Today marks one month since I returned from one of the greatest adventures of my life (so far).
One month ago, I flew back into the United States via Philadelphia after studying abroad for a semester in Athens, Greece. From January until the end of April, I studied about, explored, and lived in the city where Western civilization first began. I was fortunate enough to temporarily call Athens - the place where tragedy, philosophy, epic poetry, democracy, and medicine originally flourished - my home, and for that I am eternally grateful. While in Greece, I studied at The Athens Centre, a small school in the Pangrati area of Athens. It fosters various different programs from American universities throughout the year, as well as teaches Modern Greek to working professionals living in Athens. I took five classes in the Classics field at this school, which included a course about Troy and the Trojan War, one describing the origins and practice of ancient athletics, another about Crete's unique past, and a modern Greek culture class. I was also fortunate enough to meet and to spend time with many of the wonderful individuals who work at The Athens Centre. The "women of the office," as I often referred to them, were kind and helpful far beyond the scope of what their job positions required. There were countless situations where I was in a bind and they were completely willing to help me in whatever way they could (like when my MacBook broke and I needed to get it repaired, or when I contracted strep throat during finals week and needed to find a good, nearby doctor quickly). Also, whenever I needed to vent about certain issues in my life, whether it surrounded school, professors, my home life, etc., these women were always there to lend a ear and to offer advice when possible. Beyond classroom activities, my study abroad program had a ton of domestic travel built into the schedule. Nearly every weekend for three months, our thirteen-person program loaded up into a coach bus and toured Greece's beautiful countryside and cities - both ancient and modern. My favorite program-planned excursion was our five-day visit to Crete (despite being sick at the time, unfortunately). We took a cruise boat to and from the large island, which was my first time on such a boat. Our trip primarily focused on the eastern and central parts of Crete, including Zakros (where we stayed in fabulous little resort houses by the beach), Chania (which seamlessly combines ocean, mountains, and city into one place), and Gournia (where I gave a site report about Harriet Boyd Hawes and her influence on Cretan archaeology whilst standing on the ruins of the ancient town). However, the best part of this trip, by far, was our visit to a small apiary/farm in the countryside outside of Chania. There, my classmates and I suited up into appropriate beekeeper attire and got to closely examine honey bees in their sanctuaries. I was even brave enough to hold a wooden slat full of buzzing little bees with my own bare hands, which was a really cool, surreal experience! While there, we also took a quick trip to a nearby winery where we sampled several wines and liqueurs, as well as noshed on some bread paired with locally made olive oil. Our nature day concluded by enjoying a large family meal with everyone back at the apiary. All the food was absolutely divine; homemade dakos, roasted lamb, several salads, french fries, and wine were served as our main course. Then, little pots of panda cotta with honey arrived for dessert. Yum! The entire day was absolutely lovely, and I highly recommend such an outing for anyone who ever visits Crete. Although my coursework and class trips were obviously a huge component of my study abroad experience, there was also so much more that occurred during this time that had profound meaning for me. My study abroad trip to Greece was a window for me to explore other parts of Europe, as well as other parts of myself. By being overseas, I was able to expand my world and to alter my perspectives by traveling to numerous different countries and meeting incredible people in my spare time. I was also able to extend my trip for nearly three weeks after my academic program ended to travel even more throughout the continent. To illustrate, during my spring break, several classmates and I ventured to Prague, Czech Republic; Copenhagen, Denmark; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Vienna, Austria. Soon afterwards, I traveled to Rome, Italy and Berlin, Germany entirely by myself, which were the first times I had dipped my toes into the joys of solo traveling. This adventure not only broke a travel barrier for me, but also proved just how independent I am/am capable of being. I learned that solo traveling is truly incredible in many different ways. You not only have a ton of time to think and to spend time with yourself/your own thoughts, you further realize just how beautiful alone time can be. Additionally, each and every time I traveled somewhere distant by myself, I always found myself meeting amazing people along the way. While in Italy, I met a fellow female traveler from Dallas, Texas, and we instantly clicked. We got along so well and had such similar travel goals that we actually ended up spending an entire day traveling together. We explored the city, toured the Vatican, and even drank (an entire bottle of) wine at the Trevi Fountain at night. Likewise, in Germany I was introduced to several solo, female travelers who were all fine examples of human beings. One woman was traveling on EuroRail for 6 months (primarily in Asia), while another had just moved to Berlin from Switzerland, and a third was traveling solo for the first time in her life in her mid-thirties. Moral of the story: solo travel is truly the way to go in many occasions, and don't let anyone (or your own questioning thoughts!) try to tell you otherwise. My study abroad experience also came at a time in my life when I most needed it. Sadly, many friendships back home had started to sour and to disintegrate, leaving me feeling confused as to who I trusted and even wanted as friends anymore. I knew I needed to make changes in my life for my own wellbeing, and going abroad did just that. Moving to Greece for three months was very much a fresh start for me, one that I desperately needed. I removed myself from toxic situations that had been holding me and my happiness back, and was exposed to new peers who were all thirsty for adventure like me. Although I've always been a skeptic about the positive side of change, altering one's life in ways - permanently or just temporarily - definitely can be a good thing. I truly cannot express how grateful I am and forever will be for this particular experience in my life. Studying abroad both changed me and helped me find myself again. It also truly allowed me to realize just how enormous, beautiful, and diverse this world is, as well as how small and trivial our "problems" often are. And while I'm now back home in the States, I will still always remind myself just how important and fulfilling it is to stay curious and to seek adventure. Best, Hannah
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Hello from Cardiff, Wales! Stand ready for a recap of my second trip to London, England.
