While getting to know the city you’re in is a very important part of the study abroad experience, I think it’s just as important to get to know the culture of the country you’re in as a whole. After settling into your new University it’s a good time to start thinking of other places you want to go that would make good weekend trips. Chances are you won’t be doing long extensive trips outside the country to much after school starts. However, weekend trips within the country are very doable.
I was lucky enough to have some family come to visit and we spent a couple weekends traveling the UK. First we went to London (Which seems to be like a second home to me over here given the amount of time I spend there.) I’ve talked about London before, but you could go back again and again and there would always be something new to do. While my family was here we rode the London Eye and checked out the Tower of London, topping our time off by doing some shopping at Piccadilly Circus. We also took a day trip that allowed us to see Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and do some sightseeing in Bath. This trip was a good change from London and Birmingham. While I love the cities they don’t make it possible to see the countryside and the smaller towns that seem to have more traditional culture. However, spending 8 hours on a tour bus winding through the English countryside does!
I’ve still got more places to cross off my list, which includes Scotland, Snowdonia, and a coastal town like Brighton. I’ve now reached the halfway point of my time in Europe, hopefully the second half will contain just as many travels!
The American Globetrotter 