Final Days

Tags

edinburgh, end, ifsa-butler, scotland

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve arrived back at home, and naturally, it’s been a busy time. Between Christmas and New Years and seeing friends and family, I haven’t had the time to write about my final days in Edinburgh or my thoughts about leaving until now.

After my last exam, which was on a Thursday, we all celebrated by going to Pizza Express and watching Masterchef. The next day, Margi and I took the bus north to explore Leith and Stockbridge, two neighborhoods just north of Edinburgh city center.

One area of Leith is called Newhaven, so I just had to take a picture there!

Newhaven Harbour, just before the weather got really bad.

Looking out into the Firth of Forth.

Now you can tell that the wind has picked up (not pictured: harsh cold and rain).

After walking around the harbour a bit, it got extremely cold and even rainier than it had been before, so we sought out a bus stop to take us back to the city center. This was probably the worst weather we’d seen all semester, and probably the most stereotypically British!

There and Back Again: In Search of a Lothian Bus

After warming up with a full Scottish Breakfast from Snax on West Register Street, we set off for Stockbridge, a trendy neighborhood northwest of New Town.

Georgian architecture in New Town.

The sun finally comes out, only to set soon after.

Stockbridge at dusk.

After wandering around Stockbridge for a bit, we made our way back to the Cowgate to spend my last night in Edinburgh with Emma, Kenzie, Sophie, and a bunch of other friends. Since my cab was coming at 7 in the morning, I ended up staying awake all night to spend as much time as possible with my friends, before a tearful goodbye and somber lift ride. I finished packing and went to the airport without a hitch, arriving back home in Connecticut around 11 pm on Saturday.

Thank you to everyone who made this semester as wonderful as it was. It’s been such a great experience, and the places I’ve gone wouldn’t nearly as spectacular without you all to share them with.

Cell Snaps Vol. II

Tags

cell snaps, edinburgh, ifsa-butler, scotland

The Scotland vs. England football match we watched at Three Sisters (spoiler alert: England won).

Hamming it up at our friend Emma’s 18th birthday party.

A successful pumpkin pie for our British friends’ attempt to replicate Thanksgiving.

An attempt which turned out to be quite good!

Edinburgh City Chambers looking festive.

Our lovely Christmas dinner plates, complete with Yorkshire Puddings, turkey, and all the fixings!

Flat 8 looking very excited for Christmas.

A post-finals stroll down the Royal Mile.

Arthur’s Seat on my last day in Scotland.

Christmas in Edinburgh

Tags

edinburgh, ifsa-butler, scotland

Like most European cities, Edinburgh puts on a Christmas Market every year from late November to the new year. A few weekends ago, me, Margi, Emma, Kenzie, and her boyfriend Dan all went down to Princes Street to check them out.

Some of the stalls set up in the Princes Street Gardens.

The skating rink across the street from Jenners Department Store.

We all wanted to go ice skating, so we ran to the ticket booth to make it to the 7:15 time slot.

Emma, me, and Kenzie pre-skating.

The gang’s all here!

Miraculously, none of us fell. It took a bit of time to get going (I held onto the railing for a while before I had the confidence to let go), but we fared better than the little kid who smacked his face on the ice (thinking about the blood on the ice still makes me shudder) or the two women who fell and hit their heads. It had sprinkled a bit earlier, so conditions weren’t optimal, but it was still a fun time!

Swings in front of the Scott Monument.

After ice skating, we got crepes and waffles before exploring the market a bit. There are all sorts of vendors lined up with Christmas ornaments, crafts, and food. It is a German-inspired market as well, so there’s lots of brätwurst and mulled wine to go around.

Me and my adorable mug (filled with Pimm’s toffee apple strudel cider – yum!).

If you’re ever in Scotland during the holidays, I’d definitely recommend stopping by the Christmas Market – it’s incredibly festive and a nice thing to do at night (or, when it gets dark at 4 p.m.)!

Day Trip: Glasgow

Tags

glasgow, ifsa-butler, scotland

This Sunday, Margi, Devon and I decided to go on a day trip to Glasgow, since it seemed silly to spend a semester in Scotland and never visit the Merchant City. We hopped on the train and were there in less than an hour (I will miss the efficacy of public transport in Europe).

