January 11th, 2016 | Uncategorized
The reason why I wanted to do this Euro trip was to see the world and explore cultures different to my own. At each stop I definitely got to experience the local culture that I was submersing myself in. However, our next stop after Prague was Amsterdam, and let’s just say I was in a little bit of culture shock. From the legalization of prostitution and marijuana, to the use of canals as a form of transportation, Amsterdam was very different to any place I had ever been before. With that being said, I loved it! I loved being in a place that was so incredibly different. To me, that is what traveling is all about.
Of course with sightseeing in Amsterdam, comes the token tourist picture in front of the I Amsterdam sign. It was a must of things to do. Unfortunately, 100 other tourist groups had the same idea we did. On the first day of our stay in Amsterdam, we attempted to take a picture in front of the sign, but between the groups of people running into our picture, and the other 15 people hanging all over the letters of the sign as well, it was nearly impossible. The closest we got to a “good” picture was one of Katie, Eilidh, and I, and our 10 closest friends, and by friends I mean strangers. To say the least it was frustrating.
During our next few days, Katie and I had an epiphany on how to get the perfect picture in front of the I Amsterdam sign… take it from behind the sign. Yes, it will make the words come out backwards, as the kind photographer pointed out to us before taking our picture. With today’s technology, that was just fine, we were able to flip the picture, to make the sign read correctly, AND without any tourists getting in the way! Clearly, being a tourist is harder than it looks… there’s a lot of thought and work going towards getting the perfect picture in front of major landmarks. 😉
Victory Scholar: Sarah Benedetti
Present University: University of Limerick
US League: NEC
Club/Community Partner: UL Huskies
Alma Mater: St. Francis College
Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland
