Also on this Sunday, the first Sunday of advent, Julemanden (aka Santa Clause) stopped by Copenhagen for the lighting of the gigantic Christmas tree in the city center square. I felt so accomplished when I could join in the Danish count down of the lighting. All of the lights turned on and Julemanden sprayed fireworks from atop the tree. The official Christmas season had finally begun!
As the temperature has dropped and Christmas cheer is beginning to spread throughout all of Copenhagen, it was finally time for my Danish class to go to Tivoli together! I had been holding out on my Tivoli experience until Christmas, which I had heard was the most beautiful time to visit. As I entered Tivoli, it felt like I was walking into a massive Gingerbread house all lit up with Christmas markets lining the streets. The lights were amazing, Christmas music was playing, and you could smell hot chocolate and gingerbread every way you turned. It was absolutely beautiful. Our class then had æbleskiver and gløgg, a traditional Danish treat for Christmas time. Æbleskiver resembles a mix between a pancake and a donut hole and is served with powdered sugar and sweet jam, and gløgg is mulled red wine with various spices, sliced almonds, and raisins. Both were so delicious. And MORE æbleskiver and gløgg!!! You just can't get enough of this stuff. My host family recently served me another traditional Danish dessert called Risalamande. It’s a sweet rice porridge served with a hot cherry sauce. Christmas in Denmark is worth it simply for the traditional foods! Similar to America, Danes place a high importance on the advent calendar, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. My host family gives the children a gift every Sunday of advent and lights the candles in the beautiful advent wreath hanging in the kitchen. This Sunday, I got a pair of warm, fuzzie socks, perfect for the cold snap! Also on this Sunday, the first Sunday of advent, Julemanden (aka Santa Clause) stopped by Copenhagen for the lighting of the gigantic Christmas tree in the city center square. I felt so accomplished when I could join in the Danish count down of the lighting. All of the lights turned on and Julemanden sprayed fireworks from atop the tree. The official Christmas season had finally begun! After going to my host sister Silja's Christmas choir concert tonight, passing by the Christmas markets every morning, and seeing more and more Christmas light pop up on store fronts and cafes, I'm not wanting to leave Christmas in Denmark any time soon.
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As my time is winding down here in Copenhagen, Wednesdays get better and better as I get to go on some of the best field studies with my classes, hitting some spots that were on my list to visit before I have to say goodbye! My Sociology of the Family class went to The Blue Planet to observe family life in Denmark. The Blue Planet is rated one of the top family-friendly attractions in Copenhagen, so we went to see how they accomplished this. We met with one of the event managers and heard about how the aquarium focuses on educating through story telling, rather than just giving the straight facts. Children retain so much more information if it is shown and told in an entertaining and exciting way. The aquarium staff has a group of storytellers that guide you through the different areas of the attraction, and there is a theatre with educational shows. We also observed the small things that make a big difference, such as locker rooms, wide spaces fit for strollers, nursing and changing areas, step stools for children to see, a touch pool to learn by feeling different small sea creatures, and spaces created for children to crawl through and explore. Bonus of the field study- Master Chef Denmark happened to be filming a seafood episode when we were there! Can't decide if it's cool or a little odd to be cooking up some fish in the aquarium… After watching the movie A Royal Affair (highly recommended!) that told the story of Danish King Christian VII, the royal physician Struensee, and Queen Caroline Mathilda, my Danish class went on a tour of Christiansborg Palace to walk in the footsteps of Queen Caroline. We walked through the church that stands in the location of the original church that King Christian VII and Queen Caroline got married in, and then we walked through the royal reception rooms. The most beautiful room was The Great Hall which holds amazing tapestries on the walls that tell 1000 years of Danish history. The Royal Stables were a highlight to me. They are the only part of the castle that still remain from its origination in 1745. We walked in the riding ring and then into the stables where we got to meet the horses and see some of the original stalls. The royal carriages are also kept in the stables, and they were absolutely beautiful. With my last field studies being completed, it's starting to sink in that I only have a few more short weeks left here in Copenhagen. It's time to take advantage of every day and to keep exploring the places that this historical city holds!
