In London, I took Shakespeare, Theatre, and Art History, all of which I studied on-site at some of the best museums, theatres and historical sites in the world. Our group saw Shakespeare at the Globe, new works at the Royal Court, and modern classics at the National Theatre, we discussed Turner and Van Gogh (or as our British Professor pronounced it, Van "Goff") in the halls of the Tate Museum. I spent afternoons perusing the bookstores on Charring Cross Road, explored the markets at Spitalfields and Portobello Road, and enjoyed my first beers in the pubs near our flat in Bloomsbury. And, perhaps the greatest cultural experience of them all, I saw, nay, experienced, the Queen tribute musical, "We Will Rock You" on the West End.
One of the best parts of the experience was the opportunity to travel to other parts of Europe on the weekends. Our program deliberately didn't have classes on Fridays so students could take advantage of discount travel opportunities in the UK and on "the continent". One long weekend, four of us explored the sites in Paris. A few weekends later, my friend Lauren and I hopped a plane to Rome. We ate our weight in Gelato and pasta, waded in the Trevi fountain, and were serenaded by a man in embroidered white denim on the Spanish steps. Another weekend, a few fellow Theatre majors and I sojourned to Stratford to visit Shakespeare's birthplace and see a show at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The whole program took a four-day trip to Edinburgh, where we toured castles and passed around a bottle of Scotch on a highland hike.
Though I had been living on my own as a college student for two years already, I developed a lot of independence that summer. For the first time, I couldn't call my parents at any minute to help me make a decision. I navigated public transit and booked foreign flights. I drank wine at dinner and ordered beer in pubs and visited neighborhood markets and vegetable stands for groceries.
It's hard to believe it's been almost 10 years since that summer. I always dreamed of going back to Europe but the time and opportunity (and funds) were never right.
Until now.
That's right. Yesterday, I booked a plain ticket to SPAIN. My former roommate from Seattle, invited me to join her and her sister on a wine-tasting adventure over spring break! At the end of March, this gal is Barcelona bound! Something I've realized lately is that this may be the last season in my life that I will have the freedom to pick up and travel without having to check in with a husband or figure out what to do with the kids, so I'm seizing the day and taking a new opportunity to travel the world!
Guess I better start brushing up on my Spanish...
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