It’s been almost 2 months since I arrived in Copenhagen. After travelling for a few months prior, it was refreshing to finally settle into somewhere I could call home. The first few weeks were extremely busy and filled with a Danish crash course and introduction week activities ranging from Danish folk dancing to bowling and an international buffet.
The university that I am studying at (Copenhagen Business School or CBS) is amazing and prepared social activities for the 800 or so incoming exchange students, which was a great way to meet people and learn more about the Danish culture as well as other nationalities. Despite the fact that everyone here speaks perfect English, it has been fun trying (and I stress trying) to learn the language. It is incredibly difficult to pronounce and the Danish language has been likened to speaking with a mouthful of potatoes.
One of my favourite things about this city is how easy it is to get around on your bike. The bike lanes are plentiful and it’s normal to ride home with your friends after a night out. It’s also a very cheap mode of transport which comes in handy when a small coffee and piece of cake can set you back more than $15! Although Copenhagen can be quite expensive, there are some great stores such as Tiger which is an amazing (and cheap) store filled with everything you could ever need – a mixture between Ikea and the dollar shop.
The classes here although interactive are also quite relaxed and it’s definitely easy to travel around throughout the semester as all the subjects are 100% finals so there are no mid semester tests or assignments to tie you down. I’ve been to Berlin, London and am off to Munich for Oktoberfest this weekend, but despite all the travels I’ve been finding myself wanting to stay in Copenhagen as there is so much to do here. There is no shortage of second hand markets, free concerts, art fairs, food markets, park parties and much more!
I couldn’t recommend Copenhagen enough and am already trying to figure out how to stay longer!
As you step out off the plane you walk into the supposedly magical city of Berlin. You’ve heard so much about it and have never heard anyone say a bad thing about it. Looking around it seems like just another city, but you soon realise it is so much more than that.
Within the city as you walk builds will stand out to you. Yes there are the classic apartment blocks, shops, houses and things, but in between you can catch a glimpse of Berlin’s underbelly. Nestled in between buildings small run down abandoned buildings catch your eye. The extravagant graffiti covering them causes your curiosity to bubble as you are drawn for a closer look. Ah, just another pile of abandoned concrete, left to die. Yet at night, these buildings come alive!
Berlin is everything people have said it would be! The architecture is amazing, the juxtaposition of high rises next to abandoned lots. Huge graffiti murals covering every wall. Trams and tram tracks covering every inch of the city. It is exactly how I imagined.
HTW is made up of two campuses with a tram that takes about 30 minutes to get between them. One of the campuses has a beach and they’re relatively easy to find your way around.Each has a cafeteria with really good food for extremely cheap student prices! But as all food is cheap in Berlin so if you are craving a 2 euro kebab there will be one only a short walk away. I am yet to start actual classes as the semester doesn’t begin until October but I am very excited to start!
The student housing at Victor Jara is quite a way from both campuses unfortunately. The cost itself is very cheap at about $360 a month but quite basic and for internet you have to pay for the option the housing provides but it doesn’t really work.
The nightlife is where Berlin truly comes alive. That street you passed with the abandoned mass of mortar is now beating like a heart as techno music is blasted inside. A queue of people all in black wait outside just hoping to be let in. It is 2am and the night is only just beginning. Then you enter into the Berlin underworld, which is truly another world.
Jasper Spira 11705631
I have been in Copenhagen for nearly 6 weeks and my time here so far has been amazing. I am loving absolutely everything about the city and it’s people.
The city itself is beautiful, clean, and incredibly functional. The transport runs on time, always. The danish recycling system is incomparable. The bike paths and road rules are consistently followed. It is the most progressive city I have ever visited.
My first task when I arrived in Copenhagen was to buy a bike. This was incredibly easy, there are a million websites / Facebook groups which help with this. There are more bikes in central Copenhagen than people. Hence, the clean city. Soon after purchasing my bike, I had to learn the road rules. The Danes are very serious about their bike rules, and they ride fast. Coming from Australia where we drive on the other side of the road, it was a bit tricky at first but I quickly got the hang of it.
