerged, grateful to be back on land, and trudged back up the road to Univ. There, we changed into fresh, dry clothes before heading to Pizza Express for dinner. We made it back in time to catch ASE's showing of "Shadowlands", a movie chronicling CS Lewis's relationship with Joy Gresham.

Classes started up again on Monday, and we each had an individual opportunity to sit down with Chris Pelling, ASE's head of academics, for a few minutes. Megan and I met up with Alyssa, Grace and Emma for dinner at a local Thai restaurant. The evening featured a lecture from another of Univ's fellows, who outlined the history of Oxford and of the college in a talk about "Bloody Oxford". Because we were in Oxford, Tuesday didn't include a visit to our placement schools, so Megan and I spent the morning beginning the Oxford Challenge, which was a competition to see all 38 colleges that make up Oxford University. We started by searching for the furthest colleges and slowly spiraled around, moving steadily inward toward the center of town. We found about half on Tuesday morning and finished the challenge the following day.

Tuesday afternoon, we took a more extensive tour of Christ Church, one of the more famous colleges. We began in the Dean's Gardens, which hosts the original "door to Wonderland". Alice Liddell, who inspired the main character of Lewis Carroll's famous story, was in fact the daughter of the college's Dean, and our guide sprinkled snippets about her life and her father throughout our tour. We next explored the main quad of the campus, which featured a statue of Hermes at its center. Our next stop, the old dining hall, had particular significance for those of us who enjoy the Harry Potter series. As we stepped inside, a wide stairwell confronted us. We instantly recognized it from the first movie, where Harry and his peers first encountered Professor McGonagall. Though it did not open into the Great Hall of the film, the old dining hall at the top of the steps was almost certainly an inspiration for the film set, sharing many of the same architectural features. The last stop on our tour was the beautiful, ornately decorated Christ Church cathedral, one of the best-known aspects of the campus.

That evening, most of ASE gathered for dinner at a local Indian restaurant, which seated us all in a room upstairs. As I mentioned earlier, meals were a fantastic source of socialization, and this evening was no different. I sat among girls I usually wouldn't see, and we spent most of the night laughing and joking around, free from the bonds of academics and relishing in seeing one another. Even though we don't all get the chance to see each other often, or perhaps because of this fact, the moments that we spend together have imprinted on my mind. The rarity with which I interact with some of the others on the program may be regrettable in some ways, but I have come to cherish the moments I'm granted, and I'll remember that evening for a long time.

As incredible as it was, our week in Oxford had to come to an end at some point, and Wednesday and Thursday flew by. Thursday evening, we gathered together once more, dressing smart for a three course meal. Tablecloths, candlesticks and fancy silverware breathed an air of formality into the Buttery as our week came to a close. After dinner, we moved down to the bar for one final evening before we all returned to our rooms to pack our things and get ready to say goodbye to Univ.

#sprig

One aspect of my classes I neglected in my earlier blog posts is our study trips. Essentially, each class gets to take a field trip to add some experience to the material they're learning. My first study trip was to the Montacute House in Somerset with my class on Tudor and Stuart England.

The Montacute House is an Elizabethan mansion and expansive garden. It sits on what was once monastic lands, which were bought by a local landowner when the monasteries were dissolved as part of the English Reformation. (See, I have been learning, I promise!)

At the start of our day, the little coach picked up the class, and we started our hour-and-a-half journey. When we pulled into the gravel lot at the Montacute House, we found our tutor John sitting on a bench. He waved as we parked and stood to greet us. He led us to the back of the house first, which is a bit deceiving considering the driveway that connects it to the road. He explained that the house has seen virtually no alterations since it was first built because its owners, the Philips family, soon fell out of favor at court and therefore could not afford it. While they may have considered that a negative aspect, it turned out to be a blessing for historians!

We walked around to the front of the house, which opens onto the main gardens. As was tradition, the path by which visitors would have come when the house was occupied was separated from the house itselve by a small fenced in garden. The front of the house features 9 statues, three each from biblical, classical and medieval traditions. We entered the house and immediately walked up the stairs to the long hall.

