CLARK! And my Clarkies. It's been almost a month now that I have been traveling alone and while I really haven't been alone that much couchsurfing and meeting people at hostels and tourist spots, the idea of being in one place with my friends sounds quite appealing (although, I'm not ready to go home yet!). I have learned so much about myself, what I look for traveling (I would take an incredible view or a hike up a mountain any day over a museum), learning to be patient with non-English speakers (this will get even more challenging in Asia), and being truly open-minded to everyone I meet and casting judgments aside. Anyways, I left you in my last entry in Venice!
My first real day in Venice I took the bus in since I was staying in mainland Venice (Mestre) since it was MUCH cheaper. I was fortunate enough to be given a pass to ride the vaporetto or water buses all day too. As soon as I arrived I hopped on a boat to see Venice from the water. After quite some time wandering and getting lost which is very easy to do, I decided to take a boat to the island of Lido where there is a beach and the water is a little cleaner since it was SCORCHING hot. From Lido I returned and walked through the old Jewish Ghetto where Jewish merchants from around the world flourished and built their apartments up very high with synagogues on top. I even ran into the family that adopted me from the Cinque Terre there. After hours, of admiring the beautiful buildings, canals, and finding piazzas less packed with tourists, I returned exhausted to find I'd be sharing my room with 2 Dutch girls. The Dutch are everywhere and always so wonderful.
The next day, I woke up refreshed and headed back to Venice for the Rialto Mercato which happens every morning and is filled with tons of produce and all the Mediterranean seafood you can imagine. Then crossing the lovely Rialto bridge I went to San Marco Square which is massive and includes the Doge's Palace, the Duomo, the Campanile tower, many pigeons, and a view of the water of course. I took a lift up to the top of the Campanile for amazing views of Venice and its islands then went into the Doge's Palace where I met a couple of girls and walked around with them (the palace had fantastic artwork and the Bridge of Sighs where prisoners crossed from the courtroom over a canal to the prison cells), and finally the Basilica where I met a family from Worcester! After a little more time taking in Venice, I headed to Bologna. Overall Venice was not at all what I expected though. It was much larger, had many non-touristy areas, and simply unike anything I have ever seen before. So glad I could see it before it sinks! (Venetians need to take a few lessons from the Dutch on water management.)
Once in Bologna I met my couchsurfing host who gave me a tour of the city and went to dinner (Bologna is known for its particularly good food although my host told me most of it was meat). Although it was very challenging to communicate with my host, I loved Bologna! Two-thirds of the population are students (about 100,000 of them!) and the student atmosphere is very palpable with so much life and music all around even though it is exam time for most Italian students. Bologna is also known as the city of arches with most streets lined with them. It was a short trip, before heading to Florence, but I highly recommend it even though most guide books hardly mention the city.
In Florence, I climbed the hill to Piazza Michelangelo which has fantastic views of the city to go to my hostel/campsite next to the Piazza. I had a tent with a bed and light all to myself for three nights. I strolled through the city by night and crossed the beautiful and historic Ponte Vecchio (bridge) over the River Arno. The next day I went to the Uffizi Gallery and spent my time with 2 girls from Arizona appreciating the Medici's impressive art collection and statues (especially The Birth of Venice). Afterwards, I went to the San Lorenzo Market then took a train to a small Tuscan city, Certaldo. There, Fabrizio from couchsurfing picked me up and we drove through the Tuscan countryside to San Gigmiano another medeival Tuscan city where he gave me a private tour full of spectacular views within the ancient city walls. Plus, we stopped for award winning gelato. Then we headed back to his home city Certaldo to see its less touristy historic center on a hill. He was so knowledgable about the area and full of so many stories I couldn't believe I wasn't paying for it! That night back at the hostel I spent hours getting to know other travelers from Atlanta, Canada, and Scotland.
