This trip was one which was planned through the school, right after our second to last 10 day trip.  I had really high hopes for this trip because I thought the school was going to have us go on a tour, provide housing, maybe do a few group activities; but I was upset to learn that upon arrival there was nothing planned for the entire weekend.  It would’ve been nice to learn this earlier than upon arrival, because then we could’ve planned to do anything other than walk around and eat at expensive restaurants.  It was a beautiful town, not to be mistaken, there was just nothing to do for a group of forty-four.  We walked into the castle and looked around.  We also went to the Museum of Torture, which was strange and somewhat scary but pretty uneventful.  That night we got some dinner and then went out as a group for one of the girl’s birthdays.  The next morning we woke up and didn’t really know what to do so we kind of just hung out in the lobby until 2:45, some people had other fun, and then we took the bus home! I also accidentally deleted all of my live photos because I am out of space on my phone and computer, so all my photos from this place were deleted.

For the last 10 day trip, a lot of my normal travel buds were with their families so I was not sure what I was going to do for the week.  I had made a plan with two girls who I had become good friends with during the trip, but one of those girls ended up going home early and our plan started to fall apart.  We had planned originally to go to Edinburgh, Scotland and Iceland, but when she left we had to make some modifications.  We planned on still going to Edinburgh but decided we would visit another town in the Czech Republic for the other part of the 10 day so that we could save money, experience more of the Czech Republic, and visit this really cool resort/spa town where Queen Latifah filmed a movie.  About two days before the trip to Edinburgh, one of the girls said she didn’t want to go anymore and then said she would so I was worried.  We booked an Airbnb and the night before we were supposed to leave it cancelled our trip, so we weren’t going to have somewhere to stay and my friend didn’t really want to go in the first place.  We ended up scrapping the trip and staying in Prague with a few other people that were in town for the weekend.  During that time, I really enjoyed some half alone time! I went to the mall and walked around some markets, worked out a lot, and started my packing. I also hung out with those friends and we played mini golf in a black light room, and I saw the new Harry Potter movie (accidentally went to the Czech one but they let us do English thank goodness!).  We also went to the cool Cat Cafe in Prague which is right down the street from our building and witnessed a cat literally open a door which was neat.  Then we bussed to the snow globe town of Karlovy Vary.  We felt like royalty arriving at our hotel! It was beautiful and they had a doorman and the service was impeccable.  The only thing that was strange was that the town seemed pretty empty (off-season we had assumed) and it was all old people.  We stayed for three nights and utilized all the hotel had to offer- from spa pools to fancy dinners! We also had a fun horse-back riding experience in the hills of the Czech Republic with a really cool guide who was from CR but also lived in Ireland.  Another cool part of our trip were the natural hot springs around the town.  You are supposed to drink from each of them and its supposed to be good luck/help your body.  We tried all of them and they tasted like burning hot blood water, but hopefully my body is on the rise! Unfortunately during this trip, I also clogged my ear.  So I couldn’t hear for a solid two days and ended up going to the doctor where they flushed out a raisin sized ball, honestly a great moment!  Now I have the last week in Prague and I am excited to see my family, but also sad that the program is wrapping up.  I’m not ready for reality to hit.

ROME: I can easily say that I was incredibly excited for this city because it was the location of one of my favorite childhood movies ever created, The Lizzie McGuire Movie.  We stayed in a hostel which was in a great location, but was slightly disgusting.  Our last night there these men went around banging on doors and saying they were the Italian Police and when we woke up they had thrown up all over the coed bathroom (sink, floor, toilette, shower, EVERYWHERE).  The first night our group went around the city and saw some beautiful landmarks (Trevi fountain, Colosseum, etc), had a good dinner and turned in for the night.  The next day we woke up early and went to the Vatican where we had a great breakfast- thanks for the tip, Dad :)- and then toured around the Vatican Museum.  We then took a Hop- on Hop- off bus around the city which included information about all the history.  This was probably my favorite part as it supported my laziness in the walking category.  The next day we woke up and took a train to the beautiful coast!