The Danish people are equally amazing. They all speak English, and are super friendly, and consistently go out of their way to help you. But what I have come to learn in the past 6 weeks is that they are incredibly abrupt. They do not bother with little niceties that are more common in Australian culture. For example, the teachers here are very to the point. If you don’t pay attention and miss something in class, they will not help you out. The education system is far more centred on independent learning. All the final exams here are worth 100% and are usually oral as well, which I think is both good and bad. It means there is a lot of risk on a twenty minute exam, but a lot of reward in the sense that there is less work to do during the semester.
Copenhagen itself is an incredibly expensive city to live in. As an exchange student living on a tight budget, it has been a difficult adjustment. I have nearly given up coffee, as they cost $6-8 here. Eating out for dinner with wine is no longer an option. There are affordable breakfast / brunch / lunch places but it requires a lot of prior research to find the good ones!
Park lunches are the best on an exchange budget!
All in all, I am loving my time in Copenhagen. I would highly recommend this city to anyone who is thinking of going on exchange – as long as you can ride a bike!
Six weeks into moving on down into the southern part of the Netherlands, it’s already feeling like I am well and truly becoming a local. The first impressions of Dutch life have been overwhelmingly favourable, ranging from the incredible accessibility of their compact cities to the laidback and helpful attitude of the people. Other than trying to avoid being run over by the sheer number of bikes on the road, the only frustration lies in the wildly unpredictable weather.
Whilst my exchange is at TU Delft, I am actually living in The Hague. This gives me the opportunity to get to know two cities really well, each very different to the other. Delft is the stereotypical old Dutch city of canals, small leaning houses and cobbled streets whilst The Hague is a bit more ‘big city’ with big new developments and its status as the seat of power for the country.
The ease of moving around The Netherlands has let me get out to other cities quite regularly. Rotterdam is just 15 minutes away on the train, whilst I’ve also made the treks to Amsterdam and Utrecht.
In terms of the university, Delft has a massive architecture school that I am still getting my head around. They refer to the building as ‘BK City’ and it does feel like trying to navigate a city just to get around. Still, it’s a great setup filled with many different spaces to work in. The previous architecture school got burnt down a few years ago and this was only meant to be a temporary arrangement, except it has been so successful they will likely stay. The courseload is pretty demanding, but it’s all been a fast learning curve.
Based on how the last 6 weeks have gone, I’m expecting the rest of my time in The Netherlands to be a pretty enjoyable ride.
“A once in a lifetime opportunity”, I repeat. Over, and over again, on occasion whilst staring at myself in the mirror, in a sort of pep-talk/self-motivation kind of way. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
Truthfully speaking (always best done in retrospect), leading up to that 6am flight, that would take me from Sydney to Heathrow, I had a lot of suppressed emotions. Emotions that I sub-consciously forced down to sub-zero, scared fruitless of what I was about to do, what I had jovially been planning for the past 6 months – what I had gotten myself into. So I fooled myself into an automated sanguine state.
Oh, for sure I was excited, ecstatic even, but there were those moments of doubt and apprehension. Apprehension about crossing the globe for the first time in my 19 years of life, solo. Apprehension of not meeting new people, of not experiencing, and grasping opportunities whilst on the other side of the world, and thus, a once in a lifetime opportunity wasted. But most of all, my most mind plaguing, blood straining, tossing-and-turning-during-the-night apprehension was, homesickness. Fear of falling sick because of the distance between myself and home, in an un-homey city, fully aware that the arms that had held and caught me thus far in my life, could only do so much from the opposite end of the world; and knowing it was somewhat inevitable.
But, now I am here, in Dublin, where I am to call home for the next 4 months, and am already thinking about making it 10, having only officially started my student exchange 2 weeks ago. I’ve been on this side of the world for almost 2 months, and in Dublin for almost half of that – and I’m LOVING it.
In my months of planning, I had deemed it a brilliant idea, with not much forethought except that I had a desire, to make a couple of pit stops on the way to Dublin. Expectantly, however un-hoped for, like a newborn foal, taking their first dubious wobbly steps, the first 48 hours in London were somewhat, trepidatious to say the least. However, I see now, I just needed to reconnect myself with the world, and after a good talk with a local, intrepidness started to seep through the veins. Hence, by the time I reached Dublin, and orientation week had arrived, I wasn’t so very wrought with nerves or anxiety, but was more eager, ready and settled. I guess my brilliant idea paid off.