I’ve never experience such a wonderful greeting an airport than this one. My mom was finally here, and what better place to meet than Paris! Mom, it had been way too long! Our hotel in Paris was like a dream (awesome find Mom). The walls were covered in French toile fabric with matching curtains, and the ceiling had beautiful exposed wood from when the building was first built in 1480. Off to brunch at the Louvre we went! And you can’t see the glass pyramid and not get at least one of the these pics… We then went to my new favorite art museum, Musée de l'Orangerie, where we got to see Monet’s incredible Water-lily panoramas. Two oval rooms held 4 painting each that wrapped around the walls. This is a must-see in Paris! Next stop had to be the original Ladurée. Macaroons and tea made for a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. The next day we visited the Sainte-Chapelle, a chapel built by King Louis IX of France to hold his Passion Relics, including Jesus’s crown of thorns. It was amazing to think that the crown had been in the building where we were standing. The walls contain 15 gigantic stained glass window panels, each beautifully telling a story from the Bible. The windows are still undergoing restoration, so it was amazing to compare the old, dark windowpanes to those that have been restored that showed us the most beautiful light we’d ever seen. Next up was Versailles. Beautiful is an understatement. Every single room displayed amazing historical paintings and furniture and the grandeur was overwhelming. I couldn’t believe that I was finally walking through that Hall of Mirrors that I had read so much about! As we explored the rooms we looked out the windows at the unbelievable gardens. That evening we got to meet up with one of my sorority sisters who is doing a two-year abroad program in France! It’s an amazing feeling to meet up with old friends in beautiful European cities. For our last day in Paris, we went on the best tour I have ever been on in the Palais Garnier, the opera house. We saw the famous Booth #5 where supposedly the Phantom of the Opera enjoyed the shows. The opera house was one of the most beautiful buildings I have even stepped inside, with its Grand Staircase, Grand Foyer, and beautiful artwork on the ceilings, including the auditorium ceiling that was painted by Chagall. We said goodbye to Paris over a few nutella crepes and were soon on the train to Aix en Provence. Aix was a dream come true. We wandered throughout the farmers market around the corner and bought the most beautiful produce, rich cheese, perfectly baked bread, and fresh fish that lasted us almost every dinner for the rest of our stay! We went to the famous Santon workshop where we got to see the family artists creating the figure that my mom adores and collects. The detail in the crafted people and animals was amazing. For one of our days we went on a village tour around Aix to four unique surrounding villages. The first stop was Cassis, which my mom and I are both determined to go back to. It was an amazing experience to see the bright blue Mediterranean Sea and the colorful boats that floated in the port. We then drove through the beautiful countryside to Loumarin where we wandered outside of the castle and through the charming streets. Mom introduced me to my first Kir Royale and we relaxed in the sun, taking in the view of the beautiful streets. The next stop was Roussillon, known as the Colorado of France. We walked along the Ochre Trail and were in awe of the red cliffs surrounding us. On the way to our last stop, we stopped by the Abbey of Sénanque. The stone abbey was gorgeous and lavender fields surrounded it. Cistercian monks still live at the abbey and tend to the lavender fields and honey bees. The last village on our tour was Gordes, where we entered the beautiful church and ate lavender cookies overlooking the valley. For our last day we went wine tasting in the wine region of Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire and learned about the local grapes and wine making process. Between two different wineries, we got to taste nine different wines. My personal favorite was the rosé! France was more than perfect, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to spend my time with there. Mom, thank you so much for one of the most amazing weeks of my life!
