Farewell to London

2008, 4.20 London, England

Today I am leaving London and I am sad to go. As I think about the past six months living here, I realize how much I will miss this wonderful city. In all honesty, its pace can be overwhelming at times, especially in places like Oxford Street and traveling to and from work on the Underground; however, it is a city unlike any other I have ever lived or even visited.

There are so many things I like about London, but what I loved most about it: its size; rich historical past; present life and culture; being able to play in the many parks or squares on a Sunday afternoon; go to Art Galleries or see a show; meet people from all over the world; easily travel to other European countries on a whim and inexpensively; historical pubs and vibrant nightlife; transportation throughout the city; interesting markets; the delicious curries and other endless food options to choose from; and even the feeling of safety despite the size of the city.

These are just some of what I enjoyed about London and what make the city a truly amazing place to experience. I am happy to have been able to call it my home, even for just a short time.

Brick Lane

2008, 4.19 Whitechapel, London

Known as a great place to find a delicious curry dish, Brick Lane is one street in London full of life and culture. In the afternoon I spent exploring this historical street, I found vintage clothing shops, antique and vintage furniture for sale, Bangladeshi music drifting into the street from the stores filled with the basic necessities for a local. I enjoyed the art and graffiti sprinkling the walls of buildings, music shops, and being among young adults sitting in an outdoor restaurant area drinking and socializing, people wandering about exploring the area, and a curry house every few steps along the way. It was one of my favorite London experiences.

1 brick lane

A side street off Brick Lane where I found a fun music store

Some of the street art

Day trip to Cambridge

2008, 4.18 Cambridge, England

Mom and I took a train from London to Cambridge, England for day five of our English adventure. It was a relaxing ride and I think Mom really liked seeing the English countryside--very different than the busy, bustling city of London.

We arrived in Cambridge mid-morning and walked from the train station to the City Centre--about 20 minutes. We wandered the city a bit and were looking for a place to have lunch. Eventually, we found a place called Henry's that was right on the River Cam and a great atmosphere. The table at which we sat had a view of the river just outside our window. The food--fresh green salads and chicken curry with rice--was delicious, and our waitress was very prompt and pleasant. It was a lovely lunch.

After lunch, Mom and I wandered the city. We saw beautiful parks, lots of green, students headed to class, tourists wandering about, houseboats in the river, and lots of punts (flat-bottomed boats, punting is a pastime for which Cambridge is very well known by tourists).

Punts on the River Cam

Punts up close

Making our way farther into central Cambridge, we went to King's College Chapel, which is part of the King's College of the University of Cambridge. At one end of the chapel, there was the beautiful painting "Adoration of the Magi" (1634) by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, and on the other an enormous and intricately designed mahogany wooden screen and organ dividing the space into two large sections.

The inside ceiling of King's College Chapel

My mom in King's College Chapel

Stained glass windows inside of King's College Chapel. The windows show stories from the Old and New Testaments, those with similar morals placed on top of one another.

The courtyard outside of King's College Chapel

After our experience ini King's College Chapel, mom and I browsed for a bit at a few local shops. We also went to the market in the center of the city and bought a few things there. I purchased a couple of scarves, which I love, and some fresh cucumbers and tomatoes to make some Greek salad later.

Local market fruits and vegs

As the sun began to fall slowly in the evening sky, Mom and I made our way back to the Cambridge train station to catch our train back to London. Cambridge made for a very nice day trip, despite not having tried punting. Maybe next time...

A brilliant musical experience

2008, 4.17 London: Billy Elliot at the Royal Victoria Palace

In the morning, Mom and I slept in a bit, had breakfast at the hostel, and then headed in to Central London by Victoria Station. I closed my bank account, which took a bit, and then we had lunch at Garfunkel's--some fish and chips. From there, we went a few doors down to the Royal Victoria Palace to see the musical production Billy Elliot.