The next day, I had a slow start, but took a tour with my new Scottish friends, Emma and Jen to taste wine, olive oil, pecorino cheese, and balsamic vinegar (plus bread, but that was pretty crusty) in the Chianti area. We stopped at a castle, but skipped our last tasting which was outside during pouring rain (it was pretty impressive that I went 2 and half weeks in Italy without rain though). Once we were back in Florence we had an awful time trying to get back to our hostel since the piazza next to it was shooting off fireworks. Every time we tried a new path up, it felt with every police officer was being deliberately unhelpful. We finally made it though and enjoyed another delicious dinner.
This morning I caught a bus to Siena and was greeted by my Argentinian host, Santiago, and a Minnesotan also staying with him, Nicole. We walked around the city, stopped byt the Duomo which is incredibly stunning, got pizza, gelato, and my favorite espresso (marrochino which has chocolate and milk in it) at all the best places. While, I still have more of Siena to see tonight, I think it is definitely underrated. Florence may have all the big sights like palaces, gardens, and museums. But the city of Siena itself is more medeival and simply prettier. It used to be an equal rival of Florence as a major trading city, but 2/3 of the population was wiped out during the Plague and during that time it was invaded by Florence.
Tomorrow after hitting the market in Siena, I make my way to Rome to meet my boyfriend Thomas for one last week in Italy before Asia!! Ciao for now!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The #1 Downside of Traveling Alone is...
... a sunburned back! After so long in rainy Netherlands and mild Scotland I was not prepared for the heat of Italy. It is hot, humid, and very sunny. I can't put sunscreen on my own back and while plenty of friendly Italian men would be happy to do it, I have suffered instead. Anyways, last time I left you, I was making my way to Glasgow. After doing my last day of cleaning at the hostel, I got a ride to Fort William and "large" enough town to have a grocery store. When I wasn't sleeping on the bus, the scenery was incredible! Especially an area called Glen Coe with phenomenal mountains. That evening I arrived in Glasgow where I was staying with three students that go to the University of Glasgow. They made me a lovely dinner before heading out for a few drinks (according to them a few drinks is a novel concept, since the Scots LOVE their alcohol). But I finally got to ride in a Hackney cab!
The next day I explored the West End and unfortunately it was my first rainy day in Scotland. I walked through Kelvin Grove Park, stopped at several charity shops (they are ALL OVER), walked through the university campus, the botanical gardens, and the Kelvin Grove Museum which included a little bit of everything. That evening we attended a stand up comedy show and for only 2£ it wasn't too bad, although there was one or two comedians who I could not understand a word they said (the accent in Glasgow particularly was STRONG). The next day I saw some cathedrals, the People's Palace (a fantastic museum all about Glasgow), and through the city center. All in all, I would not exactly recommend Glasgow as a tourist attraction, being a working class city with few attractions. The people were quite friendly and according to my host, it's the only city where someone would stab you but, then hail a cab for you and point you in the direction of the hospital. Nevertheless, I made it in one piece to Milan quite late in the evening thanks to Ryanair.
My two Italian hosts were absolutely lovely and students at the university. On my first full day, I ventured on their subway to Sforza Castle and the gardens/huge park behind it. From there I took a pretty awful walking tour. The guide's English was not so good and he was very nervous. But it was free and we walked through the historic Brera neighborhood, the incredible Duomo (massive and intricate cathedral), the galleria, and finally to the church where The Last Supper is (I did not see the painting though since it is quite damaged and you have to book very far in advance). Afterwards, I met up with my hosts again for appertivo. Appertivo is like an all you can eat buffet, but for quite cheap, includes a drink, and the food is amazing. We then walked around the city by night which absolutely comes alive especially around the canals lined with bars, cafes, and desserts (we got a not so good cannoli according to my host). The very urban and fashion oriented Milan, was all right for a day, but I was ready for the next city-- Turino!
