The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from

you.

B. B. KING

I feel like no one thinks I go to class here so this post will be dedicated to my classes…and a little more.

My language class is going alright. I wish I was learning how to order food, read bus stops, and vocabulary about groceries. Being able to order food in Polish would be a huge advantage. It would be nice to speak Polish to the waiters and waitresses instead of pointing to what I want. Polish is such a difficult language but if I can survive here knowing about 20 words, anyone can. Last week, I forgot my dorm card which has my room number on it and I had to ask for my key in Polish and hope that reception would understand. I was able to get my key successfully but it was stressful.

I still enjoy my Jewish Studies class. I am constantly learning new stuff; I didn’t realize how little I actually knew about the Holocaust. In two weeks, our professor will take my class to Auschwitz for a study tour.

On Friday, I had a study tour for my culture, heritage and history class! Our professor took us inside Wawel Castle. I saw all kinds of paintings and art from the medieval times. Wawel has really cool ceilings! One of the ceilings has carved faces sticking out! Our professor also took us to a few different churches.

My art and architecture class is starting up again. I had one class at the beginning of the semester and then a 6 week break. The class is painful to sit through because its 3.5 hours long, but the study tours will make the class worth it.

Lately, the biggest concern of all USAC students has been the coronavirus. Students in Italy and France have been sent home and we’re worried we might get sent home too if the virus gets really bad. Currently, all of us are prohibited from traveling to Italy. If I were to go to Italy, I would have to self-quarantine for 2 weeks and then I would get sent home…so I will not be traveling to Italy. Hopefully, the virus doesn’t continue to spread because then I might be banned from traveling to other countries.

Now for some good news:

This week, I’ve been spending a lot of time at coffee shops with Bree. This past weekend, Bree and I tried Camelot coffee. While she and I were at Camelot, a guy heard our American accents and introduced himself to us. He told us he is from Houston, Texas studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria but came to Krakow for the weekend. A day later, Cedric and I tried a Greek restaurant and on the way to class after, an American introduced himself after hearing our accents on the tram. He said he is from Kansas but is in Krakow teaching English to multiple different schools. Even though neither of these men were from Michigan, I still felt connected to them. 

It’s crazy that I’ve been here for almost two months now. Some mornings I still wake up and can’t believe I’m in Europe. I’m not ready to go back to America, I really like the European lifestyle. But lately, I’ve been missing my mom’s dinners and my car, Rhonda. I’ve been craving pulled pork lately. It is nice that I don’t have to drive anywhere. This is especially convenient because I can go out to a bar, have a drink or two (legal age is 18), and not have to worry about drinking and driving…because I’m not driving. BUT I don’t like being on someone else’s schedule. If I miss the bus, I have to stand in the cold until the next one arrives. Often, the buses are late which is really annoying (I’m looking at you, bus 152). Public transportation is most annoying when I am planning a weekend trip. I’d like to leave right after my class on Fridays but there aren’t always trains at 8pm. Instead, I have to leave Saturday mornings and waste half a day traveling. If I had Rhonda in Poland, I would be able to leave when I wanted. But I’ll be back, driving Rhonda, and burning gas up soon enough. 

What I do really like here is living in the dorms. Not the actual dorms themselves, but dorm life. If I get lonely, I just walk across the hallway or hop on the elevator to the 7^th floor and go hangout with the others. I like that all of my friends are close by, there is always someone to do something with. I can always find someone to go grocery shopping, pay rent, get icecream, have a drink, or do homework with me. It’s crazy that these people were just strangers two months ago. But I guess living together 24/7 creates special bonds quickly.

Lastly, I want to shout-out Bridget and Thomas for sending me a Valentine’s Day package! Thank you for the package it made my heart so happy!! I love and miss you both lots!

This week I’m looking forward to my trip to Prague with Mae! I’m not sure what we have planned for Prague yet but I’ll be posting about the trip when I get back! 

We have nothing to lose and a world to see.

I got back to Krakow Sunday night and Monday (24.02.2020) afternoon I was on a train with Mae and Brian to Warsaw. Once we got to our airbnb, we met up with Cedric.

That afternoon the four of us explored the city. While wandering around we saw the Presidential Palace, Piłsudski Square and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Saxon Gardens, the Royal Castle, a few churches, Old Town, a few fountains and parks, and a statue of Marie Curry.

Warsaw’s Old Town is lame compared to Krakow’s to be honest. Warsaw’s Old Town was destroyed in 97% during WWII, so it has all been rebuilt; hardly any of it is original. But it’s also really small and there isn’t much to do inside.

The next morning, Cedric left to go back to Krakow and Mae, Brian and I went to the Neon Museum. The neon museum has been collecting old neon signs for a while and officially opened in 2012.

