Dacy
Here are just a few pictures of my short time in Reading and the surrounding area. Much like the rest of England it was lush and serene. Perfect for a late afternoon stroll and a drink. It's too bad I forgot my camera the day we went on a pretty decent walk. It happens. Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad,
Dacy
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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 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 Well, this broad is broke. No joke. I've been back for a good few months now and it's mostly been me catching up on responsibilities and getting back into the swing of working. I'm lucky to have a job to come back to and a steady paycheck. My job has always been so good to me.
While I wouldn't change anything about my study abroad, there are obvious parts of my experience where I could have been more frugal, whether it was groceries or eating out or even travel expenses. But even the splurges were balanced out by penny-pinching, like taking a 12 hour coach ride from Canterbury to Amsterdam or squeezing into a 12 person dorm room that felt more like a prison than a hostel in London. In retrospect anything can be done better, but poor decisions and mistakes are bound to happen. It is what it is and you get what you get. I could say that something like Glastonbury was an unnecessary expense, and before I went I did feel guilty about spending the money. Yet, the experience of going to one of the most well known British music festivals was well worth the money. Not just because of the amazing time I had, but because it was genuinely one of the most British things I did while in England. I saw a lot of UK bands, spent the entire weekend with a fun bunch of Brits, and even experienced the inevitable combo of rain and sun and mud. Like the perfect cup of English Breakfast tea, I was steeped in British culture. Study Abroad was also educationally important, as I was given the chance to experience a different method of teaching. I took a Literature and a Creative Writing class, both of which operated in a manner I was unaccustomed to, but quickly adapted to and enjoyed. There is a considerable amount of independence involved in the Literature classes. Rather than spend weeks discussing one book, as was my experience in undergrad American universities, the UK system went through about a novel a week plus essays to emphasize critical points. It was up to the students to pick and choose the topics of interest and to conduct more in depth research to bring their own input to class. All the travel, all the late nights with cheap wine, every pound I spent, I don't regret. I met some wonderfully unique and interesting people and made lifelong friends. It was all worth it and I would go broke all over again if the opportunity arose. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone without hesitation. 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 I finally made it to Fromex, Long Beach's local photo shop, and got four rolls developed. Two B/W and two color. Since I didn't label any of the film, there was no way of knowing which rolls were from which cities. It was a gamble and I surprisingly chose two rolls from our first stop, Barcelona. Even better, I chose one color and one b/w. Since I've already written about Barcelona, I won't yammer away anymore, except to say, I can't wait to go back (however many years that may take, I don't know). That's all for Barcelona. Can't wait to see the rest.
Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad, Dacy All the places Justin and I visited were amazing, but I specifically planned Copenhagen to be our last stop before returning to England because I knew we would love it. The bicycle culture alone was enough to make me want to visit, and upon doing some research and looking at pictures, it seemed like a perfect place to end our Euro-trip. Especially after experiencing such hot weather climates as Budapest and Prague, Copenhagen was a welcome moderate temperature (something I hadn't considered, but was pleasantly surprised). Perhaps one of the best experiences in Copenhagen was visiting the Designmuseum Danmark. The exhibit 'Century of the Child' was an excellent display of innovative design, as well as an examination of the history of design for children. Many of the designs held specific purposes for children, combining design with function and education in order to encourage independent thinking/learning. The truth of the exhibit was immediately evident upon venturing back out into the city. Once I started looking for it, it was easy to distinguish not only great design, but a number of self-sufficient independent children. The Louisiana Museum was also worth the 20-30 min train ride to see the Jeff Wall exhibit of oversized and incredibly detailed photographs. It was a total accident and a happy surprise to find Yayoi Kusame's Gleaming Light of the Souls as a permanent exhibit, one which I've wanted to see for years. This was the last stop (aside from Canterbury) for Justin and me. I still have 35mm photos, so despite the end of my study abroad semester, I will continue updating until there's nothing left to update. Also, I need to finish posting my collection of poems from the semester.
Your Broad (No Longer) Abroad, Dacy Just a quick update. Justin and I met in Barcelona and had a great time wandering and eating and taking photos. We went on a delicious tapas tour and met some great people. There was some sort of bank holiday (I have yet to determine the holiday) and the streets were full of celebration. Parades with multiple bands, cheering, confetti, and drinking drinking drinking. It was a pretty perfect start to our holiday. Pictures will have to wait until I return home because I can't logically see myself developing anything while traveling. For now, here's some phone pics. |
DacyLimFrom Long Beach, CA to Canterbury, England and back. Archives
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