Travelling, meeting people, fellow travellers (loads of Australians on this side of the world), the locals, and experiencing their country – it’s reassurance that you’re living, breathing, existing in this crazy and wonderful world, and that you’re on the right track – you’re doing just fine.
Tip: as quite a timid, and at times indecisive being, I keep in mind the question – “Will I regret not doing this later?” and if the answer is “Yes”, then I’m decided.
But hey, that’s not to say the pit of homesickness won’t come. But if or when it does, I’ll be well aware that it’s a reversible pit, that I’ll be more than capable of digging myself out.
So yes, technically, you’re here to “study”, but we all know in the hierarchy of student exchange prospects – “study” falls low. Studying abroad, of course in the big picture, is a grand opportunity for one to learn, experience, grow and discover the world and its people, including oneself.
“A once in a lifetime opportunity”, they say.
“A once in a lifetime opportunity”, I repeat, wholeheartedly.
A little over a month into my study placement in the most bicycle-riding, fries-eating and hill-deprived country in the world. Tilburg is a predominantly student-focused city in the south of the Netherlands, about a one hour bike ride from the Belgian border. Terrific restaurants, bars and shops equip the city centre with a great night life and social scene, and yet a beautiful forest with a labyrinth of walking trails resides just minutes away on the other side of town, making it a very balanced and pleasant spot to spend a semester.
I live in the quintessential Tilburg international housing block – Verbs. Hundreds of students from all around the world, crammed into 1960’s built flats with sinks filled perpetually with unwashed dishes, uncomfortable plastic mattresses and a bathroom to resident ratio of 1:9. Sounds like hell? Not at all. The people have really made the trip for me – on my floor are Singaporians, Italians, another Australian, Hungarians, Spanish, Ukraines, Norwegians and Israelis. We all get on great, with big communal curry cook-ups, movie nights and outings all frequent occurrences
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Tilburg University itself is a terrific institution – I’m studying electives in EU Human Rights law, privacy law, cybercrime and Dutch law. The lecturers are engaging and modern, and subject matter really interesting. And alongside class, the uni organises great events, such as a recent trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, periodic Beer kantus festivals (a huge song medley where students sit at huge long tables and chug beer at the conclusion of every song), trips into Amsterdam and other countries.
And on weekends, trips to surrounding cities and countries are a must – thus far we’ve been to Eindhoven, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Germany and Belgium, with a trip to Paris, Hungary and Slovenia on the cards for the upcoming fall break.
In a word – fantastic. I’d highly recommend Tilburg.
It has been more than a month since I’ve arrived at Uppsala, Sweden as part of the exchange program at Uppsala universitet, yet there hasn’t been a single day where I’ve regretted my decision to come study at such a vibrant and peaceful part of the world.
Fyris river, which divides Uppsala in half.
After landing at Sweden after a 22 hour flight, I was greeted with vast stretches of fields and farmland, scenery considered to be quite refreshing for someone who was raised within suburbia. When the shuttle bus arrived at Uppsala, I was greeted with a city filled with modern and antique architecture blending seamlessly together within a summer climate which had felt like the winter I had left behind.
Uppsala cathedral towering over the campus.
In terms of cost regarding food and items, Sweden is relatively similar to Australia, though the large numbers listed do raise quite a few alarm bells at first. Issues do arise though when similar food items in Swedish are lined next to each other, but thankfully there is hardly a language barrier since Swedish people are quite fluent in English.
The inside of the main campus building at Uppsala universitet.
departments housed within their own building, similar to the structure of UTS. Unlike UTS though, the campus area is surrounded by stretches of parks containing sculptures describing the rich history of Uppsala University. The university also contains a botanical garden, a science park next to the science department, and a massive cathedral at the centre hill which overlooks the entire campus. Towards the north east side of the campus resides student clubs known as nations, where pubs, accommodation and events are available for members of any nation within the university to take part in.