SORRENTO: What an interesting trip.  It started off on our train ride to the town when three male pick pocketers got on our train car.  A kind man tried to warn us to guard our bags and the pick pocketers punched the man and it turned into a big fight ending with the pick pockets being physically kicked off of our train (after they kicked ladies and punched men).  We then went to our Airbnb which was the nicest villa I have ever stayed in and was beautiful.  From there, we went to ride on the private boat we booked which started amazing until one guy in our group had wayyy too much fun and almost got arrested.  When we went back to our Airbnb, one girl jumped our gate and broke her foot which led to hospital trips.  At the same time, the drunk boy lost his wallet and showed a new side of himself which was not pleasant as he yelled at people quite aggressively.  The day came to an end with a few friends and I ignoring the drama and sitting in the hot tub.  The next morning we woke up and there had been a huge storm  during the night which knocked out our wifi.  This was rather unfortunate for me because I had an interview that day, so our Airbnb man drove me to a town over and dropped me at a rather loud coffee shop where I sat for 4 hours until my interview- I bought two things so I don’t think they loved me very much.  That night we got a very good dinner and the group felt good and had a night.  The next morning we were off again to our next destination!

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FLORENCE: We arrived in Florence via train yet again and had to wait a while before we were able to check into our Airbnb so we relaxed in a park for a few hours upon arrival.  That night I had the second round of my interview so again I had to miss out on a few activities.  Sadly, I think I bombed it so I won’t speak much on that subject.  The next day we woke up and explored the city casually while some shopped and I read my book outside the stores.  That night we went to a few cool bars and had a great night with a big group of people, but some people had a little too great of a night ;).  The next morning we had a good breakfast and went to a really nice wine tour.  They took us to two wineries where we got to try different Tuscan red wines and explore the winery a little.  It was absolutely beautiful and I was happy for this excursion.  That night we ate a good dinner, stayed in and watched a horror movie, then went to bed so we would be fresh for Venice.

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VENICE: So this was somewhat of a let down.  The day we arrived there was a strike in Italy so we couldn’t go to the island from our hostel which was in Mestre.  The next day we woke up early and went in and really did enjoy the city and thought it was beautiful, but it was cold and very touristy/crowded.  My favorite part of this trip was the gondola ride we did with a great tour guide.  The funny thing was that my seat almost slid off of the boat and I almost went overboard! I was continuously talking about how much I loved to swim and how I loved water so I was lowkey okay with the fact that I almost took a swim.  It was super cold so that would be tough for the swimming.  We also went in some cool shops because one of my roommates love to shop and so we looked around some expensive and classy stores.  We did the whole city in probably 6 hours and just relaxed a little in the area, but finally left because it was just overwhelming with the amount of people.

Last weekend we made our way to Munich, Germany for none other than the notorious Oktoberfest.  What a weekend. We took a bus on Friday after class and arrived in Germany in time to shop for our dirndls, a surprisingly difficult experience, and explore the town a little. Our dinner that night was very interesting because we were trying to go to an outdoor garden for dinner and ended up being driven to the middle of nowhere and they wanted to drop us off and it was pitch black outside and there were no street lights so we stayed in the car until we saw more of our friends because it was only two of us and both of our phones were dying.  We ended up getting a fun dinner at a very German restaurant.  We turned in early that night to prepare for our 5 am wake up call to get in line for the big event.  Saturday morning we all got dressed in our dirdls and lederhosens and made our way to the lines.  After waiting for three hours, they opened the gates and a stampede immediately followed.  My friends and I were holding hands so we would not get lost and one of my friends got absolutely decked by a police man while another got trampled in the stampede- survival of the fittest I suppose.  Once we made it in the tent, the fun times began.  We stayed for a while and also rode some of the rides that were outside the tents before making our way back to our hostel for a nice rest.  The next day we woke up and made our way to Dachau concentration camp memorial. I felt very grateful for the opportunity to see it first hand and be able to read stories from the camp.  We then headed back on our bus to Prague, having completed another great weekend away.

THE FIRST 10 DAY TRIP! Going into this long trip, I had no idea what to expect.  However, it turned out to be a lot of things that even in my non-expectations, I wouldn’t have seen coming.