The train from Milan to Turino took me through a lot of industrial areas, but I was greeted at the train station by my next couchsurfing host. He is Colombian and doing an exchange at the polytechnical school in Turino studying environmental engineering. We had some great conversations about his interests in water management and how he wants to preserve all of Colombia's natural resources. After making lunch together I explored the city while he was in class (most Italian universities don't finish exams until July and most of their exams are completely oral!). I walked through the beautiful Roman neighborhood, the Palace Reale, the Egypt museum (it's the second largest collection after Cairo), the old Roman gate, and along the River Po. Afterwards, Jairo met me and we climbed Monte Capucini, walked to the church containing Jesus's shroud, and finally we met with his friends visiting from Columbia for another excellent appertivo. Turino was nice, but very doable in a day.
The next day I went to Genoa (where Christopher Columbus is supposedly from). Genoa is a port city with many markets and tiny streets to wander. I didn't spend much time here, although my foccacia pizza and gelato was spectacular. Early the next morning it was off to the Cinque Terre! These are 5 small coastal villages that you can either take the train between or hike short but incredible coastal paths. Today, the area is a national park and quite touristy, but for good reason. I stayed in a hostel in the middle village of Corniglia which is perched high up on a cliff. After exploring the village, I started my hike to Vernazza where I met a Texan couple who work in the oil industry (I had a great time quizzing them on all things green). I briefly wandered Vernazza before getting back on the trail to Monterosso. Both hikes took about an hour each, but I was rewarded with fresh squeexed lemonade on the trail before finishing in Monterosso which had a rocky beach to swim and suntan in. Back in Corniglia I was rewarded with pesto lasagna and obviously more gelato (the region is known for their lemons and pesto). The next day I moved to a new hostel in another village, Riomaggiore which is one big hill. Since the trails between Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Corniglia were closed I took the train to Manarola (definitely the prettiest of the villages). I tanned on some big flat rocks (and by tanned I mean burned). I was feeling quite ambitious though and climbed straight upwards from manarola to a VERY small village called Volastra. An old Italian couple was making fun of me for being so sweaty and red, but hand gestured that I should continue on to Corniglia since it was mostly flat and downwards (and terrifying since the path was on tiny ledges through hillside vineyards). Exhausted I made it back to Manarola where I had dinner with a family from Gardener, MA who I ran into earlier and adopted me for the night before catching the last train back to Riomaggiore (this was the first time I was very grateful that the trains never run on time). [I encourage you to google image it!!]
Once again, I got up early to catch the train from La Spezia, slightly below the Cinque Terre, back to Milan; however, the trains were very delayed and I missed my connection to Verona. Instead I met 2 Norwegian girls also going to Verona, but had rented a car and invited me along. They told me how beautiful their country was (especially Bergen, the 2nd biggest city), how unfriendly Norwegians are to foreigners, and how everything was SO cheap once they were out of Norway. Once in Verona, we parted ways and I met with my new host Max. Max is from a tiny town in West Texas, but was spending the year studying in Italy. By night I followed Rick Steves walking tour to see the lovely piazzas, the duomo, the Scaligero residences and castle (they are the equivalent of the Medicis in the Verona), and the Roman arena. Ending the evening with another American student studying at Montclair in NJ with some spritzes. I finished up Verona by stopping by the super touristy Juliet's balcony and touching her statue's breast for good luck in love and climbing the Pietra castle for some amazing views. Since the weather was even hotter today we spent the afternoon with some girls from Wales at a cafe. Verona, a city filled with flowery balconies was absolutely charming. But it was off to Venice on a train with no air conditioning, oy!
Since I arrived in Venice at night, I haven't really seen anything yet, but something to look forward to in my next entry! From Venice, I will be off to Bologna, Florence, and Siena. Until then, ciao!
--Unfortunately I haven't been able to upload pictures, so they will come... eventually.
