A small interruption...for the sake of finals and Christmas

So this week I must digress a bit. Christmas is just around the corner. And finals are literally knocking at the door (aka I have two finals tomorrow). So I will take a small break from my travel tales to honor the request of my mcom professor for this Christmas/finals season (as a side note, I really don't understand why we have to combine those two): find someone more stressed than you (if that is possible), do something nice for them, and write about it in your blog. To be honest, it shouldn't have taken the request of my professor for me to think of doing a simple task like that, especially during the holiday season. But I am glad he made the request.

I didn't do anything extravagant. In fact, I should have done more. I simply lent a listening ear to a friend who needed one. I was swamped - I had a paper due the next day plus five finals to start studying for. But I could tell my friend needed someone to talk to, even though she didn't ask. I may not have received a whole lot of sleep that night, but hopefully I made a friend feel a little better. I'm not great at giving advice, but I can listen. But it goes to show how what they always tell you is true - an act of service can be just the simplest thing. And the other thing they always tell you is also true - if you want to be happy, forget about yourself in the service of others. Finals are beyond stressful, but I went to bed that night feeling a little bit better.

So for all those out there suffering through finals right now, here's some advice: take a moment to find someone more stressed than you (if that's possible), and do just a little something for them. I promise it will help. And good luck!

Merry Christmas!

A City with History

Next stop - Germany. We made a stop in Dresden to visit the Volkswagen Factory - a very impressive building. Then it was on to Berlin for a couple days.

A few significant events happened while in Berlin. First - it was Marriott round two! A truly lovely thing for exhausted travelers. We also had to bid farewell to our handsome Italian bus driver Christian, as we would be flying to Russia and then flying home. We had become quite good friends with him - multiple 8 hour bus rides will do that to you I guess. We also had a business visit to the Coca-Cola Factory which was interesting.

Berlin is simply and wonderfully full of history. We walked all over exploring the different sights. We visited the Holocaust Memorial and went inside the museum - a neat but solemn experience. I loved seeing the Brandenburg Gate. We took some great model shots in front of it and stopped to watch some impressive street performers. We also visited Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall. It's pretty incredible to think of all the stories and secrets the city must hold. The Reichstag Building was another beautiful spot.

By this point in the trip, we were all starting to feel the effects of attempting 10 countries in 30 days. We found ourselves lagging a bit in our explorations, heading back to the hotel a bit earlier at night, and at times attempting to nap on large rocks found at a park (if that tells you anything). But we still got to enjoy a lot of Berlin!

I was up late our last night in Berlin - repacking my bag for the flight to Russia. My souvenir collection took some creative distribution and redistribution to finally get my bags under the weight limit. But don't worry - we made it! (I was glad I did it in the hotel room rather than on the airport floor like others were forced to do...)

Hard to believe there is only one city left to blog about.

Clean Beds and Fairy Tales

We thought we had died and gone to heaven when we arrived in Prague. After weeks of hostels, pulling up to the Marriott left us all a bit giddy. Towels, comfortable beds, clean sheets, clean carpet, two to a room - we were living large. Funny how you come to appreciate the little things (like free towels).

But besides the hotel, Prague itself was beautiful. We went into Old Town Square that first night. The church looked like something out of a storybook, and the astronomical clock tower was very impressive lit up against the night sky. I loved exploring the city next day. So much character, and the whole city reminded me of a fairytale. A guy in our group had served his mission in the Czech Republic, so he was able to give us a little tour of the city. The Charles Bridge was one of my favorite spots. As you cross the bridge, more and more of the city becomes visible as you turn around to look. Another favorite was Prague Castle. We went as a whole group to visit the castle, and it offered gorgeous views of the city. We had so much fun taking pictures and hanging out. It's amazing how close you can get with people you have never met before in 30 days.

We also had one of my favorite business visits while in Prague as well. We visited Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The office is beautiful, and the speakers gave a great overview of the company and work environment.

