footprint

LSESU ITCHY FEET 2013/14

Thank you for picking this copy of Footprint up – I hope you enjoy read-ing it as much as we enjoyed making it. This has been an incredible year for Itchy Feet as we have held more trips and events than ever before and or-ganised one of the biggest daytime events on campus. We’ve also involved more people than in previous years, and one of the best things of all is the tendency for people who come on one trip to come on many. Thank you for your enthusiasm, friendliness and willingness to come and explore with us – you’ve all made this year wonderful.

We started the year with a bang – a massive pub crawl in Camden with

over 50 people present after the most successful Freshers’ Fair in the soci-ety’s history. This was followed up by a trip to Madrid in Week 4 of Michael-mas, attended by 24 people. We went non-stop from Friday night to Mon-day morning, learning Flamenco from a teacher who spoke a grand total of no English and sampling everything the Madrid nightlife scene had to offer. We also learnt the importance of pronouncing jerez correctly.

More pub crawls were of course forthcoming, along with several other London events and world cinema screenings. This built up to a Transylva-nian adventure in December, with a tour of Dracula’s very own castle in Brasov and a thorough exploration of Bucharest. Everyone got nice and friendly huddling for warmth and take the Romanian train timetables with a healthy pinch of salt!

We rounded off the term with our highly successful pub quiz, with free food for all and fundraising for the good work of LSESU Global Brigades. By this point in time we had several scheming plans in the works, including our big Easter trip to India and Global Village. The latter became a cor-nerstone of International Week, and eventually involved us collaborating with our friends in AIESEC, the European Society and also the Sabbs. We involved over 20 societies in a cultural extravaganza at LSE, negotiating funding for them all to provide food for free and running a passport system to give out prizes.

We also had trips to Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin, Oslo and more. The list goes on. India ended the year on a high, just as we started, with a ten night trip around Northern India taking in many sights and representing the biggest trip in the history of the society. There have been a number of firsts this year, and I can safely say that without the involvement of our fun, energetic members that would not be the case.

Itchy Feet is all about taking time out from LSE, and seeing that there is so much more to the world than Houghton Street. It has safely been the best thing I have been part of this year and has certainly helped me to see the world from this perspective. I hope the same is true for some of you. I am sure that this spirit will continue next year.

Best wishes,Connor Russell

Outgoing President

HELLO EVERYONE,

Cover photo by Benjamin AwWinner of Footprint’s photo competition

COMMITTEE 2013-2014

CONNOR RUSSELL

President

EMMA SAGE

Vice President

EUNICE TSE

Footprint Coordinator

MARK FARRAGHER

Treasurer

LEO WEST

Secretary

EDWARD TAN

Foreign Trips OfficerNEHA SINGH

Foreign Trips Officer

SEB CHAN

UK Trips OfficerJAMES PAVEY

London Trips Officer

MICHELLE TSANG

Campus CoordinatorHELEN WRATHALL

Social Media & Marketing

Photos by Consuela Parvescu

travels in the UK

As the summer time savings draw to an end and with days become short-er, it is this time of the year again, yes cue street decorations on Oxford Street, the hype about the ski trip and of course Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. As with Itchy Feet tradition, we again paid pilgrimage to this winter spectacle on a chilly weekday. What makes Winter Wonderland so special is not only it is an annual event but also the people who are there soaking in the Christmas atmosphere some five weeks in advance. Of course, Winter Wonderland is not just about Christmas, it also about having a nice day or in our case an evening off from strenuous our work or boring lectures. More-over, there is also something for everyone, no matter young or elderly, to enjoy. The gang who went on the day will no doubt have enjoyed the thrills of the rides along with the arcade games that would make one wishing they could turn the clock back to their teenage days. However, one thing which we grown-ups can do now is enjoy a cup of heartening mull wine which no doubt brings warmth to everyone. Although our stay at Winter Wonderland is a short one this year, it was a nice break away from the fast pace live of London and gave us time to reflect on yet another year.

WINTERWONDERLAND

By Seb ChanThis term Itchy Feet has visited the site of the 2012 London Olympic Games which has now been named as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The trip involved an inspec-tion of the local area in order to understand the scale of redevelop-ment that had been undertaken for the Olympic Games. This was then followed by an informative walking tour of the park itself where greater knowledge of the future of the park and its venues was conveyed to the trip participators as well as how the park continues to function.

