Riga, Stockholm and London!

Classes began again the Tuesday after Easter, and to call to crunch time was an understatement. I had a 16 page term paper due the Wednesday after Easter break, and we left for our next field study trip on Thursday. For anyone wondering “when do you do schoolwork?”, the answer is between the hours of 7:30 pm and 5:30 am on Tuesday into Wednesday. Yes, the reigning Queen of procrastination was coronated once more when I researched, outlined and wrote an entire term paper in one night. Many thanks go to Lindee and Josh who brought down chips and guacamole that they made, instant coffee, my favorite German cereal ‘Crunchy Nut’ and my favorite Haribo candy, ‘Schnecken’ for getting me through those 10 hours. With my term paper submitted and suitcase hastily packed, I headed to get the bus to Zürich with the rest of my classmates in our group for 9 days in Latvia, Stockholm and London.

For this IES field study, we were split into four groups, with two going to the North and two to the Southwest (Rome, Madrid, Barcelona) and Southeast (Athens, Budapest, Bucharest), respectively. This was a odd experience for all of us, since up to now we have gone on every IES trip together. We have quite literally been together 22/7 since we arrived in January. It was nice to see how many close friendships that I’ve made since coming abroad, because we all really felt the absence of our friends who were on the other trips.

We flew from Zürich to Riga, Latvia on the prettiest ascent I have ever seen. Taking off above the alps on a clear and sunny day was absolutely spectacular, and part of me wanted to just circle Zürich in the plane for a few hours. But alas, we were off to Riga! I never in my life thought that I would be going to Latvia, land of the Letts, but if my time abroad has taught me anything, it’s that you should always expect the unexpected!

Riga was interesting because it still very much bore a resemblance to it’s Soviet Bloc self. The tram cars that we saw looked like they could have been in operation 30 years ago, and it seemed like the Riga police station would still have a portrait of Josef Stalin on the wall. This was the first city where you could see the remnants of their past throughout the whole city; whereas in Berlin they were more isolated to older areas that have not been rebuilt. During our course discussions in Riga, we focused a lot on the threat of Russian aggression, which is actually very real formats Latvians, since Riga has a large Russian minority who retain their Russian citizenship. We were only in Riga for 2 days, however it was enough to see the small city and hear about their future within the EU.

Next, we headed off on a dubious-looking propeller plane to fly to Stockholm, Sweden! Stockholm was a gorgeous city: clean, beautiful people, beautiful stores, but expensive. It was like a city of Fifth Avenue in New York. In Stockholm our course-related discussions became a bit more interesting, as we discussed the infamous ‘Swedish model’ and the fate of Sweden in light of the refugee crisis. Due to their highly advanced social welfare system, Sweden is a popular destination for migrants, but there is still a huge lingual, cultural, and skill divide between the Swedish and the migrants. Stockholm was a gorgeous city with plenty of museums, but I would not go back until I had a six figure salary. As a college student abroad, I would suggest that you skip Stockholm. Especially since our next stop (and favorite city in the world…) was London!

As we descended into Heathrow airport on Tuesday afternoon, I could clearly see Big Ben, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and the Houses of Parliament out the airplane window. This was my third time visiting London, but the whole scene was just so Parent Trap-esque that I burst into tears. If you’ve been following my blog since it’s first entry, you know my struggle that went into chasing my abroad destination. Going back to London was wonderful for me, and also made me appreciate my time spent in Freiburg a bit more. It was great to be back, but I am definitely glad that I took the plunge and experienced a completely different culture, language and city that I was definitely not used to before.

On Friday when some of our classmates went back to Freiburg or other places across Europe, some friends and I decided to stay and explore the English countryside for the weekend. My friend Jeff had studied abroad at Cambridge previously, so on Friday we spent the day at the historic and adorable university town. We went for a “punt” on the river Cam, which is sort of like a gondola ride, and I really contemplated transferring. Cambridge was gorgeous, and we really lucked out with the weather as well. On Saturday we went on an all-day bus tour of Kent, where we visited Leeds Castle, Canterbury, and got a glimpse of the White Cliffs of Dover. I would highly recommend seeing Leeds Castle, it was built in Norman times for a conqueror who was friends with William the Conqueror, and has housed its fair share of English Queens from medieval times to the Renaissance. Leeds Castle actually became a queen’s residence, because it was gifted to the queen on her wedding day, in case the king died she could go and live safely and peacefully in the castle. Our guide told us that it was known as the “loveliest castle in the world”, and it was easy to see why. Leeds castle has a real life moat, black swans, and a cozy library that I could’ve stayed in for days.

Canterbury was also an exciting destination for me, as a lover of British literature. For those who snoozed through Brit Lit, the Canterbury Tales are an illuminated manuscript written about various medieval pilgrims and the tales they tell on their pilgrimage to Canterbury. Why Canterbury? It was a popular religious site in medieval times because it is the spot of the martyrdom of Thomas Abeckett, the Catholic priest who died because the king misspoke about his distaste for him. While we were inside the cathedral, the choir was practicing, and it was stunning to hear the music and walk the same path that pilgrims would have centuries ago. On our way back to London, we stopped at the White Cliffs of Dover for a photo, however the stellar English weather hampered much of the view.

Sunday morning we woke up early and headed to the airport, as we were catching a 7am flight back to Basel (the closest airport to Freiburg). I was sad to leave London after so short a time, and coming back to Freiburg was difficult because I knew all about the amount of work that awaited me there. The past week has been chock full of papers and projects, really putting the “study” in study abroad. However the week flew by, as by Friday afternoon I was off to another country where the hills are alive: Salzburg, Austria!

Facades of Riga, Latvia

Facades of Riga, Latvia

Freedom Statue in Riga

Freedom Statue in Riga

Tulips for sale in Stockholm

Tulips for sale in Stockholm

Stockholm harbor

Stockholm harbor

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Good to be back in my favorite city!

Good to be back in my favorite city!

Trinity College, the most prestigious of the colleges at Cambridge

Trinity College, the most prestigious of the colleges at Cambridge

Bridge of Sighs from the punt

Bridge of Sighs from the punt

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle

My favorite room in Leeds Castle- the library

My favorite room in Leeds Castle- the library

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Site of the martyrdom of Thomas Abeckett

Site of the martyrdom of Thomas Abeckett

Cliffs of Dover, featuring stellar English weather

Cliffs of Dover, featuring stellar English weather

Good night, Ben!

Good night, Ben!


Location: London, England

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About Emily Slaman

Emily hails from Great Meadows, New jersey, and is a junior at Penn State majoring in history, with minors in business and German. She loves her two dogs, Liberty and Yankee, reading, writing, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and traveling! You can find her in State College taking a jog around campus, stopped to pet a dog, or walking backwards giving a tour with the Penn State Lion Scouts!