It’s the Easter Holiday Spectacular! I had several weeks off work in mid-April, so I decided to spend ten days gallivanting across three European cities: Venice, Salzburg, and Amsterdam. I hadn’t originally planned to go to Venice, but some last-minute changes brought me to the ancient floating city. With a friend I made in my hostel, I spent two days exploring the city on foot, stopping in museums and cathedrals (the violin museum was my favorite) and sampling overpriced espressos. Some highlights include a quiet night exploring the Dorsoduro district and attending a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. 

Venice canal

Venice itself feels like a museum—it’s jam-packed with tourists and high-brow boutiques, and little about the city feels “alive.” While it was a pleasure to experience, I was ready to board my train to Salzburg, Austria. The journey was stunning; I passed through Verona’s endless vineyards and nearly decaying multi-colored homes, gawked under the towering Dolomites, and changed trains by the snow-capped mountains of Innsbruck.

One of my train transfers

After several missed trains and nearly eight hours of travel, I arrived at Salzburg and met my host, Johanna, who I would be staying with for the next few days. Johanna and I immediately discovered we have much in common: we both studied English at university, we both lived in Iceland, and we both loved folk music. We spent that evening preparing an Austrian-style cheese board (including pickles, radishes, Johanna’s homemade Pumpkin bread, and local dairy) and taking a moonlit walk around her neighborhood—a quiet village with miles of green pastures and a stunning view of the alpine mountains. We shared a meaningful conversation about our past relationships and the role faith plays in our lives. For the second time that week, I found that a stranger knew more about the dramas and complexities of my life than most people did. I love experiencing solo travel this way, knowing that I have friends scattered across the world. 

The hills are alive with the sound of music!

Salzburg is one of, if not the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. Its Baroque-style churches and cream-colored buildings are seen from the scenic river walkway with the mountains not far behind. I explored the city on foot and through a guided Sound of Music tour, learning fun facts about the city along the way (like how Red Bull is headquartered there and Mozart grew up in the city). I took a day trip to the mountain town Hallstatt where I discovered that sometimes the most Instagrammable spots are not worth visiting: it was brimming with tourists and had little to do beyond take photos of the “photo-worthy” spot (which is literally marked on the map as “Scenic Viewpoint”). Back in Salzburg, I closed out my time in Austria with a walk around Johanna’s neighborhood that resembled “the hills” where Julia Andrews danced, and I reflected on how grateful I was to be in this dreamy European city.

Salzburg at night

The final stop on my tour was Amsterdam, which has long been a favorite spot of mine. I was there to meet up with my dear friend and travel companion Eleri for our shared birthday weekend. It doesn’t really matter what I’m doing with Eleri, because we always have a good time. We somewhat hilariously confused the Van Gogh Rembrandt Museum (which provides a trendy, modern light show) with the actual museum, so we had a running bit about how I was cursed to never see Van Gogh (because all my previous attempts of doing so had failed). But we were successful at riding bikes around Dutch tulip fields and finding the most delicious tapas restaurant I’d ever been to (I had tuna and burrata cheese, sweet potato fries with truffle mayo, and roasted cauliflower). On Friday night we went to an English storytelling night, which was highly entertaining, and on Easter Sunday we attended an English mass before going our separate ways, and then, after a surprising turn of events, I did make it into the Van Gogh Museum. It was a birthday miracle. 

Eleri and I riding bikes around Keukenhof’s tulip fields

When I arrived back in Bournemouth, I had less than two weeks left in the country. I spent my time doing all of my “lasts”: last run club, last fiddle lesson, last workshop, last jam night, last youth group. I bade tender farewells to my closest friends and threw a wrap-party / fundraiser night for The Story Work’s. This included a presentation recapping the work we’ve done this year followed by live music and poetry readings (by yours truly and three fellow volunteers). The volunteers even surprised me with my very own illustrated Story Works booklet, written about my life but if nine year-olds wrote it. Overall, I felt so celebrated and valued that night, and I’m more proud than ever of the work our charity is doing and has done. 

