The Dam!

Hello party people!

Although having a tad bit of a delay with finals, I am finally able to write about my incredible experience in Amsterdam!

To start, Rachael, Sarah and I embarked to Manchester around 10 am on Thursday, November 20th, and arrived in the Dam around 4 pm. Besides the customs officer trying to joke around and pretend that we were not in fact in Amsterdam (not funny because I don't speak Dutch), everything went  smoothly.

We quickly checked into our hostel called The Stayokay Zeeburg and took the tram into Rembrandtplein Square which consisted of several great restaurants to dine in, as well as numerous shops to get the must have souvenirs. We chose an Italian restaurant and I ordered a delicious spicy spagetti dish and enjoyed splitting a bottle of lovely Merlot.

Afterwards, we proceeded to walk around the city and explore a bit, stopping at some shops (coffeeshops?) that peaked our interest. In one particular shop, we encountered a man who was a little too concerned with American politics! He went on for a solid 20 minutes about political issues until we were finally able to escape... Anyway, besides that snag, we walked up and down the canals taking in the beautiful scenery, which was unlike any city that I had ever experienced. We also noted some restaurants and dessert shops to check out later in the weekend. When it started to get late, we took the tram back to our hostel and settled into bed for an early morning.

On Friday, November 21st, we got up relatively early for breakfast at the hostel and then wandered over to the legendary Anne Frank House. Luckily, we were able to book tickets in advance so we were able to skip the massive line wrapping around the building. Anne Frank's house was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Having the opportunity to see first hand where the Frank's lived in hiding as well as witness her actual writings in her original journal was a deeply sad yet spiritual time. I was thankful to have read her diary before going on the tour, as I felt that it gave me a personal connection with her unique story.

After the tour, we ventured into the Tulip Museum and purchased some nice presents for friends and family. Next, on our way to lunch, we stopped at a street vendor and I purchased an incredible watercolor of the city! We then decided to have lunch at what appeared to be a local eatery and I ordered a bacon and mushroom omelette. After lunch, we walked to the Heineken Factory, where we planned to do "The Heineken Experience" which was definitely worth it! Not only did we learn the story behind the Heineken Brewery (Fun fact: Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the Haystack brewery on February 15th, 1864), but we also saw the process of how the beer is made and received 2 and a half complimentary pints which were satisfying to say the least! Additionally, we were able to customize our own Heineken beer bottles writing "The Dam! Nov 21st, 2014" on each of them which we planned to drink later. :)

Once leaving the factory with a few more souvenirs in tow, we decided to go on a canal tour before grabbing dinner. The canal tour was relaxing and incredibly beautiful (even some of us drifted off to sleep...). As the tour concluded, and after turning down a man who invited us out to pizza (when in Amsterdam? Ehh better not), we opted for a restaurant close to the canals with several options. I wound up getting a large caesar salad. Afterwards, we explored a bit more, getting delicious ice cream and waffles at a sweet shop we discovered on the canals on the first day. I even sampled the "stroopwafel" flavored ice cream, which is famous in Amsterdam! We then headed back to our hostel cold and exhausted from an exciting day of touring.

On Saturday, November 22nd, we also began the day with an early complimentary breakfast from our hostel before taking the tram to the Van Gogh Museum. The museum was huge! Once again, we avoided the massive line but purchasing our tickets in advance. The museum full of Van Gogh's popular works such as his famous "Sunflowers" piece as well as his other popular painting "Almond Blossom." We then went out into the square (we were blessed with two beautiful days at this point) and took the obligatory pictures at the "I amsterdam" signs. I even took one with the "D" to be particularly cheesy.

Next, we hopped on a tram to explore other central spots in the city. We even stumbled upon the Red Light District which looked more like a tourist attraction than what its actually famous for. However, we did go at 3 pm so I'm sure it gets significantly more rowdy towards the evening. We then walked up and down the canals, popping into vintage clothing stores, a head shop, and a few more souvenir shops to pick up last minute necessities. We even managed to take a great canal picture of the three of us in between this shopping excursion!

By this time, we were getting pretty hungry, so we decided to eat at an Indian Restaurant close to Rembrandtplein Square. While Holland is not particularly known for its food, they do favor Indian cuisine so we felt justified in trying this food out too! I had a vegetarian dish with fried rice which was amazing and we split garlic nan bread. Once we had finished, we went back to the hostel to freshen up and drink our customized Heineken beers before taking a tram to the Ice Bar which we had scheduled to go to later that evening.

The Ice Bar was amazing! Before going in, we were offered one mixed drink at the standard bar before going to the back of the establishment, where the true Ice Bar was located. We were then promised two mixed drinks, two beers, or two shots once we entered the actual Ice Bar. Rachael and I opted for the "Amsterdammed" which was fruity but nice! Next, we suited up in Parkas and heavy gloves and entered the Bar! Everything was made out of ice, including our drink glasses! They even had a polar bear ice sculpture inside! While it was absolutely freezing (-10 to -14 regularly), I enjoyed a Vodka Orange juice and a Heineken (call me sentimental) at the bar. Although we were only in there for 20 minutes, that was plenty of time as I was beginning to lose feeling in my legs and feet!