BARCELONA: Our stay in Barcelona was roughly four days which was great because it gave us a significant amount of time to explore the city.  We stayed right near La Sagrada Familia, a beautiful cathedral that is still in the making!  We arrived late at night due to a late flight and a hefty commute from the airport to ou

r Airbnb and ended up eating dinner at 1 am.  During our stay here, we spent a lot of time walking around the city and exploring local markets and shops. Some of the special experiences we planned were going in La Sagrada Familia and the Park de Guell.  We also managed to find fun in the nightlife of Barcelona, despite the fact that its customary to stay out from 2 am until 5 am!  My favorite night of going out was to the club, Opium, which is the premiere club in Barcelona.  When we were there, I hung out primarily with some guys from the University of Chicago basketball team that were staying in Barcelona for the week! It was really fun and I now feel like I’m a fan of their team.  They were also super cool and nice/protective because when I dropped my purse, they helped me find my wallet and phone and keys.  (Sadly, I did lose 70 US dollars because I forgot it was in there).  Then at the end of the night, they helped me find the friends that I had come with and wouldn’t leave me until they knew I was good to go.  I forgot to mention that I got to use my Spanish here and my friends were impressed so that was cool.

LISBON:  Our next excursion was to Lisbon, Portugal.  Here, we found ourselves wanting to relax and explore the beach towns around the area.  For three of the days we were there, we bounced around on the trains and spent time on some nice sandy beaches.  Unfortunately for me,  the beach towns did not accept card and I had no Euros so I had no towel which led to some pretty uncomfortable, sandy train trips home.  Study abroad life is SO difficult (laugh laugh).  We also roamed the Lisbon and Sintra areas, seeing castles and riding in Tuk Tuks! While in Sintra, I had my first little outburst of anger/sadness.  I felt like a lot of that trip my plan ideas or requests were just disregarded.  Especially when it comes to money, I tended to have a different idea of things and it was pretty frustrating because some people I was with just did not care at all that I wasn’t willing to drop stacks on a breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night.  If I have to hear, “I just want good food” again in the context of passing a quality restaurant to eat a 5 star, $30 meal again, I may lose my mind.  I also could see one of the girls who I was with being lowkey bullied in a sense that girls were rolling their eyes at her situation and requests and I had had enough of that.  Sorry for that little rant, but that was just the low of my trip.  Overall, I did have a great time and made some solid memories.

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THE BEST TRIP IVE EVER BEEN ON. I flew on Swiss Air with my dad where they gave us ice cream, drinks, and chocolate. When we got there we then drove from zurich to Lautterbruen and took a train to Wengen because you can’t access it by car. We got in late and had to run to our airbnb to make it in time for check in. Our room was a funny little closet with two beds but it was fine for my dad and I to sleep in. The people were also somewhat rude because it was very old fashioned. We didn’t actually stay in there much and when we did we had good food and used the hot tub. We woke up very early the next morning to catch the first train and beat the crowd to the top of the Jungfrau which is the Top of Europe. It was beautiful all the way up and that topped everything. I was in awe almost every moment. I also almost passed out when I first started walking when we were at the top due to the altitude change, square breathing saved me. We hiked around there to other spot and went in the ice caves as well. Once we had done that stuff, we took the train back down and, of all things to happen that weekend, there was the biggest marathon the town hosts finishing that day! So we got to watch the runners finish and join in on the celebration with a beer and listening to the bands playing. Some of it reminded me of tailgating for football, but with a few obvious differences. After that we hiked for about 2 hours straight down the mountain and again it was stunning. We were literally walking through cow pastures and listening to their bells as we walked. I even pet one!! When we got back to the hotel we went in the hot tub then had a very good, traditional swiss meal and it was 5 courses. The next morning we woke up and hit the road to Interlaken and Brienze. When we were there we swam in a beautiful, glacial lake and the area was totally open to the public but no one was out there and they had nice docks and it was beautiful and I was so so at peace. Finally, we drove back to Zurich and worked out at our hotel then went to sleep to get ready for the early flight the next morning. I was so sad to leave my dad, I started balling in front of airport security when I was going to have to leave him. It was just such a great weekend and I love my family so much. Peak of my life. 

So basically my friends and I decided to do this trip because we wanted a break from cities and to be in ~nature~ doing hikes and seeing things. It was a much smaller group than before which was GREAAT. We booked our bus tickets, another long trip via bus, and a hostel for the weekend!