For 2 1/2 days, I was back in the busy city of London - and I stayed quite busy myself while there. I arrived Thursday afternoon, navigated myself to my hostel in King's Cross/St. Pancras area, and then met up with my traveling companion. Unfortunately, while we were in the same city at the same time, we were unable to stay in the same hostel due to low availability of rooms. In fact, because there were so few rooms open to rent, I ended up having to switch hostels the third/last day I was there. My second accommodation was actually better all around - people, bedroom, common space, general friendliness - so I was pretty happy. My first place was a bit like a box; the room was really tiny and had 2 bunk beds that were almost entirely enclosed. You had to squeeze into a little opening in the bed to get under the covers, and because it was literally like a coffin bed, there was hardly any light in there. I also stayed with only dudes the first night, including someone who left the room at 4:00 am after making a ton of noise and an old man who left two hours later and also made a sh*t ton of commotion. Just not the greatest experience. Thank goodness I met a really cool girl at my second hostel. We actually went out to a pub for some drinks that night since I'd never been to a proper English pub before. My first night in London, I met up with my uncle who was in town for business. He took me out to an amazing Pakistani place right by his hotel near Oxford Street (aka, swanky place) and we talked about law-related things since he's a very successful bankruptcy attorney. Unfortunately, I was not that hungry at the time because I'd stuffed myself with Nando's - a famous British chicken restaurant - as soon as I got off the plane. I knew I should've denied myself, but I was so hungry from not eating all day that I couldn't help it. Granted, I managed to eat a decent amount of Pakistani food that night anyway. Because I'm a food champ like that. I also took my first taxi in the UK that night! And I didn't get kidnapped by a serial killer-taxi driver who made me take any pink pills in Russian roulette style (any Sherlock fans out there?). I legitimately was a little scared to get into one of those taxis after watching that episode of the show. But I was fine; in fact, seeing London from a taxi is actually very beautiful in its own way. The next day I planned to meet up with my friend who's been living outside of London for the past 3 years. We coordinated a rendezvous point in front of Westminster Abbey, but it took awhile to find each other due to crowds and not seeing each other for two years. Once we did finally get to each other, we headed to Soho for some shopping - including for a small, digital alarm clock because my iPhone decided to die for good that morning. Really unfortunate timing, especially since I only needed this particular phone for another 2 weeks until I returned to the States. I then had no clock, alarm clock, or way of accessing the internet to let my parents know where I was/that I was okay. Afterwards, we headed towards the British Museum. This was not so much a cultural trip to a museum as a way to use a free, clean bathroom. Since I'm not a complete heathen, I did wake around through several exhibits that I hadn't seen the last time I was in London. Then we went down the street to a little cafe that I fell in love with 2 years ago. They have really delicious cream tea, aka big, fluffy, traditional current scones with clotted cream and jam as well as a hot pot of English breakfast tea. I had been dreaming about cream tea for days by this point, and this place delivered yet again. Mmm. Then we hopped on the tube and ventured into Shoreditch. This area of eastern London has a cool, young, hipster vibe to it; there are tons of coffee shops, little book stores, and vintage clothing stores/markets. I seriously wanted to buy all of the jean jackets and boots that I saw. But I restrained myself! Onto Westfield mall to visit the second Apple store of the day. Upon talking to one of the help people, I am told again that even taking a look at my poor phone will cost me a good chunk of money. I definitely wasn’t going to pay 200 pounds to fix a phone that I’ll be upgrading in the next few weeks once I get back to the US. Then this guy told me that there was another option: buying a second-hand phone from the Game store downstairs. But before dealing with yet another technological pursuit that was likely to end in frustration, we headed upstairs to the food court to eat at Wagamama’s, a popular Japanese chain restaurant in the UK. This was my second time eating at one of these places (actually, it was in this mall the first time, too), and it was just as good as my first time. I ordered spicy pork belly ramen, which was a fantastic life decision. We also got a dish of fried squid with sweet chili sauce. So tasty. Post food coma-inducing goodness, I went to Game and bought the cheapest used phone that was compatible with my phone carrier. It was still 70 pounds, but my friend convinced me that having a phone was a good idea considering that I’d be traveling alone for most of the next two weeks. So I sucked it up and handed over the cash. I actually felt quite sick afterwards, since I never spend this much money on anything - especially when traveling. My everyday costs consist of food, transportation, and living arrangements. I buy a magnet in each city I visit, and sometimes a print/postcard, but that’s all. I even denied myself from the fabulous denim jackets I saw at Bershka, a popular European clothing store, which was