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Home, sweet home.

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Although it has taken a few days for my body to adjust enough for my brain to function again, I think my transition back to Iowa time, life and food has gone smoothly for the most part. I’m still unable to keep myself awake past 7:30-8:30 in the evening, but hopefully that will wear off soon.

I originally thought that  it would be extremely difficult for me to make all the readjustments to living back in Iowa, and that I would feel a bit strange being here. Luckily I haven’t found that to be the case. From the moment I walked out the doors at O’Hare, I felt so comfortable. There really is no feeling that matches coming home after an extended period away.

For the most part, I think I was just over thinking the entire situation. I suppose that in a way I feared the people around me wouldn’t embrace how I have changed, but thus far there haven’t been any issues. People have noticed I do some things a bit differently than I used to, but nothing too drastic.

The only real problem I’ve had is with myself and exercising self control. I should have paced myself more, slowly taking back in various aspects of life back in the state, but I jumped right in instead. Needless to say I’ve been a little overwhelmed and exhausted with an extremely angry stomach lately.

The plan was to incorporate many aspects of the European lifestyle into my life back here in Iowa, but truth be told, some things have been thrown out the window already. This isn’t because they are “bad” things, but rather because some things just aren’t applicable to living here, like not using the air conditioner (it’s on full blast and will remain so) or completely relying on public transportation.

Many things have stuck with me, though, like being more conscious of recycling and being less wasteful by doing small things, like going grocery shopping on a smaller scale. Shopping in general has been an interesting venture for me, as I have been facing the pressure to become a heavy consumer again.

For example, the other day I did what I’ve done a million times before, and for the first time it felt extremely strange and somewhat uncomfortable to me: I walked into Walmart. When traveling around Europe (and especially in Eastern European countries), I saw so many less fortunate people that I had a hard time walking up and down the aisles of fully-stocked shelves.

In the past I would have never thought twice about filling up my cart, but with seeing  all of the choices we have in comparison to the cramped, dirty and under stocked stores I experienced , it was difficult for me to even consider throwing a $3.00 box of cereal in the cart.

Studying abroad opened my eyes. I never would have considered myself to be ‘out of touch’ with the World around me, but I have gained a greater understanding of other cultures, their lifestyles and problems. Sometimes it’s difficult to fully grasp onto things that seem “so far away,” and seeing it with my own eyes made all the difference.

Last day in Edinburgh

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Today has been a great day of exploring Edinburgh, its free museums and hidden paths as I learned more about the city’s turbulent history on a guided tour. My feet are aching a bit, but I’m not overly focused on the annoying tingling.

For the past few months I’ve been counting down to this day. I didn’t quite expect to be emotional, but I am, and I think it makes sense. It’s my last night in Europe, after all, and this amazing experience is finally coming to a close.

The reality of the fact I will be heading back home to Iowa in less than 12 hours is hard for me to grasp. I’m excited; I’m sad and even a little scared.

It seems so stupid to have fear about going home, but I suppose my logic is this: it’s been over five months since I’ve been on American soil, and now I feel like I’m caught in the middle of two places. I’ve been living the European lifestyle and now I’m being thrust back into “normality,” but I have changed.

It’s such a strange feeling. I know that everything will be fine, but I expect the readjustment period to be a lot more difficult on the way back than it was when I initially came to Europe.

I suppose we’ll all just have to wait in see. Be sure to check back in the next few days as I recover from the long flight and will update everyone on how things are going. Thanks for following me throughout this crazy journey!

The glorious hunt for Nessie

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Although my alarm going off at 6:15 a.m. wasn’t welcomed at the time, I’ve now arrived back from my 350 mile round trip throughout the Scottish Highlands and can easily say that it was well worth getting out of bed for. I’m extremely tired, though, so bare with me through this rambling entry.

I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of my guided tour through the countryside. I figured that I would see some hills, a lot of green space and maybe some sheep along the way. However, this was not completely the case.

When first driving out of Edinburgh, the scene is very much as described as above.  The further you drive, the more the landscape turns from simply “pretty” to absolutely spectacular. Tall jagged rock cliffs, green mountains, streams and saturated with as much history as it is rain, the highlands are a true natural wonder.