The story according the Wikipedia article on Billy Elliot:

Billy is a boy living in County Durham. His father, Jackie, and older brother, Tony are striking miners during the UK miners' strike (1984–1985).

Billy's father is an admirer of real life world boxing champion Ken Buchanan, and hopes that Billy would become a champion boxer. Billy, however, is more interested in music, a passion he inherited from his late mother.

Billy is taken to the boxing gym by his father, but he finds out that he doesn't really like the sport, and has no real talent for it. Part of the boxing gym is used by a ballet class because their usual studio in the basement of the sports center is being used as a soup kitchen for the striking miners. He is drawn in by the dance instructor, and with her help, secretly starts taking ballet class.

As a consequence of Billy's brother being arrested, he misses an important audition for the Royal Ballet School. His dance instructor goes to their house to tell his father about the missed opportunity. Billy's father and brother, fearing that Billy will be seen as a "poof", become outraged at the idea of him becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Once having seen Billy dance however, his father understands that ballet is Billy's passion and he takes him to an audition in London himself. Billy is accepted and moves to London on his own at age 11 to attend the school.

The movie concludes with a scene that takes place 14 years later, where his father and brother see Billy dancing. The film ends as the older and more mature Billy (dancer/actor Adam Cooper) takes the stage to perform the lead in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake."

The acting, the story, the set, the costumes, the symbolism and imagery, the music and choreography were all wonderfully done. I had heard that it was really good show and was definitely not disappointed. It was everything art should be, really. Well-organized in a way, but not rigid. Music, color, dancing, different lighting all finely blended to create a connection with the audience and affect human emotions as realistically as possible without actually living through the story yourself. It was phenomenal.

Another Eventful Day in London

2008, 4.16 London, England:

Today was quite the day. My mom is here in London with me. This morning, we had some toast, tea, and coffee at our hotel for breakfast, went luggage shopping (I have waaaayyy to much stuff!) and then checked out of Olivelli's Hotel before stopping by the BUNAC Hostel to get more of my things. We traveled via the Underground to Stamford Brooke to drop our luggage off at the Globetrotter Inn in Hammersmith and then went back into Central London to check out the infamous Tower of London.

The White Tower of the Tower of London

After completing our tour of the Tower, we walked the Queen's Walk along the Thames River, crossing Tower Bridge and seeing London Bridge as we went.


From there, we took the Tube to Green Park, enjoyed an ice cream cone, saw Buckingham Palace, walked through the Wellington Arch, and then headed to Hyde Park. Mom really liked all the flowers. It was fun to see her so excited about the beautiful things around us.

While meandering through Hyde Park and then on to Kensington Gardens, we came across a filming for Burberry's Fall 2008 collection. The models were the attractive and talented Sam Riley, the main actor from the movie Control (I saw this movie earlier in my London trip and really enjoyed it, so it was neat to see this actor. Also, we smiled at each other as he walked by me--about a foot away, so that was fun), and famous model Rosie Huntington, who according to an article I later read is supposedly the next Kate Moss. I was a bit starstruck. It was fun.

Filming of Sam Riley and Rosie Huntington for Burberry fashion

Taking a walk through Kensington Gardens

Kensington Gardens at Kensington Palace

After Mom and I finished exploring the gardens, we headed back to Store Street to see if I could pick up the rest of my luggage at the BUNAC Hostel; however, Bill (hostel manager with access to my luggage) was not around, so we decided to stop by Olivelli's Restaurant for a drink. To our pleasant surprise, there was a movie filming going on at the Fill Station (gas station) kitty-corner to the BUNAC Hostel and the restaurant at which we were sitting.

It turns out that the movie being filmed was "An Education" with Emma Thompson and Alfred Molina, written by Nick Hornby. It was quite a sight to see and exciting to have seen two filmings in one day with famous actors that I recognized. Unfortunately, I didn't get any autographs, but I was okay with that.