The Story Works team at our end-of-year celebration

Oh, I also ran a marathon in Shakespeare’s hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon!

Until next time,

Elisabeth

Lately it’s felt like the start of summer in South England: clear blue skies, 20 degrees celsius, the sun beating down on the water. Everyone and their mother is out on days like these, and I’m grateful I get to see but a glimmer of Bournemouth as the summer-seaside destination that it is. On the warmest day of the year, my friends Catherine and Erica and I went to the beach to enjoy a classic Mr. Whippy ice cream cone and a walk along the water. We listened to the waves crash against the shore and traced our fingers in the sand; I’ll miss being this close to the ocean when I’m stateside. 

Mr Whippy on the beach

It’s been a very social few weeks! I’ve enjoyed several hangs with my church friends—they do such a great job at actively making me feel valued and included even though I’m new to the group. We’ve enjoyed an early-summer barbeque (featuring s’mores with digestives and a viewing of the ASDF movie compilation), a homemade dinner and house-tour in Salisbury, and takeaway fish and chips on the beach. I had my first co-write in Bournemouth, went to my friend Sebastian’s house for a lovely meal, visited an art gallery with my friend Mirek, played trivia with Alex, and enjoyed sunset runs with Run Club pals. Looking back at my life in September, I’m so grateful for the relationships I’ve developed and for how much more supported I feel now compared to then. 

BBQ with church friends (LR: Catherine, Erica, Joel, Leah, Isaac, Rosie)

The week before Easter holidays was big for The Story Works, because we had the unveiling of a hoarding installation that had been in the works since December. The installation contains art from our workshops and information about our charity down one of Bournemouth’s busiest streets. Not only is this great publicity for our charity, but our volunteers get to see their art in a public, professional space, and children get to see their ideas taken seriously. The installation is up for a year, and I’m proud of myself for making this happen by fostering a connection with Kier Construction—the company we partnered with to make this happen—and by curating the installation. Tom, our trustee, and I were interviewed about the project here. 

Following the unveiling, The Story Works had our final workshop before Easter break began. We tried a new format for this one: instead of children raising their hands to suggest ideas for the story, we split them into five groups (one for each category: main character, villain, sidekick, setting, and plot) and each child would individually write down and contribute an idea. We tried this as a way to get the quieter kids involved, and I think we will incorporate this method into future workshops. I was a very shy elementary schooler, so having the additional time to brainstorm and write down an idea would’ve helped me to contribute. 

Next up is Easter holiday! As I write this, I have just returned from traveling through Italy, Austria, and Holland—but more on that next week! 

Until next time,

Elisabeth

I’ll pick up right where I left off: St Paddy’s weekend in Belfast. I spent the Irish holiday with my friends Eleri and Adam, and we engaged in activities such as: recapping our lore across five hours and three locations, sharing a Shamrock shake on a late-night drive and blasting Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, writing emotional music in Adam’s living room, and exploring town centre’s festivities in all green attire. It was good to see friends and have a reset.

Me and Adam jamming out

I’ve been a little tired lately, and I think one thing is to blame—I’ve been running a lot. I mean a lot. In the span of just over a week, I ran two separate races (SPAR 10k and the Bournemouth Bay 5k), completed two long runs of 18+ miles, and tried to complete my midweek workouts. Marathon training has been going well, but it has sucked the life out of me, making it more difficult to be fully present and energized at work and social events. 

Despite that, it’s been a full couple of weeks. Workshops have carried on as normal, and I attended my final songwriting workshop. This was a feedback session where the students listened to everyone’s song and gave two things they liked and one thing that could be improved upon. Listening to everyone’s song, I was so blown away by these kids’ creativity and their willingness to try something new. Most of them had never written a song before, and each song captured the spirit and personalities of those who wrote it, which I see as a mark of success. Designing and teaching my own songwriting course was one of my primary goals during my time here, and I’m proud of myself for making it happen.

Beyond workshops, I’ve been carrying on the small tasks that make up the role of Charity Manager: ordering T-shirts, designing our fundraiser poster, compiling data from feedback sheets, scheduling future workshops, writing grant applications, so on and so forth. I love how flexible my job is—no two days are ever the same. 

