A few weeks ago, I finished my study abroad term in London and decided that I needed to see more of the British culture, and that is exactly what I did. I packed up my life into my suitcase and stored at the train station and left to Penzance.
Penzance is a small fishing town near the west coast of Cornwall, which is a region of England. The city itself isn’t very notable, but it plays a central transportation point to reach the many interesting sites that England holds on its western corner. Not too far north is the famous city of St. Ives, and only a few miles west is Land’s End, the western-most point in England.
I planned my journey to go to the nearby city of Marazion, known for the castle that sits off its shore. St. Michael’s Mount is a castle on a small island that has a causeway connected to the shore, but because it is technically in the ocean and there are those things called tides, the walkway is only open during certain parts of the day.
During other times, there are boats that will ferry people across. I thought this was extremely awesome. I’ve seen things about this on the Internet, or maybe a movie, and I was like, “I have to go see this,” so I did. Unfortunately, when I went, the tide was only low at night so I was not able to use the actual causeway to get to the island. Still, it’s a very interesting sight to see the change in tide and notice a walkway get completely swept away.
On the island itself is a spectacle of beautiful gardens, shops, and stone walls lined with cannons that could tell endless stories. The experience on the island was made even cooler by the three-mile walk along the beach I took to reach it. I eventually had to leave this peaceful city on the oceanside where everyone runs around with their dogs and old men play bocce ball in uniform.
I took a nine-hour train back to London, which was then greeted with a three-hour coach to Brighton, the famous beach and vacation spot of the British and the French since it sits right on the channel.
Brighton is what I imagine Coney Island is like, though I’ve never been there, with shops along the city and beach and a pier that extends out to arcades and an amusement park. Arriving there with lots of time to kill, I ventured the coastline like I did in Penzance and wanted to see what this city had to offer.
It was great, like being a child again. I spent a lot of that time on the pier and in the arcades, where I relived my passion and knack for some of the prize-winning games, going home with a bag of souvenirs. I had more fresh seafood and rested as I prepared myself to return to London for the last time and then fly home.
My flight this time was amazing, again. I received a whole row to myself like last time, and they fed me a lot. I’m not sure why I really like airplane food; it’s not really gourmet, but it usually tastes good and it comes in cool packages. I was awake for the whole 10 hours, watching movies and listening to the 80s rock channel.
I came back to Arizona and forgot that I was in America. Cars were driving on the right-hand side and people spoke English. You tip at restaurants and the drinking age was back to 21, not that it affected me anyhow. People keep asking me what it’s like being back and which county I like better. It’s honestly a hard question to answer. I like being home, here in the United States, but being in Europe was an experience unlike any other. Being in Europe truly does give you a different perspective: a global perspective.
The world out there is different, and before leaving, I thought I already understood it. But I didn’t, and I don’t think most of us do. That being said, I had four of the greatest months of my life this semester and I encourage all of you to go out there and explore. If you can’t leave for a whole semester, do a couple-week trip. Any time abroad will be eye-opening and one of the greatest learning experiences ever, I promise.
