Nashville, despite the brief time we had, treated us so well.
Your Broad,
Dacy
The drive from Atlanta to Nashville was uneventful, if not a relief. Our previous day in Atlanta had been stressful and unfortunate. It was nice to go to bed that night and just hit reset. By the time we made it to Nashville, the sun was starting to dip down. Ellen had reserved a camping/glamping site on a private plot of land. And I gotta say, as the sun crept closer into the horizon and we drove away from civilization, I started to worry- I didn't tell anyone about this camp site, no one knows where I am, Ellen and I have literally no weapons on us or knowledge of how to take care of ourselves in the wilderness. I could tell Ellen could tell I was starting to freak out. The directions took us farther and farther away from civilization, the darkness stretched deeper and deeper before us, the moon loomed above us in mock knowingness. By the time we reached the dirt road leading to the AirBnB, I was on edge, repeating 'this isn't right, I don't know about this, this isn't right'. It wasn't my most graceful or gracious moment and Ellen handled me well. The owner of the glamping site turned out to be a really nice guy and even though I was still wary of the situation, I started to settle down. It turned out to be such a lovely magical spot. We settled in and then wound our way back down to civilization to eat the best BBQ. You step out of the car and the smell of sweet sweet meat and sauce just surrounds you in an envelope of goodness. Take me back to that! We didn't even have one full day in Nashville which was a true shame. We happened to go on the weekend of the Country Music Awards, so the streets were jammed with drunk cowboy hat and boot-laden men and women. It was sort of a shame because it was so crowded, but also really interesting to witness. Country music is not my jam, so it was sort of amazing being in the thick of a North American culture of which I know nothing. The best part of this leg of our trip was the quiet night we had sitting in front of our glamping tent. No lights, no music. We didn't expect it, but a glint here, a flash there and then all around us: fireflies. It was beautiful, unexpected, and magical. I won't soon forget the way fireflies appear and disappear in bright flashes of electricity. Twinkling stars whose light doesn't have to travel light years to reach us. No pictures because there was just no way for us to capture the beauty.
Nashville, despite the brief time we had, treated us so well. Your Broad, Dacy
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These pictures are from my hometown of 30 years. Upon returning to California after six wonderful months abroad, I thought I might hate being in California. Untrue. I was sad, definitely. I missed England and traveling and my friends. But I had a renewed and unexpected appreciation for my home. It wasn't as classically beautiful and old, there weren't ancient cobblestone streets or fields of green stretching before me. But California certainly has its own unique beauty. Long Beach has a history of art deco-style which can still be seen in some of the architecture. My little dinky hometown, Bellflower, has its charms as well. Something about the vast urban sprawl of a suburban neighborhood can have its own appeal. On that note, however, let me be clear that while I appreciate home and all its charms, I certainly hope I get to travel as much as possible. And it's starting off a good year because today I have all the joy of going to the airport and hopping on a 10.5 hour long flight. England, I'm coming back for ya!
Your Broad (Soon-to-be) Abroad (Again!), Dacy You can tell I was born and raised in Southern California just from the title of this post. I can't help it, it just comes naturally, that infamous 'the' rolling right off my tongue. I did some brief looking around and found this interesting write up regarding an article about the 'the'. I can't say I agree with either the author of the article or the post, but it's something to chew on while I post these pictures taken en route to Santa Barbara to photograph a wedding. I wish I'd taken more, but we were a tad strapped for time and couldn't really stop. Some of these images feel very prehistoric (if you removed the obvious markers of man like the giant building in the last photo) and it makes me love California's coast just a little bit more. More to come, per usual.
Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad, Dacy I have always enjoyed the industrial skyline that Terminal Island offers up in place of the traditional landscape. Stacks of shipping containers, giant freighter ships, and the dirty isolated streets of a strictly industrial zone make up Terminal Island, which is nestled in between San Pedro and Long Beach. It takes two bridges to get to Terminal Island, but other than some beautiful industrial landscapes and a small yet touching memorial to the Japanese Fishing Village, which had every last one of its inhabitants sent to internment camps, there isn't much else. If you look up pictures of the Japanese Fishing Village and then compare them to what Terminal Island is now, it's a little heartbreaking. It used to be a thriving community and now the one restaurant/convenience store I saw was dangerously dilapidated and though the sign said open, looked very much closed. It's a wasteland now. . More pictures, more writing soon.
Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad, Dacy Finally, the bittersweet last post from my European travels. Copenhagen, you were the perfect end to a perfect trip. I have a more in depth post of Copenhagen with some photos from my phone, so I won't dilly dally here. There is so much to do in Copenhagen that I wish I could have stayed longer. But the time I did spend there was glorious. Good times, great light, gorgeous colors.
From here, there isn't much left of my study abroad trip, but I've been storing away the photos I've taken since being back. I'll continue posting because, at heart, I'm always a broad abroad. Your Broad (Always at Heart) Abroad, Dacy I somehow forgot to post this flyer for a Study Abroad information presentation. Well, here it is now, and there's still time to make it on Thursday. Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,
Dacy Budapest was incredible. Arriving by train really made me yearn to take an entire Europe trip by train. It was such a beautiful way to see a lot of the country. I hear that taking the train through the Swiss Alps is a gorgeous ride. It's definitely on my travel list. But back to Budapest. The 7 hour train ride from Prague to Budapest was well worth the time and money. No airport security hassle, no hassle at all really! We bought the tickets the day before we left and it was smooth chugging on the train tracks. Glorious countryside, quaint villages, and an amazing sunset in the rain. All ending in a lovely train station in Budapest. I could not have asked for a better train trip. We booked massages at Széchenyi Spa Baths, something I was specifically looking forward to because there is nothing I enjoy more than being in water! We took a mediocre walking tour (perhaps one of the most lackluster of the many I did during my Euro travels), but it didn't put a damper on the amazing scenery. We ate really good Hungarian food, but I cannot for the life of me remember the name. Sad business because it would have been nice to find a recipe online and try to re-create the meal. I suppose I still can, it'll just take more research. Budapest was one of the top places I wanted to visit during my study abroad and it was everything I imagined (save for the serious heat!). We met some really great people on our walking tour and had a great last night. I'm sad to say that after this post, there's only one city left from my travels. It will be sad to post the final update, but I've already got photos from my time back in the States to post. I hope I can continue posting and updating. If there's one thing I learned while being abroad, it's that there is beauty, adventure, and something worth photographing anywhere you go.
Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad, Dacy We'd been told by a few people to visit Kutná Hora for the Sedlec Ossuary, or the bone church, but never made any solid plans to visit. We had already planned to take the train from Prague to Budapest and since Kutná Hora is only an hour from Prague, we decided to take a detour. It was worth the few extra Koruna's to take the time to see hundreds of hundred year old bones. The Sedlec Ossuary, which is an easy walk from the train station, is a morbid fascination and an absolute delight for those with macabre tendencies. Having just written poems on the mouth, I was particularly drawn to the jawbones and teeth (or lack of teeth). It's so rare to see what lies beneath all our flesh. The church is unfortunately rather small, but the amount of bones housed within the structure is pretty dazzling and the bones photographed beautifully. There are two, maybe three, other churches within walking distance and they offer a special deal if you go to all of them, but as Justin and I were on our way to Budapest, we didn't visit. Perhaps another trip. Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,
Dacy Our first day in Prague felt overwhelming and crowded. It was also right after a slightly scary experience getting to Catania airport in Italy, then spending the night in the airport, and catching a connecting flight in Rome, We were tired and emotionally drained and probably not at the top of our game for sightseeing/tourism. The Charles Bridge and surrounding area was so packed with tourists, it just felt like we couldn't get a moment for ourselves. Yet the beauty of Prague shone through all the mayhem and the tourism. The architecture alone was inspiring and breathtaking. The views from the tower at the Klementinum were just unbelievable. It's hard to not enjoy a place that can give you so much just from simple observation. We also spent time at the Vyšerhad Cemetery which was further from the center of Prague, but worth every extra step we took. It was creepy and lush, full of strange busts of long dead people...just what a weirdo like me wants to see while on holiday. I have more pictures from the Czech Republic, but will post them in another blog because I feel like they need their own space. Also, it gives me even more reason to look back on these pictures and reminisce about the beauty of Europe! Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,
Dacy Just a few from Syracuse, Italy and the teeny tiny island of Ortigia. By far some of the most beautiful water I've ever seen. Despite the slightly seedy experience of getting lost in Catania on the way to the airport, Italy was an amazing place. Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,
Dacy |
DacyLimFrom Long Beach, CA to Canterbury, England and back. Archives
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