Throughout the 12 hour trip, my excellent guide with Heart of Scotland Tours informed me about the history of Scotland’s “highland” people in comparison to the “lowland,” clans, clan warfare,  various castles and the tales about the region that have been passed  through generations.

While many of the events of the bygone eras we heard about were filled with bloodshed, there were plenty of light hearted moments along the way as well, keeping everyone entertained and thrilled, even though we were sitting in the mini bus for a very long time.

Seeing the castle where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was partially filmed, seeing  Hamis, Scotland’s most famous “hairy coo,” and hearing “useless” trivia about movies and the area from our guide Collin helped too, of course.

The main destination of the day was Loch Ness. Being the naturally strange person that I am, I couldn’t have come here without doing a little “monster hunting.” After all, who knows when I’ll be in Scotland again, and seeing Nessie would have been awesome.

Sadly, today turned out to be like most days at Loch Ness, where the cold wind was blowing and the black waters were too choppy to really do quality searching. The area around the lake was absolutely gorgeous, with rocky outcrops virtually untouched by man because of their rugged terrain, but what I wanted to see was a monster.

But, I won’t cry too hard. I guess it wasn’t in the stars.

Regardless, the day was filled with plenty of other wonderful experiences that I will remember and cherish for years to come. I went through four camera batteries today and certainly could have gone through many more. Readers: if you are ever in Scotland, you have to go see what I did today. You will not regret spending the time or money on the excursion. It was absolutely amazing.

Gray day in Scotland

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After our captain announced that one of our plane’s engines would need to be started with a machine and there would be a delay, I wasn’t overly thrilled as we sat on the tarmac. Luckily we took off without much of a hitch, and I was in slightly better spirits as soon as I saw that someone in the London area had a good sense of humor and had made a smiley face “crop circle” in their field.

Flying north over the UK, I’ve never encountered so many clouds in my life. I couldn’t see anything for any sizable duration of the flight, but as soon as we began to descend into Scotland, I was delighted to see beautiful hills and the brightest green landscape. Of course the skies were gray all evening (and have remained so today), but it hasn’t done anything to damper my spirits.

Edinburgh is absolutely beautiful. Even on the drive into the city center from the airport, all I saw was old stone buildings, a castle or two and a slew of gardens. I didn’t think that I would have any energy to explore last night, but when I saw everything that was around I couldn’t help myself.

This morning came pretty early for me, and although it has been long and exhausting, It’s probably been one of the best times I’ve had while in Europe. I’ve seen a great mix of historical places and beautiful landscapes today.

My first stop of the day was Mary King’s Close, an old alleyway with homes and shops from the 1600s that now lies buried underneath the modern-day streets of Edinburgh. I was lucky enough to be the lone visitor at the time, so I got a private tour through the winding complex that goes through old homes of both the poor and the rich.

All the while, I was told the story of Mary King, a wealthy seamstress, and the rather “nice” lifestyle that she lived in comparison to many of the other people who lived in the close. The deplorable conditions were described in detail  (such as having to wade through raw sewage that would slide down the gutter of the street to the old loch) as well as the terrible affect the Plague had, essentially wiping out the close’s population and leaving a “curse” over the area.

Needless to say, the area is also world renowned for having a huge amount of paranormal activity, so I was told a few of the main stories about the “apparitions” that are supposed to appear, including a little girl named “Annie” who is said to have lost her doll and died in the room after she contracted the plague and was locked in until her death. Out of respect for the tale, the room where she is said to stay has been filled with toys and other gifts by visitors.

Regardless of whether or not the tales are true, the place is definitely creepy and has a very sad ‘feeling’ to it.

After making my way back up to the street level and readjusting to actually seeing light and feeling the cold (it’s only 50 degrees here!), I hopped on a local bus and headed out to the famous Rosslyn Chapel. Located only seven miles from Edinburgh, the chapel was built in the mid-1400s and is believed to be connected to the Freemasons and Knights Templar, thus making it a possible hiding sight for the Holy Grail or other religious relics according to some scholars.

