First steps in Africa

My second week of travel was full of adventure and new sights. I spent the weekend in Morocco and the week in Turkey.

After spending the night in Madrid, I met up with Liz, Sarah Evert and Liz’s roommate Maria at the airport at 5am. We arrived in Marrakech at 6 in the morning and set off for my first African adventure. Our hostel was stunning. They had just opened a new section so we were the first to use the room.

 

Our first day in Morocco was jam packed. Since we had arrived so early, we started our day with delicious mint tea. We went to the Baddi Palace and I saw storks for the first time! On our walk back toward the hostel, we wandered bustling streets, exploring a spice market and marveling at the colors of the goods in all the shops. The buildings of the city are nearly all a salmon pink which was different than any city I’ve been to before. They city offers unlimited opportunities for fresh squeezed juices so I tried a banana juice at lunch which basically tasted like a banana smoothie.

After an afternoon siesta, we met to American guys who were staying at our hostel. They joined us in wandering the souks, a tightly packed area of endless shops selling handmade goods.

We finished the day by decorating our arms and legs with henna, watching the sunset from a rooftop cafe and feasting on delicious Moroccan food. I was surprised how much I liked the food. It is very flavorful, but not spicy.

Day two we decided to go on a guided tour out of the city. Since we had six people, us four girls and the two friends we made, we got to have our own private tour! The first thing we saw was a traditional Berber home. I was amazed by some of the innovative features it included. It was all made of a mud like material and was open in the center. It included its own hamam, which is essentially a personal sauna, and a pre-built bee hive where the back opened for easy access to the honey.

Next we got to ride camels!

We spent the second half of the day in a river valley where Marrakechis go on weekends to escape the bustle of the city. We ate a restaurant built into the hills. Tapestries covered the earth and trees provided cover from the hot sun. We again had a delicious, and authentic, Moroccan meal.

After lunch, a guide took us on a hike to see a series of waterfalls.

   Marrakech was an incredible adventure. I saw interesting things, exposed my taste buds to new flavors, and learned a lot about the Moroccan people.

Swiss adventures

After my program ended, Whitney and I jetted off to Switzerland for the week. We spent the first few days with my aunt Anni at her place in Zurich. I didn’t realize how outdoor oriented Switzerland is. Whitney and I spent the days exploring towns near Zurich. We took ferries and trains around. We visited the Lindt chocolate factory and filled up on chocolate, took the wrong bus and wandered around quaint villages, and walked along the stunning lakes in the spring sun. We enjoyed intellectually stimulating conversations over homemade dinner with Anni and got an insight into the Swiss way of life.

On the ferry

Our train from Zurich to Lugano went through the Swiss Alps which were absolutely beautiful!

We then travelled to Lugano, which borders Italy, to visit Whitney’s friend Greg who goes to school at Franklin College. Lugano was an interesting town since it was located in Switzerland, was populated by Italian people and looked like Hawaii! The town is built on a large hill, so Whit and I got a great workout climbing up and down. Our reward was multiple cones of gelato! We explored lakeside park, ate homemade chili at a Franklin event, and did puzzles in our hostel to pass the time. It was a great last few days together.

The entire week was relaxing and rejuvenating, which was much needed after a non-stop last week in London. Next, I’m off to Marrakech to shake things up a bit!

Last thoughts in London

My program wraps up today. I just got home from our farewell event. We had an incredible high tea and I got to share it with the people who mean the most to me here. This adventure has flown by – its already been four months and it feels like only weeks. I had incredible experiences, made life long friends and learned a ton about myself and a new culture.

Here is a quick recap of my last month in London.

I spent Easter in Prague with Liz and Allyson. We had an incredible trip: saw Kacy, ate delicious food and explored the beautiful city. We went on two tours of the city and I learned so much about the history of Prague.

One Friday, my British Youth Culture took a day trip to Brighton. The weather was gorgeous and made it the perfect day for a seaside visit. We went on a walking tour, ate fish and chips, fresh crab sandwiches, ice cream, walked along the Brighton Pier, sifted through vintage clothing stores and visited the architecturally beautiful Palace.

I spent my last three weekends in London. The weather was sunny and warm. I spent a good amount of time in parks reading or hanging out with friends. I wrapped up the last of my touristy activities. I saw Wicked with Liz and Allyson and Enron with Brian, Eric, and Nick. Wicked’s music was great and Enron was a hilarious satire. I tried to spend as much time with my friends as possible, since we go home to places all over the US. I ate food from all over the world including Indian curry, homemade Italian pasta, Mediterranean kebabs, and good old American style burgers.

Tomorrow I head off on an exciting two week adventure through Switzerland, Morocco, and Turkey!

London is an international city with endless things to explore and culture to experience. I loved my time here and can’t wait to come back someday!

A trip to the countryside

Amidst the bustling city life, I have had a few chances to travel to a couple peaceful places. Three weeks ago I travelled to Wales with a few friends on my program. We took part in an adventure weekend where we got the chance to sea kayak, hike along the coastline, and coasteer. Coasteering is where you climb low level rocks, jump off them and swim in the ocean! It was an amazing trip full of adrenaline rushes, full body wetsuits and incredible photos. Here are a few that (almost) capture the beauty and excitement I witnessed and experienced that weekend.

