Category: Europe

Submitted by Emily Toal on the 2018 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theater…

Our second week in London was incredibly busy, but memorable. I am finally starting to get familiar with our area and using the tube/underground system (which is surprisingly much easier to navigate compared to the subways in Philly and NYC!). For our second week, we spent a lot of time after class exploring the city together with some sightseeing. We went to Westminster Abbey, which was a very unique experience. It is truly amazing to me how much history and culture we can appreciate just by getting the chance to walk around the inside of the Abbey and learning  about the significance of even the smallest details. We spent about two hours exploring the Abbey and it is unreal to me that we had the opportunity to go inside one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country. That night, we saw our second play on our class schedule, A Christmas Carol. Even though, we happened to see this show a month after Christmas, our class really enjoyed it, and seeing this story unfold live helped us experience the message it was trying to convey. This particular version of the show was very interactive with the audience as well, which was something that made it especially unique. Our second show for the week, The Girl from the North Country, received a different reaction from the class. It was actually a show that had yet to be officially open to the public, but had received 5 star reviews from many critics. In class the next day, our discussion ended up being one of the most interesting, thought provoking conversations of the program so far, since many of our classmates challenged the positive reviews. It made the class much more interesting to have a productive conversation about the shows we see with differing opinions and views, which was what our professors intended. I am excited to experience the conversations we have after we attend all different types of shows each week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following weekend, a group of my classmates and I went to Amsterdam for the weekend, where we packed a great deal of sightseeing into only two days. It was interesting to see the contrast between Amsterdam and London. I noticed some differences as soon as we arrived. Many people in Amsterdam opt to bike for transportation as opposed to walking or taking public transportation, so pedestrians need to have an extra sense of awareness when crossing the street. We learned this quickly upon arriving, but it was interesting to see how quickly street etiquette can change between two countries that seem to be so close. Our group managed to learn the transportation system within a day, even when many of the street signs and bus/tram stop maps weren’t in English(we mainly took the tram between our hostel to the center of the city, and it made us feel very accomplished to learn the logistics of everything in such a short amount of time- I feel much mort independent about being able to get around in a foreign country after this weekend!). In terms of sightseeing, we managed to get to see the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh museum, take the Heineken Brewery tour, walk through the Amsterdam Cheese Museum, and take a canal tour on a boat at night. The city of Amsterdam is incredibly beautiful. I was fascinated by how we could see the water from every street we walked on. It was a crazy change of scenery from London. I feel that London is in such an ideal location where we can travel to other parts of Europe with ease during the weekends, which is perfect for a month-long program when we only have a few weekends free to do so. Even after being in Amsterdam, it was nice to come back to London and prepare for another week of class!

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Lauren Barrese on the 2016 winter session program in Spain and Italy sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice…

Week four in Spain and our voyage abroad leaves us in Barcelona. Leaving Seville was definitely tough. Seville was quiet, quaint, vibrant and by far my favorite city in Spain that we have visited thus far. A five hour bullet train from Seville to Barcelona was an adventure in itself. Sitting in coach 10 was roomy and filled with the students on our trip. Half-way through the ride, we ventured through the first few cars to the first which was a cafe. There were tall tables to look out the windows while eating your food or sipping your coffee to appreciate the mountains and open fields that Spain had to offer. Arriving in Barcelona later in the night made me realize how similar it was to New York City. All of the other cities in Spain we have visited had little cobblestone alley ways and steep hills lined with cafes and boutiques. Barcelona was different.

Barcelona had wide concrete streets with designer stores and large restaurants. It was different, in the best way possible. I enjoyed the mix up of atmospheres and the Catalan language. In class, we learned that Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, one of the seventeen regions in Spain. This has become a prominent issue in today’s Spanish politics. Catalonians have their own language, culture and history that differs from the rest of Spain. They identify themselves as Catalonians, not Spaniards. They do their best in attempting to secede from Spain, claiming they have different ideals and standards and have the resources to become their own prosperous nation.

Out of the places we visited so far in Spain, my favorite would have to be Park Güell. This was a park designed by Gaudi, a famous artist who is known for his mosaic tile art and his appreciation of nature and his incorporation of it in the modernity of his art. We toured the top of the park which allowed us the opportunity to see the top of the city and we then ventured to the bottom part where we winded through pillars which drained the rain water to the underground water bank.

As we approach “the middle of our sandwich” to the journey of a lifetime, I am happy to be experiencing these cities through the culture, history and action packed adventures they have to offer, but I am also looking forward to being reunited with those I love and miss at home. Being able to learn with a hands on approach by touring the cities, museums and places we learn about in lectures and in our readings makes you understand and appreciate the material more. Two more days left in Barcelona and then off to Rome we go!