super hard. I’m trying to be an adult and practice delayed gratification, and it’s mostly worked out so far. Then my friend and I parted ways and I headed back to King’s Cross. But before I left the mall, I decided I needed to take out more cash. London = expensive, even with denying yourself anything extra (or healthy, when it comes to food while traveling. I feel so fat nowadays from lack of fruits and vegetables). My card got denied from several different ATMs, even when using multiple denominations of money. Turns out I had pretty much used up all of my savings that I’d accumulated through working and grants from my university. Shout out to my mom and dad for helping me through this situation and allowing me to not starve. The next day was spent at Westfield mall - again. My phone ended up not working properly and needed to be completely reset back at the store. But before I ventured back to Westfield, I had to switch to my other hostel in London. Again, I cannot stress enough how kind and open to questions these people were. Flash forward to 6:00 pm and one mezze plate of hummus, halloumi cheese, pita, salad, and bulgar later, I finally leave the mall with a phone that worked slightly better, but not perfectly, and not a single shopping bag in my hand. After going to a pub, I repacked my luggage and prepared for my 9:30 am bus to Cardiff. Unfortunately, I did not end up sleeping well that night at all. An older woman arrived at the hostel right before everyone was going to sleep, and proceeded to make a fuss about lack of luggage storage in secure lockers. I willingly gave her mine, since I was leaving first thing in the morning and was likely going to be the last one awake. Then, as soon as she climbed onto the top bunk above me she promptly began snoring like a truck driver. And it lasted for the entire night. It wasn’t even just snoring; it was gagging and coughing on top of it, aka really bad sleep apnea. Which she probably knew she had, meaning she just didn’t care about how that would affect the other people staying in the hostel that night. Ughhhhhh. So it was obviously not a good night's sleep. I did sleep on the 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Cardiff, but bus sleeps are never great - and my neck got really sore from the position I slept in. But, in spite of horrible snorers and general bad luck, I successfully made it to Wales, my second country within the UK! - Hannah After a fantastic and refreshing night of sleep, Steph and I got an early start to the morning. We headed back down to Old Town so we could walk the walls around the city before the crowds appeared.
Even though the ticket was a little expensive, the picturesque, orange-tiled views from the walls of this fortress made the 150 kuna totally worth it. You could really understand why Game of Thrones decided to use this Medieval city as the setting for King's Landing, the capital of Westeros where the Lannisters (and the Iron Throne!) reside. I could clearly visualize scenes of the show from certain look out points, like the Red Keep and the staircase where the infamous "walk of shame" occurred. I couldn't stop exclaiming how beautiful the city was the entire time. I seriously almost cried at one point. While up there, I also bought my magnet for the city of Dubrovnik, as well as a little tapestry of Croatia to hang in my room. By the time we finished walking the walls an hour and a half later, we were starving. We stumbled upon a cheap hamburger place down a little alleyway and happily plopped down. I ordered a huge guacamole burger and fries, and ate the whole thing. We both also got gelato afterwards (coconut for me, caramel for Steph), which we ate by the waterside. Then we went in search of an "I <3 Dubrovnik" shirt since Steph collects them from every city she visits. After we finally find one (it was surprisingly hard actually), I ended up buying a cheap, cute fedora at a nearby shop. I swear, whenever I go outside, my forehead gets lobster-red instantly. The sun has a nice canvas with my large, transparently white forehead. I did make sure to wear sunscreen today, but the direct sunlight from the walls still did a number on my. So hopefully the fedora does its job! Afterwards we walked back on the main road for a bit to see a different view of the Old City. We got some good pictures, and then quickly realized how tired we both were. Since we'd finished everything we really wanted to do in this part of Dubrovnik for the day, he headed back to our hostel (which we thankfully now how to get to now, ugh) to rest and to start woking on the rest of our travel plans. This break was originally only supposed to last a few hours, after which we would head into the New Port area for dinner, but we stayed at the hostel for the after rest of the afternoon. By 8:00 pm, we were both quite hungry again and were unable to lie to ourselves about being able to wait to eat until the morning, so we finally wandered outside. We went to the first open place we saw: an itty bitty bakery. We both got a pizza pastry and an apple strudel. Back at the hostel, out roommate was eating his sushi outside on the terrace, so we joined him in the brisk, clear night. Now, I'm off to bed for another early day. New destination: Split, Croatia. Hello from Dubrovnik! (Aka, King's Landing from Game of Thrones!) Most of my belongings from studying abroad are packed away in my suitcase back in Athens while the rest is strapped to my back. Now that my program has ended, I will be traveling around Europe for the next 2 1/2 weeks before returning back to the States.
