Final Destination... Prague

The Astrological Clock

The last stop on my Eastern Europe spring break trip was Prauge.  So many of my friends had raved about it before my arrival so I couldn't wait to experience it for myself.  Like Budapest, this is another city that I believe can only be described as magical.  Just walking the streets that first morning, I could tell what a wonderful, laid-back feel the city had.

View from the top of the tower

The first stop on my list of things to see was the Astrological Clock, one of Prague's most famous sights.  After admiring it from the outside, we decided to climb the tower to the top, where we had an incredible view of the city below.  Back down in the square, the city seemed to be getting ready for Easter.  Trees were decorated with streamers and eggs and several giant, painted eggs were strewn throughout.  I spent the rest of the day leisurely exploring the city, stumbling upon the many treasures Prague had to offer.  The Saint Charles Bridge was one of the main wonders we got to enjoy that afternoon.  The bridge was filled with so much variety.  Jewelry, paintings, and

The John Lennon wall

Next we found our way to the John Lennon wall on the other side of the bridge.  The wall was filled with bright colors and messages from people all over the world.  I spent quite some time reading all of the different messages and even added my own, tying myself with the others around the world who had visited the wall before me.

Saint Vitus Cathedral

We spent the evening at the Saint Vitus Cathedral.  Though it was closed by the time we got there, just hanging out outside of the cathedral was such a great time in itself.  As was the rest of Prague, everything there was so calm and relaxed.  Sitting on top of the hill where the Cathedral was, we could also see the city down below for yet another gorgeous view of the city.
From there we could see the sun setting on the river, an incredible sight against the backdrop of the city.
The next day was filled with the same kinds of leisurely explorations, soaking up this incredible new culture and enjoying the beautiful views that seemed to appear every time I turned a corner.  I went back to the Saint Charles Bridge that evening where I enjoyed another beautiful sunset and wandered about, enjoying the music of the Bridge Band and the company of the rich culture around me.

Sun setting over the Saint Charles Bridge

Auschwitz

Auschwitz entry

After leaving Krakow, I continued my spring break journey onto an unforgettable and possibly the most indescribable place I have ever seen.. but I will try to capture its essence in a few words.  Leading up to Auschwitz I was very nervous.  I've spent a lot of time reading about and studying the Holocaust so I really wasn't sure how seeing the actual camp would affect me.
I've read personal accounts and detailed descriptions of the incredible number of people whose lives were affected by the Holocaust, but I really don't think I understood it until visiting Auschwitz.  Upon my arrival, I was immediately presented with row after row of bunk houses that inmates were forced to live in.  Walking inside the cabins, I could see just how bare they were.  Some were lucky enough to have bunks to sleep in, though they were often shared by 3 inmates, while others slept on straw mattresses on the floor.
Walking through the camp was a haunting experience, realizing that Holocaust victims had walked the same paths I was walking now, only with fear for their lives.  I tried to imagine how these people must have felt upon their arrival to the camp and in their day to day lives here.  Seeing the places they spent their days really helped me to envision what they must have gone through but I know that my mind cannot even fathom all of the atrocities that really took place.

Auschwitz bunk houses

I saw the courtyard where prisoners were taken outside and lined up against a wall to be shot.  The windows of the buildings on either side were boarded up so that inmates inside could only hear what was going on right outside but could not see.  I also saw the cells they were kept in before being killed as well as cells in which some of the most unfortunate were starved to death or tortured.  I could not believe that all of this was real.
Another building contained collections of possessions that were taken away from prisoners upon their arrival.  Several rooms contained mountains of shoes.  Others had collections of eye glasses, combs, or pots and pans.  One that shocked me most was a room-sized glass casing filled with human hair.  We were told that after prisoners' heads were shaved, Germans would use this hair to make rugs and other things.  These huge collections also helped put into perspective the number of people whose lives had been destroyed here and their existence made the dehumanization that these people had gone through even more real.

Birkenau

After visiting Auschwitz, we also took a tour of the adjoining camp, Birkenau.  This camp was less detailed in showing how prisoners lived but even more massive.  Much of the camp had been destroyed when the war ended and the Germans wanted to get ride of evidence of the camps, but it was obvious how many bunk houses had been there at one point.  From inside the camp, we could see the train tracks where cars loaded with prisoners would arrive to be sorted immediately between who would be put to work and who would be killed right away.  I was so taken aback by the insanity of such insensitivity to human life.
There were so many more thoughts that ran through my mind during my time at Auschwitz but so much of it cannot be expressed in words.  This was easily one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.  Though visiting the camps was definitely an emotional and difficult experience, I feel that it was such an important event in my life.

Crazy in Krakow

Awesome Architecture of Krakow

The next destination on my Eastern Europe adventure trip was Krakow, Poland.  We arrived in the evening, just in time for dinner.  Not far from our hostel we found a Mexican restaurant (a taste a Texas/California girl really starts to miss) which turned out to be surprisingly delicious and even somewhat authentic.  After dinner we hit the town and found the nightlife in Krakow to be something else.  Promotors seemed to be waiting around every corner to get the college students into their bars and clubs.  A few hours later, I bid the still lively city goodnight as once again, the following day brought with it a full agenda.