 

Submitted by Stephanie Rodgers on the 2016 winter session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This past weekend, I went to Sevilla with most of the group. We left Granada on Friday afternoon and were able to get to our hotel in Sevilla in time for dinner. For dinner, we went to a tapas place that was close to both my hotel and the hotel that the other students stayed at. The food and service were both very good and I believe everyone enjoyed the dinner.

On Saturday, we visited the Plaza de España and the Metropol Parasol. The Plaza de España was probably my favorite site so far and we had perfect weather for our tour. The view from the Mertropol Parasol was equally as breathtaking, allowing for a view of the entire city.

On Sunday, we were able to fit in a tour of the Alcazar – one of my other favorite sitess – as well as the Royal Bullring and the Cathedral. All of these places were beautiful and I would love to come back to see all of the gardens in the spring.

Submitted by Kyle Plusch on the 2016 winter session program in Spain sponsored by the College of Health Sciences…

I feel like I have experienced and learned more history in these past two weeks  than in any class previously (no offense to any of my past history teachers). Surprisingly, even in Madrid, which we explored on Sunday, there are barely any tall metal buildings that populate every corner of every street in every American city. I can’t imagine living next to a castle or palace, yet this is normal for Spain.  Even the only McDonalds in the historic area of Toledo is located directly next to the old palace, which contains an arch where a King would hang those who broke his rules hundreds of years ago.

Regarding my experience in the hospital, I was able to stand over a 3.5 hour open heart surgery on Friday, and while I can safely say that I would strongly prefer being operated on at Christiana than here, it was an amazing experience.

Submitted by Emily Luck on the 2016 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of English…

Monstrous Monastery

We took our first weekend excursion to the town of Delphi. On the way there, we stopped at a centuries-old monastery that still houses monks. As a product of 13 years of Catholic education, it was so cool to visit it and see all of the icons that the beautiful church held. I’m not positive what style the architecture is, but I can tell you that it was unreal. There were little staircases hidden away in the courtyards that we all scrambled on to see the most breathtaking view I could think of. The monastery, like many of the buildings we’ve seen here, was built into the side of a mountain overlooking a valley. Looking over the wall, there was just a sea of green beneath us, full of olive and orange trees and many other types of vegetation. The mountains on the opposite side of the valley were covered in trees, creating such an interesting texture. It was also a gorgeous day – around 55 degrees, sunny with a little breeze. No one on the program was in a bad mood on that day, so everything was made infinitely more wonderful. As I looked at the view, I realized, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, how blessed I was to be in Greece on this program.

The Island of Aegina

Earlier this week, we woke up early and took a boat to the nearby island of Aegina to look at the ruins there. I wish there were words to describe how wonderful my experience was. I felt very content spending an hour on the top of the boat, feeling the salty mist over my face as I watched the sun rise above the city of Athens. It felt like I could just stay there happily forever. I love the sea. I love its eternal depth, its endless species and its ability to make you feel lost, but totally calm at the same time. Once we got off the boat, we walked to a site and museum (where I saw the biggest pot I’ve ever seen), but we all got distracted along the way by the beautiful views. There was a meadow of flowers that I was determined to play in (I did) and tall overgrown grass where I pretended to be a lion. My inner child was on full blast, but I didn’t care if anyone judged me for that. When I get in such a good mood like I did that day, I let my reservations go and let myself feel everything and anything. So many people on our program took pictures of me in those flowers because I looked so carefree. I was an actual flower child. The history of that place was so interesting and nice to learn, but (as always) the island’s natural beauty overtook me. That’s one place I would definitely go back to if I had the chance.

Submitted by Jessica Weber on the 2016 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…

This was our third week in Italy, and for most of it, we spent our time in the coastal city of Sorrento. From there, we traveled to Naples, Mt. Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii, which is spelled Pompei by Italians. For three days straight, our excursions centered around the ancient city of Pompeii and its culture. We first visited the ruins with our local tour guide, Sabina. For a large portion of the day, we explored the ancient streets and walked through the partially intact homes of the wealthy, where mosaics and paintings still lined the floors and walls. I was amazed at how well-preserved the artwork was after hundreds of years covered in volcanic ash. We even saw the casts of some of the people caught in the natural disaster. We finished off the excursion taking pictures among the ruins of the city’s political center with Mt. Vesuvius looming off in the distance. The next day, we headed to the Naples National Archaeological Museum to look at artifacts from Pompeii. We saw even more mosaics, including one composed of over four million tiles. The museum also housed ancient medical supplies, pottery and makeup containers. Seeing Pompeii and the possessions of people living there really helped us picture what life was like. Because they had so many inventions and examples of high-level thinking, I wonder what they would have come up with had the city not been destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius. The best part of the trip to Sorrento, however, was the hike up Mt. Vesuvius. Although it was extremely cold and windy, the views of the city from the top were incredible. We could see out to the coast and beyond. On the walk up one of the deadliest volcanoes in the world, the magnitude of its power finally hit me. This is the same volcano that wiped out several cities, multiple times in history, and I was hiking up it.