As you walk in you can read about the history of neon signs which I loved because it was all about chemistry. A short summary of neon lights: Neon was first discovered in 1898 by Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers in London. Ramsay used fractional distillation to isolate neon: he cooled a sample of air until it was a liquid, then he warmed the liquid and captured the gases that were released. Nitrogen, oxygen and argon (which were already known) were given off and the rest of the gases were isolated and identified. First, they discovered krypton, then neon, and then xenon. Neon gave off a bright red light when it’s electrons were excited. The great thing about neon, and the rest of the noble gases, is that they produced light and are chemically inert, stable and nonreactive. Scientists tried to use the noble gases in everyday situations like lightbulbs but it didn’t work well. Most of the signs were actually used back in the day and then restored and put on display. It was a really unique museum!

After the neon museum, we ate lunch and headed back to Old Town for our walking tour. On the walking tour, we got the whole history of the city of Warsaw. We started at the statue of Sigismund III, the first Polish king from Sweden. Then we saw the Royal Castle which had been almost completely destroyed in WWII. We saw the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist which was destroyed in WWII and built back completely different. We saw Old Town and the famous mermaid fountain. Legend says that the mermaid lived in the Vistula River and watched over Warsaw. Our guide told us about how the mermaid came to look the way she does now. First she start out half-chicken half-human with wings and evolved to the half-fish half-woman we know now. We also saw Warsaw’s barbican, the wall surrounding and protecting the city. The barbican used to be made out of dirt which was smart because it could be easily moved. Then it was made out of bricks, which offered more protection but couldn’t be moved if the town grew or shrank.

Our guide also talked about the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw. Warsaw had the largest Jewish population and during WWII, the ghetto held 300,000+ Jews in a 3km square. There are memorial plaques on the sidewalk marking where the ghetto walls were.

My favorite part about the walking tour was seeing Marie Curry’s house. Marie Curry was born in Poland, when it was part of the Soviet Union, but then moved to France so she could get an education. There, she married a French man and became a dual-citizen of France and Poland. Marie Curry is known for discovering Radium and Polonium and developing the theory of radioactivity. She named her first discovered element after Poland, Polonium. Marie Curry won 2 noble prizes, was the first woman to win one, the only woman to win 2, and the only person to win in two different fields, physics and chemistry. She is a badass. Rumor has it that her office door handle is still radioactive after doing experiments and touching the doorknob to leave the room to wash her hands.

After our walking tour, Brian, Mae and I went to the Palace of Culture and Science and rode in an elevator to the 30th floor to get a magnificent view of the city. We saw all sides of the city in the light and then in the dark when everything was illuminated. It was a gorgeous view! After, we ate dinner and headed to the train station to get back to Krakow.

Back in Krakow, I went to my classes (I actually go to school, I promise) and made friends with Erasmus students in my building. This weekend, I’m catching up on my blog, dishes, laundry, and starting my papers for my classes. Bree and I will probably visit a new coffee shop or two, too. I’m also counting down the days until mom, Aunt Jessie and Maddie come to visit…2 weeks! I cannot wait to see my jirls!

Sometimes you just need a break. In a beautiful place. Alone. To

figure everything out.

Last week the Erasmus students, European students studying abroad in Europe, arrived in Krakow. Because the others and I came from America, we aren’t Erasmus students but we have joined their Facebook and Whatsapp group so we can make friends and join their adventures. This week they had an event at a karaoke bar so a few of us went to sing and meet new friends. Bella and I sang California Girls, You Belong with Me and Dancing Queen. We made friends with about a dozen people from all different countries. I might attach a short clip of us singing on the YouTube Videos page.

On Friday, USAC took a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine! The Salt Mine was only a 25 minute train ride away. Our tour guide, (underground) Anna, was amazing. She told us all about the history of the Salt Mine and gave a great tour. The best thing she said was “You can lick anything here!” and I said “Ok bet.” I had been talking about licking the salt walls since I got to Krakow so I had to do it. (Check the photos page for proof.)

Some fun facts about Wieliczka:

• We reached 135m below the surface, but the furthest point is 327m below the surface
• We climbed more than 800 steps
• They starting mining in the 13th century
• They kept producing salt until 2007
• They don’t mine salt anymore because the cost of production outweighs the income
• The chamber is 178 miles long
• Most of the salt is 80% pure, there was a small section that was 95% pure NaCl
• King Casimir the Great was the king who made labor laws about working in the mines
• Miners used horses to send salt to the top, they were the only animals underground
• We only saw 1% of the mine in the 90 minute tour
• There are about 90 different chapels in the mine, but we only saw 4
• The miners would great each other by saying “Szczesc Boze” which means God bless you

When the mine was active, only really famous and important people were able to visit, with the king’s permission of course. Those people include Nicolaus Copernicus, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and King Casimir the Great, who then had salt statues made of them.

The most famous salt statue is more like a scene. The legend says that Hungarian Princess Kinga was about to be married to the Prince of Krakow, Bolesław V the Chaste. She wanted a lump of salt for a dowry so she asked her father for it. Her father, King Béla, took her into the salt mine where she threw her engagement ring into one of the deep pits. When Princess Kinga got to Krakow, she wanted the miners to find her ring. The miners were able to and she became the patron saint of the salt mine! The scene displays her receiving the dowry.

