Timeless or Touristy?: What to do (and What to Skip) on a Trip to London

By Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer

London has been on my list for quite some time as a travel destination. I briefly visited London as a child during a 24-hour layover, but that only gave me a small sample of what this historic and truly international city has to offer. Thus, I decided to catch a cheap flight out for a long weekend. 

As always, a few disclaimers before I dive into it. Firstly, London is another expensive one. It certainly isn’t as bad as Switzerland, but given the exchange rate between pounds and USD (roughly 1.3 USD to one pound) it's worth mentioning that things will be a little bit pricier than you might be expecting. Additionally, many of the most popular tourist attractions are quite expensive compared to other locations in Europe, but more about that later. 

Also, invest in a rain jacket before you go; the weather is miserable (no offense to the Brits) and with strong winds common in the city, an umbrella won’t cut it. In fact, if you take an umbrella, chances are you’ll leave without it, because the wind will have torn it to shreds and left you soaked in the rain. Learn from my mistakes. 

Read More

The Art of Protest: An American Perspective on the French Retirement Strikes

The whole debacle started with a proposal by French left-wing president Emmanuel Macron to raise the age required to receive government retirement pension from 62 to 64. Given that you need to be 67 to receive your full social security pension in the United States, I was shocked to hear that this was even an issue. Now I am by no means a French legal expert, so I cannot speak much in depth of the debate on this issue. However, while retirement at 62 seems fanciful to me, I too would be furious if I had been promised it and then the president (who is quite wealthy) proposed taking it from me. 

This was the general reaction of the French public, and they expressed their anger in the way that they knew best: strikes. However, French strikes are not quite the same as those seen in America. They are typically the first step of a bargaining process, rather than a last resort. Whereas American unions tend to hold out on declaring a strike in hopes that an agreement will be reached, the French public start with strikes, almost as a reminder to the government or powerful company that they are the ones who truly hold the power, often before negotiations are made. Thus, the moment the retirement reform was proposed, the French had taken to the streets in protest in Paris. This mass public movement overtook the entirety of France, and by January 19, a national strike was declared. Not a single tram was running in the city of Montpellier where I live. Few buses were running and most businesses were closed. 

Another difference between French and American strikes that typically occur, is that French strikes have a declared end date. Whatever unions involved will declare a strike for a 24 or 72-hour period, and then business will resume as normal. This was the case at the beginning of the strikes. After a total shutdown on Thursday, everything was back up and running on Friday. However, the reason most strikes in France last a brief predetermined time is because they remind those in power of their place (in service of the people) and lead to successful bargaining and resolution. However, in this case, the French government did not stand down. Thus, another strike was announced the following week, and then the next, but the French government did not stand down, so the protests intensified.

Read More

Timeless or Touristy?: What to do (and What to Skip) on a Winter Trip to Switzerland

By Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer

Switzerland is said to have invented the concept of winter tourism. It is the place to go in Europe for folks looking for a ski vacation or a cozy winter get-together. But there’s much to see beyond the slopes, which is what drew my father and me to this destination during my mid-semester break at the end of February.

Before I get into this article, let me make it abundantly clear that Switzerland is not a trip for everyone, especially in the winter. In the other places I’ve written about, there are things that could appeal to a huge genre of people. However, many of Switzerland’s largest tourist drives, such as the Matterhorn mountain, Aletsch glacier, and funicular railways have limited access during the winter or are closed entirely. That being said, it is the go-to in terms of winter sports getaways in Europe and also boasts a number of winter-friendly tourist attractions including museums, castles, and historic rail lines. If you are a ski buff, or if you are like me and my father (read: obsessed with trains, boats, and ruins), Switzerland is definitely the place for you, though there may be some benefit to going in the spring or summer if you are a part of the latter group. 

One more quick disclaimer before we dive into it: be aware that Switzerland is one of the most expensive places to travel in Europe, as it is not a part of the EU, and thus is in a much different place economically than member countries. Be sure you look into this before you go on a trip and make sure you budget accordingly because it’s one thing to hear about it and another thing entirely when the cheapest meal you can find is a 16 CHF burger (roughly $17). 