THEOLYMPIC

PARKBy James Pavey

This year Itchy Feet took a more local approach to travelling by visiting various areas of London through the medium of beer. We had consistently good turn out and visited a wide variety of pubs, with many friends made along the way.

We commenced our epic pub crawling in Camden which was hugely pop-ular. Camden is a very eclectic part of London and well worth a visit, both for the pubs and the market, which also has an excellent variety of street food; great for a Sunday stroll. We took in places such as the Enterprise, before moving on to Barfly, which had more of a Rock-y vibe, followed by World’s End- a must-see for it is positively cavernous with good music.

After Camden came Upper Street in Islington. We commenced at The Li-brary followed by the House of Wolf with free shots. We sunk a pint in the Tap Room, an independent pop-up with a shabby-chic vibe, but well worth a visit for its excellent draft offerings. Slim Jim’s further down towards An-gel was great fun also. Should you ever find yourself in there, remember to direct your gaze up to the ceiling. You’ll understand why.

Our foray into East London was again different altogether starting at Brewdog, a strategic springboard, followed by the Owl and the Pussycat. Then everyone enjoyed Bedroom Bar with its rather surprising 1920’s night and some superb cocktails. We travelled a little back to the future into the Cornershop before finishing up at the Queen of Hoxton where you can, if you wish, play ping-pong.

We concluded the Michaelmas term in Southwark at the German Kat-zenjammers beer hall with a stein each, followed it around a nice open fire sitting in Chersterfields at the Libertine, taking in the Firestation, , before a final stop at Cubana. If rum is your game, this is a beautiful bar with a good energy and lots of fun to be had.

We have merely dipped our toe into the thirst-quenching options avail-able in London and anticipate plenty more jovial evenings along the way!

PUB CRAWLSBy Leo West

Top: from the Southwark pub crawlBottom: from the Itchy Feet pub quiz

Both photos taken by Leo West

In February 2014, Itchy Feet collaborated with the European Society, AIESEC and the SU to hold the first ever Global Village cultural fair. Not only was it a big success, it also marked the first major event to be held in the basement of the newly opened Saw Swee Hock Student Centre. We were lucky enough to be supported by 17 other national societies to make the event as big as possible.

On the day, over 500 students came over to the venue to give a taste of cultures all over the world. From sumo wrestling presented by the Japa-nese Society, to authentic cuisine tasting and lively dance performances. All the participated societies embraced the opportunity to present their back-grounds and expereinces to the participants. Itchy Feet also came up with the idea of a ‘passport scheme’ so all participants could collect as many stamps from the cultural societies as possible and win a mini prize at the very end.

Being a travelling society at the heart of LSE, an institution with a highly international student body with representatives from over 145 countries,

GLOBAL VILLAGEBy Michelle Tsang

we believe the Global Village acts as a truly effective platform to epito-mise cultural exchange. Seeing how popular it was this year, we aspire to gather around more socities in the coming year to snowball the success we achieved this year!

some of our stalls...Photos by Helen Wrathall

WINDSORBy Emma Sage

Photos by Emma Sage

For anyone interested in the Royal family or who wants to find one of the most quintessentially British towns in the UK then a trip to Windsor is a must for you. This year Itchy Feet took a trip to this beautiful little place and in one day managed to squeeze in Windsor castle, a boat trip and a self guided walking tour of Windsor and Eton! Windsor Castle is hard to sum up in only a few words but in every room you will discover more and more magical treasures collected by the royal family for centuries. My personal highlight was Queen Mary’s doll’s house, built by British architect Sir Ed-win Lutyens between 1921 and 1924 designed as a replica of a traditional aristocratic house. It may sound to some a bit dull, but trust me a fully functioning miniature house is really quite something to behold. Any visit to Windsor would not be complete without a stroll through the historic town centre, over the river to discover one of the most famous schools in the UK- Eton. Known for having produced 19 British prime ministers, it is certainly a sight to behold. It is hard not to become overwhelmed by the sense of tradition and history that can be felt from every stone of this place. For any travelling to Windsor on a sunny afternoon the boat tour along the river Thames is the perfect way to round off the day as you amble down the river learning a brief history of Windsor, before landing back to shore just in time for a train back to London. Over all, a day trip to Windsor provided all of that went with a wonderful day out and experience of British history that is hard to rival.