Lydia and me in the Oxford station

My free time has mostly been taken up by trips and social events, some planned and some spontaneous. My friend Lydia was passing through Oxford one Sunday, so I decided at the last minute (literally thirty minutes before the train departed) to spend my evening with her. Over the weekend I visited my friend Maddie, one of the charity’s student volunteers, in her hometown of Bristol. We walked in on a choir rehearsal in Bristol Cathedral, toured the city’s art (including two pieces by Banksy), and watched Puss in Boots 2. The next day I visited Salisbury to have lunch with a few friends from church, and I was so impressed by the city. I got there early to tour the lovely cathedral (home to 1 of 4 copies of the Magna Carta), stroll along the River Avon, and enjoy a pastry in the old market centre. Lastly, I played my last full-band show in Bournemouth!

Maddie and me in Bristol

With my friends Elisha and Isaac in Salisbury on Mother’s Day

Until next time,

Elisabeth

I leaned against the wall outside Ounce Coffee on March 14th, the sunlight bright and flat upon the brick, as I surveyed the Friday morning crowd in the thriving suburb of Westbourne, Dorset. I was meeting up with my friend Sam, a fellow Belmont grad, who plays the drums in a touring band that just so happened to have a show in Bournemouth. I decided to take him to my favorite coffee shop and walk down to the beach, a mile walk that passed through the Alum Chine gardens, a paved path through an enclosure of pine trees, palm trees, and a vast network of shrubbery. As we got coffee and made our way to the path, Sam kept repeating how beautiful Bournemouth was and how it might be his new favorite city in England. “Liz,” he exclaimed, “This is just like a movie!” As we entered the Alum Chine gardens path, Sam fell silent and stared around in awe at the canopy of trees and greens that surrounded us. What seemed like a relatively normal path through the forest to me was a sight of pure astonishment to Sam, and I realized then how little I give Bournemouth credit for; it is, truly, a town rich with natural beauty. 

Sam and I are both, to varying degrees, traveling musicians. He is literally a paid musician in a touring band, and I am a charity manager and musician who is, in a long-term and more stationary sense, traveling. He understands what it’s like to grow up in the Midwest and move to Nashville as a musician, but he also knows how it feels to be an American working in the United Kingdom. Having someone who can bridge these worlds has been grounding and comforting in ways I didn’t expect. As the sea came into view and the sunshine poured down on us, I was struck by the rarity of it all: two Belmont University graduates from the Midwest are walking on the beach in Bournemouth, England, a city we both ended up in through a strange twist of fate and a lot of hard work. Cosmic alignments such as these don’t occur often, and I felt so proud of us both for all that went into making this moment happen.

Sam and I in Bournemouth!

My gratitude for Belmont and the friends I’ve made there carry into my work: I had my second-to-last songwriting workshop last week, and so many of my teaching tactics are pulled from my songwriting professors. Each group finished writing and recording a demo of their song, and my words of advice echo those I’ve heard from peers and professors at Belmont. Next week we’ll listen to everyone’s song and give feedback, and I’m so excited to listen and reflect on the experience as a whole. I can see that the kids light up and feel empowered when they have the freedom to create something entirely their own, and it is a joy to witness and facilitate that. That day marked six full months of me living in Bournemouth, and I got to end the night by playing my second full-band show and first headliner show in England. I’m so grateful and proud that I’ve been able to take my love for songwriting from Nashville all the way to Bournemouth, and I’m excited to see where it goes next. 

Beautiful Bournemouth beach!

Love,

Elisabeth

“I’m sitting in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral, and I’m reminded of why I love England. The sun is out and the sky is blue for the first time in what feels like forever, and it’s a public celebration — throngs of people are out on their afternoon stroll, talking to friends and soaking in the sunlight — this is the Mecca of England. I’m leaning against some ancient monument (who it’s honoring, I don’t know), but I pay respects by propping my feet up on its base, a coffee and croissant by my side. I love this view: the cathedral tall and proud, the grass so green, and the sky is so blue!!! What a joy, these little things that make all the difference.”
        – February 19th journal entry

The sun has returned to England, and that has made all the difference. Seasonal depression and slow days spent alone made January the longest month of my life, but February has swept by, and I’m starting March feeling optimistic about life. 

