Belfast: 3rd  - 7th April 2014

Written by Alice 

Less than 2 weeks after coming home from Tenerife is was back on the plane and off to Belfast. And I wonder why I am so skint. This trip was with my university trampoline club to go and compete in ISTO and consume large amounts of alcohol. To be honest we didn’t actually experience anything vaguely cultural, historical or educational about the city of Belfast but I had an amazing time all the same.

The wonderful people of Hull uni trampoline club

We were up at 3am on Thursday which is the time which I am normally coming home from a social any other week. We flew the shortest flight I have ever been on and before we knew it we were in Belfast. This trip was also very different to Tenerife as being one of the four committee members on the trip I was involved in organising it which was a new experience. Somehow we made it to Linen hostel where were staying in one piece. After reading the reviews of this place we were expecting something awful but to be honest we got what we paid for. And seeing that the whole place was booked out by Tramps it made it a good laugh for the weekend. A tip for you though, I would not recommend attempting to cook pasta for 12 people in a tiny, crowded, kitchen. It took us over an hour to boil the pan. On the first night we arrived at the social way too early but it was still a good night once it got going. It ended in a takeaway where apparently the kebab was made of cat…

It was that sort of night....

Friday night we were out at Queens’s university student union. The clubs in Belfast seem to end pretty early. Both nights the bar in the union shut at 1am. At home you would expect 2am at the earliest. Saturday night was a bigger night as we left the club at 1.30am but ended up in McDonalds at 5.50am. I won’t go into what we got up to in that gap as I don’t think the internet needs to know. I’ll leave it up to your own imagination. We were the last club standing in the hostel that night which I am proud of. The streets and roads of central Belfast were completely empty at 5am time which was again unexpected as I would not expect a city centre to be like this. Maybe I’m just too used to London.

Pole dancer extraordinare 

Toilet selfie, Obviously 

The morning after

In between the drinking we were competing in the Irish student trampoline open. All of us were in novice on Friday apart from Lee who was in Inter-advanced on Saturday. Although no one placed we did pretty well considering 4 of the team had never competed before. I am very proud of all of them. The competition was at the lagan Valley complex in Lisburn which was a bit out of Belfast city centre. In the same building there was a water park which we went to on Saturday and I would recommend. It was a lot of fun.

I can fly.

Tramps in action

On the final day we had time to take in some of Belfast before our flight. However being a very tired, hungover and incredibly skint group of students we only managed to wander around the city centre and then find a whetherspoons. I don’t think we saw all that Belfast has to offer.

This was honestly one of the best weekends of my life. I have never laughed so hard for so long in one weekend before. Although the weekend mainly consisted of sitting in a sports hall, airports and slightly dodgy hostel it really does prove that with the right group of people, and maybe a dodgy tour item or 2, you can have fun anywhere. 

Rome, Italy. 16th-22nd March 2014 - Written by Helen

As part of my Geography degree at The University of Hull I spent a week in Rome studying people, space, culture, food, memory and representation among many other topics - I am a Human geographer after all!

Sunday 16^th: In the evening we explored the city, and got very lost trying to find our way to the hotel. I think it took us an hour and thirty minutes!

Throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain

Monday 17^th: We were given a guided tour of the city. We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, National Monument and Piazza Navona. We celebrated St Patrick’s Day in an Irish Pub on our lunch break before visiting the Jewish Ghetto, Piazza dei Fiori, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain in the afternoon. I didn’t really like the day because the sites were very crowded with people, and I constantly felt like I was fighting to see Rome for what it was actually. In the evening we went out for a group meal, Italian ice cream and more Irish pub action.

Roman Forum

 

Tuesday 18^th: Food day. We went into the suburbs and visited a market and an old slaughter house. We then visited Eataly to see another version of access to food in the city. We then sat in Circus Maximus and watched the sun set whilst drinking beers – so much work I know! In the evening we went out for more food and ice cream!

Eataly Shop

Circus Maximus

 Wednesday 19^th: Early start. Coach ride to the Abruzzo National Park to look at rural development and food in the country. We got up, close and personal with a wind farm – which for me was very exciting! We then visited an adorable little village with a declining population. We visited their snake museum. Then onto a farm where we were given a free meal. We then got in the sheep shed and petted all the animals including the baby goats. On to wine tasting where there was more free food and drink! Once back in the city we got a take away pizza (what else of course!) and crashed back at the hotel. 

Getting up, close and person with the Wind Turbines

View of the village , mountains and turbines

Thursday 20^th: We conducted our own ethnographic research project. This was where we spent the whole day (10am-4pm) sat in the same area (Piazza di Spagna) and studied what the people were doing and what activities were happening (because we couldn’t do too much work could we?!). I thought it was going to be really boring and had packed books to read, however it was one of the most interesting things I had ever done! People watching on an extreme level! As part of our research we went into Prada and Dolce and Gabanna to see how we would be judged. You start analyzing every aspect of the public space down to the smallest detail and you question everything about the space. In the evening I went and saw the sun set over the Piazza del Popolo before going out with the (very slightly drunk) group to eat food. 

