Within Higashiyama Koen (東山公園) is the Higashiyama Zoo (東山動物園). I pass by 東山公園駅 everyday on my way to school and have been wanting to visit since I arrived in Nagoya. One weekend, my host family and I took advantage of the good weather and went to 東山動物園.
First, we went to the Children’s Zoo (子共動物園), which was a small petting zoo. There were goats and guinea pigs that could be touched and held, as well as rabbits, a cow and a horse that could only be seen in enclosures.
Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. Why? Because it’s Food Market Thursday of course! A girl in my program introduced us all to this amazing indoor market in Kreuzberg and now my friends and I make a (semi) regular appearance. Dozens of vendors line the inside of an old warehouse, serving anything from asian noodles and vegan burgers to traditional Bavarian dishes and gelato. The place is always packed with people, a mix of Berliners and tourists from all over the world. The diversity of food and people makes for a great atmosphere.
As I prepare to travel to Istanbul on Sunday, I wanted to post some pictures from my week in St. Petersburg!
Leaving IES Abroad at 6:30 am this past Saturday, our Popular Arts of the Andes class made the 2.5 hour journey south to Quilotoa. This crater lake is one of the most beautiful natural sites I have seen in Ecuador. There was a constant flow of Ecuadorians and tourists hiking up and down, horseback riding along the trail and kayaking on the lake. We were able to hike down and ride horses back up. Despite the early morning and the long bus ride back home, it was a wonderful weekend adventure.
As our time here in Sydney winds down, I have been trying to jam in as many awesome activities and memories as possible. This led to my friend Jenn and I discovering GHOST TOURS! Sydney actually has a wide variety of ghost tours to choose from but based on reviews and pictures we decided on the Quarantine Station Ghost Tour. Located near Manly Beach, this ghost tour had the best reviews of scary and excitement with enough historical and cultural significance to interest those who don’t believe in ghosts and/or are not receptive to ghosts.
As a caffeine-crazed college student I can say that there are few better places to study abroad than Italy when it comes to quality coffee. Whether indulging in cornetto e cappuccino (never after 11am, mind you) at your local bar or making the trek to the Pantheon for Tazza d’Oro’s mind-blowing granita di caffè, the expectation for coffee is simply on a different level than in the US. Sure, no one does hipster home-brew 50 roast options choice of drip/espresso/French press like the hundreds of new American coffee shop e
IES Abroad organized an amazingly relaxing day trip to Tigre for us. We had to pay an additional cost for this one because it was super luxurious! Let me give you the rundown. Tigre is an amazing “suburb” of Buenos Aires. It’s about an hour away from the city (with some traffic), and it’s unlike anything I’d ever seen before! The town lies on the Parana Delta, so houses are built on islands and instead of streets there are streams, streets, and canals!
As much as I’ve loved the “challenge” of adjusting to school and city life here, it has left me a bit stressed at times! Luckily, if you know where to go, there are places in the city that let you unwind and enjoy a little relaxation. One place I found with the help of my classmates was the Jardín Japonés (Japanese Garden) in Buenos Aires. (At the time I wrote this) Entrance is only 32 pesos, and well worth it. You’ll enjoy koi ponds, exotic plants, and Japanese architecture.
Fun fact: My only other sibling is my twin brother! And we are both extremely fortunate to be studying abroad at the same time and in the same continent. In the US, he attends school in New York while I attend school in California, so we don’t get to see each other very often. What’s funny about our semester abroad is we’ve been closer to each other than in the US! So I made the effort to go visit him in Santiago for the second long weekend I had during my program. I saw a little bit of everything while I was there.
As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, Costa Rica has many beaches. Two weeks ago, I got the chance to check out playa Espadilla and playa Manuel Antonio. Playa Manuel Antonio is known to be one of the best beaches in Costa Rica and it is my favorite. The waves are calm, the water is clear, and the surrounding view is amazing. I highly recommend it for anyone who comes to Costa Rica. The beach is located in Quepos, Puntarenas on the Pacific coast. The easiest way of transportation is by a direct bus ride which is about $10 dollars.