This is a little compilation video I put together from my semester in Europe:
Featuring:
Places:
Netherlands (Amsterdam, Giethoorn)
Sweden (Stockholm)
Switzerland (Lugano)
England (London)
France (Normandie)
Bands:
MGMT
Vampire Weekend
Modest Mouse
Stars
People:
…from all over the world!
Giethoorn is a town located north east of Amsterdam. This town is considered to be the Netherlands’ Venice. I had stumbled upon many websites mentioning this neighborhood before I even decided to study in Amsterdam and ever since I had a great desire to see it for myself.
Instead of streets, this neighborhood has canals, bridges, and walking paths. The people living in these homes do not have one, two, or three car garages, but rather one, two, or three BOAT garages. Little wooden bridges arc over the canals to allow passage to each home.
The town was very quiet when we were there. Supposedly it is not that quiet in the summer time and is actually quite the tourist attraction. We visited on a freezing cold day in November where we ducked into café on the edge of a canal to get warm. Very cute restaurants and shops adorned the walking path aside the main canal, right across from the residential homes.
Later, we took a boat ride for only €5 around the canals where these beautiful homes are nestled. The canal opened out into a lake where there were some islands with a park for summer camps and a large house with boats to rent. The entire town was filled with ducks, sheep, and friendly cats. The drive out there was beautiful as well, seeing vast fields and hundreds of windmills. It was quite a nice afternoon.
I thought yesterday would never end.
I woke up at 6 AM yesterday in order to catch a train out of Lugano, Switzerland at 6:30 AM. My flight from Milan to Eindhoven was supposed to depart at 10:10 AM. Unfortunately, I overlooked some very important details whilst planning my journey.
First, I didn’t expect to have to change trains twice on the way over to Milano Centrale. Changing trains wasn’t the issue, but the layovers set me back about 40 minutes. I truly had no idea what I was doing or what train I was supposed to be on, so I asked several people and went with my gut feeling. Luckily, I took the right route and ended up at the Milan central train station where I needed to catch my bus.
If I had arrived at the train station a single minute earlier, I probably could have made my flight. Just as I walked outside to where the buses meet, the one to Milan Bergamo airport was pulling away. This was at 8:30 AM. Buses to the airport left every half-hour and I would have to wait until 9 AM to catch the next one.
I sat on the bus, waiting for it to pull away. I was annoyed, yet calm because there was simply nothing I could do about the situation. It was out of my control at this point. I just had to sit there and wait.
The bus arrived at the Milano Bergamo airport at 9:50 AM. I mindlessly overlooked the smaller print on my plane ticket that said “Gate Closes at 9:40 AM.” I walked up to the RyanAir counter and sheepishly asked if I could still make my flight. I was denied. My flight was on its “last call” for all passengers. I totally could have made it if the lady at the desk would have allowed me to check in.
Once realization set in, I felt totally lost. I was totally alone. I had no idea what to do. I had never missed a flight before! All I wanted to do was call my mom and ask for advice, but I couldn’t. It was time to grow up and fix this mistake on my own.
The next flight to Eindhoven wasn’t until the next day at 3:30 PM. That was a whole 30 hours away. There was no way I was going to attempt to navigate Milan all alone and spend tons of money on a hotel room. Milan was just not my scene. I did not feel remotely at home there. I actually felt quite scared in the parts of Milan I’d been to. The stations were cold, confusing, and creepy and the people were just the same.
After contemplating what I should do, I was told by the window attendant at the RyanAir booth that I could get a flight to Dusseldorf, Germany. Apparently that is a common destination for people who miss their flights to Eindhoven. I had to surrender 100 euros and decided to grab the 2:30 PM flight to Dusseldorf in order to arrive in Amsterdam within the same day.
If I hadn’t missed my flight, I never would have met these two wonderful Dutch ladies in the Dusseldorf airport. When you’re in a garbage dump of a situation, I can assure you that some good will always come out of it. You just need to stay positive, keep your eyes open, and see the opportunities.