Each chapel in the mine was really beautiful, but the church was absolutely gorgeous. Besides a little bit of wood, the whole thing is carved out of salt! I hope all my readers like destination weddings because I W I L L get married in a salt mine. I just haven’t decided if it will be the one in Colombia or the one in Poland.

Since we had a really early wake up call to get to the salt mine everyone crashed when we arrived back in Krakow. When I woke up, the homesickness that I kind of felt on Wednesday hit me hard. I had plans to hangout with Bree, Bella, and Mae but I just wasn’t feeling up for it anymore. Then Mae came into my room and suggested we go to the Czech Republic. We booked our tickets to leave that night and started packing. Then Bella came in and suggested that we go to Zakopane, Poland instead. So Mae and I changed our tickets and Bella and Bree booked theirs. We had 45 minutes to pack and get to the bus station. The four of us were running around like a chickens with our heads cut off but we made it to the bus stop on time and 2.5 hours later we were in snowy Zakopane.

Don’t ask how we managed to find a place to stay in Zakopane at the very last minute because it was a pure stroke of good luck. All I have to say is thank God for mountain mom and grandpa. Also shoutout to Molly, the cute dog that decided to like us on our last day there.

Zakopane is in the very south area of Poland, almost in Slovakia. It is surrounded by the Tatra Mountains. Zakopane is known for skiing, its a big tourist area for the Polish. Zakopane had a lot of snow, I almost went all winter without seeing snow. Even though it was cold out, it didn’t feel cold. It felt really refreshing.

On our first full day, Bree, Mae, Bella and I took a hike around our cabin, took pictures, and headed into town. We took pictures in front of the beautiful mountain in the snow. Centrum (city center) was about a 30 minute walk from our cabin but it was a beautiful day out so it was a nice walk. While in the centrum, we shopped for souveniurs and walked around enjoying all of the sights. We had Zakopane’s famous smoked goat cheese. That cheese SLAPPED. Poland is a really cool country because different cities will have foods specific to them that only certified businesses can sell. Krakow has obwarzanek. Poznań has St. Martin’s Croissants. Zakopane has goat cheese.

After a full day of exploring and walking, we spent some time relaxing in the evening. The next day, we hiked to the top of a hill and filmed a TikTok. That’ll be on the YouTube page soon too. By the time we were done, it was time to head back to the bus station.

Zakopane was exactly what the 4 of us needed. All of us were suffering from a bit of homesickness and some part of Zakopane reminded us each of home. For me, the mountains, ski slopes, nature, and tourists reminded me of my cousin’s house in Boyne City, MI. When I’m in Boyne, life slows down and I get to enjoy the outdoors and spend quality time with people I love. I am so glad Bella suggested Zakopane and we were able to make the trip work out last minute.

I got from Zakopane on Sunday, unpacked, repacked and headed back to the bus station on Monday. I’m writing this as I’m sitting on a train headed to Warsaw with Mae and Brian and we will meet up with Cedric once we arrive. We’re only here for a day and a half but I’m still thrilled to be visiting another Polish city. I’m not totally sure what we are going to do in Warsaw yet but we’re going to take it hour by hour and enjoy ourselves and the city.

Someone said to me “I feel like you’re in a new city every 2 days” and he isn’t wrong. This is exactly what I imagined my study abroad experience to be and words can’t express how happy I am that it’s happening. I’m a nomad and I’m living for it.

Traveling is about finding those things you never knew you were

looking for.

Since my 3 Polish cities trip, I have been relaxing, exploring Krakow, applying for internships, and planning future trips.

Exploring:

2 weeks ago I set a goal to do something by myself. I realized that I don’t do anything alone here and I wanted to gain my independence back. When I first got here I didn’t want to be alone because I am in a completely new environment. But it had been a month, so I could handle doing something small on my own. So 2 weeks ago, I went to Wesoła cafe, had a coffee and trip planned. I had been to Wesoła a day or two before with Bree, but this time I went all by myself. I felt accomplished.

This week’s goal was to do 2 things by myself, extra points if it was something NEW. On Monday, I took an adventure to a new part of town and had a coffee at Nap Nap cafe. I give the adventure an 7/10. I was hoping for an iced coffee (since it was 60 degrees out!) but Nap Nap didn’t have ice. Nap Nap didn’t have wifi either which I desperately needed to trip plan and buy concert tickets. BUT, Nap Nap was very cute inside and the barista was super kind. So extra points for something new!

After Nap Nap, I headed to the grocery store. This was a 6/10 adventure. I went to a different Auchan than normal because I went to the one closest one to the coffee place. The buses were running behind schedule so I had to wait longer than usual . The layout of the store was different and the bus stop home was not right outside the store. So, I had a long walk in the dark by myself to find this random bus stop. I made it safely but I did not enjoy it. The good part of this trip was that I was able to find spaghetti sauce!! Like REAL spaghetti sauce, not pizza or Mexican sauce! #IYKYK

I did Polish Zumba last week and it was so much fun! The nice thing about Zumba is that you don’t need to speak the language to understand what is going on. All you have to do is follow the teacher.

