TRINITY NEWS
Michaelmas term, Week 4
P17
WorldTravel
City Breaks EDINBURGH Culture and backpacking in the Athens of the North A gargoyle looks out over the city of Paris. This city is a prime destination for Irish student travellers due to the abundance of cheap flights and also as a result of the popularity of the Erasmus program. Photo: Paris Tourism Bureau
Summer in Paris JOHN GALLAGHER STAFF WRITER
DESTINATION: PARIS
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The first rule of living abroad, as I discovered last summer, is that reading a guidebook on the plane doesn’t count as preparation. Maybe this little article will help you avoid the easiest mistakes to make. Being an arts student, I thought a few months living and working in Paris might prepare me for the poverty, shame, and despair that await me after graduation. What to say to people hoping to head off and make their fortune in Foreign? First things first: make sure you get there. If you book your flights early, not only will you get them cheaper, you’ll also have committed yourself. Myself and a friend shook hands over pints in December, abducted another chap in February, and found ourselves in Montmartre by June. It’s important to have somewhere to base yourself while you settle in – somewhere you can come back to at the end of the day, preferably with internet access and a telephone. This will make the hassle of house- and job-hunting a lot easier. You could always try and find a place on the internet, but you’re likely (in Paris, at least) to pay through the nose in agency fees. Plus, bear in mind that landlords are likely to be very demanding – try and get some references and bring enough money to pay a deposit on top of the first month’s rent. So if you’re not going to rely on the interweb, how to find yourself a place?
Learn the language, have whatever the locals are having, eat what you’re given and take any chance you get to explore the city and beyond
USA Connection, a magazine for English speakers in Paris. Thanks to this, we ended up avoiding throwing ourselves on the mercy of the Shakespeare & Co. bookshop that gives free accommodation to artists provided they work in the shop for a bit every day. As regards areas to live in, use your head. Avoid edges of the city area and anywhere you can hear gunshots, and make sure it’s accessible and has somewhere you can buy things to eat and drink. While we were being told by everyone we met that there was no room at “Le Inn”, we were also scouring the streets for jobs. Most people going abroad to work for a short enough time will end up in bars, restaurants, and hotels, where there is a high enough staff turnover. Make it your business to scatter your CV anywhere people will take it. It is worthwhile to have a look at job prospects before you leave; I was already strapped into my airline seat when I saw the words “eight percent unemployment” in the aforementioned guidebook. Probably for the best, really. Speaking of CVs, make sure yours looks good. Make it up before you leave, and don’t assume that you can just translate the one you’ve used in Ireland. Look up templates so as to be aware of odd little necessities – in France, for example, your CV should have a photograph of you on it. A nice one, preferably. And even if this seems obvious, put the CV in the language of the place you’re going to, and get someone who knows their stuff to proofread it. Plenty of folk will be job-hunting like you and you don’t want prospective employers to remember you as the one whose hobbies include childbirth and goat seduction. On
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Most big cities will have a magazine or paper that’s known for accommodation listings; it’s also worth having a look at any ex-pat magazines, where you might be lucky enough to find a flat owned by someone who will turn a blind eye to your penury. At the very least, you’ll probably find apartment details easier to understand – our first week was spent trying to decipher the listings in French magazines. It was lucky that, when we were called to the Louvre to investigate a gruesome and mysterious murder, we met a beautiful French cryptographer who directed us to French
that note, make sure your experience is relevant. Try to avoid lying (though my CV was basically an inspired work of fiction), but if you do, be confident about it. Pulling pints really isn’t that hard! And do try to have a few words of the language before you go over, it’s an advantage that others don’t have and it will really improve the quality of your stay. Once you’ve got yourself settled and employed, where else is your money going to go? Transport is important, and it’s usually worth investing in a monthly rail and bus ticket (Carte Orange in Paris) so that you can hop on and off wherever you like. You might need a bank account if your workplace wants to pay you by transfer or by cheque. In France opening a bank account is a complex process which requires you to be recommended to a bank by a customer of theirs. Our landlady was good enough to help us out and plenty of employers will help out, or just pay you in cash. Don’t expect to come home minted – seasonal workers are ten a penny and paid about that much. Even so, with tips and a wage (paid monthly, in a lot of cases) you can get along fine – food tends to be cheap anywhere that’s not Dublin, and looking at things is free, so do that lots. Remember it’s good to do the touristy thing now and then to get an idea of why all these people in sweaty groups have come too. But whatever you do, wherever you go, try not to forget why you’ve come in the first place. Learn the language, have whatever the locals are having, eat what you’re given and take any chance you get to explore the city and beyond to get an idea of what makes a country tick.
