The longest break I get this semester will be Semana Santa in the middle of April. Many people chose to go to warm southern countries for this holiday, but I chose to go a different route. Though sad I would miss the impressive festivities that Granada is famous for, I decided to hit three countries during these 12 days: Netherlands, Denmark, and Scotland. 

I left Granada with three other IES students to travel to our first destination of Amsterdam. We were met with a torrential downpour and an onslaught of bikes as a warm welcome. After the initial challenge of the rain, wind, avoiding bikes, and figuring out the public transportation, Amsterdam presented itself as an incredibly lovely place. The canals, shops, and bikes created a charming scene, and the history, art, and alternative culture drew us in. We went to the Anne Frank House, Stedelijk museum of modern art, toured the canals, and visited several parks and farmers markets.

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After three nights we were off to Copenhagen, where I stayed in my sister’s apartment who is studying with the DIS program there. Though the public transportation is great, I chose to navigate the city in the most Danish way I could: by bike. Like in Amsterdam, I fell in love with the biking culture, and renting one for two days allowed me to really see how the city is designed for bikes. I marveled at the full two-lane bike lanes and the third set of traffic lights just for bikes, as well as all the characters I saw riding around from the professional businessperson with suit and tie to the mom with two kids to the tourists like us trying to use google maps and ride simultaneously. The colorful buildings, old palaces and churches, and lovely way of life made me want to stay for many more days. 

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Yet I next had the long journey to Isle of Skye in Scotland. I broke off from my IES group and traveled with my sister and another Whitman student studying in Copenhagen. After six days of intense travel around cities and months of living in a city, I very quickly grew to love the remoteness of Skye. From the very first jaunt around the area to the day we left, I felt as though I was living in a fantasyland. The landscapes were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, leaving me with a sense of awe that lingered. 

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We took the bus back to Edinburgh where I had two nights before flying home. This was the location I had probably done the least research about and so I came with a very open mind and was surprised in the best way possible. We travelled with another student we had met on Isle of Skye who was flying out the next day just like one of my other friends, so after arriving we immediately went out to discover Edinburgh at night. Over the next day and a half my sister and I went on a free tour of the city, listened to some amazing street music, hiked up to hill overlooking the city for sunset, and went out in the evening with people we met in our hostel. 

The day came when it was time to return to Spain and I was only able to have a decent attitude about returning because I knew that more travel was in the near future. Upon arriving, I was overcome with the surprising feeling of arriving back home —not to another foreign city, but to one that felt comfortable and known. The sun was out, and the trees had somehow all turned brilliantly green while I was gone, and I felt at ease in Granada.