The next day I explored the West End and unfortunately it was my first rainy day in Scotland. I walked through Kelvin Grove Park, stopped at several charity shops (they are ALL OVER), walked through the university campus, the botanical gardens, and the Kelvin Grove Museum which included a little bit of everything. That evening we attended a stand up comedy show and for only 2£ it wasn't too bad, although there was one or two comedians who I could not understand a word they said (the accent in Glasgow particularly was STRONG). The next day I saw some cathedrals, the People's Palace (a fantastic museum all about Glasgow), and through the city center. All in all, I would not exactly recommend Glasgow as a tourist attraction, being a working class city with few attractions. The people were quite friendly and according to my host, it's the only city where someone would stab you but, then hail a cab for you and point you in the direction of the hospital. Nevertheless, I made it in one piece to Milan quite late in the evening thanks to Ryanair.
My two Italian hosts were absolutely lovely and students at the university. On my first full day, I ventured on their subway to Sforza Castle and the gardens/huge park behind it. From there I took a pretty awful walking tour. The guide's English was not so good and he was very nervous. But it was free and we walked through the historic Brera neighborhood, the incredible Duomo (massive and intricate cathedral), the galleria, and finally to the church where The Last Supper is (I did not see the painting though since it is quite damaged and you have to book very far in advance). Afterwards, I met up with my hosts again for appertivo. Appertivo is like an all you can eat buffet, but for quite cheap, includes a drink, and the food is amazing. We then walked around the city by night which absolutely comes alive especially around the canals lined with bars, cafes, and desserts (we got a not so good cannoli according to my host). The very urban and fashion oriented Milan, was all right for a day, but I was ready for the next city-- Turino!
The train from Milan to Turino took me through a lot of industrial areas, but I was greeted at the train station by my next couchsurfing host. He is Colombian and doing an exchange at the polytechnical school in Turino studying environmental engineering. We had some great conversations about his interests in water management and how he wants to preserve all of Colombia's natural resources. After making lunch together I explored the city while he was in class (most Italian universities don't finish exams until July and most of their exams are completely oral!). I walked through the beautiful Roman neighborhood, the Palace Reale, the Egypt museum (it's the second largest collection after Cairo), the old Roman gate, and along the River Po. Afterwards, Jairo met me and we climbed Monte Capucini, walked to the church containing Jesus's shroud, and finally we met with his friends visiting from Columbia for another excellent appertivo. Turino was nice, but very doable in a day.
The next day I went to Genoa (where Christopher Columbus is supposedly from). Genoa is a port city with many markets and tiny streets to wander. I didn't spend much time here, although my foccacia pizza and gelato was spectacular. Early the next morning it was off to the Cinque Terre! These are 5 small coastal villages that you can either take the train between or hike short but incredible coastal paths. Today, the area is a national park and quite touristy, but for good reason. I stayed in a hostel in the middle village of Corniglia which is perched high up on a cliff. After exploring the village, I started my hike to Vernazza where I met a Texan couple who work in the oil industry (I had a great time quizzing them on all things green). I briefly wandered Vernazza before getting back on the trail to Monterosso. Both hikes took about an hour each, but I was rewarded with fresh squeexed lemonade on the trail before finishing in Monterosso which had a rocky beach to swim and suntan in. Back in Corniglia I was rewarded with pesto lasagna and obviously more gelato (the region is known for their lemons and pesto). The next day I moved to a new hostel in another village, Riomaggiore which is one big hill. Since the trails between Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Corniglia were closed I took the train to Manarola (definitely the prettiest of the villages). I tanned on some big flat rocks (and by tanned I mean burned). I was feeling quite ambitious though and climbed straight upwards from manarola to a VERY small village called Volastra. An old Italian couple was making fun of me for being so sweaty and red, but hand gestured that I should continue on to Corniglia since it was mostly flat and downwards (and terrifying since the path was on tiny ledges through hillside vineyards). Exhausted I made it back to Manarola where I had dinner with a family from Gardener, MA who I ran into earlier and adopted me for the night before catching the last train back to Riomaggiore (this was the first time I was very grateful that the trains never run on time). [I encourage you to google image it!!]
