travel – The Orbital

16Nov

By Charisse HauNo Comments

Culture

Step by Step

By Charisse Hau There seems to be a natural tendency to move upwards: the trees grow taller towards the sun; the mountains are formed by building up of sediments; humans grow taller – all upwards. Similarly, I ventured upwards into the unknown world of mountains and cliffs in Greece. It was a 2-hour drive from the city centre of Thessaloniki – through the motorway, countless tunnels, driving up winding slopes, then we made a stop at a café to replenish. We had some mountain tea to cure the motion sickness and continued our journey. After another half an hour of driving, we finally got to our destination, Meteora. Well, not quite. To get to the monasteries on the cliff-tops, we had to tread hundreds of steps to get up there (more well-paved than I expected). The journey had only...

8Nov

By Stephanie BagnallNo Comments

Features

The Greatest Treasures of Budapest

Budapest was created in 1873 by the merger of three cities: Buda, Óbuda and Pest and it’s the capital of Hungary. Its inspiring architecture, beautiful river views, and the world-famous 16th-century thermal baths make this city a popular attraction to many. Whether it’s a romantic escape or a squad adventure, Budapest is home to many incredibly beautiful treasures and landmarks that you cannot miss if you visit. Buda Castle The historical palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest sits on the south tip of Castle Hill, on what is known as the Várnegyed (castle district). Built in 1247, Buda castle was one of the Largest gothic building in the middle ages. If you visit here you should set aside one whole day to do so as it is not only a magnificent building, but it is also home ...

23Sep

By Shannon GrayNo Comments

News

How the Elizabeth Line will Affect You

What is the Elizabeth Line? The Elizabeth Line is London’s newest addition to the TfL rail and tube network, and it is set to stretch a full 60 miles through the London and Greater London area - almost double the current tube-span record holder, the Central Line. The Elizabeth Line will span from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is set to service 40 accessible stations, 10 of which are newly built and 30 of which are newly upgraded. The line will launch in December 2018 and is expected to serve around 200 million people per year. How will this affect you? As a Royal Holloway student, you will be a short distance away from Heathrow Airport and therefore the Elizabeth Line may benefit your London-based travels. Servicing stations such as Paddi...

24Feb

By No Comments

Science & Technology

Where Travel Meets Science

Far from the images of far off lands and exploration that the word ‘travel’ inspires, the word ‘science’ is often synonymous with dark laboratories and maybe a class you hated in school. However, the two can have far greater a connection than you might think. Whether it’s chemistry, physics or biology, getting on a plane and exploring really does bring the quirks of science to life. Chemistry: Bolivia Watching salt dissolve in a beaker probably wasn’t the most inspiring science lesson ever encountered. However, there is one particular place on earth that will leave even those of us who despised chemistry in awe of the white stuff: The Salt Flats, Bolivia. A short (by South American standards) 12 hour bus journey from the capital city, La Paz, is this white wonderland. The Salt Fl...

30Dec

By No Comments

Features

The Floating Piers, Lake Iseo

Last summer saw an artist’s dreams recognised as Christo was given the go ahead to carry out a project he had been planning since 1970. The idea was the product of two artists, however Christo’s partner, Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2012, and was never able to see the project completed. Finally, earlier this year, Christo and his team were able to begin setting up the Floating Piers on Lake Iseo in Italy. The Floating Piers was a highly anticipated piece and became a hot topic worldwide. The project was an incredible success and drew in over a million tourists throughout the 16 day exhibiton. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Floating Piers in late June, and it truly was a beautiful experience. Lake Iseo is naturally a stunning sight, sparkling crystal blue waters surrounded by...

6Dec

By No Comments

Lifestyle

Let’s Travel (on that student budget)

Alis shows us it is possible to travel with a student budget. It’s that time of year again - the excitement of being back at university has worn off, the weather is miserable, deadlines are looming, and all you really want to do is pop down to Heathrow and jet off to some far flung island. Of course, this isn’t exactly a possibility. Even when summer does roll around, it’s pretty much impossible to travel on a student budget these days. Right? Wrong. Just last year, I discovered an amazing way to travel, enhance my CV and pick up some language skills, all on a student budget. I wanted to share my experience to inspire other students to get out there and explore the world. It all started when I discovered the website worldpackers.com - a website which allows you to find hostels who wi...

3Oct

By Anastasia PantryNo Comments

Lifestyle

Embrace your inner Buddha

Embrace your inner Buddha Many people carry the misconception that religious life is somewhere up there in the clouds and that our everyday life is too dull. Often people think that to be a spiritual being, we must ignore or neglect our everyday lives, and go into some spiritual realm in order to be accepted. Others perhaps ignore religion completely and see it as a pile of mumbo jumbo. I personally have never been one to abide by a religion or believe that there is one ‘maker’ and that is because I wanted to choose what I believed. It took me 19 years and a whole lot of ‘soul searching’ but finally the locals of Siem Reap (a Cambodian province) taught me to embrace my inner Buddha. Now I don’t mean I became a Buddhist on my travels and experienced a cliché ‘Gap Year’ ch...

Life from another perspective: Studying in Seoul

19Apr

By No Comments

Lifestyle

Life from another perspective: Studying in Seoul

When you mention that you’re considering a study abroad during your degree, people usually assume that you will be going somewhere in Europe or, if you are feeling adventurous possibly America. So I guess it comes as a big shock to some when you say that you want to go to Asia. Especially if you have decide to go to South Korea, a place most people only vaguely know due to ‘Gangnam Style’, North Korea, and Olympic Ice Skating. Nevertheless there were a handful of RHUL students that went to countries in Asia this year, one of them being me. Forget study abroad only being for language students; studying abroad is for anyone to go anywhere. My study abroad year is an additional year rather than an internal, so it doesn’t count towards my grades. This has meant I have the freedom to study any ...

Are ‘Boris Bikes’ coming to Royal Holloway?

26Jan

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Features

Are ‘Boris Bikes’ coming to Royal Holloway?

They're one of the most successful editions to London's transport options, and soon a 'Boris Bike'-style bike sharing scheme may be heading to Royal Holloway. We spoke to Izabela Pawlic, one of the students who is currently pioneering the scheme here at Holloway, to find out what it's all about and how likely it is we'll see the bikes at our university in the future. (more…)

24Dec

By No Comments

Lifestyle

A Cross-Cultural Christmas Build Up

Ah Christmas. It seems that the beloved festivity comes around quicker and quicker with each passing year. A sentiment that is, perhaps, egged on slightly by that fact that once ‘Back to School’ hype has blown over, the magic C word always seems to somehow worm its way back into our lives. By the time October has begun and the leaves have started to change we are gradually bombarded with all things festive, and before you know it you find yourself wondering what this year’s John Lewis advert will be (maybe that’s just me!). This year however, my Christmas build up started slightly differently. I am on my year abroad in Dijon, France and I have noticed a number of differences between how the French and the British prepare for the arrival of Old St Nick. After coming back to the UK for a we...