After watching the filming a bit and finishing our Irish coffees, I got the remainder of my things from Bill at the hostel, said farewell and then Mom and I headed back out to Hammersmith to our hostel for the night. It was another fun-filled, adventurous day in London.

Covent Garden, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Tate Modern

2008, 4.15 London, England

The day started off with breakfast of tea, toast, and jam in the small dining area at Olivelli's Hotel that was really simple, but enjoyable. The family that owns it lives in the downstairs of the hotel and the dining room walls were nearly full of all kinds of family photos. They were a friendly family and it was sweet to be able to observe that small part of their personal lives.

After breakfast and stopping at an internet cafe to catch up with email and get our next accommodation plans set, Mom and I began a long walk through Central London. From the internet cafe on Charing Cross Road, we went to the Covent Garden area and briefly browsed the market.

Entrance to Covent Garden Market

English accessories for sale in Covent Garden

After a bit in the market, we continued walking towards the River Thames. It was a rather nice day outside, so we decided to see as much of London above ground as we could, rather than take the tube to get to where we were headed. We covered a remarkable amount of ground and it was fun to see so much of London this way. Along the way, we zig-zagged through different streets until we came to the Thames. We crossed the Waterloo Bridge, and then headed back towards St. Paul's Cathedral crossing Black Friar's Bridge.

City of London Crest just around the corner afer going over the Black Friar's Bridge

Our first real destination for the day was St. Paul's Cathedral. It was an impressive structure. The interior of the Cathedral is exquisite. It is massively hug and decorated in a simple, yet also elaborate way, meaning elegant, but not overdone. The ceiling is covered in deeply coloful mosaic and showing icons and holy people and scenes from the Bible. The windows were a beautiful stained glass.

Besides admiring the beauty and size of the Cathedral, Mom and I climbed all the way up to the top of the Cathdral--some 500 steps in total. It was cut up into levels, so we got some breaks along the way. One of the levels had some seats you could rest on, and if you were sitting on one side of the platform and you whispered facing into the wall (it was part of the arched dome on the interior), another person sitting several feet away could clearly hear what you said. People around us were having quite a lot of fun with this, and it was fun to observe.

Anyway, eventually, we made it to the top. The climb was worth it and felt like an accomplishment. The view from the top of St. Paul's was quite impressive. It allowed me to see a new perspective of London, helping me to better realize and understand just how massive the great city truly is.

View of London towards the River Thames, London Eye, and The Houses of Parliament from St. Paul's Cathedral

View of Millenium Bridge and Tate Modern Art Museum from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral


After enjoying the aerial view of London for a bit and making our way back down to the ground level of the Cathedral, Mom and I decided to also check out the Crypt in the basement of the Cathedral. We didn't spend a whole lot of time here, but were able to see where many famous people's remains are buried, including that of Christopher Wren (the architect of St. Paul's Cathedral) and Florence Nightingale.

From St. Paul's Cathedral, Mom and I crossed the street for some lunch at a little cafe to the south before heading across the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern Art Museum. Not being a huge fan of modern art, this was a mediocre experience. My favorite piece was a video of ants carrying bits of confetti during Holy Week. It may sound boring, but there was a room full of people watching the same thing, so I guess there must be something appealing about it that many could appreciate.

View of St. Paul's Cathedral from the Millenium Bridge

When Mom and I finished our exploration of the Tate Modern, we made our way to the Southwark Underground Station and went back to the hotel. That evening, we had dinner at Olivelli's Paradiso Ristorante--under the same ownership as Olivelli's Hotel.

Throughout the six months I lived in London, I walked by Olivelli's Ristorante about a thousand times, always wanting to dine there--it had white cloth covered tables with a bright red rose and a small candle on each table that I noticed every time I passed by--especially in the evening. A very classy and cozy ambience is what I envisioned, and when I finally made it, I was not disappointed.

