I’ll never forget the view of the port of Vigo outside the train’s window. It was simply beautiful with the sea, the morning light. I had just woken up in that instant to this palette of amazing colours. But my story began before that moment, more or less one month before… [This article is sponsored by Interrail]

When AEGEE gave me this amazing opportunity to travel with an Interrail ticket, I was so excited for this great experience. After ten months working hard on the Summer University Project I had the possibility to see its the local management with my own eyes.

My Summer University Coordination Team (SUCT) trip was taking shape slowly, mostly thanks to Interrail.

At the start of my trip, the procedure was not so clear in my head, even after the arrival of the Interrail ticket. Do I need reservations, which trains should I take, by which train companies, will it all be possible, or impossible?!

I felt so stupid and, because I’m not so good at making decisions, I chose my trip very late. I made my reservations on time, but too late for them to be shipped. There was however the possibility to write down the address of some hostel and have them sent there, so I decided to put down the address of the hostel in Madrid, the city where my Interrail trip would begin.

With one fewer task and with one additional concern, I said “Goodbye Italy” and flew to Spain.

When I arrived in Madrid, it was great to understand that the procedure to buy a ticket was not difficult. I bought my ticket to Alicante in two minutes; I was so happy that day!

But after two days in Madrid, I was becoming anxious and nervous because my reservations had not arrived on time at the hostel, so the only solution was to call the mailing company for an explanation of what went wrong.

The final answer was: the tickets were somewhere near the airport of Madrid, and with the help of a Spanish friend we went to pick them up. The problem turned out to be a case of “Destinatario desconocido”, or ‘unknown recipient’. Today, I still wonder why this was such a problem, but, in the meantime my mission was accomplished, and I could finally start my Interrail trip!

Another fantastic discovery was that with Interrail tickets many doors open.

The partner company of Interrail in Spain is Renfe, and for certain trains you do not have to pay for tickets: I cannot deny that I felt privileged a couple of times.

After Madrid, my second ‘Spanish step’ was Alicante. I have been in Spain more than once before, but I really did not know how trains and train stations are organised: passport controls before reaching the train etc. Yep, I am Italian and, for me such great organisation was wonderful. In Italy, it is a mess and I usually am ready for the worst, like waiting an hour-and-a-half for a simple regional train. I slept three comfortable hours on the train and before I knew it I reached hot and sunny Alicante.

I spent three amazing days in Alicante with beautiful people and the organisers of a great event. I have really good memories of my stay there, plus a bracelet! Yep, a bracelet! Because, more or less at the beginning of this amazing SUCT trip, I decided to buy a bracelet in every place I would visit. This way I would have an unusual souvenir at the end of my adventure.

And agan I was at the train station in Alicante.  Another train, another group to meet. Destination: Valladolid.

I went there some years ago, but this time, I found a great city, full of amazing buildings and new people to know. But my most memorable event from this part of my trip was when I arrived at the train station in Valladolid and I needed to take the next train to Vigo. It was during the night. I was a bit scared, alone, and not in my native country. I spent some hours at an empty station, until the train arrived.

Near my seat there was a woman of about fifty years old and, in front of me, an old man. The woman started to talk to me about the train timetable, delays, a new connection, and, only at the end of the conversation, she understood that I was not Spanish. I was so proud of the Spanish I knew and that I managed to make a good impression on her! When I said that my destination was Porto, instead of Vigo, she told the old man that I would help him to find his train. The man started to talk in a strange language: a mix of Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish and French… I really didn’t understand him! The woman confessed to me that it was also hard for her to understand his strange language, which struck me as funny. In the beginning, I was so scared to travel during the night alone, and in the end I felt very comfortable there and I fell asleep.

I woke up in Vigo. The train to Porto would leave in ten minutes, and I needed a ticket. I told the man and his family to hurry up and I ran to the ticket office. In one minute, I had my ticket and, some instants later, I was on the train with the man, his strange language, and his family.

The sun was rising over the port of Vigo, and that image will be forever in my eyes.