St. Mary's

The next day began with a walking tour of the city.  If I thought I had already experienced the most incredible architecture before this, I soon learned I was wrong.  Krakow's architecture presented yet another beautiful and unique style with tall, thin spires topping just about every building I passed.  The incredible thing about this city was the amount of its structures that had been left in tact and not destroyed in times of war and conflict like the buildings of so many other European countries I had seen.  History unfolded all around me and simultaneously mixed together with the

Flower Market

modern architecture.  Not far from our hostel was the Main Market Square with St. Mary's Cathedral and a beautiful flower market.  Legend has it that the two towers of St. Mary's were built by two rivaling brothers, competing to see who could make the taller tower.  The flower market we the thing that really caught my eye with it's bright colors.  Upon closer examination, I could see that

Pope John Paul II's window 

they were not all regular flowers, but many were pieces of straw and other materials made in to beautiful arrangements or some even into chickens!
Our tour guide also took the time to point out the places where the pope John Paul II grew up and spent his time in Poland.  I even saw the very window he used to look out of, which now commemorates him with a giant picture of him, as if he were still looking out the window.
Krakow has over 120 places of Catholic worship, many of which I saw on the tour.  It seemed that every street brought with it a new church, each more elaborate than the next.  I suppose I had never imagined Krakow to be such a holy city, but upon seeing the number of churches, I couldn't help but realize this fact.
Our tour guide was full of knowledge about the city but also just as full of legends which she was proud to share.  One legend told the story of a dragon who lived under a bridge.

Bones of the Wawel Dragon!

Outside one of the churches hung what our tour guide claimed to be the bones of this dragon!  After the tour, I spent the rest of the day exploring Krakow with a couple of friends.  We wandered the streets coming across even more churches and incredible architecture.  At the end of the day, I felt that I had seen so much of the city but could tell that it still had so much more to offer.
The next morning my theories were proven correct as I set off for a tour of the Jewish ghetto.  Our incredibly knowledgeable tour guide told us the tragic history of the Jews in Poland and about how they had been some of the biggest targets for Hitler
and the Nazis.  After viewing the Jewish synagogue, graveyard, and Hebrew school, the tour ended at the Schindler Museum.  The entire Schindler Factory (yes, from the movie Schindler's list) had been transformed into a museum documenting the circumstances and persecution of Jews during Hitler's rule.  I was overwhelmed by the incredible interviews of Holocaust survivors, authentic newspaper articles,

The Schindler Factory

and personal belongings shown in the museum.  I knew that this day was only a small preparation for what would come the next day on my visit to Auschwitz, but it still had an intense effect on me.  I found myself struck by the reality of the situation.  I had been learning about the Holocaust for years but had never really linked it explicitly with Poland or understood its historical context until now.
 After spending a majority of the day in the museum, we emerged emotionally drained.  We grabbed a quick dinner at a cute little place which served the Polish version of apple pancakes and then headed back to our hostel.

Enchanted by Budapest

View from Our Hotel

After leaving Bratislava, we drove for a few more hours and eventually arrived in Budapest, Hungary.  Driving into the city, we were already surrounded by incredible architecture.  As it was already getting dark, we went straight to our hotel which turned out to be Marilyn Monroe themed... a little reminder of home.  Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen for five girls... this was the greatest luxury we had seen in quite
some time after experiences of hostels over the past several months.  We settled in with a classic college

Inside St. Stephen's

student meal of bread and cheese and got ready for a night on the town...it was St. Patrick's Day after-all!  Budapest's nightlife was very exciting and we all loved the idea of paying only 2 euros to get into a club.  But we didn't stay out too late because the next day would be full of adventure.
The next morning I walked outside onto the balcony of the hotel and found an incredible view of the city... only a glimpse at what was to come that day.  Our first stop was at St. Stephen's Basilica, whose size was overwhelming enough just from the outside.  But upon entering the structure, I found that it was not the exterior that was most impressive.  It seemed that

Matthias Church

every inch of this basilica's interior was lined with gold.  This church had to rival Notre Dame for its internal beauty.  I had to remember that this was
only my first stop in Budapest and that there would be so much more beauty to see.
We slowly made our way up to the top of the city where the Matthias Church was.  Yet again I was impressed by something I had never seen before, a brightly colored roof on the church.  Colored tiles of orange, turquoise, brown, green, and red formed an elaborate pattern on the rooftop, unlike that of any church I have ever seen.  Not far from the church was an overlook of the Danube river, beyond which I could see all kinds of elaborate buildings.  As I admired the intricacy and unique shape of each building I learned that these were used for Parliament or perhaps different office buildings...nothing as elaborate as the exterior

View of the Danube River

might have suggested.  It was incredible to see such creativity put into every day buildings...something I was not used to seeing at home.

