As most of you know, my boyfriend Steffen came to visit me at the end of my program and we have been doing a bit of traveling around Europe for the past week and a half!
We stayed in Barcelona until May 2nd, which was very bittersweet for me...I still can't believe I'm not going back there after this trip is over! We got to do some of the things that I had on my "Barcelona Bucket List" which was really nice, like seeing the Palau Guell and some other less touristy sights.
After leaving Barça, we headed to Amsterdam for three days. That leg of our trip was VERY interesting...we stayed in a hostel in a room with 20 other people in queen-size bunks...let's just say that if it had not been for my eye mask (thanks Uncle Susan!) and heavy-duty ear plugs, I would not have slept a wink. The weather in Amsterdam was terrible--relentless, freezing rain for two of the three days we were there! But, we still managed to do a lot despite the weather. We went to the Van Gogh Museum (after waiting outside in the rain for 2 hours!) and the Anne Frank House, which I had made reservations for online ahead of time. On our third day, we caught a canal cruise, which was SO much fun. We also walked around some of the neighborhoods of Amsterdam...the Jordaan neighborhood was definitely my favorite, with beautiful little gabled houses along wide canals. The Red Light district was interesting to say the least...not sure how I felt about the girls selling themselves to my boyfriend as we walked past, but I guess it's something you have to see at least once! I loved Amsterdam despite the gross weather...I definitely want to return.
After Amsterdam, we headed to Copenhagen to visit my friend Claire, who is studying there. She lives in a 'kollegium' (dorm) in Amager, which is a 15 minute metro ride from the city center. On our first day there, we rented bikes and rode around the city, visiting Christiania (a section of the city that has been taken over by free-thinking hippies who sell weed and make delicious vegetarian food) and the Thorvaldsen Museum (Thorvaldsen is Denmark's most famous sculptor). The next day, Steffen and I headed out on a more comprehensive tour of the city, walking along the Strøget all the way to the park where the Little Mermaid statue is, although she isn't there presently, as she is on display at the World Expo in Beijing. Afterwards, we went to the Danish Resistance Museum, which was really interesting as it showed how the Danes cleverly put up a fight against their Nazi occupiers.
The next day, we went to the Danish National Museum, which had an awesome display on Viking and prehistoric peoples. The weather in Copenhagen was VERY cold, with a freezing wind that cut right to the bone, so we tried to spend a lot of our time in museums! Our next stop was Rosenborg Palace, a favorite palace of King Christian IV of Denmark, and also the place where the Crown Jewels of Denmark are kept. It was a beautiful palace with even more beautiful gardens, which I would have enjoyed spending time in if it hadn't been so damn cold! Finally, we went on a canal tour of the city, which was funny because it was just us, one other guy, and the tour guide on a huge tour boat. Oh well, I guess not everyone is masochistic enough to take a canal tour when it's 30 degrees outside. It was really interesting though, and I'm glad we went, even though I couldn't feel my feet afterward!
Our last day in Denmark was spent at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, a short train ride away from Copenhagen. My friend Katherine told me about it, and I really wanted to go. We walked through a beautiful, green birch forest to get there, and then walked around the museum's amazing grounds, which are dotted with sculptures by Miró and Calder. It is right on the ocean as well, and it was a wonderful and peaceful afternoon.
The next stop on our trip was London, which is where we are right now! We got here on Sunday, and are leaving for Paris tomorrow morning. My friend Natasha came down from Glasgow to hang out with us, so that has been amazing, since I rarely get to see her. Yesterday we went to the British Museum (SO cool for an Egypt freak like myself!) and the British Library, where the Magna Carta and Beowulf are on display. After that, we took a walk along the Thames, and popped into the Tate Modern for more modern art (Steffen is going to kill me after this trip for all the modern art I've put him through!) We also walked by Parliament and 10 Downing Street, which is quite an exciting place to be right now as Gordon Brown is stepping down from his position as PM after a very interesting election. Today, we are heading to the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, then the Victoria & Albert Museum for the Grace Kelly exhibit, Camden Town, and finishing our day on Oxford Street so that I can (window) shop! We're getting Indian food tonight too, and I can't wait...I've heard the best Indian food outside of India is in Britain, so we'll see how it goes!
Our next stop is Paris, and then the good old USA on Sunday! I won't be able to update you guys on Paris while we're there because I won't have WiFi at the apartment we're renting, but I will write a short update when I get home...and put up some photos from the rest of the trip!!!!