I had my first study tour for my culture, heritage and history class! Our professor took our class to the National Museum and to the Underground Museum. College should include more study tours. The Underground Museum is really interesting because the city of Krakow used to be 3m below where it is now. So way back when, the people living in Krakow would throw their trash into the street where it would stay. Because of that the city is now 3m higher above sea level! Because of it, the ground floor of all buildings became the basements and ground floors here are level 1 instead of 0.

Internships:

Since I didn’t have a trip planned this past weekend, I spent a few hours applying for internships. I applied at BASF, Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, PPG and Henkel.

The goal is to get an internship in cosmetics this summer. I’ve heard back from P&G, J&J, and PPG so far. P&G and J&J made me do personality tests, puzzles, and a digital interview. I’m scheduling a phone interview with PPG soon! Hopefully, I’ll have a job set up by the time I get back to the US!

Future Trips:

I am SO VERY EXCITED for my mom, Aunt Jessie, and cousin, Maddie, to visit me in less than a month! I’ve started making a list of things to see, places to visit and restaurants to eat at! It’s going to be a girls trip of a lifetime!!!!!!!!

Mae, Ethan and I started planning our trip to Israel! The plan is to spend time in Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Haifa. We are definitely taking a trip to the Dead Sea too!

On Friday, USAC is taking a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. @Nicole, if you’re reading this, I am going to lick the salt walls and you cannot stop me.

This weekend, I’d like to visit Warsaw. Traveling to Polish cities is much easier than other countries because it’s dirt cheap to get there, stay, eat and my Polish phone plan still works.

I added a new page to this website called YouTube Videos. Savanna has made a video about our trip to London and the 3 Polish cities. The videos are directly attached to my blog. Check them out please, she did a really great job!!

I also uploaded a TON of pictures from Wrocław, Poznań, and Łódź on the pictures pages so take a look at those! The pictures are divided up by city so it’s easy to follow.

You must go on adventures to find out where you truly belong.

Sue Fitzmaurice

February 7th-8th: Wrocław:

Important things to know about Wrocław:

• It is not said the way it is spelled at all
• 90% of Old Town was destroyed in WWII
• 70% of the whole city was ruined after WWII
• During WWII, it was a German city named Breslau, therefore things are written in Polish, then German, then English
• It was renamed Wrocław in 1945 after Poland’s borders moved
• It is known as the Venice of the North, the Meeting Place, and City of 100 Bridges
• It is a city of islands connected by bridges
• There are over 600 dwarves in the city
• It is has the 2nd largest square in the Poland, 178m by 213m
• It’s the 4th largest city in Poland
• It is absolutely gorgeous

During our full day in Wrocław, Sydney, Savanna, David and I went on a walking tour. We saw Old Town, the city square, churches, courtyards, and dwarves. After the walking tour, we explored more of the city square and Cathedral Island which holds 6+ churches. We checked out the University of Wrocław and touched the dwarf outside of the university for good luck on tests. We also saw the Royal Palace which is now the city museum. We attempted to climb to the top of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist but the elevators weren’t working. For dessert that night, I tried chocolate pierogies and they were to die for. That evening, Sydney and I met up with Bree, Mae and Bella to check out the night life and we danced all night long.

The 600+ famous dwarves of Wrocław stem from the Polish anti-communist movement called the Orange Alternative. The Russian word for red, which refers to communism, and the Polish word for dwarf sounds very similar and that’s why the symbol is a dwarf. It first started as a piece of graffiti and now it has turned into hundreds of bronze dwarves all around the city. I saw a dwarf in “prison” at the city prison, one studying at the university, one with a beer in his hand outside the oldest bar/restaurant, one dressed as the Statue of Liberty and many more. They are so easy to spot and the number of these guys increase each year.

The next day, I dragged Sydney, Savanna and David to the top of St. Elizabeth’s Church for a beautiful panoramic view of the city. It was only 300 steps to the top…228 steps less than St. Paul’s Cathedral! After our climb, the 4 of us headed to the bus station to catch our bus to Poznań!

EDIT (15.02.2020): St. Elizabeth’s Church was originally a Catholic church. But legend has it that a card game between a Catholic and Protestant man changed everything. The Catholic man lost the card game and St. Elizabeth’s Church became a Protestant church. One day, part of the spire of the church fell over and the only a black cat was killed. The Catholics called it was karma and the Protestants called it a sign since only a black cat (which were thought to be evil) died.

We are lucky we made it to Poznań…we almost missed our bus. I think that’s our staple move.

February 8th-9th: Poznań:

Sydney, Savanna, David and I arrived in Poznań, dropped our bags off at the Airbnb, and rushed to the city center for a walking tour of the Hidden Gems of Poznań. We saw the Imperial Castle, a theatre, the main University, courtyards, and a monument dedicated to the “Polish cryptologists and their coworkers that broke the enigma ciphers” that contributed to the end of WWII. After our walking tour, we had dinner and headed back to the Airbnb.