The long hall, or the top floor of the house, is currently home to selections from the National Portrait Gallery's Tudor and Stuart collection. There, we saw original portraits of Henry VII and his wives, as well as well-known figures from the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages. The Tudor features were particularly interesting as we have just finished studying that period in our class and are beginning the Stuart reign this coming week. Once we had wandered through the gallery, we descended to the second floor, where a library caught our attention. Colorful stained glass crests adorned the windows, a beautiful contrast to the dark book bindings. We also had a chance to wander through a few of the bedrooms.

Having spent sufficient time inside the house, we drifted out to the gardens, where we imagined the lives of the house's original residents and guests, transported back to the Elizabethan age. Once we completed our exploration of the gardens, we gathered in the cafe to eat our lunches, and ASE treated us to tea and cakes.

For the afternoon, John led us from the house through the town. We saw the remains of the gatehouse I referenced earlier, as well as the only other small building, which once housed the doves kept by the monks for eggs and meat. A small pond, which once held fish, also remained on the premises. We also got to peek into the local church, which still functions under the 39 Articles of Faith established by Queen Elizabeth I and in which the Philips family is entombed.

On the walk back through the town to our bus, we passed a sign advocating local events and sites of interest. It leaned on the typical "I (heart) _____", but instead of a heart the image was of a small branch, We debated the proper term for it as we passed through the parking lot and agreed on a "sprig" which should be used to describe things which are particularly close to our hearts, hence the title of this blog post.

Our ride back to Bath was uneventful, and we arrived at our residences in mid-afternoon. I took the time after to pack for Oxford, our next big adventure!

Cheers!

"How many waffles can you eat in a weekend in Brussels? Challenge accepted"

After the success of Scotland and Ireland, it was time for a different kind of challenge: language. Megan and I decided that in honor of my birthday, we were going to take a trip to Brussels, the land of waffles and chocolate.

We started our journey by hopping on a train from Bath to London Paddington first thing Friday morning. Once we arrived in London, we briskly walked across town to St. Pancras station (about 2.4 miles), where we had our passports checked for our ride to Brussels. We arrived in Belgium in the early afternoon, and we immediately set off toward the center of the city.

Anyone who has ever visited Brussels will probably tell you that you need to see the Grand Place, and when that was the first stop on our journey, we could tell why. We had opted to walk from the train station, and the roads leading up to the Grand Place weren't really anything special. All of a sudden, however, the streets emptied into a large courtyard. Ornate buildings lined the sides of what was once a central market square. Small streets around the edges led to restaurants, cafes, and shops. We wandered around until we found a cafe, where we grabbed lunch, and then we looked for a good waffle shop.

Waffle 1: banana and chocolate

After we found our first waffles, we continued our quest for Belgium's other indulgence: chocolate. We found a little chocolate shop, and then we bought some chocolate ice cream before walking up to our hostel. We checked in and relaxed for a bit there, letting the day catch up with us. After a short while, we left the hostel in search of Greenwich Tavern, a traditional Belgian pub recommended by my brother's old roommate. Dinner was delicious, and I got to brush up on my French vocabulary, since the menu wasn't in English. This meant that I ordered for both myself and my roommate, which I was proud to have done successfully. Afterwards, we headed back to the Grand Place for dessert, which was of course going to be waffles again :)

Waffle 2: nutella

We walked back up to the hostel, waffles in hand, and turned in for the night. The next morning, we decided to get an early start so that we could cram everything else we wanted to do in before our train back to London. When we left the hostel, the streets were completely deserted. The city was absolutely silent. It was incredible. We made our way back to the Grand Place, where we got breakfast - waffles, of course - at a little cafe.

Waffle 3: banana and whipped cream

After breakfast, we discovered a huge chocolate shop, where we purchased our souvenir chocolate, aka my birthday present to myself. I must say, I've never had a celebration quite as sweet. Our next stop was the Museum of Musical Instruments, which was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever been to. We got audio guides at the entrance, which activated when held over symbols in front of many of the display cases. However, instead of the typical history or descriptions of the instruments in the cases, the audio files were actual pieces of music played by the instruments in question. The museum's collection included an incredible array of instruments in beautiful condition. The featured exhibit explored the history of the saxophone.

