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Okay, so I've already been home for over two weeks now but Brian just reminded me that I haven't written about the last leg of my mini-tour around Europe! Obviously this one entry will not do justice to the last countries I visited, but I'm going to write about them anyway.
After parting with the other Canadians in Croatia, Jeremy, Melissa and I took a bus to Brno which is the second biggest city in the Czech Republic. Jeremy used to live there a couple of years ago and we were able to stay with a friend of his which was great as I was tiring a little of hostelling. Jeremy played tour guide on our second and third days there and I really enjoyed what I saw. There is a ton of historical sites and buildings in Brno (e.g. lots of Gothic-style cathedrals), but being the lazy backpacker I am, I didn't know the significance of a lot of what I saw. The food in the Czech Republic is hearty and filling - we went to a neighbourhood restaurant with Jeremy one night and absolutely stuffed ourselves with local dishes and beer for a few Euro each. I
thought that since the Czech Republic is one of the busiest countries in Europe for tourism, that it'd be more expensive. It was actually cheaper than travelling in some of the other countries we had visited.
After a few days in Brno, Melissa and I said goodbye to Jeremy and headed to Prague. I think that if I had had more time in Prague, I would be more excited about it, but we were only there for a day and a half. The one thing that I did not enjoy about the city is the sheer number of tourists there. It's not that there aren't tourists in Lithuania, Poland, Bosnia, etc., but it's the mass number of them that made things a little irritating. Of course there were beautiful cathedrals to see and we walked around Prague Castle, which is huge, beautiful and interesting, but once we got into the city-centre, there were tourists EVERYWHERE. I've never been to Paris, Rome, London or any of the other major cities in Europe, so I guess I'm not used to the crowds. I enjoyed Prague, but am really looking forward to going back and seeing more of the countryside and visiting
friends in smaller towns and cities (during my next visit).
On our way to Brussels, Melissa and I spent a night in Vienna with Melissa's friend from back in the States who was studying there. I can't say much about Vienna since we were there for less than a day. From what I did see, Vienna is a beautiful, clean and vibrant city and I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the future. We spent what hours we did have there with other international students at a BBQ that Steph (Melissa's friend) took us to. It was at this BBQ that I met three other exchange students from my home university! It seems that there are a lot of U of A undergrads taking advantage of exchange programs.
We flew to Brussels and caught a train to Hove where our friend Dieter is from. Hove is located very close to Antwerp and we spent almost a week with Dieter's family who absolutely spoiled us. One thing that both Melissa and I noticed about Belgians is how happy and friendly they are. It's not that people are unhappy in Eastern countries, but they definitely have a different attitude
about things. From Brussels, Melissa and I took the wrong train and ended up in a "train lot" where all the unused trains of the day are parked! Fortunately we were found by a train conductor who hung out with us for a while before finding us another train that took us to Hove. The conductor was really friendly and helpful - if this had happened to us in one of the other countries we had visited, I don't think we would've experienced the same kind of friendliness/helpfulness. We would've gotten to our destination eventually, but I don't think we would've been treated as kindly as we were in Brussels. One of the reasons for this is that it's hard to communicate sometimes in the Eastern countries. People learn English but not to the same extent that it is taught elsewhere. A major form of communication for me was hand gestures and pointing (not very clear sometimes!).
During our week in Belgium, we experienced great food, tasty beer and delicious chocolate - all things that Belgium is famous for. Dieter's mom cooked for us almost every day and I can't even begin to describe how good her home cooking
tasted after all the backpacking food. Belgium is also home to many, many, many breweries and we did our very best to try as much Belgian beer as we could 😊. My friend Hunter, an exchange student in Jyväskylä, his brother BJ and friend Blade were also staying at Dieter's for the first few days we were there and so we had a chance to spend time with Hunter before saying goodbye (for the final time). We walked throughout Antwerp, which has beautiful architecture, quaint cobbled streets and tons of cafes, pubs and bars. The buildings in Belgium are much more colourful than in some of the other countries we visited. They reminded me of the Belgians I met - friendly and cheerful 😊. We didn't see as much of Antwerp as we probably would have seen, had we had stayed in a hostel, but sometimes it's nicer to just relax and hang out with friend, instead of running around all day, trying to see as many historical sites as possible. Dieter took us to Bruges one day (Bruges is the most popular tourist city in Belgium) and we spent the day walking around and eating delicious food. I'm not
exactly sure why Bruges is so popular, but it is filled with really nice canals, churches and markets. For anyone who has heard of "Trigger Happy TV" (a comedy series from the UK), Bruges is famous for its square where Dom Joly (the creator and personality) once pretended to be a tour guide and took an American couple around the square (which isn't very big) multiple times to see how long it would take them to notice that they were going around the same square and become impatient enough to stop the tour. Jeremy is a HUGE fan of Trigger Happy and one of the reasons Melissa and I went there was to take pictures of the square for him. So, here you go Jeremy!
Jaap - a Dutch friend whom I met in New Zealand a couple of years ago, picked Melissa and me up from Dieter's and took us to Utrecht (a university town in the Netherlands where he's studying). We spent the night in Utrecht, but unfortunately didn't have time to see the city as Melissa only had one day in the Netherlands before flying back to Finland and then on to the States. We took
a train to Amsterdam and visited another friend of mine (Steph) who I've known since elementary school. Steph has lived in Amsterdam for the past year on an exchange program and also to work. Melissa only had a day in Amsterdam and that was spent walking around the centre and de Jordaan (a famous district in Amsterdam, known for Dutch celebrities of the past). Jaap and I did some more touring the next day, but didn't spend too much time walking around as it was freezing outside! I got to see the infamous Red Light District, there's not much to say about that because EVERYONE knows about why it's famous... I got to visit the Vincent Van Gogh museum the next day and it was absolutely amazing - definitely recommend it to anyone planning a visit to Amsterdam. Then, it was back to Finland!
Going back to Finland was bittersweet. I spent the night at a friend's apartment (in the same apartment building I lived in) and got to say goodbye to some Finnish friends, but I was sad because Jyäskylä had become "home" to me and I wasn't ready to leave it. Benny was one of the only
In Antwerp
Sorry, don't know what this building is and I'm too lazy to find out. I'm assuming it's a diplomatic building due to the international flags... Just a guess.exchange students left there and we had a great time catching up and enjoying the "midnight sun" that Finnish summers are famous for (there's only a few hours of darkness, but it doesn't really get dark). After leaving Benny, my other friends and Jyväskylä, it was time to see the eastern side of Finland in Savonlinna where my tutor and friend Tiina is from.
I can't say enough about Savonlinna. It's this beautiful little town that's home to Olavinlinna Castle - a former Swedish fortress. Tiina played tour guide and drove me in and around Savonlinna to see "typical Finnish scenery" (i.e. a lot of gorgeous lakes, forests and tiny towns). I had such a relaxing time with Tiina and the weather was perfect. On one of the days, I was left to myself and spent the day in Retretti - a summer art museum where half of the exhibitions are located in underground caves. One of the most interesting museums I visited all semester. The rest of my time was spent in the sauna, getting to know Tiina's family and swimming in the lake by the sauna (can you tell that Finns love their sauna?). I can't think
Sqaure in Bruges
This one's for you Jeremy of a better ending to a very memorable semester abroad.
Until next time...
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Shaune Peebles
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Hey Mel... So, I guess now that you've covered Europe, Asia is next on the list! Let me know when to put the spare room aside for you here in GZ. :)