The Chapel wasn’t nearly as large as The Da Vinci Code would lead one to believe, but I was much more impressed than I thought I would have been. The interior of the entire chapel is ornately decorated, with hand carvings of flowers, demons and angels. There is also an ancient crypt beneath the church and one can see the scratched outline of a knight in the stone floor near a pew in front of the main altar.

Although the entrance fee was a bit steep (six pounds sterling) in comparison to other attractions I could have gone to, and I could not see the exterior of the building due to restoration, it is definitely a site that is worth visiting. Plus, the money from entrance fees helps to fund the restoration of the area so it can stand for many years to come.

My final stop of the day was Portobello beach. Located right outside the Edinburgh city limits on the North Sea, I was able to get some nice shots of the outcrops of land and had fun looking for seashells. Too bad it wasn’t sunny!

Prague overview

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After waking up about a dozen times throughout the night to check my clock, I decided to just drag myself out of bed and head to the airport around 5:30 a.m. this morning. I arrived without any problems and was pleasantly surprised to find that there is free wifi here, unlike in a majority of the other European airports I have been to.

Gotta love the Czech Republic! Anyway, without further adieu…

Prague Tips

1.) Wear good shoes! Prague is another one of those vast cities where your feet are going to be aching if you don’t take the proper measures. Even with a metro pass (which I highly recommend buying), anybody who visits the sights here should be prepared to do a lot of walking and going up and down a lot of stairs.

2.) Dish out the dough to eat the local cuisine! Czech food is so heavy that one meal will probably fill most people up for the entire day. I could not eat it every day, but I did enjoy two traditional meals. If eating out isn’t your thing, Billa is a cheap grocery store located around the city where you can get anything you need.

3.) Like in most other large cities in Europe, you should not drink water out of the tap. It’s very cheap to buy at the store, but if carbonated water isn’t your thing [yuck], look for still water, or in Czech,  neperliva voda.

4.) Watch your belongings! I didn’t have any problems while in Prague, but it is infamous for having a large number of pickpockets waiting to prey on tourists, especially in the stairwells of the metro stations. Just be aware of your surroundings and make sure that all valuables are either locked in a suitcase or somewhere that is not easily accessible for someone with shifty hands.

I depart Prague for London around 10:00 a.m. and will arrive in London two hours later. I will have a long layover there, and will then depart for Edinburgh at 3:45 p.m.

Oh geeze. What was I thinking?

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When I stepped onto the train and saw that all of the emergency instructions were written in Russian and heard the brakes grinding as we began to head towards Kutna Hora, I should have known that I was going to have an interesting day.

Lucky for me, I figured out that perhaps leaving Prague wasn’t the greatest idea after wandering around lost in the town, unable to find anyone with the ability to speak English or German, a mere half hour after arriving. Needless to say, I wasn’t in the best mood as I continued to walk in all directions looking for the ‘bone church.’

Eventually I just gave up on finding the ossuary, and decided that it was smarter for me to make one of the train connections back to Prague so that I wouldn’t have to wait another two hours for the other.

The only problem was that I didn’t know where the main train station was, and ended up walking in the completely wrong direction, unable to read signs or the cheap map that the information center had given to me.

Thankfully I was able to bat my eyelashes a bit, and two young Czech boys helped me to find a smaller train station that would carry me to the main station where I could transfer to the town of Kolin, and then back to Prague.

Once the train that was going to take me back to the main station rolled up, I was a little shocked. It was definitely straight out of the Cold War. Why I was surprised I’m not sure, and although I wasn’t too confident in its ability to carry me more than a few feet before breaking down, it got me to where I needed to be.

I was able to get back to Prague in about 90 minutes, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to get back from a day trip. This isn’t to say that the entire experience was bad, but visiting the site was not as clear and simple as the brochures and hostel made it out to be. After overhearing multiple conversations among other people at the hostel, it seems like we all encountered common issues.

The day was not a complete loss, though. I loved seeing the Czech countryside, the sunflower fields and vineyards from the train. I also got back to the city early enough that I was able to travel to Vysehrad, the remains of an ancient fortress situated high above the Vltava river.