The sun outside Winchester Cathedral

I’ve led more workshops in the last two weeks than at any other point during my time here! To start was my third songwriting workshop with a secondary school in Poole, and this week my students started writing their songs. I was a bit fearful that the kids would struggle with the prompt or get distracted, but most of them rose to the challenge and have a promising song in the works. One is about heartbreak and one is about a traditional Polish dish known colloquially as meat jelly, so we’re not short on variety. One student proclaimed with excitement that her song was better than she expected, and it brought me such joy to see them enjoying the process and to witness their ideas sparking. This class has been such a unique experience for them and for myself, and I’m excited to hear the finished songs and to reflect on the course as a whole. 

We also had our first two paid workshops that were sponsored by the council (our local government). These were two full days in schools where we delivered a two hour workshop to two groups of sixty kids. I was in charge of organising everything and running the workshops as neither Dee nor Tom could make it, so for perhaps the first time in my life, I was the designated adult. Scary. Despite facing several new variables, both days went smoothly, and the response from the students and teachers was so validating. Kids left comments on their feedback sheets like “I learnt that I have a wonderful imagination” and “It encouraged me to be brave and enjoy writing a story of my own and being brave to read out my story.” I’m so grateful to LUMOS for enabling me to do work that I both love and actively improves the lives of others. In no other context would I be the manager of a charity; it’s not something I take for granted. 

Workshop team!

My social life has also been quite busy. I started attending a new weekly jam night with a few of our student volunteers, went to a jazz night and a writer’s group with some other volunteers, and attended my first-ever Premier League football game with Dee (Brighton vs Southampton — Southampton lost 4-0). The charity volunteer base has been a great source of friendship for me lately, and I’m grateful that I work so closely with a university. 

Southampton vs Brighton!

Some doodles a friend made from jam night

I’ve got a busy month ahead of me, and before I know it, I’ll be back in the States! My time here has gone by so quickly, and it makes me sad that the friends and habits that have become my everyday life will soon be foreign to me. But I’m grateful to have people and memories that make goodbyes hard.

With love,

Elisabeth 

When asked what young people should do with their lives, Kurt Vonnegut responded, “the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” I am on a quest to make new friends and deepen my existing friendships in order to combat this terrible disease. My game plan? Stick close to my rituals and do weird things. And ask, ask, ask. 

Three of my rituals include: church, my church group, and run club. I’ve been attending these as much as possible and have enjoyed several meals and nights out with these friends. I had a lovely Galentine’s evening with three of my friends from church—Catherine, Elisha, and Erica—and I’ve been organizing more group socials with the volunteers from The Story Works. Last week I attended an art gallery community night that I found on Instagram, and next week I’m going to a barn dance and trying out a new writer’s group; it feels like my first month here—saying yes to every social opportunity and seeing what sticks.

My boss, Dee, and his wife Mel have done an excellent job at making me feel valued and surrounded when I feel the loneliness creep in. The past two Saturday’s they’ve invited me over to their house after Parkrun (I’m on my 19th now) for lunch and fellowship. They are two gems of human beings, and I feel very grateful that they’re in my circle. 

Some church friends at a birthday dinner

Work has felt busy and fulfilling, and I’m increasingly proud of the work I’ve done and of the work our charity is doing in general. The second songwriting workshop I led felt much more relaxed and engaging than the last—the kids were participating and seemed excited to start writing their songs, which is all I can hope for. We discussed metaphors, rhyme patterns, chord progressions, and even analyzed the structure of “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Songwriting is what led me to Belmont and ultimately to England, so it’s very rewarding to share that with the next generation of creative minds.