Once again, I got up early to catch the train from La Spezia, slightly below the Cinque Terre, back to Milan; however, the trains were very delayed and I missed my connection to Verona. Instead I met 2 Norwegian girls also going to Verona, but had rented a car and invited me along. They told me how beautiful their country was (especially Bergen, the 2nd biggest city), how unfriendly Norwegians are to foreigners, and how everything was SO cheap once they were out of Norway. Once in Verona, we parted ways and I met with my new host Max. Max is from a tiny town in West Texas, but was spending the year studying in Italy. By night I followed Rick Steves walking tour to see the lovely piazzas, the duomo, the Scaligero residences and castle (they are the equivalent of the Medicis in the Verona), and the Roman arena. Ending the evening with another American student studying at Montclair in NJ with some spritzes. I finished up Verona by stopping by the super touristy Juliet's balcony and touching her statue's breast for good luck in love and climbing the Pietra castle for some amazing views. Since the weather was even hotter today we spent the afternoon with some girls from Wales at a cafe. Verona, a city filled with flowery balconies was absolutely charming. But it was off to Venice on a train with no air conditioning, oy!
Since I arrived in Venice at night, I haven't really seen anything yet, but something to look forward to in my next entry! From Venice, I will be off to Bologna, Florence, and Siena. Until then, ciao!
--Unfortunately I haven't been able to upload pictures, so they will come... eventually.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Ridin OUT of Leiden
***I had trouble putting pictures in, so I encourage you to check out my Netherlands album here and my Scotland one here***
So I haven't been my best this past month at updating you, but let me play a little catch up now. Right after my last post, I jetted off to London which only takes about 10 minutes because of the time difference! My first 3 nights I stayed with 2 Irish girls who right away gave me crumpets and tea (with milk of course). The next day I took my favorite free walking tour and saw all the essentials including Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey (although I never went in), St. James Palace where Henry the VIII lived, and the QUEEN! She was traveling in her coach back to the palace after giving a speech. That night I saw an improv comedy show with another Clark student and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was for a free show. I'm not sure if it was their charming British accents or just British humor in general, but I loved it enough to see another show a few nights later. Since most attractions were quite expensive, well really most things in London, especially since the pound to dollar is not a pretty conversion, I went to a lot of museums which are all free. While I was there I managed to hit the National Gallery (not a huge fan), the National Portrait Gallery (absolutely amazing), the Natural History Museum (dinosaurs never get old), the Victoria and Albert Museum (probably my favorite), and the British Museum. I also hit plenty of markets like the Old Spitalfields Market with antiques and vintage items, the Borough Market which provided TONS of free samples, and the Camden Market which was MASSIVE and similar to Greenich Village in New York City. I also took a fantastic tour of London's alternative culture, graffiti and street art. We even saw one of the artists working on a wall. The street art in really incredible and so many world renowned artists come to the walls of the East End and off of Brick Lane. In addition, to seeing London from East to West, I took a day trip to Cambridge. In Cambridge, I met up with a friend from high school who goes to the university and was able to take me through all the college yards and gardens. Despite the rainy weather and the cough I developed only while I was in London, the city absolutely stole my heart. I loved how quick the Tube was, the double-decker buses, and just being in a city that once ran an empire--but now it's just full of lovable scamps =)
Nonetheless I had to get back to the Netherlands for my last few weeks. After a day or so back, my parents arrived for their week long visit. Unfortunately, they picked the coldest and rainiest week and had to push through to make sure they still saw all the quintessential Dutch spots. They loved how unbelievably friendly the Dutch were at giving directions or satisfying my mom's need to talk to everyone, although when it came to biking, she found the Dutch to be far too aggressive to stay on the road. Together we journeyed north to see Alkmaar's cheese market, do a walking tour through the very historic Hoorn, and eat dinner in Haarlem. We also took a trip to Amsterdam to see the Jewish Museum (highly recommend) and Portuguese Synagogue followed by a canal tour. I tried to get my parents to go to a coffee shop which my Dad was quite excited about, but my Mom complained about her asthma and vetoed it. Since, I mostly cook for myself, it was quite nice eating out in Leiden's restaurants. While, I was sad to see them go after a week, I was also sad to see my computer and all of my stuff go to since I am now travelling and living out of my backpack.