Yet another stunning city! Prague was a dream!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

Joy and Heartache

We were all pleasantly surprised by Poland. None of us quite knew what to expect, but our one night in Kraków was a charming one. I can still picture the main square - conveniently just a few steps away from the Flamingo Hostel - surrounded by old townhouses, churches, and palaces. Music playing, people laughing in the cafes on the square's edge, the pigeons walking around like they owned the place, St. Mary's Basilica illuminated at twilight. We enjoyed shopping the markets, snapping picture after picture in the square, and eating some hearty Polish food at a cute restaurant on the square. And the hostel was much better than expected - even if there was one bathroom with 3 showers for all of us to share... Good thing we knew each other so well by then.

The next morning was a more solemn experience. We left early for Auschwitz where we had a guided tour. Talk about an eye-opening experience. And an intense couple of hours. Some of the sights just hit you so hard as you begin to more fully comprehend the unspeakable horrors that occurred there. And your heart literally aches for those people. But it was definitely an experience I am grateful I could have.

Poland was a very unique stop. A beautiful country that touched us and taught us.

"Every hundred feet the world changes." - Roberto Bolaño

Stories from Mom

Vienna held meaning before I even got there. I grew up hearing about my mom's study abroad to Vienna, so actually being able to see the places I had heard so much about was incredible. It made it more memorable to realize she had visited the same spots I was now enjoying.

Vienna is beautiful. I loved wandering through the heart of the city and seeing all of the jaw-dropping architecture. My mom had told me her favorite spot was the Rathaus - I must have taken a million pictures of it! It actually ended up being my favorite building as well. It is gorgeous - I especially loved the red flowers in all the windows. While we were there, a big film festival was going on so there was a huge screen set up in front of the building. There were also tons of different food vendors set up. The place was always packed, and it was such a fun atmosphere! We always wandered back there to see the films each night.

The Schonbrunn Palace was my other highlight of Vienna. Absolutely breathtaking, and we could have spent hours touring just the grounds. We climbed up to a spot that had a view of the palace and the city beyond it, and we got some incredible pictures. And made some new friends. And got some great jumping pics.

I especially loved the city at night. The buildings are even more beautiful lit up. Add some dinner from a street vendor, gelato, and a stop by the bustling festival at the Rathaus, and a night stroll doesn't get much better.

"Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground."

-Judith Thurman

A Day in Hungary

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from Hungary. But the picture I had conjured in my head definitely wasn't anything close to the real thing. The real thing was much better.  A city with beauty, history, and character - it was hard to take it all in in the short time we had there. Budapest was just a day trip while we were staying in Vienna, so in all, we only had around 6 hours there. But it was a 6 hours well spent. It's amazing how efficient you can become at picking what spots you want to hit in a city and even more amazing when you actually get yourself there. Of course, we had to have some traditional Hungarian food for lunch - not exactly my cup of tea but worth the experience. We walked across Chain Bridge which offered amazing views of the river and city. Pause for small side note: we began to notice how many of the cities we visited had rivers, and how much beauty those rivers added to the cities. Anyway, across the river, we visited the Buda Castle and National Gallery. There was a breathtaking overlook at the National Gallery - all the views from overlooks have really stuck out in mind. My favorite part of the day was the river boat cruise we took before we had to book it back to the bus - a very neat and efficient way to see more of the city (you can only do so much in 6 hours and you can only do so much walking in 30 days). We even got our history lesson in with the audio tour they provided. And we can't forget the lemonade the waiters served us in sparkling champagne glasses. Before heading home, the bus took us up to a gorgeous overlook at sunset for a group picture. I have pictures to last a lifetime, but I wouldn't have it any other way. But there you have it - my day in Hungary!