I’d guess that these two ladies were somewhere in their 60s. One was very short and couldn’t touch the ground as she sat in the chair in the airport. They were both very cute and seemingly good friends. I heard them speaking Dutch to someone and they mentioned Eindhoven. I decided to speak up and ask where they were going.
They were headed to Eindhoven but something happened with the shuttle or their flight and the process was delayed. They had been waiting in those airport seats for ages. I told them that I needed to go to Amsterdam, so they decided to take me under their wings and show me the way.
While waiting in the airport for the shuttle to arrive, the two ladies got up and wandered over to a little kid ride in the corner of the airport. This is one of those rides you see outside a large grocery store or in a mall that has little cars and airplanes that rock back and forth. I wondered about these two 60 year old women observing the Sesame Street ride. They seemed to be looking for the slot to put change into. Surely they couldn’t be trying to ride on that thing…
The short little woman with grey hair put her money into the slot and hopped on the little blue car. She was rocking back and forth and laughing, having the time of her life as her friend watched and laughed too. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I watched too. It was completely unexpected, yet very refreshing.
These women reminded me that I need not take life so seriously. I used to know this, then somewhere along the line I forgot. Pablo Picasso once said, “Youth has no age.” This couldn’t be more true. These women were traveling long hours, just as I was, and yet they continued to have high energy and a positive attitude.
The shuttle to Eindhoven eventually arrived and due to whatever mistake the airport made, I didn’t need to pay a cent. The ride was about two hours long and I was never happier to sit on a bus, listen to my iPod, and look out the window.
These women also made me realize that I really like being alone, but I don’t like feeling alone. When I missed my flight in Milan, I had no one to help me out; nowhere and no one to turn to. I was in an unfamiliar foreign country where those who did speak English spoke it very brokenly. I felt alone. As soon as I reached the Netherlands, I felt safe and at home. I knew what I was doing and I felt comfortable again.
These two women took me under their wings and were very sweet in escorting me to the correct train once I reached Eindhoven. I knew exactly which train I needed to take, but I didn’t stop them when they pointed me in the right direction. It felt good to have a mentor again, someone else to do the planning for once.
I sat by the window of the train to Amsterdam and as it pulled away the two Dutch ladies waved goodbye to me. I waved goodbye back and an endless smile was suddenly stuck to my face. Though I never even learned the names of these women, they felt like family. We endured 4 hours of waiting and traveling together and attained an unspoken connection because of it.
It was an expensive and inconvenient mistake, but missing my flight wasn’t all that bad. After 16 hours of waiting around and traveling, I arrived to my apartment in Amsterdam with a smile on my face.
“To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.”
- Isaac Newton“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea.”
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Okay, I’ll be honest. It wasn’t exactly a “day” at the beach. More like 15 minutes at the beach, but I loved every second of it.
We decided to hop in a car and take a drive down to The Hague (Den Haag). I had been there once before, but I never got a chance to see the Coast.
First, driving down was exactly what I needed. One thing I really miss about being at home is the freedom I get when I have my car. Aimlessly driving around is one of my favorite things to do when I’m at home, and it’s a huge part of me that I feel is missing since I’ve been here. It started to come back to me yesterday.
On the way there, the beauty of Holland became quite apparent. The fields of cows and sheep were absolutely beautiful and there were numerous windmills spread out along the way. To compare it to the US, I’d have to say it reminded me a lot of driving through Wisconsin.
Living in a city after growing up in the woods, I’ve really learned to appreciate what I left behind. City life is wonderful, fast-paced, and exciting, but I could never forget about how nature exists at its best.
Standing on the beach as the cold wind whipped my hair around just felt so liberating. I stood for a few seconds with my eyes closed, just breathing deeply. The fresh, sea air made me feel so alive! I forgot that nature does that to you.
I think I prefer going to the beach when it’s cold outside and you have no intention of swimming. Seeing all the wind surfers and kite boarders reminded me of the coast of Oregon; its vast beaches with freezing waters and relentless wind.
