Guten Tag München!

My trip to Munich began early on Friday morning when my two friends and I hopped on the train to London.  From there we took an hour-long plane ride to Memmigen, Germany (which was the closest town to Munich where we could find cheap plane tickets). We took a taxi from the airport to a nearby train station. My first glimpse of Germany was the picturesque little white houses with red tile roofs. Next, we took a train from Memmigen to Munich. While it was a long train ride, we enjoyed seeing the countryside and were incredibly excited to see the beautiful Alps off in the distance!
I finally arrived in Munich and we were able to easily locate our hostel where we'd be staying for the weekend. Exhausted from a full day of travel, we still made time to visit the iconic Hofbrauhaus (one of Munich's most famous beer halls). I enjoyed a traditional German meal of a bratwurst, sauerkraut, and the most delicious soft pretzel I've ever eaten. The atmosphere in the Hofbrauhaus was incredible, with a live band playing German folk songs and every table full of people enjoying, drinking, and having a good time.

My delicious dinner!

The inside of Hofbrauhaus

The next day, my friends and I took a free walking tour through the city. Our first stop was the Marienplatz, where we watched the Glockenspiel and saw the new and old town halls.

The Glockenspiel. At certain times of the day, music plays and the characters move.

Marienplatz and the Old Town Hall

The new town hall

We got to go inside some beautiful churches, including one where the current pope is from. 

The Munich opera house, which is right next to Residenz (the former residence of the German monarchs).

One of the many beautiful old buildings.

One of the famous towers on St. Mary's Church. Sadly, the other one was being renovated when we visited so it was covered in scaffolding.

My friends and I had a great time exploring Munich. I wish that we could have stayed longer, but it was still great to get a little taste of German culture!

Chester, Llandundo, Caernarfon, Llanberis, Betws y Coed... A Weekend Adventure in North Wales

After weeks of planning independent trips with friends, I was very excited to go on a school trip to North Wales where all of my transportation and lodging were planned for me. All I had to do was show up! 

We left at 8:30am and made our first stop in the town of Chester. 

 

We explored the shops and saw the cathedral and the 2nd most photographed clock in the UK (2nd to Big Ben). After several hours in Chester, we hopped back on our coach and drove several hours north to the seaside town of Llandundo where we would find our hotel. Our hotel was on the street directly in front of the coast but, to our dismay, it was mostly rainy and cloudy when we arrived. However, I was excited to see that my friend and I had managed to get a hotel room with a view of the ocean! Llandundo was a quaint little seaside town and its status as a popular retirement town was reinforced by the fact that the entire town closed promptly at 6 pm! Not exactly an ideal situation for college students, but it made for a relaxing weekend.

The next morning greeted us with pouring rain! Luckily, it cleared up right when we reached the village of Caernarfon. I had a great time exploring Caernarfon Castle with some friends. The castle contained many stone spiral staircases, many of which were so steep that you had to cling for dear life to a rope railing! We climbed up into many of the towers and the ramparts provided a beautiful view of the sea and village. 

View of Caernarfon from the ramparts of the castle 

Next stop was Llanberis! We drove through Snowdonia National Park to get there and the mountains were absolutely beautiful. 

On the day of our departure, we were very happy to finally wake up to a sunny morning in Llandundo! 

On the way home, our coach made a stop at Swallow Falls. We hiked down the steps to view the waterfall. 

We also stopped for lunch in a little town called Betws Y Coed. It was fun to hear people speaking Welsh during our trip. All of the signs that we saw were in both Welsh and English. We sometimes tried to pronounce the words but it was difficult because a lot of the words didn't have any vowels! 

Betws Y Coed

Peterborough

Yesterday I went on an honors field trip to Peterborough. The main purpose of our visit was to see Peterborough cathedral, which was built in the 12th century. The inside of the cathedral was very impressive, especially the painted wooden ceiling. We also got to see the tomb of Catherine of Aragon, who was the first wife of Henry VIII and the original burial place of Mary Queen of Scots. It was cool to see these because we have been learning all about these people in our British Studies class.

Here's the cathedral! I don't have any pictures of the inside because I didn't feel like paying for a picture license.

This was in the center of town. After visiting the cathedral, we just walked around and looked at the shops.

Paris, Je t'aime!

Wednesday, February 8th

4:00 pm- After taking our first British Studies exam, my friend Hayley and I were finally ready to start our long weekend in France.

5:00 pm- The adventure begins! We took a taxi to the train station and then a train to London Kings Cross Station. From there we walked across the street to St. Pancras station, where we boarded the Eurostar (Chunnel).

8:00 pm- 11:00pm -We traveled 213 miles to Paris, including 31.4 miles underneath the English Channel.

Upon arriving at Gare Du Nord in Paris, the real challenge began. 

1:00 am- Several small miracles finally brought us to our lodging for the night (including a kind Frenchman helping us find our train and barely having enough coins for the metro)

On our way there, I had to ask people for directions in French. At first I was terrified, but I gradually became more confident with it. Throughout our trip, I was thanking God for my 5 years of French class because it saved us on countless occasions.

After our hectic evening, we were exhausted and greatly in need of a good night's sleep before exploring Paris the next day.

Thursday, February 9th

In what soon became a morning tradition, we bought pastries from the boulangerie (bakery) beneath our apartment. We stopped and ate croissants in a park that we found. I can confidently swear that it was the best croissant I have ever tasted in my life. I am not embarrassed to say that my diet this weekend consisted of mostly bread, pastries, and cheese. Those French people really know how to cook!