After spending a bit of time at the museum, we continued on our route to see the last few big shops. We stopped at Place Royal and the Palais Royal (royal palace). Our last big stop was the Place du Petit Sablon, an adorable little park. We walked back to the Place Royal to grab one more waffle for the day.

Waffle 4: whipped cream

After our last waffles, it was time to head back to the train station. We retraced our route through the Grand Place. We stopped for tea on the way back and then grabbed sandwiches at the station for a late lunch. We checked in for our train ride back to the UK and passed through border security. Our train to London went smoothly, and then we bolted across town to Paddington station so we would have time to grab dinner (a pair of bagels) before we hopped on the train to Bath Spa. Once we got back, we broke into our chocolate before we went to bed, ready for some well-earned rest after a successful birthday celebration :)

Dalkey and back to Bath

After two straight days in cities, we were definitely ready for someplace a little quieter. After grabbing a quick breakfast at the hostel, we packed our things and checked out. About half the group rented a locker to store bigger luggage while we were away from the morning. We walked across the river to the train station, where we purchased tickets to Dalkey, a small town about 30 minutes outside the city. As soon as we stepped off the train, we started to walk towards the coast. However, because we didn't have a map, our only indication of the coast's location was the general direction we could determine from our train ride.

We set off, keeping to one path so that we would have fewer roads to remember. As we came around a bend, we saw the sea out on the horizon. We continued on our journey, finally reaching the town's small marina, where we stopped to take pictures and explore. Our fun was short-lived as it began to rain, so we gathered our bags and started to make our way back to the center of town, where we had walked past a number of cafes and restaurants. We checked the prices on a few displayed menus before deciding on a small american diner, where we grabbed a quick bite before it was time to head back to Dublin.

As soon as we returned to Dublin, we split into two groups to grab remaining luggage and the last few souvenirs. We met back up at the bus stop just in time to watch it pull in, and soon we were off to the airport for our third flight of the weekend!

We passed through security quickly and said goodbye to Cae, who would be going back to her program London while the rest of us returned to Bath via Bristol. However, just as we dropped her off, we ran into Chelsea, who had spent the weekend in Ireland visiting her older brother. As it turned out, she would be taking the same flight as us, so she joined us in waiting to board the plane.

When we landed in Bristol, we grabbed something to drink at the airport cafe while we waited for the bus that would bring us back to Bath. Unfortunately, the sign was a bit confusing, so we thought we had missed the 5:00 bus, but it was actually a 5:30 bus. When we went outside just before 6, we learned that the next bus would leave at 6:30. Already tired, we were certainly not happy. Luckily, when we finally got on the bus, our journey took just under an hour, and by 7:30, we were safely back in Bath!

Dublin

On Saturday morning, we were glad to have turned in early when our alarms went off starting at 5. We quickly rolled out of our beds, dressed, and packed our things. Within 30 minutes, all seven of us jogged down the stairs to drop off our keys and walked back to the bus stop where we had been dropped off. We had to wait just a few minutes for our bus to pull up and take us to the airport, where we arrived at 6.

The airport, which had bustled on our arrival two days prior, was quiet at this early hour. We breezed through our passport checks and walked quickly through security. As we waited, we picked up breakfast at a cafe and sat patiently, watching the departure for the gate number of our 8 AM flight. Just after 7, we watched it pop up on the board. We said goodbye to Katie, whose flight back to Bath would leave a few minutes later, and walked down to our gate.

Our flight was smooth, and it wasn't long before we had landed in Dublin, where my passport was stamped for the first time since my arrival in the UK. We picked up bus tickets so that we could get to Isaac's hostel, which we found with almost no difficulty (the smartphone certainly helped). We weren't able to check in yet, but the hostel allowed us to drop our bags if we so desired.

To kill some time, we decided to get a jump start on our site-seeing and made our way to Trinity College. The beautiful old buildings starkly contrasted the modern city around, as if time on the campus had stopped while the city went on. We walked around for a bit until we decided it was time for lunch, at which point we began to walk down Grafton Street. Street performers lined the road on both sides, entertaining us until we discovered a small cafe at which we ate.

After lunch, we continued our journey down the street. We stopped into a small jewelry shop so that Cae, Hadley, and Megan could buy clada rings before we walked into the beautiful park at the end of the block: Saint Stephen's Garden. A small lake featured in the center, surrounded by statues hidden among the vegetation. We wandered around for a bit, taking a bit of a break from the bustling city we had entered, before we walked back to Isaac's hostel along the same route we had come.