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."- Aldous Huxley

33 Bicycles

I never thought I would be able to say I biked through the countryside of Austria. But on our way to Vienna, we stopped in Melk to do just that! We rented bikes and rode 40 kilometers through the most unbelievable scenery. We rode by the river, through vineyards, past castles, through cute little towns, beneath towering mountains - quite the experience. And such a unique and memorable way to see more of the country. We rode for around 2.5 hours, ending our ride in the town of Krems. However, the glitch in the system was that no one was quite sure where the exact ending destination in Krems was. We all assumed it would be obvious, but it turns out the directions "follow the signs to Krem" needed to be a bit more specific, as evidenced by the hour we spent in various groups lost in different parts of the town. I spent an hour on the curb of a small gas station with a group, all of us tired and sprawled across the sidewalk. Eventually, by some miracle, all 33 of us ended up at the bus (parked at a gas station not visible from the bike path). We were tired and sweaty but all in one piece. We took a picture to capture the moment and boarded the bus to Vienna. But you know, I guess the experience wouldn't have been half as memorable if we had all found the bus the first time around...

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." - Anonymous

Do-Re-Mi

Anyone who has seen the Sound of Music won't be surprised to hear that Salzburg is charming. Imagine all those lovely scenes from the movie that make you ooh and aah and that is Salzburg, Austria. What impressed me the most was how calm, peaceful, and clean the city was - refreshing after a whirlwind of often hectic cities. We didn't arrive until around 8, but it was beautiful exploring the city at night. Looking like tourists as we gaped at the bakery window with pretzels shaped like violins and elephants, roaming the tidy streets, gazing at the castle nestled up on the mountain, snapping photos on the bridge, eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant with a hilarious group that included our handsome Italian bus driver Christian. And that is our evening in Salzburg in a nutshell.

The next morning I got up early to run with a couple other girls. Hearing the alarm go off at 6 am got increasingly difficult as the trip went on and our hours of sleep steadily decreased, but it was always well worth it. Some of my favorite memories are the views of the cities I got on those runs. Our director ran with us, and she led us to various Sound of Music sights, including the gorgeous Mirabell Gardens. I can still see the vibrant flowers and perfectly manicured lawns. We only had a couple hours in Salzburg that morning, and we spent them doing a "Sound of Music Amazing Race". A.k.a probably the most effective and creative way to see the city in one hour. We split into teams and had a list of tasks relating to the movie. We danced with an Austrian playing the violin, sang "Do Re Mi" at Mirabell Gardens (and more importantly stopped to take an extra picture on unicorn statues), rolled down a grassy hill, searched unsuccessfully for a donut with kraut, ate Mozart balls, sang "Edelweiss" in front of the Festival Hall... So much fun! I didn't know what to expect from Salzburg, but I was most impressed with the little city. And it was made all the more memorable by all the singing that accompanied it.

"See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees. Ask for no security." - Ray Bradbury

       

   

The city that stole my heart...

I had only one night and a single morning in Venice, and she still managed to steal my heart. Every single part of her. The winding cobblestone streets where you could so easily and so delightfully get lost. The charming bridges offering tiny snapshots of Venice that I simply had to get a picture of, regardless of how many we had already passed over. The gondolas gliding down the canal with the oh-so-entertaining and sometimes singing gondoliers. The shops, the tiny colorful houses, the flower boxes, the wooden boats, the street vendors... The city was bursting with life and energy and this unique charm that I can't say I found anywhere else.

Since our time in Venice was so short, every image is burned in my mind. Eating our final Italian meal at a restaurant with twinkling lights right on the water, watching the canal and late-night gondolas being bathed in moonlight. Wandering through the twisting city streets all morning and then trying to find our way back. Standing on the Rialto Bridge gazing at the bustle of boats below us and taking pictures of the beautiful wooden boats I knew my dad would kill to be on. Riding a gondola through the canals (which remains one of my favorite moments of the trip), nervously impressed as our boat passed within centimeters of another one. And realizing the entire time that some people actually live here. Some people see this scene every single day and come home to these fairy-tale houses every night and drive these boats for a living.

I got such a small taste of Venezia. But I guess it just gives me a good excuse to go back...

"I want to make memories all over the world." - Anonymous

When in Rome...