Yesterday was exactly what I needed.
This was my first time ever being in England, so naturally, the cars bugged me out a little. Sitting in the “passengers seat” on the left side of the car felt completely wrong. As the car started moving, I kept feeling like we were driving on the wrong side of the road and a car would surely hit us head on at any moment. While crossing the street, I would instinctively look in the wrong direction. Luckily, on the streets of London there are words and arrows painted on to the street saying “Look Left” or “Look Right.” Apparently it’s a problem for others as well.
It was so nice to see a friend from Vermont for the week. Lora is studying at Richmond University for a semester and was my roommate freshman year at Champlain College. While staying with her, I felt like I was home again. Her dorm was so cozy and it was so refreshing to be with a familiar person from home who I’m quite comfortable with. This week made me really excited for Christmas break and for the Spring semester at Champlain.
London is absolutely beautiful. I love the architecture all around the city and the people are lovely. I felt more at home in London than I have anywhere yet since I’ve been abroad. This is partially because of Lora and her cozy living quarters, but also because everyone speaks English! It’s so nice to walk into a grocery or convenience store and know exactly what you’re buying. I was able to get food in England that I can’t find anywhere in Holland. It’s a small detail, but a great reminder of home and being comfortable.
One sight I was really anxious to see while in London was Big Ben. This is the obvious tourist sight when visiting London, but it had to be done. One day while Lora was in class, I decided to go on a little solo excursion. This is when I saw the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. After that, I wandered over to the river where Big Ben and Parliament are located. While wandering around, I ran into a tour group. I decided to tag along for a bit and listen since I had nothing better to do. I recorded a blip of this tour group before they headed off to the direction I had just come from:
While I was in London, I felt like the sunlight and the air were generally better than that of Amsterdam. The lighting was that of a brisk, early morning, but it continued on all day. I had the best blue skies for the photos I took on the river. The air and lighting around me just set the mood for my entire week and kept me smiling.
I’m so glad I got to hear Big Ben chime while I was on the bridge over the river. It’s such a bold, triumphant chime. In fact, I tried to record a video of the chiming, but I only managed to catch the end. I then proceeded to trip over myself while turning, jostling the camera all over the place:
I always love roaming around a city by myself, but not in the middle of the night when I need to catch a flight. My flight left at 6AM on Thursday morning. I had to catch a bus at 3AM in order to get to the airport 2 hours early for check-in and all that. I got quite lost on the way to the bus. I wasn’t sure of its exact location, I just figured I’d find it somehow. I felt like I had been wandering around for ages and creepy drunk men were lurking on the streets. I decided to ask a taxi driver if he knew where the bus stop was. These taxi cabs are very old school; they don’t have GPS like the ones in Amsterdam but only a printed map. The driver tried to help me out, but really had no idea. He pointed me in one direction, completely guessing, and I followed it. I ended up missing my 3AM bus, but found the station around 3:30AM where another bus was heading to airport. I showed the driver my ticket, hoping that he wouldn’t see the “3:00 AM” printed at the top. He didn’t seem to notice, so I found a seat. Luckily, I got through check-in and security with no problems and made my flight. I even had time to spare.
I would go back to England in a second. I hope that someday I get to visit again and have a chance to see more of England and not just London.
Hamley’s Toy Store is by far the coolest toy store I have ever been to. It’s about 6 floors high and is comparable to FAO Schwarz in New York City. The employees clearly love their lives. They are all so outgoing, playing with kids all day and showing demonstrations of the toys. As I was walking past some employees playing with a Frisbee toy, one of them came up behind me with a fuzzy, purple puppet next to my head. It startled me, but I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I would absolutely love to work in a place like that.