After my parents left I wasn't alone for long, my friend Josh came to visit next. I gave him the full Leiden tour and we journeyed to the Hague. In the Hague, we went to see the Queen's palace, Parliament, the Peace Palace, and Madurodam which is an open air museum of small scale Dutch cities and interactive videos (it was like I was studying for my Dutch Culture exam). We also took the tram to the beach outside the Hague called Schvenigen and had some delicious Indonesian food for dinner. The next day we did a walking tour of Delft, climbed the New Kirk for some incredible views, and did a tour of the factory where they make Delft Blue wares. All in all a really lovely visit and a chance to get in some more places I had yet to see.
On my final week in the Netherlands, there was still so much more for me to do. I had two exams which I did okay on...I also made it to the Rijksmuseum for a bit (the fire alarm went off and shortened our visit), but I was still able to see some Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and so many other incredible Dutch artists. I managed to stop at the Anne Frank House as well and was really touched by how well it was organized and being in the same tiny attic that Anne hid out in. I also took a trip to Leylstad to visit my friend Judith's home and family, a city that has only existed for the past 60 years since it used to be underwater until they built lots of dikes. The city also has a lovely reserve next to it with tons of birds, deer, wild horses, and a beautiful landscape. Since I started dating a Dutch guy, Thomas, I even went to see a play entirely in Dutch that he was in. It's sad that aside from the synopsis that I read beforehand, I was not able to understand a word. On my last day inthe Netherlands, I got my vaccinations for Asia, took my last exam, and went to a concert in Amsterdam with Thomas and his friends (again I have never felt so short).
Leaving was bittersweet, but I was so excited to go to Scotland! I spent my first 3 days in Edinburgh couchsurfing with 3 Lithuanian students. The city is a mix of new and old architecture and is dominated by the Edinburgh Castle looming over the city. While in Edinburgh, I took another excellent free walking tour and learned a ton about Scotland's complex history. I also climbed Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat which are mountains right in Edinburgh that provided for some spectacular views. I got my fill of Harry Potter facts too having passed by the restaurant that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in and the cemetery that Rowling got inspiration for many names like Professor McGonagall and Tom Riddle (in London I stopped at Platform 9 3/4 and later in the Highlands I passed through Gilfinnan where Harry Potter's train went through in the movies). Edinburgh was the perfect mix of city, nature, and again terrific accents.
From Edinburgh I took a Megabus up to Inverness, one of the bigger cities in the north, but still very very small. After a stop there, I took a bus to the Invergarry Lodge where I have been spending my week. In exchange for doing the cleaning each morning, I have been able to stay at the hostel for free and explore the Highlands. On my first day I accidentally took a 6 hour hike around Loch Oich and interacted with far more people than sheep (the hills are covered in sheep, although I'm not sure if they are there to be sold, for wool, for haggis, or all of the above). Another day, I met a Dutch student hiking the Great Glen Way (from Fort William to Inverness) who was staying at my hostel. We continued on the next day together to explore Fort Augustus where I tried some fish and chips and to seek out the Loch Ness monster on Loch Ness ( I think Nessy is definitely in there!) My craziest day was when I decided to try out hitch hiking. I was trying to make my way to Fort William, but a Scottish musician picked me up and offered to take me to the coastal town of Malleig. From there I took a ferry to the Isle of Skye and was able to see the other smaller isles along the way. Once I arrived in Skye, I toured a small eco-campsite, saw some castle ruins, and walked along the coastline for quite some time before getting my next ride with an old man who facilitates marriages. I asked him how he could live out in the middle of nowhere and he told me that the last city he was in, Portree, with a population of 3,000 made him feel claustrophobic! The next ride was with a father and daughter. The daughter was only 16 and wrote and recorded her own CD (I suppose when she gets famous, I can remember the time I rode in her car). My last ride passed through some incredible scenery and another castle ruin from Kyle of Locash back to Invergarry. It was with a truck driver carrying a huge load of prawns and once I got used to the fishy smell we had a great time sharing travel stories. On my last day, I aimed to go to Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom, but misjudged just how far that was so instead I had a terrific hike along Loch Lochy (translating to Lake Lakey.. oy). As much as I have thoroughly enjoyed my very relaxing week in the middle of nowhere, I am ready to head down to Glasgow for 3 days!