I did not have the energy to travel through the entire complex, but I did enjoy walking through the parks to the cathedral and national cemetery where famous the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s grave is located. I also took advantage of some garden plots to be a photography-dork and capture some nice photos of bees and butterflies.

Tomorrow is my last full day here in Prague. The time has flown by, and I feel like I have seen so much that it’s a bit difficult to sort out in my head. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with my remaining time, but chances are I will end up finding myself in another restaurant chowing down on local cuisine and sitting along the river as the sun begins to set.

Another crazy day

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The skies were looking a little ominous this morning when I woke up, but luckily they began to clear up as soon as I was ready to leave the hostel and head out to the zoo.

Located on the far edge of the city, it took a little bit of trial and error to get there, but it was worth the effort. I’ve been told by everyone that it is one of the nicest zoos in Europe, and being the 21-year-old child that I am, I don’t think I could have made it through this leg of my trip without going. Needless to say, it was well worth the entrance fee ($6).

During the massive flooding of 2002, the lower half of the zoo was greatly damaged and some animals were unable to be rescued. Nowadays everything is up and running again, though and it was a wonderful place to take a stroll. Most of the animal species featured were pretty standard: monkeys, lions, tigers, giraffes, etc., but the park-like environment made it a unique experience. Plus, the views from the top of the large hill upon which the zoo is situated were beautiful.

The rest of my day was spent recuperating from the “mountain-climbing” session at the zoo and the past three days of running around the city combined. I woke up from my napping just long enough to take the tram to old town, go to McDonalds to get a chocolate sundae (healthy, I know), and then watch the sun beginning to set behind Prague castle. It was gorgeous, just as it has been every other night thus far.

Tomorrow I’m planning to reattempt heading out to Kutna Hora to see its famous “bone church.” I’m a little bit wary of trying to figure out the train system here, but I’m pretty sure that if I ask enough people, I will be able to find someone who can speak either some English or German. Upon (hopefully) arriving back in Prague at a decent hour, I hope to wander to Prague’s old fortress and National Cemetery (where Dvorak is buried) as well.

Prague

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In my seventh grade social studies class, each of the students was assigned a country to research and do a short presentation about. I knew nothing about the Czech Republic before I started, but after awhile I found myself longing to see first-hand the fairytale city of Prague.

Now some eight years later, I’m finally here. It seemed pretty surreal to me as I walked up and down the cobblestone streets for the first time yesterday, and even after exploring all day today it still hasn’t completely sunk in.

Over the years that I have learned more about the history of Prague, I’ve created what I anticipated to be an overly-romanticized picture of the city. Much to my surprise, this premonition has turned out to not to be the case.

Prague really is as beautiful as its pictures on postcards and in books. I’ve definitely caught the ‘bug,’ and I think I’m going to find it difficult to leave in a few days. If my family and friends were here, this would definitely be a place that I could see myself calling home.

It’s difficult to describe the feelings that I have about this place, except to say that the city has such a lovely spirit that just seems to take you over. Even with a gray rainy sky, you can’t help but to be cheerful, and when standing at the top of the large hill upon which the castle is situated, I can’t imagine how it would be possible for anyone to not have their breath taken away.

My past few days have been spent enjoying the small moments like watching the people walking along Charles Bridge and taking photographs everywhere I go. The experience has been relaxing, exciting and extremely fattening. The Czech culture is so rich; the people, the music, the food…everything has exceeded expectations.

Although I know that I won’t be able to experience all that Prague has to offer over the next few days, I’m going to continue trying my best.

Thus far I’ve enjoyed couple of traditional meals including fried cheese and goulash with potato and bacon dumplings, visited the historical sites like the Jewish Quarter, gone to the National Museum and learned more about the “darker” side of the city’s history with a ghost tour.

I still have a lot to see and do though, and the next few days will be controlled chaos. Weather depending I may let my inner-child run free at the Prague zoo for most of the day and then grow up a bit and visit a Chateau nearby. I’m also going to look into attending my first Opera at the famous Estates Theatre where Mozart’s Don Giovanni premiered. I might be too poor, but it’s worth looking into!