Immediately we were struck with how friendly Glaswegians are; it isn’t that people in Edinburgh are outright mean, but we had lovely conversations with three strangers on our way to the Willow Tea Room for lunch.

Me and Devon at afternoon tea (note the incredibly high-backed chairs!).

After tea, we took the subway to Hillhead to look at Glasgow Uni. The Glasgow subway system is quite possibly the simplest one I’ve been on – it goes in an oval and you choose the inner or outer line based on the direction you want to go, so if you get lost, you’ll end up in the right place eventually!

University of Glasgow.

Me and Margi in front of one of the Hogwarts-ian buildings.

After walking around the grounds of the University for a bit, we headed to the Kelvingrove Museum, which I’d heard good things about. It has both art and natural history, and was the perfect thing to do while avoiding the rain.

The impressive Kelvingove building.

Kelvin himself.

A more artsy shot of the museum.

The inside of the museum was just as impressive as the outside, and reminded me a bit of the Yale Peabody Museum (though that may only be because both feature dinosaurs).

The main entrance hall.

Those are actually floating, lit-up heads.

Devon left early to meet up with a friend studying in Glasgow, while Margi and I explored the museum a bit more and got bubble tea on Byres Road. Then, we hopped back on the subway to the city centre, and looked at all the pretty lights that had gone up for Christmas. While Edinburgh will always have my heart, Glasgow is pretty beautiful as well, in a more urban, modern way.

Just off of Buchanan Street.

The Christmas Market at George Square.

At this point in the day, the police had already removed the traffic cone from the Duke of Wellington’s head (a daily occurrence).

Apparently these lights stay up year-round.

Sunday evening at the Christmas Market.

I had to snap a picture of this blue police call box for my Doctor Who-loving brother.

When we were walking back to Queen Street Station, a group of musicians were playing traditional music – only in Scotland!

It was only a quick trip over to Glasgow, but it was just the break from revision the three of us needed! While I didn’t do any travel during the rest of revision weeks, I was glad to be able to see more of Scotland (and use my 16-25 railcard again!). It’s so strange to think the next time I leave Edinburgh, it will be to return to the States, ending this wonderful semester here.

Weekend Away: Barcelona

Tags

barcelona, spain, travel

Early last Friday (and by early, I mean before 10 a.m.), I hopped on the AirLink bus to catch my flight to Barcelona by way of London Stansted. I arrived there at noon and waited for the rest of our group – Katie, Susan, and Emily (Katie’s roommate at Brown) – to arrive. We had an uneventful flight over to Spain and an equally lovely time settling into our airbnb. The flat’s owner, Vito, gave us plenty of restaurant and bar suggestions in El Raval, which was our neighborhood for the weekend. Since we were in Spain, it only seemed right to make our first meal tapas, so we walked up to the Universitat district and sat outside in the balmy (if not a bit windy) night. I say night because we ate dinner around 9 p.m., as is typical in Spain (all those Notas Culturales in my Spanish textbooks finally payed off!). Chelsea and her friend Maya, who is studying in Granada, arrived late that night, and the next morning we set off to see the city.

We started the morning with coffee and croissants before heading to the La Boqueria, a market (mercat, in Catalan, which was more common to see and hear in Barcelona than Spanish was) near La Rambla.

The entrance to the mercat.

There were tons of stands selling cups of fresh fruit, skewers of fruit, and fresh juice.

I would have rather been eating my chocolate strawberries than have my picture taken.

All kinds of nuts and dried fruit on display (my dad would have loved it!).

There was also live seafood and lots of brains, head, and innards for sale. Yum?

After walking through La Boqueria, we walked down La Rambla, which is a famous street lined with stalls selling souvenirs and more food.

Me and Chelsea at La Rambla.

Me and Maya, just before it really started raining.

These cats looked familiar…

At the end of La Rambla is La Plaza Catalunya, known for a large, beautiful fountain. It was hard for us to see it due to construction, but it was a pretty area nonetheless.

Plaza Cataluyna – known for both its fountain and its background role in The Cheetah Girls 2.

Susan, Maya, me, Emily, and Katie in front of the fountain.