In this video, the employers actually caught me video taping them, but didn’t seem to care:
Of course, the employees are required to sell toys and not just play all day. This doesn’t matter, they sell with much enthusiasm:
Visiting Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guards was something I knew I needed to do in my lifetime. I had always wanted to visit London, and this seemed like the proper, touristy thing to do while I was there. I found out that the guards were out at 11:30 AM every other day in the fall. I was told to go 15 minutes early to find a good spot before flocks of tourists showed up. Unfortunately, I had some issues with the tube on my way over there and got quite lost so the “15 minutes early” didn’t exactly happen. I was actually 15 minutes late, and I absolutely could not find a spot to see anything. The photos and videos I took were on account of me struggling to lift my arms above all the other heads to get a decent shot. I don’t think I was terribly successful, especially for the videos.
Buckingham Palace was very beautiful and it was so nice to see such a traditional piece of England. The Royal Coat of Arms on the Palace gate is the English Lion and the Unicorn of Scotland. I find it funny that there is a unicorn on the coat of arms. Supposedly the Unicorn is chained up on the Coat of Arms as opposed to being free because unicorns were seen as viscous beasts.
It’s great that most of the museums in London are free! I was able to wander around from museum to museum and stay as long as I wanted without paying a cent. I visited the Victoria & Albert museum (this is where the V&A Library is located), the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum. I really enjoyed the Natural History Museum; the architecture was both inside and out was marvelous. It was also very cool to see some older English cars in the Science Museum. I would recommend visiting any of these three museums, as they are all right next to each other and it doesn’t cost anything.
The V&A Library in London is amazing. First of all, it’s absolutely beautiful. Second, it is so quiet and has a very prestigious, academic feel to it. Though I came to London on my week off to visit a friend, she is not quite in the same “laissez-faire” mindset as I am; she is actually in the midst of her midterms. However, this is great motivation for me to get some work done as well, not allowing myself to laze around for two weeks, totally forgetting about my courses. When I finish up here, I hope to check out the museums surrounding the library since they are all free. I have no specific plans while I’m here, so I suppose I’ll just see what this city has to offer and simply go with the flow. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations regarding London, please feel free to leave a comment.
Through much experience with traveling alone, I’ve come to the realization that I absolutely love it–in fact, I prefer it over traveling with others. When I say I enjoy “traveling” alone, I mean the actual process of traveling. I don’t so much enjoy the aloneness once I have actually arrived at my destination. It is much more comforting to arrive in the arms of loved ones and familiar faces or to the arms of brand new company and a brand new experience.
There are many opportunities that can arise when traveling alone as opposed to traveling with others. The solo commute is the best time to catch up on some reading, listen to some good tunes, have a thought, or simply observe the life that surrounds you. People watching is my absolute FAVORITE when waiting in an airport. By simply observing you can make a judgmental prediction as to where the person or group is from, where they are going, and for what purpose they are traveling.
When you travel with others, you tend to pay more attention to those you are with than to those strangers who surround you. I enjoy the strangers. There is always a small connection that sticks in your mind after a day of traveling solo, whether it be a slight bit of eye contact or an actual conversation, these are the little things that make up your adventure. It’s the little things, all strung together, that create your entire life–a life well-lived if you deem these “little things” with significance.
An anecdote to match my thoughts goes along with my very inconvenient commute to and from Lugano, Switzerland this past weekend. When booking my flights, I goofed up terribly and chose the earlier flights instead of the latter ones. This ended up being much more of an inconvenience than I had anticipated, but there wasn’t one moment during my commute where I was unhappy with my long journey alone.
To get to Lugano, first I had to take a night bus at 2:15 AM to Amsterdam Centraal Station where I took the latest train to Eindhoven at 3:15 AM. The train ride took about an hour and a half and I arrived at Eindhoven Centraal Station around 4:45 AM. The first bus to Eindhoven airport didn’t leave until 6:10 AM, so again, I did some more waiting around. The bus took about 30 minutes. I checked in at the airport and did some more waiting around until my flight left at 8:50 AM. After the flight, I arrived in Milano-Bergamo airport around 10:30 AM where I had to take a bus to Milano Centrale. The bus took an hour. I then had to take a train around 1:00 PM. An hour later, I finally arrived in Lugano.