More Windsor photos by Emma Sage Stonehenge by Clarissa Ching

London by Maliha Ali

Whilst floods were engulfing parts of the country in February, a plucky Itchy Feet group managed to spend a weekend in Manchester. This proud industrial city certainly isn’t lacking in bustling shops, restaurants, bars and clubs.

We first explored the shops and eateries near the Arndale Centre before venturing out to the Salford Quays, where the new Media City and attrac-tions have been sited. West of the river, one can get a glimpse of Old Trafford and Sir Alex Ferguson Way (Moyes will surely be so honoured one day).

The Imperial War Museum North, in a rather striking building, has in-triguing exhibits (or ‘silos’) chronicling a history of warfare in the past cen-tury. Across the bridge, Media City was surprisingly deserted but for TV promoters begging us to be in a Jeremy Kyle Show audience!

Into the chill of the night, we dined in the grand Printworks complex and began a lengthy sample of Manchester nightlife. Proceeding from the city centre down to the Oxford Road (near the university), we enjoyed the atmosphere of distinctive pubs and venues. Obviously there is a great range of nightlife on Saturday nights: from chilled vibes in lounge bars, to brilliant Northern soul sets and to fiery cocktails!

Of course Sunday had a more relaxed itinerary. After visiting the John Rylands Library, we journeyed to Castlefield’s Museum of Science & Indus-try, documenting Manchester’s industrial heritage to the present day: latrines and canals as much as cotton mills and aircraft! Before heading back to London, we had a last look at main attractions such as Manchester Cathe-dral.

One weekend is not enough to sample Manchester’s culture and nightlife but it gives a (reflective) vignette of its brilliance. I certainly plan to return for other cultural activities, more live music and exploring the Northern Quarter further!

MANCHESTERBy Mark Farragher

Photos by Mark Farragher

With the vote on Scottish independence looming, a few Itchy Feeters took what may be their last chance of a domestic trip to Scotland by trav-elling to Edinburgh on the 23rd of November 2013. As well as taking in some of the more common tourist attractions, such as the magnificent cas-tle and the ever impressive Scottish Parliament, the Itchy Feeters also took the opportunity to explore the ominous vaults which lie beneath the city. The ghost tour was the highlight of the trip for many as the travellers were guided around some of the more chilling areas of Edinburgh and were treated to a thrilling and exciting evening. All nerves were settled by a few drinks in some of Edinburgh’s many bars and pubs before retiring to the Caledonian Backpackers hostel.

For those adventurous enough to try it, the Stac Polly served a delicious haggis on the Saturday night. As well as experiencing this traditional Scot-tish dish, those who ventured to Edinburgh zoo were able to see something from slightly further afar. One of the main attractions of the zoo is the Panda exhibit and although only one of the rather docile creatures showed its face it was still a sight to behold.

The Itchy Feet trip to Edinburgh coincided with the arrival of the Christ-mas markets which were set up along East Princes Street Gardens and St

EDINBURGHBy Daniel Cropper

Andrew Square. Serving mulled wine and oth-er such festive treats, the markets draw people in from all over the country and so this, along with in-flux of fans attending the Scotland v Australia rugby match, ensured a lively and busy weekend in one of Scotland’s finest cities. Not even the prospects of a de-layed train journey home could dampen the spirits of the Itchy Feeters.

Top: by Benjamin AwBottom: by Mary Penfield

Edinburgh photos by Rose Schutzberg

Edinburgh photos by Catherine Easton

Tromsø at 1pm by David Loo (winner of the January photo competition)

...& the world beyond

This Easter, Itchy Feet took fourteen members across the world to northern India. After a most satisfactory journey with Swiss, three days were spent in the vibrant and bustling city of Delhi. We saw many a sight, including India Gate, various different places of worship, the Red Fort, Gandhi’s home and the tomb of Humayan.

We sampled many culinary delights from street food to gastronomic feasts, all of which was delicious. Delhi is such a busy city, with over 30 million inhabitants, the atmosphere is awe-inducing, having such an effect on all the senses, it really is very difficult to communicate.

We then journeyed to Agra to see the spectacular Taj Mahal which was so much more than you can hope for. A tomb build for the third wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, it is elegant, inspiring and simply beautiful. We also visited Akbar’s tomb and the ancient city of Fatepurh Sikri whilst stay at the N. Homestay with the most hospitable family, with whom we shared a fantastic meal of dahl, paneer curry and green beans.