The group, with some friendly Spaniards who decided to join our photo.

By this point, it had started raining much more (a recurring theme of the trip), so we made a quick stop to Casa Batlló, one of the many works of Gaudí architecture in the city.

We decided the façade of the house was impressive enough: no need to wait in line or pay to see the interior.

Katie, Susan, Emily, and me.

The house almost looks like it’s melting around the mosaic here – such an interesting style.

After a quick lunch, we started walking over to La Sagrada Familia, which is a must-see for anyone visiting Barcelona.

On the way to the Sagrada Familia, there were lots of pretty flower markets and stores setting up for Christmas.

I especially liked the emoji-themed yule log decorations!

It was also quite interesting to see the stirs of nationalism through different signs around the city. I knew that during the referendum in Scotland, places like Catalonia were excited about the possibility of a precedent for peaceful succession, so it’s clear that these feelings haven’t gone away.

The façade of the Sagrada Familia. Grandma Betsy was right when she said it’s reminiscent of the sand drip castles we used to make on the beach!

I had only seen pictures of the exterior of the Sagrada Familia, so I was completely blown away by the beauty and scale of the interior.

The interior of the basilica.

The walls were absolutely covered in a spectrum of stained glass, all abstract and equally impressive.

Katie pointed out that none of the windows were figural; I think this added to the grandness of the church and its almost futuristic aesthetic.

Our audio guide said that the pillars and their tops were meant to look like trees and a canopy of leaves.

By this point, it was absolutely pouring.

After our trip to the Basilica, we stopped for coffee (of course) and xurros con xocolate (churros and chocolate) before dropping off our things at the airbnb and looking up directions to dinner.

All the lights that had gone up for the holidays were so pretty!

We had another fantastic round of tapas and sangria, and went to a few bars back in El Raval before heading to bed so we could beat the rain in the morning.

The view from the top of the hill on which Parc Güell is situated.

We took the metro to Parc Güell in the morning, which is another place known for Gaudí’s architecture. 

It’s especially famous for this wavy, mosaic-covered wall, which encloses a lookout point in the park.

Surprise, surprise, it started raining again. At least it wasn’t snow!

After Parc Güell and some lunch, we took the metro down to the beach, since that was another feature of Barcelona we were eager to see. It was incredibly windy, which made for good surfing, but so-so photos. 

Next, we strolled through the Gothic Quarter on our way to the Christmas Markets.The Christmas Markets, despite the rain, were pretty to walk through. There were lots of little nativity scenes, as well as “el Caganer” (the crapper), a popular Christmastime figurine (I forgot to take pictures of this charming character).

It was soon time to grab a taxi and drive through the downpour, thunder, and lightning back to the airport. Surprisingly enough, however, it was a belligerent drunk lad who delayed the plane, rather than the weather (I was lucky not to be hit by him swinging his luggage around). We got back to Stansted around 11, and were back in Southwark an hour later. I got up the next morning to fly back to Edinburgh, and almost as quickly as it had started, my last weekend trip was over!

Weekend Away: Ireland

Tags

cliffs of moher, dublin, ennis, galway, ireland, travel

Last weekend, Margi and I jetted off across the Irish Sea to Dublin, which was our starting point for our two-day bus tour of the Emerald Isle (bus tours seem to be a recurring theme of this semester). We landed in Dublin around 11 at night and made our way to the hostel in Temple Bar (just a few minutes away from Trinity College) and woke up early to meet up with the rest of the group.

There were 12 of us on the bus – nearly all Americans studying abroad or traveling save for the two German girls interning in Dublin. It was nice that the group was relatively small, because it meant we could get to know each other a bit better. We also discovered that there was another girl there studying at Glasgow Uni through IFSA-Butler, so it was interesting to hear her take on Glasgow and the differences between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Our first stop was the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary, which is currently under construction, but pretty nonetheless.

Photo stop in Cashel.

Save for the scaffolding, the castle and its rock were very pretty.

After stopping for photos in Cashel, we made our way to Blarney Castle, known mainly for the Blarney Stone, which is said to give its kissers the “Gift of the Gab.” Whether this is true or not is up for debate, but it’s undeniable that the stone draws huge amounts of visitors here. In addition to this, there are also several gardens, a cafe, and beautiful ground around which you can walk.