I ordered a delicious garden salad with large wedges of tomato and sliced cucumber to start. My main dish was Rigatoni with courgettes (zucchini) and red sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and tasted delectable. Mom had ravioli stuffed with walnut and gorgonzola and butternut squash, which she also greatly enjoyed. It was a lovely meal and I was happy to have shared the experience of Olivelli's Paradiso Ristorante with my Mom.

Walked the lengths of Central London, browsed Covent Garden, meandered along the Thames, climbed the heights of St. Pauls Cathedral, crossed Millenium Bridge, explored the oddities of the Tate Modern, and ended with a great meal at a lovely restaurant all done in great company... this was another lovely day in London.

Shakespeare, Beatles, and The Magna Carta

2008, 4.14 London, England: The British Library, The British Museum

On the morning of April 14, the second day of adventure for my mom and I started the day with a proper breakfast served by our hotel with eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, yogurt, oj, coffe, and tea. It was a nice beginning to what would be an interesting and busy day.

After breakfast, we walked from our hotel to the British Library--just north east of where I had lived during my time in London. I had heard that the British Library was an interesting place to visit, but I did not expect it to be one of my favorite places in London.

Entrance to The British Library

Painting inside The British Library

The Library's exterior and entrance drew me in right from the start. From there, Mom and I found our way to The Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library (the rest of the building is an actual library where you can check out books and do research, etc.). It was literally a gallery full of treasures. Because there were so many amazing things to see, I will just list some of my favorites below:

-Shakespeare's First Folio-the first genuine collection of Shakespeare's works, published in 1623

-Lewis Carroll's Diary, author of "Alice in Wonderland," actually mentioning said book

-The original copy of "Beowulf"

-George Frederic Handel's Messiah, an autograph composition draft from 1741

-Sir Thomas More's last letter to Henry VIII, 1523

-The Gutenberg Bible, 1454-55

-Aesop's Fables, 1484

-Writings from Galileo Galilei

-Codex Arundel by Leonardo Da Vinci

-The Codex Sinaiticus, which is the earliest manuscript of the complete New Testament

-The Magna Carta--a charter of liberty and political rights obtained from King John of England by his rebellious barons at Runnymede in 1215, which came to be seen as the seminal document of English constitutional practice. A very important and influential historical legal document, later influenced the creation of many constitutional documents, including the U. S. Constitution

-And last but certainly not least, hand-written Beatles lyrics for the songs "The Fool on the Hill," "I want to hold your hand," "Help!", "Yesterday," "Ticket to Ride," "Hard Day's Night," "Michelle," and " In My Life" all of which you could listen to on the headphones they provided right there in front of you as you read the lyrics.

This Gallery's contents were truly impressive and, like I said, one of my favorite experiences in London. On top of the amazing gallery exploration, there was a temporary exhibit outside of the Sir John Ritblat Gallery called "All Power to the Imagination! 1968 and Its Legacies. This was an incredible collection of photographs, art, articles, video clips, music from the year 1968, which was a truly interesting and earth-riveting year in history. This exhibit was the cherry on top of an already awesome experience at the British Library.

Me at the British Library

The British Library

Sign at the British Library


After exploring the British Library, Mom and I made our way towards the British Museum. We stopped at Tesco (local grocery store) to buy some take away food for lunch and then sat in Russell Square while we enjoyed our lunch and tried to stay somewhat dry as it had begun to rain lightly as we sat there. Luckily I have a very easy-going mother and this did not disturb her much. From there, we made our way around the block to the British Museum.

British Museum in Central London, blocks from the BUNAC Hostel


While Mom and I didn't spend a great deal of time at the British Museum, we did stop by and enjoy seeing the Rosetta Stone--an ancient Egyptian artifact that helped scholars to decipher hieroglyphics and learn more about ancient Egyptian language and culture. It was pretty neat. In addition, I saw real mummies, which were disturbingly incredible and interesting.

