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I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tired after six days of traveling to Ireland and Scotland, but my eagerness to get to London masked it. Chicago is a big city, but doesn’t compare in size to New York City. I’ve been to NYC twice and can still remember being in awe of the scale both times. London made NYC seem small in comparison. After a late arrival on Wednesday night, we met friends at Walkabout bar and enjoyed too many “snakebites”: a half cider, half lager drink with a splash of liqueur. The next morning – surprise, surprise – we went on a free walking tour of royal area of the city. I have now gone on four walking tours lead by Sandeman’s New Europe, all of which have been enjoyable.

After a quick stop at Harrod’s, the famous department store, we bought tickets for 39 Steps in Picadilly Circus later that night. It turned out to be a very funny and entertaining show. The night was capped off with a memorable performance by some random cover band at O’Neill’s Bar in Leicester Square. No matter where we are, it’s hard to resist American music in an American-ish bar. The next day consisted of an attempt at recreating The Beatles Abbey Road album cover (with little success) and a ride on the London Eye, the largest ferris wheel in the world. (Side story: In Florence I posed for a picture atop the Santa Maria. My friends thought it was a funny pose/picture and now make fun of me for making the “RSefer pose”. Everywhere we go, someone always does it.) Here is Bre atop the London Eye, RSefer style:

The London Eye was followed by the Tate Modern, a very bizarre modern art museum, and a walk through the financial district. That night we all went to a Motion City Soundtrack concert in the Camden Town neighborhood. It was nice to forget about Europe for a moment and have fun American style. The next morning the girls wanted to go shopping in Camden Market, not far from where we were staying. Camden Market is a breeding ground for the hipster crowd, meaning there was a lot of very bizarre clothing and quite a few characters roaming around. It was a site to see. From there we went to Hyde Park (The great thing about London is the ease of transportation. The Tube, officially called the London Underground, is incredibly efficient, clean and easy to use. If the EL system in Chicago was half as nice, there would be far less complaints).

Hyde Park is a massive green field in the middle of the city with lots to offer. Unfortunately we got stuck in the rain and had to run to the nearest bus to get home, cutting our visit short. On Sunday, with much of the group already gone, my friends Mitch, Jackie and I decided to make a day trip to Windsor Castle, about an hour outside of the city. The castle turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. Far different from the castles I saw in Ireland and Scotland, Windsor Castle is the main residence of the Queen and is still in phenomenal condition.

The tour included seeing the Queen’s old doll collection and a walk through the State Rooms, where Heads of State from all over the world are entertained. As one could imagine, every inch of every room is intricately decorated and probably costs millions. After seeing many royal residences, a part of me thinks that the pomp and circumstance is an extreme waste of taxpayer money and completely unnecessary. On the other hand, however, I am beginning to understand the idea of “royal” and how that can bring a bit of national pride to the country. It’s far different from a democratic system like in the States, but is interesting none-the-less. The castle visit was a relaxing way to end what amounted to a week and a half trip to the UK. It was quite a whirlwind trip, one that I will not forget anytime soon.

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After slumming it with no place to sleep in Galway, I had an early bus to Shannon, Ireland where I jumped on a plane to Edinburgh, Scotland. I knew next to nothing about the city or Scotland as a whole. I’m glad I decided to go there, however, because it turned out to be a wonderful place. It was very clean and filled with friendly people, more than willing to help some dumb American students. We stayed near Edinburgh Castle which sits on the top of a steep hill right in the center of the city. The castle and the nearby Princes Street Gardens give Edinburgh a very green feel.

As usual, we took a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of the center of the city. The tour provided a lot of good insight. For those who don’t know, the Harry Potter book series are my favorite fiction stories. JK Rowling, the author, wrote much of the early books while studying in Edinburgh. We found one of the cafes in which she frequently wrote in, The Elephant House. It was easy to understand how one could feel the creative juice while living in this city. The next day, we hiked up the hill at Holyrood Park. It turned out to be quite challenging but we were rewarded with the best views of the city.

A four hour bus ride to Inverness showed me much of the Scottish countryside, which is very different from the plains of the midwest. By the time we arrived it was too late to see any of what Inverness has to offer. We decided to get a traditional Scottish meal, which included haggis-filled chicken. According to Wikipedia, haggis is typically the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep minced with various other stuffing. Despite the gross description, it turned out to be quite good. The next morning we took a tour of Loch Ness, the famous lake which is said to house the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie. The lake is up to twenty six miles long at it’s ends and appears to be black due to the high concentration of seaweed. Unfortunately, a half hour boat trip didn’t bring give any sitings of Nessie.. The boat dropped us off at Urquhart Castle, which sits on the Loch.

