Hullfire Online » European Travel

The Otherside to Amsterdam

Online Editor — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:15:54 +0000

Canals, Museums and History – A look at the flipside of Amsterdam’s colourful culture.

Probably one of the most popular destinations for students, Amsterdam seriously lives up to its wild reputation. With return flights costing around £60 and ferry tickets at about £70 it is definitely well worth a short visit. As Amsterdam is so popular with tourists there are many cheap hostels in very central areas. I ended up staying at the not so aptly named ‘Hotel France’ where my two cousins and I were greeted by a friendly middle-aged Dutch lady and a suspicious smelling cloud of smoke from one of the back rooms. The hostel happened to be right on the doorstep of the red light district. We weren’t aware that we were quite so close to the ‘action’ and it was quite a shock when we first ventured out into the city and came across shop windows displaying women ‘for sale’; however the sight of these scantily clad ladies became as frequent as the china shops and canals, so it soon washed over us.

As well as the lenient laws regarding the sex trade, it is often the ‘coffee shops’ and their legal sale of marijuana that tempts millions of tourists into the city every year. Although if you do plan to visit one of these establishments it is recommended that you go to one with a license otherwise you can end up very much worse for wear and in the company of some very shady characters.

In addition to the social aspect and the often unruly night life, the city itself is very beautiful, boasting some of Europe’s most incredible architecture. This is best viewed on the numerous tours that are given throughout the city. We were lucky enough to stumble across the New Europe tour group who run free walking tours in many cities including London, Paris, Berlin and Edinburgh, amongst others. An Irish girl called Agnes, who was studying in Amsterdam and had an encyclopedic knowledge of every tiny detail about the city, gave us an extensive tour. She literally pointed out everything, from the individual and delicately carved gable stones on some of Amsterdam’s oldest houses, to the ‘urinoirs’ which were strategically placed sheets of metal, covering lampposts and the corners of buildings so that any drunken young men out to relieve themselves would get a nasty shock as their urine deflected back onto them!

Along with the walking tour, my two cousins and I found that another great way to see the city was on a canal boat with each tour of the city’s canals only costing about ten Euros. We visited Amsterdam in April so the tourist season hadn’t really begun. Due to the fact that there were very few people around, when we took our canal tour we were the only passengers on the boat. As the tour progressed, the owner of the barge decided to liven up the tour by letting us drive! This could have gone horrifically wrong, especially with all the twists and turns in the canals, but it actually ended up being quite easy and very entertaining.

Among the many other attractions Amsterdam has to offer are its museums and galleries. For those looking to discover more about the history of the city there is the Rembrandt museum and the Anne Frank House. We visited the Anne Frank House, advertised as ‘A Museum with a Story’. It certainly reveals the sad truth regarding the Frank family and their time in hiding during the Second World War. For those looking for something a little less somber and more enlightening with regards to modern Amsterdam there is the Sex Museum and the Hash, Marihuana, and Hemp Museum.

Amsterdam is a brilliant location for a short city break; we stayed for three nights and came back with some brilliant experiences. From the Condomerie on the Warmoesstraat selling novelty contraceptives for the masses, to the canals lined with boats of all shapes and sizes, there is something to be enjoyed for everyone.

Venetia Stefanou

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Granada

Online Editor — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Quaint scenery, intriguing alleyways, great food and some interesting history. Ziallo recaps her first impressions of Granada as an Erasmus student.

Sitting by the window on the first floor of a teashop wondering what could be interesting to write about Granada, I recall the day I was packing to come to Spain. My flight was at 11pm but by 8 I was still packing. I was actually more singing and dancing with my sister in front of the mirror than packing. For me it was like going on holiday when everyone was about to start school. It all started when I decided to study Spanish with business as a degree course. Until now the only serious explanation I’ve had to that is that I wanted to live in Spain at one point in my life, so a four year course including a year abroad in Spain was the perfect arrangement for me. In second year I got so excited about it that I would literally tell everyone that I was going to Spain in my third year. In Spain? But where exactly? Then I decided to go to Granada because it’s in the South, which meant warm weather and tanned flirty Spanish guys. It sounded good to me. Once someone mentioned la Alhambra and I thought “who?” I had no idea of what it was – how embarrassing!

