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The Red-Stone Ruins of Heidelberg Castle
2022 European Adventure: Part 4 of 6 Any one who knows me knows this: I am obsessed with castles. The German town of Heidelberg is home to imposing castle ruins rising above a red-roofed medieval town. It’s the medieval kind of castle, with towers and bricks and spiral staircases and looming walls. Palaces are the lacy, frilly, gold-gilt ones. That’s not what I’m about. I love fortresses, castles, bastions–anything that can be defended and, preferably, sports an imposing skyline. I can’t pinpoint a moment when my love affair with castles began, though I can guess at all the little pieces that influenced it:. Cair Paravel in Narnia. The Royal Palace…
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Highway to Heidelberg: a Must-See Stop on the Way Through Germany
2022 European Adventure: Part 3 of 6 Heidelberg is red-roofed, green rolling hills, river running through it magical. The next stop on my European Adventure is Heidelberg, Germany! I picked this place–I’ve been dying to go for ages. Actually, there are very few places in Germany that I don’t want to go. However, this one has been on my list since my Study Abroad program. And the reason I wanted so badly to visit Heidelberg is because of the beautiful castle looming above this town. However, this post isn’t about the lovely castle at all (the next one, here, is entirely about the castle!), but about the other amazing things…
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Amsterdam for Introverts like Me: How to Make the Most of a City Known for Weed & Sex
European Adventure: Part 2 of 6 The second stop on my Great European Adventure of 2022 with my friends was the city of Amsterdam. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. I’m not a city girl. I prefer small towns, nature vistas, farmer’s markets, and quiet streets. I went to Amsterdam after Delft (one such small, quiet town). When I stepped off the train into this big, bustling city, I was ready to say: “Screw it. Let’s go back to Delft!” Really, Amsterdam is just a another big city. Except it has canals. And it’s known for having Prostitutes and Weed Shops. Yay! (Please note the sarcasm). However, while those things…
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Detour to Delft: Charming Churches & Canals in a Picturesque Dutch Town
European Adventure: Part 1 of 6 The town of Delft in the Netherlands was the first stop on my first trip back to Europe since Covid! I remember leaving Aix-en-Provence, France on March 16, 2020 with the belief that this Covid thing would never last. I planned to travel that summer, retaking the days and experiences I was missing out on by being sent home from my Study Abroad program early. I believed it would be two months until I was back. Not two years! But a little thing like Covid won’t keep me away from travel forever! My best friend called me up in January and said she wanted…
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4 Days in New York City During Covid
Day 1: All the Busy, Bustling(?) Tourist Spots Covid is good a for a few things. One of them being LESS PEOPLE. Even on the streets of New York City. Masks were required on the subway and in a few buildings, but we mostly enjoyed the perks of the Covid rather than the downsides. We started out our first afternoon with a walk through Times Square, which was way less busy than I remember from a quick visit in 2018. We peeked in at Union Station, saw the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and found a great rooftop bar to enjoy the Empire State Building. We ended the night with sushi in…
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Covid Catastrophe in the Czech Republic
I can't say that I didn't know any better. But we thought we were untouchable. We thought the chaos wending it's way through the world was ridiculous. There was no precedent for everything shutting down. Surely in a week or two everything would be back to normal. Do you remember when we all thought that?
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Paris à Pied: Exploring the City of Love in 30 Hours
I spent 30 hours in Paris this weekend–a whirlwind vacation. My friends were busy, so I hopped on a train by myself and came to the City of Love. (Pairs is both the City of Love and City of Lights). Lucky Paris–to be known for both great things! Paris Catacombs I kicked things off with the Paris Catacombs. The underground quarries here were begun in the 14th century and then later abandoned. In 1774, parts of Paris collapsed and Louis XVI created a department to protect the quarries and fortify them so they did’t continue to collapse. Major health problems from overfilled cemeteries and charnel houses also plagued the city.…
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Barcelona Basics: Food, Friends, and Gaudi
Barcelona was a non-stop adventure. I arrived at midnight on Friday night and made my way to Don Moustache Hostel via the Aerobus. My friends, Kate and Sarah, had arrived Thursday night. After a good night’s sleep (despite all the snoring–good thing I always travel with ear plugs!) we started off Saturday morning with some Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi is Barcelona’s most famous architect and his designs can be found all across the city. Our first stop was Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo Gaudi designed the house for a wealthy aristocrat who lived with his family on the first two floors and rented the rest out as apartments. It’s said there are…
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Camp des Milles: What France once Tried to Erase
Camp des Milles is located in the old tile factory in the town of Les Milles. In fact, the roof of one of my school’s buildings is tiled with tiles from this factory. But that’s not why we we’re here. From the beginning of World War Two in September, 1939 until June, 1940, the French government (the Third Republic), interned Germans and Austrians who had fled from Germany in the 1930s, and other foreigners who were considered a potential threat. In reality, most of these people were anti-Nazi or had been living in France for years. The internees were given straw and told to sleep on the floor near the…
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Aix-periences Closer to Home: Montagne Sainte-Victoire and Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur
Montagne Sainte-Victoire A friend and I decided to hike the prominent mountain to the northwest of Aix: Montagne Sainte-Victoire. We began by walking along the ridge (above right), then the trail pretty much goes straight up the side of the peak. It’s a total of 10 kilometers and over 1,700 feet of altitude gain. Despite the hot sun, it was a great hike. We got to scramble up rocks and had amazing views the whole time. In the 13th century, a chapel was built on top of the mountain. Today it’s called the Priory of Sainte Victoire, but it was abandoned in the 17th century. Now it’s a popular spot…