Blarney Castle

One of the many small caverns dotting the castle grounds.

The top of Blarney Castle, which you can only get to by climbing a very narrow, very steep spiral staircase.

Me kissing the Blarney Stone – I had no idea how much effort was necessary or how big the drop below the stone would be! But hey, the Gift of the Gab is worth it, right?

Me and Margi atop Blarney Castle.

The castle is somewhat decrepit, but all the moss growing inside it makes it very pretty.

After walking through the castle, we got lunch at the cafe on the castle grounds, where I discovered this poster hanging above the fireplace.

To anyone who’s visited my house, this should look quite familiar, since it’s been hanging in the family room since 2000.

Queen of the poison garden.

After trolling around the castle, gardens, and gift shop, we drove up to Ennis, where we stayed the night. Dropping our bags at the hostel, we immediately went to dinner with a few of the people we had met on our tour. Since we finished dinner pretty early and still had lots of energy, we sought out Irish coffee and some live music, and found both easily.

The first half of this was great; at the bottom however, it just tasted like rubbing alcohol with a hint of coffee.

Ennis is known for its “trad” music scene, and while this was just a cover band, it was fun to hang out with the locals and a pint.

The next morning, we went to see the Cliffs of Moher. These are a hugely famous bit of scenery because they’ve been used in so many movies – think Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride or the location of one of the last horcuxes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Even the area next to the car park was pretty.

The cliffs did not disappoint. Once the fog cleared out, we had the area to ourselves and were able to take our time picking our way along the edge of the cliffs.

Looking north.

The iconic view of the Cliffs of Moher.

It was pretty windy up there.

Not pictured: the huge amounts of mud we have to navigate.

I would have given two thumbs up if I wasn’t holding my camera!

After we finished walking around the cliffs, we drove through the Burren, which is an area of Country Clare known for its limestone-covered, almost lunar landscape.

My first time seeing the Atlantic in a while!

We continued up to Galway from the Burren, stopping for brunch before returning to Dublin and ending the tour.

Our route.

Margi and I, however, had a long night ahead of us, as we had chosen a 6:35 a.m. flight because it was only £15. After we checked back into our hostel, we searched out fish and chips before going to see Skeleton Twins with Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. The fish and chips were subpar (as they were out of fresh fish and could only offer us smoked cod or haddock), but the movie was great (as was the theater bar). Afterwards, we wandered around Temple Bar area of Dublin for a bit, where it seemed as though there was a band set up around every corner. We listened to a few of them perform before heading back to the hostel and hanging out for a few hours. Then we hopped on a plane and back to a rainy Edinburgh, capping off our speedy journey to Ireland. Though I wish I could have seen Dublin during the daytime, it was a fun little weekend trip and it was cool to see some of the places relevant to my Irish roots.

Playing Host in Auld Reekie: Part Two

Tags

edinburgh, highlands, loch lomond, scotland

Almost as soon as Mom left, I turned in another essay (one I had written in four hours after my computer crashed the day I was supposed to hand it in) and my friends Katie and Chelsea arrived from London. Early Friday afternoon, I met them at Waverley Station and took them to Elephant House (I think all of us studying abroad here feel obligated to bring guests to Elephant House). After a leisurely lunch, we walked down the road to Greyfriars Kirkyard and explored the maze of tombstones and crypts as the sun set (…at barely 4 in the afternoon).

Tom Riddell’s grave, which supposedly inspired the name for Lord Voldemort.

Then, making our way through Grassmarket and up West Bow and the Royal Mile, we headed up to the castle to take in the view (and take some pictures).

Perhaps not the best lighting, but Edinburgh Castle sure looks nice!

After having some Greek food, we went over and hung out with Margi in her flat for a bit before returning to mine to watch some Netflix and catch up. The next morning, we went back to the breakfast place my mom and I discovered (whose name unfortunately cannot seem to stick in my mind) before heading down to look at New Town.

Me and Katie in front of Princes Street Gardens.

Afterwards, we walked up to Calton Hill, since it provides stellar views but requires less time and effort than Arthur’s Seat.

The difficulty of getting up onto the monument was worth it for the pictures.