I finally got to Granada at the beginning of November, which was a month after everyone else. I had to rush to register, catch up with lectures and last but not least, get to know the city so that all the fun could start. I did a lot of wandering around. I’ve been delighted to discover that Granada is a lovely city, romantic in its own way and full of cosy coffee and teashops, tapas bars and bookstores. There are the normal main streets, always crowded where all the big shops are, but for me nothing can beat the charm of small alleys between coloured buildings a la Spanish. Some of the buildings have small balconies with flowerpots on them, which I find particularly alluring. I can easily imagine myself standing on a balcony on a starry night listening to my lover playing his guitar for me in the street! It might be cliché but it totally works for me. Equally attractive are the fountains and plazas, which are spread all over the city, as well as orange trees. Free oranges? We won’t need to go to the groceries shop for that! Unfortunately they look like private property. It was whilst exploring these numerous alleys that sadly I was once stupid enough to let an old gypsy woman walk away with my €15 after she pretended to read my future in the palms of my hands!

I’m lucky enough to be living in the central area of Granada, so I’m in the middle of everything that’s hot, meaning shops, bars, clubs, and even cute guys! During my first few weeks in Granada, giving in to the basic law of attraction, my friends and I found a tapas bar owned by a lovely English man. I don’t actually remember who first found the place but I love it particularly because the owner can remember my name! That’s enough to have me going back there whenever I can.

So you might be wondering, what about la Alhambra? The party animal in me thinks who cares about la Alhambra? But the studious student in me is dying to tell you that la Alhambra is a fortress city overlooking Granada, that was built during the 13th century and has been the home of the Mohammed’s dynasty between the 13^th and the 15^th century before being conquered and subsequently turned Christian by the Catholic monarchs. Since 1870 it has been declared a national monument and it is now open to the public for a bit of glorious history.

I heard Erasmus students refer to their year abroad as the best year of their lives. Now that I’m an Erasmus student myself, is it going to be the best year of my life? I’m working on it.

Ziallo G.

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Disney Heights

Online Editor — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:24:49 +0000

— It’s not too late to “accidentally” leave your cynicism at home when you travel

Sometime at the end of last year, it came to my flatmate’s attention that I had not had a childhood. Although my knowledge of Disney films is severely lacking, I had never considered this to be a great hindrance in life. Apparently my friends did. After an entire evening devoted solely to discussion of the subject, my worryingly enthusiastic boyfriend decided to take me to experience the Disney magic for real. This is why several months later I found myself hugging Cinderella and taking frantic snaps of
Eeyore in the great childhood dream that is Disneyland Paris. And I have to say, despite my initial scepticism I enjoyed every minute of it.
After a three hour journey on the Eurostar, I was bursting with anticipation to get to the park. I think at one point I actually joined in with the small children’s incessant questioning, “are we there yet?”. Eventually I satisfied myself with the knowledge that I had spotted the tip of the highest turret of the pink castle before anyone else in our carriage.
The journey from the train station to our hotel was just a short bus ride away and we checked in to our Mexican-themed hotel with no problems: impressive considering the huge amount of luggage I always insist on taking, liking to be prepared for anything. One of the best things about Disneyland is the fact that everything is so easy: shuttle buses run to and from the park every few minutes and there are signposts everywhere, so I spent the whole holiday enjoying myself without needing to get a map out once.
On the outset, Disneyland seems to cater exclusively for young children and families, but it really is true (if clichéd) that there is something for everyone in this land of dreams.
The most memorable part of the trip was simply the phenomenal excitement I experienced when we first stepped through the park gates and I caught sight of the pink castle. It was like being a six-year-old girl again. I wanted to live there forever; the real world was nothing compared to this Fantasy Land! And I wasn’t the only person experiencing this fantasy thrill, alongside the spellbound young children, I was surprised to see more couples like us. There was even a party of old ladies enjoying the teacups and the carousel, with the same stupid grin that I’m sure was written across my face.
We had a brilliant time during our stay at Disneyland and I’m sure we got more than our money’s worth, attending all the shows, watching the parades and generally behaving like over-excited children. I even managed to pluck up the courage to ride the largest and fastest roller-coaster; not
an easy challenge when you can hear people screaming as you are queuing!
On our last day we packed our luggage and went to breakfast as usual, but we got a massive shock when we found out the Eurostar services had been cancelled due to a fire in the tunnel. You can imagine my horror – two useless students stuck in France without a penny (or euro) left to get us home. Luckily, the Eurostar people eventually managed to sort us, with only a marginal amount of panic on my side. Not only did they put us up in one of the best hotels for an extra night, but they also gave us free dinner and breakfast, putting us on the first train home the next day, and making our holiday an even greater adventure to tell everyone about.