Though Halloween is an American tradition, it has definitely crept its way over to Denmark! From spooky window displays in town to pumpkins pouring out of Tivoli, Halloween was sure to be a great experience. To share my obsessive love for all things pumpkin, what better way to share the pumpkin-love with my host family than teaching them how to bake pumpkin muffins? The concept of canned pumpkin was completely new to them, but I think it's safe to say I've got them hooked. After roughly converting cups and teaspoons to deciliters in my mind (at moments just guessing and throwing in yummy spices), the muffins turned out great. We then all decorated them with pink and blue colorful icing and topped them with bat gummies and sprinkles. They were ready to take to the party! We then went ALL OUT for costumes. I got to go through their amazing bin of costume pieces and my host mom put together the perfect witch look (monumental moment that I dressed up as something scary and not a lady bug for the 21st time). Silja dressed up as a doll, Nuka as a vampire, and Katja as a witch too. Face paint, fake contacts, and stage blood were all involved… We then made our way to a party with 2 other DIS host families in the neighborhood and had THE BEST time. We all sat around the table and had an amazing dinner of pumpkin soup, homemade bread and ginger salad, and we laughed the night away. We then lit confetti sparklers, greeted trick-or-treaters, and enjoyed one another's company by the candle light. This hygge Halloween has been one of my favorite Halloween's yet. This Wednesday was filled with two incredible field studies spent with my Danish Design class and my Strategic Communications class. First, my Danish design class boarded a bus and drove to a surprise location. As we entered the building, the smell of oak and sounds of machinery hinted to us that we were in some sort of wood workshop. We walked inside and were surrounded by stacks of freshly cut wood waiting to be transformed into pieces of hand-crafted quality furniture. We were at the workshop of PP Møbler, a famous family owned workshop that creates furniture, including the designs of Hans J. Wegner, that will last through generations. We got to explore the entire workshop, from seeing the freshly cut wood to carpenters carefully manipulating the material into distinct parts and assembling them into the famous Danish designed chairs that our class has been learning about. The wood felt as smooth as silk and you could see the determined look in the carpenter's faces as they ensured that every component of the chair was perfect. We then got to meet the upholsters and see them carefully finishing chairs by inserting the springs and padding, and then covering the pieces with leather or fabric. The workshop gave us a firsthand look into how the Danes have mastered the art of balancing craftsmanship with production. I used to just see a chair as a chair. After my Danish Design class and seeing the entire process throughout the workshop, I now appreciate a chair and all of the steps that were accomplished in order to create something that combines functionality with quality and aesthetics. My Strategic Communications class venture to a digital communications agency called In2Media. We met with the CEO and got the inside scoop on one of In2Media's most successful projects. Danske Bank is one of the most used banks in the Nordic region, and they turned to In2Media to develop an innovate mobile banking app that focused on ensuring a quality user experience. We got to hear about the entire process, from brainstorming different mobile-pay ideas to designing the app pages to reduce complicatedness and ensure a quick and easy transaction. The project won numerous awards for its success in the e-commerce business. I couldn't believe that the CEO took us step by step through one of their most successful digital communications plans. As he took us through the entire process, it was incredible to connect their steps to what I've be learning in my strategic communications class. It's amazing what can become a product of the collaboration between strategic planners, designers, and digital gurus. Travel Break 2 introduced me to one of my new all time favorite cities: London! My Strategic Communications class spent our study tour here, and I am already looking forward to returning one day. As soon as our plane landed, our class went on a walking tour of city and saw Big Ben, the Parliament building, Westminster Abbey and more. I couldn’t believe I was walking throughout a city I’ve admired so much filled with rich history. We ended the walking tour by riding the famous London Eye. We were blessed with perfect weather and got the best view of London. When I stepped off of the Eye, two of my best friends from Elon that are studying abroad in London greeted me at the bottom, and we were more than excited to be reunited. It felt amazing to be back together and to have them show me around the city that they have fully immersed themselves in! We went to dinner at the best Mexican restaurant (had to get my Mexican fix before going back to Copenhagen!), and then we had frozen yogurt on top of a pink double decker bus! We then walked across the bridge to see Big Ben lit up at night. The next morning, our class went on an amazing tour of Wimbledon! My family has always loved watching Wimbledon in the summers, and I couldn’t believe I was actually in the stands of the courts that I’ve watched for so many years. The tour was perfect. We got to go into Center Court and the surrounding courts, got to see the leader boards from the matches from this past summer, went on