The Imperial Castle is a really cool because it is the youngest castle in Europe. First it was a provincial residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The castle was also the residence of the Polish president and part of the University of Poznań. During WWII, Hitler built an office for himself inside in case he ever visited Poznań, but here is no proof that he ever did. Now, it is a museum.

The next day, we started the morning off with a St. Martins croissant! St. Martin’s croissants can only be found in Poznań and sold by certified businesses. Then we had a walking tour of Poznań where I touched a statue of goat poop for good luck. I really hope it works. At the end of the tour, I touched a goat’s horn and made a wish. Hopefully it works too. During the tour we saw the city center, the Parish Church of St. Stanislaus, two goats butt heads at noon, a park, a courtyard, and the royal castle.

Some fun facts about Poznań:

• The Church of St. Stanislaus is very interesting because it looks very expensive inside, but it’s fake. The builders of the church didn’t have enough money for real marble so they found an alternative that looks like real marble.
• Many other aspects of the church are not made out of the material it looks like. Another example is that there is not real gold decoration in the church but instead, gold paint.
• 80% of Old Town was destroyed in WWII. Poznań was part of Prussia and then became part of Germany. Like Wrocław, things were written in Polish, then German, then English.
• Everyday at noon, two wooden goats come out of a hole in the town hall and butt heads with each other 12 times.

After, we visited the museum in the royal castle of Poznań and took an elevator to the top to get a beautiful view of the city. We ended the day early since we had to catch a 6am bus to Łódź.

February 10th-11th: Łódź:

David left for Krakow Sunday since he had class so it was just Sydney, Savanna and I that traveled to Łódź. We woke up at 4am to make sure we were able to get to the bus on time and we almost missed it…again.

Once in Łódź (which is not said anything like it is spelled), we stopped at the Church of the Holy Spirit and then went to Manufaktura to shop. Łódź used to be the textile manufacturing capital of Poland. Now, museums are where the factories used to be. Unfortunately, most museums are closed on Mondays so we didn’t get to visit any. Instead, we walked around the city until we had seen all that there was to see, which sadly was not much.

I was hoping to do a walking tour in Łódź but Walkative only runs tours in the spring and summer and a private tour was way too expensive. I am hoping to visit again in the spring to go on a street art tour because Łódź was filled with beautiful paintings and murals. And while I got to look at the art, I would love to learn about the artists and why they painted the murals they did.

OVERALL:

I liked Wrocław the most, Poznań second and Łódź third. Wrocław had the most hopping city center and the best nightlife. Poznań had the most beautiful city square because of the colorful buildings. Łódź had beautiful street art. My favorite thing over the weekend was climbing to the top of buildings to get the best view of each city. My least favorite thing was catching a 6am bus.

I’m so glad I got to spend my only 5-day weekend exploring more of Poland. You can probably catch me back in Wrocław soon!

A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else.

unknown

DAY 2:

Sydney, Savanna and I visited: Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Tate Modern, the Camden Market, and took a cruise on the Thames River.

To get to Kensington Palace, we walked through Hyde Park. It was a beautiful sunny morning out so it was a lovely walk. I really, really liked Hyde Park because it was a nice, quiet and peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city, especially Oxford Street. Plus, we saw lots of cute dogs on the way.

Kensington Palace is where Queen Victoria was born and raised. It was incredible to see where royalty had actually lived. We joined a tour of Kensington half way through and learned how women go to the bathroom in those wide dresses. It’s a little bit TMI but I’m sharing it anyway because I can’t be the only one curious. So at royal parties, the wider and more decorated your dress is, the richer and more important you were because you were taking up more space. Women always carried a fan with them. Waving the fan in different ways signaled different things like “I’m single” or “I’m married” or “I’m married but still open.” There was a certain wave for when she needed to use the restroom. Because the parties were incredibly crowded and held in small rooms, women didn’t leave to go to the bathroom. The wave signaled a page boy to come over with a gravy cup. The page boy would slide the gravy cup under the woman’s dress and she would go to the bathroom right then and there…while holding conversation! Then when she was finished, she would wave again and the page boy would pick the gravy cup up and take it away. Pretty gross but the more you know.

Next, we took a cruise on the river Thames and saw all of the major sites of London from the water. We floated under the famous Tower Bridge and the London Bridge…which thankfully didn’t fall down on us (a ha ha).

The Tate Modern is a LARGE art museum. We didn’t have much time at the Tate Modern so we picked the most interesting exhibits.

For dinner and to look for tchotchkes, we checked out Camden Market. Sadly, we got there in the rain as everyone was closing up. We ate Mediterranean food for dinner and finished with super sweet dessert.

After dessert, we headed back for an early night…and because our legs hurt a lot.

DAY 3:

Sydney, Savanna and I ate a traditional English breakfast, shopped at the Borough Market, toured Shakespeare’s Globe, browsed the British Museum, and saw a live performance of Wicked.