INDIABy Leo West

A further luxurious train journey, meal included, for a mere £4 we arrived in Jaipur, the Pink City. A city the size of London, here there were many more cows, camels and goats on the roads, along with a myriad tuk-tuk, cycle rickshaw and trucks. Driving around any of the cities we visited is an experience I will never forget as there is so much going on everywhere you look, and we even had a auto-rickshaw driver who stopped for tobacco mid-way through the journey and then had a puncture, which he fixed in less than ten minutes! In Jaipur we were able to visit the Old Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal and the Amber Fort and Naharagh Fort, which is beautiful at sunset, and from which we spotted a leopard crossing the road! We also took in the Galta Monkey Palace just outside the city, and many of us experienced riding majestic elephants; an endeavour for many just to climb aboard!

Returning to Delhi for one last day of sight-seeing and souvenir-buying, we had the last supper together; it was such a great bunch of people who came along and I must thank everyone for making the trip so special and memorable. It was a truly magical trip that I will never forget.

India photos by Emma Sage

Madrid. The word itself incites excitement and fascination. This incredi-ble city is known for its gorgeous architecture, scrumptious food, and won-derful galleries. LSE students visited Spain’s capital city for an unforgettable weekend in November.

Right from the start, I was ecstatic about being in a foreign surrounding. This trip was a wonderful opportunity for me to not only learn about a new city and form new friendships but also practice my language skills as Spanish was one of my four courses. Madrid is a vibrant city with lots to do. The first night, the group devoured a traditional Spanish dinner with lots of tapas, paella, and sangria (needless to say, everyone slept well that night).

We started off Saturday with a walking tour around the city, passing many sites. We frequented a market where vendors were selling homemade food.

MADRIDBy Neha Singh

Photo by Rose Schutzberg

After finishing the tour, we went to the Museo Nacional Del Prado which is the main Spanish national art museum. Its collections of European art were simply interesting and thought provoking. I personally thought the best part of the museum were the Spanish paintings as they really gave a taste of what Spanish life is centered around. We finished the day meeting up with an LSE alum and chowing down on delicious Spanish food.

Sunday was also a pleasurable day. We commenced the day with a visit to a market. It was quite crowded but enjoyable as there were many items such as clothing and antiques being sold. Afterwards, we did a cable car ride and had fantastic panoramic views of the city. We ended the day with a Flamen-co lesson which is a traditional Spanish dance, a mixture of art forms such as guitar playing, dancing, and singing.

Besides the sites, learning about the culture and values of Spain was a plus- in the afternoons, from about 1 pm until 4 pm, the streets were com-pletely deserted. No one was outside because almost everyone was inside taking a siesta or afternoon nap. Additionally, many of the meals we had lasted for quite some time, about two hours or so. The Spanish really do love to enjoy their life and love to be carefree and happy. Overall, it was indeed a delightful trip as we not only visited sites but also learned about the culture.

Photo by Isi Avbulimen

Top: by Rose Schutzberg(winner of the November photo competition)

Next page: by Leo West

At least there weren’t any vampires. That’s what I told myself as I shiv-ered on a deserted train platform in the middle of Transylvania.

I should back up. The Itchy Feet crew arrived in Bucharest at dusk on Friday and explored the city, navigating by the different styles of Christ-mas lights on the main boulevards. Early the next morning, we took the train to Brasov, and watched the frozen fields slowly become hills and then suddenly jagged peaks as we passed into the Carpathians. Bran castle was full of secret stairways and fairy-tale turrets, and we explored the beautiful Brasov centre, drinking mulled wine in the falling snow. Back at the station, we discovered the train was delayed and no one knew when it would arrive. The cloudy sky must have been reflecting streetlights, but it appeared red-dish and evil – if this were a horror movie, that would have been when the vampires came out.

But we made it back safe to Bucharest. Sunday morning, bundled up and fortified with pastries, we went on a walking tour of the Old Town. We started at Parliament, in the former Palace of the People, and learned about the devastation wrought on the city by Ceausescu’s desire to replicate North Korean urban planning. Still, Bucharest also shows an earlier generation’s admiration of Parisian style. The tour ended at the home of the national orchestra, built with the contributions of ordinary citizens, and our guide asked that this building be remembered as the true Palace of the People. For a city still reimagining itself, reclaiming that thirst for culture is a lovely idea. It was a fascinating trip, and I’m determined to go back to Romania (maybe in the summer) and explore more.