Love Parade insanity

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With only a couple days left in Germany, I’ve been planning on going out in style.  Duisburg, a small city only fifty minutes from Dortmund was selected to be the home of this year’s Love Parade festival, and it seemed like it would be the best activity to go to for my last ‘hoorah.’

Sadly, it turned out that I should have stayed far away. I should have known there would be trouble when our train (which was one of the 700 extra transports of the day) was so packed that people were forced to cram into every aisle and stand in the doorways.

It was extremely naive, but I continued to reassure myself that getting to the city would be the most difficult part of the day. However, as soon as we walked off the platform and found ourselves caught in a wave of people heading out to the streets, I started to figure out that maybe that wouldn’t be the case.

Regardless, my friends and I continued to march ourselves along with the flow of people. At times it was quite fun watching the costumed people dancing around, but at other points during the day we were very uneasy.

With over 1 million people crowding the main street trying to get to the actual Love Parade grounds, at times you could not move in any direction for minutes at a time. You were simply stuck. You could not choose to turn around and leave, the only option was to move forward with the rest of the group.

It’s no wonder that such a tragedy unfolded around 5:00 p.m. in the tunnels behind the entrance gate.

Yes, gate. There was only one way into the festival and it also served as the only way out.

I have no idea who thought this would be a good idea, but when police tried to stop people from entering the already overcrowded event, they were overpowered and chaos ensued. People rushed forward and caused a stampede in the narrow tunnels that led to the party grounds.

Official numbers say that 21 people died and hundreds more were injured in the incident. Thankfully my friends and I had stuck together and were already up watching the parade at the time.

We had no idea that anything was wrong until we saw the breaking news pop up on someone’s phone and decided to get out of the situation and leave the festival before more problems arose.

We thought we were leaving early, but getting home proved to be even more of a challenge than getting to the event. Lines to get to the train platform were thousands of people deep, all taxis were full, buses were crammed to capacity and many people were simply walking around in a daze.

The founder of the original Love Parade in 1989 has now said that the festival will not be held again.

Even through all the chaos, my friends and I were able to stick together and squeezed into a tram going to Mulheim, a nearby town. There we were able (after several tries) to hop onto a smaller, slow local train called the S1 that would take us back to Dortmund. What is normally a 50 minute trip ended up taking us 5.5 hours on the way back, but I’ve never been so happy to be home in my life.

It’s almost time to take a bow…

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…and say goodbye to Germany.

It seems insane to me that I only have ten days left in the country. School is coming to a close and slowly all of the friends I have made here are sneaking away back to their hometowns. It’s crazy: this experience took 1.5 years to plan, and it seems like it only took a blink of the eyes to pass by.

Well most of the time, anyway.

Of course there were the weeks that seemed to be endless as I struggled to adjust to living in a new culture, and adjusting to new ways of life. Obviously being without my friends and family has taken a toll on me at times, but overall the pros far outweigh the cons.

This experience hasn’t just been a way for me to break out of the “daily grind” as I had first thought it would be. It’s been so much more. My eyes have been opened to a world that I had only seen in photographs, and I’ve learned so much about not only the lives of people I’ve met during my travels, but myself too.

Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would have the guts to do the things I have done over the past five months as I have logged over 15,000 miles in the air and by train and stepped foot in nine different countries.

I’ve felt the cool breeze of the North Sea, walked the Baltic’s longest pier and swam in the crystal clear Adriatic. I’ve stood in the shadows of the Alps and Carpathian mountains, been to huge cities, small towns and everything in between. It’s never failed to amaze me how diverse this continent and its people are.

Although I am a bit sad that my study abroad experience has to come to a close, I am so excited to get back to Iowa. Dortmund has served as a wonderful home over the past months, but in my heart I now know that Iowa is where I belong.

My adventure has been great, but I’m ready to enjoy being back in Cedar Rapids with the people I care about. I still have two trips left before I head home, though. Don’t forget to stop back for updates from Prague, Czech Republic and Edinburgh, Scotland!