To cap off our incredible,
different, crazy semesters, Alex and I decided to take a trip throughout the UK
and Ireland. One of Alex’s fellow classmates from Amsterdam – Sarah - joined us
and what an adventure we had. Feelings
written while traveling are written in italics.
Saturday:
Alex and Sarah flew to London
and crashed in Mandy’s closet of a room. (Shout-out to Isaac for helping with
luggage). Mandy could barely keep her excitement on the train platform and may
have casually tackled Alex when she saw her.
Alex: More thoughts to come on leaving
Amsterdam. There are a lot of feelings and a lot of thanks that will be posted
on my return to the states! (So stay tuned!)
Sunday:
Day 1 of our UK adventure began
with us taking the train to Holyhead, Wales with the intent of taking a ferry
to Dublin.
Mandy thoughts: I am listening to the playlist
that Alex made before we went abroad and I can’t help but be amazed that she is
now here with me. I’ve traveled all over this semester with mixed experiences.
And this trip ahead of us may be filled with no sleep, tons of transportation,
and who knows what else, but am so excited to have my partner in crime by my
side.
Alex: 3.5 months has led to this ferry ride.
This will be the end of my semester abroad. It has yet to hit me that I have
left Amsterdam and I am never going back, but I am looking forward to 6 days
with my best friend and going to a country where everything is in English. I
can’t even imagine what’s in store, but at this moment we are infinite.
Our ferry was delayed due to
inclement weather and the only thing near the ferry is a karaoke pub
across the street (oh darn). We made friends with some Aussies and had the most
amazing time listening to the family who runs the pub sing their hearts out and
then we proceeded to belt out our own Katy Perry tunes. Wales was incredible.
Unfortunately, seas were
still rough during our trip, which led to some miserable hours ahead, but we
made it to Dublin.
Monday:
We settled into Dublin by
taking the free walking tour and exploring the city. That night we went on a
pub crawl and not only met some really fun people, but heard incredible live
music at 3 of the 5 pubs we went to.
Mandy thoughts: Dublin music is the best.
Alex: Mandy is a social star. While Sarah &
I were unable to stop talking about the life we just left in Amsterdam, we
counted on Mandy to pick up some new friends for us and teach us the difference
between chips and crisps. The one thing that has shocked me the most thus far
is how nice everyone is. So typically not Dutch. I can’t help, but get
defensive when someone asks me if I need any help. Customer service scares me.
Reverse culture shock is taking affect and I am not even back in the states.
Tuesday:
Day 3 was spent shopping,
going to the National Museum of Ireland, and the Guinness Storehouse tour. The
tour was so fun and actually educational, with all of us enjoying our first
pint of Guinness at the end. We ended the night with more live music – there’s nothing
like an Irishman with a guitar.
Mandy thoughts: It’s amazing to talk to Alex
and Sarah about how different our study abroad experiences were. I love being
able to process being abroad with them, but it’s also so interesting to hear
the differences in culture, academics, and self-awareness that we all
experienced.
Alex: Everything could not be more of a better
time. My mood changes dramatically because I know that I should be grateful
that I am travelling around the United Kingdom with two amazing girls, but
slowly it’s hitting me I’ve left my home in Amsterdam forever. So grateful that
the Irish welcomed us at every turn with open arms.
Wednesday:
After a sleepless night
caused by weird people in the hostel, we took a bus to Belfast, Northern
Ireland. We then took the famous Black Taxi Tour of the city that covers the
history of the city’s historical political unrest between Protestants and
Catholics. The driver grew up during most of the terrorist attacks of the 60s
and 70s and was able to give us a personal history of the city, the murals, and
how the social and political present day Belfast is.
We missed our ferry boarding
time by 8 minutes and had to spend the night in Belfast. The night ended up
being great (partly because we stayed in a real-life hotel) and mostly because
we were with each other and everyone in Belfast was ridiculously nice.
Alex: I love love Belfast. There was so much
history, culture and art that I have heard of, but it was not the same after
seeing it and having explained by a real Irishmen. Our tour guide told us that,
after taking the black cab tour, a reporter wrote, “The
city of Belfast is the largest art gallery in the world.” And I absolutely
agree. It was definitely the most moving art gallery I have ever been to. I may
have jinxed us by “wishing we could stay in Belfast a little bit longer”,
ultimately leading us to miss our ferry, but I do hope to spend some more time
there and dive deeper into the Protestant and Catholic divide.
Our tour guide let us sign part of the Belfast Peace Wall
Thursday:
We took the 7am ferry from
Belfast to Scotland, then a bus followed by a train to Glasgow. Even though we
were in Scotland for less than 24 hours, it was stunning. We were able to see
the water, coastline, various towns, and gorgeous scenery as we traveled. After
a nice lunch in Glasgow, we took a bus to Edinburgh. In our 5 hours in
Edinburgh, we walked up to the castle, down the Royal Mile, shopped at the
Christmas markets, and enjoyed our first Hot Apple Toddy. 
Alex: So this is what they mean when people talk
about a “backpacking trip.”
Mandy: AKA carrying our backpacks up a large
hill and everywhere we go.
Our bus back to London was an
overnight Megabus Gold. Not only did we have full beds, pillows, and wi-fi, but
we got free muffins. We are all proud (especially Alex) to now be Mega-bus Gold
members.
Friday:
We arrived to London at
7:30am. After a significant nap, Mandy showed Alex and Sarah around her
favorite city. We walked in a huge circle around all of the sights of the city
and ending at Covent Garden, which is all decorated for Christmas.
Saturday:
For the final day of the
trip, we went to Kensington Garden, shopped at Camden market, sat on Alex’s and
Sarah’s suitcases as they pack to head to the States tomorrow, and finished the
night in a proper pub.
Mandy’s thoughts: I am exhausted, overwhelmed,
and more thankful than words can say for this whirlwind of a trip. We met the
most amazing people, saw beautiful countryside, and I was so excited to share
some of my favorite places with Alex and Sarah. I still don’t know quite what
to think about everything, but having Alex here made it all seem to make more
sense.
Alex: I am overwhelmingly grateful to have had the
opportunity to explore the United Kingdom. A huge huge thanks to my family for
supporting me emotionally (and financially!) through this whole week. I couldn’t
have done this without you. It has been amazing to experience such a wonderful
adventure with my best friend; ending in a beautiful city I know she loves so
much. If anyone is ever in London with Mandy Smith, skip the free tour. She’s
chalk full of fun London facts.
So stay tuned this week for
final thoughts – Alex returns to the States on the 22nd and Mandy
goes the 23rd.
Thank you for everything.