On the border between cultures AH-YOUNG KOO STAFF WRITER
DESTINATION: PANMUNJOM “Your trip to Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.” These were terms of the agreement every tourist is told to sign to gain entry into Panmunjom, the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea. I signed without any hesitation. It was a once in a lifetime experience and one that was only granted to non-nationals. I had received consent from the Ministry for Reunification to visit the site. The tour bus left Seoul at 8am and we were told to wear comfortable runners, to run in case of unexpected enemy attack, and clothes that did not stand out. The Ministry also said to bring a digital camera and an identification card. As we drove further and further north, kilometres of barbed wire and watchtowers with heavily-armed soldiers were visible. At checkpoints soldiers searched for unauthorised tourists, and we passed several spiked obstacles on the road, which were there to prevent North Korean tanks and cars from getting any further south. Later, another soldier, who later turned
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out to be our tour guide and the group protector, checked our passports and our attire. He spoke in accurate and distinct military jargon and threatened to take us back to Seoul if any of us should decide to disobey his orders. One woman in our group started off badly- she had decided to wear high-heels to Panmunjom. After a 30 minute delay the tour guide decided to lend her his runners. We entered Ballinger Hall, a small operation-planning room with a screen and several rows of seats. We were shown a slide show by our tour guide, who gave us a succinct summary of the history of the Korean War and the conflicts that took place around Panmunjom. We signed the agreement mentioned above and were told not to chew gum, make any faces at, talk to or point at the North Korean soldiers. We were shown the army bases, the training fields and a one-hole golf course, dubbed the ‘most dangerous hole in golf’ by Golf Alliance Magazine With modern buildings and watchtowers on either side, the eeriness of the Panmunjom was accentuated by the emptiness. As we got out of the bus, we were told to stand in two lines and follow the guide. On the way to one of the watchtowers, South Korean MPs, placed in their positions, watched our every move, in case we did anything stupid. We were given two minutes to take photos on the watchtower. From there everything was visible. The North Korean town of Kijongdong with windowless, bare buildings built for propaganda purposes and the tallest flagpole in the world, standing at 160m and flying the
North Korean flag. On the other side the South Korean town of Taesongdong with its 100m flagpole. And always, the North Korean soldiers, watching us through their binoculars, taking photographs of us. Then we were lead into the blue UN huts that stood on the actual borderline. As we made our way there the South Korean soldiers who were facing the North slowly turned around to face us, ready to stop anybody from running towards the North. As strange as it sounds, it has happened before. Two 6”2 South Korean soldiers with fists clenched stood at the only exit in the hut. Again, we were allowed 2 minutes to take photos. As we started taking photos, North Korean soldiers marched powerfully towards us, their arms and legs raised to a ridiculous height with every move. They stopped beside a small concrete block which marked the border. It was my first time seeing a North Korean. The frowns and expressions on their thin faces showed a lot. I felt you could feel their energy, their determination to end capitalism and most of all, their hatred of the South. It was a look I will never forget. Our brief trip to Panmunjom finished with a bus tour of the Bridge of No Return, the location of the Axe Murder Incident, in which Major Arthur G. Bonifas, after whom the camp is named, was axed to death by North Korean soldiers. As we stood there North Korea felt so close yet so far.
So the summer is over but that doesn’t mean that travel plans must be abandoned until next June. Winter is the season for city breaks, so take a long weekend (or a couple of days off college) and head for a European city. Thanks to our friends at Ryanair and the rapid growth in the number of excellent hostels all over the continent, city breaks can be a great deal for your average penniless student. Last December I headed north to the proud old city of Edinburgh. While summer in the city can be pleasantly warm December in the Scottish capital is a frosty affair with day time temperatures of about 4 degrees Celsius and night time temperatures plunging well below freezing point. But once you wrap up well, you’ll find that these wintry conditions seem to suit Edinburgh. Getting to Edinburgh is completely hassle free. You can fly with Ryanair in October and November for as little as E50 return, including taxes and by far the best value is to be found midweek. Bus number 100 takes you straight from the airport to the city centre in about half an hour. Recent years have seen Edinburgh become a favourite destination for backpackers so good hostels can be found all over the city centre. They can be a little pricey however, with dorm beds from about E16 and private double rooms costing between E30 and E40 per person. That said, you do get what you pay for and the quality is high. An excellent choice is the Budget Backpackers hostel. Located in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh’s Old Town, it’s an ideal base from which to explore the city. Check out www.hostelworld.com for more details on this and other hostels. You will have no problem passing a pleasant couple of days in Edinburgh. Even if you’re not the outdoorsy type you should plan a trip to the top of Arthur’s Seat, the hill wedged right into the middle of Edinburgh’s city centre. The views from the top are amazing and make it well worth the hour’s climb. Up there you’ll forget you’re smack in the middle of a capital city and get a little taste of the Scottish Highlands. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland’s number one tourist attraction. A huge sprawling fortress, it is certainly worth a visit. Be warned though, this is a castle in the gritty canons-and-battles sense, as opposed to the girly fairytale type. But any fan of fairytale royalty will probably enjoy a look at the dazzling Scottish Crown Jewels which are also held in the castle. The best of quirky Edinburgh is definitely the tour of Mary King’s Close. The word close refers to narrow laneways which run between buildings in the city’s Old Town. Mary King’s Close was a busy street until the Royal Exchange building was built over part of it in the mid 18th century. The street and many of the houses around it remain intact, so today you can go on an underground tour of the close, led by guides in full period costume. There you’ll hear tales of the street inhabitants as well as its various ghostly residents. Edinburgh proudly claims to be one of the world’s most haunted cities and even has a festival to celebrate the fact. Full, bizarre, details can be found on www.edinburghghostfest.co.uk. If your budget only barely covers your passage to Edinburgh then a great value way to pass some time is in the city’s art galleries. Four of the city’s five national galleries have free admission and there is even a free shuttle bus running between them. Great sights aside, the best thing about Edinburgh is probably just curling up in a cozy bar and watching the world go by. If you visit in winter you will feel absolutely justified in ordering hot alcoholic beverages at any hour of the day, so enjoy the excellent hot whisky, mulled port and wine. And by the end of your stay you should really have worked up the courage to try haggis. If you like black pudding you’ll probably love it. A juicy haggis burger is a great way to sample this surprisingly delicious treat. Andrea Mulligan
GETTING THERE • You can fly to Edinburgh with Ryanair in October and November for as little as E50 return • December in the Scottish capital is a frosty affair •Plan a trip to the top of Arthur’s Seat, the hill wedged right into the middle of Edinburgh’s city centre • The city was one of the major centres of the Enlightenment and it earned the nickname ‘Athens of the North’ so be sure to get to some of the city’s many museums. • Edinburgh is the second most popular tourist destination in the UK so don’t worry about “looking like a tourist”