Ice cream squeezed onto a donut, named dountglass.
The university is scattered across the western side of Uppsala, with different
Since Uppsala is a fairly small city, the main form of transportation is through bicycle. This is exemplified through the presence of bicycle lanes throughout the streets, along with the constant stream of bikes which flow in and out of the city every day. If you feel that bikes aren’t your thing, the bus transport system is also quite convenient, as it can take you to most locations around Uppsala for a reasonable price provided you purchase their pre paid pass.
A music festival within Uppsala, where musicians of all ages perform on stage.
So far, I am thoroughly enjoying my time here at Uppsala, Sweden, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wish to study aboard at an European country where there is no language barrier to struggle through.
If you’re reading this post, you’re probably interested in going on exchange (and if you aren’t interested, I hope my blog post saves you from missing out on making the best decision of your life..so far). While I’ve never written a blog entry before, if you are interested in what I have been doing during my not-so-studious exchange semester so far, keep reading. (TLDR): You have my word, go on exchange – you wont regret it.
Rewind about 70 days, I would’ve just departed from Sydney on a cold winter’s night, on-board an Etihad flight to London (a journey that would take 24+ hours including lay-overs), ready to chase the European summer. Having flown across the globe, quite literally getting as far away from home as possible, landing in London was rather exciting…until I found myself waiting to be processed through immigration for about 2 hours as three planes had landed at the same time and only half of the booths were in operation – not the best surprise after being on a plane for a day. No big deal. This gave me plenty of time to figure out how I was going to get to my accommodation since I hadn’t gotten a sim card yet (hoo-ray for free airport wifi). Oh, and if you’re looking for a sim card that works well in Europe, I don’t recommend buying one before you leave. When I got out of the airport, I found that on the 3 Network (remember them?) there’s a deal (All-you-can-eat-data) for 20 pounds a month (~40AUD) that gives you unlimited calls, text and data in the UK as well as 25GBs (yes, Gigabytes) of roaming data across most western European countries. Pretty neat right? Also, if you’re thinking about all the different currencies you’ll need on your exchange (for that “eat, sleep, travel, repeat” six-months ahead cooler version of you), I went with the Citibank Debit card which allows me to withdraw money in local currency from ATMs without fees (from Citibank, the actual ATM provider might charge you a fee, but I’ve been okay so far). It then debits the Australian savings that I have linked with that account at pretty good rates, much better than what you’ll get at Travellex stands at the airport (eg. one time the quoted rate on Google was 0.636 EUR to AUD, and Citibank charged 0.63~. Then there’s Travellex asking for 0.54 EUR to AUD…no thanks).
(TLDR): While rainbows, parties and fairies may come to mind when thinking about how good your life is going to be on exchange, future you will definitely appreciate some pre-departure preparation. Read the above above for pre-departure tips.
Now to more of the fun stuff. Name a capital city in Europe and I’ve been there (..most likely). Pick a cathedral in any European country, I’ve seen it (..probably). Like most keen outgoing exchange students, I left as soon as I could to travel for as long as possible before uni officially started (which was around the beginning of September. Oh, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m currently at Kedge Business School).
**Just make sure you’ve got your student visa things sorted. For students going to France, who are notorious for their slow administration, here’s a quick timeline in regards to my visa application (since I could not find anything helpful when I was applying): May 26 – I received an email from the exchange university notifying that they have accepted me to attend and that an acceptance letter is being sent to UTS. June 5 – my acceptance letter (needed for a student visa) is sent out June 17 – the acceptance letter finally arrives June 19 – I have posted my visa application to the french consulate July 9 – happy days, I get an email from the french consulate saying my visa is ready for pick-up July 16 – R.I.P bank account, I’m off to Europe.
