Day 21 and 22: Onwards!

These past couple days marked a huge transition in our program. Our time in Toronto was complete, and we were ready to embark on our next journey in Sheffield, England, to catch the film festival taking place. Being my first time traveling to Europe, I was very excited to see the different lifestyle that existed on the other side of the pond.

A last-minute view of my suitcase before I zipped it up and brought it downstairs for the front desk to hold until our departure.

Everyone in the Ryerson common area packed and ready to go!

After a morning to relax and finish up some last-minute packing, we were ready to hit the road! The bus picked us up from Ryerson at 2:30, and headed straight to Toronto-Pearson International Airport. Though we were sad to say goodbye to a wonderful city in Toronto, we were excited for some new scenery and experiences that Sheffield would provide. We arrived at Pearson about 3, and were through security not much longer later. With some time to kill, people explored the terminal, played cards, grabbed food, and mentally prepared for the six and a half hour flight to Heathrow Airport that awaited us.

I found the flight quite bizarre. It was the first time I’d ever seen a plane with three columns of three seats. It was huge and had some open seats, which was advantageous because the seat next to me was empty. It was also interesting, due to the shift in time zones, to see the sunrise only a few hours after we watched it set from the plane windows. Though some people slept for a couple hours, I, along with some others, did not.

Though we had safely arrived in London, our travels were not anywhere near over; we still had to get on a connecting flight to Manchester, preceded by a four hour layover. Once landing, we would then get on an hour and a half bus ride to Sheffield. After landing in Manchester, though our trip was not done yet, everyone was relieved that the last portion of our trip would not involve air travel.

The bus ride to Sheffield provided some beautiful views of England’s mountains and rural landscape. Unfortunately, despite my attempts to keep my eyes open, I conked shortly after getting on the bus and missed most of the views.

Despite my slumber on the bus, I was able to get a picture of some of the hilly and green scenery that the trip consisted of.

The nap continued once we checked into our hotel rooms at Sheffield. Once waking up, the night consisted of grabbing dinner, walking around the city alittle, and then going back to sleep at a reasonable hour to adjust to the time change.

Sheffield City Hall, only a few minutes walk from the hotel

Overall, the travel from Toronto to Sheffield was long and draining, but we are all happy to be here. I’m very excited to see what the city of Sheffield and its film festival have to offer!