While this was interesting and there were many treasues to be found in the British Museum, mom and I spent the majority of our time there in an exhibit called "The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock." It was somewhat funny to be viewing an American exhibit while traveling, but interesting to see it from somewhat of a foreigner's viewpoint. There were many interesting pieces of art there, however, and it was well worth the time.


Night on the El Train by Edward Hopper


One of my many feet photographs from my travels...this one taken by my mom on the way out of the British Museum

After getting our fill of historical treasures for the day, Mom and I headed back to our hotel for a bit. We stayed at Olivelli's Hotel just a few doors down from the BUNAC Hostel, which was nothing fancy, but was pretty reasonably priced for the area and suited us well for a comfortable place to sleep at night and a brief resting place in between excursions.

That evening, Mom and I had dinner at one of my favorite Thai restaurants in the area called Busaba Thai just down Store Street from Olivelli's Hotel and the BUNAC Hostel. We enjoyed Massaman Duck Curry with coconut rice and some hot tea. It was a lovely end to another lovely day in London.

Last of London, Day 1

2008, 4.13 Sunday, Mom arrives in London

This morning, I picked my mom up from Heathrow Airport in the morning. After exchanging some American dollars for GB pounds and getting her set up with an Oyster card for transport, we rode the Picadilly line from Heathrow to Russell Square in Central London.

At the time, it was pouring rain, but we made our way from the Russell Square tube station to the nearby Brunswick Square to get brunch at one of my favorite breakfast restaurants in London, Giraffe. Thankfully, by the time we were done with catching up (though honestly, we kept in touch really well for the time I was gone, so it didn't seem like I hadn't seen her for as long as it was) and enjoying our food, the rain had mostly stopped.

From there, we made our way to the BUNAC Hostel so I could pick up my bags and then we went to check into our room at the Arran Hotel off of Gower Street and Store Street--just around the corner from the hostel. We got settled into our very small but comfortable room and relaxed for a bit of the afternoon--Mom needed some travel recovery time from her flight and journey. I appreciated the down time, too.

Later in the afternoon, Mom and I headed out of the hotel to explore London. We went for a very long and winding walk through different areas of Central London and eventually ended up walking along the Thames by Embankment and seeing the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and other famous London landmarks. Here are some photographs from the journey...

Telephone Booths

Street Sign for the Embankment area

Big Ben and Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament



Charing Cross Road Underground (The 'Tube') Station Sign

After getting our fill of admiring London landmarks for the day, Mom and I stopped for dinner at a very charming and comfortable pub called Garrick's. It was a very English dining experience, which was the perfect way for mom to begin her English adventure. She ordered the Steak pie with mashed potatoes and green peas and I ordered a Greek salad with lettuce and sun- dried tomatoes, olives, tomatoes, and served with wholemeal pita bread. It was a good meal and overall pleasant dining experience.

From Garrick's Pub, Mom and I went towards Trafalgar Square and then headed back to the hotel to relax and get some rest for the next adventurous day in London.

Latest update and catch up.

Dear friends,

First of all, thank you so much for the birthday wishes. I was in southern Spain with two of my friends, Wes and Nate, on my birthday who spoiled me with kindness and fun. With that and the messages from all of you, I had a really great birthday. Thank you!!

It really means a lot to me to hear from friends and family back home, especially being so far away and not always being able to be in contact with everyone I care about. Please know that I think of you, though I may not write or call as much as I would like.

I also wanted to give you an update of what I've been doing for the past few months. It's been quite a busy time, so there's a lot, but I'll try to keep it somewhat short.

Since last September, when I moved to London, I have been mostly working and traveling. I started out working as a child protection social worker. This was a great opportunity in many ways--for growth, work experience, earning money (of course), and for me to realize that this was not my kind of work. With that, I decided in December that I would do something else and I quit my job as a CP social worker. For me, it just did not fit.

