So I've returned from my wee trip to Scotland. It was a strange one. It was good, but strange. First of all, my mom and little brother were supposed to fly over so we could stay at this nice resort type place up in Scotland. Unfortunately, due to volcanic ash in the air, they couldn't come at all. So, we were bummed out for quite a few days together and then my mom recommended I go up to Scotland anyways. After some thought, I agreed, simply because a) it would have been money wasted to not use the train tickets and to skip out on the fancy hotel and b) I would be sitting on my butt in my room by myself anyways, so I thought I'd at least go and sit on my butt with the beautiful Scottish mountains in my back yard.
But in all seriousness, I was kind of looking forward to spending a couple days by myself to catch up on some needed R&R. I had books to read, studying to do, TV to watch (I can't remember the last time I just sat and watched TV), and pools and hot tubs calling out to me. Little did I know it would end up being a 10 hour journey. Well, I exaggerate - only because I woke up at 7:45 that morning and arrived at the hotel at 8:00pm. It's not like the traveling should have been exhausting - I literally sat through the entire trip :-)
I spent Tuesday night exploring the hotel and indulging my love for mountains and lakes. I also watched TV: And British game shows rock!
On Wednesday, I slept in, then considered doing outdoorsy activities (there was an outdoor adventure place nearby) but did not follow through. After attempting to cook without the proper ingredients, I set out on a 4 mile walk to the nearest store. Mind you, this place on hidden on the opposite end of the lake from the nearest town, Aberfoyle. I tried to soak in as much as I could from this little town - it was smaller than Egham! But the people in town were really nice. It was funny to me that seemingly everyone in the town flocked to this one gardening/general store. It was also funny that there were 4 ice cream parlors and candy shops (I tried Scottish Tablet ice cream), but no bank, gas station, or chemist to be seen. I stopped by the Wool Factory and got some treats and pet the sheep outside. Then, God knows why, I faced a sudden urge to try haggis. It was deep fried - apparently this is not 'proper haggis', as a townie soon told me. He also seemed interested, albeit slightly annoyed, in my American-ness and said: "Can I ask you something? And I don't mean to be offensive - but what exactly is beef jerky?"
Thursday was bizarre on many accounts. First, I woke up and ended up somehow losing a filling in my back molar. This led to me freaking out, but then I was eventually resolved when I kicked back and finished my novel that I've been working at for a year now. After taking full advantage of the gym and pool later on, I watched the UK political debates. Pretty interesting stuff. Not as thrilling as our CNN Obama/McCain wars. All relaxing came to an abrupt halt, however, when the entire hotel lost power. This is me, staying by myself in a huge apartment in the middle of the forest with no cell service, no internet, at least 5 hours away from anyone I know, in a different country. I ended up listening to my ipod in the hotel lobby, sitting in a room full of couples in a, quiet, romantic, candle-lit fire side setting. They all seemed to quite enjoy the blackout. It was an odd moment in the life of Eliza.
On Friday, I slept in again, contemplated going outside again, but then was hindered by a pounding migraine. Still not sure what brought it on, but I was kindly escorted to the doctor in town. The doctor, I kid you not, was my age, wearing glittery eye shadow, black rimmed glasses, and converse sneakers. She was very sweet though and prescribed Ibuprofen. I stupidly did not bring any with me, so I was thankful for the free doctor visit (yay European healthcare!) and the kindness of the people working there and at the hotel.
Saturday's journey back was a lot more exciting: I gave myself a project. I filmed the two hour bus ride from Aberfoyle to Glasgow, then spent a good chunk of the train ride back editing it into my first ever Indie film. It's pretty impressive.
So, though I didn't get as much work done as I thought I would, I spent a lot of quality time by myself witnessing the weird things happening around me (can someone please explain "Wife Swap"?). I have some fond and... not so fond memories of Scotland now, but I'm really glad I went. It was a whirlwind adventure, as per usual.
The very next morning after returning from the Netherlands, I met my Grandpa and Dad at a bed and breakfast in Egham. They had arrived the day before, but getting back from the Netherlands was a longer trip than expected.
We spent Saturday getting groceries and walking around the Royal Holloway Campus. Later on, we made an attempt to cook in my flat. It worked out alright! Plus I was just happy to host since I'm usually just cooking for myself.
Sunday was Easter and Dad had to work on his presentation, so Jess and Grandpa and I walked through the Runnymeade National Trust Reserve. It turned out to be a nice day and despite the mud, it was a good walk. We got to see a part of the town that we didn't even know existed. Besides the pretty park and river views, there was a memorial to John F. Kennedy and a monument for the Magna Carta, which was signed there. Then we had a good Sunday roast at The Crown, a pub in Egham.
Tuesday was the day of Dad's big presentation. He had to set up for the majority of the day, and it was a bit stressful at moments, but it was worth it. People came and seemed to enjoy the presentation! He did a really great job. We got to unwind at another pub nearby afterward (seemed to be week of pubs!) before heading back to Egham.
On Wednesday we had a good touristy day. We went to Shakespeare's Globe. I had never been there so I really enjoyed it. The exhibit is just jam packed with any ounce of information they had about Shakespeare and the plays put on at the original London theatres. The theatre itself is absolutely beautiful. I've got to see a production there before I leave!
We had another pub meal, though this was a more up-scale pub on the South Bank :-) We then hopped on some buses as a way to rest our feet and to see sights of the city. Eventually we got to Knightsbridge, stopped at Harrod's and a Starbucks, and then went home to Egham.
