tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65931295180476317632024-02-07T03:23:10.489-05:00Big World Small FeetTravel. Culture. Organic Photography. Spirituality. Worldly Living.Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-79658922895326469422021-01-01T21:24:00.000-05:002021-01-01T21:24:00.271-05:00The Last Post... in Blog Form<br />
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<span class="m2508628025280607337s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">First I'm going to talk
about the likely disconcerting second part of the title - last blog post.
"Oh no! They're done writing?" You may say. However, it is time to
move on to a different part of my travelling career. Editing my horribly type
voice texts And then redding them up so they can be posted online is actually
very time-consuming. </span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="m2508628025280607337s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Instead, I've come to the
realisation that I can simply record videos to post later, and since more
people watch YouTube videos in general then read a blog, it just makes the most
sense for me to start vlogging instead. After all, that's how nearly everybody
gets discovered for their time and talent these days. </span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="m2508628025280607337s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And so, I will be creating
a new YouTube channel dedicated to my blog. I will have a few uploads here and
there from other journeys I have gone on, and eventually, I will begin to
populate my vlog with new and improved material, sharing content between this
website and there. If you enjoy reading about my journeys, you'll now be able
to watch them instead!</span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="m2508628025280607337s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And so, the last
Scandinavian country I had left to visit was Norway. I spent some time
travelling in both Oslo and in Svalbard, an Archipelago above Norway that is
owned by Norway. I generally speaking was a huge tourist. Look out for Big World Small Feet on Vlog format!</span></span></div>
Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Oslo, Norway59.9138688 10.752245459.658993300000006 10.106798399999999 60.1687443 11.3976924tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-14576679919563476312020-12-30T21:23:00.000-05:002020-12-30T21:23:05.319-05:00Eureka!<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Ourika
valley lays tucked away in mid-Morocco. After a whirlwind of changing buses and
directions, I found my way to this arid strip of land and water. Lots of
surprises were strewn about along the way.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">For our
first stop, we got to see exactly how berber pottery is made. They have a
hand-spun stick on which two-day old clay of dough consistency was placed. The
spinning wheel was foot operated, and the clay formed by hand and cut using
string. Afterwards, 100 kilograms of wood per day fuelled the wood kiln, in
which 300 pieces per day were baked for four hours to harden. Herbs and spices
such as alfalfa and saffron provided the natural dye for the intricate designs
as well. In the shop, various fossils and geodes from the Atlas mountains
(housing the second highest mountain in Africa) also sat on display.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">On the way
down into the valley, we stopped for photos along the intersection between the
Ourika river and the Atlas mountains. A quick stretch break, and we were off to
an Argan Souad to learn how their precious oils are made by hand in a female
cooperative (put in place to give mothers jobs because family obligations
prevent moving to the city). The Argan tree fruit, also consumed by
tree-climbing goats (link here) are hand crushed, ground, and milled to extract
oil with water, and some Argan almonds are roasted to make "berber
nutella".</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">We then
saw a Berber house and mill wheel run by waterflow, which grounds grains
archaically into flour. A woman cooked a tagine over a fire, and the valley
brought water in next to her for dishwashing. In a spare room, there were pots
full of oil and flour, and a hanging cask filled with milk to shake for 40
minutes at a time for making buttermilk.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Lots of
bits and pieces used for various occasions such as marriages also laid about.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I became
friends with the Germans on the tour, and we discussed visiting each other at
some point if time allows. The three of them were working in finance, business,
and industry respectively. We then went off to the Ourika Valley's starting
point: a huge waterfall. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Setti
Fatma was the waterfall we went to, and arrived at after an hour hike uphill.
The waterfall itself was beautiful and gave way to many beautiful sights the
higher up the mountainside I hiked.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">From here,
my new friends and I watched monkeys run across logs abreast the river,
listened to musicians playing their one string fiddle, and on the way back to
town, even saw a man chasing downhill after his donkey. African animals are
definitely independent thinkers.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After a
long travel, and much anxiety from street vendors, i haggled a cheap taxi and
got to the airport for my flight back to London. I got home at three in the
morning and promptly crashed. Good night, and see you all again soon!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com1Ourika, Morocco31.3745358 -7.790575831.3203058 -7.8712568 31.4287658 -7.7098948tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-83049467733942714312020-12-23T21:22:00.000-05:002020-12-23T21:22:01.058-05:00Out of the Desert<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">We woke up
to the sound of drums and the sun rising over the Saharan mountains. Jam bread,
strong tea, and warm coffee greeted us on the cold morning, and we once again
braced our camels to head back to the main road.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I soaked
in the beauty of the surrounding landscape, knowing that if my camel took off
and I plummeted to the ground, I would die a happy person. Just as we hit the
halfway point, we saw three dogs barking and chasing after two mortified
camels, and two berber men in turn running after the camels. It was comedy gold
that I had to miss recording so as to not fall off of camelback. We reached the
road, tipped the berbers, wished them farewell, and hit the road for Casbah on
Hill, Ourzazate.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">This
berber town of migrants was built in the 17th century from traded over Yemenese
adobe clay and straw.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">The
Berbers have no written language, so all of their thoughts were expressed in
artwork. Although the high walls were once built to fend off attackers, the
city is no longer dangerous- caravans pass through here safely for gold and
silver trade under government administration. In 1956 the last official
governor ruler helped them out in this regard. Lots of movies are sho in this
town, and our tour guide Mohamed was an extra soldier and interpreter in
Cleopatra. Of all the labguages he speaks, he prefers English because of
listening to hip hop.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Because of
what it is, anyone could buy land for for 300€ before movies were shot here.