On top of Auld Reekie.

Looking out onto Princes Street, the Balmoral, and Edinburgh Castle.

A wee Hamden Hall reunion.

At that point in the day, caffeine was necessary, so we popped over to my favorite Starbucks in Edinburgh, which is on the first floor of a building on Princes Street. Upstairs, huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer great views of the gardens and Edinburgh Castle, so even though Starbucks isn’t quite authentic or European, it’s a great place to sit and drink a Caramel Macchiato. We also spotted this sign, which is amusing if you’re familiar with the large gold mini van I drove in high school, lovingly dubbed “Golden Dragon” by my parents. 

We met up with Margi later and went to the Southern, which does fantastic burgers, and then Brewdog, a bar on the Cowgate specializing in craft beers. We turned in earlier this night so that we would be ready to go in the morning, as our tour of the Highlands was leaving at 9:15.

Sunday, we went on a bus tour of Loch Lomond, the Trossachs, and Stirling Castle. It was nice because there were only eight of us on the bus, so it was quiet and low key rather than filled with loud tourists.

Our first stop was Stirling Castle. Because it was Remembrance Sunday, there were lots of service men and women in their regalia milling about the castle grounds. We spent a few hours walking around the castle, and I came to the conclusion that it was pretty, but not my favorite castle of the semester (I still think Dunrobin Castle is hard to beat).

The castle grounds.

Overlooking the city of Stirling.

After lunch in Aberfoyle, we began our journey into the Trossachs National Park, stopping along the way for photos.

The autumn foliage was a beautiful part of the trip westward.

The best part of the day, without a doubt, was Loch Lomond. I’d heard before that it’s one of the most beautiful places in Scotland, but those remarks don’t do the place justice. It’s absolutely stunning, and the late afternoon lighting made the leaves glow and the water mirror-like.

Sorry Loch Ness, I’ve got a new favorite loch.

Such a spectacular place.

I believe these are the first Scottie dogs I’ve seen while being here – look at their wee bandanas!

My Scottish friend Sophie says she lives near here – can I move in?

So glad we made the trip out here.

After saying goodbye to Loch Lomond, we drove back to Edinburgh and got tapas with Margi. The next morning, Katie and Chelsea headed back to London and I headed off to the library. It was so fun to show off Edinburgh again, and I feel like we balanced seeing things with hanging out and catching up fairly well. I’ll see them again in a few weeks when we head off to Barcelona, so our goodbyes were not for long!

Playing Host in Auld Reekie: Part One

Tags

castles, edinburgh, scotland

A few weeks ago, after a quick trip to Amsterdam and the submission of my first essay at Edinburgh Uni, my Mom came to visit me in this wonderful new city. Our week began with pouring rain (the first true Scottish weather we’ve had) and breakfast, naturally, at one of my favorite places on South Bridge. We parted ways for a bit while I went to my lectures and Mom toured around the National Museum of Scotland, and we met up again to have lunch at The Elephant House Cafe, known for its connection to the early books of the Harry Potter series. Also near Elephant House is the Greyfriars Bobby statue, which was the perfect place for our first photo stop.

Selfle with Edinburgh’s most-loved pup.

Mama Marg with Greyfriars Bobby.

Afterwards, we hung out in the hotel for a bit before going off and seeking out dinner. The next few days followed similarly: we met up for meals and Mom explored the city while I was in class (the inevitable ‘study’ part of study abroad). In the evenings we would walk up and down the Royal Mile and its numerous closes and side streets before finding dinner somewhere and later enjoying the thoroughly enriching cultural experience of Come Dine With Me. Come Dine with Me is a British reality show where four individuals compete to throw the best dinner party and win £1000; the interactions between the contestants are funny enough, but the real kicker is the narrator, who throws in cheeky comments whenever the participants speak.

On Friday we were able to spend much more time exploring the city, as I skipped my lecture (shhhh) and we took a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city, which was useful not only because it meant we could see more sites, but also because it cut down on the amount of walking we had to do. We started in the Grassmarket and headed down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which I had never visited. Stepping off the bus there, we took an audio tour of the public section of the castle, which was nice as it provided far more information about the objects and rooms than simply looking at placards would have.