Piazza di Spagna

Piazza del Popolo

San Lorenzo

Friday 21^st: We started our day at the University of Rome.  We then went out of the city into the suburbs to a place called San Lorenzo. Everywhere was covered in graffiti. We then headed to a park where we did the last of the presentations. Then we did an ultra quick visit to The Vatican City before coming back to the hotel – I managed to get in have a shower, wash my hair, get dress, do my make up and my hair all within 30mins! I was impressed! We went out for a meal with our lecturers who took us back to the same restaurant where we ate on the first night. We drank wine, ate yet more ice cream then went out for more drinks. 

Vatican City

 Saturday 22^nd: We traveled all day back to Hull. 

It was a fantastic week full of sunshine and laughter. I got to know the others on my course even better and it was nice to have a week outside of Hull. And on the educational side, I learnt a lot and have definitely become a more dedicated Human Geographer! #GeographyRocks

Rome 2014

Tenerife: 14th - 21st March 2014

Written by Alice

So while Helen was slacking in Rome I was on a proper field trip in Tenerife. This trip involved working 9 hour days in the field and returning to a further 3 hours every night in a huge room summing up everything we had done that day in an evening session.

Tenerife selfie

The location of our first days work

We started the week by flying from Leeds Bradford to Tenerfie south with jet2, which is basically Yorkshire airlines. My southern ears could barely understand the safety announcements. After we landed we drove north to the town of port de la cruz where we were based for the week. The hotel was nice enough even if we were the only people there under the age of 60. Dinner was an all you can eat buffet. Putting this in front of 25 students who are used to living off asda smart price is the most excited you will ever see them. After an evening session, which killed us after our 5am start, the first day of fieldwork was a bit of a shock. We started the week by studying montana negra which is a large cinder cone. There were no toilets all day and lunch was eaten sat on a lava flow. Anyone who has ever sat on a lava flow before know they aren’t exactly the most comfortable seat in the world. Once we got into the day it was very enjoyable. My group was measuring pyroclastic fallout with a spectacular view of Teide. After the evening session tonight we finally made it to the bar which was very welcome.

Montana negra

Teidi selfie with Sarah

On Sunday we did a practical on the beach representing pyroclastic density flow, with wine to colour the water as it is about the cheapest thing you can buy in Tenerife. I managed to get a litre of Smirnoff for 10 euro which made my year. In the afternoon we took a boat trip from Peurto de Santiago to look at the old basaltic series of Teno. During the trip we had pilot wales and Dolphins swimming under the boat as well as being provided with free beer and paella and then being able to jump off the boat for a swim in the sea. That evening we were stuck in Peurto de Santiago for an extra hour or so as a carnival was blocking the only road in and out of the town. You wouldn’t get that in Hull. 

The old Basaltic series of Teno

Pilot whales 

On Monday we headed down to the south of the Island and interpreted pyroclastic deposits in a quarry.  It was a very hot day and being outside all day was a bit of a struggle, but it was still a beautiful landscape. It is now pretty cool to be able to say that I can now identify what type of eruption was occurring simply by looking at a rock face. Tuesday was our day on the black sand beach of port de le cruz carrying out our experiment followed by a quick dip in the pool on the roof of the hotel and then group presentations in the evening, which my group got a first in by the way. Just saying.  

Our experiment on the beach

examining a pyroclastic deposit

On Wednesday it was back out into the field and into the beautiful valleys of Anaga. We were recording GPS data to establish the origins of the river which flowed down the valley. We would then go on that evening to analyse the age of the river terraces and establish whether they are all the same age or from several different time periods, apparently something which hasn’t really been done before. And then it was time for our final day in the field where we were back up in the Caldera. The caldera is really beautiful and a national park and so is patrolled by armed guards. Obviously.

Teide in the clouds

River Terraces in Anaga

The Canadas caldera

On the way down we stopped for the traditional final day la mamba which is basically a hot chocolate with a shot (or 2) of brandy. They make you quite happy. That night was the traditional last night out which consisted of dinner and then a trip to the volcano bar in port de la cruz which sold very nice but very strong cocktails and then on to terrace bar. Everyone had a few drinks (or maybe a few too many) including our lecturers who got quite merry and told us stories about past trips. Apparently a few years ago one of them swam home from Tenerife to Hull last year. The next day there may have been a few soar heads on the flight home. 

La mambas

All tired our from the hard work. Or maybe one two many cocktails

Iceland: Summer 2013 - Written by Helen

Last summer I went to Iceland for 3 weeks, and without sounding all soppy, it honestly changed my life. As this was 9 months ago now and so much happened in 3 weeks, I’ll pick my highlights and keep it brief!

The rainbow line and the busy icecream shop :)

We started our 3weeks with a couple of days in Reykjavik. We explored the city from our conveniently located hostel. We did the Golden Circle tour. I had done this previously on a school trip, but I wanted to go again. We were part of a very small coach party, and we are even sure we stopped off at the tour guides house at one point! We also went whale watching. We saw whales, dolphins and puffins! We also discovered a rainbow colored line that didn’t go anywhere – we followed it right to the end where it just stopped. But we did find this ice cream shop that always had really long queues despite there being nothing else around to attract people! It was very strange! 