Now the land cost is closer to 40,000€. Jean Claude Van Damme shot a movie here
and the people gave him whatever he and his cast needed. However, Moroccans
would blast music to hustle them for money before police would cone, since
begging was otherwise illegal.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Concerning
these houses, people dig deeper cellars to stay cool in 50C summers. Modern
houses have come in since 1917 for new people. They continue to use straw to
prevent cracks in adobe during the adobe heat.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">We were
then shown various Ghilim and glawa carpets done by one woman to close off doors
in tents. We had tea and browsed wares, and I walked away with a
less-than-cheap tea set and oil lamp. We had lunch, i finally managed to
withdraw money, and I saw more of the beautiful Moroccan landscape as I held
deep conversation with another traveler all the way back down to Marrakech.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">When I
returned, I actually managed to overcome my anxieties of unfamiliarity and find
my way back to my Riad without getting haggles and without getting lost. I left
for my next Riad, unpacked, had more Moroccan Mint Tea, and left for a familiar
sight: Northern Europeans.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Chez
Brahim is along Derb Dabachi, a busy off-street filled with both motorcycles
and pedestrians everywhere. The restaurant itself is quaint, artsy, and
extremely Berber. Here, bread and chili sauce are served together as an
appetizer and garam masala replaces pepper as a table condiment (as it should
be). I had some veggie berber tagine, tipped my hat to the restaurant's prompt
service (and similarity to the actual berbers I stayed with), and headed home
to rest up for an action-packed day ahead.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Next up:
Ourika Valley!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Merzouga, Morocco31.0801676 -4.01336131.0257711 -4.094042 31.1345641 -3.9326799999999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-83180395724981707472020-12-16T21:21:00.000-05:002020-12-16T21:21:02.004-05:00The Crest of the World<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On my first full day in Morocco, We drove into the Atlas and
then into the Sahara. The drive started in Marrakech and eventually found us
driving towards the Atlas mountains.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We eventually climbed so high that there was snow on the
mountains and the faint promise of clouds below us, proud along the mountainous
background. We were in Col de Kotchka's remit, 2 and a half kilometers above
sea level. High in the Atlas mountains, it was here that I found myself lost in
their visage.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And so, around 2.6 kilometers up, we came to an amazing vista.
Mountains surrounded us on all sides, and the valley gave way to - you guessed
it - even more mountains. It was as though time had stopped. I was breathless
(and not just because of the altitude).</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We passed through our first high-mountain village (which blew my
mind to see anybody lived up there) and eventually arrived at our first
location and lunch stop: Ksair Ait Ben Haddou (Castle Berbers of Haddou) Prince
of Persia and Game of Thrones were shot here. The new part was built seven
years prior to my coming for the muslim berbers- the surviving castle houses
sixty five, mostly jewish berbers. The views from the top were the single best
I had ever seen.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After being used as a scarf model, we were taken to the
restaurant to soup up for our saharan adventure. I sat with a table full of
French-speaking individuals, all of whom would become friends despite my lack
of French language comprehension. It was also on this day that I learned that
my lack of paper currency would complicate things wherever I went in this
country, as almost everywhere only accepts cash.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And so we drove to Zagora, a little desert town, where we would
use the toilet and head to the Sahara. Once at the Sahara, our five new Berber
friends put us all on camels, and I got to ride an animal for the first time in
nearly 15 years (the last being a pony). We had a simple dinner of tagine,
soup, and fruit, after a Moroccan mint tea ceremony and cleaning the saharan
sand out of our eyes.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The tents got rather cold that night, but after a long day of
traveling and musical performances (where the Berbers catered to us Spanish
speakers by performing Shakira and Juanes), we didn't care. My roommates were
three girls from Seville, and by the end of the night, I could hardly remember
any English. We chatted about everything under the sun, and I further developed
my Spanish social skills.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stay tuned for the following day!</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Atlas Mountains35.0390666 0.290883521.4496421 -20.3634135 48.6284911 20.9451805tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-70863406549876543072020-12-09T21:13:00.000-05:002020-12-09T21:13:17.259-05:00Ana Atakalum Maroco<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After
returning from Wales, I almost immediately set out for Gatwick Airport to
depart for Morocco. My best friend from elementary school recommended the city
of Marrakech to me as a nice March getaway. So, I headed to the airport and
boarded a plane to visit Africa for the first of hopefully many times.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">When I
arrived and sorted out my data usage, I stumbled blindly to the bus into town.