Katherine Hunter

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Weltstadt Mit Hertz

Online Editor — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:12:58 +0000

- Chris Boothroyd gets up close and person with Munich

As the sun was only just sneaking over the horizon I was making my way through a very quiet main train station of Munich; the Hauptbahnhof . Immediately I found a few leaflets introducing Munich to tourists and ended up unearthing one of the strangest laws Germany has to offer: crossing a street, without the pedestrian light being green, is a criminal offence. Upon leaving the station it was a strange sight, watching all manners of people looking down a deserted street and patiently waiting for the green man to appear on the lights. For the tourists visiting Munich this is a law you will want to note.
After getting some much needed rest I ventured out into the heart of Munich, familiarising myself with locations and my miniscule knowledge of the German language thanks to a rather inconspicuous GCSE gained in my youth. Aimlessly wandering around and reading the various pamphlets I had picked up from the hostel I was staying in, it became apparent that Munich is in fact, a city of lies. A large proportion of the city was rebuilt after the Second World War; seventy one bomb raids in six years took its toll on the architecture of the city. Yet with a conservative plan to keep the pre-war street grids in tact, as well as the city’s historic vibe, the rebuilding was completed, to stunning effect. Without knowing that you could easily assume that many of the buildings had been untouched in centuries.
Removing myself from the historical aspects of Munich I decided to walk down the high street, a long, straight yet spacey. A composition of old and new, designer shops contrasting the stunning Frauenkirche, the town hall and the Marian Column. With the new juxtaposing the old throughout the city, Munich appears to be a modern city built upon the foundation of historical conservatism.
Making your own way around Munich on public transport is a somewhat tricky affair, especially if you do not have a grasp of the German language. The underground offered no alternative language on the ticket machines which provoked me into asking passers by for assistance, eventually ending up purchasing a map and deciding to get to my destinations on foot. My goal was to reach the well renowned English Gardens, which I accomplished with a map and a basic grasp of the German tongue. Upon my arrival to the English Gardens I embarked to uncover the legend of the German drinking culture. As many of you are aware, Munich is host to the world famous Oktoberfest, a month long festival of beer, which starts in September. My first purchase at the Gardens was a Hofbräu, which appeared in my hand in a litre glass. Factor in the famous beer halls and Munich, appears to have a drinking culture that could but Britain to shame, yet the atmosphere, even on nights out in the numerous bars and clubs, never once spilled over to an aggressive ambiance. At all times there was a sense of communal drinking, from the commercial public establishments all the way down to the drinking taverns found in the hostels, which provides a great social drinking scene and a chance to meet a variety of people from all corners of the globe.
Personally, my visit to Munich would not be complete without a visit to the Olympiapark, scene of the 1972 Olympics and more specifically the Olympiastadion where England recorded that historic 5-1 victory over Germany. The surround park was glorious, families and group of friends taking advantage of the beautiful landscape to indulge themselves in a scenic environment to relax, meander or play sports. However, it is worth noting that the building where the murder of members of the 1972 Israeli Olympic squad still stands and remains relatively untouched, a poignant reminder of past troubles that went hand in hand with a great sporting spectacle.

