European Study Abroad/Backpacking
Well, it’s just about over. My epic, spiritual, random, pricey, learned time studying at Oxford, England, and exploring the European landscape beyond. It wasn’t easy—I’d say I slept at least one hour less nightly on average than I would have in my usual summer routine. I also ran less (despite the impeccable routes around Oxford) and ate considerably more. As you may have gathered above it was worth it though—well worth it. Here’s why, as well as what I learned, by region visited:
1. First some overall observations: Honestly, British culture (and even European culture) is not that much different than ours. Here’s what I specifically noticed.
a. Driving on the left side of the road presents difficulties for foreign pedestrians. This proved particularly troublesome when the roads went back to the US system on my mid-program journey to Latvia.
b. More diversity in languages spoken. Not just in Oxford, but everywhere I went in Europe. Diversity of race/ethnicity to a lesser degree. There seemed to be a lot of Scandanavian/German/French/Spanish/Italian folks no matter where I went.
c. Trash. People like to kick and machine it off the sidewalk and road. Also small, tarped, neighborhood dumpster systems and horribly futile recycling bins.
d. Food. It’s greasier than American food believe it or not. More grub is fried, and not just the fish and chips. Also beans and roasted tomatoe with breakfast is alright.
e. Tax is included in the displayed price. This made cash transactions more efficient.
f. Public transportation. It seems like a good idea, although their gas is 2.5 times the price as ours so it makes more sense economically. The buses/coaches were better value than the trains although I’d recommend everyone go on at least one train ride through the country or along the coast if possible.
g. Small cars. I only saw 3 or 4 pickup trucks abroad. One was a Chevy in Scotland with the steering wheel on the left side of the vehicle. You bring an SUV over there and you’re a god. Although you won’t be able to find anywhere to park.
h. Also bikes. Many more people ride bikes, and they ride them more dangerously. Ever see Premium Rush? That’s business people’s daily commutes.
i. Reverence for nature. More parks, more people interacting with animals (wild and domesticated), more foot/bike paths, more paddling etc. Probably my favorite aspect about the county.
j. Theaters assign you a seat, which creates problems when two separate parties try to sit together, apparently.
k. Picnics. People have ‘em a lot when there’s good weather, and they have ‘em on the ground, not at a table.
2. Scotland – My first introduction to foreign culture other than that of Canada. I did walk around London a bit before taking the 11 hour Megabus ride up there, but Edinburgh, Scotland was the first place I thoroughly checked out while overseas. The castle was nice, from the outside; I couldn’t go in due to my enormous backpack(s) I was lugging around. The food was even nicer. Bacon wraps with BBQ sauce for $2.25 equivalent. Foot and a half long sausage with onions, mushrooms, garlic and peppers on toasted roll for $6. Even the hostel I stayed in on night one (Haggis Hostel: it was late, around 2:00 am, and out of desperation) had the makings of an excellent breakfast. I didn’t cook it, but some folks also staying there did, including guys from, wouldn’t you know it, Syracuse, NY, and Tel Aviv, Israel. These were the first folks I met abroad.
My favorite part about Scotland, however, was the coming together of three separate independent events; that is, my arrival in Edinburgh, rare sunny, warm weather, and the 2013 Summer Solstice. No I didn’t check out the Druid festival at Stonehenge like I maybe should of, but I did the next best thing. On Friday, June 21 I climbed the mountain overlooking Edinburgh in the Pentlands Regional Park, study abroad supplies and all, and set up camp. See, it is legal to camp anywhere in Scotland as long as the campsite is not located on fenced-in property, but it is especially legal to camp in a wilderness park. That evening I had a view of the entire city, countryside, incoming planes at eye level, salty harbor and ocean horizon beyond, all on the longest day of the year, all to myself on top of a Scottish peak (well, except for the sheep). To cap it all off, the next morning, as if by fate, a bus was waiting for me at the entrance to the park, meaning I didn’t have to trudge the 3-5 miles back to the city as I had done in reverse the day before.
3. Oxford – Of course I have to include our home base on here! The housing at Sommerville college was better than I could have hoped for. Full room w/sink all to myself. Large kitchen and two bathrooms in our suite. The city itself was ancient. It had this formidable feel but at the same time emitted a casual vibe that showed it was geared towards the present generation of students and tourists. And tourists there were many. As a fellow program attendee said, it’s like an alien world in Star Wars. A crowded agglomeration of all sorts of cultures and people banded together by curiosity.
The streets were cobbled and stone-lain, which made for tough running, but this was made up for with the natural paths and park areas, of which there was plenty. A good 30-40% of Oxford was open space dedicated to people’s recreation or nature preservation. And all of it was runnable. I soaked in its avian-strewn boardwalks, scenic canal/river towpaths, soft muddy trails and bucolic fringes at full gallop or a leisurely stroll, alone or in groups of all sizes. A few of us even had the gall to brave the River Thames, because, after all, the good weather did not end at Scotland. It was sunny and warm for roughly 4 out of the 5 weeks I was in the UK. This was apparently the reverse of the normal proportion of fair weather days in the usual British summer. In other words, we were blessed to be able to walk the town sans rain jacket or cross through the countryside without boots. Apparently we had opposite the luck of the previous year’s group.