I paid the bus driver using British Pounds, which otherwise do not work here
(as my silly self had forgotten to withdraw local currency). That was
fascinating. One thing's for sure: this country Definitely caters to tourists.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I quickly
learned that money is money regardless. As I had my suitcase was on me, I was
an easy target for ruffians. The first of which was a man who swindled me after
leading me to the Riad I was staying at, nearly mugging me with his friend in
tow. Fortunately, the Riad’s owner came to the rescue.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After my
anxiety dropped, I met the Riad owner and had food and Moroccan mint tea that
they had prepared for me. It was one of the finest feasts I had ever had in my
entire life, here at Riad 107.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">We sorted
out the payment and went up to the terrace to talk more and for me to have my
first real hookah experience. I have never really smoked tobacco before, so the
headrush was immense and lovely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I retired
to bed and prepped myself for a nice getaway into the desert the next day. Stay
tuned for more…</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0107 Rue Derb Jdid, Marrakech 40000, Morocco31.6265839 -7.98338026.9853194000000016 -49.2919742 56.2678484 33.3252138tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-90443227437781117522020-12-02T21:12:00.000-05:002020-12-02T21:12:03.517-05:00Bristol<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">As it was
on my way home from Cardiff, I decided to pay Bristol a visit, where I would
meet up with one of my university friends. She was up there visiting family and
friends for our consolidation week.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After
being stuck in traffic, we parked in a local shopping center and walked towards
the harbor. She showed me several old churches and boats and told me about
their backstories. I took in as much of it as i could with what time I had.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And so, We
found a place for dinner and headed there. It was a dinner of desserts and
coffee, which would be more than enough to fill me up before my voyage back to
London.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And so in
four hours, i got my first taste of Bristol. I will be back that way in the
near future if time and money allow.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Bristol, UK51.454513 -2.5879151.296248 -2.9106335 51.612778 -2.2651865tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-75374299413854301422020-11-25T21:11:00.000-05:002020-11-25T21:11:01.156-05:00The River Town<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">On my last
day in Cardiff, I eat some leftover breakfast from the previous day, grab a
coffee, and had it out for one last day of hiking and sightseeing in Cardiff
before heading back down towards London.in the past two hours, I had gotten a
free ride from an out of service bus back into town, and I sat close to
somebody who was listening to drum Corps music.if you read my previous
posts,you would know how happy that made me.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">after I
walked through Caeau and llandaff fields, walked along the Taff river, and then
walked down through Bute Park following the river dart of the little bit of
hiking I had done in Wales, I think this one actually probably took the cake. I
can't wait to go up and hike the Brecon Beacons and Snowden as such.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I then
walked to see the Welsh Royal College of Drama and Cardiff University, snapping
pictures of these historical spots as I went. I checked out the National
Museum, which was free of charge but reminded me exactly of the one in London.
I grabbed lunch at Breatos, a student-run burrito shop that was painted by the
same illustrator i'd met at the castell coch tea shop. From here I was back to
my AirB&B and got ready to head home.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Next up on
my journeys was Bristol. stay tuned for updates!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Cardiff, UK51.481581000000013 -3.1790951.323433500000014 -3.5018135 51.639728500000011 -2.8563665tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-26648380849003936342020-11-18T21:03:00.000-05:002020-11-18T21:03:00.316-05:00Welsh Castles<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">For my first day in Cardiff, I went to see three Welsh castles: Cardiff Castle,
Castell Coch, and Caerphilly Castle. First on my list was the one right in
town: Cardiff Castle. Lots of cool stuff was to be found inside.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;">I then
went to the next stop, </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Castell Coch, which involved a short uber ride and was nestled
along the Taff river in southern wales.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Fforest
Fawr, right next to Castell Coch, was a perfect example of what I think of when
I think of a medieval forest near a castle. I can definitely retrace their
steps through this forest of people from past lives who may have struggled to
get through the forest to get to the castle, even the castle was mainly for the
third Marquess of Bute's partying.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I then sat
down for a nice cup of Chai at the local Forest Tea Room. It is a quaint little
spot in the middle of the forest that reminds me very much of a mom-and-pop's
cabin, complete with a chicken and peacock coop. Although the peacocks did not
embellish their feathers, I still enjoyed it all. Sounds of nature, crackling
log fire, freshly grilled pancakes, the blooming lilacs on the trees, and the
stillness of time in this place.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> The
last stop of my day with me to Caerphilly Castle Castle that was built in the
12th century and has never been under any sort of successful siege. All I have
tried all have failed.even though there was the least amount for substance
here, this concentric castle definitely both of the best sites.I don't get on a
train to Cefn Onn park, the pictures, missed the bus back to town and walked a
half hour to grab some food.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Caerphilly CF83, UK51.578829 -3.21813451.499885 -3.3794955 51.657773 -3.0567725tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-62037064493186070892020-11-11T21:01:00.000-05:002020-11-11T21:01:00.274-05:00The White Rose City<br />
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p1" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span class="m-6421200627101891433s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Once occupied by Vikings,
conquered by Germans, and still containing way too many castle walls to walk
upon, York Is one of the oldest towns in Europe that still stands. Sharing
a name with my hometown in Pennsylvania, this city is definitely the most culturally
infused between the 2.</span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p2" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p1" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span class="m-6421200627101891433s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I started my journey off by
going to the merchant Hall, A medieval Guildhall dedicated to merchant
adventurers. Just inside the castle walls that Still protect the inside city,
it is the oldest surviving of its kind.</span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p2" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p1" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span class="m-6421200627101891433s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After this, I traveled all
around the city seeing the oldest gates (bars) of the city, learning about
their bloodiest war Thornton (akin to my York's Gettysburg), and exploring
other things. I saw an exhibition on magic and sorcery, walked the castle
walls, got dwarfed by a massive church, and enjoyed some monk brewed beer
(whilst being a monk for a week myself: see 'The Zen Experience'). I even saw
the university I could've stayed abroad at (St. John University).</span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p2" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="m-6421200627101891433p1" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span class="m-6421200627101891433s1"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Between you and me, York
England was way better than York Pennsylvania. I will endeavor to return at
some point in my future if time and financial status allows. Stay tuned, all!</span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0York, UK53.959965100000012 -1.087297953.885224600000015 -1.2486594 54.034705600000009 -0.9259364000000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-817394678995889032020-11-04T20:52:00.000-05:002020-11-04T20:52:01.229-05:00My Personal Founding Father<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">For those
of you that may not know, I am from a little state called Pennsylvania. He
translates from Penn's Woods, and was founded in 1683 by William Penn.