Currently I'm traveling with a friend I met through the Athens Program. Today has been painfully long, exhausting, and stressful. Getting to Dubrovnik was trying, to say the least. Our day started off by worrying we were going to miss our plane to Croatia. The Aegean Airlines check-in area was a mosh pit this morning at 7:00 am. I've never seen this airline look like this - especially this early in the morning. It took forever to get through the line, and we didn't know if we even had everything we needed as far as luggage tags or stickers. I hadn't bought a checked bag for the flight, so I was worried that I'd get slapped with a huge fee at the desk unsuspectingly. Thankfully, the woman who checked me in let me go through without making me pay any additional money for my one bag (I only have one cabin bag, by the way. I shouldn't have even had to check this). The one good thing that came out of this experience was meeting another female traveler going to Dubrovnik. We're actually going to be in Split at the same time too, so we exchanged numbers and are making plans to hang out! Once on the shockingly empty airplane to Dubrovnik, I immediately fell asleep for the entire flight and woke up in another country. After grabbing our stuff from baggage claim, the now-three of us bought express bus tickets to Old City. To do so, we had to convert several of our euros to the Croatian kuna, which is a very high numbered currency compared to the dollar and euro. Some places in Croatia take euros, even though the official currency is the kuna, but the kuna is mostly what we're using right now. Once at Old City, we said goodbye to our new friend for the time being and went to buy another ticket for a local bus so we could get to our hostel. That bus wasn't scheduled to come for several more hours (or so we thought. I ended up reading it wrong initially. I only got one hour of sleep the night before, so my head wasn't in a great place), so we grabbed a leisurely lunch of fish and chips by the water. It's actually a bit chilly here since we're near water and there's usually a breeze, so we ate sitting near heaters and while wearing blankets on our laps. Afterwards, we grabbed some ice cream and sat on a bench in the sun to warm up. Eventually the bus came, and we asked the driver if he knew where the stop was to get to our hostel, and he said yes. So we hopped on. Unfortunately, our hostel did not provide good directions (or, rather, any directions really), and we ended up having to trust the driver who didn't seem to know what he was saying for sure. We got off where he said to, and promptly was lost. The road was nowhere to be found . Long story short, we walked back and forth several hundred meters in each direction on a fairly busy highway with no walkways. For nearly two hours. It was so dangerous and so aggravating. We had to ask 4 different locals for directions, none of which knew what we were talking about. Even Google Maps from a stranger couldn't get us there easily. Upon almost giving up and going back to Old Town, some stranger called the hostel for us and had someone pick us up. A child, actually. His mom runs the hostel, so he came down, retrieved our tired bodies from the street, and ~finally~ led us up the practically nonexistent alleyway to the Magnificent View Hostel (yes, this is what it's called. It confused the locals, too). After getting inside and paying, we both passed out until 5:00 pm. Upon waking up to a freezing cold room, we got ourselves ready and walked back down to Old Town.We wandered through the Medieval city inside the walls for awhile (it seriously looks like you've walked onto the GoT film set) until we stumbled upon a little doorway that led to a fabulous view of the sea and sky. We sat on some rocks listening to soothing music from the bar below us and talked for quite a bit. Then we grabbed some dinner in a small restaurant. Seafood risotto for me, pasta carbonara for Steph. And we both got sweet, various fruits crepes for dessert, of course. Thankfully we got back to the hostel easily, safely, and quickly. Now it is SO time for bed! - Hannah Howdy, guys! Long time, no see, huh?
As usual with me, I'm currently on a bus to the airport. This trip's destination is...Berlin, Germany! I'm solo traveling again, and am looking forward to visiting my ancestor's homeland and stuffing myself with as much schnitzel as possible. To address my absence, this past month in Athens has been absolutely insane. Most of my days have been spent in class (whether in an actual classroom, in the ancient Agora, or on the Acropolis) and then locked away in the computer lab writing research papers. Unfortunately, all my energy has gone into writing required assignments recently, not blogging about my experiences. But I can proudly say that my two term papers ("Harriet Boyd Hawes: Life and Archaeological Influence" and "A Scholarly Critique of Wolfgang Petersen's Troy," if you're interested) are now finished and about to be submitted once I arrive at the Athens airport. Now I only have to worry about writing another two papers, studying for two finals, and finishing journals about cultural activities...yay... However, amidst the insanity of writing what seems to be a thousand papers this semester, I've managed to do some pretty cool things. I actually visited two islands in two consecutive weekends: Crete and Santorini, both of which are in the Cyclades. The 5-day Crete trip was part of my study abroad program while my weekend in Santorini was strictly for pleasure. By far, Crete was my favorite place we visited as a class on this program. Beyond visiting many ancient sites, I got to ride on my first ever cruise ship to get to the island and I did one particular activity that really pushed me out of my comfort zone (details to come in my post dedicated to my time in Crete). This excursion was also generally much more relaxed than others have been; we spent much more time outside than cooped up in archaeological museums, which was very much appreciated. Santorini was also beyond amazing. I'd been wanting to visit this popular tourist destination known for its whitewashed houses, bright blue roofs, gorgeous sunsets, and black beaches (and its ties to Minoan civilization, if you're a Classics geek like me), ever since I first watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. One of the main characters in the movie, Lena, spends a summer in Santorini (in Oia, no less) visiting her Greek grandparents. She ends up meeting a very handsome Greek fisherman-university student and they fall in love. But more importantly, Lena gets to use a donkey as one mode of transportation around the island. Casual. So I finally got to live all of my Lena dreams (besides finding a great boy ha ha hilarious). There are so many exciting things I have to share about the trip. But for now, I'm off to visit my 7th country in 3 months. Look forward to upcoming posts about my time in Amsterdam, Vienna, Rome, Crete, Santorini, and Berlin, as well as seeing more photographs. Talk to you soon, Hannah As I'm writing this, I'm currently on an express bus from Syntagma Square to the Athens airport. In a few hours, I will be flying to Rome. Alone.
