Amsterdam, August 2015!

I've been wanting to post about my recent trip to Amsterdam for quite a while now, but for whatever reason, it kept slipping my mind. I'm so happy to finally be able to sit down and share such an amazing experience with everyone, and perhaps even relive the trip myself through this post!

As I have mentioned before, my friends Lena and Zoe are half Dutch, and Zoe now lives in Amsterdam. Lena visits often, and was kind enough to invite Tanishia and I to join her for a week during the Summer. It was so lovely to be able to go with people who know the city well, as it enabled them to show us all the hidden treasures of the city that aren't so stereotypical.

Naturally, we did also visit the cliché tourist attractions, and they all exceeded my expectations. I've always loved the look of Amsterdam in any pictures I've seen, but is so much more beautiful in person. I didn't expect to feel so calm and at peace there, but it truly is one of the most relaxing places I've visited. 

I think one of my most favourite parts of the trip was taking a bike ride around Amsterdam, full-dutch style. You may or may not know that cycling is one of the most popular ways to travel in Amsterdam, as the land is so flat, and so it's very easy to cycle everywhere. I rode a Dutch bike which meant to break, I had to pedal backwards, which was weird at first but I quickly got the hang of it. I really loved the bike ride, just because it enabled me to get a real feel for the city, and see parts of it which I would never have even considered otherwise.

I filmed the whole trip, as I often do, so be sure to check out the video below of my trip to Amsterdam! 

What cities do you enjoy the most?

Uni Planning: The University of York

As some of you will already know, I am currently at the oh-so pleasant stage of trying to decide what I want to do with my life for the next 4/5 years. I've been sifting through University prospectuses now for what feels like a lifetime, and although I am pretty much set on the course that I would like to take, trying to decide exactly where I would like to study seems impossible. In the past month, I have managed to visit three Universities around the UK, and although it has been super useful for helping me decide on which Universities I do and do not like, it's also been so much fun to explore parts of my country which I have never seen before. I absolutely love travelling and seeing new places. The first University I visited was the University of York, and it was the most beautiful place I think I have ever seen. As my family live up North, I'm so surprised I've never been to see the charms of the city before, but whether I get into York Uni or not, I will most certainly be visiting the city again.

The day began with a gruelling 4.30am start, as it takes around 3 and half to 4 hours to drive up to York, and we had specific times that we had to be at the Uni for. My Dad, Lena and I made it to the newly built campus at around 10am, and I felt like I was sold on the Uni as soon as I saw it. It seemed to be secluded from everything else, and was surrounded by lakes and greenery, with modern, homely buildings. It was everything I dreamed it would be, especially as York was always my favourite University just from reading through the prospectuses. 

We then proceeded to take a short bus journey to the main campus, which was slightly older but nevertheless, still very beautiful. I particularly loved how the University was surrounded by lakes and beautiful parks. I could so easily imagine myself sitting down to read and do work on the grass next to the lakes. It all just looked so perfect. 

We attended various seminars on different topics such as accommodation, finance, the History course itself etc. and the more I was told, the more deeply in love I fell with the University. I also loved having my Dad attend the open day with me, as he was pretty much clueless about all things Uni until then, and was quite sceptical about me going to Uni, but it put his mind at ease, which I was so thankful for. 

Once we had done everything we needed to at the Uni itself. we took another bus ride into the city centre, and I don't think I can quite put into words how incredible it is. It featured everything I love about historical cities, and seemed to tick every single box. It was stunning. 

We strolled round the city for the next 2 hours which included a visit to a Church converted bar (which I highly recommend visiting if you ever find yourself in York - it's called 'The Parish' and is awesome!)and a visit to the mighty Cathedral before taking a wander over to the cliché attraction of the Shambles and taking a walk across the huge wall which surrounds the city centre and has stood since the age of the Romans. I think that the city was the cherry on top of a perfect cake for me, especially as I want to study History, and the city features so much background itself.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that I will be able to study at York, especially as it does have high grade boundaries which I am not sure I will be able to meet, however, the city will always hold a piece of my heart, as I fell so deeply in love with it, and I will be sure to visit again sometime soon!

Stay posted for my blog post on my weekend visiting Southampton and Portsmouth Universities which will be available to read over the next week!

(SHOUTOUT TO MY DAD FOR BEING A FAB PHOTOGRAPHER/TAXI DRIVER FOR THE DAY)

What cities do you treasure?

I must not forget to apologize for my absence and lack of blogging over the past month or so! I wish I could say I have been up to lots and that I have many stories to tell, but in all honesty, I have quite enjoyed winding down and doing nothing much at all! I will be sure to make up for it, and have lots planned to write about! :)