Originally, I never had no one or never would have guessed that the founder of
my state was originally from a small town that I worked in for my first
occupational therapy placement. At the end of the four week placement though,
my educator took me to a pub called the Pennsylvanian that was named after him,
and then to the local museum then had a detailed plan about his life. I
then found out where he was buried, set my sights on going to visit him.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">To see the
grave of William Penn, I had to walk through 20 minutes worth of British
countryside near the Chilterns. There was no pavement to be found on the road,
In certain parts there was no strip of grass or forest to walk here either, so
it was incredibly terrifying.quickly enough, I went on a clear day in February
where there were not a lot of people on the road, so I could print a long open
sections of road if need be.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After
walking a mile and crossing the road at least 13 times to avoid becoming road pancake, I finally found it, the small cemetery in which William Penn was
buried. I had a brief chat with him and thank him for all that he had done in
America to found the nation, and then I followed the footpath out of the cemetery
and into the small town of Jordans, where his first Quaker community was
settled.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> I
got a bottle of water in the Jordans community store after a quick little hike
up the road, I could still smell like stale smoke filling the </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="http://air.it/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">air. it</span></a></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> won an award in 2018 for the
best kept village in Buckinghamshire. I introduced myself to the shopkeeper,
and immediately, the rest of the customers started chatting to me as well.after
all, it isn't every day that you meet an American from Pennsylvania.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I then
went to a little pub called the jolly cricketers in Seer Green. it was a quaint
location with a very small town and home vibe.I would recommend this pub to
anyone who is able to make it up that way, although getting there from London
isn't exactly easy if you don't have your own car or the money for an Uber.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And so
march the day that I went to see the founder of my state. Stay tuned for more!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Jordans, Beaconsfield HP9 2SP, UK51.6140833 -0.587038626.9728188 -41.8956326 76.2553478 40.7215554tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-71935420585534619842020-10-28T20:43:00.000-04:002020-10-28T20:43:00.290-04:00The Vegan House<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">On a gray
weekend in March of 2019, I went to the "House of Vegan" for the
first time. Expected to meet a bunch of vegan chefs and to have lunch. However,
i did not expect a live DJ, several shops with extremely friendly staff, Philly
"cheesesteaks", and a guy chopping sugar canes with a machete for
squeeze fresh juice from them.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">This place
is open every weekend, with different personnel coming in with their kiosk
every week. I had a jackfruit taco, some "lamb" curry, and some of
that fresh-pressed cane juice. Although some asked me if I was vegan (i'm not),
i felt right at home with everyone. Everyone was very welcoming and inviting,
and everything looked incredible.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">The prices
may vary, you can find some dumplings for £3, sides for a similar price, and most
main meals for £8 or so. Definitely come down to Liverpool Street and check it
out sometime for yourself!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com08 Sandringham Rd, Clapton, London E8 2LP, UK51.5496703 -0.07431190000000001426.908405800000004 -41.3829059 76.190934800000008 41.2342821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-71449466099159418282020-10-21T20:42:00.000-04:002020-10-21T20:42:00.180-04:00Wandering Lost<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It is often
times very easy to get lost in Copenhagen. There is so much to see and do, and
it extends throughout all of the very flat and wide city. If you’re lucky,
you’ll even get to walk or drive through “Thunder Mountain”, the highest point
in Denmark just outside city limits. It’s an impressive 200 meters or so above
sea level, and easy to miss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Instead, I
chose to seek out a wander through the forests and cemeteries around. Assistens
cemetery and the nearby King’s Garden were filled with vibrance and life, even
in the middle of January. They were fairly monotonous, so I didn’t spend a
whole lot of time there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Vestre
Cemetery has the famous “tree tunnel” of Copenhagen, and after wandering
through this massive kilometre-long cemetery, I finally found it. The resulting
photo? Priceless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
botanical garden in Copenhagen also houses the historic Rosenborg castle, which
has burned down several times but is still used for important royal and
political meetings to this day when not utilized for tour groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Following
all of this wandering, I checked out the Absalon statue and the Little Mermaid
statues, amazing German spectacles from centuries gone by. This was just after
spending a few hours seeing the religious and historical artwork within the
walls of Thordvaldsens museum and David’s Collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My day
would not have been complete without touring around Christianshavn in the
afternoon, followed by meeting with some hostel members and going to
Christiania (Freetown) inside of Denmark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Christianshavn
was built on shallow and uneven land and prone to flooding, but was built
during a housing crisis to encourage young families to move to Denmark. After
several landslides (which caused several houses to now look like they’re
“dancing” and “leaning”), an economic landslide also ensured, and houses here
are now cheaper than ever. Some of these buildings still house retired
fisherman, and one of them was home to Captain Thundershield of Norway (whom
saved the country of Denmark in many military conflicts).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Christiania
is a kilometre-long stretch of shops, bars, and marijuana stalls that consider
themselves to be “adjunct” from the rest of the European Union. A bunch of old
factories were converted into homeless housing, and now, there’s lots of reggae
music, trashcan fires, and life here. Simply said, you have to check it out for
yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Another
thing I did on another day was explore the local parks of Kastrup, have a
smorgasbord (Danish buffet), walk around Kastillet, and see various old buildings
along the canals and in Nyhavn. Copenhagen is a must see for any like-minded
adventurer!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Copenhagen, Denmark55.6760968 12.568337255.532822800000005 12.2456137 55.8193708 12.8910607tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-25984282939839164542020-10-14T20:41:00.000-04:002020-10-14T20:41:05.675-04:00Homecoming<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">"I
swear that I've gotta get out of here."</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Jim
Crocher sang these words after moving from the quiet Pennsylvanian countryside
to the big apple. In my case, however, my New York was London. Even if
Pennsylvania didn't necessarily feel homelike to me for many many years... it
sure felt good to be back after being away for so long.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I arrived
at 7PM on a Thursday, straight from the polar vortex of central Sweden.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I sat
