Three Days in Leiden

I am moving to Leiden in just over two weeks! All very exciting and scary! I took a little trip to the city at the beginning of the week to find somewhere to live for the next four months and after a lot of Internet searching we managed to secure a place! We took advantage of our time and tried to get the feel for our new 'home' for the next four months. We visited the lovely Burcht van Leiden, an 11th Century fort with amazing views over the little city. We also walked for miles around the canals, wandered down little cobbled alleyways and sat for hours people watching at Einstein. There were flowers everywhere, on every bridge, street corner and passageway, an explosion of colour reflecting off sparkly canals. I am a little apprehensive about moving to Leiden, it will definitely be a culture shock and things are done a little differently in the Netherlands, but I'm sure I will settle in soon enough. The big move happens August 24th....wish me luck dragging all my suitcases across Europe! Gezellig!

Munching:

- BetterBagels - great ingredients, beautiful bagels, this was so good I came back the next day. 

- Pakhuis - has a pretty cool interior and the food is decent, huge portions! 

- Einstein - really nice sandwiches and lovely location!

- Bocconi - delicious Italian cafeteria with lovely homemade pasta and cakes!

- Wok@licious - lovely staff, really thoughtful and friendly! Love that you choose all the ingredients yourself, it tasted great and was super filling! 

Big Changes

So I have taken the plunge and gone and accepted my place in Leiden. After a very long thinking session I decided that the opportunity was far too huge to turn down. You have probably guessed by now that I am an Oxford fanatic. I dream of Oxford, when I visit I fall into a different world, and at the end of my trips I never want to go home. Oxford is the most inspiring place in the world for me, and that is one of the main reasons why I have chosen the Europaeum MA. The masters sees me spend my first semester in Leiden, the second at the Sorbonne in Paris and my last semester at Oxford University. My main love in life is travel and combining this with my love of college, I think I have come out the better side of choosing a masters. Of course I am extremely nervous. This is really big for me, I may be nearly a quarter of a century old but I have never lived away from home (that brief sojourn in Hyannis does not count). I am nervous about moving three times in one year, I am nervous about what life will be like in the Netherlands and France. I am worried the MA will be too hard! However I am ready to take that chance and am the most excited I have been in a very long time. Of course I am over-romanticising everything, day dreaming of walks along the Seine, baguette in one hand, crepe in the other, of cycling beside tulip fields and of living in my favourite city in the world - Oxford. I know there will obviously be huge hurdles to jump, but it is definitely going to be worth it. The big move happens August 24th and the day my Orientation Week starts! It all sounds super exciting and I am looking forward to meeting new people and settling in in Leiden! My classes don't start until September 7th so I am taking a little holiday to Oxford from the 30th of August to September 5th! The main reason for this little trip is my impending visit to HIGHCLERE CASTLE (finally)! I booked the tickets months ago and I wasn't going to miss visiting for anything!!! 

So life lately has been hectic, we just celebrated our first year of Michaella's. It has been a very hard, exhausting and extremely rewarding year helping set up my mom's business.

Attending: PIXIES, Arcade Fire & Ham Sandwich in Marley Park. I have loved the Pixies since before I can remember so getting to see my favourite band play again after 9 years was unreal. They played Velouria, my favourite song which made it all the better! They played an unreal set with most of my favourites in there, like Wave of Mutilation,  Hey and Where is My Mind?. The highlight was running across a field of thousands screaming 'FRANK, BLACK FRANCIS, I LOVE YOU' when I noticed a golf buggy carrying the band behind the gates. Sometimes I am such a fangirl.

Arcade Fire put on an impressive show as well, I liked their little intro especially!

Reading: Re-reading Harry Potter

Watching: I am watching Morse from the beginning again, which is great spotting all the little place

s I visit whilst in Oxford.

Bill Cunningham New York - watching this again because who doesn't need a little inspiration from this genius 

Listening to: Bleachers! So addicted to Rollercoaster, it reminds me of the 80s

Visiting: National Botanic Gardens, so lovely, post coming soon.

A Trip to Blenheim Palace

Just outside Oxford lies Blenheim Palace - or better known as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, born here in 1874. We luckily chose the one sunny day on my last trip to take a visit to this beautiful palace. The gardens are perfect for an idle stroll, spotting man made waterfalls and wandering around the edge of the lake. Arriving by bus we experienced the walk up to the sprawling palace and gardens, once you see the glint of the gold detailed gates your breath is taken away. 

The Palace has some unusual details such as the six eyes on the ceiling of the entrance!

There was an exhibition on Winston Churchill himself at the beginning, featuring numerous letters, photographs and memorabilia, my favourite being the letter below from Harrow detailing a fall from a tricycle. 

 The bed were Churchill was born!

 That little flag on the mantlepiece is a sign that the owners have paid their 'rent' to the Queen!

 Blenheim is a must visit, combining beautiful gardens, architecture, history, art and fun. Men played cricket on the lawn, there was an organ recital, we got to see coronation gowns and there was an especially interesting exhibition on the Great House at War which featured interesting details on the role of women during the war. Blenheim's long and illustrious history is covered in numerous exhibitions throughout the Palace and stables. The beautiful portraits and photographs of times gone by show how decadent and beautiful the lives of the inhabitants were. 