The courtyard at Holyrood Palace.

A true queen.

The only part of the castle in which I could afford to live.

The remains of Holyrood Abbey.

After the palace, we continued on the bus tour and  made several loops around New Town, which was nice because I haven’t seen very much of that area of Edinburgh. The Georgian architecture is quite striking, especially in comparison to the winding, chockablock nature of Old Town (where I live).

In the afternoon, we finally made it up to the castle. This was our third and final attempt to see it, since the first two times we had walked all the way up the hill only to discover that the A) queue was too long or B) they had just admitted their last visitors for the day. On Friday, however, we finally were able to get inside and see it.

Obligatory phonebooth photo…

…and another selfie.

Looking out onto New Town.

Princes Street Gardens, Waverley Station, and Calton Hill.

If it was less cloudy, you’d be able to see the Forth Rail Bridge behind me.

It was also incredibly windy – so much so it was difficult to walk at some points.

I had assumed it was just one large building (clearly I need to brush up on my medieval history), when in reality there are loads of components that make up the castle grounds. We took a guided tour around the different levels of the castle before exploring on our own. There’s a very tastefully done war memorial, some recreations of dungeons where prisoners of war would have been kept during the American Revolution, St Margaret’s Chapel (possibly the oldest structure in Edinburgh), and the Scottish Crown Jewels (as well as the Stone of Destiny, which British rulers would sit on during coronations).

The lowest level of the castle.

Looking out onto the castle and its entrance.

After walking around the castle for a while, we got coffee and strolled down the Royal Mile before getting dinner. Since it was Halloween, there were crazy-long queues coming out of the party/joke stores in that area – I suppose the Scots don’t put much thought into planning their fancy dress for Halloween.

The next morning, I slept in and met Mom late that morning before we headed down to New Town to explore and do some shopping. Our first stop, however, was for tea at the Dome on George Street. The women Mom had sat next to on the plane recommended it, but when she relayed that to me, I confused it with the Dome Cafe in Potterrow student union, which is decidedly not “a nice place to go out to eat.” Because it was November 1st, the tea room and entire facade of the building were lit up in Christmas decorations, complete with fake snow and dozens of twinkling trees.

Festive tea time!

We continued to walk around New Town and shop along Princes Street (we did some pretty good damage at Primark, which is one of the stores I will miss the most when I go home in a month (!!!)). Then we met up with Margi, Emma, and Kenzie for sushi so that my Mom could meet my new friends.

Sunday was Mom’s last day in Edinburgh, so we started with brunch at this lovely little place just off of Bank Street overlooking the Mound and the National Gallery. Afterwards, we climbed Calton Hill and had the most perfect weather to do so. The visibility was so good were were able to see all the way to the Firth Rail Bridge and all of the skyline, plus a rainbow, so it was a wonderful way to begin the day.

A sunny day atop Calton Hill.

We continued to walk around some more, before attempting to do the tour at Real Mary King’s Close. It was sold out, so we walked around the University in the daylight before grabbing some comfort food at Mum’s and calling it a day. It was so nice to have my mom visit, and I loved showing her around the city, and despite having to work around lectures and tutorials, I think we were able to see a good bit of Scotland’s capital.

Weekend Away: Amsterdam

Tags

amsterdam, dutch, ifsa-butler, netherlands, photos, travel

To cap off my month of nonstop weekend travel, I hopped on a plane last Friday and arrived in Amsterdam that afternoon. I met one of my best friends from Kenyon, Anna, at the airport and we headed to the hotel to wait for the rest of her friends to arrive. She and her friends are all studying in Copenhagen through DIS and have had a week off to travel, so they were arriving from different places. I haven’t seen Anna since she visited NYC in May, so I was so excited to spend the weekend with her! Once we all arrived, we headed out to a pub in Leidseplein (one of the areas in Amsterdam known for its nightlife) and had a beer and some Dutch pancakes at a shop next door. We called it an early night so that we could get up and explore the city in the morning.

Our first stop was the Van Gogh Museum. Elise, one of my friends who just completed a several weeks-long Eurotrip, said that the Van Gogh Museum gave her a completely new appreciation for the artist, so we put it on our must-see list. We got tickets and then decided breakfast was in order, so we found a cafe and got three orders of scrambled eggs, avocado, and toast before setting off to explore the museum.