the hill with the Wimbledon logo, entered into the players’ facilities, and then got to see the media center and interview room! I loved getting to hear how Wimbledon markets itself as a traditional sporting and cultural event, as well as a place for true fans of the game. I then got to experience the most overwhelmingly beautiful atmosphere of Harrods. I have heard about this iconic department store for years and finally got to explore myself. The handbag and evening gown departments particularly sucked me into spending a little bit more time in there than planned! Olivia and Katie then took me to Buckingham Palace as the sun was setting, and then we finished off the night with famous Ben’s Cookies and a little piece of home with Whole Foods- my most missed food spot! The next morning our class went to the Churchill War Rooms, and it was incredible. This is now one of my favorite museums! It was amazing to walk through the actual rooms with the real furniture, maps, and supplies that were in the underground rooms where Winston Churchill singlehandedly kept the morale up for all of the people in England while leading the nation throughout WWII. The museum featured his Siren Suite, letters of correspondence between him and his wife Clementine, and many more special components of his life. Afterwards I met up with Olivia and Katie at Kinsington Palace where we went to tea at The Orangery. I’m moving here. There’s nothing better than spending time with sweet friends having tea with scones and clotted cream. Our class ventured out to Blenheim Palace and Oxford University the next day. Blenheim Palace was gorgeous. It’s Churchill’s birthplace, as well as the home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. The gardens were beautiful, and we even got to go in the butterfly garden. And I’ve decided I’m transferring to Oxford…it was that amazing. First, I had lunch in my favorite author’s pub of choice during his time at Oxford. C.S. Lewis and his Inkling group would meet weekly at The Eagle and Child to discuss their books and outlooks on life. I got to see the exact booth where C.S. Lewis sat and talked to Tolkien about his novels and where Tolkien was encouraged to stick with The Lord of the Rings. I wish I could have brought along my favorites, Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters, and curled up and stayed there all day. Next we toured Oxford and I was in awe. The architecture and history was amazing. We learned about the “One Word Exam” that was the test do determine whether or not you were a Fellow of the All Souls College at Oxford. You would enter the room and were given only one word, which could be anything, and had to write as much as you could about it in 3 hours. Oxford was mysterious and I loved getting hear about all of the deep-rooted traditions. After getting stuck in some serious traffic on the way back to London, my friend Lizzie and I raced to the West End to see Matilda, one of my favorite childhood books and movies. I had heard that seeing the musical was a “must do” in London, and I’m so glad that I did. It was extremely well done and had everyone in the theatre laughing and cheering. The next day, the class divided up into small group and went on various site visits the companies involving communications. My group went to Shakespeare’s Globe and had the opportunity to speak with the one of the marketing managers. He shared with us the different marketing strategies that the Globe uses to market the theatre as a site seeing attraction as well as a theatre to come and enjoy high quality Shakespeare performances. After our site visit, we went to the famous Borough Market and got to sample our way through some of the most delicious organic and local foods. I couldn’t resist a sweet potato chickpea burger. We then crossed back over the river and saw the Tower of London. There is currently a monument called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red in order to remember World War I. 888,246 red poppies (representing each fatality from the war) were made by ceramist Paul Cummings, and as each poppy is sold, it is “planted” outside of the tower. All of the money raised from the poppies will be split among six different charities. It was an incredible experience to see the sea of red. And I couldn’t have gone to London without stopping by the Liberty store. Our family has a love for Liberty floral fabrics as my mom used to order Liberty from London and distribute it to stores across the US. I wandered around the store as long as I could and pointed out fabrics that I had dresses made from when I was younger. To top off our last night, Shannon and I couldn't resist hopping off the tube at King's Cross to go see Platform 9 3/4. Somehow Harry Potter never really made it into my childhood, so why not start now when I was in London at the famous platform to Hogwarts? I bought my first ever Harry Potter book and now don't have the fact, "I've never read a Harry Potter book," to win a game of "Never have I ever." I spent our last morning in London exploring the National Gallery where I got to admire some of my favorites paintings, including Monet’s water lilies and Van Gogh’s sunflowers. As our final stop in London, I was in heaven as our class had high tea together at Fortnum & Mason. The Tiffany blue china was beautiful, and we were each served our own pot of delicious tea. We were brought trays and trays of finger sandwiches, scones, pastries and cakes with more trays of various jams and clotted cream. I would move to London just for the high tea experience. I felt like a princess. What a perfect way to say, “See you soon,” to London.