The Turf was my favorite pub, closely followed by the Eagle and Child. The former gained notoriety after Bill Clinton claimed to smoke but “not inhale” marijuana there as a student. The latter was the stomping grounds of J. R. Tolkien and Lewis Carrol and had damn good trivia. I’ve got to say Magdalen College was my favorite school for its nature preserve stubbornly located so close to the town center. The Pitt Rivers museum was by far the coolest attraction in the city (it’s a museum organized by subject type, rather than by culture or time period. So there’s an arrangement of shoes, swords, gambling equipment etc. containing all different cultures in one). The city in general felt very safe even with our dozens upond dozens of trips outside Sommerville, I still feel like we hadn’t explored this relatively small city fully.
4. London, and surrounding area other than Oxford – We started out with a trip to Stonehenge, which was uneventful but awe-inspiring nonetheless. I was amazed at the lack of security at this world heritage site, and as I said before, disappointed I did not visit on the Summer Solstice when visitors are allowed to actually go right up to and touch the rocks. Avenbury allows you to do so, as well as the same with the sheep, apparently. London was the largest city I had been to and the first true world city, so it was certainly a lot to take in. Without any semblance of a grid system, it was easy to get lost, as my running buddy and I discovered on the day of the British 10K. The museums were good, the sights were alright. I’m not going to lie the only ones I really noticed during the race was the London Eye and Big Ben, the two most well-known of the city. The Eye is certainly worth waiting for. I somehow missed Darwin’s tomb in Westminister Abbey; he’s probably the most well-known dude buried there.
We also saw the most incredible productions on this trip. Billy Elliot masterethe art of juxtaposition, Matilda dazzled with the hammer-throwing, cross-gender Trunch portrayal, and Titus Andronicus was a gore fest well worth the build up. Stratford Upon Avon, Shakespeare’s birth/death place, is kind of a mini Oxford almost, and provided the most interesting birds seen over the course of the trip. Blenheim Palace was cool but I wish we could have explored the sprawling ground a little more thoroughly. Finally, Dover Castle and The White Cliffs definitely capped off the trip. I certainly think they would provide one of the greatest runs of a lifetime.
5. Riga, Latvia - My and Daniel’s choice for the long weekend, it was a necessary experience. It was my first visited country to not have English as a primary or secondary language (it is widely spoken, but technically thirdly important after Latvian and Russian). We were lucky to have great hosts who showed us the best places to eat, drink, and swim. The last part refers to the beach, which was unbelievable in itself. To get such great weather in North Eastern Europe, let alone England, was great timing, as was the fact that it was Jessica’s 21st birthday. We also took an enriching train ride and explored one of the largest covered markets in Europe. It was composed of four large aircraft hangers converted into markets by type; meat, vegetables/fruits, miscellaneous, and seafood. The sights and smells were incredible. Also everything, especially alcohol, was incredibly cheap here. This was a welcome break from the pricey British Isles. The hostel (Fun Friendly Fast Frank’s or something to that effect) was also very inexpensive and very good, possibly even better than the nice Oxford hostel I stayed in.
6. Ireland – The grand finale of my trip took me to the Emerald Isle. Arriving in Dublin, I walked around and soaked in the culture, one similar to but definitely distinct from English culture. There was some anti-English sentiment (Radio ad: “They stole our Wednesdays”, Telepathic Old Man: “They think they’re all prim and proper, but they don’t know sheeeeet”- he also guessed I was from Raleigh when I told him I was from NC) but overall it was almost as if the cultures of the previous two countries I had visited (UK and Latvia) had been crossed. Old Irish language translations were printed on all government sponsored signs and publications. Alcohol was consumed in vast quantity. And the food was possibly more savory and multifarious than even the English’s was. I’m sorry but Guinness is terrible (Old Man agreed with me here – “mudwater”)
It was here in Ireland that I squeezed in some of the best backpacking of my lifetime. It wasn’t just the fact that I fit everything into my relatively lightweight daypack (Thank’s RyanAir). It was the incredible scenery I took in in the Wicklow Mountains. Located only an hour’s coach ride south of Dublin, these natural beauties cover the largest upland area in the country and are largely undeveloped (albeit they are heavily deforested in parts). It is easy to escape the cluster of visitors around the National Park’s headquarters and simply head up into the hills. Up there, there is mainly just sheep, deer and conifer trees. I snapped what I believe is the greatest nature photography of my life and took home the knowledge of two of the greatest secret campsites on the planet. I’m also considering the 80 mile Wicklow Way as a possible long distance hiking trip.
See photos and captions for more! That is when I get around to uploading them.