With that out of the way, let’s get into the trip. My father and I spent a week traveling throughout Switzerland, visiting the cities of Montreux, Gruyère, Interlaken/Brig, Chur, St. Moritz, and Geneva. While it was initially in our plans to visit the Matterhorn in Zermatt as well as the Aletsch glacier, we, unfortunately, ran afoul in terms of weather, making neither of these locations worth the trip in terms of both visibility and activity closures.

Read More

Timeless or Touristy?: What to do (and What to Skip) on a Trip to Paris

By Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer

Paris is simply the place to go in France for Americans. In fact, when I first announced that I was studying abroad, the first thing everyone said was, “In Paris?” I definitely disappointed folks when I said that no, I was going to a smaller city in southern France, unheard of by Americans, called Montpellier. Regardless, I have been so fortunate as to have been able to catch a couple trains to Paris for weekend trips, so I figured I would share my experience with certain popular attractions, and offer my insight on whether they’re worth it, or too touristy.

Read More

Timeless or Touristy? What to do (and what to skip) on a Trip to Italy

By Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer

I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad for a year in Montpellier, France. I have tried to make the most of my first time in Western Europe by traveling around to neighboring countries to try to see all that there is to see. I am no tour guide by any stretch of the imagination, and I am only a travel blogger in my wildest dreams, but I figured I would take the opportunity to share some insights with you about my travels in various countries, as well as some opinions about what is worth the visit, and what’s just a tourist trap. So, without further ado, here’s what to do (and what to skip) on a trip to Italy.

Read More

Iranian Protests and the Future of Iran

By Danny Gonzales-Hyde, Staff Writer

The 11th of February 1979 the United States puppet ruler in Iran, Mohammad Rezawho Shah Pahlavi, who had served as monarch of Iran since 1941, was finally ousted from office by the Iranian people. In the wake of the ensuing power vacuum, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini comes out on top and along with taking over as the head of state he also declares Iran an Islamic republic. Ayatollah had previously been exiled for 15 years by the Shah's government, due to the Shah perceiving him as a threat to his rule. It was during Ayatollah’s years in exile where he critiqued the country’s Westernization and secularization projects that the Shahs' regime was putting underway. This right wing government that seized power after the Shah is still in power to this day. As a result, for the past 43 years, the Iranian people have resorted to protest a number of times only to be crushed by the government's use of force. The most recent wave of Iranian protests have been the outcome of Mahsa Aminis death in September 2022. She was a 22-year-old Iranian woman, who was in police custody at the time of her death for “improperly wearing her hijab”. 

Recently, I have had the pleasure of interviewing Mary, an Iranian woman studying in Izmir, Turkey. Mary offered her insight into the recent Iranian protests, which are being spearheaded by the youth. Mary cites Iran's complications with human rights, economic downturns, and right wing politics as being some of the issues that the Iranian people are taking to the streets demanding reform. This isn't the first time that the Iranian people have protested against the government, with the last large scale protests being in 2009 with a number of smaller ones since then. Despite this, Mary makes the claim that what sets this newest round of protests apart from past ones is the amount of international attention that they have received, which has given the Iranian people a platform to make their voices heard. The protesters have been resisting through nonviolent means, while the government is fully armed and has shown its willingness to use force. Mary described this forceful behavior by the government as making her feel powerless. Despite this feeling of powerlessness, internet spaces such as Twitter have given people a place to share what is happening and help build momentum and support for the movement inside and outside of Iran. 

The reaction of the international community so far has been to impose more sanctions upon the Iranian state, which has made it increasingly difficult for the everyday citizens of Iran. Different forms of sanctions have been in place against the Iranian government since the establishment of Iran as an Islamic republic. The only difference since then has been the severity of these sanctions. According to Mary, the most recent round of sanctions has negatively affected the Iranian people, who can't find some of the basic products that they had previously relied on, such as certain medicines. The sanctions have also cut the Iranian people off from the rest of the world. She gave the example of wanting to pursue an education outside of Iran, where it would be impossible to pay for it with Iranian Rials, since banks no longer accept that currency. 

Despite the dire situation, Mary retains hope as she claims the Iranian people are taking the necessary steps towards building a better future. In order to further support the people of Iran from our own communities, you can share information about the protests with your peers or contact your local Human Rights organization on behalf of the Iranian people.