Sydney and Savanna ordered a true traditional English breakfast, but I didn’t because I knew I wouldn’t eat the mushrooms, tomatoes and beans on it. Who wants to eat vegetables for breakfast…especially the worst ones?! Instead, I had some kind of egg on toast dish which was super filling and delicious.

After a fat breakfast, we headed to the Borough Market where we should have eaten breakfast instead. There was so much fresh food, it smelled so yummy.

Then we took a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe, which turned out to be much smaller than I thought it would be. The real Shakespeare’s Globe burned down, so the Globe in London is the best replica possible. It was really cool to see since I read a lot of Shakespeare in high school. I think my English teacher would have been proud that I visited. On the tour, they talked about how the Globe was built, the audience, and the shows. The poorest people would stand down by the stage and were called penny-stinkers because they were smelly. The richest and most important people would sit behind the stage so they would see the actors’ backs. Aristocrats sat behind mainly so that the rest of the audience could see that the aristocrats were there. What a weird way to flex, I would much rather be poor and see the actors’ faces than rich and not what peoples’ backs. Unfortunately, The Globe doesn’t have performances in the winter because it’s an outdoor theatre so we weren’t able to see a show.

We quickly browsed the British Museum. There was so much to see and read but we didn’t have time for it all. I would love to go back in the future and spend a whole day inside.

To make up for not being able to see a show at the Globe, we opted to see Wicked at the Victoria Apollo theatre! Wicked was INCREDIBLE; I had chills the entire time! I think it is my favorite show I’ve ever seen live; it beats School of Rock that I saw on Broadway. I really liked Wicked because it gave me a deeper insight into the Wizard of Oz.

DAY 4

For our last day, we visited Buckingham Palace, Lush and almost missed our flight home.

We got up early to head to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard…but then we saw a sign that there was no Guard Changing Ceremony. I was pretty upset we didn’t see it because it’s a staple of London and if you don’t see it, did you really go to London? But since it was beautiful out, we had a photoshoot in front of the Palace instead. Buckingham Palace was gorgeous on the outside, I can’t even imagine the inside. If I go back to London, I will definitely be checking it out.

After, we headed to Lush to grab a few things before we left. We started talking to some of the workers and before we knew it we were already running late to our flight. We had to head back to the hostel to grab our luggage, then take the Tube to the train station, then take a 45-minute train to the airport, go through visa check and security, and then RUN to our gate in 3 hours. I think we would have been fine if my travel bag hadn’t gotten flagged. Apparently, you need a liquid bag to fly out of England and ALL of your liquids must fit. Because my dry shampoo didn’t fit (which should be considered an aerosol instead of a liquid but that’s none of my business) the mean security lady threw it out.

ANWAY, we BARELY made it to our gate in time. Ryanair had finished the final calling. We were the last to board. But we made onto the airplane!

We landed back in the Krak safely and Ubered home.

Overall, I really enjoyed London. My favorite parts were St. Paul’s Cathedral, Hyde Park, and seeing Wicked. My least favorite part was Oxford Street because it was too overwhelming and crowded, you couldn’t enjoy it. Although, I don’t think I would want to live in London, I would definitely love to visit again. In four days, we were able to see everything we wanted! I don’t regret a second of our trip and would do it again 100%.

For my next adventures, I will be visiting:

• Wrocław, Poznań, and Łódź, Poland next weekend!
• Budapest, Hungary and Vienna, Austria in March!
• Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel for spring break in April, also during Easter!
• Athens and Santorini, Greece at the end of April.

You may ask, “Helene, aren’t you in school?” and to that I’d tell you “Hardly!” This semester has been a joke compared to my last semesters. But I am thankful it’s like this because it gives me the opportunity to travel, which is the real reason why I’m here. (Besides pierogies, of course.)

Mind the Gap

London subways

LONDON WAS AMAZING!

It was better than I could have imagined.

First things first, British accents sound so nice. It was great being able to understand the language again. And driving on the left side is WEIRD! I didn’t notice how weird until I sat in the front seat of the Uber where the steering wheel should have been but wasn’t.

We left Krakow Friday, January 24th, and arrived in London the same night at 10pm. Then we had to take a 40 minute train from the Stansted airport to the city, and then an Uber to our hostel.

While researching for a hostel, Savanna found 3 decent options. But when we got into London we put the wrong hostel in the Uber, arrived, tried to check in where reception made us feel like fools for having the wrong hostel. So we walked about 15 minutes to the correct hostel, changed clothes and passed out.

On day 1, January 25th, Savanna, Sydney and I used a hop on hop off bus to visit Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London and Oxford Street. We ate lunch at Five Guys and had dinner at Poppies, a fish and chips shop.

Westminster Abbey was absolutely gorgeous. It took my breath away. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed so I don’t have pictures of the inside. Westminster Abbey is where royal weddings and coronations happen. I’ve seen bits and pieces of royal ceremonies on TV but to visit the locations in real life was unreal. Westminster Abbey had a gorgeous altar with ornate decorations. Buried in there, were important historical figures. They had their tombs in different locations throughout the church with plaques above written in either English or Latin. And there was a whole section of the church dedicated to important English writers and poets. I stepped on the grave of Charles Dickens!