Back at the hostel, we collected our keys and found our 6-bed room. We were glad to not need to share the space for the night, glad that we could lock our belongings away without risking theft. We took a short break, resting after our early travels, before we walked back out, this time with a further destination in mind: the Guinness Storehouses.

Even though I don't drink, walking through the storehouses was pretty cool. We explored the history of the company and watched its process. Their exhibit on advertising featured some of their greatest commercials from various decades, and the bar on the top floor was surrounded by a 360-degree view of the city. After we stopped in the gift shop, we walked back toward the center of the city for dinner at the Porterhouse, which had been recommended to us by a friend of Allison. Dinner felt very Irish, especially as a live band played, so I ordered an Irish stew, which turned out to be a wonderful decision. After dinner, we spent a little time wandering around and weaving through the Temple Bar area on the long route back to the hostel. Once we arrived, we began to plan for the last stage of our adventure: a morning in Dalkey.

"When I get scared, I don't scream, I have a stroke"

Megan and I had barely gotten a taste of adventuring our next trip began. The Thursday after our day in London, we flew from Bristol, UK to Edinburgh, Scotland. Megan and I caught a mid-afternoon flight before the others, since we were finished with class earlier in the day. Once we landed in Edinburgh, we hopped on a bus, which dropped us off around the corner from the hostel. We checked in and decided to walk around a bit to find dinner before the other girls arrived. We happened upon a small cafe down the block called Ryan's, where the food was excellent.

After dinner, we went back to the hostel to try and get some work done while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. They called just before 10 to let us know they had landed, at which point we relayed the directions to the hostel. Allison, Amanda, Hadley and Katie (who live in the flat below us) arrived half an hour later, and Cae (a friend of Amanda's) came in minutes after. We settled in for the night, happy that everyone had arrived safely.

Friday morning, we woke up bright and early to grab the continental breakfast at the hostel before we set out for the day. By 9 that morning, we were ready to start moving, and we set out for the Edinburgh castle, which was about a 25 minute walk from the hostel. We spent the morning touring the castle and its grounds. My personal favorite was getting to see the crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny. For those who don't know its dubious history, the Stone of Destiny sits under the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey, from where it was stolen. It now resides in Edinburgh after an agreement was reached with the royal family that it will be transported back to London for future coronations.

After a few hours at the castle, we were ready for lunch, so we walked partway down the Royal Mile and turned onto a side street to reach the famous Elephant House. Many authors have discovered the cafe over the years and sat in its back room to write. The most famous of these has been J K Rowling, who penned much of her first Harry Potter novel while sitting near a window overlooking the Edinburgh castle. Her view explains the striking physical similarities between the hill on which the castle sits and the similar position of Hogwarts. We reveled over the cafe's past while we munched on our lunches and took a break from all the walking we had been doing before we got back up on our feet.

Our afternoon started with a trek back up the Royal Mile (in the direction of the castle) to the small Writer's Museum. After we explored the museum, we decided to walk back down the full length of the Royal Mile to the Holyrood Palace, which sits at the other end across the street from the Scottish Parliament building. The Palace serves as home to the royal family if they visit Edinburgh. Having seen the palace, we started to walk back up the mile to take a short break at the hostel. Along the way, we stopped at the Mercat Cross to pick up tickets for our ghost tour that evening. To anyone wondering, the title of this post came was pulled from our discussion of the ghost tour as we walked back to the hostel.

Back at the hostel, half the group decided to shower and take a nap. The rest of us spent some time looking for a good pub or restaurant at which we could eat dinner. Our criteria were fairly specific - we wanted to eat Scottish food, but we also wanted to find somewhere between the hostel and the ghost tour, as well as stay in our budgets. We managed to find "Ghillie Dhu," the one pub that fit all of our criteria, so just before 5, we set off again. The food was delicious, but the service was a little slow for our deadline. We ended up having to sprint up to the Mercat Cross, which wouldn't have been too bad except that most of the journey took us up a huge hill. Even so, we managed to arrive minutes before the tour started at 7.

