When I created this blog, I highlighted that my travels abroad during an externship in college were the start of having the “travel bug” in my About Me section. Every January through April, my Facebook memories and past Snapchat stories remind me of my amazing time. I’d like to highlight some of the places that my grad school friends and I ventured to back in 2016. 

We usually had a 3 or 4-day free weekend and used that time to visit other parts of Europe since it’s easy to travel around the country once you’re there. In planning ahead, we each purchased the Eurail train pass which came in super handy for our weekend adventures (I highly recommend it)! Thanks to our lovely supervisors and hosts, we were given advice on places to visit as well as travel tips to places we’ve always dreamed of going to. Here are a few pictures and special things that I remember about each location that we ventured to: 

Weekend 1 in Paris, France: Seeing the Eiffel Tower was amazing and it’s even more beautiful at night when it shimmers. While there, I tried escargot for the first and last time. We did a lot of walking here and made the trek to Sacre-Coeur and Notre Dame. I remember my ankles and feet being swollen towards the end of the trip because of all of the walking that we did.

Weekend 2 in Salzburg, Austria: I remember being in awe of how beautiful Austria was. Before going to Europe, I didn’t know much about the country but grew to love it! I hadn’t seen the Sound of Music at this time but saw much merchandise for the movie. Salzburg is also the hometown of Mozart and I remember a lot of merchandise with his face on it.

Weekend 3 in Interlaken, Switzerland: based on recommendations, we decided to visit Interlaken and it was such a calm and relaxed area compared to the fast pace of the other countries that we visited. The water was so clear!

Weekend 4 in Prague, Czech Republic: Prague ended up being one of my favorite locations and I remember how budget-friendly things were while there. The Irish pub (The Irish Times Bar) that we visited was so much fun!

Weekend 5 Budapest, Hungary: I remember that we arrived late that night and crossed the bridge from Buda to Pest (separated by the Danube River). When I looked over the bridge, the Parliament Building was the most beautiful building I had ever seen at night.

Weekend 6 Italian Spring Break (Florence, Cinque Terre, and Rome): I recall lots of wine, yummy pasta dishes, and sightseeing. When we hiked Cinque Terre-I remember that we stayed in La Spezia. It was my first hike and the views were perfect. Seeing the Coliseum and visiting Vatican City in Rome was a great experience as well! We unfortunately were unable to see the Sistine Chapel due to time but I hope to have the opportunity to go back to see it.

Weekend 7 Amsterdam, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium: In Amsterdam, we visited the Heineken Experience brewery, toured the Anne Frank house, visited the Van Gogh art museum (I appreciated his work so much after this tour), and visited bars in the red light district. Whatever you may have heard about this area is true 🙂 We took a train to Brussels and I was personally underwhelmed by it compared to the other cities we visited.

Weekend 8 Berlin, Germany: The city has so much history and it was cool being there. We did a walking tour and one of the first things our guide pointed out was the hotel that Michael Jackson infamously dangled his son. We also saw parts of the Berlin Wall that people have created murals over. It was really cool to see!

Weekend 9 Munich, Germany: Munich turned out to be my favorite city in Germany. I remember drinking A LOT of beer while there and eating a lot at the Hofbauhaus I hope to one day go back during Oktoberfest. Before leaving, we made a trip to Dachau which was the first Nazi concentration camp. Being there was surreal and I can’t imagine what those that were imprisoned there experienced.

Weekend 10 Regensburg, Germany: This was our last group adventure before heading back to the United States and it was slower-paced compared to our other locations. It was a peaceful visit.

Honorable Mentions: Heidelberg, Germany; Black Forest (Triberg, Germany); Rothenburg, Germany, Stuttgart (the train hub for all of our adventures. Nearby is the most beautiful library I’ve ever seen and an excellent burger restaurant called Hans I’m Gluck, Waldenburg, Germany

Cheers to more European adventures!