next to and Icelandic professor of Nordic languages on one plane, and next to
an American vegetarian traveler much like myself on the other flight. I watched
through all of Back to the Future and “Ready Player One”, and enjoyed very good
conversations on the way home. I was beautifully surprised to see my mother
again for the first time in four months, and I would soon come to learn was that
I have grown closer to my family since leaving the country.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However, when I got
home, a very strange feeling swept over me. I knew that I was back in my mom's
house, yes, and I made it home for Christmas, but yet I'm only felt like a
visitor. Pennsylvania no longer felt much like home even though I spent the
first 23 years of my life there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But so, I realized, as
I was seeing my good friends again for the first time in several months, but it
was almost as though nothing had changed and I had never left. But yet, I was calling
a foreign country home for the next two years of my life. But the only thing
that mattered is that in this moment, I was at home, where I was meant to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN), 190 45 Stockholm-Arlanda, Sweden59.6497622 17.923780735.0084977 -23.3848133 84.2910267 59.232374699999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-28199824646482810012020-10-07T20:38:00.000-04:002020-10-07T20:38:00.551-04:00The Goat Rodeo<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">When
things started getting chaotic, my cousin liked to say that things were turning
into a goat Rodeo. Awkwardly enough, it was a very fitting table because he
owned one of the last genetic offsprings of pure Swedish goats, insofar that he
had the largest farm of them in the world. Things really started getting
chaotic when I was trying to figure out how I was getting to and from places in
northern Sweden.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">My second
morning in Bjästa, I met a liberal Christian pastor and talked to him about
anything and everything. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Visiting
the kids at school, learning lessons in Swedish, having cultural studies for
the first time in 12 years, and the homecooked feast that they had for
lunch were the highlights of my daytime activities.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Later
that night, in town, I noticed kids opening and drinking a six pack of beer
just outside of the local ICA market. I shirked it off and went to Sibylla, a Nordic
fast food restaurant, and got some more fast food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">My
travels in Sweden were definitely crazy, but even with the goat rodeo that had
occurred for some of the trip, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what a Swedish
school system looks like in the small-town countryside.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Västernorrland County, Sweden63.4276473 17.729244461.5857828 12.565670399999998 65.2695118 22.8928184tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-72064872288837984092020-09-30T20:35:00.000-04:002020-09-30T20:35:00.299-04:00Bjästa, Not Pasta<br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">When I
visited my cousin, I also got some time to go and visit the neighbouring town
he technically resides in.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There wasn't much
going on in this small town, so I largely had to make my own fun. This started
by waving hi to everybody that I saw who waved back and smiled as well, and
turn on long walks in the snowy Tundra of Northern Sweden.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The only thing really
to do in town was to go to the local church and nearby grounds. The modern
church was built in the 1800s, they old one-room church building behind that
was built in the fifteenth century, and the stone bruise behind that were from
the 11th century. They were beautiful, and made the crazy weather worth it.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Going to ICA, the
local market, was definitely worth it when I found pepper nut flavored dates
and Swedish cinnamon rolls. There was lots of good food to be found there.
Right next door to this was Sybilla, the Swedish fast food restaurant, where
they nice servers gave me free French fries.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aside from this, there
wasn't much to do in the town. Seeing my cousin was the highlight of this
journey, but I know I’ll be back to see the nearby Viking exhibitions.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0893 31 Bjästa, Sweden63.200950600000013 18.501407938.559686100000015 -22.8071861 87.8422151 59.8100019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-53842269548861408792020-09-23T20:31:00.000-04:002020-09-23T20:31:03.942-04:00A Scandinavian Winter<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">My
cousin's cabin was about as rustic as you could get, with no running water and
no electricity. We have to get extremely creative for sources of water andlLighting
in the dark. It was a one-room cabin, with the bed Lofts being just above the kitchen.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">In spite
of this, I actually slept better in the cabin one night than I did in his
girlfriend's apartment. But also made it worth it was seeing the mountains
covered in snow, the beautiful Forest, is large Swedish goat farm. Another
thing that made it work it was meeting by two young cousins, Aldo and Yrsa, and
going to school with them the next two days.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">When I
wasn't bustling around town, I would nearly fall on my face trying to bike up
the Frozen Swedish roads, get nibbled on when trying to sheep herd, and almost
get knocked out by Falling spruce trees that we were cutting down for bedding
for the Sheep (and firewood to keep ourselves warm). The mountain lake and all
of the beautiful English-speaking people definitely made this trip worth it,
and I will definitely be back in warmer weather.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0770 12 Sunnansjö, Sweden60.2197089 14.966508935.5784444 -26.3420851 84.8609734 56.2751029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-41710153271404967102020-09-16T20:30:00.000-04:002020-04-23T20:31:24.947-04:00Stocking Up<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After an intense semester of coursework, before going home to
America, I got to spend some time in Stockholm. The city got its name
because of its foundations, one fisherman came here and started stocking up
water in the mid-1200s. A lot of great design, artwork, and technology also
came out of this part of the world.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And all I can say is, for an originally Roman Catholic city
marred by bloodshed and plague, what it has become now with its 30,000 islands
is a true testament to its beauty.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">My first grievance comes in the fact that tickets from Arlanda
Airport to Stockholm Central are $46 by bus, one way only.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">When I went to Galma Stan, I saw Hare Krishna monks chanting in
the street. I also saw Glögg (mulled liqueur) for the first time, ate a
Pressbyrån sandwich, and saw the Riggarskyrken, the most iconic church in
Sweden.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Following this, I made small talk over coffee, added drumsticks
to my Hard Rock Cafe drumsticks collection, and saw dozens of people ice
skating to blasting 80s music in the center of Odenplan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Upon my return, I checked out a few museums, bought some stuff
in Swedish, I trust myself that I knew Swedish, and then returns to the place I
was going to stay that night through Couchsurfing. There was also a cute little
Christmas tree in the center of town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Needless to say, Stockholm is definitely a town worth seeing.
