Na viděnou, Olomouci!

See you soon, Olomouc!

Saying goodbye to Olomouc today and all of the wonderful people I've had the opportunity to get to know here is the definition of bittersweet. Not only has Olomouc become a place I consider to be my home away from home, but my classmates have become a second family. Some of my hardest goodbyes are being said to Olomouc today, but, in my opinion, it is only a 'see you later' because I know I won't be able to stay away from Europe for too long <3

On a happier note...

This past week, our adventures led us to one of the two regions in the Czech Republic, Bohemia. Our home for the past 3 months, Olomouc, is in the Moravian region, while the famous city of Prague is in the Bohemian. After our week exploring Bohemia, however, I discovered there is so much more to this region than just the Czech Republic's beautiful capital city of Prague. In our time in Bohemia, we visited the towns of Litomysl, Kutna Hora, and, my favorite, Cesky Krumlov. We had the chance to see brand new cultures and experience a whole different "small town" feel.

The first stop of our excursion, Litomysl, is a very small town with little to do, few things to see, and hardly any English. That didn't stop the Nebraskans from finding a good time, though! It was our last  class trip and our last week all together so we were determined to make our own fun. Our time in Litomysl did end up being quite fun; we found some surprisingly good local Czech food for dinner, toured a beautiful church with our group, and celebrated one of our own's birthday in a cute little underground bar. This is one of the many reasons I love the group I've had the chance to travel with so much: no matter where we are or what were doing, they always manage to make it a good time!

Our next stop: Kutna Hora, home of one of the famous bone churches, a silver mine, and yet another jaw-dropping castle. My favorite part of this town was the silver mines by far! We had our own private tour of the medieval mine, complete with our own white coat and hard hat. The tour was meant to give us a feel of how work and life in general were for these miners so we were taken through some of the largest portions of the mine and wedged our way through some of the smallest. I am not a claustrophobic person, but in some of these spaces I could definitely feel the claustrophobia creeping in!

The final town we visited as part of our Bohemian tour was Cesky Krumluv, known as the pocket-sized Prague. This town, in my opinion, is the place our group had the most fun. Our first adventure here was a tour of the Budweiser Budvar Factory just outside of Cesky Krumluv. We were introduced to the process of producing the beer and given free samples at the end of our tour where I learned very quickly I am not a Budweiser fan! After this tour we did our own little tour to get a bit more acquainted with the town.

The next morning we all met to tour Cesky Krumluv's castle, the castle's theatre, and the beautiful gardens surrounding it all. Little did we know this tour also meant stumbling upon one of the best views of Cesky Krumluv! Shortly after the tour we were scheduled to meet again as a group in order to head to our next adventure: rafting. Though the day had started off fairly cold and rainy, we were eventually blessed with the perfect weather for a day on the river! After a possibly torn ACL, a sprained ankle, more than a few of us falling into the river, our raft getting stuck in a rapid, and a little bit of getting lost, Bohemia gave us the best experience of our entire week.

That's a wrap, folks

Throughout all of the fun, however, there was the disbelief in the back of my mind that this truly was our last hoorah! Not only the last class trip, but also our last week together and the last time some of us will be seeing each other for a while. It is a very bittersweet feeling though because for every goodbye we say here, we are one step closer to being back in the arms of our loved ones and saying 'hello' to those friends and family we've missed so dearly.

On to the next one!

Our study abroad adventure isn't over quite yet, though. We are finally on to warmer weather! Next on our list of travel plans is the Grecian Islands. Brianna and I will be visiting the beautiful islands of Santorini and Crete. Though this entire trip has been nothing short of a fairytale, I am especially excited to cuddle up with a good book under the Grecian sun with my best friend by my side. With that being said, I am so looking forward to being in the same country as all of you in just 10 very short days!

Another weekend, another city

The best way to describe Paris is that it is exactly as you would expect it to be: dirty, busy, touristy, and expensive. But, also an extremely beautiful city filled with plenty to do and so many remarkable sights to see. Unfortunately, we weren't blessed with the greatest weather which put a bit of a damper on things, but it was still a great weekend surrounded by great company!

Now, don't get me wrong when I say Paris is 'dirty and touristy' because it does have its fair share of beauty too, but in my opinion it is a very average city. I definitely sensed the romantic side of the city and enjoyed all the sights we had the opportunity to see, but it just didn't surpass my expectations of being just another pretty city filled with tourists. The one thing that surprisingly did surpass my expectations, however, and the most beautiful part of Paris in my opinion, was the Eiffel Tower. Pictures simply cannot give this monument any justice. At first sight, my only thought was simply how massive it is. Then my mind wandered to how intricate and beautiful it truly is. The amazing part about the Eiffel Tower isn't simply its magnificence, either; its surroundings and its environment play a huge role in the effect. I think my favorite part, however, is everyone from tourists to locals, families to lovers, even kids to the elderly, enjoying this incomparable view together.

