The first week in Utrecht
Monday, 10 September 2018 • year abroad
I remember my year 8 French teacher talking to the class about his year abroad, and thinking 'how did he do that? Live abroad? By himself?' It really is crazy to think about quiet high school Anna ever being brave enough to live abroad for a year.
DAY 1
Getting out here was fun; with 10 minutes until my boarding gates closed I was still at the end of the queue at customs, to find that after stressing my way through security my flight was delayed anyway. Nice. But once I got to Schiphol everything seemed to fall into place, I met Niamh on the train platform, a recognisable international student with her 2 huge suitcases just like me, and Cecilie and Emma on the train. Having a little group of friends already by the time we reached Utrecht was massively comforting, and even getting off at the wrong bus stop didn’t feel so bad since we had each other to work out where to go. By the evening everyone had met their flatmates which meant the group for our meal out alongside the canal was a huge mix of flatmates, train mates, and course mates.
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DAY 2
The first day turned out really well, apart from my failed trip to find a second hand bike (absolutely devastating) and the next day we decided to go for a group trip to IKEA; so perfect after arriving to a surprisingly spacious but highly un-decorated room. After spending a night under just a blanket with no pillow I was very appreciative of everyone’s enthusiasm for an IKEA trip- not very ‘Dutch culture’ immersive, but very essential. The successful shopping day was then however cut short when we arrived at ANOTHER second hand bike shop 1 minute after it had closed.
DAY 3
After sleeping through my alarm due to my strange freshers flu I decided to make the most of Monday, going straight out to the bike shop absolutely determined to buy one. The fietsenmaker was super helpful and I managed the whole transaction in Dutch, one of my first opportunities to really put it to the test. When you’re living with international students its so easy to just avoid the language of the country, and there's always part of you that tells yourself 'just do it in English it'll be easier', but it's always, always, always worth trying.
DAY 4
The bike (and my cycling abilities) were truly tested the next morning when Matt, my flatmate Courtney and I set off for our introductory meeting in the Domplein, and then for my afspraak to register with the municipality. I’d parked in my first ever proper bike park, and found the right building to realise that I didn’t have my passport with me… no registration for me just yet. Oh well, I got some cycling practice out of it.
By that evening, a night out was overdue and the girls from my flat I headed out armed with Desperados (an unlikely drink of choice) for pres before the international students party at club Poema in the city. Cycling to a club and back is definitely NOT ideal but at least there was a good group of us, it for sure added to the fun.. Until the next morning when I had my first lecture at 9AM.
DAY 5
After cycling to the city centre (where all of my classes are held) in a morning thunderstorm, I successfully managed to sit through my first 1hr 45 lecture and take some pretty good notes while making a new friend in the process... what hangover? There’s so much to explore in the city so I decided to get a little lost there before my next lecture (and buy a raincoat- who forgets to pack a raincoat for a YEAR abroad??)
DAY 6
The next day I was in need of a catch up with everything, making a new appointment with the stadskantoor (lol) and signing myself up for some projects while I’m here. I also cycled out to what I thought was the post office to find myself in the university hospital.. It felt a bit weird, but they had stamps so I went along with it and sent a postcard to my little sister.
In the night I went with the girls from my flat to a club which looked more like a shopping mall.. I've never seen anything like it, no sticky floors, bright white walls, and an indoor smoking room with glass walls. It was strange, but an amazing night, and I found myself speaking a lot of Dutch....
In the night I went with the girls from my flat to a club which looked more like a shopping mall.. I've never seen anything like it, no sticky floors, bright white walls, and an indoor smoking room with glass walls. It was strange, but an amazing night, and I found myself speaking a lot of Dutch....
DAY 7
Friday- the final day before a whole week in the Netherlands; with only one class all day, the morning was relaxed, and it was actually pretty sunny which made for a great bike ride to and from uni. I finally managed to get to the stadskantoor and successfully register as a resident, and watched a little bit of beach volleyball that was going on just outside the central station.
City, Sea and Mountains in Catalonia
Thursday, 6 September 2018 • travel
CITY
Something I find so lovely about Barcelona is the huge doors lining the streets, leading to their own special collection of randomly used spaces spread across different floors; apartments, offices, and in the case of Carrer del Bruc 123, a hostel. I was a little bit nervous about sharing a 6 bed dorm room with my sister and a group of strangers, but having stayed in various dodgy hostels in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, this felt like a palace. Unfortunately I only stayed for two nights, but if I was there any longer I definitely would’ve taken full advantage of the bikes and other extras that the hostel offered. It’s hard to tire of exploring the city, and I’d never visited at the height of summer, so although some places were absolutely full of tourists it was quite exciting to see Parc de la Ciutadella (for sure my favourite place) and Parc Güell in the sunshine.
Of course I had to make my obligatory Brandy Melville purchase; every time I visit a city that’s home to a Brandy store I buy one item as a souvenir (quite sad really) and as I waited in the fitting room queue I watched the unpredictable August sun turn into a thunderstorm. To escape the rain my family and I set out to visit my absolute favourite restaurant in Barcelona, a tiny little place called Morryssom, which was unexpectedly shut when we visited. Nevertheless we tried out another restaurant La Neura around the corner which was super cosy and had an amazing tapas menu.
SEA
As loyal Eurocamp customers it was only right that a portion of our holiday was spent in a mobile home on a campsite, so for the second part of our trip we stayed in Lloret de Mar, further up the Costa Brava on the steepest site ever with the loveliest views. These places are often situated perfectly for visiting the beach, so the four days were spent by the pool or on the (burning hot) sand at the beach.
After cramming in activities in the city it was pretty nice to relax, but I’m not used to just sitting around on holiday anymore, and by the last night we decided it was time to explore a nearby town. Tossa de Mar was undoubtedly beautiful, with a huge castle and picturesque little streets through the middle. We ate at Pizzeria Anna below the castle walls which was so cosy and beautiful, but as the night went on decided that it was best that we were staying outside of the town in a quieter area.
MOUNTAINS
Quieter area is an understatement for the last place on our trip- this place was silent. Like I said, my family is one that always stays with camping companies, and I can’t remember a time where we stayed in a hotel. So I felt like a princess when we were shown our rooms, and the pool with ready folded towels right next to huge rock faces and incredible views at our hotel in Peramola. I'm forever feeling disrespectful when I visit a new place and can’t speak the language of the people. Sure, Ciao and danke are nice gestures, but I still feel like a let down when I have to ask for an English menu. In this respect studying Spanish but visiting Catalonia, was a frustrating combination. I thought that the locals would be frustrated with my awkward Spanish attempts, but everybody actually seemed to appreciate it, making me feel a lot more confident to keep going.
Little walking tours into the Pyrenees made me even more in awe of the incredible landscape, and we were only on the edges. Some of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen were also in the surroundings of the hotel, like Rialb reservoir and the mountain views in Sant Llorenç de Morunys. Overall in the little tour of only eight days we’d experienced three really different types of holidays in one, all in Catalonia. Surely that’s got to make it one of the best destinations for a short summer holiday 'with everything’ in Europe.
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