ANYWAY, back to the travelling. So after two nights in London, I was off on a 34-day European Adventure tour across Europe with TopDeck (..and I was also going to be CAMPING). For most people, the idea of camping for 34 days doesn’t sound very appealing. Having been there and done it, I would have no hesitation to recommend it to others, let alone to do it again. It really is an experience like no other. Having traveled 34 days (18 countries and 26 cities) straight with the same bunch of people (56 of them) on what we liked to call the “hotbox” or “incubator of the bubonic plague 2.0” (if you do one of these trips, you will get sick…trust me), camping, sweating, eating, selfie-ing, partying, drinking (you get the idea), we developed a bond that truly is like no other. After seeing each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for almost 5 weeks (the longest amount of time – in succession – that you’ll probably ever spend with people), you will undoubtedly forge lifelong friendships (and networks, for those avid business students) among your fellow travelers. As corny as it sounds, they will become your second family. On the other hand, if you don’t plan on doing a month long summer tour like I did, you’ll definitely still meet plenty of people along the way during your travels.
19/07
Like most tourists, I was able to see most of Europe’s famous monuments and appreciate its amazing and historic architecture. Some of my personal highlights included: Eating a fresh baguette in Paris – yes…jokes, my first meal was a panini. It was still delicious though! …and of course there’s la tour Eiffel, etc.
Skydiving in the Swiss Alps – yes! If you have skydived before, do it again! If you’re freaking out trying to convince yourself to do it.. Yes, you will survive. No you won’t have a heart attack. Yes, you’ll want to do it again after you jump!
Sagrada Familia (Barcelona) – words just don’t do this church any justice. You’ll have to see this one for yourself.
Walking through Florence – one of the best looking cities in my opinion.
Sailing in the Greek Isles – 3 days on a yacht island hopping between crystal clear waters! (gyros in Greece is awesome too!)
Lazy day floating around somewhere in Greece #yachtlife
Entering Kings Landing – the old town of Dubrovnik (Croatia) was very cool.
Plitvice Lakes – amazing national park, clearest waters you’ll ever see and some absolute class waterfalls. Budapest – wandering around the amazing city, and hearing a busker singing George Ezra’s “Budapest” (IN BUDAPEST!) Prague and its Gothic architecture – as well the amazing Czech cuisine. Berlin, Germany – while you’ll find lots of history in regards to the world wars and post-war periods when travelling through Europe, walking through Berlin is like taking a walk through history.
While you’re there, don’t miss the opportunity to check out Burgermeister if you get the chance – seriously good burgers. The Germans are also famous for their schnitzel and sausages so don’t give them a miss! (note: if you have peanut allergies, be cautious that some hot-dog stands use peanut oil to cook so definitely check!). Amsterdam – riding bikes and doing other fun things… lol.
22/08
So after spending 34 days in Europe, I had a week to kick back and relax in London. Probably not the best place to spend a week given the continuous decline in value of the AUD. But like most Sydney-siders, I’d always wanted to go to London and explore its famous city, watch a theatre production and do touristy things (real life monopoly?). I’d say 3-5 days would have been plenty.
28/08
After London, I was off to Ireland (the Emerald Isle, land of the green, leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, etc) for a little under a week. Ireland is up there in my top…say 5, of countries I would recommend people to visit. While it was neutral to much of the world wars, there a lot of political history exists and it is all extremely interesting. Unlike many other European countries, where I felt tourists were viewed by locals as pests and a nuisance, Ireland seemed to thrive in making people feel welcome. My first purchase there was an “Irish Drinking Team” cap with a bottle opener – so cool, even the locals loved it! (yes, I perpetuated the stereotype)
I traveled with friends from UTS, along with a small tour (with Shamrocker) starting in Dublin, going up and around Belfast and Ballintoy (where they film the Iron Islands in Game of Thrones!! They were apparently filming there on Monday, but we left on Sunday! So close!) in Northern Ireland, before going across to Derry, down to Galway and the Aran Islands before heading back to Dublin. The scenery you see going around Ireland is amazing – massive lakes, towering mountains, lots of sheep and green fields).
The pubs are old-school and cosy, and all the staff/patrons were extremely welcoming and friendly. Don’t get me started on the food!
03/09
So after Ireland, it was time to head to Bordeaux, France for my orientation week. We were picked up by the University, by a society called Melting Potes who helped us settle in.