Lots of love, can't wait to see everyone soon!
Kelsey
We stayed in Barcelona until May 2nd, which was very bittersweet for me...I still can't believe I'm not going back there after this trip is over! We got to do some of the things that I had on my "Barcelona Bucket List" which was really nice, like seeing the Palau Guell and some other less touristy sights.
After leaving Barça, we headed to Amsterdam for three days. That leg of our trip was VERY interesting...we stayed in a hostel in a room with 20 other people in queen-size bunks...let's just say that if it had not been for my eye mask (thanks Uncle Susan!) and heavy-duty ear plugs, I would not have slept a wink. The weather in Amsterdam was terrible--relentless, freezing rain for two of the three days we were there! But, we still managed to do a lot despite the weather. We went to the Van Gogh Museum (after waiting outside in the rain for 2 hours!) and the Anne Frank House, which I had made reservations for online ahead of time. On our third day, we caught a canal cruise, which was SO much fun. We also walked around some of the neighborhoods of Amsterdam...the Jordaan neighborhood was definitely my favorite, with beautiful little gabled houses along wide canals. The Red Light district was interesting to say the least...not sure how I felt about the girls selling themselves to my boyfriend as we walked past, but I guess it's something you have to see at least once! I loved Amsterdam despite the gross weather...I definitely want to return.
After Amsterdam, we headed to Copenhagen to visit my friend Claire, who is studying there. She lives in a 'kollegium' (dorm) in Amager, which is a 15 minute metro ride from the city center. On our first day there, we rented bikes and rode around the city, visiting Christiania (a section of the city that has been taken over by free-thinking hippies who sell weed and make delicious vegetarian food) and the Thorvaldsen Museum (Thorvaldsen is Denmark's most famous sculptor). The next day, Steffen and I headed out on a more comprehensive tour of the city, walking along the Strøget all the way to the park where the Little Mermaid statue is, although she isn't there presently, as she is on display at the World Expo in Beijing. Afterwards, we went to the Danish Resistance Museum, which was really interesting as it showed how the Danes cleverly put up a fight against their Nazi occupiers.
The next day, we went to the Danish National Museum, which had an awesome display on Viking and prehistoric peoples. The weather in Copenhagen was VERY cold, with a freezing wind that cut right to the bone, so we tried to spend a lot of our time in museums! Our next stop was Rosenborg Palace, a favorite palace of King Christian IV of Denmark, and also the place where the Crown Jewels of Denmark are kept. It was a beautiful palace with even more beautiful gardens, which I would have enjoyed spending time in if it hadn't been so damn cold! Finally, we went on a canal tour of the city, which was funny because it was just us, one other guy, and the tour guide on a huge tour boat. Oh well, I guess not everyone is masochistic enough to take a canal tour when it's 30 degrees outside. It was really interesting though, and I'm glad we went, even though I couldn't feel my feet afterward!
Our last day in Denmark was spent at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, a short train ride away from Copenhagen. My friend Katherine told me about it, and I really wanted to go. We walked through a beautiful, green birch forest to get there, and then walked around the museum's amazing grounds, which are dotted with sculptures by Miró and Calder. It is right on the ocean as well, and it was a wonderful and peaceful afternoon.
The next stop on our trip was London, which is where we are right now! We got here on Sunday, and are leaving for Paris tomorrow morning. My friend Natasha came down from Glasgow to hang out with us, so that has been amazing, since I rarely get to see her. Yesterday we went to the British Museum (SO cool for an Egypt freak like myself!) and the British Library, where the Magna Carta and Beowulf are on display. After that, we took a walk along the Thames, and popped into the Tate Modern for more modern art (Steffen is going to kill me after this trip for all the modern art I've put him through!) We also walked by Parliament and 10 Downing Street, which is quite an exciting place to be right now as Gordon Brown is stepping down from his position as PM after a very interesting election. Today, we are heading to the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, then the Victoria & Albert Museum for the Grace Kelly exhibit, Camden Town, and finishing our day on Oxford Street so that I can (window) shop! We're getting Indian food tonight too, and I can't wait...I've heard the best Indian food outside of India is in Britain, so we'll see how it goes!
Our next stop is Paris, and then the good old USA on Sunday! I won't be able to update you guys on Paris while we're there because I won't have WiFi at the apartment we're renting, but I will write a short update when I get home...and put up some photos from the rest of the trip!!!!
Lots of love, can't wait to see everyone soon!
Kelsey