This past week, my host family treated me to two incredible days of adventure and fun. First, Katja and Nuka took me to what I think is the most beautiful castle in Copenhagen: Frederiksborg Castle. Katja grew up in the town where this gorgeous castle stands, so I lucked out with the best tour guide I could possible have. We explored room after room of the incredible structure. One of my favorite areas was the church with one of the most beautiful organs I have even seen. Katja grew up singing occasionally in this church with her choir. The windows and painting were amazing. Another one of my favorite rooms was the Great Hall where extravagant parties used to be held. You could imagine the parties as you walked across the huge room. The walls are lined with portraits of the royal family, and I loved to see how they have evolved over time. A mock dinner table was set up to give the room the feel of how it would be set up for hosting a party hundreds of years ago. We then walked through the gardens in the back that are modeled after the gardens at Versailles. I could have spent all day exploring the gardens and grounds. I was completely in awe of Fredericksborg Castle. Later in the week, Katja, Silja and Nuka took me horseback riding through the forest on Icelandic horses! I was given the sweetest little horse who carried me safe and sound through the forest. After riding in high school, it felt amazing to finally be back in a barn with horses. I couldn’t help but to miss riding so much as we got our horses in the field, groomed and tacked them, and then mounted to go for our ride together. Icelandic horses have a unique gate that resembles a smooth, fast trot called “tölting.” I had never experience anything like it. After bouncing around for a good while, I think that I finally got the hang of it!
The trails were beautiful and we all had an amazing time! Thank you so much Katja for so many great memories! What better way to get to know the Danish culture than attending culture night?! Culture night has been a tradition in Copenhagen for years. Every fall, museums, companies, stores and other institutions stay open late into the night and offer a cultural activity, exhibition, or special event. You buy a Culture Night pass and then can enter the hundreds of fun events that are set up all across the city. Jess and I kicked off culture night by going to one of my favorite restaurants, Mother, for FREE pizza and drinks! We then made our way back toward city center and admired the beautifully rainbow lit Round Tower. DIS had an amazing event in the courtyard of Jess’s building where there was pumpkin carving, hot drinks, a haunted house, and s’mores stations. Nothing is better than a s’more in the fall. Next up for the night was Rosembourg Castle where I finally got to see the crown jewels. It was such a unique experience to explore the castle grounds at night! We then went across the street to the gardens and walked along the lantern-lit paths as we admired the dancers near the lake. Lastly, we went to the National Museum (my second time was just as great as the first with my Danish class!).
Culture night was such a success. It was great to explore Copenhagen at night surrounded by all of the locals taking part in such an incredible tradition. From Prague, to Budapest, to Salzburg, to Zurich, my first travel break was packed with adventure, chaos, and memories that I will never forget. After weeks of planning lodging, transportation and excursions, it was finally time to embark on my 10-day European adventure. Stop 1: Prague After class on Friday, Mary Catherine, Sarah and I flew to Prague as our first stop. The flight went great, then we hopped on a bus heading to a metro station (literally ran and hopped on…bus ticket? Oops). We jumped off at the metro station to find that to get ticket we needed Czech coins instead of bills. We spotted KFC way down the road and went to buy some french-fries to get some change! FINALLY we got our tickets and were on the metro headed towards our Air B&B. For those of you that don’t know, Air B&B is a company that allows people to post open rooms in their homes where you can stay for a few nights. We found it to be WAY cheaper than any hostel! Our host greeted us and had our room perfectly prepared with maps of the city and comfy beds. We were finally settled in Prague! Here’s some photos of our wonderful stay, only about a 25 minute walk from the center of the city. After we unloaded our bags and got a little settled, we met up with one of my wonderful Elon friends, Amory, who is currently studying abroad in Prague! She took us to a pub for some cider and hot cocoa, walked us down to where she takes her film classes in the city, and took us to her favorite late-night food spot, a tiny burrito place where