Since being abroad in Athens, Greece, I've been doing a lot of reflecting about my life. Specifically, I've recently been marveling about how so many things have changed from just one year ago. One year ago, I still didn't know what I was doing with my college majors. I knew that I was going to finish my Classics major, but I kept flip flopping back and forth about what my second major would be. Besides the fact that I wanted to double major, having two areas of study is required by the Paterno Fellows Program, a liberal arts scholarship program to which I belong. One day it was psychology. The next it was anthropology. Then it was just giving up entirely. Finally, I decided to take the leap to pursue Global & International Studies with a specialization of Health & the Environment. I had wanted an environmental-associated major since I came into college, so I finally, truly went for it. After meeting with the director of the major as well as the program's advisor, I found out precisely what I needed for the major. Purely coincidentally, many of the classes that I had taken for fun (environmental philosophy, environmental engineering, political geography, etc) counted towards the requirements. Ultimately, I only had to take the 3 core GLIS classes (101, 102, and 400) to obtain the degree. Granted, I had to officially argue why some of my classes should count towards the major that weren't originally on the list, but doing that gave me even more experience in arguing my cases. For what seemed like the first time in college, everything was finally working out. I knew exactly what I needed for both my majors to graduate, and it was fantastic. Flash forward to yesterday afternoon when I was scheduling classes for the fall semester. Upon picking my classes, I discovered that I could actually, theoretically, graduate a semester early. One year ago, I was honestly convinced that I would never graduate. I felt that I had too many more requirements to fulfill and that I had no direction - nor a chance of finding a direction. It's absolutely crazy to think that I'm essentially done with my regular undergraduate credits (that honors thesis is a real wake up call from this euphoria, though) and that I'll have some flexibility of schedule for once in my life this coming academic year. But academics isn't the only thing that's changed in the past 12 months. As of Tuesday this week, I've applied to 12 summer internships. Last year at this time, I didn't even have a resume. I had no idea what I was doing with my summer, and had no specific internship goals. I soon discovered the internship opportunity that led to me being the sole editor of a local book project, but I had no intention of this initially. I scrambled to create a makeshift resume, which has changed completely from today's, and had no idea what I was doing. Now, my resume is highly tweaked and formatted, and I also know how to write a damn good cover letter in a short amount of time (had never written a cover letter before last semester). I actually have hopes for a job in a specific field this summer: editorial. I've applied to several different publishing houses, magazines, and nonprofits that range from political writing to feminist advocacy. Most of these positions are based either in New York City or Washington D.C. Also at this time last year, I had recently been dumped by my first boyfriend. I was not in a good place in my life back then. My ex had been very manipulative, mean, and emotionally abusive to me. I realized to an extent that being in a relationship with someone shouldn't be like that, but everything was still so new and exciting to me that I willingly brushed off all the (many) negative things he said and did to me. He was so flaky with his promises, and was very hot and cold. Looking back on the relationship, nothing was ever stable nor was any part of it ever really that good. I didn't realize any of this until months after I was out of the situation. But I was blinded by emotions and hormones and all those other annoying things that can completely cloud your judgement when you feel love for someone. I don't know why I thought he was so utterly amazing, but I did (tragically). Today, I'm happily single and not looking for anyone to seriously be in my life any time soon. I think sophomore-year Hannah was craving a new phase of experiences in her life, but let that desire for a significant other inhibit her in other ways. Was I ready for a relationship? I felt like it at the time, at least sometimes, but maybe I wasn't. I feel like a completely different person nowadays from that particular Hannah. I feel more sure of myself generally. I'm more confident and am not afraid to stick up for myself (even though you shouldn't have to do that with your real friends and SOs). I know that relationships are hard, but that they shouldn't completely wear you down, make you cry frequently, and and stop you from being your true self. I feel great on my own. I honestly don't feel like there's anything missing from my life, which is how it should be. Significant others should enhance you, not complete you. It's like that fantastic quote Shailene Woodley said once: "I always think of life as a pie. My pie is f*cking fine. I've got the best pie! It's so delicious. If you want to add some ice cream and sh*t on top, you are welcome to the party, but you don't get to take a slice of my pie." Furthermore, at this point last year, I had no idea that I would be traveling solo in Rome, let alone even be studying abroad in Athens. My decision to go abroad was made rather late in the game. Again, being the negative, cynical person I often am, I was convinced that I'd never be able to study abroad. I finally found out that The Athens Program fit the requirements for my Classics major and History minor perfectly, and that I could very likely go. So I applied, and eventually got my acceptance letter not quite 2 months later. Getting in was one thing, but actually accepting my offer was something completely different. I was actually so scared, to be honest. The night that my confirmation of attendance was due, there was a party going on in my summer sublet. So I grabbed a cup of jungle juice, chugged, and then hit the "confirm" button (sorry, parentals). Accepting my offer was one of the best decisions of my life. While I was super nervous, and the fact that I was studying abroad for an entire semester never did fully set in, I'm really glad I took this chance. Who knows when, and if, I'll ever be able to be in Europe again, let alone for this long? You've gotta be brave and step out of your comfort zone, man. I'm sure that initial step influenced my decision to travel solo to Rome. I managed to get myself to Athens for an extended period of time, so I could probably travel for three days on my own. I'll also finally be able to pull out my rusty Italian skills! It's been an interesting year full of ups and downs (and several haircuts and a few new piercings). Until recently, I didn't even realize just how much I've done in these last 12 months. Life certainly is strange. Now, off to Rome! - Hannah Hey, guys!
