By Missy Pearson
AML Correspondent

Close to 90% of the Polish population is Roman Catholic. Pictured is Wawel Castle, where Pope John Paul II presided before becoming Pope in Rome.

The past couple of weeks have been so very hectic. First, my magnificent adventures in Morocco–then just three days later Amsterdam and now another weekend away from Leuven. This time we headed east towards the cities of Warsaw and Krakow in Poland. We landed late on a Thursday night in Warsaw and the moment we got off the plane we immediately felt the biting cold and the strong wind. Our group took a bus from the airport to the train station where we waited about an hour to wait to board an overnight train to Krakow…this is where things got interesting.

There were eight of us traveling together and we were spread among seven different compartments. I was fortunate enough to be in a compartment with one of my friends but, still, when we found our seats we were the only girls with four guys. Since it was so bitterly cold outside, one of our compartment-mates had the idea to turn the heat on as high as possible so I spent the night taking off my jacket, followed by my scarf and sweater. I finally was able to get some sleep and was awoken at around 4am to a woman screaming in Polish in my compartment, wearing a fur coat and stiletto heels about 4 inches high. She seemed very out of place among all the other travelers. I’m not exactly sure what she was saying but as she jumped across me and out the door and down the hall, I figured she missed her stop. We pulled into Krakow around six in the morning and we jumped on a tram and made our way to our hostel where we were politely informed that check in wasn’t until 11am.
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By Missy Pearson
AML Correspondent

Amsterdam is known for its beautiful canals which weave through the city, earning it the nickname “Venice of the North.”

It is exam time here in Leuven and I have spent many hours reviewing all my notes including those for one of my courses entitled: Institutions and Policies of the European Union. One of the important treaties of the E.U. is The Amsterdam Treaty, which was signed into effect on the 2nd of October in 1997. Honestly, I don’t know if I will be able to remember all the details of this particular treaty six months from now, but I’m sure that I will still have great memories of my trip to the city of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

We arrived in Amsterdam on a Friday night. After a delicious dinner of pancakes, our group visited the Van Gogh museum, which had evening hours that night. The Van Gogh museum is open in the center and visitors can work their way upwards looking at some of the artist’s most famous paintings. What made the museum most memorable was the eclectic jazz concert that was going on in the center atrium. As we looked at the art, we were provided with our very own soundtrack in the background. Starry Night, one of Van Gogh’s most well-known pieces, will be on loan to the museum from February of 2009 until June.

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By Missy Pearson
AML Correspondent

On The Way To Tangier

I don’t think that it is unusual that every student studying abroad has a mental list of the destinations they would most like to visit. For me, the list includes Greece, Italy, Scotland, and one more that might be thought of as a little more off the beaten path. So much off the beaten path, in fact, that it’s not even in Europe. Curious? It’s actually not that far away geographically, at one point it’s only four miles off the Spanish coast…it’s Morocco!

I’m not quite sure where exactly my interest in visiting this Muslim country in Northern Africa came from, but I was already planning a visit there when I was still home this summer. After reading an article in the New York Times Travel section one Sunday in August that focused on Assilah, a recently revitalized town about 40km south of Tangier, I became even more determined. The article had mentioned a home-rental website, www.homelidays.com. So, once I knew the number of people who would be going on this trip (13 was the final count – in fact it was all the Loyola students studying in Leuven), I began to look for a house which could accommodate us all. In the end we settled upon l’Etoile d’Asilah, an absolutely gorgeous five-story home within the medina wall, complete with a rooftop deck which had the most incredible views of the Atlantic about 50 yards away.

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Wayne resident, St. Mary’s Presbyterian church member and Main Line college student Missy Pearson has agreed to take AroundMainLine.com abroad for not one, but two semesters! Pearson is a Loyola University (MD) junior and is participating in her university’s oldest study abroad program at Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium. Missy wrote to us the other day and is excited to experience Europe during the holiday season but is looking forward to coming home and sleeping in her own bed, in good ’ole Wayne. And, Missy, we don’t blame you. But, in the interim we can all continue to live vicariously through your sensational semester abroad. Ahh…to be young again with the world at your fingertips! Missy, we will catch up with you one-on-one upon your return and wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Dank u wel!

City Hall of Leuven, Belgium

I realized the other day that in all my write-ups about my travels outside of Belgium (since I arrived here over two months ago), I’ve failed to write about my home base — Leuven. A large part of my childhood was spent in the heart of the Main Line in Wayne; it was amazing to travel thousands of miles to another country and discover another small town that felt just like home.

Leuven is about 30 minutes west of Brussels. A large university town, the city is lined with cafes and faculty bars. The streets are taken over by bicycles—in fact, just a couple weeks ago I was pulled over on my bike and threatened with a 75 euro fine for going the wrong way on a one-way street…they take bikes very seriously here! Perhaps the most well-known part of Leuven is the Oude Market, which takes pride in the claim that it is the longest bar in Europe.
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Wayne resident, St. Mary’s Presbyterian church member and Main Line college student Missy Pearson has agreed to take AroundMainLine.com abroad for not one, but two semesters! Missy has been doing a terrific job keeping us up to date on her tremendous travel adventures and we have had a great response and interest from our readers who are anxiously awaiting the next great experience! Pearson is a Loyola University (MD) junior and is participating in her university’s oldest study abroad program at Katholieke Universitat in Leuven, Belgium. Pearson and her classmates are experiencing the beautiful countries and cultures of Europe for this entire school year. We just heard from Missy the other day as she was recently back from an amazing trip to Morocco. We can hardly wait to see the pictures and here first hand Missy’s Moroccan experience. Thanks so much Missy for taking the time to share the experience of a lifetime with the entire AML family! Dank u wel!