They made everything smooth and straight forward from opening a bank account (to pay for phone bills, electricity and rent) to getting a sim card. During orientation week, which was solely for international students, we were introduced to many of the administrative staff at Kedge and we were finally able to put faces to people we had been emailing for months prior. We also went on a little afternoon tour of the city, where we were led by a local tour guide around the UNESCO World Heritage City that is Bordeaux.
On the first weekend of the Orientation week, I had Friday-Monday off on my calendar, so I booked a spontaneous trip to Lisbon, Portugal (one of the perks of going on exchange in Europe is that you can get around to most European countries very easily and with quite a low budget). Like most European countries, Portugal has a ton of history to offer. Apart from history, I also indulged in large portions of codfish, Portuguese tarts and chicken. I also went to Belem to try the infamous Pastéis de Belém, which claims to have the original recipe for Portuguese tarts. Having had three there in one sitting, I don’t doubt it the slightest. Best. Tarts. Ever.
08/09
Come Tuesday morning, I was back in Bordeaux and headed to my team-building workshop organised by the university. Here I met many more international students and we participated in ice-breaker activities and team-based tasks.
Having finished all my orientation activities, and with a little bit of planning, I was off to Spain for the rest of the week.
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So you’re probably wondering, when does uni actually start? Am I even studying? Yeah, I thought that too for a while.
Well I’m back at my place in Bordeaux (which I’ve rented on Airbnb, right in the city centre – this is recommended) typing up this blog post. I have been at uni for a week now, taking French classes every morning and a class on managing supply chain operations (which is surprisingly interesting) every second afternoon (minus weekends of course). So far, my learning environment at Kedge has been quite engaging and rather practical. The professors here encourage more interaction during lecture between students and academics than what I am used to at UTS. The number of students in each lecture is also smaller which helps. All the international students I have met have been extremely friendly and welcoming. I’ve even found out that there’s a rugby team and have been training with them for a week now. Although I am going to uni, it doesn’t quite feel the same (in a positive way), and I guess that’s the purpose of exchange. You’re now in a foreign country, mixed with other international students, and your professor has worked and studied in numerous countries during his life so far. Meeting new people every day, learning to speak the language, and settling down to living like how the locals do it in Bordeaux has been an amazing experience so far. If you go on exchange, I guarantee that you’ll have an opportunity like this. While my story is still going, like anything you do in life, you only get out what you put in.
Make the most out of your time at university, and there’s no better way to do that than to go on exchange!
p.s. in case you were wondering, in the last two months, I’ve been to 20 countries and 38 cities. What have you done during the last two months?
Milan is a city of beauty, culture, amazing food and of course fashion. The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore is in the city centre of Milan, allowing myself to gain more exposure to this great city. Already 1 month into my semester exchange, it has so far been a challenging yet rewarding and fulfilling experience. The staff at Cattolica are really great in helping students settle in and they organised a successful orientation and intensive Italian language course which allowed for me to meet new people and explore more of the city.
Milano is a beautiful city and is enriched with history and culture. Although having been to the Duomo numerous times already, it’s just as beautiful as the last time. The churches and religious monuments in Milano still retain their beauty and are a significant part to the history and lifestyle of the Milanese people. Food and coffee is also an important part of Italian lifestyle and with Milan hosting the EXPO this year, it’s been a great opportunity to try new foods and gain more awareness about sustainable eating.
Starting on time at 9am in Italy means starting at 9:30am. The more relaxed lifestyle was a bit difficult to adjust to and living here has so far taught me the importance of patience and acceptance that not everything will be started or completed on time. This lifestyle extends to their opening hours which includes 2 hour breaks in the afternoons each day and shops closing on both Sunday and Monday. However, this has encouraged me to spend more weekends with other international students and more time exploring more parts of the city such as the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Teatro alla Scale and Navigli.
Milano is also known for having Aperitivo, which is when you pay a reasonably cheap price for a cocktail and small buffet of food including pasta, focaccia, cold meats and sometimes a dessert. It’s an affordable way to eat out and a great idea to meet with friends after a day at uni. A common area to spend the evening is in Navigli, which has restaurants (and markets on the weekend) along the canal and is a great way to spend time with friends.