The next stop on my spring break tour was Copenhagen, Denmark. After arriving late on Monday, we took a taxi to our hostel (the Copenhagen Downtown Hostel) that looked more like a popping downtown club than a place of lodging. As we made our way to the reception desk, music was pumping through the stereos, drinks were slinging, and people from all sorts of places around the world were happily mingling together. Upon going upstairs, I promptly laid down on my bed and passed out as my two comrades tried to find somewhere to eat late at night (I was still sick at the time, so no dinner for me). When they left, I got a punitively cold shower, making audible protests the entire time that people outside likely heard, and then went back to bed. The next morning, we got up early to begin our trek to Christiania, the hippy commune located in central Copenhagen that apparently has no laws and flies its own flag (more on this in a bit). Cannabis is also legal here (granted, "legal" in an anarchist community has little standing). I was finally feeling somewhat able to eat at this point, so we stopped at a bakery for breakfast. I ordered a cinnamon bun (anything cinnamon in Copenhagen is a must) and a chai tea latte. Both were insanely delicious and I wolfed then down. Not eating for days at a time sucks. After enjoying our breakfasts and free wifi break, we made our way to Christiania. This place is very easy to recognize upon arrival; there is a huge, wooden archway that says "Christiania" on the outside (and "You are now entering the EU" on the inside upon leaving. HA!) and has graffiti-covered walls encircling the territory (I didn't see a trace of graffiti anywhere else in the city). Upon entering, the smell of marijuana wafts through the air and little shops selling paraphernalia, tapestries, sunglasses, etc. abound. Since I had lost my sunglasses in Athens several weeks before (long story), I bought a pair of plain black ones. Now I can say I bought my current sunglasses in a legit hippy/anarchist society. We walked around the rundown shanty town's grounds for awhile and then I suddenly realized something: I didn't have my phone. In a panic, I stripped down my coat and scarf, frantically checked all my pockets, quadruple checked my bag, but it wasn't there. I finally remembered that I had taken it out at the sunglasses stand to check the conversion of krone to euro and must have left it there. So we fast walked back to the hippy commune where I essentially attacked the man working at this stand asking if he'd seen an iPhone in a blue case. Thankfully, he had it ("I was waiting around for someone to come running or call!"). God, that was a miserable 10-minute panic attack. But everything turned out fine. Rule of thumb: if you're gonna lose your phone, lose it in a place where hippies who won't steal your stuff live. After that near breakdown experience, we headed to Paper Island, a large, indoor street food market by the water. We were all freezing once we got there (Copenhagen is COLD, dude. I don't know why we chose all freezing-cold places for spring break), so we sat by a heater for a good 15 minutes before getting food. We walked by all the many stalls offering diverse food combinations from around the world, and I eventually settled on duck and chips. It was ridiculously tasty. Pulled duck and red cabbage covered a huge mound of vinegar french fries. I couldn't finish the whole thing, but I did a pretty good job. While there, we also ran into some of one girl's friends who are studying abroad in Copenhagen, It was a really weird, but fun coincidence for everyone. Next we walked to Nyhavn, the neighborhood right by a canal known for its colorful houses and its picturesque views. After a 3-way photo shoot, we headed into a waffle shop where one of us got a waffle with mint ice cream on top. Sadly, my stomach wasn't feeling up for that, so I just watched her eat it. We then visited the cleanest, nicest public restroom I've ever seen. It had dark, carved, wooden doors, for Pete's sake. Maybe this is a contributing factor to why people in Denmark are some of the happiest people on Earth (this is statistically true!). The trampolines by the water were our next stop. There are 5 trampolines built directly into the sidewalk near Nyhavn, and it's seriously the greatest thing. We spent nearly 45 minutes jumping, taking photos of us jumping, and videoing ourselves jumping. It was fantastic. I think we need them back home in the States (maybe it will increase workplace happiness!). We then went in search of souvenirs. Back in London a few summers ago, I bought a magnet that had all the places I had seen on it and decided I would get magnets for every city I visited in the future. While I haven't done this in Greece yet, I have done it for every destination I've been to on spring break. So I got my Copenhagen magnet (it has a bike on it, of course) and was a happy camper. Since we were already halfway there by chance, we ended up walking out to the Little Mermaid statue. This life-sized statue is located way out by the water far, far away from our hostel. I got a few pictures and even posed like the statue on a nearby rock, but it wasn't a life changing experience by any means. I think the freezing, wet weather put a damper on our moods and willingness to sightsee. So we shortly headed back to our hostel. A few hours later, I went to dinner with one of the girls traveling with me and one of her friends that's currently studying in Copenhagen. We ate at this nice little cafe that had shelves upon shelves of books lining the walls. I ordered tomato soup and an apple cider. After several hours of eating and talking about our lives, we went back to the hostel where I decided to go write a blog in the crazy reception/bar/party area. Once I was finished, I showered and then curled up in my bed with an episode of Sherlock (Denmark Netflix had Season 4 of Sherlock and I nearly had a joy-induced heart attack). The next morning, we checked out of our hostel at 10:00 am, as required. Since our flight didn't leave until 3:00 pm, we wanted to go visit the Round Tower and to do a little last minute sightseeing. We asked the hostel to store our bags in the free lockers provided, but unfortunately the electricity downstairs was broken, meaning the electric locks wouldn't work. So we had to trek all the way to Central Station with our stuff and then pay the equivalent of $9 for each locker. It was really annoying, to say the least, to pay that much to store our things for not even an hour and a half. The hostel really let us down and made no attempt to offer a discounted price for storage at the station. Oh well. Then figuring out which train to board to get to the Round Tower as well as buying train tickets was a whole other debacle, but we made it (eventually). Before climbing the winding incline of the Round Tower, we grabbed a super quick breakfast (chocolate croissant and a soy latte). The Round Tower was exactly what it sounds like: a single rounded tower. Although the ascent took a lot out of us, the view from up there was pretty nice. Thankfully there were no clouds or fog that day (of course the weather always clears and gets warm the day we leave. It never failed, regardless of which destination). Then we rushed back to the train, headed to Central Station, grabbed our stuff, illegally jumped a train back to the same stop we had been at for the Round Tower, and headed towards St. Peder's Bagery, a really famous and tasty bakery in Copenhagen known for its massive cinnamon buns. While enjoying our cinnamon goodies (at half price because there are half price cinnamon rolls on Wednesdays!), we also met up with a few of another girl's friends there. I ended up buying a cinnamon bun and a little spinach pizza for the airport. Both were magnificent, but the cinnamon bun was to. die. for. After our brief reunion and bite to eat, we boarded the train to the airport. Next stop: Amsterdam! Hello, all!