Once buying a picture of all of us in the bar, we walked around the canals once again (Amsterdam's regular temperature outside didn't seem as cold anymore) and walked across Amsterdam's famous "Magere Brug," better known as the "Skinny Bridge." Decorated with 1,200 lightbulbs at night, the bridge is a tourist attraction because of its popular tale. According to the story, the bridge was built in 1691 by two wealthy sisters who lived on opposite sides of the Amstel river and wanted to be able to visit one another every day. The sisters, although wealthy, were not quite wealthy enough to afford a bridge of adequate width for general use and so built a very narrow bridge, hence its name. After crossing the bridge, we took the tram back to our hostel, knowing the very early morning flight back to Lancaster was quickly approaching. 

Once safely back at my dorm in Lancaster, I was able to truly reflect on the great experience I had while in Amsterdam. This trip marks the last trip that I will be taking until my parents arrive on December 13th! It was definitely a great way to end my independent travels :) Until next time, when I write about the end of term (can't think about that... went by waaaay too fast) as well as my trip to London and Paris with my family! 

xoxo

P.S. I also had a wonderful thanksgiving all thanks to my amazing friends!! We all decided to do a potluck dinner which turned into a huge success! (I brought the brownies) It was also many peoples first thanksgiving which made it all the more special. 

Adventures in Limerick, Ireland!

Hello everyone!

First of all, sorry that it has been so long since my last blog post, but you'll be happy to know that I am loving Lancaster more than ever! My roommate Nikki even came and saw Lancaster for herself on a day trip which was amazing!

I can't believe tomorrow starts the seventh week of classes here. Speaking of classes, during my time here I am enrolled in one British Romanticism class, a Music and Television Advertising class, as well as a Politics, Philosophy and Religion Ethics course. While those have been all well and good, I am trying to make the most out of my time abroad by experiencing English culture and traveling whenever possible!

Last weekend, November 7th-10th, my friend Sarah and I travelled to Limerick, Ireland to visit my long-time friend Haley as she is also studying abroad. Our trip began by arriving in Shannon airport around 9pm and catching a bus to the university. However, Sarah and I unfortunately missed the university stop and had to ride the bus back into town and catch another bus back to the university!(whoops, minor snag in the plan). Besides that mistake, the rest of the weekend went quite smoothly.

On Saturday, we all went into town to eat lunch at a place called the Soup Cafe. As you imagine by the title alone, they specialize in a variety of different soups accompanied by build your own sandwiches. I opted for the sweet potato soup (good decision) and a ham sandwich. On our way to the Hunt Museum, we stopped at a traditional Irish wool store, in which I wound up buying a beige sweater and printed scarf (when in Ireland, buy wool, right?). Moving onto the museum, it had a large display of historical artifacts from the surrounding area which were interesting to examine.

Next, we ventured to King John's Castle which was built in the 13th century! On the way, we even encountered a few gypsies traveling into town (one via a miniature horse!). King John's Castle was a really unique experience. During the first part of the expedition, it used an interactive approach to help you learn about Irish history by means of digital actors telling you about their "lives" during the various periods (even dating back to the formation of Ireland as a whole!) After this, you were led to see some of the remaining ruins of the castle before venturing outside to see amazing views of Limerick, including the Shannon river, from the top of the castle's towers.

That evening, we met up with one of Haley's friends and ate a Japanese restaurant in town, which was delicious! I had the salmon teriyaki dish although I was tempted to try the sushi. We ended the fun evening relaxing in a friend of Haley's flat, playing cards and catching up :)

On Sunday, we decided to grab lunch at a classic "american" diner before exploring Limerick's milk market which is set up every weekend in town. Although it is labeled as a milk market, the venue holds various eateries, shops selling wines, cheese, and almonds as well as unique boutique stores scattered throughout. Not to mention homemade dessert stands selling macaroons and cakes! After exploring the market, Haley took us to her favorite coffee shop in town called the Cellar Door. The cafe was honestly one of the coolest coffee places that I had ever seen! To start, it was hidden from the everyday tourist with a little "cellar door" marking its entrance. After climbing down a few steps of stairs, the shop was underground and had a relaxed atmosphere. The Cellar Door also hosts live music occasionally on the weekends and has the "leave a book, take a book" policy. Lastly, I ordered an Americano while browsing some of the merchandise of a boutique store that the accompanied the cafe. After a caffeine buzz, we traveled to Penny's which we came to find is the Primark of Ireland (so many clothes, so little time! Except there is always time to buy a lion onesie).

That evening, we walked to Haley's friends house and all had a home-cooked meal along with traditional black tea in an early celebration of Haley's 20th birthday. The celebration was fun, as was meeting Haley's friends, although we had to turn in relatively early as our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:15 am the following morning. Getting up at 3:45am, Sarah and I said our goodbyes to Haley and another Happy Birthday cheer as we left for the Shannon Airport.