We had a good time in the city, however the main purpose of our time was to volunteer on a carrot farm. This was part of SEEDs (http://www.seeds.is/). The idea is that you volunteer as part of a workcamp with other international volunteers on a farm, in return for free board. Our farm was located near Vik at the bottom of a mountain, which became known as ‘our mountain’. It was this tiny place in the middle of nowhere, the only neighbours being a couple of other farms and vast open space. And it was so quiet. The only noise pollution was from the birds. Our accommodation was very cozy. There was a tiny kitchen, one bathroom, one sofa, three bedrooms and one small dining table. But it was all we needed. 

Our Mountain

At the weekends we got to travel around the area, so all 8 of us squashed into a 5 seater car. We went to a swimming pool located in the mountains heated by warm spring water. The changing rooms were old shacks with broken glass on the floor and no lights. It was amazing! We then set off in search of a plane wreck. We went to a waterfall, one of many throughout our trip! We travelled off-road over dunes until we found this plane in the middle of nowhere. It was just us there. We had a great time climbing on the plane.

Waterfall!

 On the Sunday we joined another work camp. We visited an arch (geography!) and a lighthouse. We then went to a black sand beach with basalt columns which was so cool. However there were so many people on the beach, it was a shame. We visited Vik, which is a really small town. At 5 o clock(ish) we decided to drive to Laki, a volcano. We got to the bottom of the volcano after seeing no civilization for ages, and there were public toilets! Of all places! We got to the summit at 9 o clock at night. We hadn’t eaten tea and the sun still hadn’t set. It was the most stunning thing ever. If you ever want to know what sublime feels like, you need to have an experience like that. To make it better I was sharing it with people that I had only known for 5 days (apart from Alice).  We got home at midnight, and I went to bed without dinner. I was starving when I woke up!

Arch!

Basalt Colomns!

Volcano Selfie :)

Hay Bales

Our work on the farm included gardening. We weren’t really sure what we were doing but it looked good by the end of the week. We also got to help in the carrot fields. It was really great fun! We were clearing the plastic sheeting and the hoops. However, it was upsetting as there were no carrots to pick because there had been a bad season. We also tied and labeled hay bales. Our afternoons were often free to do what we wanted.  We went swimming in the sea one evening and it was so cold!! Alice and I climbed the mountain behind the farm at one point. It was an amazing view but it was very hard work to climb and showed how unfit we were! One evening we had an ‘international evening’ where we tried foods from different nationalities. This included sheeps head and dried fish – which tastes great with butter! On one of the nights we were allowed into the farmers house to watch a movie with popcorn. It was so nice of the farmers to give up their house for us! They were the best, hospitable farmers I have ever met. They cared for us all like their children. 

My Host Family

Selfie on top of our mountain

Sunset on Heimaey

The second weekend we went to Heimaey. It was a fantastic trip! We climbed the mountain behind the campsite. It was a long way up, but it had a fantastic view! And the weather was lovely! Very hot! We then found a secluded beach with jellyfish. It was incredible. The water was very cold! Dinner was an interesting occurrence as we cooking for 8 people is never the easiest thing to do! We had to smash the tins open because we forgot our tin opener! We then climbed another volcano at 10 o clock at night. We watched the sun set and it was amazing. Geography is the best thing ever! We then went to a bar which was weird  because Alice and I were underage at the time. The buildings on Heimaey were all different, which added to the character of the place. We ended up in this extremely weird shop. It was like an American diner that had pick and mix sweets with car parts and a garage that sold take away food and ice cream. Back at the camp site, eerie music was playing. It was very surreal. I didn’t get much sleep as I was cold, and I woke up every few hours. The next morning we got up and climbed yet another volcano! It was pretty awesome! Hard work to climb, but great views when we got to the top. We then visited a lava field, which was one of the newest pieces of land in Iceland. The caves were pretty impressive. However on the way back it rained heavily, and we got extremely wet! 

Heimaey

After the camp had finished, Alice and I returned to Reykjavík, where we visited the Blue Lagoon – this was my 3^rd trip to the blue lagoon. It was nice to take the time to relax there. We experienced a lovely sunset whilst in the city on our last night. We went right to the sea front to see then sun set. It was a brilliant end to a fantastic trip. In the morning of the last day we visited a viewing platform to see the city one last time.

Viking Boat Sunset

I have never wanted a plane not to take off so much in my life. When we returned to England we were greeted with a thunder storm. Welcome home.

I started this trip with a lot of insecurities and anxieties, and liking to have things planned. However, by the end of the trip, although I still liked to plan, I learnt to let go and just go with it! I continue to live by this philosophy. I lived in pretty much in isolation from the rest of the world for 3 weeks, with no more than 18 people in my life. I updated my Facebook status once to let my parents know I was still alive, and that was it. Life was simple, and I learnt to appreciate it more. It was honestly the happiest I’ve ever been. It gave me the travelling bug! I would recommend this trip it to everyone. 

Get out there. Experience life. Visit the world. Make friends. Change your life.