Submitted by Nicole Ferrara on the 2016 winter session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

Churros and a movie. What could be better on a Friday? Another excursion! But this time to Cordoba. For the entire bus ride, there were olive trees as far as the eye could see and then there were none as we arrived in the city. It was a beautiful weekend in the city as the temperature was in the high 60’s. This was a much better weekend than most had back in America as a blizzard was occurring. We saw all the sites: the Mesquita, the Roman Bridge, the Calahorra Tower, and the Roman Temple. All the architecture in this city shows the mixture of cultures Spain has had throughout history. The Mesquita was a mosque during the Muslim rule, but a cathedral was added during Christian rule so there are not many mosque aspects left. The Roman bridge was clearly made during Roman times, but the Calahorra Tower was made during Muslim rule to protect this bridge. Lastly, the Roman Temple was quite amazing. It amazes me how after all this time, these monuments are still standing and in such wonderful condition. Cordoba shows how the cultures really did mix and how structures were changed. Spain continues to amaze me everyday with it’s beautiful architecture. There is definitely nothing like this in America.

Submitted by Tyler Roberts on the 2016 winter session program in Germany sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering…

Last week our study abroad group went to the Thyssenkrupp Steelworks in Essen, Germany. The entire facility was the size of a small city and its equipment and buildings were very impressive. The first picture below is of our professor, Dr. Shah (left), and one of our tour guides. We were looking at the furnace where all of the steel is made.

In addition to seeing the steelworks, we also saw the re-crystallization of ice crystals on the widow panes at our university’s train station. It was especially exciting because re-crystallization was one of the topics we learned about in our materials science course the day before!

The last picture is of the cathedral in Cologne. We journeyed there one afternoon after class and it was a great chance to see where Cologne originated! The cathedral was impressive and the restaurant we went to for dinner had a delicious authentic German delicatessen.

One especially exciting thing that has happened to our group on the program is that we have met some amazing people on the trains when we have traveled. We have met students and parents and each of them has interesting perspectives on Germany in addition to opinions and views about the United States!

 

Submitted by Sammantha Cacioppo-Cruz on the 2016 winter session program in Siena, Italy sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

This weekend, my travel companions and I visited Venice, Italy. Upon arrival, we were immediately breath taken by the ambiance of the surrounding water and antique bridges. While in Venice, I got to take advantage of the luscious water and colorful buildings by taking a gondola ride with my group. Sailing along the Grande Canal was simply incredible, and I’m so happy that I got to experience it with the great friends I’ve made on this program.

Our visit took place at the start of one of Venice’s most famous festivals; The Carnivale. During this period, the Venetians dress up in magnificent and intricately designed costumes and masks. The main purpose of this festival is so that people of all social classes, races and genders can express their equality. In other words, the people of Venice can exchange their roles in society.  In my opinion, I find that The Carnivale festival is not only a beautiful sight, but it displays such a peaceful and unique message. I hope that this movement of equality can inspire everyone.

Venice felt like a roller coaster that only went up. That is until I had an allergic reaction in the middle of a restaurant at dinner.  Prior to traveling to Italy, I had never had an allergic reaction to food.  So, I was beyond concerned as to what was happening to my body.  And to make matters worse, I was in a place that relied solely on transportation by foot and boat. However, one of my friends on the program had allergy medicine back at our hotel. Luckily, after a couple of hours, I was feeling like myself again. Although I won’t hold this inconvenience against Venice, I learned that you should always be prepared for the unexpected and to remain calm when things get rough (or itchy).

Submitted by Sarah Gewirtz on the 2016 winter session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

I can’t believe we only have a week and a half left here in Spain. It is absolutely amazing and I do not want my time here to end. When I first came to Spain, I was very nervous about the food because I am very picky, but the food turned out to be amazing and I have tried things I never thought I would try before. Ham is a huge ingredient in so many different dishes here and although I am not a big fan, I have become more flexible with what I eat. Food is such a huge portion of their culture and it is definitely seen in all the cities I visited. This weekend, we went to Madrid. It reminded me a lot of New York City which has some positives and negatives. There were so many people on the streets which was nice to see, but was overwhelming and nerve-racking at times. Once you were a little out of the center, it was small cobblestone streets like the image everyone thinks about when talking about Europe. We visited the Royal Palace which was absolutely beautiful. Each room had different intricate paintings and architecture and most of them had gold details! It was crazy and definitely an experience. I wish I was able to live there.

I also went to el Rastro which was a huge flea market. It was really cool to see all the different vendors with antiques, leather bags and clothing. I also went to the Prado Museum and saw the painting, Las Meninas. This was especially nice because I have been learning about this painting for so long in Spanish class and it was nice to actually see it in person. Madrid was definitely a crazy city, but a lot of fun as well. I am excited to see what this last week and a half will bring in Granada and I am sad to have to say good-bye to it in the near future.