By bmlee18
It's been the start of my five-week long break, which has probably been one of the greatest perks of studying at Cambridge. Typically, students take this time to study for their exams and tweak their dissertations that are due next term, but given the different structure for my program's visiting students, I've been given the amazing opportunity to travel throughout Europe. Currently, my parents are here visiting me, and because they've never been to Europe before, we've really taken this time to explore and experience as many places as possible.
Among the destinations that we've visited thus far, I thought that I would share some of the most memorable places.
1. Happily ever after - Neuschwanstein Castle. From Munich, we took a two-hour long train ride to the Bavarian town of Füssen, eventually to reach the small but magical village of Hohenschwangau. Against beautiful mountains and a glistening lake, King Ludwig II had built this magnificent castle that became the source of inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. I was bewildered as to how a castle of such scale and grandeur was constructed on top of rugged peaks - truly a remarkable engineering success. While the view right next to the castle, as well as the interior, was breathtaking, I have to say that the best place to really gaze at Neuschwanstein was from Mary's Bridge (Marienbrücke), which was at a staggering height above a gushing waterfall. While I don't really have a fear of heights, I was actually quite frightened staring out at the ground below and walking to the middle of the rickety wooden bridge. It did make for some amazing photos, though, and was overall a wonderful respite from busy city life.
2. Where monks once brewed beer - Augustiner Braü. Salzburg, Austria was an exceptionally gorgeous city - a place steeped with fascinating history and most notably known as the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for Sound of Music. But Salzburg also can be called the home of Austria's largest brewery - Augustiner Braü. The place was massive, with various food stalls lined up and three gigantic indoor halls decked with rows of wooden tables (supposedly there's also an outdoor seating area that opens when the weather gets nice). The atmosphere was extremely lively, and you could even see families with small children spending their afternoons here. For me, this was a fascinating cultural experience, as I came to personally witness a popular way for locals to spend their downtime.
3. A classical music concert at Wiener Musikverein. After having stopped playing the violin a few years back, I've been a bit out of touch with classical music, typically listening to other genres more commonplace among my age group. However, due to my parents' urging, I found and booked us tickets to a violin and piano duet at the famous Musikverein in Vienna. Not only was the venue lavishly and beautifully decorated, but being able to sit back and listen to an excellent concert allowed me to better appreciate and experience Vienna as the beating heart pumping out exceptional music. My only regret was that my brother was not here with us, as he's an aficionado of classical music who would have loved the amazing acoustics of the hall.
4. Marvel at the Schönbrunn Palace. Also located in Vienna, the Schönbrunn Palace was formerly a summer residence for the Habsburg crown. The countless number of rooms inside the palace were all spectacularly adorned and furnished, but I personally found the palace gardens to be particularly splendid. The grounds of the palace (which also features a zoo and an orangery, among many things) was so massive that we couldn't possibly walk through the whole area without exhausting our entire day there and probably without getting lost at least once. Given the cold weather, the flowers had not yet bloomed and the trees still were bare, but the sheer vastness and thoughtful planning of the grounds left me awed, nonetheless. I'm sure visiting during the summer months would be even more beautiful!