The ghost tour started with tales of gore from hundreds of years ago in Edinburgh, which slowly became stories of ghosts and hauntings. Although we spent the first 25 minutes above ground, we then moved into vaults hidden under the city's streets. There, our tour guides treated us to your typical ghost stories, successfully frightening all of us to some degree. We joined the tour guides for drinks afterwards, during which they continued the evening's storytelling. At one point, they discussed witch trials, at which point they called up Katie to stand trial! The rest of us pulled out our cameras instantly to catch a shot as Katie faced the "Inquisitor's" questions. At the end, they began to turn down the lights for the last story, which ended in complete darkness. Our whole group reached out for each other, officially terrified. We laughed when the lights came back up, but we had to admit that they had done what they had intended, and we stayed close as we walked back to the hostel for the night. We decided to turn in because we had to be up early for the next leg of our trip: Dublin!

London

After we spent all of Friday out and about, my roommate and I decided to go to London for the day on Saturday and hit a few of the sites. We boarded the 8:45 train to maximize our time in London, reaching Paddington station at 10:15. From there, we walked to the British Museum, somehow managing to not get exceptionally lost along the way!

In the Museum, we explored the many incredible artifacts. We got to check out the Rosetta Stone, among others, which was especially cool because the people around us were speaking at least a half dozen different languages, reminding us of the powerful impact the Rosetta Stone had on the way we look at other cultures. We also picked up lunch while we were there, perfectly comfortable with the slightly higher prices since admission had been free. After lunch, we hit the African exhibit and the Clocks and Watches display before catching an afternoon tour of Ancient Rome.

We left the museum around 4 so that we could do a bit of site-seeing before it got dark. From the British Museum, we walked to the London Eye, and then continued down the block to Big Ben. We turned the corner towards Parliament, but we noticed the light had started to wane, so we changed course and headed to Waterloo station, where we grabbed dinner before we caught a train first to Salisbury and then to Bath. Another successful trip in my opinion :)

Cheers!

A Cotswold Tour

I'm a little behind on my blogging, but I definitely needed to put down my thoughts about life in Bath recently. My goal is to catch up before I go on a fresh set of adventures this weekend, and we'll see how that goes.

One of the great parts of the program I'm on is that they run some day trips and other socials for all of us to enjoy! For instance, as part of our orientation, we went to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Lacock. On February 21, we spent the day in the Cotswold, a famous, picturesque, historic region of the country. The bus pulled up at a quarter to nine, and we piled on, wearing our Wellies (short for Wellingtons, a famous brand of rain boots) and carrying extra shoes. As with our first day out, Andrew Butterworth narrated the start of our journey, explaining some of the landmarks we would be passing. He had a particular affinity for the names of the areas we passed, recounting the stories behind a few of his favorites.

Our first stop of the day was Broadway, a quaint little town famous for its Broadway Tower. Originally built by a local lord for when he wanted to invite friends over for tea, four different counties can be seen from the top. After we spent a few minutes checking out the view, we began to hike down the Cotswold way. Though the full path is about 110 miles long, we only took on a two-mile stretch of it, which crossed muddy fields and an enclosure filled with sheep. The last field led us to a little back street in the town, which we followed back to the bus. As we got ready to board, we lined up and slipped our feet halfway out of our boots so we could step right out when we reached the bus entrance. Our boots had been so covered in mud that we surely would have ended up tracking massive quantities of muck through the bus otherwise.

As we traded our Wellies for other shoes - in my case sneakers - the bus brought us to a nearby town for lunch. Amy, Chelsi, Madeline, Megan and I decided to grab sandwiches and walk around a bit. We ended up stumbling on a little tea room, where we drank hot chocolate with an abundance of marshmallows and whipped cream. We finished up just in time to meet the rest of the group back at the bus for our third and final stop of the day, Painswick.

In Painswick, we spent the rest of our afternoon walking through the Rococo gardens and admiring the snowdrops. We maneuvered through the 250th anniversary maze, which you could see in full from a hill overlooking it. From this vantage, we guided some of the other students through the same paths we had taken. We ended the afternoon with a cup of tea and a slice of cake (mine was lemon raspberry) before heading home on the bus. Overall, a very successful day :)

Cheers!