Even with tickets, there was a bit of a wait to get into the museum. Luckily, the entire city is so beautiful to look at that waiting wasn’t a chore at all.

Since we were right around the corner from the Rijksmuseum and one of the IAmsterdam signs, we decided to join all the other tourists and take pictures there while waiting to meet up with friends.

Hm, I wonder where I could be?

Me and Anna in front of the sign (with Rijksmuseum in the background).

This picture never fails to make me laugh.

The park near the Rijksmuseum was beautiful as well.

We decided to capitalize on the relatively good weather and do a canal tour in the afternoon, so we got our tickets and had falafel and cones of fries before setting out on the boat ride. It was really cool to see the canals from a different perspective while taking some time to rest our feet – a winning activity!

The docks along one of the (many) canals.

Bikes and bridges – very Dutch.

It’s hard to tell in pictures, but lots of the houses along the canals are tilted because the ground is so soft that their foundations start sinking unevenly.

After the canal cruise and a quick walk around the Red Light District, we were in desperate need of coffee, so we headed to a shop (no, not that kind of coffee shop) and refueled. Of course, we explored the canals along the way, stopping to look at the gorgeous houses and trees and water.

There are so many pretty spots in the city.

At this point, we had a bunch of time before our pub crawl, so Anna and I went to the Sexmusuem while Caroline and Jessie rested, understandably still worn out from over a week of traveling. The Sexmuseum was as one would expect: amusing, graphic, and something you don’t need to spend tons of time on. We met up for pizza (can’t beat a 5 Euro pie) and then went on our Leidseplein pub crawl. It was so nice to have someone else pick out the bars for a change so that we could focus on having a good time. There were tons of people from all over the world who had also come along for the tour and it was fun to talk them – we met au pairs working in Madrid, Canadian students abroad in Paris, and a whole host of backpackers from all over.

Needless to say, Saturday was a much later night, though the daylight savings change helped massively in ensuring that we got a respectable amount of sleep. We got up and got some breakfast before wandering through the Flower Market. The concept of the market is very cool – it’s half on land, half on the water – but the majority of what was sold consisted of plants (I didn’t think UK Customs would appreciate those) or super touristy souvenirs (think tiny wooden clogs and rows of shot glasses with decorated with weed).

Even so, it was very pretty to walk through.

Would I have liked to visit more places? Probably. Would I change what we did? Nope. I think the pace we set for ourselves was relaxed without being lazy, and while I had hoped to see the Anne Frank House or do a bit more exploring, we saw so many beautiful sights that made the short trip worth it. Plus, after a month of being away every single weekend, a more low-key trip was just what I needed.

Weekend Away: London and Brighton

Tags

brighton, england, ifsa-butler, london, notting hill, photos, study abroad, travel

Hopefully we didn’t cover anything important in Friday’s history of art lecture, because all I could do was think about how excited I was to head off to London that afternoon! I practically ran out of class to pick up my bag from my flat before heading down to Waverley Station to catch the train. Despite the delays from Berwick Upon Tweed to Newcastle (which made my train almost an hour late), it was an enjoyable, pretty trip down the coast, through the countryside, and into the city. Katie met me at King’s Cross with her friends Emma, Susan, and Yoojin so we could all geek out and take pictures at Platform 9 3/4.

Off to Hogwarts!

Afterwards, we caught a bus to Southwark (which is pronounced ‘Sutheck’) before meeting another high school friend, Chelsea, as well as Katie’s friend Adèle, at Wahaca Waterloo. Since Edinburgh’s not really known for its Mexican food (there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for Chipotle at this point), I was quite excited to eat here.

From left to right: Adèle, Katie, me, Chelsea, and Emma pre-margaritas and Mexican food.

Afterwards, Chelsea, Katie, and I did some catching up at a pub before calling it a night. Katie and I walked back along the South Bank of the Thames, which was so beautiful all lit up at night. London is so much bigger than Edinburgh and it was cool to explore a larger city for a change. I do love Auld Reekie, but London definitely feels like a city.

A London icon.

Me and Katie in front of the Shard, the second tallest building in Europe!