On the bus ride to Rome, we stopped in Sienna for one of the best business visits of the trip - a cooking class. Chefs instructed us as we made our own four-course meal, which included pasta from scratch. They served us our meal while we watched the business presentation, and it was one of the best meals of the trip!

Rome was a whirlwind. You wouldn't believe all the sights we saw in two days. They were made especially memorable by the intense heat in which we experienced them all. But it was incredible to see all the classic sights you think about when imagining Rome. We walked all over Rome and felt a bit like we were in The Lizze McGuire Movie. We were tourists to the extreme - the Spanish Stairs, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Roman Forum, National Monument, and what must have been a million cathedrals. My favorite stop was tossing a coin into the beautiful Trevi Fountain and seeing it all lit up at night. Exploring the Colosseum was another amazing sight. Another favorite was eating dinner at a rooftop restaurant literally across the street from the Colosseum and seeing the Colosseum lit up as we walked back to the subway. Of course, a few gelatos rounded off the trip nicely.

Our final morning in Rome we went to the Vatican and had a guided tour. The Sistine Chapel was absolutely beautiful, and St. Peter's Basilica was stunning. A small group of us climbed some extremely windy stairs to the top of the dome which offered gorgeous views of Rome. Our little adventure cost us a sprint back to the bus to make it in time, but it was well worth it.

Although I must admit that Rome wasn't my favorite stop, it was a breathtaking city. We left exhausted but knowing we had experienced Rome to the fullest. 

The Magic of Firenze

I know it sounds cheesy, but Florence, Italy was truly magical. I have tried to conjure up a different word that doesn't make it sound like I'm describing Disneyland, but there is simply no other way to put it. We arrived late at night after a very long bus ride. The bus couldn't drive up to the hotel, so we dragged our suitcases along the cobblestones, amazed at how energetic the city was at this hour. We passed street vendors in front of the Duomo who were shooting their glowing helicopter toys high into the air. (These toys were everywhere in Italy, and I finally broke down and bought one our last night in the country - my brother loved it!) The hotel was perfectly located right in the heart of the city near the Duomo. That first night was an absolutely lovely welcome to the city, as a group of us dropped off our bags and set off to explore the city at midnight. The Duomo and Arno River were beautiful all lit up, and most importantly, I experienced my very first gelato. Let me tell you, it is everything it's made out to be plus more.

The next day, a few of us went on an early-morning run, which I discovered to be the perfect way to get a feel for the cities we visited. That morning, we hit the markets of Florence and found ourselves in seventh heaven - vendors for miles boasting purses, trinkets, jewelry, clothes... I'm fairly sure nearly every girl on the trip left Florence with a new bag. We spent quite a bit of time at the different markets around the city, and I acquired more than a few souvenirs. After the markets, we had a business visit at the Pierotucci Leather Factory where they let us explore the store and showed us around the factory. That night was one of my favorites of the entire trip. I had my first Italian pizza for dinner before walking up to the Piazza Michelangelo, which is on a hill overlooking the city. The view was simply incredible. We arrived just in time for sunset, and we stayed as the city lights slowly crept on. I can still picture the scene perfectly, right down to the Italian singing and playing his guitar in the background. Making our way to the hotel, we stopped for gelato, and I discovered my favorite flavor - dark chocolate. On the way back, we happened upon an orchestra giving a beautiful performance in Signoria Square.

Our final day in Florence was a busy one. We started the day out early at the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. Waiting in line was made more entertaining by our group members attempting to bargain with the stubborn street vendors selling art. After the museum, naturally we had to hit the markets a final time before lunch. After, we explored some gardens - a beautiful but very hot experience... The lime slushies we discovered on the way back were lifesavers. We had a wonderful evening, as a group of us found a charming restaurant for a traditional Italian dinner and then went to an outdoor ballet - such a neat experience! We topped off the night with - you guessed it - gelato.

To put it simply, I fell head over heels in love with Florence, and it is at the very top of my list to revisit. Firenze offered quite a magical couple of days.

"You may have the universe if I may have Italy." - Giuseppe Verdi