Saint James’s Gate
The Birthplace of Great Beer

Cheers from the land of Guinness and U2! What an awesome, whirlwind weekend I had! I spent this past weekend in Dublin, Ireland sight-seeing and catching-up with two of my roommates from this past year at Loyola who are spending their junior year in Newcastle, England. After waking up at six in the morning, I caught a flight (by myself) to Dublin to meet up with Trish and Laurie Ann.

Dublin is a great city for students. There are plenty of affordable hostels, enough tours and sites to fill a weekend trip, and a lively nightlife. My only complaint is the bars are much more expensive than I am used to. I guess I’ve become spoiled by the student prices I’m accustom to in Leuven. But, from the moment we arrived, we embraced Irish culture. We spent Friday afternoon at the Guinness Storehouse, which is totally worth the 11euro admission. The museum is very well done, its interactive and there is so much to see and learn. Did you know that Guinness Stout is same Guinness that compiles The Guinness Book of World Records?!? I never realized that! By far the best part of the museum, however, is the Gravity Bar on the top floor. Here your admission ticket can be exchanged for a complimentary pint, which is enjoyed while taking advantage of 360° views of the city of Dublin.

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Wayne resident, St. Mary’s Presbyterian church member and Main Line college student Missy Pearson has agreed to take AroundMainLine.com abroad for not one, but two semesters! Missy will be sending us her travel adventures and pictures as the Loyola University (MD) junior participates in her university’s oldest study abroad program at Katholieke Universitat in Leuven, Belgium. Pearson and her classmates are experiencing the beautiful countries and cultures of Europe for this entire school year. Missy reports she is busy studying diligently with her international classmates in the recently remodeled Loyola University student house. Thanks Missy for taking the time to share the experience of a lifetime! Dank u wel!

Count Siegfried’s Bock Casements

Despite being a history major, I must admit before coming to Europe last month, I knew very little about the small country of Luxembourg. Once part of Charlemagne’s empire, Luxembourg is a very wealthy European country. To give you an idea of its scale, its about half the size of Delaware with a population around half a million. After spending a long weekend in the Grand Duchy not only did I learn loads about this great gem, I was also tremendously impressed with everything I saw. Luxembourg City is located in the southern part of the small nation and is only a three hour train ride from Brussels. After a slight mishap of not having my confirmation number and missing my train and having to purchase another ticket to Luxembourg (luckily my friend, Dan, also forgot his so I wasn’t alone) I arrived in the small yet gorgeous capital city.

I have to give serious credit to the Tourism Office conveniently located in the train station, for 45 euro we were able to purchase a “Go Pass” which gave us access to all public transportation and every museum and tourist spot we visited (winery included!!). We used our Go Pass to reach our hostel which was immaculate! It was myfirst experience staying at a hostel but I have heard stories and I can tell this place was top-notch. We had our own room for the five of us with our own bathroom and shower, a yummy breakfast was served every morning as well lunch and dinner offered in the cafeteria and the view was gorgeous! We spent Friday exploring the Bock Casements which are a series of caves and tunnels built into the ancient fortress of the city originally built by Count Siegfried. These casements have been used in the past as everything from housing for armies and citizens to being used as a slaughterhouse. Walking inside the rocks offer some of the most panoramic views of the Grand Duchy. We really lucked out as well because the weather was gorgeous on Friday so it was perfect for exploring the Casements and the city as well.

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Wayne resident, St. Mary’s Presbyterian church member and Main Line college student Missy Pearson has agreed to take AroundMainLine.com abroad for not one, but two semesters! Missy will be sending us her travel adventures and pictures as the Loyola University (MD) junior participates in her university’s oldest study abroad program at Katholieke Universitat in Leuven, Belgium. Pearson and her classmates are experiencing the beautiful countries and cultures of Europe for this entire school year. Missy reports she is busy studying diligently with her international classmates in the recently remodeled Loyola University student house. Thanks Missy for taking the time to share the experience of a lifetime! Dank u wel!

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Wayne resident, St. Mary’s Presbyterian church member and Main Line college student Missy Pearson has agreed to take AML abroad for not one, but two semesters! Missy will be sending us her travel adventures and pictures as the Loyola University (MD) junior participates in her university’s oldest study abroad program at Katholieke Universitat in Leuven, Belgium. Pearson and her classmates are experiencing the beautiful countries and cultures of Europe for this entire school year. Missy reports she is busy studying diligently with her international classmates in the recently remodeled Loyola University student house. Thanks Missy for taking the time to share with www.aroundmainline.com the experience of a lifetime! Dank u wel!

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