London
After nearly missing the train out there, we hit the ground running for the first day. I made sure my first meal there was entirely British: fish and chips with classic English tea. I was very happy with that choice. After getting lunch we went to our hostel to drop off our bags. We were there at around 11 or so, and check-in wasn't until 3. They let us store our stuff anyway, thankfully. It's quite an interesting place. It was formerly a courthouse, and the Internet room was a real-life courtroom.
We headed out and took the Underground at King's Cross. We hit most of the major tourist sights: the downtown shopping district, The British version of Time Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye (?), the large ferris wheel across the Thames from Parliament. We also found the Globe Theatre, a remake of Shakespeare's theater. They were playing Romeo and Juliet for only 5 pounds---that is, if you wanted to stand the whole time. Which we did. I absolutely loved it, and the play was probably my favorite moment while in London. The following day we hit more places---London Bridge being the main one.
The next day we went as a class to the BBC. Did you know that its building is shaped like a question mark? I found that very fitting. It was an interesting tour. We had some free time before our next scheduled event, so we went to the Natural History Museum (or at least I think it was that museum). We had enough time to see the large dinosaur exhibit, which you could easily tell from the displays and captions was meant for kids. After that we went to a debate between two Members of the European Parliament: one who was pro-EU and one who was a member of the UK Independent Party, who wants to get the UK out of the EU. The UKIP politician definitely had a more convincing argument, but I found out later that a lot of his facts were wrong. After that we had drinks and appetizers at a nearby bar with the London study abroad program. I talked to the two girls I knew from that group, and before long we had to go. Becky's organization, Invisible Children, was holding a party by the London Bridge. If you don't know anything about the organization, look it up and help support it, definitely a good cause. We headed back to Brussels early the following morning.
Amsterdam
Once again, we almost missed our ride. Thankfully we got there in time, but then the bus didn't actually leave until an hour after it was supposed to. Still don't know why. And it wasn't a 4 hour trip either---we made stops to Antwerp, Rotterdam, and The Hague before going to Amsterdam, so it actually took 6 hours.We basically had less than 24 hours to spend in Amsterdam before our bus ride home.
Let me make one thing clear: Amsterdam is known as the capital of pot and prostitutes for good reason. Marijuana smoke hung in the air through most of the city. The women not only stood in the frame of their window, but also outside when crowds of people were thin, and talked to men walking by, trying to convince them to come in (and, as I witnessed, some guys did get convinced).
We did a canal cruise through the city. It was definitely interesting, but it comes nowhere close to the Seine River cruise I took in Paris 4 years prior. Nevertheless I enjoyed it and got some good pictures.
Twich's Drink of the Day: Starapramen
I had this drink while at the debriefing in London. It's a Czech beer, and I honestly think it rivals my other favorite, Delirium Tremens. No picture unfortunately because it was on tap.
Twich's Place of the Day: Mini-Europe
I have always been a fan of miniature versions of life, and this "theme park" takes the cake. A project of the EU, the park includes at least one building/statue/monument of each EU member state. The most recognizable things include the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Parliament and Big Ben, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Grand Place, the Chunnel, the Brandenburg Gate (with the Berlin Wall being torn down behind it!), and the Acropolis. The miniature people and the moving trains, boats, and helicopter made it more lifelike. Also, if you bring binoculars or a high-zoom camera, you can see that some of the miniature women on the boats and the Hungarian bathhouse are topless. Another thing to look out for: the EU turtle. Don't ask me why the European Union chose a turtle as its mascot, I don't know. And I mean look out for the life-size version (which will literally pull you aside for a picture) as well as miniature versions that can be found within different monuments throughout Mini-Europe, almost like a "Where's Waldo" game.
No comments:
Post a Comment