SALZBURG: This was our first Austrian destination! We got here and it was super overcast and kind of raining. <funny because this was the weekend we really wanted views> We walked around the city the first day and found our hostel which was super nice! It was also funny because all 6 of us were in one room so bonding on a new level. My two roommates and I decided to do the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg since that was where the movie was filmed and it was amazing! Our tour guide was so funny and played songs from the movie to which everyone on the bus sang along. I was really hesitant about going since it cost so much money but I’m really glad I did it.

HALLSTATT: Cold. We were very much not prepared for this trip haha. I wore shorts a tank top and small running coat and a rain coat, and it wasn’t pouring and cold 🙂 But that is okay because I learned. Sadly, we couldn’t see any of the sights really that we wanted to see, but we did hike! That was super fun and I liked the squad and I was actually really happy the whole time.

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*I’m writing this mainly as a stream of thought because I want it to be personal and casual and not something that I am stressing out over writing.* ALSO, I’m writing this about 2 or 3 weeks after I actually went so oops, you live and you learn.

THE FIRST BUS: To put this trip in perspective of time, I had been in Prague for a week before and some change before we left for this trip.  When I say “we” also I mean the group of people I traveled with but I don’t really feel the need to define each group before I write about it, but sometimes I will say people.  So for this trip, we had planned the bus and Airbnb before we left for Prague since we didn’t want to get caught paying a higher price (this has been happening to us A LOT after that trip)- my wallet is taking many hits.  We scheduled our bus for about 30 minutes after our class ended which, on that day, we learned was not very smart.  We had an exam in the morning and you could leave as soon as you finished, but the test was pretty hard and we had a few people take longer than expected so we RAN to the bus stop.  Luckily we were all so excited about going that people didn’t really care that we almost missed the bus.  It was about 7 hours and the bus was pretty crowded so its safe to say we got bored and were probably really annoying and loud.

THE AIRBNB AND LOCATION: The Airbnb situation was a little different for this trip because our group booked before actually leaving for the trip.  My roommate and I ended up getting one and then the other part of the group also got one and the two were about a 15 to 20 minute walk apart.  The actual locations of the Airbnb’s were pretty awesome! Taylor (roommate) and I did get a little suspicious of our when we walked to it and saw a hooker on the corner and there was a live, haunted house kind of thing underneath our building.  Yikes.  Other than that we really enjoyed the place! It felt very European since there was a patio in the middle of the building and other things like that.  We had a loft style so it was pretty small but fit us well and we were barely ever there since we hung out with the other part of our group the whole time.  The building was in Pest and it was a pretty good walk in toward the river and some cool buildings and clubs.

THINGS WE DID: I think that category name is kind of the only way to say it because we really do random things.  My favorite place we went were the Baths of Budapest.  We walked probably 4 miles to get there, but it was so worth it.  The buildings surrounding the baths were beautiful, old, yellow buildings and the water felt amazing.  Some people didn’t really like them that much because they felt like it was just similar to a pool, but I would love to be a fish and just swim around everywhere I go and chill in water all the time.  After that we walked around for a while trying to find somewhere to eat and got the best ice cream ever.  It wasn’t even the ice cream that was good, but it came in like a funnel cake type cone with Nutella all inside it and I got strawberry and chocolate sauce on top.  After that great moment we broke into smaller groups which I really liked because it made it so much easier to actually do things and I really liked the people I went with during that time.  We went and walked around a park/lake and an agricultural museum where we saw- no joke- 5 bride/groom photoshoots.  Disconnected from that, we all went to two bars/clubs in Budapest that were popping. I didn’t love the first bar we went to that much but it was ranked in the top 100 bars and had a sick layout because it was all mainly outside with plants everywhere (my mom would’ve thought that was cool even though she would’ve been uneasy with the amount of drunk people, but it made me miss home a little bit) and it was two floors.  The other cool club we went to was also ranked really well and that one was so fun.  They played a lot of American music and I was dancing a lot with my frands and it made me feel happy with all the people we were with and excited for the study abroad  in general.  Also disconnected from that but kind of in time order, we went to the Parliament building! It was so beautiful and we walked all the way there and the air felt good even though it was really cold and I just enjoyed that experience.

Hi to anyone who may want to read about my travels around Europe as I study abroad in Prague!