When I was a kid, I read a book in which one of the characters had the ability to see into the past. If she concentrated, she could watch everything that had ever happened in a certain place. I've often wished I could have that power, but never more so than when strolling the steep narrow streets of Portugal.
If you look up Good Old Books online, you'll find that the Leland, Michigan, used and rare bookstore is only open from mid-May to mid-October. But if, on a cold winter afternoon, you walk up to a gray-blue, bi-level home with an "OLD, RARE BOOKS" sign posted in the yard, you'll find a note signed by George and Mary Ball.
I walk up the escalator into the center of the National Mall and sigh.
The most disappointing aspect of my spring break backpacking trip was not that it got cut short.
The first time I visited Boston, I was dead-set on attending Northeastern University, and the universe seemed to be telling me this was a good idea. It was August, a balmy 80 degrees, and my assigned tour guide was, objectively, the hottest one (I say "objectively" because our group somehow ended up three times as big as everyone else's, and entirely female).
I debated back and forth for a couple of weeks about my spring break plans, but I eventually decided that being beachside was more favorable than snowed in. So, I traveled to Panama City Beach for a week of sunshine.
The gray and blue stone shoots out over the tops of the uniform orange shingles of Bruges' buildings. Equally beautiful, yet somehow out of place, St. Salvator's Cathedral towers over the carefully crafted, old-timey Bruges like a grandfather sitting next to a 20-year-old with full makeup, striving to look old enough to get into a bar. The authenticity sometimes missing in the tourist packed streets oozes off of the cathedral.
Your roommate booked a cruise to Cancun. Your sorority sister is headed to Breckenridge to hit the slopes. Even your Stats professor is bragging about their planned trip up to Windsor to win big at the blackjack tables.
On October 1, 2017, the citizens of Catalonia voted to declare independence from Spain.
They say there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers. So the question, "why do we travel?" can't be dumb. However, (and I would bold, italicize and underline that word if possible) there are some answers that are so lacking in intelligence that I find myself staring into the void wondering where we went wrong.
I've been thinking a lot about magic lately.
I spent the flight home from New Orleans cradling my head on a paperback-size excuse for a tray table, feeling vaguely like I should be hospitalized but not knowing for what ailment or for how long.
As we finish up midterms and put the closing touches on our mid-semester essays, it's time to put the books away, let our brains relax and have some fun on Fall Break.
The bunnies dot the grassy lawn atop Pyramid Hill. Some lean back, relaxed, their droopy ears flopping on the ground. Others stand tall on their hind legs, reaching up with their curious noses, sniffing the leaves of the trees. The park is their playground, and they can be spotted across the hill, exploring, enjoying the calm and misty environment.
At just shy of a two-hour drive from Oxford, Indiana's capital city is a great bet if you've been procrastinating on your Fall Break travel plans. If youstay longer than a day, there are plenty activities to fill your weekend, but if your time and money are limited, you can still make a day trip worth your while. Not including gas, this whole itinerary will cost you about $50.
Nestled in the mountainous woods an hour east of Lexington, KY, lies the cozy town of Campton. It's a veritable one-road village, the route 11 Mountain Parkway snaking its way through the terrain, sheer rock faces rising up on either side of the street.
Want to do something over Fall Break, but not willing to travel far? Here are four recommendations for things to do and place to go, all an hour or less from campus:
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