May has turned out to be a busy, busy month. I'm traveling more than before, and I've been waking up at 3 am for flights more than I would like to, but I don't actually mind all that much! I'm soaking in all of the hours spent in airports, walking around, trying new foods. So far this month, aside from some adventures within England, I've been to Salzburg, Austria and Athens, Greece -- here are my reviews and top tips! Salzburg I. Loved. This. City. We were right at the foot of the Alps, and everything about this place was relaxed and beautiful. My most important bucket list items were seeing some sites from The Sound of Music (which was filmed here) and eating a pretzel, both of which were happily checked off. The entire time we were there, my head was completely lost in the clouds. I felt calm, peaceful, and safe the whole time. It was way less busy than I was expecting too, so apparently early May is a great time to go. Two and a half days was plenty of time for us to go at our own pace and still see basically everything. Here are some of my favorite things about Salzburg. Mirabell Gardens This was such a beautiful garden, and it happens to be where the filmed all of the garden clips from 'Do-Re-Mi', so you know we had to spend time taking pictures. There were so many statues and all the flowers were planted in a variety of designs. So pretty! Lunch in the Alps So, this was also a Sound of Music site (the picnic at the beginning of 'Do-Re-Mi'). We popped into the grocery store to pick up some lunch items, and then ended up being the only two people on the mountain! It felt like we were in post card. It was a bit of a hike, but I definitely recommend. THE FOOD Schnitzel, pretzels, coffee, and the best sauerkraut I have ever had. No complaints here. Funny story though, Savanah and I had the same breakfast every day, and we noticed that the café had a bit of vibe going on, like it was founded on a religion, complete with a statue of the founder and a whole book section and shop. Long story short, we realized that it was not an actual religion, but instead was a cult where you had to be a member in order to be employed at the café. One woman apparently escaped and wrote a memoir. On top of that, we found out that this founder in question has cafes, yoga studios, etc. not only around Salzburg, but around the whole of Austria. Crazy right? Athens I think I was hoping that this Grecian city would feel more like the islands than it did. I have to say though, my whole overall experience would have been better if we had stayed nearer to the city center. NOTE: If you are traveling by yourself, or even with a couple other people, ESPECIALLY if you're a female, I do not recommend staying where we did. We were a bit bamboozled by our airbnb host, and the area we were in was not the best. Apparently, the street we walked down our first evening while exploring is a street that many sources say you're not supposed to go down. Plus, on top of the Acropolis, when we could see the entirety of the city, I joked that the ONE street that was dirtier and darker than the HUNDRED others was probably ours. It was. (We stayed way north of the center, and the sketchy street was called Acharnon). Another highlight of this trip was probably the younger woman on our plane talking about her solo trip to Columbia. She said that it was a place everyone needed to go before Americans discovered it simply because there was a lack of fast food, which, no lie, she said has become a trend of the upper middle class because celebrities always eat it. She then attributed our national heightened obesity to the 'fact' that fast food is a trend. On that ridiculous note, here are my favorite things about Athens. Ancient History Boy oh boy, did my middle school obsession with Greek mythology come roaring back during this trip. So much about Athena and Artemis and Poseidon - there were owls and olive trees everywhere! While the Acropolis and temples were very cool to see, the most important part of the history to me was the huge boulder we climbed on where PAUL PREACHED! I never in a million years thought I would get to be in a Bible location! I couldn't believe it! Even though this isn't ancient, I really enjoyed the area of Plaka, which is the historical city center. There were tons of shops and restaurants, and it was fun to walk around. Here's a warning though: there's a group of men that try and get you to agree to try on one of their bracelets, and then make you pay for them. If you don't pay attention, they'll just grab your wrist and tie it on without your permission. (I think they're somewhere near Monastiraki Square but I'm not 100% sure). They're a bit intimidating, and apparently they're also in Paris. The Flowers There were bright fuchsia, red, pink, and yellow flowers absolutely everywhere - gathered together in bushes, crawling across buildings, growing besides the sidewalk. Anafiotika I already briefly mentioned this on social media, but this was my favorite neighborhood in Athens. The classic white buildings with the blue doors, the flowers, the stone sidewalks. Amazing. THE FOOD (AGAIN) Greek food is the absolute best. I had olives, ice cream, baklava, and gyros. (My fellow Tarheels: I like Med Deli's lamb better. Wild.). We went to the same place three times, and one of the waiters ended up giving us hugs and saying that he loved Americans. It made our afternoon! Overall, these trips were a great way to begin to bring my semester to a close. 12/10 would recommend European travels - I am so thankful for everything that I have been able to experience since coming abroad. One more trip to go!