Accommodation wise, the choice for students are the numerous and fairly priced youth hostels, each having their own theme and special offers for patrons. The nightlife mirrors the drinking tone throughout the day, friendly and relatively cheap. Time your night out however in order to take advantage of the ‘happy hours’ of the numerous bars and clubs. Do not let the term hour fool you though; the norm is for the hour to last nearer one hundred and eighty minutes.
Munich is not scared to show off its scars that it as a city has gained throughout its history. Yet the norm appears to be to cover them up but not shy away from the fact that Munich was ravaged by allied bombing, or the scene of militant atrocities. But alongside the historical stories appears a friendly and vibrant city that holds something for everybody; be it culture, shopping, landscapes or the nightlife. Munich wears its heart on its sleeve with pride.

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They Didn’t Build Rome in a Day

Online Editor — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:06:35 +0000

The first thing that strikes you about the suburbs of Rome, (and excuse me if this sounds slightly naïve) is how un-British it is. In my previous trips abroad there has always been that familiarity to the layout, the architecture and the weather. Rome rewrote everything that I preconceived about foreign, western capitals. The entire districts of Rome are filled up with flats, with shops, bars and restaurants inhabiting the areas facing onto the streets, giving off a sense of claustrophobia. Yet as you reach the centre of Rome, the parts of Rome where the tourists flock, you couldn’t find a more altering view of the city. Fantastic architecture, incredible historic monuments and the attention to detail that encompasses every single nook and cranny
.
The historical part of Rome is something that has to be seen to be believed, going off the beaten tourist trail even the most inconspicuous building, that probably has no real importance, can astound you; then factor in the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Circus Maximus and the Vittorio Emanuele Monument. Casting my eye from the upper tier of the Colosseum and shifting my gaze down to the vast arena brought up mental images of the games and the crucifixions of Christians hitting home just how Rome has shaped history throughout the ages, influencing everything from religion to fashion, architecture to innovation.

And then there is the Vatican, and words cannot describe the scope of its grandeur and size, and its relevance to the modern world.

Besides all the historical monuments that are a must, Rome also offers a vast arrangement of the most expensive shops in the world. The high street encompasses Versace, Gucci, Prada and of course, Armani all on one street, the impressive Via dei Condotti. For those who are looking after their bank balances then there are plenty of boutiques and more familiar ‘named’ stores such as H&M on the side streets directly off the Via dei Condotti. Naturally, with this being Rome, all of the high street glamour is set to a backdrop of historic beauty, with the Piazza di Spagna and Trevi Fountain being a matter of seconds away.

Food-wise Rome is, as you would expect, filled with Italian restaurants, all serving roughly the same menu and all charging roughly the same prices. However, expect to pay that little more if you want to have a meal over looking Rome’s historical monuments. Taking that into consideration, prices are not extortionate in the slightest with an average meal and drink costing around £10.

Transport, is stupidly easy and almost German in its efficiency. All transport links lead to Termini, the main train station and where the two underground lines (Linea A and Linea B join). On the underground access to any and every part of Rome is available, cheaply. A three day metro pass, which allows you unlimited access on the underground for 72 hours, costs roughly £9. The underground has stops within easy walking distance of every sight that Rome possibly has to offer, and in the case of the Colosseum, the underground stop is directly opposite.

Nightlife, however, is slightly hit and miss. There are the student aimed bar crawls, but these have a tendency to be very slow starting, making them not too cost effective. Personally, I’d suggest finding out the bars yourself. Whilst not easy, armed with a map and a few rough ideas you’ll be able to find yourself in a relaxing and quiet bar, or a busy and bustling pub in no time, and you won’t need to worry about taxi fare back to your accommodation as, if you are sober enough, Rome is distinctly easy to navigate around and small enough to walk across from the city centre.