I am currently in my room, remembering this amazing adventure, which, to me, was momentous. I grew up during this experience. Travelling is seriously the best way to improve yourself, to face your fears and concerns. “No one realises how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow” (Lin Yutang).

This is a three part article; for part one, click here, and, for part two, click here.

Written by Carolina Alfano, Summer University Coordination Team

Travelling is indeed the best way to get to know the world. Sounds like a simple truth which millions of people have said before myself. “It is not about the destination – it is about the journey” – they said. Read all about my adventure in this article, sponsored by Interrail.

I have always shared this statement, that it is all about the journey, though this year it came back to me every time I was amazed by the spectacular Balkan nature or shook the hand of a new friendly person I met in the aisle.

Travelling is indeed the best way to be convinced that the world is full of great open-minded and kind people, and that you are one of them. I could easily recognise them by the Interrail 2016 ribbon on their wrists. For instance, when I tried to understand what was wrong with the train timetable, standing completely alone at Niš train station, I spotted an English woman also heading to Greece with her Interrail adventure. Or when I suddenly helped some Danish girls to create their next route. Or when a group of Spanish students shared their internet with me, seeing me totally lost in Athens, while they were heading to Thessaloniki, the place where I had just come from.

Travelling is indeed the best way to get to know yourself. To become a real global citizen and to check the whole of Europe, refusing the opinion that Ukrainians often face obstacles with this. To understand your desires and life goals, to feel comfortable even somewhere not comfortable by definition. To get to know you limits. Or to get used to the fact that you do not have limits at all.

Travelling is indeed the best way to plunge into a different reality. Or to accept that travelling is the reality and prepares more and more pleasant surprises for you.

Travelling is basically the best way of life.

This time I am happy to make dozens of new outstanding friends, captured more unforgettable memories and thrilling adventures. Thank you to AEGEE and Interrail for making everything possible.

This is a three part article; for part one, click here, and, for part three, click here.

Written by Yevgeniya Gagarkina, Summer University Coordination Team

Do you remember that feeling, from when you were a kid, and you were looking forward to something so much? Well, that was me, waiting for my Interrail ticket to appear in my mailbox and to start my summer adventure. Article sponsored by Interrail.

My name is Lucia and I am member of a youth organisation called AEGEE, which is a proud partner of Interrail. One of our projects is the Summer University (SU), a youth exchange, full of cultural activities and non-formal education happening throughout different cities in Europe. As its project manager, I spent my summer travelling around and checking up on its quality and meeting new people.

My trip with Interrail started in Belgrade, where I arrived from Cyprus after checking up on my first Summer University there. Directly after meeting thirty new people and spending some time on sunny beaches I arrived to hot Belgrade and met another forty people. We saw Belgrade, played many ice-breaking games and went to enjoy the nightlife, but since my trip was tightly scheduled, I already had to take a train and move on to Novi Sad the day after.

Novi Sad is another nice city in Serbia, where I met forty new people, participated in new sessions and trainings and visited another city to put on my travel map. After moving back to Belgrade, I took a night train towards Ljubljana. To my surprise, a conductor placed two other young girls from Norway with me in my coupé and we spend these ten hours together. They told me stories from their travels and I advised them on what to see in Slovenia.

Unfortunately, sometime during the night, while I was heavily sleeping on the train, somebody stole my money from my wallet and almost caused me a heart attack when I could not find my backpack during the passport control at the Croatian border. Not a nice experience, but a learning one for me to always put my valuable things into my sleeping bag, mainly when crossing non-EU borders.  In Ljubljana, we visited the amazingly beautiful lake Bled, which I definitely recommend to everybody to see at least once.

My last Summer University to visit was happening in charming Udine, in Italy. On the way the I met with two Swiss girls – also Interrailers – visiting the same cities as me! I again gave them some tips on where to go, as they were on their way to visit also Bratislava, my home city. I had to change train in Villach, a small Austrian city and I was simply amazed by its beauty and relaxed atmosphere. Udine was really beautiful and charming and I met another forty young people, I definitely recommend visiting it!