After Christmas and New Years, I started looking for a job. I was referred to World Class Teachers, an agency who places teachers and teachers assistants (TAs) in schools. With the agency's help, I found temporary work as a TA in a couple of different schools-a day or two in each school. Then, in early February, I was fortunate enough to be placed in a school where I ended up staying for the rest of my working time in London. I was working with children who have special needs, mostly autism and learning disabilities. I did one on one work with the children, supporting them in the classroom and also working with them on their IEPs (Individual Education Plans designed to focus on that child's particular educational needs). My co-workers were great and the work felt like it was really making a difference in the children's lives. I really enjoyed the work and was sad to leave. However, in early March, my work visa expired and so I had to go.

With my work visa, I was required to leave the UK on the day the visa expired. So, on March 13th, I started traveling.

My first stop was a road trip in Ireland with three friends I met in London, Nate, Ami, and Steve. Think rental car, driving on the left side of the road, lots of green Irish countryside, sleeping in the car in a parking lot one night, lots of pictures and lots of rain. It was quite the experience, and a lot of fun. We covered a lot of ground starting in Shannon, going north to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, down to Dingle Bay, over to Blarney Castle near Cork, headed up to Kilkenny. We ended the trip in Dublin just in time for St. Patty's Day where we met up with some other friends for the weekend, which was an experience in itself and tons of fun. All in all, Ireland was beautiful, despite all the rain, and the trip was a lot of fun. I put up all kinds of pictures, if you care to take a peek.

From Ireland, Nate and I flew from Dublin to Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa. This was an amazing experience. Briefly, we stayed in Marrakech one night, went on a two day tour down to Zagora in the Draa Valley. This involved several hours riding in a van surrounded by people from all over Europe, many of whom did not speak English, including our tour guide, but best of all, riding camels and sleeping in tents in the desert under a full moon. It was truly one of the most incredible experiences I have had and so much fun. After our adventures in Draa Valley, we returned to Marrakech and then moved on to Fes.

After our adventures in Morocco, Nate and I headed to Spain. Nate's family has a timeshare condo in Nueva Andalucia, Marbella, Spain and he was kind enough to let me and our friend Wes come and hang out with him for a week and enjoy the condo, including the surrounding beautiful sunshine and beaches (This was where I was when I celebrated my 23rd birthday). After hanging out with these guys for the past six months, it was nice to have one last week together relaxing and having fun. It was sad to have it end and I miss them all ready. I also miss the sunshine and beaches. ; )

After saying goodbye to Wes at the condo and later to Nate in Malaga, I headed on my own from Malaga to Barcelona via night train. I spent one day in Barcelona, bumming around, but I had been there all ready with Kate in January, so just kind of hung out wandering a bit and spending a lot of the afternoon in the park. (Spain is wonderful, by the way, one of my favorite places.)

From Barcelona, I traveled to Switzerland (beautiful!!), then moved on to Germany, stopping in Munich and Berlin (both very cool and each in their own ways), then stopped in Stockholm, Sweden on my way towards Norway. I didn't have much time in Stockholm, but from what I gathered, it is a pretty neat place.

From Stockholm, I took a night train up to Narvik, Norway--the farthest north you can go on a train in that area--and then took a bus from Narvik to Tromso to visit my dear old friend Brian and his lovely wife Linn. I went to school with Brian in Winsted from 3rd grade through high school and hadn't seen him in about two years, so it was really nice to catch up with him and also to see the life that he and Linn have created for themselves in Tromso. Linn grew up in Tromso, so I got to meet her family and a few of their friends, who were all wonderful. Brian and Linn also let me stay at their beautiful and comfortable home free of charge (you can probably imagine how nice this was after having been on the go and sleeping in trains and hostels for the past week, so a million thanks to them!). While I was staying there, they spoiled me with treats and showed me around the beautiful Norwegian city of Tromso. It was definitely too short a visit, but I had such a good time and was really happy to spend time with Brian and Linn.