we were all too excited to have a quesadilla that tasted like America. Thanks Amory for such a fun night! Our first morning we went on a beautiful walking tour of the city. Our tour guide was so animated and knew so much about the city. Some highlights included the astronomical clock, the Jewish cemetery, the opera house and the old town square. Our tour guide let us know about cheap student tickets to the opera, so we went for it! We saw Mozart’s Don Giovanni. It was beautiful and such a wonderful experience. The next morning we met up with some of my other Elon friends who are studying abroad in Prague, and then we went on a tour of the Prague Castle, the largest castle in the world! It was like an entire town in itself and we were all awestruck by its beauty and massive structures. After the castle tour, we walked across the Charles Bridge and went out to dinner at a famous Michelin Star restaurant called Mlynec. It. Was. Amazing. The currency is a major bonus in Prague. One Czech krone equals 0.046 USD, so we paid a normal amount for a nice dinner that was actually worth way, way more! You must go to dinner here when you visit Prague. We all enjoyed our last night as we ate while overlooking the Vltava River. We then raced to the train station and thankfully hopped on our overnight train to Budapest just in time. Note to self: trains have NO mercy. It was stopped for maybe one minute and then took off again. Be ready to step on to your train when you travel right when it is schedule to arrive! This train was a nightmare. That is all. Packed, dirty, people with colds, loud, bright lights on the whole time. Ugh. It got us where we needed to go, but it was definitely a low point of travel. You’ve got have some experiences like these to get the full “broke college girl across Europe” experience though! Stop 2: Budapest We arrived in Budapest early in the morning and checked into our Air B&B that could not have been in a more perfect location. We had no idea our apartment would be on the nicest street in Budapest with the Louis Vuitton and Gucci right downstairs. After some exploring, we got ready for our cruise on the Danube River, the water that separates Buda from Pest. After sprinting down the water asking every human in sight where the meeting point was, we finally found our boat (after almost hopping on a boat to Amsterdam…oops again.) This was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. We got the best seat out on the deck and sipped champaign as we sailed between Budapest lit up in the night sky. You must do this if you ever come! It was breathtaking. After the cruise we went out to dinner at a traditional Hungarian restaurant that served some of the best food we had ever had. Some of our favorite Hungarian dishes were the fried dough (an amazing soft baked dough with cheese on top), and paprika bread. YUM. The next morning we went on another amazing walking tour. Always look into free walking tours while traveling. They’re amazing! We went to Saint Peter’s Basilica, walked across the chain bridge, went up to the castle, and then ended at Fisherman’s Bastion. Too soon, it was time to say bye to Budapest and we were on our train to Salzburg. This train compared to the one from Prague to Budapest was like flying first class in the lap of luxury! The train was so clean, quiet and comfortable. The only uncomfortable situation was when two Hungarian men got into an argument with me in sitting right in the middle…so peaceful. Stop 3: Salzburg We arrived safe and sound that night in Salzburg in our hostel that we were SO lucky to have an 8-person group room to ourselves the first two nights! And one of the beautiful things about Salzburg is that everything is in walking distance, so again, we could walk just fine from our room to the city. Our first morning we just had to go on the Sound of Music tour! It was perfect in every way. My mom had done the same tour when she visited Salzburg and highly recommended it, and it was honestly one of my favorite things we did this trip! We saw the outside of the home where the von Trapp family lived, the lake that’s in the backyard of the house, the famous gazebo where Liesel and Rolf sing “16 Going on 17,” and the church where Maria and the captain get married. We also saw the abbey from a distance! When we went to the church, we got to stop and spend some time the adorable town of Mondsee where we enjoyed some crisp apple strudel to keep up the Sound of Music feel! After our tour we spent time in the Mirabell Gardens and ran down the tunnel where Maria and the children ran through. We hopped up and down the steps and ran around the Pegasus sculpture where they sing “Do, Re, Me.” The gardens were stunning. Next, we went to Mozart’s home and went through the museum. I loved this. We got