So far, Milan has been an amazing experience and I’m excited to continue exploring the city and more of Italy in the next 3 months. The great thing about Cattolica’s International curriculum is that it tries to integrate classes with excursions and practical events. This includes some students traveling to the EXPO to explore sustainably eating, information sessions hosted by founders and managers of luxury businesses for those studying the fashion market and also small businesses in Italy such as a brewery and a restaurant for students studying entrepreneurship and management. Milan has a lot to offer and I hope it will continue to provide me with amazing learning experiences.
I am undertaking an exchange to Vienna University of Economics and Business. I left Sydney on a chilly August evening just over a month ago now…..and still haven’t had one lecture yet! I start my studies on October 2nd. So, what have I done for the past month? Travel! Which is the whole point of exchange isn’t it? Besides studying of course…
So I began my travels departing Sydney and living a childhood dream by heading straight to Cairo, Egypt. I travelled down the Nile from Cairo in the North all the way south to just 20km from the Sudanese border, it was a phenomenal 10 days. The following is a link to a video I made which will do a much better job than any photos I paste in this blog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkbHFqAZhPQ
After Egypt I kicked on to London for a week which was obviously of great contrast to the Pyramids of Giza but nonetheless very exciting! I spent way too much time in the English pubs and met some awesome people along the way. The highlight would be heading out to the middle of nowhere, on a typically freezing English summer day (the weather seems to suck all year round) to check out a pile of rocks, known as Stonehenge. It literally is just a pile of rocks in a farm but the whole place has this aura about it purely because IT IS STONEHENGE.
Stonehenge
After my week in England I kicked onto Italy, flying directly to Naples and staying in the amazing Mediterranean town of Positano, I really don’t need to say much more, the following photo should do the talking for me.
Positano, Italy
I stayed there 4 days, then kicked on to Rome, which is one damn amazing city, every street has something worth seeing on it. You can picture the Ancient Romans walking around and going about everyday life, Ancient Rome is still very present in the modern city. From Rome, I headed to Florence, which to me felt the least touristy part of the touristy cities of Italy (does that make sense?). Florence to me was the most beautiful city I had ever seen….yet!
Florence, Italy
Venice was packed with tourists which sadly takes a bit away from the uniquely beautiful city, however the whole place just seems so strange and ready to sink at any minute, it is quite unbelievable that it actually exists. I was lucky enough to be there when the main square (St Mark’s Square) flooded at high tide! No problem! Before you have a chance to even think about how you are going to get to the other side, the locals have already constructed a temporary boardwalk which sits just above the floodwaters.
St Mark’s Square Venice, under floodwaters
After Italy I kicked on briefly to Austria but I’ll come back to that at the end of the post, so after Austria was the Capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. Wow. Note above when I spoke of Florence, i said it was the most beautiful city I had seen….yet. That is because I think Prague may take that title, it is simply perfect. Left virtually untouched by the war, unlike the majority of its European neighbours, Prague is simply beautiful aesthetically and culturally. While it had a lot of tourists it still feels like it is only just being discovered by the majority of the world, and it could become a MAJOR tourist destination within Europe the more attention it continues to get. I snapped this photo at the top of the old clock tower in the main square, which gave the most amazing view which highlighted that Prague is as beautiful from above as it is on the ground.
Prague, Czech Republic
Alright so, Austria. I am studying at WU, which is somehow an abbreviation for Vienna University of Economics & Business. I am only on my 3rd day in Vienna as I am writing this blog post. As I said before I don’t start studying until the 2nd of October. The city seems like a really nice place to spend the next 5 months. I haven’t done too much exploring yet as I have been moving into my apartment and rushing around buying necessities but I did get down to my uni and snapped some pictures of it. It looks ridiculously modern, pretty cool and in some parts weird! (not as weird as UTS paper bag building). I’ll sign off on this post with some photos of the Uni, I am eagerly looking forward to studying there, meeting some more students, and just soaking up this once in a lifetime opportunity. 🙂
WU – Vienna University of Economics & BusinessLibrary at WUAnother average building at WU