Dad and Grandpa managed to squeeze in another sight on Thursday morning: going to the Chiswick House before going to the airport to return home. It was great visit - both busy and relaxing. I'm just glad I got to see family.
Unfortunately, Mom and Lyle couldn't make it out here for their visit. The volcanic eruption in Iceland prevented them from flying. It really stinks because I won't get to see them until June now, but we're trying to make the best of it. I'm going to take a little trip up to Scotland anyways as a change of scenery for my studying. Exams are coming up!
Will post about my trip to Scotland upon my return.
Jessica and I got back from the Netherlands a week ago, but it's been a busy week so I haven't been able to update my blog until now. And what a whirlwind adventure our trip was!
We left on Monday the 29th and took train and an overnight ferry out of London, arriving in Holland around 8am. I personally was sick of air travel and dealing with extra unexpected expenses from cheap airlines. The ferry was a relaxing and fun way to go - I highly recommend it.
Our first stop in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House. We wanted to get the most depressing bit out of the way. And boy was it depressing. But really fascinating and moving at the same time. I think it's very important to see it if you get the chance. I remember reading the book and trying to imagine the space they were in, but it's really a shaking feeling to step behind the bookcase and go up those narrow stairs. The creaky floorboards and blacked out windows gave you a sense of the danger of the situation. It was a remarkable experience.
After the Anne Frank house we wandered for a while trying to find our hostel. Despite the symmetry of the city, it was pretty easy to get lost. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the atmosphere of the city was not at all what I imagined. I guess because of the taboo associated with Amsterdam, I expected it to be a bit grimey and unsafe. It was the opposite! We wandered through the streets of a beautiful, quaint, happy European city. There were people on bikes everywhere, flower markets, friendly faces - and it was not too crowded by tourism.
We had time to kill before meeting our friends at the hostel, so we headed to the Rijksmuseum. It was small, but it packed a punch. The lower floor was dedicated to Dutch history and artifacts, while the upper floor was decked with incredible masterpieces by painters from the Dutch Golden Age such as Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and Vermeer. It was my first time seeing Rembrandt portraits, so that was a real treat.
Once our friends arrived we did a bit more wandering. We felt better in a bigger group to explore the more shady areas of the city (that were still pretty watered down by tourism - don't worry). It was interesting to see this quaint city become so different at night. It takes on a completely different personality. We called it an early night, however, because we were all tired from a day of travel.
On Wednesday morning, we headed to the Van Gogh Museum. This museum was very well designed and thought out: Walking through it took you through the different stages in Van Gogh's career. I had no idea that he was only active as a painter for 10 years. The first floor was dedicated to the artists that preceded Van Gogh. These were the Dutch artists that he trained with and drew inspiration from. The second floor was dedicated to his work according to year and place. This way you could wander through the entire second floor and witness how his work blossomed and changed, and at the same time stayed true to his style. At first I was disappointed that the museum did not provide more information about his personal life, but I soon changed my mind. Towards the last years of his life, it was clear from his use of color and more vigorous application of paint that he was struggling: The art says it all. My favorite paintings of his final years were "Wheatfields Under Thunderclouds" and "Wheatfield With Crows". One seems to evoke a sense of peace with an endless horizon, while the other one I found deeply disturbing and suffocating. Can't wait to go back to the MOMA and take a better look at "Starry Night".
Jess and I then wandered into Vondelpark, which was nice but would have been a more pleasant walk if it weren't so chilly and windy. We saw some ducks. And a parrot in a tree! We think it was a lost escaped pet.
In the evening, the five of us explored the Red Light District. That was something for the memory books. Its the sort of thing you hear people talk about, but you don't really understand it until you've seen it. I'm not going to go into detail, but lets just say I'm glad we didn't linger!
On Thursday morning, Jess and I decided to leave early because we had to get to Den Haag for our next hostel. We stayed a night in that city because a) the overnight ferry was booked and b) it gave us on opportunity to see the Nederlands Dans Theater - a world famous dance company that I've been dying to see after watching a DVD of them in Italy.
Trying to find our hostel was more difficult than expected. It was tucked away at the very end of a beach, which would have been nice had it not been unbearably cold and windy. Despite this minor setback, we made it into Den Haag with time to go to the Mauritshuis, the museum housing Vermeer's "The Girl With the Pearl Earring" among many other fabulous Dutch paintings. We got to see more Vermeer and Rembrandt, which we were both happy about.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied and cultured, we walked a couple blocks over to the Lucent Danstheater to catch the evening performance of "True to II" by the NDT. The show was unbelievable. I've never seen a dance performance like it. It was set against a beautiful orchestra playing classical pieces, but the choreography was a dynamic mix of form, structure, gesture, and playfulness. It was a delight to watch - I could watch this company for hours and days on end. Hoping to get some DVDs when I get back to the states! In the meantime, here's a clip from the website of one of the pieces we saw called "CACTI".
The next morning we were on the ferry all day, but it was nice to kick back after our adventures in the Netherlands. We got to see "The Princess and the Frog" and "Sherlock Holmes" on the boat, so I can't really complain.
We managed to pack quite a lot into only a few days. I can't wait to go back to Holland though. I know there's more to see and do in Amsterdam and I definitely want to get to know Den Haag even more. That city has so mcuh to offer and we didn't even know it!
I'll be posting another entry soon about Dad and Grandpa's visit. Until then, here are pics and videos from my trip across the North Sea.
I am a rising senior at Sarah Lawrence College.
This blog is about my yearlong study abroad experience. I traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, England, Scotland, and The Netherlands. I studied at Accademia dell'Arte and Royal Holloway University of London.