The next thing to add to that travel bucket list of yours is to see this baby lit up at night. Immaculate. Impeccable. Incredible. All of the above. Especially in reference to when it twinkles at the top of the hour every hour between 10pm-1am. Now that, plus a bottle of famous Parisian rosé wine, is something you all have to experience at least once in your life time (or in our case, 3 times). It truly is not comparable to anything I have ever seen and because I was surrounded by such wonderful people, a memory I won't soon forget.

I know what you're all thinking, but, don't worry, I promise my blog isn't going to be entirely about the Eiffel Tower (though I really could go on forever). Surprisingly, we did a lot more on our trip than just sit and stare at the Eiffel Tower ;) Our first day in the city began bright and early with Versailles and its gardens which are known as the musical gardens because of the water shows put on by the fountains throughout. Even with our weather not being the greatest, I thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip and can't begin to imagine what they're like in warmer weather!

Next on the list: a free walking tour. Unfortunately, this part of Paris was slightly subpar as well. In comparison to the awesome free walking tours we've taken in every other city we've visited in the past, this one just didn't live up to expectations. We were given lots of interesting information and history on our tour but saw very little of the city. This left us to see the rest on our own, which we didn't mind! We visited the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, one of the famous lock bridges, Notre Dame, passed by the Louvre, Moulin Rouge, and the Latin Quarter. 

Finally, the most important part of our trip: THE FOOD. Crepes, pastries, and wine galore! But holy cow did I enjoy it. From sweet to savory, Paris definitely had the cuisine for me. I did my best to try a little of each thing the city and the French are "known for" and hit almost everything we could think of. Surprisingly, I think my favorite was the savory side of French cuisine. Cheese, cheese, and more cheese. AKA right up my alley :)

To sum it all up, it was a cold, crazy, wonderful weekend in Paris, but it would not have been the same without a few of my favorite traveling buddies! Now, headed to Bohemia tomorrow!

Piercings, pierogies, and plenty of culture

Another weekend, another city, and yet another trip I won't soon forget. This time our destination was Kraków, Poland. It was a class trip which meant our entire group went and was also joined by our UNK professor and one of our Czech professors, who also doubled as our tour guide. We left fairly early Friday morning which meant no classes and simply a day full of travel and exploration. Our first stop: the Wieliczka salt mines. 

Just a little sample

I don't think any of us were quite sure what to expect for this portion of our trip so we were pleasantly surprised once we arrived. Our tour ended up being a total of about 2 hours but because the Salt Mines are so immense, we were only able to see about 1% of the total area the mines occupy. The tour consisted of 3 floors of the salt mine, over 500 steps, and an eventual depth of 130 meters underground. We were able to see examples of how the mine was run, learn its history, and see various types of the salt excavated there (and maybe do a few taste tests along the way). In my opinion, the salt mines were a very interesting, unexpected experience and a fun way to start off our weekend in Poland!

After our time at the salt mines, we settled in at our hostel and proceeded to head out in search for some traditional Polish pierogies, which ended up being a more difficult task than we expected. After several restaurants telling us they didn't have enough room for the 5 of us, we stumbled upon an outdoor restaurant and bar where I tried their 'Polish soup' and a mix of three different kinds of their pierogies: one with meat, one with potatoes, and the other with cabbage and mushrooms. The next day, Krakow continued to impress us with its cuisine. We stopped at their local markets and I sampled some Polish sausage and the best crepe yet. On our last day, we FINALLY found the American breakfast we all had been craving. A cute little restaurant that served pancakes, eggs, bacon, coffee, you name it. Basically, based on the food in Poland, I wouldn't have minded staying a little longer.

Our second day in the city was by far my favorite. It started with a tour of the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków and led to an entire day of flea markets, a vintage market, and our fair share of souvenir shopping. We also stopped at a couple places Kraków is known for, including the church of John Paul II and his place of residence. A few of us also decided to explore a different aspect of the city and be a bit rebellious. We got piercings using the excuse that it will help us to "remember the city" (sorry, mom and dad). However, between the 7 tattoo parlors that told us 'no' and my not so great experience getting the piercing, it was definitely more of an adventure than we had planned.