It's been almost 2 weeks since I posted (sorry!). I was busy with mandatory class trips, midterms, and papers last week, and then got really sick with a stomach flu-type illness. But I'm back and will be reporting my upcoming spring break adventures! A few friends and I just concluded a 3-day trip to Prague, Czech Republic for the first weekend of spring break. To say the city was absolutely beyond amazing would be downplaying its true worth. I had such a fantastic time - even while in the midst of a painful stomach bug. The two plane rides (Athens —> Belgrade, Belgrade —> Prague) were not fun, though, seeing as I spent most of them either in the bathroom or wincing in pain in my seat (aisle, thank god). We got into Prague late Friday night, so we just headed to Czech Inn, our hostel (har har so punny), and called it a day. In the morning, we went on a 3-hour walking tour around the city that was advertised at the hostel. The tour guide was incredibly well informed about Prague’s unique history and was also very funny/charming. At one point during the tour, I thought about asking him out to dinner, but I chickened out when he didn’t seem overwhelmingly receptive to my questions after the walk finished. During the tour, we saw the infamous Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square and watched the show that is performed by the clock every hour. There are several key elements to the clock’s display: the skeleton who rings the bell of death calling for people to die, an old man holding a mirror to represent vanity, and another old man holding a bag of money to symbolize greed. There is also a golden rooster who pops out, as well as several rotating statues that appear and disappear from within the clock. Overall, it's a really cool, complicated procession that occurs every turn of the hour. We then saw the Estates Theatre, which is the opera house where Mozart debuted Don Giovanni (that was obviously a huge success among Prague-ers). This theater is a pretty shade of mint green and has several corinthian columns, making it one of the finest examples of classicism in modern Europe. Fun fact: my friends and I actually tried to see an opera (Hansel and Gretal) at this theater, but unfortunately nothing was playing that day. After a quick bathroom and snack break, we heard the history behind the statue of Jan Hus in Old Town Square. We then toured the Jewish quarter, which used to be a sectioned-off ghetto in older times (Hitler actually tried to make this an official ghetto again during WWII and reinstated many of the antiquated, anti-semetic practices). The two main attractions were the Jewish Synagogue and the Jewish cemetery. The cemetery, which has a beautiful church-turned museum attached to it, is built significantly higher up than street level in order to house several layers of graves in one plot. The synagogue is the oldest in Europe, being built in the 13th century, and has withstood many fires, wars, and attempted destructions. Our tour guide recommended that we place a hand on the synagogue's wall to receive a bit of its strength and good luck, so I placed both my palms on the building for a good 5 seconds. Before finishing our tour at another opera house, we looked across the Vltava river towards Old Town where the Prague castle, faux Eiffel Tower, and giant metronome statue are located. Fun fact about the metronome: it is built on a large platform that used to support several enormous statues of Joseph Stalin and his comrades. After their regime came tumbling down, the statues were removed. Years later, Michael Jackson built a huge statue of himself there to promote one of his international tours. Today, a giant, red metronome exists on top of the platform that is constantly moving back and forth. Legend says that once the metronome steps moving, society will return to a state of tyrannical rule, so hopefully that never happens! Once our amazing tour concluded, we said goodbye to our cute guide and headed across the Charles Bridge in search of the John Lennon wall. We managed to get to the wall and spent the next 30 minutes posing in front of it. It's so ridiculously colorful and has so many great phrases written on it ("for the nights we won't remember with the friends we won't forget," "imagine," "be kind," "the sun will rise and we will try again," and "fight hate with love" are a few). We had a great time doing solo shots, couple shots, and group shots. And, of course, leaving our own mark on the wall somewhere. Next was the castle on the hill (*cue the Ed Sheeran song*). We stopped for a brief food break (a little to-go pizza shop with slices for 40 koruna/$1.00) and then started our ascent up the hill. As the largest castle complex in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, it's currently the Head of State for the Czech Republic. Besides the royal guards outside and the amazing gothic church that has gargoyles peering down at you from all sides, the castle complex was kinda blah. However, we did get a fantastic view of the city from up there. We also walked by the Golden Row where Franz Kafka used to live in one of the little houses and then touched the highly-shined genitalia of a statue (that's what we were supposed to do, don't worry!) before walking down. Later, the other girls on the trip wanted to go shopping for clubbing clothes before dinner. I, unfortunately, was definitely not feeling well enough to go out. But I joined the excursion anyway and then got a falafel with lots of hummus since Greece doesn't have this amazingly tasty spread. They didn't end up leaving the hostel until well after midnight (crazy people). Meanwhile, I went to sleep fairly early and was later awakened at 4:30 am when one of the girls came back. The other 2 stayed out until 6:30 