Set my Sights on Where I'm Going and my Goodbyes to Where I've Been

I have been putting off writing this last post for days now but I am finally forcing myself to sit down and collect my thoughts.

What a whirlwind these past two weeks have been. Being home is wonderful, I missed it so much. It took a couple days to get used to the time change (I was up at 5am and wanted to go to bed by 6pm) but luckily it only took a few days to adjust and no serious physical symptoms occurred. Thank God! It is really nice to relax and spend time at home before my busy summer schedule begins.

Airport Reunion 

Since coming back I have had the chance to reflect on my time abroad. I spent a few hours one day rereading all of my blog posts (I talked about food and used the word 'so' TOO MUCH!! Sorry) but it was nice to look back on where this blog started and see how it has morphed into something much more than I could have imagined.

Before I left for London I was confused and to be honest really sad. There was a lot going on in my life on top of preparing to be abroad for months. It wasn't easy. But looking back now on my first post and that time, I just have to laugh because everyone was right, it does get easier. It takes time but leaving for London when I did was the best thing that could have happened because I was able to take a step back and see things a little clearer.

I am not sure if I changed that much as a person, overall. How can one really judge that? But I am certain, the place I was in when I left is now only a distant memory. London helped open my eyes to all of the amazing opportunities, places and things around me and made me appreciate, even more, the opportunities I have been given. I had an amazing time and could not have picked a better city to study abroad in.

It's good to be home.

When I decided to write this blog my intentions were simply to share my adventures with my close friends and family. But to my surprise, a lot of people have taken the time to read what I have to say, which is pretty cool. Although sometimes writing a blog post was the last thing I wanted to do on Sundays, I realized how many little things I would have forgotten if I hadn't. And the positive response I received from so many people kept me motivated to continue writing. So I want to say thank you, for all of those who read even one thing I posted here. It means a lot to me.

With that being said, I have decided to continue blogging. I am not sure exactly what direction this will go but I think it is important to keep writing. I have a lot of exciting things happening in my life right now and I am about to enter my senior year of college this fall. There will certainly be things worth writing about I am sure.

I have been told the key to a good blog is the name, so I actually took some time coming up with it. If you are confused I encourage you to look it up and make your own inferences but I think it speaks for itself.

If you do continue reading I promise it won't be boring and hopefully not too weird. (No promises on that last part though, I am who I am) My intention is to share my life and hold nothing back, maybe even more so than I already have here, but I guess you will have to see for yourself. For those who will end here though I thank you for staying with me this long, it is more than I could have hoped for.

Until next time…

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http://astateoftarantism.blogspot.com

Prague: My Last Stop

I am sitting on a plane, on my way to Paris, next to an older woman who won't stop talking to her friend about anything and everything (so annoying). BUT I'm on my way home so I can't complain, too much. 

So Prague: My last stop on this journey and it couldn't have been a better place to end an amazing time abroad. 

The city it beautiful and old but in the best way. The architecture is so ornate and there are sculptures and statutes everywhere depicting some pretty interesting things and lots of bridges. The main one, Charles Bridge, connects Old and New Town to Lesser Town (don't let the name fool you, there is nothing lesser about it). On Charles Bridge there were lots of artists selling handmade jewelry and paintings, so many amazing things.

I have to take a minute to talk about the level of skill and passion so many Czech people have when it comes to the arts. Wow! They can seriously make some beautiful pieces. And they are all so excited to show you and tell you exactly how all of their pieces are made in great detail. It was really nice. Also a great selling tactic because how can you say no when someone spends so much time talking with you. I can't at least. Let's just say I bought a lot of things but all totally necessary. Right? 

It's alright though because for once the dollar is appreciate in Prague!! I think I said that right, appreciated? I should know Miss. Economics. Yea, okay. But anyways unlike the ridiculous exchange rate for the pound in London, in Prague one Czech Crown is only 0.5 cents. Five Cents!! So great. 

We did a lot of wondering around and exploring, always in search of the perfect coffee shop. I'm not sure if we found it but a couple of them came really close. One, in particular, was a chocolate coffee shop. The hot chocolate was a mug of warm melted dark chocolate with coconut milk. Ill let you wipe the drool off your face. It was amazing!! 

