Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005
A usual weekend for the Westminster Students abroad program is filled with a pre-planned trip to somewhere in the United Kingdom. To take advantage of some free weekends in between planned trips, the students find themselves being able to travel to nearby countries and exploring Europe at their leisure.
Two students, Mallory Waid, a sophomore elementary education major from Jefferson, OH, and Kerri Campbell, a sophomore business administration major from Coraopolis, took a trip to Cardiff, Wales. Wales, a country on the western border of England, is only a two-hour train ride from Oxford.
"We went to a hostel in Oxford and booked the hostel in Wales through them. Then we went to the train station and bought tickets. We also discovered the young person rail pass for students with a valid student identification card ages 18-24, which gives you one third off of all train tickets, and only costs 20 pounds. So booking our weekend trip to Wales was really easy," Waid said.
The weekend in Wales turned out to be a weekend filled with many new places and new sights to see. "Everyone was so nice when we were there. They asked us a lot of questions about America and how we liked it over here. The bus drivers, the people in the restaurants, anytime we felt lost or were looking for a new place to visit they were there to help," Campbell said.
They visited Cardiff Castle, the Millennium Rugby Stadium, various parks and even the Mermaids Quay, a bay along the English Channel
"We had such a wonderful time going to Cardiff. Our hostel was clean, and came with a fully cooked hot English breakfast. The people were wonderful and it was so nice to spend a weekend outside of Oxford and really explore more of Great Britain. I would recommend it to everyone!." Waid said.
While some students are traveling outside of England, some prefer to continue to explore London. Kristin Nelson , a junior sociology/criminal justice and English major from White Oak, enjoys spending some of her free time traveling into London. "If I don't have big plans, I try to spend a whole day or an overnight in London. Since I'm in Oxford four days a week, it's nice to get away."
Traveling to London is convenient for the students with numerous buses traveling throughout the day, all of which offering student discounts. The Oxford Tube, which has a bus traveling to the city every ten minutes, even offers what they like to call "Night Owl" specials. Leave Oxford sometime after three in the afternoon and you can return later that evening or before midnight on the following day for only seven pounds -- but only five pounds with a valid student identification card or a young person's rail card.
London is over 610 square miles, so it is no wonder students like to continue making trips to the city. Kristin commented, "It's a completely different experience every time. During my first trip, we spent time at the landmarks such as Portobello Market, Big Ben, and seeing the Royal Jewels. We did the things that you think of when someone says London. Then on another trip, we went to a completely different part of the city and never encountered some of the things that we saw the first time. I look forward to finding new things and encountering new people every time I go."
Though there are weekend trips, the students are eagerly preparing themselves for their fall break. During this ten-day break, students have the opportunity to do their own traveling. Some students have family and friends coming to visit, while others plan on taking in as much of Europe as possible. Ashley Beaver, a sophomore exploratory from Sidman, plans on traveling to Paris for five days and Rome for the other five. "I went to STA Travel Agency during my second week here to make plans. I have been very frugal with my money until now to ensure that I have enough to cover any expenses that may arise while on break."
Regardless of the destination, the Westminster at Oxford students have all taken in sights that some have only dreamed of and look forward to continue traveling through Europe until their return.
Written by: Ashley Hatcher, sophomore history major
Katie Crompton, junior elementary education major
Jessie Goldie, sophomore political science major