Whenever you get the chance, try to find your way there, no matter the season.
There's something there for everybody at every time of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Stockholm, Sweden59.329323499999987 18.068580859.07010549999999 17.4231338 59.588541499999984 18.7140278tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-7892339936668203162020-09-09T20:29:00.000-04:002020-09-09T20:29:05.206-04:00The Birthplace of Democracy<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">In 1215,
an ageing King John came to the low marshy lands of Runnymede to make peace
with rebel barons, reacquaint with his lost land, and negotiated freedom throughout
the ages. The charter signed on this day would, without the intention at the
time, free people internationally of tyranny forevermore. This document will be
cut down later officially as the Magna Carta.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">King John
thought that after his death in 1916, when his land and liberty was transferred
to his nine-year-old son, that the legacy it will be lost forever.800 years
later, this couldnt be further from the truth. Back in 1957, a section of
state land in Egham, the land between Staines and Windsor, was dedicated to the
cause. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I took the
bus down to the area, and shortly afterwards, set out for the art exhibits in
the monuments. The first stop on the list was “The jurors”, a set of 12 chairs
that had copper inscriptions of influential moments of history into people that
were affirmed or protected under the Magna Carta. This powerful piece detailed
things such as immigration, ecosystem and ability, gay rights, Nelson Mandela's
trial, women's rights in India, and more.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And then,
I came upon the John F. Kennedy memorial, with a short walk to reflect upon
things that he had done for both America and the world. At the top, a quote on
his inaugural address was inscribed on the stone, with an American scarlet oak
hiding behind the monument to symbolise the protection from harm done just now
it was dedicated to America in 1980s.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After
another short walk through the woods, I arrived at the Magna Carta monument,
they pinnacle of Runnymede. This monument was commissioned in 1957 to
commemorate the examples of religious freedom and justice has brought the world
ever since. 8 English oak trees line the area, which represent eight principles
of the magna carta. Additional trees were planted later, with one coming from
the Prime Minister of India 50 years after its liberation from British rule.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Written in
Water Is a poetic piece in the middle of a stone circle, where clause 39 Is
edged in stone upside down and backwards so that the reflection reads normally
upon the water. Inspiration for this artwork arose from the fact that King John
for his idea would be transient like water, and that his ideas would be lost
after his death. I contemplated this piece, and then moved onwards for the last
bit of this adventure.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">At last,
after an uphill hike through the woods, I came to the Air Forces Memorial. This
Memorial was installed to remember all of the individuals that got lost or
killed during WWII and have no marked grave.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">If you
ever find yourself taking a short day trip outside of London, and if you like
history and democracy, definitely pay a visit to Runnymede. For an outdoor
enthusiast like myself, it's one of the world's finest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Runnymede District, UK51.408719299999987 -0.5405584999999999451.250199299999984 -0.86328199999999988 51.56723929999999 -0.21783499999999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-67133667620033820282020-09-02T20:27:00.000-04:002020-09-02T20:27:00.982-04:00The town of fairy tales<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Although I had to wake up around 5:30, before the sun rose, my
day was quickly made worth it.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">First I stopped in Antwerp. This fairy-tale place had so many
beautiful sights, such as Het Steen and Groenplaats. I had my first bubbly
waffle here, bantered with a bus driver for being too difficult to understand,
and then headed off to Bruges.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Almost immediately as I steeped off the bus at Bruges bargeplein
and headed into Minnewaterpark, and passed the Sahsuis and Begijnhuise, I was
blown away by the sheer beauty of this capitalised-upon fairytale town. A
further walk put me by Godshuis, the Bonifacus bridge, and the Groeningemuseum.