Last weekend, Whitney and I visited cousins Lynn and Michael in the Lake District. We feasted on roast, Yorkshire pudding and sticky toffee pudding. We explored the Lake District and got a first-rate tour of the less-touristy parts of the area. We visited the home of Beatrix Potter and completed the day by watching the movie about her life.

These two trips reminded me how much I love the outdoors and nature. You don’t realize that you’re missing it until you get out of the big city for a few days. This weekend I head to Prague with Liz and Allyson for a long weekend trip.

And before I forget, here are the answers to the mystery words I posted a few weeks ago:

• alcopop: wine cooler
• dosh: money
• off-license: liquor store
• plaster: band-aid
• smart: well dressed
• torch: flashlight

Cheese, art and bikes

My program doesn’t give us a spring break, but we had a long weekend off. So, five girls and I went to Amsterdam for four days. We had an incredible time and really got to explore the city.

The first morning we went on a free three hour walking tour and got great insight into the city and the openness of the locals. Amsterdam is an incredibly tolerant city and live by a “do whatever you want as long as you don’t harm yourself or anyone else” motto. On the tour we saw the city’s thinnest house which is only one meter wide. In the old days, there was a tax on the width of our house, so this one’s front was only a meter, as to avoid paying lots of money. Apparently the back opens up, but our tour guide said she never had success actually going inside since someone actually lives there.

The thinnest house is the red one.

I was surprised by the mass amount of creative influence to be found throughout the city. There was incredible graffiti that covered entire buildings. The street in the image below was lined with graffiti. It is also one of the top streets for squatting. Squatting is legal in Amsterdam, and is popular for artists since all they have to cover is utilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That afternoon, we went to the Van Gogh museum, which I loved. It is so different seeing the artwork in person than in a book. I was surprised by the immense layering of paint Van Gogh used to create his masterpieces. While other people were disappointed that there weren’t more “famous” works on display, I actually really enjoyed seeing the lesser known works, since I could get up close to the paintings.

The second day we went on a half-day tour to a cheese making factory, a clog making factory and a quaint seaside town.

The cheese factory and Whitney and I wearing clogs!

  That afternoon we went to the Anne Frank House. I was struck by the size of the living space. It was much larger than I expected, but at the same time I was shocked that eight people lived there with no fresh air or sunlight for two years.

The third, and final day, we rented bikes and visited multiple street markets. Amsterdam is so biker-friendly; almost every road has separate bike and car lanes. I struggled since my bike was one-size-fits-all does not fit small people. Once I was on the bike, I couldn’t get off till our destination. Despite that difficulty, it was a gorgeous sunny day, which was perfect for exploring the city.

Amsterdam was a great city to spend almost four full days in. It was the longest trip I’ve taken thus far and it was one of my favorites. Our hostel was on a boat and had delicious breakfasts (which was a first of the trips here). Below are a few more of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Boat next to our hostel.

The view from the dock where our hostel boat was located. 

The group on the walking tour: me, Lauren, Kristina, Lindsey, Whitney and Hannah

Goats at the cheese farm!

Lost in Translation

Last week, we had a mid-semester orientation event. We played Bingo with British words and their American translations. Next week I’ll post the translations, but see if you can figure out what these words mean.

• alcopop
• dosh
• off-license
• plaster
• smart
• torch

This week is midterms week and I just emailed in my last paper. So, today technically begins my weekend – I definitely can’t complain about a weekend starting on a Tuesday! I’m off to Amsterdam tomorrow, which should be an adventure. I’ve spent the last two weekends in London, which has been great. Becca and I went to an amazing wildlife photography exhibit at the Natural History Museum, a group of us visited the London Transport Museum for Architecture class, we went on a fun pub crawl around London, and the past two days the sun has been shining which is  wonderful! I’m really beginning to feel comfortable with the city and am, surprisingly, enjoying my 45 minute tube commute to and from class each day. Below are a couple pictures from the London Transport Museum.

It might be hard to read, but this graph shows the number of tube journey per day. The peak at 8am with 400,000 rides.   

Last two weeks highlights

February 6th: Stonehenge and Salisbury

IES sponsored a day trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury. We got lucky and had a gorgeous sunny day.

Whitney, Becca, Kristina, Hannah and I at Stonehenge

February 12 – 14: Dublin

I spent a fantastic weekend in Dubiln. There were about 30 IES students who traveled to Dublin, so the weekend was full of excitement. The Irish were incredibly friendly people. The first day we visited the Guinness factory and I tried my first pint of Guinness.

We did a fascinating guided tour at Dublin Castle and got to see the state rooms. In the afternoon, we watched the Ireland vs France rugby game in a pub jam packed full of locals! The energy of the crowd during the game was definitely an experience to remember.

Christ Church Cathedral

February 18th: Architecture Class

I’m taking a course called Architecture in London. Every week for 2.5 hours we walk around the city and learn about the rich history of London’s buildings. We had an especially gorgeous day last week, so I brought my camera along.

St. Stephen Walbrook, by Sir Christopher Wren

The Lloyds tower, all the stairs, toilets, elevators and pipes are on the outside of the building.

February 20th: Oxford and Charlbury

Becca and I took a trip to visit cousin Susie yesterday. We spent the morning exploring Oxford and then bussed to Charlbury and spent the evening with Susie. Charlbury was very peaceful. We had tea and scones with Susie, followed by a lovely dinner at a local pub.

Christ Church in Oxford, where scenes of Harry Potter were filmed. 

Becca and I at Christ Church

Road in Charlbury