The city is pretty small and rather compact so getting around wasn't too confusing. Although we didn't do a ton of touristy things, we still saw a lot. There were long stretches we spent just sitting and reading, either in a park or in one of the coffee shops. We did see the castle that sits on the hill though and it was really pretty, the views from there were breathtaking. 

We were able to meet up with Sam, a friend of Emma and Marlena's from home who is studying in Prague this semester. What a guy! He showed us around a lot of the city and told us some of the history. He took us to the best gelato place in town and to a really cute local pub last night. We were also able to see beautiful peacocks just wandering around in a park he took us too. Definitely a highlight of my trip. Sam, if you read this, thank you!! You are great. 

I do have some pretty exciting news to share as well. I finally made it though a pub crawl and actually enjoyed myself. Don't worry, I'll clarify, it's actually a funny story. We had no intention at all to go out while traveling. We were/still are exhausted from many late nights out in London but we had heard many great things about the Prague Pub Crawl so we decided to check it out. We had a little push though. On Wednesday night we were walking home and ran into the guy who owns the apartment we were renting. Really nice guy who was super helpful. But when we saw him on the street Wednesday night (it should be noted he was not sober!!) he made us feel really bad that it was only 10:30pm and we weren't going out. We went home and bought the pub crawl tickets for the following night. We regretted it when the time came of course. At 8:45pm we didn't want to go out but we dragged ourselves there and actually had a really great time! We danced super weirdly at the final club and all of the friends we had made quickly dispersed... Oops. But oh well we had fun anyways and I made it through the whole thing! I'm really proud of myself. 

Prague was a relaxing and beautiful place to end my adventures. I am tired, my feet hurt from walking around so much but all completely worth it because I had an amazing time. 

It was sad to say goodbye to Helen and Perri this morning, since we have been inseparable since January. I know they will have many more exciting experiences ahead though and we will be reunited before we know it. I'm really excited to go home. I don't know if it has hit me quite yet that in just a few hours I will be back. Once I see my smiling parents faces waiting for me though I think reality will set in. See you soon everyone! 

XX. 

Amsterdam

Everything I write here is honest. If it seems like I have been having an incredible time this past semester then I have been doing this whole blog thing right, because I really have. This experience has opened my eyes to so many wonderful things and I have been able to see more than I ever imagined. So readers, I am going to be honest once again. Amsterdam was more than I expected it was going to be and at the same time worse, in many ways.

I came into this trip very hesitant, knowing we all had different expectations. Mine, I guess was a bit too hopeful. Things don't go as you plan and that's alright because it means you just have to improvise and make the most of every situation, even if it is not the way you imagined it. Luckily, for me, Amsterdam is a city that has so much available to see and do. It is a gorgeous canal town. I didn't let the situation stop me from experiencing and seeing everything I wanted to and had a great time doing it! 

I am writing this now, on my last night here, on our little balcony getting bitten by bugs, because I had an amazing day today and I couldn't wait to share. I went to the Keukenhof flower fields, about a 45 minute bus ride outside the city, to see fields of tulips. Yes, this is a real place and it was magical. I knew this was something I had to see while I was here and I'm so happy I went. I spent three hours on this beautiful, sunny and finally warm day, walking around in fields of tulips. They were all different colors and types, so many I didn't even know existed. For those who don't know, tulips are one of my favorite flowers so this was a dream come true. It was nice to get out of the city on my last full day here and I was able to do it surrounded by flowers. I walked around the gardens for a long time and then sat in the sun to have a snack and people watch. I really wished my mom could have been with me because she loves tulips as much as I do and it is a great place to share with someone. I will have to come again with her. 

But instead, I bought tulip bulbs that they will dig up from the gardens and send to me in September when they can be planted! Tulips from Holland in our yard... does it get much better? 

I did a lot of touristy things here and it honestly helped me learn a lot since the streets are kind of confusing with all the canals. It made it easier than just wandering aimlessly around, even though I did a lot of that too!! There are over 1,000 bridges in the city of Amsterdam and over 100 canals. All of the homes also have gables on top because the buildings are so narrow they have to hoist furniture in and out of the windows! Pretty neat. On my bus trip today I also learned that the airport, Schiphol, means ship- hell because when they were draining the area to build the airport they found a lot if sunken ships, which resulted from the rough water there. Interesting! Ok sorry, enough with the history lesson.