The more I wandered through this beautiful little town, the more I fell in
love.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After this, </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Sint-johnshospitaal</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Archaeologiemuseum</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Silt-salvatorskathedraal</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Boottochen brugge</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">As my phone approached death, i asked a random shopkeep for
directions to Le Trappiste, a dungeon-style bar with surprisingly few English
speakers and astonishingly strong trappist beer. The bartenders charged my
phone in the back of the restaurant for me as I happily sipped away.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">De Halv Maan- Since 2010 bottling is done elsewhere, but
the wort is still fermented here since 1856. 6 generations later, they are
still piping out (literally) 20,000 litres of beer, 5 days a week.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I was on my way to see the beautiful Basilica of the Holy Blood and
the Arenthuis when my phone battery life ran out. As I chatted with my airbnb
host to inform her of this mishap, Inpassed by the</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Frietmuseum (the french fry museum),</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Belfort van brugge (the belltower), and Provincaal Hof. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I met my Airbnb host and her daughter later that night, after
very confusedly figuring out the Dutch bus system. Her daughter, who had a
developmental delay, was the biggest sweetheart I ever met. And so, after
collapsing for a solid nine hours, I woke up, had some continental breakfast, a
lovely conversation, and I was dropped off at the train station in Brugge to
explore a bit more and take the bus home.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I decided I would finally get my first real Belgian waffle, and
much to my amazement, everybody in the stores boat three languages fluently -
English, Flemish Dutch, and French.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;"> When I went to buy souvenirs, The shopkeepers on my
bankcard from the UK and we talked about how he lived there for five years
studying at Hall college and visiting Cambridge College. I told him some of the
better part of America to visit, and we had a beautiful conversation.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">I then visited Burg and Markt to listen to some songs as
performed by the Belfry of Bruges. Played several songs from musicals like
Phantom of the Opera in the bells of Notre Dame, complete with key changes.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After a beautiful two days in Belgium, I took a five hour bus
ride back to London, experiencing the Eurotunnel and meeting a new Dutch friend
in the process.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext" , serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Stay tuned for more travels!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text" , serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Bruges, Belgium51.209348 3.224699550.891377999999996 2.5792525 51.527318 3.8701464999999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-15658102657970080762020-08-26T20:12:00.000-04:002020-08-26T20:12:00.277-04:00Bus through darkened woods<br />
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In the middle of November, followed one day after my trip to
Bruges, I found myself heading to visit a friend who lived in Northern Finland.
It would be a great way for me to disconnect, despite the general populace not speaking
very good English, and me not speaking any Finish except for hello and thank
you. I bought an expensive uber and went to crash out for a night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning, every uber was busy - except one. Thank
goodness my bus (OnniBus, specifically,) was late by five minutes, or I would
have surely missed it. But, the journey ahead, and a bus with free wifi, I had
plenty of time to catch up on studies and blogging. And, wishing I knew more of
the crazy language.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And somehow it would come to pass, that the sun would set at
3:30 in the afternoon. I was on a bus for right around 10 hours (stopping only
for food in Vaasa that i needed to translate the title of), speeding towards
Kemi, a small coastal town just below Lapland in North Finland.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Kemi, Finland65.735567899999992 24.565742665.315198399999986 23.2748491 66.1559374 25.8566361tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-52240020451441374022020-08-19T19:58:00.000-04:002020-08-19T19:58:19.930-04:00Architecture in Helsinki<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After
waking up at a couchsurfing spot hosted by four individuals from Finland,
Sudan, Canada, and Spain respectively, I sprinted to the bus station to try and
figure out how their bus system worked.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Before I
knew it, I was on a bus for nine hours once again. I missed my stop on purpose
and ended up in Helsinki, the country's capital.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Besides
not being able to speak a drop of Finnish, Helsinki reminded me almost exactly
of a colder and darker London. Old beautiful buildings, lovely cafes, the
unfortunate issue of homeless beggars, and so many things to do in a five-mile
radius. I had to catch a train back to the Airport, so I didn't stay long.
However, the beautiful introverted people of Finland made a lasting impression
on me that may have me coming back one day.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Helsinki, Finland60.169855699999992 24.938379159.663417699999989 23.6474856 60.676293699999995 26.229272599999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-1635151028127137182020-08-12T19:50:00.000-04:002020-08-12T19:50:00.170-04:00Central London<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">From here on out, many of my travel notes are scattered.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">Although
the day before class started was cold, rainy, and otherwise miserable, There
was still some enjoyment to be had. I was to meet with friends for an exciting
day in Central London and see the beauty of the National Gallery.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">And so,
after getting off the train at Trafalgar Square, I did just that. I met up with
my friends and set my sights on the gallery, where I saw some of the most
beautiful religious and renaissance work that I have ever seen.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">After
this, we took a stroll in the park that lead us to see the outskirts of
Buckingham Palace. We then had gelato in Picadilly Circus from Grom and saw an
extremely good street band. After this epic conclusion, we headed home.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">One of the
most impressive aspects of London is that you can see everything you want
practically for free. For instance, Bar 31 in The Shard provides a lovey view of
the entire city, and the historic Tower area is full of photo opportunities.
The British Museum was free as well and also well worth the visit.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SFUIText",serif; font-size: 17.0pt;">So
whatever you do, make sure you visit London at some point!</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text",serif; font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0St. Martin's Pl, Charing Cross, London WC2H 0HE, UK51.5094236 -0.128121626.867093599999997 -41.4367156 76.1517536 41.1804724tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-5142737544237258712020-07-08T10:24:00.000-04:002020-07-08T10:24:03.261-04:00A Ticket to Paradise<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In mid-July, I booked
my one-way ticket to London. I had just applied for my Visa, as I would be
needing this if I wanted to have any chance at ever becoming a citizen of
Europe. although I spent the entire day of summer working and making
preparations to say my final farewell, the fateful September day still came far
sooner than I had anticipated. this would be the day that I would depart for
the better part of 2 years, save the occasional visit to friends and family. Call
a trial separation, if you will, from the land that I had called home for the
first 23 years of my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Waiting in the airport
for several hours leading up to the flight was enough to drive anybody mad.