ROMANIABy Anna Kellar

Top photos by Anna Kellar

Bottom photo by Mark Farragher

As warm weather finally descended upon London during the last weeks of Lent term, a group of Itchy Feet travellers went to Oslo for a final chance to use gloves and scarves. Arriving late at night, we commenced our experience of Norwegian culture by going to McDonalds, where we found out that all the prices were double their equivalents in London, a discovery that we went on to reaffirm whenever we decided to spend any money. The next morning, after a failed attempt to partake in a tour of the Parliament, due to some sort of technical failure, we visited Frogner Park: home of the famous Vigeland sculptures, depicting intriguing scenes such as an an-gry baby. Afterwards we chanced upon a St Patrick’s Day parade, complete with Irish wolfhounds, before stopping for lunch. Bellies full of shrimp and smoked salmon, we then visited Akershus Fortress, which had originally been built as a medieval castle, but has since been used as a military fortress and as a prison. We made our way to the roof of the Oslo Opera House to watch the setting sun, before succumbing to the cold and heading indoors, where a few of us were fortunate enough to sneak into the performance hall to take in the atmosphere (leaving before the show started, of course). The next day, we visited the famous Viking Ship Museum, where the gargantuan size of the ships put our minuscule bodies into perspective. We rounded off our tour with lunch in a local café, where gigantic, delicious sandwiches were had (for a monstrous price). Overall, it was a remarkably serene trip: an escape from the hustle and bustle of London, to the calm and composure of Oslo.

OSLOBy Eunice Tse

Photos by Michelle Tsang

PARISBy David Loo

In the midst of Lent Term a group of enthusiastic travellers ventured across the Irish Sea to Dublin. We set off in traditional Irish style by flying with Ryanair, and continued our “all-things-Irish” theme throughout the weekend.

After arriving at our hostel we headed out to see what Dublin could offer in terms of Irish cuisine. A particular highlight was the selection of Irish pies on offer, washed down by a fair amount of Guinness – of course. Once everyone had had their fill of dinner, we wandered down to the historic Temple Bar area to experience our first taste of Irish nightlife. Although many of the pubs were very touristy, the music on offer was excellent and The Pogues were regularly covered by many of the bands playing. As the evening wore on, it became clear that the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations had started early in Dublin!

Naturally Saturday morning was a slow start for many, and our first stop on the itinerary was a tour of Dublin’s historic city centre. In typical Itchy Feet style, we chose to forgo the standard city bus tour, and instead join a walking tour which focused on the 1916 Easter Rebellion. For many of us it was a great opportunity to see a different side of Dublin whilst learning about its rich history. The tour was very informative, and a seeing the bullet holes in the side of the city’s main Post Office was a particular highlight; as was viewing Dublin’s Millennium Needle (affectionately known by Dub-liners as “the erection at the intersection”). After a long and busy morning of sightseeing, we re-fuelled with some Irish stew and headed down to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery to learn about how one of Ireland’s many fa-mous exports was made. Once we’d had our fill of whiskey-based drinks, we headed out for another night of exploring Dublin’s various pubs, fitting in a visit to Dublin’s smallest pub (The Dawson Lounge) which can fit about 60 people at the most.

The next morning we continued the historical theme of the trip by vis-iting Dublin’s Writers’ Museum. Seeing the texts of James Joyce and Oscar

DUBLINBy Helen Wrathall

Wilde (among many) was a great experience, and everyone was surprised at the amount of notable literary figures that Ireland could lay claim to. After a quick lunch we headed out of the city centre to a private Ceilidh dance class. For most this was the highlight of the trip, and everyone thorough-ly enjoyed doing their best Michael Flatley impression from Riverdance. We were truly shown up by a performance from the Irish National Ceilidh dancers who were at least 10 years younger than many of us. It was good to see how Ceilidh dancing was actually meant to be performed (rather than our pathetic attempt)!

After a final dinner we headed off to the airport and our flight home. Dublin was another great Itchy Feet trip, and I’m sure that many of us will return to explore more of Ireland.

Barcelona by Allie Bunch

Egypt by Yuhui Chan

Morocco by V Li

Footprint 2013/14Editor: Eunice Tse

Front cover photo by Benjamin Aw(Edinburgh; winner of Footprint’s photo competition)

Back cover photo by Consuela Parvescu

Thank you everyone for all the photo and article submissions