St. Paul’s Cathedral was even more amazing than Westminster Abbey. It was ridiculously gorgeous inside. All of the walls and the whole ceiling was decorated. There were important statues along the sides and a beautiful nativity scene in the back of the church too! But the best part of St. Paul’s was the 528 step climb to the top of the dome. The view was INCREDIBLE. I forced Sydney and Savanna to climb it with me and I think they were glad they did.

After, we ate lunch and looked out at the Cathedral.

Then we hopped on a bus to see the Tower of London. Unfortunately, we only had an hour to spend at the Tower but we saw the most important attraction: the crown jewels. You aren’t allowed to take pictures of them but Savanna was able to sneak one so check out the pictures page for that. The Tower of London is also where prisoners were kept, tortured and killed! We saw rooms that prisoners stayed in. The Tower is also known for having ravens everywhere. There was a raven perched on a fence that the three of us took a picture with.

The Tower of London is also the famous place of the death of two princes. Princes Edward and Richard, brothers, were next in line to the throne when their father died. But both of the princes were too young to rule so their uncle was appointed to look after them. Then the princes mysteriously disappeared. Rumor has it that their uncle killed Price Edward and Richard in attempt to become king…but no one actually knows what happened…

After the tower of London, we headed to Poppies for fish and chips! I’m not usually a seafood person but I really enjoyed Poppies. And lastly, we headed to Oxford street for shopping. Savanna wanted to visit Lush’s flagship store and while I was there I decided I want to work in Lush’s labs after I finish college. I made a pit stop at Selfridges, my Gaggy’s favorite store in London because of the shoe department. I understand why she loved Selfridges so much, it was TOTALLY her store. Oxford Street reminded me a lot of New York City…and for that reason I didn’t like it; It was so crowded and overwhelming.

After 12 hours straight of exploring, it was time for bed. Our hostel in London was really nice, honestly, it was nicer than the dorms I have to stay in now. The mattresses weren’t stiff and the showers had actual doors. Day 2 coming soon….

Travel sparks our imagination, feeds our curiosity & reminds us how much we all have in common.

Deborah Lloyd

Since I last wrote…

My mom, my cousin, Maddie, and my Aunt Jessie booked their tickets to Poland! They are vising for 10 days in March and I am THRILLED!! I cannot wait to show the three of them around Krakow! I’ve started my list of things for them to do and foods for them to try….

This is random but I bought a coffee maker at the European TJ Maxx (TK Maxx) so now I can finally have coffee every morning in my room!! The coffee maker is definitely one of the highlights of my week.

This week, I only had 2 days of classes which was nice since I came down with a cold. It seems like the whole USAC group is passing it around. I learned Polish numbers in my language class but I can’t say them very well. I would like to be able to tell the reception desk my dorm number in Polish before I leave, but 10 and 14 are very difficult to say. I really like my Holocaust: Jewish studies class. My professor knows SO much and I can’t wait to learn more. We started talking about the NSDAP program. We analyzed the meaning of each point and discussed their choice of words. In my Culture, Heritage, and History class we are still talking about medieval Poland but I couldn’t tell you what exactly because I’m writing this post instead. I like this class but 3.5 hours of lecture HURTS. Literally, my butt hurts from sitting here.

On Thursday the 23^rd, a group of us went out to a local bar and spent some quality time together. We ended up finishing the night at La Bodega del Ron, a dancing club. The music choices of bars and clubs here are very interesting; they play a lot of Latin music, like Despacito, and 2000s pop but very few Polish songs.

Later tonight, I leave for LONDON, ENGLAND!! Savanna, Sydney and I found cheap flights to stay in London for 4 full days. We have a whole list of things to see and do:

DAY 1:

• Tower of London
• The Shard
• St. Paul’s Cathedral
• Churchill War Rooms
• Westminster Abbey
• Kensington Palace

DAY 2:

• Windsor Castle
• Trafalgar Square
• British Museum

DAY 3:

• The London Bridge Experience
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Tour
• Hyde Park
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Hampton Court Palace
• See Wicked live

DAY 4:

• Camden Lock Market
• Borough Market
• Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guard
• The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾
• Check out Selfridges

I am most excited to see the Changing of the Guard and the Tower of London. Since The Globe doesn’t have performances in the winter, we opted to see Wicked instead which I’m just as excited for. I have to save a playbill for Marie. I’m not sure where we will be eating yet but I must have fish and chips before I leave or else I didn’t really go to London.

Expect a blog post and picture update on Wednesday, when I get back from London. If you can’t wait until Wednesday, I’ll be posting on my Snapchat story (@leneybutt).

Travel makes you realize that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.