So these past 5 days have been extremely relaxing. Lots of sleeping and reading which was nice after going non-stop not only this whole semester but in Scotland too with all of our hikes. We slept late and went to bed early and lounged around our great apartment that is just a little outside of the center of town. The perfect location.  

Even though it was relaxing, I still explored the city a lot too. We went to the Van Gogh and Anne Frank Museum and took a boat tour through the canals. The Van Gogh Museum was really great. We were able to see a lot of his work from different periods of his life and other artist's work as well. The Anne Frank Museum was unbelievable. We got to see the actual rooms Anne lived in and the postcards and cut-outs she decorated her walls with, which were still up. I had to keep reminding myself that 8 people lived there. It was an incredible experience. The lines for both of those museums were so long. We waited almost two hours for each but they were worth it. 

The canal tour was also great and a nice way to take a tour of the city. We were able to see it from a different perspective and learned a lot about some of the historical buildings along the way. Being on the water was great and it was nice to sit back instead of walking. 

I did a lot of exploring in town and came across some really cool shops and places to sit and to eat. Amsterdam is bigger than I thought it was going to be but it was pretty easy to navigate and the trolleys are always around to take you back to the central station if you got really lost. 

Don't let my somber beginning make you think that Amsterdam wasn't amazing. It was! Absolutely beautiful and so many great things to see. Although I was by myself a lot, even when there were people around me (if you know what I mean) I had a wonderful time. 

We are off to Prague tomorrow, my last stop on our travels. I can't believe how fast the time is going but I know by Saturday I will be more than ready to go home. I hope you are ready for me America!

Until then. XX. 

Scotland: Three Hikes in Three Days

Scotland was everything I imagined it would be and more. I just want to start right off by saying no matter what words I use to describe our adventure or the pictures I choose to include, nothing will do Scotland justice other than taking a trip there yourself. And I encourage all of you to do so. 

We took the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross to Edinburgh on Saturday. Why does that sentence seem so casual and normal for me now? HELP!! I have been with Perri and Helen for too long! For those who remember, we had to take the train from the same station that the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 is. Perri and Helen got excited all over again and wanted to get back in line. Luckily, we didn't have enough time. Instead though, they pretended they were taking the train to Hogwarts. For those lucky enough to be snapchat friends with Perri, I am sure you understand what I am talking about. 

We boarded the train and pulled away from the station. I watched London fade in the skyline, thinking of all the wonderful memories we made and the experiences we had, always together. It was sad, but all good things must come to an end. Life keeps moving forward as we drift to bigger and better things. But London I know, will always be a sweet, fond memory for all of us. 

Five hours later we arrived in Edinburgh. It was a beautiful train ride along the coast and the fields were filled with what I learned was rapeseed flowers, used to make canola oil. Instead of fields filled with green it was fields of yellow, for miles. Absolutely beautiful. 

We met Tara at the train station and walked down the street to the hostel. We got a little lost but this funny Scottish couple pointed us in the right direction and walked down the street singing to us. They may have been a little drunk. 

Edinburgh was beautiful. The only way I can describe it is layers of old stone buildings and castles. The city was built up on the side of a mountain so there are a lot of different levels and lots of hills!! This trip was definitely filled with lots of exercise! We finally found our hostel, checked in, changed and went to dinner. 

Now this was my first experience in a hostel and it was interesting to say the least. I am not sure if I am a hostel girl. It was weird. We were in a 10 person room and when we walked in around 5pm everyone was sleeping and it was completely dark. We fumbled around in the dark trying to find empty bunks and put our stuff down. Not only was it dark every time we went back, it was weird using a bathroom with complete strangers from all over the world. I guess it's like a freshman dorm but it didn't feel the same. On the plus side though it was clean and the man at the front desk was super helpful. So would I stay in a hostel again? If I had to. Would it be my first choice? Probably not.  

After dinner we went to meet up with Anna, who we met in London when she came to visit Rena. She is studying in Edinburgh so we went to her apartment and hung out and then went to a club called Bongo. It was fun. Crazy lights and a bongo-drum player who accompanied the DJ. It sounds like it wouldn't work but it was really cool. 