We spent the whole day at the palace, and still didn't manage to see everything. We were extra lucky to receive an annual pass for the same price as a single visit, which means that I will definitely be returning for a sojourn during the summer! The bus to Woodstock (the S3) stops right outside the Ashmolean and only takes about twenty minutes to get to Blenheim, with the driver announcing the stop! 

Little Life Update

It seems like the months are crashing in! It is June already and the year has seemed to pass me by without realising it! This blog hasn't been as active as I would have hoped, but living in the real world - having a job and spending half my time between Wicklow and Oxford has been time consuming! 

At the beginning of each month I write a list (I write lists about lists, that's the type of person I am!). I put down everything I want to achieve in that month and pray I achieve at least some of the goals! I find that writing out clearly what needs to be done is a much easier way to get my life in order! Some months have been extra busy with goals, others filled with simple tasks such as cleaning an area of my room! Another reason I am writing monthly goal lists is because it makes my savings goals much easier to visualise! For the past few years I have been saving to do an MA, this year my saving has become a little more intense as the MA is approaching this September! I set myself a savings target for each month, which really motivates me to save my money instead of spending it on useless and unnecessary purchases! I thought I would share June's Goal List with you:

• 1. Clean my room fully
• 2. Sort out my wardrobes and sell all the clothes I never wear
• 3. Start walking/exercising
• 4. Save €700
• 5. Visit 4 Oxford Colleges
• 6. Finally decide which Master's I am going to take
• 7. Meditate at least once a week

If you decide to make monthly lists, make them realistic! I always include a travel/adventuring goal on every list, because this encourages me to go see the world and do what I love! I have been accepted to another MA which has thrown me off a little! I was 100% positive I was going to King's but then Leiden contacted me and let me know I have been accepted into the Europaeum programme. I am not extremely confused which MA to choose as both are amazing! The Europaeum MA would see me spending a semester at Leiden, the second semester at The Sorbonne in Paris and the final at Oxford University. Sounds amazing, right? So I have a big decision to make asap!

My other goals are simple, from ticking off more Oxford College visits to taking time away from the Internet and social media to meditate and focus on what is important!

Listening to:

1. The whole soundtrack to 'Reign' especially Charlie Boy by The Lumineers

2. Fancy - Iggy Azalea

3. Riptide - Vance Joy (Song of the year!)

4. Team - Lorde

5. Rise like a Phoenix - Conchita Wurst

6. Stay with Me - Sam Smith

7. The Gardener - The Tallest Man on Earth

-----Also listening to YouTube videos of Alan Watts on repeat! This amazing philosopher reaches into your soul! 

Reading:

- Finished Chocolat by Joanne Harris, which was one of the best novels I have read in ages!

- Just started Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 

Watching: 

- I watched the whole series of Reign, thanks to the introduction from Danielle! I don't know how I will wait until the next series!

- I also finished The Good Wife and cannot wait to see what Series 6 has in store for us!

- Glee! I have gone back to my old flame Glee and am watching religiously at the moment!

Doing: 

- I visited Oxford for May Day (post coming soon!), and also visited again  last week which involved a trip to lovely Blenheim Palace, Exeter College, Worcester College , St Johns College and a seminar at All Souls College! 

- Spending time with family!

- Taking part in #100happydays - I am loving this! Feel like I am appreciating life a little more!

Exploring Oxford Colleges: New

"Manners Makyth Man"

New College, Oxford

Harry Potter fans rejoice! New College was used as a location in The Goblet of Fire. When we decided to visit I had completely forgotten that New was another 'Potter College', but the minute you see the Cloisters you'll recognise it immediately from the film. Under the tree in the centre of the Cloisters is where a certain character gets turned into a ferret! New has a lot to offer for visitors, and is very distinct from other colleges. It has a 'lived-in' feel about it, when you walk through the Cloisters it feels centuries old, unlike a lot of the other colleges.There is something very atmospheric about New, like behind the stairwells, the creaky corridors and deserted Cloisters are hundreds of years of secrets and stories, all very impressive! New was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham, and was referred to as New due to the fact that Oriel was also a college dedicated to the Virgin Mary. New College has one of the most prestigious and impressive choirs in the world. The chapel is beautifully ornate, with a wall of statues of saint's, beautiful stained glass windows (some by Joshua Reynolds) , and a huge organ. Another great feature of New was the garden. The garden quad is rumoured to be based on Versailles and there are parts of the old city walls surrounding it. The first thing you will notice is a huge cluster of trees in a circular shape right in front of you. This is the mysterious 'Mound'. The second thing you will notice is the sign saying the mound is off limits! A stone stairs leads up into the Mound, looking like an ascent to heaven with the surrounding trees blurring half the stairs. One day I plan on seeing what is on top of that Mound! The gardens are very well kept and we visited at the perfect time, with splashes of vibrant greens, pinks and reds blooming, pink blossoms glittering on the paths, and luscious greenery at every corner. 

http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/