From Glasgow I head to Italy for 3 weeks. If it wasn't for the allure of spaghetti and gelato over haggis and black pudding, leaving Scotland would be quite hard. Hopefully I'll be able to send another post out soon from there!
So I haven't been my best this past month at updating you, but let me play a little catch up now. Right after my last post, I jetted off to London which only takes about 10 minutes because of the time difference! My first 3 nights I stayed with 2 Irish girls who right away gave me crumpets and tea (with milk of course). The next day I took my favorite free walking tour and saw all the essentials including Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey (although I never went in), St. James Palace where Henry the VIII lived, and the QUEEN! She was traveling in her coach back to the palace after giving a speech. That night I saw an improv comedy show with another Clark student and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was for a free show. I'm not sure if it was their charming British accents or just British humor in general, but I loved it enough to see another show a few nights later. Since most attractions were quite expensive, well really most things in London, especially since the pound to dollar is not a pretty conversion, I went to a lot of museums which are all free. While I was there I managed to hit the National Gallery (not a huge fan), the National Portrait Gallery (absolutely amazing), the Natural History Museum (dinosaurs never get old), the Victoria and Albert Museum (probably my favorite), and the British Museum. I also hit plenty of markets like the Old Spitalfields Market with antiques and vintage items, the Borough Market which provided TONS of free samples, and the Camden Market which was MASSIVE and similar to Greenich Village in New York City. I also took a fantastic tour of London's alternative culture, graffiti and street art. We even saw one of the artists working on a wall. The street art in really incredible and so many world renowned artists come to the walls of the East End and off of Brick Lane. In addition, to seeing London from East to West, I took a day trip to Cambridge. In Cambridge, I met up with a friend from high school who goes to the university and was able to take me through all the college yards and gardens. Despite the rainy weather and the cough I developed only while I was in London, the city absolutely stole my heart. I loved how quick the Tube was, the double-decker buses, and just being in a city that once ran an empire--but now it's just full of lovable scamps =)
Nonetheless I had to get back to the Netherlands for my last few weeks. After a day or so back, my parents arrived for their week long visit. Unfortunately, they picked the coldest and rainiest week and had to push through to make sure they still saw all the quintessential Dutch spots. They loved how unbelievably friendly the Dutch were at giving directions or satisfying my mom's need to talk to everyone, although when it came to biking, she found the Dutch to be far too aggressive to stay on the road. Together we journeyed north to see Alkmaar's cheese market, do a walking tour through the very historic Hoorn, and eat dinner in Haarlem. We also took a trip to Amsterdam to see the Jewish Museum (highly recommend) and Portuguese Synagogue followed by a canal tour. I tried to get my parents to go to a coffee shop which my Dad was quite excited about, but my Mom complained about her asthma and vetoed it. Since, I mostly cook for myself, it was quite nice eating out in Leiden's restaurants. While, I was sad to see them go after a week, I was also sad to see my computer and all of my stuff go to since I am now travelling and living out of my backpack.
After my parents left I wasn't alone for long, my friend Josh came to visit next. I gave him the full Leiden tour and we journeyed to the Hague. In the Hague, we went to see the Queen's palace, Parliament, the Peace Palace, and Madurodam which is an open air museum of small scale Dutch cities and interactive videos (it was like I was studying for my Dutch Culture exam). We also took the tram to the beach outside the Hague called Schvenigen and had some delicious Indonesian food for dinner. The next day we did a walking tour of Delft, climbed the New Kirk for some incredible views, and did a tour of the factory where they make Delft Blue wares. All in all a really lovely visit and a chance to get in some more places I had yet to see.