For students, the best places to stay overnight are the hostels dotted around the outskirts of Rome. They’re generally cheap, clean and filled with knowledgeable, hospitable and enthusiastic staff, and with the compact nature of Rome, nowhere is to far away from the centre.

The old saying is ‘all roads lead to Rome’; however it might be more appropriate to say ‘everything originates from Rome’. There is no other city in the world that has so much going for it, with such a huge historical importance it is a beautiful and breathtaking city, which has lost none of its heritage moving into the twenty-first century.

Chris Boothroyd
(online editor)

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Summer in Antwerp

Online Editor — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:05:54 +0000

When my boyfriend Adam told me he was to be spending the next year at the University of Antwerp a number of things came to mind. One of my first thoughts was… where? Well, Antwerp is Belgium’s second biggest city and is about 40 minutes from Brussels. It is a scenic city set upon a port with a large student population. Antwerp is also the diamond capital of the world and even after informing Adam diamonds were 20% cheaper in Antwerp than in the UK, I still couldn’t twist his arm.

Through a website called Couchsurfing, I arranged to meet a local girl called Saskia ,a student at the University, and we arranged to meet up for a few of the days. Saskia took us to the Cathedral, which is the tallest building in Antwerp and is spectacular. We also went to the ‘Grote Markt’ to see the beautiful yet gruesome ‘Brabo staue’, which depicts a boy throwing the severed hand of a giant and is bizarrely accented by spurts of water. This is one theory as to how Antwerp or ‘Antwerpen’ (as the locals call it) got its name, roughly “Hand werpen”- Hand thrown.

Antwerp is filled with beautiful architecture, which made us wish all cities could look as picturesque as this. However, Antwerp is not just about pretty streets. It has been claimed that techno began here and as such, Antwerp is known as a party town, with an exciting and varied nightlife.

Looking around the Royal Museum of Fine Arts was a highlight for me, and we were lucky as we went on the last Wednesday of the month and entry to the museum was free. This included the headphone guide, which was really useful as most of the museum’s displays were, of course, not in English. There were also a number of other museums around the city, such as the ‘MoMu’ fashion museum. Antwerp has a strong fashion background and is the birth place of the artist Ruben and there is a museum dedicated to him.

Another interesting part of my trip included a walk down the Meir, a street bustling with large chain stores, such as C&A, which seemed to be rather out of place! We explored further and found a really cool retro store called ‘Sussies’, where I found myself a gorgeous red 70’s dress. As well as being shown around, we also went to a local cinema to see WALL*E. The theatre was huge and I couldn’t even see the back row because the auditorium was so gigantic! Luckily for me it was showing in English with only the subtitles in French and Dutch.

I was rather nervous about going to Antwerp as I don’t speak any Dutch, or even German, which is the “speak-very-slowly-and-loudly-and-they-might-understand-you” equivalent. However everyone, from a sweet lady on the train helping us make sure we knew where we were going, to people working on waffle stand, were really friendly and very happy to speak English, which I found a big relief!

We stayed at ‘Abhostel’, an excellent value for money hostel, run by a charming woman called Bridget. I shared a dorm room with an Italian couple and a Chinese student (apparently an English student was also there, but all we saw was a sleeping bump that was gone in the morning). The last night was fully booked up so we moved to the slightly more expensive ‘Postiljon Hotel’, which was situated right next to a great cathedral. The only problem we had was that we had forgotten to bring mosquito repellent, so needless to say we came home with a few souvenirs from our trip!

Food and drink is a treat in Antwerp and chocolate in particular is a big deal here. You can’t go far without finding a chocolate shop and the Belgian waffles are also delicious! If you like beer, Antwerp is the place to go as they love their beer, so basically avoid going if you are on a diet as you won’t be able to resist!

Rubens museum
MoMu Fashion Museum
Royal Museum of Fine Arts
Sussies
Abhostel
Postiljon Hotel

Erin McWilliams

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