Un Croissant très delicieux!

Next stop: The Louvre! I enjoyed seeing the Mona Lisa, Venus Di Milo, Hammurabi's Code, and many other famous pieces of art that I've seen before in pictures. It was rather surreal to think that famous artists had actually painted or carved the pieces sitting in front of me.

Mona Lisa et moi

Meeting Venus Di Milo, sculpted by Alexandros of Antioch

Le Musée Du Louvre. 

After the Louvre, Hayley and I walked through the Jardin du Tuileries until we reached the Avenue Des Champs Élysées. I had heard about this street in French Class many times, so I was excited to see it for myself.

The Champs Élysées led us to the Arc De Triomphe, and of course we climbed the long spiral staircase to the top so that we could see a beautiful aerial view of Paris.

After seeing a lot of the city, the wearing travelers ate dinner in a café and prepared for another busy day.

Friday, February 10th

The first destination of the day was the beautiful Sainte Chapelle. Completed in 1248, this chapelle was commission by King Louis IX and was used to house important relics. The most stunning part of the Sainte Chapelle is its upper chapel, which is surrounded by 15 large stained glass windows. 

We were very lucky to be visiting on a sunny day, because the windows were absolutely gorgeous.

My jaw dropped when I walked into this room!
After Sainte Chapelle, Hayley and I walked parallel to the Seine river until we reached Notre Dame cathedral. In Paris, I felt like I kept running into one beautiful thing after another

Moi et La Seine

Beautiful Paris

Notre Dame!

The Rose Window

Notre Dame was followed by a visit to the most iconic monument in Paris: The Eiffel Tower! We were a bit disappointed that frost prevented us from going to the very top, but at least we got to see a beautiful view from the second level. 

Our visit to La Tour Eiffel wouldn't have been complete without stopping for delicious crêpes beneath the tower.

Since it was so cold during our visit to France, we went to the Centre Pompidou to warm up and appreciate some modern art.

Here's the Centre Pompidou. It was fun to see real Picasso paintings.

Saturday, February 11th 

We took the train to the Château de Versailles today. The decor of the palace was so extravagant and beautiful. The ornate gold detailing and elaborate ceiling paintings showed that no expense was spared when Versailles was built. 

Wishing I was the queen of this castle.

Marie Antoinette's bedroom. I wouldn't mind having a room like this!

The famous Hall of Mirrors. It was stunning. The windows on the right overlooked the gardens, which were unfortunately covered in snow when we visited.

The Royal Chapel.

One of the many beautiful painted ceilings. I was constantly staring up because almost every room had several amazing works of art above my head.

Sunday, February 12th: The exhausted travelers took the Chunnel back to England and were beyond thrilled to return to Harlaxton Manor!

Overall, I had an incredible time in Paris. All of the people I encountered were very kind to me and I loved speaking Français to them. It was definitely a trip that I will never forget! 

À beintôt,

Amy

Snowy Surprise!

Yesterday Harlaxton got a nice little dusting of snow but, to our surprise, the real storm was yet to come! During the evening it really started to fall and, like the grown-up college kids we are, we all went outside to enjoy the weather. I was very grateful for the snow boots that my mom had told me to pack and I enjoyed a night full of snowball fights, snow angels, and sledding on refectory trays.
This morning we woke up surrounded by white fog. While we can normally see far into the distance from the manor, today it's just a white blur. We've been told that the UK pretty much closes down when the roads are covered in snow, so I'm glad that I don't have any plans today! I'm also very glad that I stayed home this weekend because I know that several students were stranded in different towns last night when the trains weren't running.

This is our front driveway. On a normal day, you can see the road a mile away.

The manor disappeared!

Enjoying the snow

Enjoying our winter wonderland--- Amy

Field Trip Time!

Today all 183 Harlaxton students and our British Studies professors piled into coaches and traveled 35 miles to the nearby town of Lincoln. The town contains many historical sites that relate to what we've been learning in class.

First, I was given time to explore the town. I followed a walking tour with some friends, which began by following a street called "steep hill." The street was bordered by adorable shops and some historical buildings. We soon learned that the name Steep Hill was a very accurate description for the road, because it was quite a workout to make your way back up!

Here's part of Steep Hill.

                                     

Brayford Waterfront right next to the University of Lincoln

A view of the city with Lincoln Cathedral in the background (you'll see that later).

After exploring the town, I went with a group of students to tour Lincoln Castle. Built in 1068, the castle was commissioned by the Normans and we have learned a lot about it in British Studies class. We got to walk around the upper walls of the castle, which would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't windy and freezing cold! We also got to see an original copy of the Magna Carta from 1215 and tour the old prison inside the castle. 

In front of Lincoln Castle

My favorite part of the field trip was touring Lincoln Cathedral. It was absolutely beautiful! Our professors showed us the medieval architecture and some damage that had been done during the Reformation. It was interesting to see the things that I had been learning about in class.

There was a lot of beautiful stained glass. Some of it is from the middle ages, but most of it has been restored in later centuries. 

Parts of the movie "The Da Vinci Code" were filmed in Lincoln Cathedral!

This is an arch that was build when the Romans controlled Lincoln. We went on a walking tour to the few remaining relics from the Roman Empire in Lincoln.