On my final week in the Netherlands, there was still so much more for me to do. I had two exams which I did okay on...I also made it to the Rijksmuseum for a bit (the fire alarm went off and shortened our visit), but I was still able to see some Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and so many other incredible Dutch artists. I managed to stop at the Anne Frank House as well and was really touched by how well it was organized and being in the same tiny attic that Anne hid out in. I also took a trip to Leylstad to visit my friend Judith's home and family, a city that has only existed for the past 60 years since it used to be underwater until they built lots of dikes. The city also has a lovely reserve next to it with tons of birds, deer, wild horses, and a beautiful landscape. Since I started dating a Dutch guy, Thomas, I even went to see a play entirely in Dutch that he was in. It's sad that aside from the synopsis that I read beforehand, I was not able to understand a word. On my last day inthe Netherlands, I got my vaccinations for Asia, took my last exam, and went to a concert in Amsterdam with Thomas and his friends (again I have never felt so short).
Leaving was bittersweet, but I was so excited to go to Scotland! I spent my first 3 days in Edinburgh couchsurfing with 3 Lithuanian students. The city is a mix of new and old architecture and is dominated by the Edinburgh Castle looming over the city. While in Edinburgh, I took another excellent free walking tour and learned a ton about Scotland's complex history. I also climbed Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat which are mountains right in Edinburgh that provided for some spectacular views. I got my fill of Harry Potter facts too having passed by the restaurant that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in and the cemetery that Rowling got inspiration for many names like Professor McGonagall and Tom Riddle (in London I stopped at Platform 9 3/4 and later in the Highlands I passed through Gilfinnan where Harry Potter's train went through in the movies). Edinburgh was the perfect mix of city, nature, and again terrific accents.
From Edinburgh I took a Megabus up to Inverness, one of the bigger cities in the north, but still very very small. After a stop there, I took a bus to the Invergarry Lodge where I have been spending my week. In exchange for doing the cleaning each morning, I have been able to stay at the hostel for free and explore the Highlands. On my first day I accidentally took a 6 hour hike around Loch Oich and interacted with far more people than sheep (the hills are covered in sheep, although I'm not sure if they are there to be sold, for wool, for haggis, or all of the above). Another day, I met a Dutch student hiking the Great Glen Way (from Fort William to Inverness) who was staying at my hostel. We continued on the next day together to explore Fort Augustus where I tried some fish and chips and to seek out the Loch Ness monster on Loch Ness ( I think Nessy is definitely in there!) My craziest day was when I decided to try out hitch hiking. I was trying to make my way to Fort William, but a Scottish musician picked me up and offered to take me to the coastal town of Malleig. From there I took a ferry to the Isle of Skye and was able to see the other smaller isles along the way. Once I arrived in Skye, I toured a small eco-campsite, saw some castle ruins, and walked along the coastline for quite some time before getting my next ride with an old man who facilitates marriages. I asked him how he could live out in the middle of nowhere and he told me that the last city he was in, Portree, with a population of 3,000 made him feel claustrophobic! The next ride was with a father and daughter. The daughter was only 16 and wrote and recorded her own CD (I suppose when she gets famous, I can remember the time I rode in her car). My last ride passed through some incredible scenery and another castle ruin from Kyle of Locash back to Invergarry. It was with a truck driver carrying a huge load of prawns and once I got used to the fishy smell we had a great time sharing travel stories. On my last day, I aimed to go to Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom, but misjudged just how far that was so instead I had a terrific hike along Loch Lochy (translating to Lake Lakey.. oy). As much as I have thoroughly enjoyed my very relaxing week in the middle of nowhere, I am ready to head down to Glasgow for 3 days!
From Glasgow I head to Italy for 3 weeks. If it wasn't for the allure of spaghetti and gelato over haggis and black pudding, leaving Scotland would be quite hard. Hopefully I'll be able to send another post out soon from there!
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