We woke up on the early side the next day since we wanted browse Portobello Market in Notting Hill in the morning and do touristy things in the afternoon. We took the Tube (so, so much nicer than the NYC subway) over to Notting Hill and joined the crowds walking through the stalls.

Hamden Hall reunion across the pond.

Such a cute part of London.

Obligatory phone booth picture – when in London, right?

Me and my “authentic European Starbucks.”

After browsing the stalls (where I picked up my sassy new hat), we went to afternoon tea in Kensington. Katie and her friends stumbled upon the quaintest little tea shop during one of their first weeks in London and have loved the place ever since. Its mismatched tea cups and abundance of clotted cream make it feel so quintessentially British, and it’s fun to nibble on sandwiches and scones while talking.

At Candella in Kensington.

After tea, Emma, Katie and I walked through Hyde Park and past Kensington Palace to the V&A Museum.

Kensington Palace from the side.

Bow down, bitches.

Me and my BFF Queen Victoria.

Birds in Hyde Park.

Flats in Kensington likely worth the endowment of a small liberal arts college.

We walked through the jewelry and illustrations of the V&A before heading back to the South Bank to go to see the View from the Shard. An 800ft high glass structure, The Shard rises up from the South Bank and makes all the other tall buildings look stumpy in comparison. We went up to the the viewing decks around 6:00, and the views did not disappoint.

Tower Bridge and the Thames.

It was very cool to see all the poppies surrounding the Tower of London.

Saint Paul’s Cathedral and Millennium Bridge.

The London Eye as the sun went down.

Pretty lights in the big city.

Tower Bridge and us!

We met Katie’s friend Caitlin after the Shard at a place called the Breakfast Club. At the name would suggest, they do all day breakfast as well as burgers and sandwiches, and they play music from its namesake movie! The All American Breakfast caught all our eyes, and soon we were tucking into pancakes, crispy bacon, sausage, eggs, and potatoes (and real maple syrup). We went to the Thirsty Bear for drinks afterwards, before realizing we had to be up even earlier the next day for our trip to Brighton.

We made it to King’s Cross St Pancras bright and early for our train and bus journey down to Brighton, a cute little seaside city often compared to Santa Monica (for its pier) and Provincetown (for its LGBTQIAP community). Arriving around 10, we made our way to the lanes and had brunch at Farm before setting off to explore the town. All the cute, colorful houses reminded me of Notting Hill a bit, but in a more carefree sort of way.

I’d move in in a heartbeat.

So pretty!

I especially loved all the juxtapositions of different doors and houses agains each other. 

Brighton also had a lot of interesting street art.

And pretty market stands.

We spent most of the day walking around and exploring the city. We stopped by the Royal Pavilion, which is an interesting bit of Middle Eastern architecture in the middle of a garden.

What really makes Brighton shine, however, is the pier and oceanfront. We couldn’t believe how picturesque it was; with the ferris wheel, amusements, fish and chip stands, and sunny skies, it didn’t quite seem real!

See what I mean?

The entrance to the pier.

Unreal.

After a long day of walking around and exploring, we got an early dinner of burgers and headed back to London Town. Katie and I had planned to go to Trafalgar Square and other touristy attractions Saturday night, but it was raining and we decided to pass. Luckily, the weather was much better Sunday night, so we headed out to see the sights.

Nelson’s Column, which is dwarf-like in comparison to the Shard but still massive in person.

The National Gallery, which looks very similar to the one in Edinburgh because of the classical architecture these sorts of museums tend to have (thanks, history of art!).

Lions in front of Nelson’s Column – my favorite!

Statues outside Buckingham Palace.

Will and Kate kissed behind where I’m standing!

The Queen was not in at that moment, but the palace was impressive nonetheless.

The walk leading up to the palace was lined with Union Jacks as well as the flag of Singapore, whose president is in London for an official visit.

Big Ben and double decker buses, could it get any more London?

Me and good old Ben.

Monday morning it was time for all of us to get back to work (the study part of studying abroad always seems to fall to the back burner, doesn’t it?). After a great, faced-paced weekend seeing old friends and meeting new ones, it was nice to have some down time and do some reading on the train back up to Scotland. Until next time, London!