Wandering the World
By Ethen Butt
People often say travel broadens the mind, and having had the chance not only to study abroad but to visit other continents, there are experiences that I will never forget. From New Zealand to Germany, I have had the chance to experience a multitude of cultures and history.
Let’s start with a country I have had the chance to visit twice now — Germany. The country is an amazing experience, especially around the holidays. Germany has a multitude of Christmas markets, full of vendors selling trinkets, food, and jewelry. A staple for these markets is spiced punch, a warm drink that is made fresh and served hot in a collectible mug. Every market has a unique design ranging from boot mugs to actual chalices (yes, I got one). Having gone to several myself, I’ve collected more than just the mugs. I have some really unique wooden ornaments to go with my tree. A fair warning though, every city street is very tight, with parking being even more so. If you decide to travel to Germany, walking may be the best option. Not that driving is without its benefits, as several countries are no more than a few hours’ drive away as well as some landmarks of history, like the Silent Night Chapel, where one of the most recognizable holiday songs was written and performed for the first time.
England, and more specifically London, is infamous for its bad weather and traffic. Most people prefer to travel by train, and it’s easy to see why. On the trains, you can see all of London in a day. Every train has open windows with a lovely view of the city outside. Trains are one of the more common forms of long-distance travel as well. Having had the chance to stay close to Paddington Station, it served as the launching point for every little adventure we had for the week we were there. Going from the entrance to the train, you can see people with suitcases rushing towards a train, all of them looked as though they were ready for a trip lasting several days. It was akin to an airport here in America, though without a TSA.
During our trip, we got to see the location where they filmed some of the Harry Potter movies and, as big fans of the books and films, it was a dream come true. When you go, you get to see everything from the process of making the sets to how they designed the creatures. My one hope for the trip was to see the Globe Theater, well known as one of the oldest theaters in the world, or at least in England. Just as a side note, the food there is rather bland. I had the opportunity to try a butter and cucumber sandwich….. not the best thing I’ve eaten but not the worst.
New Zealand is lovely year-round, since the country is in the southern hemisphere. The seasons seem reverse to what we have here in America, though their winter is more akin to some occasional rainy days. They have a diverse culture that differs drastically from what we are used to in America, and getting to see not only historic sites but people performing traditional ceremonies was amazing—an experience I won’t forget. My family spent the better part of two months visiting the country, driving all over the island. We got to go to the location where they used to film the Hobbit Shire from Lord of the Rings, even getting a ginger beer (ginger ale but with a strong ginger taste) at the Green Dragon, a tavern seen in the first movie. Some of the less nerdy things we did: go see an exotic bird aviary, and go on several dolphin watching tours, though unfortunately we never saw any. This trip was the first one that had taken me out of North America, getting a chance to see parts of the world that I had only ever seen in movies.
Australia is just as hot during its “winter” as many places here in the U.S.A. After spending nearly two months in New Zealand, we flew to Australia and spent a week there as well. The biggest reason for it was to visit the Steve Irwin Zoo, and it is unlike anything I have ever had the chance to see. The zoo is still run by Steve’s family, with his children filling in many of the roles Steve used to do. On-site, they have a wildlife hospital that they use not only to maintain the health of all the animals in the zoo but also wild animals as well (https://wildlifewarriors.org.au/conservation-projects/australia-zoo-wildlife-hospital/). It was an amazing experience getting to see everything the zoo had to offer when I went. The rest of the week was spent just exploring the city we were staying in.
St. Pierre is a French colony just off the coast of Newfoundland, about a half-hour flight or so from the island, it has a very similar culture to Newfoundland, most everyone is very friendly and more than willing to help a stranger. The food there was really good, though every meal had at least one type of bread. I was only there for a weekend and much of the time there was spent doing activities with a local group responsible for organizing school trips, so I did not get the chance to explore as much as I would have liked.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that I have been in a very lucky position to have a family that has an interest to travel and the constitution to do it multiple times over. The world is full of wonders, and there are hundreds of new experiences waiting for anyone willing to tackle them.
If you ever get the chance to, go see the world. If you want to hear about some easier and cheaper ways to travel, The Herald has another article about just that.
