Student Bloggers

Arcadia Weekend Trip to Rome (10/19-10/21)

Day 1: We got to Rome pretty late, so all we had time to do was get dinner with our hostel roommates. We went to a true Italian restaurant right down the street from our hostel called Taverna Pretoriana. We all got some sort of pasta. I had spaghetti amatriciana and the house red wine. We were very surprised that we could get a full meal for only $10!

Day 2:  We started off the day by taking the metro to the Colosseum. We then went to the Roman Forum and Palestine Hill, which had great views of the city. We then walked a few blocks until we could find somewhere for lunch. We ended up at Wanted and once again got some spaghetti. We then walked to the Trevi Fountain and threw a coin in, with hopes to return to Rome one day. Next, we shopped on Via del Corso and of course, stopped along the way for some gelato. There were a lot of great shops around the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. We especially had fun looking at all the Italian leather bags. Next, we took a bus to dinner where we had a group dinner at a pizzeria. The pizza was absolutely amazing! Finally, we ended the night with a light show at Cesar’s Forum. This is where Cesar’s body was burned, cremated and his ashes were scattered. I especially loved learning about the Roman Senate Room.

 Day 3: Sunday, we started with a walking tour, led by an Arcadia Rome staff member. We got to learn a lot about Roman architecture and how it has progressed over time. We started off at the Fountain of the Four Rivers, then went to the Patheon, went inside a church (Sant’ignazio Di Loyola), went to the Trevi Fountain, and then ended at the Spanish steps. Did you know that the Trevi Fountain took 30 years to build? Up until a few years ago, it had the cleanest water in the city. After the walking tour, we got sandwiches at an amazing sandwich shop by the Trevi Fountain called La Sandwhicheria. I got pesto, prosciutto, tomato, and basil. Italian pesto is so good! Next, we traveled over to Vatican City to see St. Peter’s Basilica. We had skipped the line for tickets and got to walk right in. The basilica was absolutely beautiful, and I even got to participate in the Sacrament of Confession while we were there.

Overall Thoughts: I absolutely loved Italy and already want to plan a trip to go back! The food was amazing, the buildings were beautiful, and there was so much history to lean! The Arcadia trip was a wonderful way to see it all. Three days was also the perfect time to spend in Rome we got to see all the famous landmarks and try all the food we wanted to.

General Course Somewhere New trip to Amsterdam and Bruges (10/26-10/28)

Day 1: We started off Friday morning bright and early at 7 am to depart on our long day of travel. We took a coach to Dover where we took a ferry to Callas and took a coach from Callas to Amsterdam. This was a really cool way to travel because we went to four countries in one day (United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands)! We also got to see the countryside, which we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to see. On the ferry from Dover, we even got to see the White Cliffs of Dover.

 Day 2: Saturday morning we started off with a short trip to two small towns outside of Amsterdam: Edam and Volendam. Edam, which is famous for its’ cheese had a lot of small shops that were fun to go in. Volendam was a beautiful town located on the water where we got to indulge in local foods such as Kipling (a type of fish) and mini pancakes. After our little adventure, we headed back to Amsterdam to see and take pictures with the "IAmsterdam" sign. Next, we went on a 1-hour canal tour which is a definite must do! There are many different canal tours but the one we went on was called the Friendship. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. There was so much we saw along the way that we wanted to see and do; it is really the best way to see the city! Next, we explored Jordaan, a nearby neighborhood for dinner before heading for a self-guided tour of The Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank House was very moving and another thing I am so glad we did.

 Day 3: Sunday morning we left Amsterdam and headed to Bruges on our way back to London. In Bruges, we had brunch at a cute little tea house and then shopped for Belgian chocolate! Of course, we had to try Belgian waffles while in Belgium. It was definitely the best waffle I ever had. Finally, we went to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a church that is said to house a relic of the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ. Bruges was a small town and even though we were there for only a few hours we got to do everything we wanted to.

 Overall Thoughts: The Somewhere New trip was absolutely amazing because we got to see so many things that we wouldn’t have seen if we went on our own. For example, the two small towns outside of Amsterdam. However, I wish we had more time in Amsterdam itself. There was so much more we wanted to do, and we really only had Saturday afternoon to explore. With that said, I definitely plan on doing another Somewhere New trip in the spring. LSE subsidizes the trips but students from anywhere in London can go on them.