Once back in Manchester, Sarah and I had our customary porridge at Joe's Kitchen before taking the train back to Lancaster!

Well that is all for now! Next weekend I will be traveling to Amsterdam so expect another blog post relatively soon!

xoxo

European Travels/ Freshers Week at Lancaster!

Hello everyone! I'm officially back and comfortably settled into my new dorm in Lonsdale College at Lancaster University.

These last three weeks have been a complete whirlwind but I've made some of the best memories and have had amazing experiences!

My trip started off visiting my roommate Nikki and friend Katie in Edinburgh, Scotland which was so great! Nikki showed my friend Sarah and I all around Scotland including Arthurs Seat, Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, Botanical gardens, the National Museum of Scotland and we even got to do a ghost tour in the evening which was so interesting! And of course we visited some really cool pubs such as Oz, Dropkick Murphy's and the Banshee. We were also able to eat at the Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter books!

Sarah and I then continued onward to Manchester for a night before flying out to Barcelona the next day. Our hostel was cozy however far away from any kind of restaurant so we had to order in and settle for nan and fried rice for our dinner. We safely landed in Barcelona the next evening and met up with our other friends from our ISP program who we would be traveling with for the remainder of our trip. Barcelona was beautiful! We did a walking tour of the city, went to a fabulous tapas restaurant that serves daily three course menu specials, walked along the beach, strolled through La Grata Familia, explored the fresh food market, watched a Barcelona futbol match, and went on a pub crawl in the evening. I even tried to use a little of my Spanish (although I was somewhat intimidated to be honest!).

  

Next on the itinerary was Nice, France! We started off with a walking tour of the city which I thought was beautiful. It is a very diverse city in that it has a rock beach but is also quite mountainous. The food in Nice was also delicious- baguettes, wine and cheese, bagels, coffee, chocolate, and hazelnut gelato, pasta, tartar, and ratatouille! One night we went into the market in town and I ordered a delicious seafood pasta dish with mussels, clams, and shrimp with red wine- favorite meal of the trip! We even went wine tasting (a little outside the city but incredible views!), swam in the ocean, and went on another pub crawl! 

We then traveled to Milan, Italy which was fun because I got a chance to see Merritt! Our train into Milan got in a little late so we decided to have an early dinner. We went to a place called Feel Good and quickly discovered the Italian way of dining- cocktails accompanied by a buffet of delicious food! We met Merritt at the Duomo and we all went for drinks at several restaurants/bars along a canal. I even tried a Negroni (traditional Italian cocktail!). 

The following day we got up early to catch a train to Venice! We got in around 1 pm and had a lovely lunch at a restaurant right on the water. I had a great clam and mussel linguine dish. We also walked along the streets of Venice stopping periodically to get souvenirs (I got a Murano glass bracelet) and gelato until we ended up in St. Mark's Square. We then took a gondola tour through the canals of Venice and grabbed dinner before catching an overnight train to Vienna. 

While the 11 hour overnight train was somewhat difficult to endure, we finally arrived in Vienna early in the morning. After storing our luggage at the hostel, we went to the Schonbrunn Palace close by and went to the Tiergarten Schonbrunn (Vienna Zoo) which I later found out is the oldest zoo in the world! The zoo was huge and a great way to spend our morning. After exploring the zoo and once we were able to check in, we relaxed a bit before some of us did a two hour evening walking tour of Vienna. The others decided to get standing room tickets at the famous Opera house called Wiener Staatsoper. The walking tour was great and our tour guide pointed out interesting historical facts such as the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is where Hitler was rejected from art school, Vienna holds the only statue in the world that is supported by two beams, and one night at the Opera for a box seat is 30,000 euros. Additionally, we observed the many incredible sculptures such as St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Hofburg Palace. After the tour, we met up with the others outside the Opera and went to dinner at an Italian Restaurant. The following day, all the girls on the trip decided to do a 15 mile bike and wine tasting tour that lasted from 9:30am -7pm. We took a train out for about an hour into the countryside and picked up our bikes. We then stopped at a small town and climbed the top of the mountain to see the ruins of a castle and to view the beautiful landscape around us. After doing this, we biked to an Austrian family's country home to have a traditional Viennese lunch (meat sausages with bacon, pork chop, potato salad, and bread rolls) as well as sample the local wines and walnut schnapps. We then quickly biked to our next wine tasting location which was a wine cellar on top of a small hill. In total, we had about 8 full glasses of wine so biking back about 7 miles was a little bit of struggle haha. Some (we were also with a couple) were more adventurous and even stopped on the way back to try apricot schnapps! We then headed back to our hostel and enjoyed a home cooked meal with everyone in celebration of our trip and our time spent together! :)

Cue Fresher's Week!! It's been crazy but I'm having an amazing time at Lonsdale College and my new flatmates here are awesome! I won't really get into details, but the events have been great and I'm excited to start my fall term here! Well that's all for now! I'll post later on about classes :)

xoxo