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On Saturday, January 18th, Savanna, Sydney, and I took a food and vodka tour. On the tour we tried:

• Obwarzanek
• Polish sausages and meats
• Mountain cheese
• Pierogies and bigos
• Traditional bread from a local bakery
• Flavored vodka
• Sour rye soup
• Buckwheat groats and soured milk
• Chocolates

Of all the foods, I like the sour rye soup with sausage and the lemon vodka shots the most. The obwarzanek is the inspiration for our modern day bagels. They even have a whole museum dedicated to these round breads. I tried multiple sausages and meats, they were all tasty. The smoked mountain cheese that comes from Zakopane was very delicious, I need to get more. The pierogies were delicious (surprise, I know). Bigos and buckwheat groats were alright, I felt indifferent towards them. I did not enjoy the soured milk drink at all. I tried it for the sake of trying new foods, but I wouldn’t order it on my own. I tried plum, raspberry, choke berry and quince vodka. Of the 4, the raspberry was the best. And the chocolates were delicious, you can’t make bad chocolate.

I am a sucker for food tours because not only do you get to try a bunch of traditional foods, but you also learn the history behind the foods, how they’re made, and the traditions associated with them. So, shoutout to Walkative for their amazing food tour!

That night, Savanna, Sydney and I booked our tickets to London, England! We leave Friday night after class and get back Tuesday night. We have a hostel near the city and are creating our London itinerary tomorrow!

On Sunday, I booked my flight to Athens and Santorini, Greece! Mae, Bree, Brian, Savanna, Sydney and I are going. It’s going to be hard to wait until April to go. Greece has been on my bucketlist for a long time so I am thrilled to have an actual ticket booked!

On Monday, January 20th, Savanna, Sydney and I explored more of Kazimierz. We shopped up and down on Ulica Jozefa, where I bought the cutest pierogi necklace. Savanna and I tried zapiekanka which was popular during WWII. Traditionally, it’s cheese and mushrooms with ketchup on an open baguette, it was supposed to imitate pizza. But today, people have put creative twist on it. There were 20 different options to pick from and after debating for a while I chose a zapiekanka with ham, chicken, cheese, and pickles on it…and no mushrooms.

Today, I’ll be working on my Polish language homework. I have to find a Polish word for each letter of the alphabet. I’ll also be looking at other cities to visit. I found tickets to Iceland for $100, usually they’re $450-500, so I might be buying those because Iceland has been a dream of mine for years.

The next update will come before I leave for London with our itinerary and if I bought tickets to Iceland (or anywhere else)! Be sure to look at my pictures page, I added 3 more collages with descriptions!

Travel is my therapy.

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I have successfully survived the first week of school!

Currently, I am most excited about my language and Jewish studies class. It will be really nice to speak in the native language and not have to hope that everyone speaks English. The Polish language looks a little bit like consonant soup but with some time and practice I’m sure I’ll see patterns and everything will make a little more sense.

My Jewish studies professor is very knowledgeable and I can’t wait to learn so much from her. The class gets to go on “study tours”, aka field trips, to Kazimierz for a few of the lectures. And what better place to learn about Jewish culture and religion than Krakow?

My Polish culture, heritage, and history class is brutal when it’s only lectures because it’s three and a half hours long. But I’m very thrilled for the study tours because I will get to see a lot more of Krakow and I’ll check more items off my bucketlist.

Today, January 17th, Cedric, Brian, David, Sydney and I went to the Cracovia hockey game. Cracovia beat Goscie 5-3. It was a close game and was so fun to cheer for Cracovia even if I didn’t understand what everyone around me was saying.

This week I attempted cooking in my dorm. It went much better than the first time. I was able to cook eggs even though the stove turned off in the end. The stoves here turn off after a certain amount of time and it’s difficult to turn back on because none of the buttons line up with the stove top. I’m disappointed because I bought a pizza but I don’t think the oven works.

After an entire week here, I have a few complaints. I don’t like that students smoke cigarettes inside the dorms, it’s disgusting. I don’t like the smog. Poland still burns coal to run things. Breathing in the smog air is equivalent to smoking five cigarettes a day. And I hate sharing a bathroom with six other people especially since the shower doesn’t have a real door, only a curtain.

On a the opposite side…after an entire week I have a lot of things to love. I love that my dollar goes further here. 1 złoty is equal to 25 cents so I can eat a full meal for 17 zł which is about $4.25. Even if the buses are sometimes late, I enjoy not driving everywhere. It’s a nice change from last semester where I was driving an hour to school and back 6+ days a week. Don’t get me wrong I miss my family and friends a lot, but I’m enjoying exploring all of this on my own and making my own decisions. I know I’m going to grow so much as an individual because of it.

For the weekend, I have a vodka and food tour, trip planning, laundry, gym membership buying, and reviewing my notes planned. I’m sure other spontaneous last minute plans will happen too.

I have a few photos to add so check out the pictures page. And look for another update sometime during the weekend. I’ve been getting a lot of the same questions from my friends about being here so I think I’m going to compile them and post the questions and answers as a blog. If you have any specific ones, drop them in the comments/reply section and I’ll be sure to answer them. 🙂