Reading, Writing and Travel Plans

Since I have been so busy lately, I haven't gotten out to do much sight-seeing. So instead I'll tell you a bit what I have been up to. Again, I should be working on a presentation due in six hours... but I'm sure it will all come together :)

On arriving in Leiden, we had an assignment of about 15o pages of articles, an entire book of reading and a paper. This has been the theme the past week and half, tons of reading and huge work load up front. Usually the professors give us a week or two before shoving anything significant on us, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Hopefully that will mean that finals will be less intense :) I'm still hopeful. haha

This term I'm taking a Politics of Development class focusing on aid in Africa. Our professor is South African and the assistant prof is Nigerian. It's been interesting hearing debates on whether the West should continue to give aid to the continent. My other full class is Globalization. The two compliment each other really well and are focusing on a few of the same theories and ideas, which will hopefully make studying easier. Our professor for this class is Iranian and extremely intimidating. (the presentation due in six hours... yikes!)

But all of that is boring. On top of school work I've been trying to plan my trip to in between Leiden and my next term in Bangkok and look for jobs. Stress! I've come to realize that travel agents have a very difficult job. Dealing with Visas, strange airline websites, and converting foreign currency to check each price is a class in itself! However, I'm very excited for my trip. I'm flying to Bangalore, India to visit with my cousin Brian, now Legtsok. I'm staying with him at the Buddhist monastery he's studying at. I've never been past Eastern Europe, so this idea of unknown and completely foreign really excites me. I'm ready for the challenge!

On top of being in Asia, I'm excited to learn more about Buddhism, which shouldn't be hard residing in a monastery. Last night after class we got drinks at the local pub near school, and I found myself in a conversation with my Nepalese classmate about Buddhism and his religious revolution from atheism. He was mentally putting together a book list for me to read. His stories of government corruption, children and meditation in his homeland caught my interest and make me want to see more.

After my stop in India for about 10 days, I'll be heading to Bangkok for my final term and writing a thesis. This year has flown by. Each term goes faster than the last. The next stop after that is real life. I'm hoping to get a job in Asia for a year or so after the program. That's the plan right now :)

After all this ranting, I can't not share a few pictures. Some friends and I went to Amsterdam for the day last week. Here are some of the sights from our day trip and other Dutch things.


View out my apartment window in Leiden

Flowers and rain drops

Dena and I overlooking a canal in Amsterdam

The Dutch love biking everywhere!

Street market in Amsterdam, this little car had two fiesty puppies in it!

Rembrandt Square in Amsterdam

Portuguese Road Trip

Hey Everyone!

I just returned from my last break in Europe during this program and it was gorgeous. Some friends and I decided to rent a car and drive along the Southern coast of Portugal. Flights were cheap and during the off-season, so were the food and lodging. After 2 months in dreary London, I desperately wanted sunshine!

My my classmate Steve and I flew from London to Lisbon on an early Saturday morning and met up with our friends from the Geneva campus, Roberto and Erika. I've been dating Roberto since last October when we met while I was studying in Geneva. We've stayed close since I've left Switzerland, seeing him both in London and back in Geneva. He's sweet and funny and puts picante sauce on everything! Erika is Steve's girlfriend, and she has become a good friend of mine. So the four of us decided to spend a week wandering about Portugal, trying not to get into too much trouble along the way.

The Group!

View from our apt in Lisbon

Our first two nights in Lisbon, we had booked an amazing apartment overlooking the central square of the city. After washing off the airport feeling, we started to explore the city. After walking about an hour, food became the priority and we stumbled upon a quaint little restaurant to try for lunch. We all sat down and the waitor brought out a large, raw fish on a hook, and said "I cook." Without much of an option we all agreed and took his expert advice. He started out by bringing us appetizers of fried sardines with lemon. Then came the fish, with salad and potatoes. It was honestly one of my favorite meals of the trip. So tip of advice: Listen to your waitor in Portugal. He knows best :)


We wandered around a bit more and saw the city. After visiting the grocery store, Steve, who was a cook before an IR student, made us de-constructed Paella, as Erika called it, for dinner in the apartment. Our first night out we went to the bar district of Lisbon called Barrio Alto. The tiny cobblestone streets were packed with people until 4 in the morning. It was a fun first night of being reunited with good friends.

Dinner in the apartment

Ro and I in Lisbon

The next day we headed up one of the seven hills of Lisbon to the Castle that over looks the city. We got tapas on our way up to take a breather from all the hiking. The views from the walls around the city were beautiful. While we were looking around the castle, we found a few peacocks roaming about, that came to be common in Portugal. On our way out, we saw the male spread its feathers and dance for the two females. It was absolutely stunning. (See the video below!)

One of my favorites :)

Overlooking Lisbon

Our plan was to head out Monday morning to start our road trip. The night before we had picked up our rental car and parked it outside of the apartment. When we woke up, the other cars around it had moved. I suggested we move the car soon, so as to avoid being towed. However, Roberto and Steve decided it could wait, until about 30 minutes later, the tow truck was hoisting the car up from where we left it. Roberto ran downstairs to try and convince them to not tow it. Fortunately, most of the Portuguese understand Spanish, so he talked them into lowering the car and only giving us a fine. Crisis averted. It did, however, make for a funny joke the rest of the trip.

Ro chatting with the police officers..

After the run-in with the Lisboa police, it was time to skip town and head east. We were heading to Evora, a small town inland with Roman ruins and an aqueduct. On the way there, we spotted another castle and decided to stop and check it out. We wandered around Montemor-o-novo a bit, had lunch and then headed back on the road.

View from the castle ruins

The night in Evora was raining but we still managed to find an awesome little restaurant to have dinner in. The next day we walked around the city and visited the Church, Cloisters, Roman ruins and a Bone Sanctuary. The sun was shining and a perfect day to see the sights!

Inside the Cloisters

Stopping for lunch in Serpa

From there we headed south in search of more sunshine. We ended up in Albufeira for two nights. We found a cheap apartment and spent the day on the beach! It was sunny, but still a bit chilly for swimming or laying out. So instead we built a fire around the cliffs and hiked around a bit. It was one of my favorite days out and about!

Cliffs around Albufeira close to sunset

Our next destination was the tip of Portugal. We had read about a drive along the edge of the coast line toward Sagres and the end of Europe. So we stopped listening to our GPS and followed road signs along the coast. We started in Lagos, on to Luz, Burgau, Sagres and finally the end of the continent. We drove along two lane roads, winding around cliffs and even ended up on a gravel road at one point. But the sights were unbelievable.

Stopping at an old fortress in Sagres.. Too close for comfort!

Tip of Portugal

From there we went back to Lagos to find a place to stay for the night. Definitely one of my favorite cities outside of Lisbon. We spent another two days there, putzing around and checking out the city. One day we went to the beach and relaxed. We built figures in the sand and played all day. I did yoga on the beach and loved spending time outside in the sun.

Beach in Lagos

Our week exploring was almost over, so we headed back north to Lisbon for one last night before catching flights back home. We drove through more countryside and saw small villages, cattle farms and beautiful views. The farms there had a different look about them than back home. It was fun to be able to see the country side and poke around where they haven't had much influence from tourists or outsiders. During our trip we were even stopped in the road for a herd of sheep passing over a one-lane bridge. The sheppard was driving a motorcycle with his staff in his lap.

Traffic Jam in Portugal

Country Road Sign

It was a wonderful trip, we ate well, relaxed and enjoyed a week without an agenda, phone or distractions.

More from Holland soon!

xoxo
Amy