Last week we led our first ever comic workshop, and I was in charge of making sure it wasn’t a flop. I know nothing about comics, so thankfully two of our student illustrators designed a loose plan and some activity sheets. I fleshed out the plan and researched a starter activity to use, and Dee contributed his charisma and years of teaching experience. With the four of us combining our skills and personalities, the workshop was a huge success! The students, who were already artistically gifted, were superstars and designed some truly breathtaking comics. Afterwards I sighed a huge breath of relief. 

Comic workshop!

Beyond all that, I’ve been working on lots of new music and started training for a marathon! I signed up for the Shakespeare Marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon after several months of hesitation, and it feels great to be back in training mode. Few things make me feel quite as alive as running 16 miles on a cold and windy day on the English coast. 

The heavens opening on my run

Until next time, 

Elisabeth x

Hi again! It’s been an emotionally turbulent few weeks, but instead of reporting on my inner turmoil, I want to share the good that has come out of the end of January (which, can I say, has been the longest month of my life. Kaveh Akbar has a poem called “Wild Pear Tree” that begins: it’s been January for months in both directions, and I resonate with this sentiment strongly). 

First—London! It just so happened that two of my dearest friends—Grace Wiles and Eleri Hadaway—were both in London on the same weekend, so I spent Thursday and Friday with Grace and Saturday with Eleri. I missed Grace bad, so when I walked into the Waterloo Station Nando’s at 8pm on Thursday night and spotted her with her white knitted sweater and carabiner of camp bracelets, I lit up with delight. Even though I had weeks of lore and heartbreak to update her on, I didn’t want to talk about any of that. What a joyful moment this was: to be in a city I loved with one of my best friends (from my home of Indiana, I might add!) thousands of miles away from the city we met in, sharing halloumi fries and laughs. No, I wanted to stick around in this joy. 

Grace in London!

The next morning we woke early to tackle the day doing what we loved most: walking, visiting bookstores, and drinking coffee. With Pret Americanos in hand, we stopped at a lovely bookstore near Russell Square where I bought a poetry collection by Kaveh Akbar and we spoke to the cashier: a kind American woman who moved to London to live with her partner (which, I fear, is my calling). We visited two more bookstores, had another coffee, and shared great conversation about the last six months of our lives and where the future was calling us. In the evening we saw a theatre production called Starlight Express, and I’ll preface this by saying neither of us knew anything about this show except that it involved trains and the actors wore roller skates. Even as the theatre skeptic I am, I had a blast with this, specifically because of a particular song called Hydrogen that, for some reason or another, sparked an obsession in me.

As we took the tube back to Waterloo from Wembley, Grace said something along the lines of, “I love hanging out with friends, because you’re always like–What will we laugh about next?” And I’m grateful that there are a few things in life I can always count on, and laughter with friends like Grace is one of them. 

Eleri and I in the National Gallery (we had to wear our backpacks like this)

With the power of friendship on my side, I returned to Bournemouth feeling refreshed and capable. I’ve had lots of business meetings to attend alone, which have boosted my confidence and proved that I’m capable of being in charge and professional. I spoke with two local charities to discuss merging our services through workshops and online curriculum, and our team met with a grant-giving charity to discuss funding opportunities. My next big task as Charity Manager is to apply for as many pots of funding as I can to ensure that The Story Works can hire a full-time manager like myself to fulfill my position come September. 

In the past two weeks we’ve participated in a Holocaust Remembrance workshop, delivered two successful story writing workshops, and I delivered my second Songwriting workshop. Tomorrow is our first-ever Comic Book workshop, so lots of new things are happening. I’ve felt very fulfilled from my work lately, and it’s rewarding to see how much the charity has grown since I got here in September.

Doing what I love!

Until next time,

Elisabeth x

I’m back at work and things with The Story Works are looking to be busier than ever! Workshops start back up this week, I delivered my first self-designed Songwriting workshop, and we’ve got several special projects coming up. Before I get into that, I’ll give a brief update on what’s been happening in my personal life.

