The Beginning of the End

Today was our final Symposium, an event in which we presented what we have learned in the last 3 months of our life. 

It was a beautiful day. 

There is something very satisfying to say "We have survived Oxford!"

 And not only that, but to say that we have grown to love every moment, even the awful this-paper-is-due-in-three-hours moments. This is what it means to be an Oxford student. 

What a wonderful way to end three months of hard work. 

And tomorrow begins the parting of the ways. Some people will be in the States by tomorrow night; others, like me, have a bit of traveling left to enjoy(:

But before I can do that, another short update on the Netherlands!

The second day of my trip was an...well, I guess an adventure, though I feel there needs to be a stronger word than just that! 

I set out that morning intending to find the house that my grandpa Vanderkamp had spent some of his childhood years. I have so many memories of my wonderful grandfather, and I though it would be even more special to find this one house. The house was in Dugerdam, a small cluster of houses just outside of Amsterdam. 

Let me briefly pause. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, apparently I had picked the absolute worst week to come for a visit. There was snow, there was a windchill, it was COLD...

Ok, back to the story. 

I had been told to rent a bike to go find this village, which is what we'll call it. Well, I decided that I would be Dutch and not spend money on the bike. Instead I would walk! There might also have been a bit of fear about completely wiping out on a bike in the snow, but let's keep that on quiet...

Also, having been a cross-country runner, I think of miles in terms of minutes instead of half-hours.

Combine all this together, plus the fact that Durgerdam was many miles away and you get 4 hours of walking in the bitter wind on the coastline trying to find this one house in this one village you think is down this way. 

4 hours. In the cold. bitter. negative degrees. wind. Yeah. 

Well, miracle of miracles, I made it(: And I still have all my fingers and all my toes. By the time I reached the house, I could barely move my fingers to take a picture, but how could I come all this way and not document this moment!! So here they are:

 Beginning the walk, not knowing the adventure that lay ahead...

Nope, not Dugerdam. But very cute(:

At least the sun was out. 

 Ha, one of the only pictures of me(: I couldn't really feel my face at this moment, thus the squinty eyes. 

 And finally... Dugerdam!!! This was the sloot behind the house where my grandpa learned to iceskate.

 You can imagine my relief...

 The house! The second from the end. 

 The ijselmeer in front of the houses.

  I fall in love with water every time I walk past it. This was a great place to live!

 More of Dugerdam. Right on the water. 

The church, perhaps?

Lots of boats!

And one last picture from the back. 

What can I say? An adventure. 

I know what my last name is...but I don't speak Dutch!

And that was the theme of my trip to the Netherlands, folks. I can't tell you how many times someone looked at my last name and then spoke to me in Dutch. Five minutes and one confused face later, they would realize that I actually understood very little Dutch and spoke even less. By the end of the trip I learned to start the conversation with a very American "Hi!"
  
The language barrier aside, I had a phenomenal time visiting the "Old Country." I've grown up with subtle hints of Dutch culture and varied stories of life "way back when," but none of it compares to actually experiencing it for yourself!! The Dutch people are among some of the friendliest I have encountered in my travels; certainly more welcoming than the English(: And for once in my life, my height was average!! One lady commented that "Everything in the Netherlands is small...except for the people." So true.

Amsterdam was the primary focus of my trip. Had I more time, I would have enjoyed visiting far more of the Dutch countryside, but you take what you can get when you are a student!! Amsterdam is a beautiful city of canals, tall skinny houses, and bikes. Seriously, bikes.

This was just one of many "Bike parking lots" as I would call them. As in many European countries, its the easiest and cheapest way to get around- even in the snow. Though I did see quite a few people wipe out. The hazards of the job, I guess. Looking back, I'm very thankful for the invention of the bicycle bell; I would have gotten run over otherwise....

This was just one of many canals in the city. There were boats tied up everywhere- I can imagine how busy the water can be when its warmer out!! And there is something simply wonderful about living near water, no matter how small it might be.

I did a walking tour of the city on the first day (which is probably my favorite part of any trip. Museums and monuments are fun to see, but nothing tells you about the city like simply walking around it). According to the locals, I had picked the worst weather week in the entire year to come. The sudden snowstorm and subsequent -10 degree windchill was a bit daunting to even the most fearless walker. But it was an adventure all the same! My fingers were so cold I didn't take as many pictures of the city, but here are just a few:

The National Monument, built in 1956 as a WWII memorial but is now considered a monument for peace. It depicts a crucified Christ, men in chains, and howling dogs. An interesting sight to walk past every day. 

 The Royal Palace. The Queen usually lives in the nearby city of the Hague, but she can stay here if she wants. Though I wouldn't want to as of this moment. Seriously, I can never get away from scaffolding. 

More of Dam Square. And carriages!

The old English Church, originally built in 1420. The Pilgrims stopped here to pray before continuing on in the Mayflower. 