From Tromso, I flew to Oslo, Norway, took a train from the airport to a smaller international airport near Torp, Norway, and then flew from there to Glasgow, Scotland. Unfortunately, time and schedules did not allow for me to meet up with my friend Kellie who lives in Glasgow (sorry Kellie!) and I headed to Edinburgh. I spent the last two nights in Edinburgh meeting some really fun people and checking out the Castle, Mary King's Close, St. Giles Church, a neat and creepy graveyard, and a few other Scottish treats. Edinburgh is, as everyone had told me, an amazing city with tons of history and a great feel to it.

At the moment, I am headed on a train (my favorite way to travel!) from Edinburgh to London. I will meet up with some friends tonight and then my mom arrives in the morning, which I am very excited about. My mom and I are going to be exploring London and some of England for the next week and then we will be flying back together to the good ol' US of A next Sunday. I am really going to miss Europe and all the fun I have had here. At the same time, I am so excited to see my family and friends!!!

I'm not sure what the next step will be on my life's journey. I will be moving home to Winsted to live with my mom for an undetermined amount of time. My little sister graduates in May/June and my Uncle Tim with whom I am very close, is getting married in mid-June, so I will definitely be in Minnesota for that. And, after that, we shall see. One thing I have learned with my travels is that things work out the way that do and you may have to plan a little bit, but life will throw at you what it wants to. Embrace it and make the most of it.

Bonny Scotland

2008, 4.10-12 Edinburgh, Scotland

The flight from Oslo Torp airport to Glasgow Prestwick, Scotland went smoothly. I tried calling my friend Kellie MacAlonan who lives in Glasgow to see if she wanted to meet up, but it didn't work out with our schedules. I took a train from the airport to downtown Glasgow and then on to Edinburgh, which was very easy. The Scottish countryside is very pretty, from what I saw, which, really, wasn't much. I can't imagine what the rest of the country is like, though I've heard wonderful things.

I made it to Edinburgh pretty late in the evening. It was dark, but there were still quite a few people out and about, so that was good, as I wasn't exactly sure where I was going in order to find my hostel and there were some areas that seemed kind of shady. I stayed at the Edinburgh Backpacker's Hostel. I shared my hostel room with five other people-4 American girls and a guy.

I went on a free tour led by an employee from the hostel to explore Edinburgh. On the tour, I learned about Greyfriar's Bobby.

Bobby's Bar dedicated to Greyfriar's Bobby

Burial site of the famous Greyfriar's Bobby, Bobby the dog who almost never left his owner's side, even when Greyfriar passed away

One of the most haunted places in the world

A window along The Royal Mile

Edinburgh Castle


The Princes Mall and the Train Station in Central Edinburgh

War Memorial


St. Giles Cathedral and the Royal Mile

Advocate's Close, one of the many historical passageways in Edinburgh


Stained glass window in St. Giles Cathedral

Edinburgh is a city in which it feels as though the history is still being made as you walk down the street. The history and the present culture are still very much alive in the every day life of the city. It is an incredible feeling. Despite the weather--spotty rain showers throughout the day intermingled with spots of sunshine--it is a very charming city with a lot to offer. I didn't have nearly enough time there--about two days, but I did get the chance within that time to see a lot of the city, make some new acquaintences, and even try the Haggis, which was surprisingly tasty.

It was a lovely place to end my post-London, month long travels. If only I'd have made it to Bonny Scotland earlier in my Journey Abroad, I'd have realized I should have made Scotland a top travel priority. Another day...

Visiting friends in Norway

2008, 4.7-10 Tromsø, Norway


From Stockholm, Sweden, I took a night train to Narvik, Norway--the farthest point north you can reach in Norway by train. It was a long, scenic ride. Along the way, I slept, relaxed, made notes of my travels so far.