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I can't believe my time in London is half-way over. More than half actually. I have really, truly learned to love living here and I can see myself moving back in the future. Mainly, my thoughts and feelings about this whole experience have calmed down a lot, and my view of London has become very similar to my view of North Carolina (which I guess is a good and a bad thing). I have my routines and my personal favorites. I can give people directions, and recommend restaurants, and I can get to many of the places I'm going without looking at the tube map. My favorite moments are those times when it hits me that I'm actually living in London, and I get that wide-eyed wonder all over again. And then that wonder turns into panic because I feel like there's still so much that I haven't done! This city consistently meets my expectations with how much I enjoy the places I always go and the things I always do, and with how much fun I have exploring to try new foods and routes. I love just getting lost and seeing how I can get home from wherever I am. (I mean, I always have my google maps, but for the most part I just wander.) I'll end on one last fun note. I started compiling these lists of things I like about England vs. North Carolina...what do you think?
Day trips have been a lovely way of seeing the country while paying a refreshingly low price. I've taken two trips so far so let's break this post into two parts. Oxford -- January 20, 2019 I literally thought that I was inside Mary Poppins the entire day. The old buildings, the stone everything, the smoking chimneys. It was all very picturesque. There were even some birds flying around the towers. We started the day watching the sunrise on the train, and seeing all the fog, hillsides, sheep, and homes. We got to Oxford at 8am on a Sunday, so it was both quiet and freezing, and we walked through the empty campus and town streets. We went to an Anglican mass in a beautiful cathedral, and then headed to lunch at The Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their friends used to meet for lunch while they were students at Oxford. Every article I read when I googled "C.S. Lewis Oxford" had this door as a real-world version of the entrance to Narnia, with its decoration, fauns, and a lion. There's even a lamppost mere feet away. Rachael and I ended up taking a tour of Christ Church while we were there, and saw a bunch of Harry Potter filming locations, as well as a crazy beautiful campus. I still can't believe that people go to school somewhere that looks like that, it's insane! We ended the night at a pub (I got a smoothie from another place lol) before walking back to our train and riding back through the countryside to get to London. It was magical! Stratford-Upon-Avon -- January 25, 2019 I was not sure what to expect from Stratford honestly. I was like, 'ok sounds fun' but it blew my expectations out of the water. After missing a change and spending an extra 15 pounds and 60 minutes on another train, we finally made it. The only way I can think to describe it was the perfect mix between city and country, because the town streets had countless shops (we had THE BEST coffee I've ever had no joke) and then after we crossed the river, there was a large park with lots of dogs and lots of families. We found an old bookstore (with a 1966 copy of Anne of Green Gables!) and a market with a vegan bakery (I got a savory nut role and it was ridiculously good). It was just such a cute town and so relaxing and peaceful to walk around in!
More adventures to come! xx, Chloe It is 9:51pm here in London as I write this. I'm laying bed having eaten 7 Jiffy Cakes while watching the series finale of Once Upon a Time. Today was the end of my first week at King's, as well as my first week at my internship. Life is going pretty well. London has been a whirlwind of many new things happening all at once. I arrived to an empty apartment bedroom, and had to buy everything from bed sheets to toilet paper. I've been adjusting to living in a major city, and I'm going to be paying close attention to how I function here because I've wanted to live in a city for years, so it will be interesting to see how this works out! I've learned my way around public transportation and grocery stores and campus, but my favorite thing has definitely been all of the exploring. From Notting Hill to the plethora of free (!) museums and galleries, every day is a new adventure! I can already tell that the best way to see London is on foot, and I keep finding small markets and shopping centers full of beautiful lights and old architecture. I walked 6 miles today thrift store hopping, and I will probably do some more tomorrow! I am in search of a thick, classic, English sweater to go with the penny loafers I just ordered (Nancy Drew, who?).
One of the best parts of this whole experience has been getting to know everyone who came to England from UNC -- there's at least 21 of us! I only knew one person before flying out, so this has been a great way to form new friendships. Especially since (almost) all of us will still be on the same campus next year! There are also some adventures coming up! Tomorrow I am exploring the British Library, and Sunday, a bunch of us are headed up to Oxford for the day -- which I am SO EXCITED FOR! Go make someone smile xx, Chloe |
AuthorI am a September baby, which may be the root of my love for fall. I love dark chocolate, popcorn, and I do actually like brussel sprouts. I'm the kind of person that listens to a Christmas song in September. (But only one. I don't want to ruin the ~magic~). Archives
May 2019
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