I started working remotely after the holidays in the second week of January, so I have gone on less adventures and have spent less time practicing the fiddle. It’s good for me to have work to do, but most of my colleagues and friends spent much of January still away on vacation, so I’ve missed social interaction badly. Last Saturday, to spice things up, I took a little day trip into Ringwood, a small town on the way to Salisbury that boasts a priory, a few cafes and a handful of nice charity shops. Although there wasn’t much to do and my bus back was delayed by over an hour, it was still nice to get a change-up. A few days later, I had my first show of 2025 in Bournemouth! I played a short acoustic set at Chaplin’s Bar, a Charlie Chaplin themed bar and live music venue, and it was nice to do what I love and feel more connected to the city after my time away in December. 

I was anxious about starting my songwriting lessons, but visiting the school a few days before and meeting the kids soothed my nerves. They’re a group of about 25 Year 10’s (14-15 year-olds), and they were a very social bunch and had plenty of questions about life in America, a few of which included: Have you driven Route 66? Are there beaches in Nashville? What NFL team do you support? The lesson itself went well, aside from lots of attempts to quiet the room. The kids seemed engaged, which is all I can ask for, but it is always a little disappointing when you imagine the impact of something you make to be bigger than it actually is. I’m proud of myself for designing the class, finding a school, and implementing it. It seems like the teachers are really excited about it, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the next three lessons go.

Beyond that, I designed some prompts and activities for a one-off Holocaust Remembrance workshop that we were asked to attend. I’ve also started brainstorming workshop plans for collaborations with a paddle board non-profit, a non-profit that designs movement-based mental health teaching resources for schools, and a family therapy center. It’s exciting to see our charity expanding and being involved in so many new projects. On top of all that, we’re trying to find funding to support a full-time role after I leave, so I’m starting to prepare funding applications. 

To be honest with y’all, I’m feeling very lonely. So much time alone since Christmas has begun to take its toll, and I have not felt support from some of the relationships here that I relied on. I’m feeling quite nervous for the next three months ahead of me, but if this experience has proven anything to me, it’s that I’m adaptable, and I’m confident that the rest of my time in England will have good things in store. 

With love, 

Elisabeth

It’s been a slow few weeks in the life of Elisabeth. I spent Christmas and the days following in Iceland, but it’s been very quiet since returning to Bournemouth. I had another trip loosely planned to close out my Christmas break, but after reevaluating my budget and my energy levels, I decided to spend a chill week and a half in Bournemouth before starting back at work.

After nearly a month of travel, I had dearly missed playing music. The first thing I did upon arriving at my home in Bournemouth was pull out my fiddle and start practicing. During my last lesson, my instructor recommended I learn a new tune called Morrison’s Jig, an ear-catching Irish tune that you can easily imagine spilling out of coastal pubs in Galway. One of my goals whilst here is to improve my fiddle playing so that one day I can be one of those people at open jams who absolutely shreds tune after tune, but to get there I need to start expanding my repertoire. I’m currently brushing up on the pieces I learned in the World Fiddle ensemble at Belmont and an English reel I learned in November. Playing fiddle and feeling myself improve has been a big source of joy for me in these somewhat lonely days before work and friends return, and I’m glad I’ve made it a priority. 

Working on some music!

Beyond playing music, I’ve enjoyed beach runs, cooking (lemon and garlic sea bass with honey roasted vegetables was a favorite), and visiting local spots on my to-see list. One of these was the Russell Cotes Museum, a Victorian home and gallery donated by the English couple who lived there in the late 19th century. There was a rotating exhibition that had been added onto the home, but everything else was artwork, furniture, and collectables that had been brought home by the couple on their extensive travels around Europe and Asia, and I couldn’t help but hope that my future spouse and I can travel the world and decorate our home with the beautiful things we find. 

Yummy meal I made!  

A painting at Russell Cotes I particularly enjoyed 

On my final day off I decided to take a day trip to the Old Harry Rocks, a rock formation along the Jurassic Coast off Studland, England. This had been on my to-do list for awhile, and it exceeded my expectations. Despite it being January, the sun was shining radiantly onto the English countryside, and the typical coastal rains and winds subsided. After admiring the otherworldly cliffside for a long time, I ventured over four miles through public footpaths to reach a town called Swanage, where I stopped for lunch and a read (Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson) and reflected on how grateful I am to live in such a beautiful country. 