Another stop on our field trip in Kraków was Schindler's Factory. Many of you may recognize this from the popular movie Schindler's List, but for those of you who haven't seen it (like me) here's a quick explanation. Oskar Schindler was a part of the Nazi party, but instead of partaking in the persecution of Jews like other soldiers, he came up with a way to help them. Schindler's Factory employed Polish Jews and provided them with a safe place to work without fear and persecution. Also, because Jews were unable to purchase food themselves, Schindler paid them in food to help them survive. Schindler and his factory helped save over 1,000 Jews from the Holocaust but because he had been a part of the Nazi party, he was hunted shortly after the war and eventually escaped to Jerusalem where he is buried today. Today, his factory has been turned into a museum in memory of the Holocaust and the many Jews he saved throughout the event. 

Entrance to Schindler's Factory

On a completely different note, with only 23 days left in my second home, I decided it was time to make a list of some of the things I've been missing from my real home:

BARISTA'S, Qdoba, Buffalo sauce, FREE water, half price apps at Applebee's, bacon, home cooked meals, Runza, pancakes, Heinz ketchup, free bathrooms in public places, French toast, ranch, salt and vinegar chips from Jimmy Johns, my queen size bed, Dr. Pepper, country music, Amigo's (especially their cheesies), American coffee in general (so much better), Nebraska beef, Gourmet House Japanese Cuisine in Kearney, mac n cheese. 

Forget Disney World. Berlin is the happiest place on Earth.

Fast forward to any number of years from now and Berlin will still be one of my most vivid memories I have from my time abroad. From the friendliness of its people to the entertainment flowing through the streets, Berlin is by far the most fun place I have been this far and somewhere I was extremely surprised by. Berlin started simply as a cheap place to go for a weekend but I'm not sure a spur-of-the-moment decision could have ever played out as well as this one did.

Berlin Wall

Our first full day in Berlin began with a typical, free walking tour to see the more touristy side of the city. Our tour guide showed and explained to us the heartbreaking history behind the Berlin Wall and the remnants of the Nazi occupation and Holocaust throughout the city. We also visited the famous Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, a memorial to those murdered in the Holocaust, Checkpoint Charlie, and places where Hitler himself once stood. After our tour however, we went off on our own to explore the city in our own way. I think it is safe to say this part resulted in some food along the way. ;)

Did I mention I found Crème brûlée, too?

I was thoroughly impressed with the delicious German food we found during our time in Berlin. On our first night in town, we stumbled upon a very German eatery just around the corner from our hostel that served over 100 kinds of beer (I got a Sprite) and the best schnitzel I have had so far on this trip! It was served with a fried egg on top and baked potato wedges that were even better than they sound (YUM). Throughout our weekend in Berlin, we also found some heavenly Mediterranean food, German sausage, and plenty yummy European breakfast!

Our time in Berlin was filled with plenty of culture in more ways than one, but one of my favorite moments was a late night walk along the shore of the river that turned into salsa-ing with some locals on a makeshift wooden dance floor. Okay, so maybe I wasn't the one doing the salsa or a 3 step under the lights, but I sure did enjoy being a spectator to another portion of Berlin's thriving culture. 

Now, on to the main reason Berlin was the experience that it was: May Day. Unknowingly, we had planned our trip on the weekend of one of the biggest celebrations I have ever seen and on a holiday I have never really thought twice about back in the States. Lucky for us, May Day is definitely a celebrated holiday in Berlin and in a huge way. In addition to the number of locals that join in on the celebration, over 45,000 people travel from around Europe to Berlin specifically for this event each year. My best attempt at describing the pure insanity of this place is PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. Food, live music, dancing, a few German drinks, DJs, and thousands upon thousands of fun-loving Europeans showing the Americans the right way to celebrate a holiday! All in all, it was an experience of a lifetime and yet another thing you all need to add to those European bucket lists of yours. 

50,000 of my closest friends

Partner in crime

Germans are fun

You may not think its possible or be sick of me saying this, but I fell in love with yet another European city. I loved Berlin in a different way than any of the previous places, though. I loved Berlin because of its constantly filled streets at any time of the day and most of the night. I loved it for its people and its diversity. I loved it for its history but also for the city. More than anything, though, I loved Berlin purely for its atmosphere. Not a whole lot can top the feeling of being in a crowd of over 50,000 Europeans surrounded by good music, good food, good drinks, and good friends. It truly is a very entertaining city and this trip was one I won't soon forget. From museums and history to walking along the river or joining in on the local May Day festivities, there is truly something to spark anyone's interest. 

UNTIL NEXT TIME, BERLIN!

Memorial for Jews murdered in the Holocaust

Brandenburg Gate

Site of Hitler's bunker/where he committed suicide