After some rest at home, I used Interrail to also visit many beautiful cities in Germany, which is a huge country offering many travel possibilities and great train connections. I visited many cities in Saarland, on the border with France, and the French influence was really visible. Moreover, I also visited the centre of Germany, Kassel, and also Berlin of course.

For my last trip, I went to Prague, my most beloved city, where I met an incredible number of Interrailers, mainly on the free city tours and on the trains around. I talked to many of them and all of them praise the advantage of traveling with Interrail – being flexible and free.

To sum up, my summer simply was the Summer of My Life, thanks to Interrail and AEGEE!

This is a three part article; for part two, click here, and, for part three, click here.

Written by Lucia Gavulová, Summer University Coordination Team

Cutting Edge Graduate Studies: The Importance of Quality, by Dr. Amelia Hadfield – Director, Centre for European Studies (CEFEUS), Canterbury Christ Church University–

It’s question time again. As exam results slowly trickle in, my students pepper me with queries: ‘What should I look for in a graduate degree?’  ‘I’m interested in European issues, what should I study?’ ‘What thesis topic should I choose if I want to become a diplomat?’ Students are right to think carefully about these important questions.

Quality, Quality…. Teaching Quality!

For my part, as Head of Politics and International Relations Graduate Studies here at Canterbury Christ Church University, the choice is simple. Aim for teaching quality, every time. A degree is only as good as its lecturers. If lecturers aren’t keen on their topic, and are lacklustre in the classroom, it can make for a long year. But if they are knowledgeable and engaging, then you’ll have a great grad experience, introduced to a host of new ideas, and challenged to think in a sophisticated fashion.

Canterbury Christ Church University: New Kid on the Block! 

Here at Politics/IR, we’re offering our 3 brand-new postgraduate pathways on the solid, national and international reputation that we’ve gained for first-rate teaching excellence. Our teaching awards are based on the innovative quality of our modules, engaging classroom interaction, and the personalised supervision offered. Simply put: students enjoy being in our classes; they find seminars engaging, the assignments challenging and satisfying, and their employability significantly increased.

Three New Grad Choices: From Global to Local

Our three degrees all combine the classic with the contemporary. So whether you’re looking for wide-ranging international topics, a European focus, or politics options, plus competitive scholarships, studentship and inhouse internships, here’s what CCCU can do for you:

• MSc in European Politics (Diplomacy Specialism): The centrepiece of CCCU’s Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for European Studies (CEFEUS), and generously supported with two competitive annual scholarships and a studentship (£2000 each), our new MSc in European Politics prepares graduates for the fast-paced world of European politics, government, economics and society.
• MSc in International Relations (Security Studies Specialism): Students learn about the multifaceted character of the international political system, before turning to the Security Studies specialism. IR graduates are well placed to make use of their understanding of the international system, and their highly relevant expertise in Security Studies.
• MSc in Politics (Migration and Minorities Studies): Students gain an especially strong understanding of the various governmental structures at local, national, regional and international levels, and the forces that that have caused migratory flows in key regions around the world. Politics graduates emerge with a critical expertise of the international system, and the pressing issues of Migration and Minorities.

Why CCCU? Because of its quality teaching, competitively-priced graduate degrees, offered in three topical areas, by engaged experts! Canterbury itself is a real magnet: a beautiful UNESCO world heritage site conveniently perfectly situated on high speed train lines linking London, Paris, and Brussels.

Join the Team!

We’re taking applications throughout the summer for our inaugural degree programmes that start September 2016. Offered full and part-time, with a range of scholarships, and inhouse studentship and internships, our innovative and inter-disciplinary Masters programmes will help you tackle the ‘big issues’ in modern politics, equipping you for career paths in national and international areas through cutting-edge modules, practical case studies, and a ‘calling card’ thesis. We also have a vibrant PhD community of international scholars studying a wide range of topics supported by annual competitive scholarships. So get in touch with us! http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/polir/postgraduate or email: politics@canterbury.ac.uk.

Dr. Amelia Hadfield – Director, Centre for European Studies (CEFEUS), Canterbury Christ Church University