The next day we hiked up Arthur's Seat with Anna as our tour guide. We climbed countless steps up to the top winding around the side of the hill as we went. It was exhausting but the views were breathtaking. It was cold at the top and the fog was thick but we could still see for miles. We all decided to go a little higher up to the very top of another hill where we could see even more. It was great! We walked down the other side of the hill, which was a lot easier and looped around heading back towards town. It was a long walk, miles, but it was worth it and we rewarded ourselves with a late lunch at a Thai restaurant that was delicious. After lunch we said goodbye to Anna who was so kind to show us around and spend time with us!! 

That night we went to the Elephant Room to sit, read and write. This is the spot where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book at a table that overlooks the castle. A truly inspirational view I must say. The restaurant was good and the tea and baileys hot chocolates were delicious. There was surprisingly not a lot of Harry Potter stuff everywhere considering what a historical place it is, but with one exception. Perri got up to go to the bathroom and when we realized it had been a while and she wasn't back we opened the door to the bathroom to find her staring, completely transfixed on all the writing on the walls. The fans get the bathroom walls to express their love for Harry Potter and share their thoughts. It was pretty cool. 

The next day we walked up to the castle and looked around for a little. The stone detail was incredible. The castle was built right out of the side of the mountain. Not a bad view! 

That afternoon we took a bus to Sterling to see Tara's school and the town she is spending her semester in. She described it perfectly, "a sleepy little town." It was so quaint and so Scottish. The downtown was filled with little shops and cafés and people walking around in kilts (seriously!!). It was cute! 

That afternoon we hiked up to Wallace Monument where we got to see great views of the whole city. It was beautiful and we were able to look across to Dumyat, where we would be hiking the next day. That night we took it easy and hung out and went to a local pub right down the street, one of Tara's hangouts. She was like a celebrity. Everyone knew her and were so happy to see her. She is a rock star though so can you expect anything different? She is making so many friends and having amazing experiences all on her own without close friends by her side and she makes it look effortless. 

The following day is one for the books! Maybe the highlight of my trip (so far). The hike up Dumyat!! Drum roll please... I'm so excited to tell you all about this because the whole day was magical. I felt like I was in a dream. So a little background, Dumyat is in central Scotland and has two summits, one of which we climbed up to. It is 1,371 feet high, which I guess is relatively small but for an inexperienced hiker like myself it was perfect. And the views, oh the views. We started mid-morning on an unusual beautiful, sunny and warm day, strapping on our sports bras and lacing up our running shoes. We were prepared, and brought plenty of food and water. The trail starts off through the woods and winds upward with several clearings along the way. Reaching the first one was incredible and we could see everything. Little did we know, it just kept getting better and better as we climb. We made it through the forest and up a huge rock hill which was scary. I'm not good on rocks at all. For some reason I always imagine myself stepping on a slippery rock and tumbling all the way down the hill. Maybe because it has happened before... 

Anyways, we followed the trail through these open fields of grass, completely surrounded by open landscape. We came across sheep casually grazing in the fields and it was as if we were in this parallel universe, filled with open space and crisp air, looking out at beautiful Scotland. It was as if time stopped. I haven't seen that much open space in so long and it was a great change after being in the city for the past few months. The hike took almost 2 hours but that was stopping every few feet for photo-ops. Finally, we made it to the top. We were there and looking out at the vast landscape completely surrounding us on all sides. 

We had a picnic at the top in a flat grassy area. We were so happy and could not get over the views. It was a long walk up and after eating we were tired. With no one else around but the 4 of us, we all took a nap at the top of the summit. The sun was warm on my face and there was a light breeze making it the perfect temperature. We were out. I woke up confused at first where I was, but once I realized I couldn't help but smile. We stayed at the top for a long time taking in the views. The walk back down was just as beautiful and peaceful as the walk up. It couldn't have been a better day and a perfect end to our Scotland adventure! 

It was so nice to see Tara and all the places she has been spending her time. It was a great trip and I'm so glad we did it! Scotland truly is beautiful and everything I hoped it would be. 

I started writing this post a couple days ago but the craziness of travel and exhaustion from literally three hikes in three days was too much. But now, it is complete. I hope I did justice to the beauty of Scotland and our time there. I will never forget it. 

Please excuse the awful presentation of my pictures, I don't know how to fix them from my phone. But don't let that take away from the views! They are in chronological order. 

Enjoy!! XX.