This past week I went on the Spring Break trip of a lifetime. My Sophomore and Junior years roommate and I traversed around Europe exploring new areas and going on adventures. We decided to travel to Vienna, Prague, Venice, Athens, and Santorini.
Starting off the journey, I left Athens for Vienna Friday afternoon. Here's some background for you: in high school, one of my best friends stayed with me as an exchanged student from Austria. Now, it was my turn to visit her in her homeland.
First, let me say Austria is BEAUTIFUL. I loved it so much more than I thought I would. Walking the treats I got a taste of German culture but with its own Austrian twist. Every building I looked up at had amazing ornate sculptures decorating the roof. Not to mention, Austria has the best soft pretzels (and anyone that knows me, knows I have high standards of soft pretzels).
The Schönbrunn Palace is a must-see, if you are ever in Vienna. This giant yellow castle looks over acres of gardens you could get lost in. And the flowers are picture perfect.
From Vienna, we took a four hour bus to Prague to spend the night. And let me tell you, Prague is straight out of a Disney Movie. The cobble-stoned streets and old houses come together to form this picturesque village in which I expected people to start singing and dancing. Prague is home to Franz Kafka and the John Lennon Wall (both of which are top tourist destinations). The streets were filled with Easter markets, decorated eggs, and the smell of pastries. All in all, a wonderful place.
Following Prague, we took a night train to Venice. The night train was an interesting experience to say the least. It was small and crapped, but fortunately I was able to fall asleep for most of the night.
I'm not entirely sure how to describe Venice. Sitting at a cafe on the Grand Canal was perhaps one of my favorite moments, but walking through the narrow twist and turns of streets felt claustrophobic and overwhelming. One of the strangest things I saw were the ambulance boats zipping through the water (because there are no roads). I wondered how much longer this takes than an ambulance driving on the street.
But regardless no matter which way you look, Venice is belongs on a postcard. The beautiful water lapping between the sides of vine-covered buildings. The some 400 bridges on the island will definitely give you a work out, but the sheer size means you can walk from one end of Venice to the other in 40 minutes.
After that, we were back in Athens for Easter. On one hand, experiencing Greek Orthodox Easter in Greece was an incredible opportunity; but on the other hand, almost every single thing was closed. On Easter, churches light up with candles and people chant in celebration. However, the Acropolis was closed so we only got to see it from a distance (still not a bad view, I must add).
All in all, getting to spend spring break with my best friend and previous roommate was a surreal experience. And while I loved studying abroad in Greece, I can't wait to see the rest of my friends from home.
