Hello All! Well, it has been some time since I last blogged. Sorry, for those following me. I must say, it has been a busy week. I will be honest with you all, after my intense week at Columbia I have not be researching as diligently as I should be. In my defense, this is because I am preparing for my month in Europe! That’s right, I am returning to Europe and I am excited beyond words. I was in London this past fall studying at UCL (University College London) and I absolutley loved it! Ever since I came back home, I’ve been itching to go back to London.
I leave tomorrow morning form Newark at 9 am and arrive at Heathrow at 9:20 pm. Did I mention I’m excited? London is one of my favorite places on earth. I’m serious. I will be in London for two weeks and have managed to rent a flat in Notting Hill. (How cool!) While I am there, I intend to visit the Imperial War Museum, the Bletchley Park Museum, the Public Records Office, and the National Archives. Of course, while the nature of my trip is for my research, to quote the classic horror film, The Shining, “all work and no play makes Aki a dull girl!” Hopefully, when I’m not being academic and visiting the mentioned placed above, I’ll be able to enjoy the great city of London. What’s nice about this trip is that I don’t feel the need to go to all of the museums and touristy places because I did all of that in the fall. (Literally, I think I did everything there is to do and see). This time I can just chill and go back to places I really love, for example, Southwark. Southwark is really really fun and it houses (if houses is the right word), two of my favorite sites in London: Borough Market and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. I’m particularly keen to return to Borough Market. I’m a total foodie. I love to cook and I love to eat. I am looking forward to indulging by buying delicious curry from this incredible curry stand in the market! My other indulgence with certainly be afternoon tea. I think it is safe to say that afternoon tea is my favorite meal. Tea, scones, clotted cream (salivates), jam, tea sandwiches, pastries, and tea cakes…COUNT ME IN! I see myself researching during the day and then afternoon tea-ing in the afternoon. One of my favorite places to enjoy this luxury is actually the Victoria and Albert Museum. For under £6, one can enjoy a pot of tea, a giant scone, with clotted cream and jam! Yum!
Delicious Borough Market curry. I can already smell the spices!
Victoria & Albert Museum afternoon tea. The ultimate indulgence for a poor student.
Moving on, after London, I will be traveling to the Netherlands and France. For this leg of my trip, my parents will actually be joining me. Research for me, vacation for them. Everyone wins. =]P Our first stop is Amsterdam & Arnhem in the Netherlands. We are going to the Netherlands for a few reasons. 1. It is pertinent to my research topics, as I am investigating the failed invasion of HOLLAND and 2. the Snyder family has never been to this country. For the first day, we will take a day trip out to Arnhem. Arnhem is about a 1.5 hour train ride outside of Amsterdam and was the sight of the great battle for Arnhem bridge. (This is incredibly reproduced in the film A Bridge Too Far.) So, I very much want to visit this bridge and battle site. In addition, I plan on visiting the Osterbeek Airborne Museum, which is a museum dedicated to Market Garden. I’m excited to see what this museum has to tell me! We are only in the Netherlands for two days sadly, so when we are not touring World War II sites, my family and I hope to also check out the incredible city of Amsterdam. This city has been on my list of places to visit for years, so I am very very very excited. I’ve already decided that I want to visit the Red Light District (i will be good, I promise. I’m purely curious) and Anne Frank’s house (as a WWII/Holocaust historian, I feel that this is a MUST).
From the Netherlands we move to Burgundy. Burgundy has no academic purpose whatsoever. My dad’s little sister has a summer house here. Well, my aunt/uncle/three cousins and their nine cats/three dogs live in Brussels, but they vacation in Burgundy. After not seeing them for five years, I was fortunate enough to see them a couple times last semester. Since we are in Europe, we decided that we had to visit Aunt Fran. I’m excited. They’ve been talking about this place for ages and it sounds like fun. Also, I adore my cousins, so anytime I can spend with them is a treat. (I must also admit, their third dog, Pooky, is perhaps one of the cutest creatures on earth. I adore Pooky). My uncle is really into WWII, so maybe by discussing my topic and my findings so far, this can still count as an academic visit? I think after my research schedule in London and a grueling two days in Holland, a little R&R will be required before we continue onto the next leg of our journey: Normandy.
Pooky! So adorable.
When I originally applied for this research grant, my topic focused on Market Garden and Overlord (D-Day). For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by D-Day. While, my topic no longer focuses on D-Day, when I made my travels plans it did, so I guess I’ll have to suffer and visit Normandy, another life goal of mine. While this trip won’t directly influence my research topic, it will still be academic because I am satisfying another scholarly personal pursuit. How exciting. I know we have a couple days there and I have a list of museums ready. The most exciting thing, in my opinion, is the fact that my dad managed to book a room on a hotel that is situated on Omaha Beach! How incredible is that! I’m beyond words.
This month in Europe is going to be incredible. I just know it. I’m researching a topic I love, in a city that I love, while almost visiting other places I’ve dreamt of going to. Not to mention, I also get to see people that I love. This is just a love-filled trip! I guess John Lennon was onto something when he said, “All You Need Is Love”.
Right, so I will do my best to blog frequently and keep you all posted. In the words of Gracie Fields and The History Boys cast, “Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye. Cheerio, here I go, on my way. Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye. With a cheer, not a tear, make it gay!” (Check out this link. You can hear the History Boys sing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7TqCpHYwiI)
- Aki
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