For most people, this would be quite an annoyance. Not only due to the length of the journey, but also because of the endless transfers and the very early hours of the morning. I, however, met some interesting characters along the way.
For this particular journey, I made the decision to stay up all night. I went out with my friends around midnight, carrying my backpack with me, about halfway to the central station. While looking up the night bus schedule, I met a group of men looking for the same schedule. We chatted a bit, then I headed back to my group of friends while I waited for the bus to arrive. Later, I see this same group of men waiting for the train on the same platform I’m on. I had my headphones plugged in, but as soon as one of the men recognized me and pointed, I took them out and we began to chat again. Though his English was broken, we exchanged small talk and he and his drunken buddies headed on to the train before mine. It was quite the source of entertainment and a nice time-waster, to say the least.
In the train I managed to fall asleep for a bit, but before I dozed off I made sure to take note of those around me. An unspoken bond is created between solo travelers. These are the people you share a journey with. You have that one event in common, but maybe nothing else. It’s similar to sharing times with those born in the same year as you or those who experience tragedies together such as 9/11 or World War II. You will always have this one thing in common and can find a way to relate to each other through that one thing, if nothing else. While observing the others on the train, I notice an older man on the opposite end. Though we don’t exchange conversation, I can see that we share the same objective. He crosses his arms, leans his head against the window, and drifts off into an open-mouthed slumber.
Once I arrived at the Eindhoven train station, I wandered here and there until I discovered the next step in my journey. While trying to figure out the bus situation, a young Dutch man confronted me. He was trying harder than I would have liked to make small talk with me. It was then that a security guard saved me from the having to reject his very futile flirting, leading me in the right direction while directing the Dutch man the opposite way.
On my way to the bus I heard a few comments from Dutch men as if to “holler at me.” I simply laughed to myself and kept walking. Once I arrived at the benches outside the train station, I sat and waited for the bus alone. A seemingly lost man continues to pace back and forth around the bench area until he finally asks me (in English) when the next bus comes. I mentioned that the security guard told me it comes in 20 minutes. The security guard was actually quite wrong. The next bus didn’t come for about an hour and 20 minutes. Through this never-ending hour and 20 minutes, that man and I exchanged few words but many smirks regarding close-call buses that almost pull up and crazy night owls roaming around the station.
We finally arrive at the airport where the man and I say our goodbyes–a stranger I will never again see in my life. Not to be bothered, there are plenty more to come. The airport was a blur. I slept almost the whole time while waiting and flying, but I did manage to catch some interesting characters.
Once I arrived in Italy I saw a woman in fear of pigeons, many flirtatious Italian men, and a woman in large, geeky glasses covered in wordy tattoos–most likely quotes from songs or books. These individuals were all quite insignificant but were what made up “the little things” that created my entire journey.
The journey on the way back from Lugano was even more of a hassle, though it was deemed with even more significance than the journey there. This commute consisted of an hour train ride at 10:00 PM, a 2 hour wait in the train station, an hour bus ride at 1:00 AM, a 4 1/2 hour wait in the airport, an hour and a half flight around 6:30 AM, a 30 minute bus ride, an hour and a half train ride at 9:00 AM, and a 30 minute tram ride–ending my trip around 11:00 AM.
One very significant character I met on the journey back was in the Milano train station. I was sleeping on a bench when a man sits on the opposite side, disrupting my slumber. Naturally, I look up to see what awoke me. I see it is only a man waiting, as I am, and put my head back down on my backpack. After some unsettled movements on the other end of the bench, I feel one very abrupt jolt ending in quite a feeling of silence. When you’re trying to sleep, not only can you hear silence, but you can feel it. With this thought, I am reminded of Pavlov’s Negative Reinforcement where the annoying, unsettled man is removed and I am left to increase my behavior, or rather, continue on with my sleep.
When I looked up, the man caught my eye and held up his water bottle. He started speaking in Italian when I told him I was sorry, but I didn’t speak Italian. I assumed this would dismiss him and I could continue on with my rest, but of course he switched over to English and forced his question in-between me and my ever-so-comfortable backpack. He just wanted to know where he could buy another bottle of water. I directed him towards the vending machines and finally went back to sleeping.