I’ll close out with a short poem I wrote on a run along the beach that encapsulates the simplicity I’ve experienced:

Shell

It’s one of those days where the sand
is like a disk, scraped smooth by the wind
and my steps leave a gentle imprint—
the lightness I wish to leave behind.
The sea brings with it a sweep of foam,
and a shell or two too, tokens
from its journeys westward,
now given selflessly to me.

Thank you, I’ll take one. 

December has been a busy month. I’ve spent barely a week in Bournemouth, and the rest of my time has been spent traveling across Europe on my Christmas vacation. Let me recap, starting from the end of my family’s visit:

The final day with my family was spent at Corfe Castle, the ruins of a once majestic castle built by William the Conqueror beginning in the 11th century. I thought that the whole site would be a drive-by, but there was a beautiful working village on the castle grounds that was quintessentially English. We stopped at the Greyhound Inn, the most photographed pub in England, and I took part in that title by snapping shots of my picturesque, archetypal English meal: a mushroom and leek pie, maple roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It was to die for. 

After nearly a week of being on the go in the busy streets of London and Edinburgh, I could tell that my family was grateful to take it slow, especially in a candlelit pub in an 11th century cobblestone-street-lined and thatched-roof-homes village with ancient castle ruins behind them and a steaming plate of shepherd’s pie in front of them. How much more English can you get? I surveyed the room and felt so full to see the three people who have guided me through life, the only people who have known every version of me, experience this new side of my life. My dad was smiling the whole meal through, and I felt so grateful and proud that they came all this way to see me and my world. Sipping my gingerbread hot chocolate, I knew this was a perfect moment. 

After spending nine days non stop traveling, I was a little worn out, but I had to keep up my energy because immediately after my family left I set out for a solo weekend in Germany. Even though I would’ve rather rescheduled the trip, I had a mission to live out my childhood dream of attending a German Christmas market, and I’m one who likes to fulfill a vision. Upon exiting my train in Nuremberg I immediately was met with the sight of a gothic building with that old German typeface reading “Opernhaus” and two minimally decorated fraser fir trees on either side of the entrance. This was exactly what I’d been hoping for. I hurried to my free walking tour and was more pleased by the minute by how this side of Germany was exactly what I’d been hoping for and more. The main attraction, Nuremberg’s Christkindl Market, was nothing short of magical: I wandered through long rows of illuminated huts with wooden ornaments dangling precariously from roofs, trays of freshly cooked lebkuchen (gingerbread) displayed in front, and steaming cups of glühwein (mulled wine) being served up at every other turn. I went to bed refreshed with a childlike joy, once again reminded of how traveling someplace new fills me with life and wonder. 

My second and final full day in Germany was less whimsical. As a fan of history, I took the day to explore Nuremberg’s dark past, starting at the German National Museum and taking the tram across town to the Nazi Rally Grounds and Documentation Museum. I knew that Nuremberg was the home of the famous Nuremberg Trials, but I was unaware that it also hosted the Nazi Party Rallies, held annually from 1933 to 1938. While many of the prominent sites have been destroyed, it was still eerie to walk the same streets that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis did only ninety years ago, and it made the events of the Holocaust feel more real. 

The final stop on my December itinerary was Iceland! I would be visiting my old host family from Summer 2023 and taking part in their Christmas traditions. I learned about the country’s dark folklore (there’s an evil Christmas cat that will eat children if they don’t get new clothes for Christmas), swam in an outdoor pool while it was snowing, ate traditional Icelandic Christmas foods, and spent quality time with my host family. It was lovely to see everyone again and to see how much the three girls had grown in just a year and a half. 

The girls and I with the evil Christmas cat.

My host mom, Laufey, knitted me my very own Lopapeysa for Christmas – and gave me a haircut! Merry Christmas to me!

For now I’m taking a few days in Bournemouth to rest before heading off on my next adventure. 

Until next time,

Elisabeth x

Iceland in the snow

Me and Laufey before a Christmas concert at the Harpa theater