I found that the farther I traveled north, the more I blended in with the locals with my blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Several times I had to try to say in Swedish or Norwegian, "I only speak English." Thankfully, many of the people I talked to also spoke English, and all of the train staff spoke English.

I tried reindeer stew served beside mashed potatoes and iceberg lettuce. The reindeer meat tasted much like roast beef, but the texture was more unique than the taste--a bit more chewy.

The ride to Narvik was especially beautiful towards the end where there were beautiful lakes reflecting the deep blue sky and the tall peaks of surrounding snow-capped mountains. Some of the lakes were frozen over, while others were wide open.

Once I reached Narvik, I figured out how to take the bus from Narvik to Tromsø and waited at the small train station. The bus ride was even more beautiful than what I had seen from the train. It took about four hours, but went quickly as I captured photographic memories of the breathtaking surroundings. I also discussed international politics with a young Swedish guy who was relocating to Tromsø to find work and take advantage of the strength of the krone (Norwegian currency) against the Swedish krona.

One view along the way from Narvik to Tromsø

Another breathtaking view along the way to Tromsø

When I arrived at the bus station in Tromsø, Brian and Linn were waiting for me. I felt so happy to see my old friend and his lovely Linn. They are such a nice couple and though I hadn't seen Brian for a couple of years, it seemed like we hadn't missed a beat. We greeted each other, then we hopped into their car and took a short drive around Tromsø on our way to dinner. After dinner, we stopped at the local grocery store--not dramatically different than the ones I'm used to back in the US, though quite a lot more fish products and, of course, everything was labeled in Norwegian.

Before continuing to Brian and Linn's home, we stopped to explore an old shipwreck on the ocean shore as the sun set. We delighted in the scenery as the snow covered mountains across the bay transformed into a dark silhouette while the twinkling lights of houses grew brighter and the slivered moon rose in the rainbow sky fading to black.


In the morning, Brian and I went to explore more of Tromsø, stopping at the Sandnessund Bridge to take in more natural beauty of the area, and then later at the Tromsø Museum.

One of the exhibits at the Tromsø Museum was called a "wake hammer," which was a long-handled metal hammer used during church ceremonies to tap and wake people who would fall asleep during homilies. There were lots of other interesting historical artefacts and exhibits at the museum, including the Vikings (they didn't actually wear horns!) and the Sami people, the indigenous tribes of Norway and other Nordic countries.

More of beautiful Norway near Tromsø

Brian standing in a former Nazi bunker from WWII

One of the road tunnels that go underneath the ocean connecting different parts of the city and the islands that make up Tromsø--there were several of these tunnels and they were surprising long, but very handy.

Brian, Linn, and I took the Fjellheisen, or mountain lift to the top of a surrounding mountain. This is the view from the top of the mountain overlooking Tromsø.

The Fjellheisen

Another view of the city and surrounding ocean waters, including one of the ships that travel along the Norwegian coast transporting people and goods

View from the downtown area

The Arctic Cathedral


Store bought lefse and dried fish

The few days I had in Tromsø were lovely. Brian and Linn spoiled me with their wonderful hospitality. I met Linn's family, absolutely wonderful people. We played soccer, caught up on life, relaxed, celebrated Brian's 23rd birthday, and explored a bit of the beautiful city of Tromsø. Brian dropped me off at the airport in Tromso so that I could catch a plane to Oslo, from where I took a train to a smaller city to catch another plane back to the United Kingdom. The train ride to Oslo, Torp felt a lot like I could be traveling through part of Minnesota, which was interesting.

Another connection to Minnesota I noticed was that the MinneSOtan accents that we are famous for sound a lot like the way some of the Norwegian words are spelled or pronounced, such as their word for yes is pronounced "yah" (think 'oh, yah, you betchya'). I thought it was kind of cute and fun.

Norway was a wonderful experience. I hope to make it back some day...maybe next time to see the infamous fjords, the aurora borealis (Northern Lights), and the midnight sun.