More houses! These are actually reserved for women only.

One of the many busy shopping streets. 

More later!

Let's go back a couple of years...

Try about 2000 years! Last weekend our group took a trip that was definitely a "back in time" visit (although really, everything here is "back in time"...) Our long, very cold day was split between Stonehenge and the city of Bath, located on the other side of the island from London. 

Stonehenge was thought to have been built about 2200-2500 years ago (no one really cares about that 300 year difference except Americans. 300 years is a long time for us.) 

1/3 of each stone is actually buried underground to keep it upright; one can only imagine the work it took to place them in the ground.

Or the work to transport it! Most of these bluestones came from the mountains in Wales, over 165 miles away. 165 miles is no problem in a semi truck, but they most likely pulled the stones on sleds or log rollers. 

As with any ancient monument, there are numerous myths surrounding its origins. Some contend that Merlin sent for the stones from Africa and had them transported by giants. Others say it was the Devil who was employed by Merlin to take the stones from an old woman's backyard. The Devil supposedly offered the woman as much money as she could count while he gathered the stones- she was delighted, thinking she was going to be a fabulously rich woman. Unfortunately for her, it took him only seconds. He then flew to Stonehenge to deposit them in the earth, dropping a few along the way which can apparently still be found today.

We were about as bored with Stonehenge as you probably were reading this, but it was one of those sites you cannot miss. (:

Bath was a bit more exciting. Ok, that was a complete understatement, it was much much more interesting. 

Bath is home to... can you guess?

The Baths. Roman ones, to be exact. I'm sure that most of you don't think, "I'm going to take a Roman bath today instead of a normal one" but trust me, if it had been 2000 years ago, you would have wanted to!

The Roman Bath complex was basically a glorfied spa. The hot spring providing the water for the baths is the only one of its kind in England, so the Romans picked a good spot when they started building around 60 AD. 

The entrance. 

Despite the fact that it was a bitterly cold day, it felt rather balmy walking around this particular bath. We were warned about every 5 feet, however, that NO ONE was to enter the water. I think they made a good point- who knows what's gotten in there in the last 2000 years?

Besides, I wasn't really wearing my swimsuit.

The Baths also double as a temple to the goddess Minerva. There were several baths reserved only for her. Lucky.

This is the Pump Room above the Baths, a beautiful room used in the 19th century as both a restaurant and a ballroom. The Pump Room plays a prominent role in Jane Austin's Northanger Abbey. Though it might be open to the public now, the prices certainly weren't(: 

And look what we discovered in the gift shop?! The Latin version of Harry Potter. You know a book is good when that happens. I'm sure it will be dubbed a classic anytime soon and published in a leather-bound 2nd edition. Anytime now. 

A few more views of the city of Bath:

Very appropriately named. Their tea was delicious. 

And that's all for now. Cheers!

Around Oxford: Magdalen College and City Centre

Hey all! Some more pics from around Oxford:

 

 Sheldonian Theatre and the Bodlein library. The library, nicknamed the "Bod", holds at least one copy of every book published in the United Kingdom. Yeah, thats a lot of books. Basically, the entire city is built on top of the subterranean bookstacks or the wine cellar. Since each college makes their own wine, they need a lot of room...

 Another main street. 

 Trinity College- I walk past it every day on the way to the library. Beautiful.

 The Thames River, coming all the way from London. Its a bit smaller here than it is there(:

 Outside of Christ Church, my college. 

 A view of Magdalen College, home to C.S. Lewis.

 More Magdalen. 

The Magdalen Courtyard. The British love to keep their lawns gorgeous. How do they do this? They never let anyone walk on them(: You can get expelled for it. Whew. 

Around the town: The Oxford Union

I just finished a rather massive essay today, so I'm afraid I don't have much in me to write. Instead I thought I would post some pictures of different places around Oxford to give you a visual taste of what I see everyday.

The Oxford Student Union. I think this is one of my favorite places in Oxford. The building is actually quite large and filled to the brim with staircases and rooms tucked here and there. They have a wonderful old library with lots of old armchairs.

 The Union is also home to Oxford's famous debating hall. Every Thursday night they host a formal debate (I'll have to try and snag a picture tonight). Its everything you would imagine a debate to be, full of intense repartee, pomp, even jokes. The Brits do know how to make fun of themselves(:

Tonight's debate is about whether the United Kingdom should fear the rise of China. Other notable debates include whether to ban the burqa, a vote of no confidence in Her Majesty's government, whether Great Britain can still be considered great, etc. 

My friend Margarita just outside the Union. The leaves were quite beautiful last week. And then it rained(:

I was trying to throw leaves in the air, not point at something in the sky. Needless to say, it didn't really work...

One of the rooms inside the Union. This is one of the newer ones; the older ones are all dusty and dark and amazing(:

 And that, folks, is the Oxford Union.