to see Mozart’s original pieces, see some of his instruments, listen to his music, and see his letters. We ended by having some Mozartkugel, the best chocolate ever- so tempting to bring some back! The next day we went on a tour of the salt mines in the Bavarian mountains! The drive was incredible. In the salt mines we rode a little train deep into the mountains, slide down miners’ slides, walked throughout all of the deep tunnels, and even rode a little boat over the water inside. Next, we ascended into the mountain on a tram and went up to the Salzburg Fortress. The view from the top was amazing. The clouds finally lifted and you could see all of Salzburg and the surrounding Alps. I could have stayed up there forever. Lastly, we went to the top of the Hotel Stein for the free view atop their rooftop bar at sunset. That night we watched The Sound of Music and pointed out all of the places we had gone on our tour. In the morning, Sarah was off to Munich for Octoberfest and Mary Catherine and I were off on our bus to Zurich! Stop 4: Zurich Our bus (that we each paid about $25 for) was AMAZING. It was a double decker with reclining comfy seats and a perfect view out the front. Leaving Salzburg at sunrise to drive through Germany was picturesque. Seriously look into traveling by bus with Meinfernbus! So cheap and so nice. As soon as we hopped off the bus in Zurich, Mary Catherine and I went to the famous confectionary: Conditorei Schober. Beautiful and delicious are understatements. We both had a cup of their world famous hot cocoa and a slice of passion fruit cheesecake. What a way to start off Zurich! We then went exploring around the city and visited two famous churches, the Fraumünster and St. Peter. Chagall’s stain glass windows in Fraumünster were absolutely incredible to see in person, and the largest clock face in Europe on St. Peter's tower was amazing. In St. Peters we met some girls studying abroad in Italy from California, and we hit it off so well we all went to dinner together in the cute walking streets of the old town. It was so fun to make some new friends in Zurich and share study abroad stories together! The next day we went to the top of Mount Üetliberg and got a bird’s eye view of the city. The train ride to the top of the mountain was beautiful, and the walk to the top through the woods was so refreshing. We looked out over Zurich and the surrounding mountains and reflected on how thankful we were to have the opportunity to travel around Europe. Swiss cheese fondue was next up on our Zurich food bucket list! We went an adorable restaurant in a hotel known for the best fondue in town. Delicious. We did another free walking tour and got to hear about the history of Zurich as we roamed the streets. We ended at Grossmünster, the last church to check off our list, and were in awe again of the beautiful architecture. Lastly, we went to the Kunsthaus Museum and wandered for hours admiring works by Picasso, Miro, Monet and Chagall.
After ten days of traveling from country to country, managing foreign languages, currency, and public transportation, I was so excited to be back in Copenhagen with my host family. This was a moment of realization that my study abroad experience has officially become where I am comfortable, happy, living and thriving. I would have never thought that Copenhagen would be a place that would bring me so much comfort and peace. When I stepped into the airport, I was relieved instead of overwhelmed by hearing Danish. The metro felt like my car at home as I sat down and had no fear where I was going or how to get home. The pumpkin on the front porch of my host family’s house brought me feelings of fall in Nashville, and laying down in my bed reminded me of coming home for Christmas break from school. Copenhagen now gives me feelings of home, instead of feelings of travel. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, and I can’t help but to beam when I reflect on how this city has transformed from a place of newness and insecurity to a place of comfort and tranquility. Travel Break 1 rolled around the corner in the blink of an eye, and at the end of last week it was time to pack for 10 days across Europe to Prague, Budapest, Salzburg, and Zurich in my backpack and tote bag. Mission accomplished! As I've returned from my trip (post coming soon!) and can confidently say I had no packing issues, I thought I'd share my little guide with you!
After hearing how friends have traveled and browsing numerous travel blogs, I combined my favorite lists and created my own European packing guide with personal tips from my experience. I hope you all can look to this for your future adventures too! Can't wait to fill you all in on my 10-day journey. If you have any packing items or tips to share, let me know! |