The 13th century castle once provided great protection for the area. In addition to providing great pictures, the castle turned out to be my favorite part of Scotland.

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Spring Break began with a late flight to Dublin, the capital of Ireland. After a good night’s sleep, I ventured to the center of the city and joined a free walking tour. The city center itself is very clean and modern, a nice change from the dirty-ness of Rome. The tour explained much of the more recent history of the city and the country, particularly the last 200 years. Having known nothing about the country beforehand, it was really interesting learning about the Catholic/Protestant fight that ultimately led to the break from the United Kingdom. We finished the day with a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery, a mock brewery for the famous whiskey. Although the tour itself was a bit of a let down the tasting was well worth the price of admission.

That night, the whole group went to a traditional Irish dinner/music/dancing show. The band played traditional and modern Irish folk hits. During intermission, an Irish dance troupe put on a quick show. The food was great and the music was very entertaining, providing for a memorable night with friends. The next morning we ventured to Kilmainham Gaol, an old Irish jail. It was designed in Panopticon-style, meaning a guard could stand at the end of the main cell area and see every cell door. It briefly housed the conspirators of the Dublin Uprising of 1916 who were quickly executed on the jail grounds.

A quick ride to Galway, on the West side of the country, provided a stark contrast to Dublin’s modern feel. The small city has a nice uptown area but the real appeal is it’s proximity to the Cliffs of Moher. The next day we took an all day bus tour of the Cliffs and surrounding ruins. Words can’t describe their scale. Standing 250 meters above the Atlantic, the cliffs extend out into the sea and provide amazing views of the area. Scenes from the latest Harry Potter movie were filmed here. I had always seen photos of the cliffs but was glad to finally see them with my own eyes. It was more than worth the trip.

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As an important part of Italian culture, cooking is the centerpiece of my study abroad curriculum. Although I was disappointed we didn’t start cooking right away, now that we have started I couldn’t be more excited to go to class and learn how to make the meals. Christine, our teacher, is the head chef at a restaurant in the trendy Trastevere area called Glass. She specializes in more modern Roman cuisine.

The first lesson involved cooking risotto and carbonara, a Roman pasta sauce that I order almost every time I eat out. The risotto turned out better than the pasta but both were very good and are not terribly difficult to make. The next day was a little more adventurous: veal and fish. We started by walking to a local market and picking out the beef and fish. I’m not the biggest fan of fish but I occasionally enjoy salmon and other non-fish seafood. This trip is about experiencing new things and having an open mind, however, so I was excited to make the fish. Both meals turned out to be very tasty, even the fish.

I’m excited to learn more dishes and cooking skills. Maybe I won’t starve next year.

In the few short weeks I’ve been abroad, I have experienced and seen more than many trips and years of my life up to this point combined. For the first time, I’m being spontaneous and doing things I would have never given a thought to back home in the States. It’s exciting and refreshing to have the ability to do and see anything I want.

Given my shyness, it might be surprising to hear that I have made a lot of new friends in such a short period of time. I feel like I’ve known some of them for years. It’s amazing how travelling and living together can make people become close to one another. For these four months, we are family in a sense. I hope I continue to see and talk to these people afterwards. Even if I don’t, I will always be able to look back happily on this experience and know that they were what really made it.

It’s funny how a change of scenery can change so much about you. The question remains, will I still be different when I return home? The other day my roommates and I walked to Juniculum, one of Rome’s seven hills. Piazza Garibaldi sits at the top of the hill and has the best views of the city. As we sat admiring the view we talked about our future and what’s in store next year back at school. We couldn’t fathom what life will be like after this is all over.

I for one already have a different outlook on life than I did before coming. I’ve surprised myself with how little I care about a lot of the things I used to think were important. I will be a very different person, hopefully for the better, when this is all over. Until then, I’m going to enjoy every day. I think the key to my happiness is not taking anything for granted. Maybe that’s why life back home can become a grind sometimes. At times the same routine day in and day out can grow monotonous and wasteful. Here, I’ve taken nearly every day and made the best of it. Leading up to this trip, I was told by everyone that this will be a once in a lifetime experience. It’s hard to really understand what that means through words. You have to experience it yourself. Now that I’m here, I get it. This is as good as it gets and I’m making the best of every opportunity I get.