You’ll never believe what happened next. He came back! He sat right back down on the other end of my bench with the same annoying, restless movements. The only difference was he had a full water bottle instead of an empty one. After a while, I was forced to give up my sleep. I looked up, repositioned myself on the bench to a more upright position, and stared off into space. I figured I ought to figure out my bus situation, so I asked the restless man where I might find the bus or where to buy a ticket. Appreciative that I directed him towards a vending machine, he offered to escort me to the buses. After figuring out the time and location of the bus, the restless man asked if I was interested in getting a coffee with him at the McDonald’s right next-door, as he was waiting for a friend to come in and he needed a wake-up call. I needed a coffee awfully bad and nothing was open in the train station, so I accepted his offer.
Though some might feel that having coffee with a complete stranger is a threat to one’s safety, there are obvious precautions to take and one must undoubtedly follow his or her instincts. This man was obviously just bored out of his mind and needed someone to talk to. He was not at all creepy or flirtatious or even remotely dangerous-looking. He quite resembled a teddy bear with his friendly attitude and his goofy grin. Not to mention, the McDonald’s was quite full of other bored and hungry travelers; a cry for help would have been well-heard.
The restless man asked me if I preferred “café americano,” seeing as I was from the States. He bluntly mentioned that the coffee was on him and continued to order and pay for two “café americanos.” We sat at a table right directly outside the door to the McDonald’s restaurant. Here, I found out that Mr. Restless was Egyptian and he had been living in Italy for seven years now. He lives and works in Rome in the business of hospitality. It all started to make sense. He most definitely had the proper personality for a career in hospitality. The friend that he was waiting for in at the train station was meeting him for a five day holiday in Milan.
We ended up exchanging numbers before we finished our coffee and went our separate ways. While walking toward the bus that would take me to the airport, Mr. Restless expressed quite graciously how happy he was to have met me. It’s all about the little things.
Once I arrived at the grand bus doors, it was time to say goodbye. Mr. Restless bid me adieu as would a good friend. I walked to the back of the aisle and chose a seat next to the window. As soon as I sat down and settled in, the biggest smile abruptly appeared on my face. It wouldn’t go away. It was the kind of smile that hurt your cheeks and there was simply nothing that could be done about it. This one, very bizarre and lonely stranger changed my entire mood that evening. I no longer felt the need to sleep, but rather stared off into the distance and reflected on the night’s little events.
The Milano-Bergamo airport was filled with a sea of campers, sleeping on benches and suitcases in order to make their early morning flights. Never having slept in an airport before, this was quite a new and exciting experience for me. I found a spot in a corner where nobody else seemed to be camping out. I placed my backpack on the ground to use as a pillow and used a sweater as a blanket. Feeling comparatively like Mr. Restless, I nodded off here and there, but just could not get comfortable on the hard tile floor. I eventually was forced to choose observation over slumber as I patiently waited for check-in.
After the flight, everything surprisingly moved smoothly. As soon as I got off the plane, there was a bus waiting outside. I hopped on, went to the train station, and as soon as I bought at train ticket my train arrived. I suppose this made up for the exhausting hours I waited earlier in the night. On the train ride back to Amsterdam, I eavesdropped on two older ladies having a conversation in Dutch. I would estimate these lovely ladies to be in their 70s. What I’ve noticed from eavesdropping on Dutch conversation in hopes to pick some up is that older individuals tend to speak slower, making it much easier to learn and understand. I didn’t pick up as much of the conversation as I would have liked, but the two were quite cute with the way they interacted. They seemed like old friends, or possibly sisters that had gotten together for a day outing.
Numerous people asked me how Switzerland was when I arrived back in Amsterdam. When I mentioned the long commute, each person sympathized with my seemingly bothersome experience. In response, I can’t help but smile. They may never understand the importance of “the little things.”