However, I would soon arrive in England for the first time, after a six-hour
long sleep-deprived layover in Reykjavik, and nearly forty hours of
sleeplessness. Ten hours and five time zones later, I would be landing in
Heathrow Airport for the first time ever, to begin the beginning of the rest of
my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I met my first
roommate, Austin, barely an hour into my first journey in Europe’s third
biggest city (right behind St. Petersburg and Istanbul). He was happy to see me,
and we embraced for a solid minute. We had no idea how to navigate public
transport at this time, though, so we ended up taking whatever bus we Thought
would get us to campus in a decent enough fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After getting off at a
random stop, still a twenty-minute walk from campus, we decided to call an
Uber. It was dark out, and somebody had thrown an egg in our direction (which
shattered against the bus stop’s window), so we wanted to get out of there
fast. Security had no idea who we were upon arrival, but we were able to get a
spare room until ours were ready in the morning. Austin crashed on the floor
with his sheets, and I passed out for nine straight hours on my bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I woke, I
realized that I would be beginning the next step in the journey I call my life
– I now spent the first night in my new home base for at least the next two
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Heathrow Airport (LHR), Longford TW6, UK51.4700223 -0.4542954999999437931.044709799999996 -41.762889499999943 71.8953348 40.854298500000056tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-701819195341940732020-07-01T10:22:00.000-04:002020-07-01T10:22:03.104-04:00It's a long way from Clare to Here<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On my last night, we
went to the Merry Ploughboy for dinner. We sang a lot of traditional folk songs
whilst participating with the stage, had wonderful dinner with dessert and
coffee, and i discovered the magical sound of the Uilleann Pipes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had little supply of
clean clothes, so i washed a set in the hotel sink and dried them with the hand
dryer and overnight. quite an experience. After resting up, I ate a quick
breakfast and headed home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ireland was the
adventure of a lifetime, especially for a musician. I can't wait to visit
Europe once more. I've reviewed my Hotel and Apartment stays, and I have seen a
fair bit of stuff. Stay tuned for the next adventure!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Edmondstown Rd, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, Co. Dublin, D16 HK02, Ireland53.2641499 -6.2968957000000532.8388374 -47.605489700000049 73.6894624 35.011698299999949tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593129518047631763.post-28961945183501779592020-06-24T10:21:00.000-04:002020-06-24T10:21:14.894-04:00In the name of Dublin<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The name of the city
comes from the Irish word for Dark Water, dou'vlen, in referendum to the river
that runs through the city and its banks of Pete. Here are some pictures and
notes about the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In 1916 there was a
rebellion in which 1500 people took over post office, and the irish reformation
of literature occurred. Then, in 1974, the national theatre burned down and was
rebuilt. St. Patrick's church was built it in 1191, and the Christ Church was
built much earlier in 1038 by Vikings who were ready to integrate with
Ireland's Catholicism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Palestina
performed at the provisional Irish church every morning. two methadone clinic
nearby. This area never really recovered from the rebellion, though it is
getting there since transportation improved. streets in this area are lined with
churches and Old buildings. Eastern Dublin is as well full of Victorian
architecture, both big and small. It is also the home of the first maternity
hospital. Handel write his Messiah as a charity piece for this hospital and
raised 200 pounds (a fortune back then).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Near the immigration
museum lies the statue memorial to Huhullen , the Hound of auster, whom often
went into battle naked and in war paint. celtics were the last tribe in Europe.
in the 4th century, they traded women as slaves for cows, with cows being the
currency. Alot of buildings around this area were destroyed by the Independence
and Civil wars, and the ship that traveled up the Helga river and shelled the
city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the 18th century,
the aristocratic sofiety built a lot of beautiful buildings that became customs
houses, their version of the EPA, government, and so forth. The old warehouses
had become financial and commerce centers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John McBride has an
eternal flame surrounded by a sphere of barbed wire lit in his memory, as he
tried to unite the world by founding Amnesty International.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Daylight robbery was a
term for a tax on light, that existed untilact of union in 1800 that abolished
the parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This parliament
building was built in 1712, and is now Bank of Ireland, with the House of Lords
still remaining intact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alot of German and
Dutch have come here because of the Presbyterian movement, farming, labor, and
above all, their Green approach to life. they are very eco-conscious. The
country equally shares profits between all responsible parties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are also model
replicas of coffin ships sitting in the bay, with one known as the Jenny
Johnston. The people sat for 6 weeks in close proximity which lead to lots of
disease spreading. This is where the namesake comes from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As we crossed the
Rosie Hackett bridge and viewed the harp bridge, we learned about her
scholarship. The Rosie Hackett scholarship is awarded to a nursing student who
finishes second in the class. This was because rosie acknowledged that very few
people ever remember the second place victor. Rosie was a 15 year old girl who ran post during the time of war. She later unioned with a woman and
became a midwife. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Trinity college was
built in 1512 and is a testament to history. King Henry came here to dissolve
the church into several churches and form the Church of England. The book of
Kells is housed here and exists within the walls of this still-intact and
functioning church paved with cobblestobe walkways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The national gallery
was built by William Dargon, the man who also built the first European
railroad. The Queen visited there a lot. She also asked all of Ireland to paint
their doors black when her lover died, and being nice and polite people, they
did exactly the opposite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dublinia used to be a
meetinghouse for government officials, but has now been turned into an exhibit
on vikings and city expansion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not too far off is thr
Guinness Storehouse, where the 80 Acres of factory have been sourcing Guinness
to the world since 1759. It's a simple recipe and ingredients, water, hops,
barley, and yeast. Getting to pull my </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">own Guinness at their
academy was an otherworldly experience.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">Check out Dublin Today!</span></div>
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<br />Big World Small Feethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01244180587248670333noreply@blogger.com0Dublin, Ireland53.3498053 -6.260309699999993453.0463133 -6.9057566999999933 53.6532973 -5.6148626999999935