am! No. Way. José. The next day, we ventured back to Old Town to climb the faux Eiffel Tower. It was a loooong hike up there on the little spiral staircase, but we made it. The view was fantastic, but the tower definitely swayed a noticeable amount, so we went down pretty quickly after our ascent. Back on the ground, I bought 2 "Praha" pins and a magnet to spend my access koruna coins. We ended up sitting in the cafe area of the tower for awhile since we were all exhausted and freezing by then. Fun fact: Prague's tower was built 2 years after the original in Paris and is actually 16 meters higher above sea level. The reason: Prague built its on a hill. Smart. Then it was lunch time. We wandered back to Old Town Square to look at the offerings of street food. We ultimately ordered a combination of sausages and a potato, cabbage, bacon concoction that was insanely overpriced (tourist area, oh well), but full of food. I felt like I hardly made a dent in my bowl, but I didn't want to push anything with my still-upset stomach. Afterward, we walked through some tourist shops and a fur shop that sold coats for upwards of $5,000. We also tried to buy those opera tickets and got turned down, so we went back to the hostel to relax for a bit instead. Later we went back into the city to have a traditional Czech meal, but we got turned down from the restaurant because it was too full for a group of 4. Instead, we went to a really delicious Italian place called Don Giovanni's (of course) where I ate spinach tagliatelle with pesto and pulled out my rusty Italian. Then it was off to bed for us to prepare for our flight the next day. Next top: Copenhagen, Denmark! - Hannah Greetings, all!
It's been 3 1/2 weeks since my arrival in Athens. The past almost-month has been absolutely incredible. Words honestly cannot describe how much fun I've had traveling around Greece/to some islands, learning about Greek culture, and immersing myself into city life in Athens. Here's a brief update about some exciting things that have been/are currently happening in my life!
Verdict = not that great, unfortunately. However, the environment made up for the sub-par caffeine source. The place was covered in vintage posters, paper lanterns, and random knick knacks (including an old school, salon hair dryer that doubled as a lamp).
As silly as it sounds, I'm really excited to go buy groceries now. TTFN, Hannah The second day of our trip started with sleeping in as late as possible before our 8:15 am check out time. I can't speak for everyone else on this study abroad program, but my roommate and I are definitely not morning people.
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we were back to the site of Delphi. This time, we were visiting the Sanctuary of Apollo, aka the main attraction at Delphi that once housed countless treasuries, statues, and temples dedicated to various city-states in Greece, as well as a theater. Most importantly, however, was the Sybil who lived and worked here. This young, virginal woman would proclaim divine oracles that people from all over Greece would travel to hear, especially before making big life decisions (cue Croesus and Alexander). We spent a total of 2 1/2 hours wandering around this amazing site (and constantly getting yelled at by a grouchy security guard to stop climbing on the ancient ruins), taking pictures of ourselves, and absorbing the inspiring atmosphere. The weather was perfectly warm and clear, which hadn't been the case for this particular class trip for several years. We really lucked out. After an hour-long tour through the museum at Delphi, we took a quick bus ride to Arachova, a nearby town, for lunch. Archova looks like it belongs in the mountains of Northern Europe. Snow covered peaks stood in the distance and cobblestone streets lined the town. Unfortunately it took awhile to find food, let alone eat the food, so we didn't get to explore the area much. 5 of us eventually found a little hole-in-the-wall crepe place, where a classmate and I split 1 savory crepe (mozzarella, sausage, and green pepper) and 1 sweet crepe (apple, chocolate, and whipped cream). It was delicious and really hit the spot after a long morning of standing in direct sunlight and touring crowded exhibits. On the way back to Athens, we stopped at a Byzantine-era monastery. The place was built in an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful spot. The view of mountains and olive tree-filled groves was fantastic. However, I thought the actual church and crypt underneath it were, honestly, a bit creepy. While I could admire the architecture, the super ornate, gold flecked ceilings, and the frescoes of various scenes from Christ's life on the walls/ceilings, finding a real skeleton lying clothed in a glass box did me in (I told you. Creepy). Back on the bus, I plugged my headphones in and listened to music as we passed by scenic view after scenic view. I noted that the natural landscape was being used for a variety of alternative energy forms, including windmills and solar panels. The flatlands were utilized for solar panels, while the mountains supported several windmills at a time. I eventually fell asleep and woke up about an hour before reaching Athens. Let me tell you, coming back to Athens and feeling like you're home is really cool. I've gotten so much more accustomed to this place since our first day here. Calling Athens "home" is still crazy amazing, and I probably won't get over it the entire time I'm here. - Hannah |
Hannah BisbingStudent @ Penn State. Figure skater. Writer. Traveler. Coffee fanatic. Foodie. Semi-professional people watcher who recently returned home from backpacking around Europe. All photos taken by me, unless otherwise noted.
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