Parliament Building across the Danube

From the Danube we made our way through the city, passing the Buda Castle, Heroes Square, and a beautiful little park where the sun was shining and people were playing music.  What an incredible way to spend the day and what a beautiful community.  At the edge of the park was a building the Hungarians frequented on such beautiful days... the Turkish baths.  This was a cultural experience I was not about to pass up.  The water was incredible and after days of moving around and being on a bus, a soak in the hot water was just what I needed.  The bath was huge and
filled with all of the locals, taking their weekend to relax.  While enjoying the tranquility of the Turkish bath I could also watch the people around me and sense their culture.  These are the times that you have to take a step back and realize where you are... in the Turkish baths of Budapest, surrounded by my friends and by the locals, life couldn't get any better.
Our walk back to the hotel brought even more life to the city.  All of the incredible buildings and statues I had seen during the day were lit up at night, giving them an enchanting glow.  Wandering in the direction of home, we stumbled upon a beautiful Medieval-looking castle and walked right into the piazza created in the middle

Turkish Baths

of it.  At the end of the day, Budapest is my favorite city that I have visited so far and I hope to return someday.  As for now, I recommend to anyone who is looking for somewhere new and interesting to go (and to save some money while you're at it)... GO TO BUDAPEST.  You won't regret it.

3-hour stop in Bratislava

Step two of my Eastern Europe journey was a stop in Bratislava, Slovakia, which is just on the way to Budapest.  Within my 3-hour stay in this city, I was able to see the Castle of Bratislava, an obviously rebuilt version and not the Medieval castle I was hoping to see, but none the less beautiful in its own way.  After a little exploring, we quickly found that one of the town's major selling points was the food, and the other was the amazing prices... I couldn't believe how little I spent on lunch!  In Bratislava I sampled a delicious black bean stew and bell peppers stuffed with sheep cheese...a wonderful change from the pizza and pasta of Italy.  Although the stop was brief, it was incredible to take in even more Eastern European culture, hearing and trying to speak a new language, experiencing new food, and meeting new people.  

USD kids in front of the Castle of Bratislava

Spring Break in Eastern Europe: Phase 1- Vienna

This year for spring break I decided to take advantage of being abroad and having a full ten days worth of traveling.  Along with a few other friends, I signed up with a company called EuroAdventures which is a company that takes students on discounted trips throughout Europe, entirely transported by busses.  The destinations of my particular trip were Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Krakow, Poland; Auschwitz, Poland;  and Prague, Czech Republic.  All of those locations would be hit within this ten day span.  I prepared myself for spending just as much time on the bus as I would off of it but I knew that it would be totally and completely worth it as this was a once in a lifetime experience.

Horses in Austria

The first leg of the journey was the longest: a 2.5 hour train ride to Florence followed by a 10+ hour bus ride into Vienna, Austria.  We arrived early in the morning after a relatively sleepless night.  After a few cups of tea, I mustered the energy required to get out into the city.  Once out and about, I found myself alive with excitement and ready to see what Vienna had to offer.  We began the day with a walking tour of the city.  I was overwhelmed by the incredible architecture, which was so different from anything I had seen at home or even in Rome.  St. Stephen's Cathedral was among the first sights on our list and was still incredibly impressive despite the fact that it had partially been destroyed by a fire.  Intricately decorated buildings and elaborate statues lined

St. Stephen's

every street.  On a more personal level, numerous horses and carriages also caught my eye, reminding me of the horse I left at home and made me long to ride again.

Schonbrunn Palace- admiring the "statue"

Belvedere Palace

Following the tour of the city I experienced my first "street meat": an Austrian sausage filled with cheese- one of the more incredible meals I've bought off of the street in quite some time.  With a few friends, I set off to explore the rest of the city.  First we wandered upon the Schonbrunn Palace, famous for its beautiful gardens...or so I had been told.  To my surprise, all we could see were rocks!  Apparently it is only in the summer months that the palace garden is tended too.  Even the statues in the garden were covered with big, ugly tarps!  However, the palace itself was lovely thing to see on its own.  Next I headed to the Belvedere Palace, meaning "beautiful view" and it was just that.  On one side, the palace had an incredible view of the rest of Austria while the other had a huge pond in front of it in which you could see the Palace's reflection.  Finally my image of Austria had fallen into place.  This was the beauty and glamor that I had expected from the country of Captain Van Trap and Fräulein Maria.
The Danube river proved to be just as impressive.  We couldn't have had better timing as we hit the river just around sunset and the sky turned beautiful shades of orange, purple, and pink, providing the perfect backdrop to the Austrian skyline

The Danube

As a final farewell, we treated ourselves to a traditional Austrian dinner of schnitzel, which I had never tried before but will now always be on my mental list of favorite foods.
The nightlife in Vienna was dominated by the Bermuda Triangle, appropriately named as the streets turned and twisted in a confusing maze of bar after bar.  After a little taste of this, it was time for bed as the next morning brought another bus ride and new cities to explore!

It's All Greek to Me

On March 9th I boarded the plane to make my second international journey since arriving in Rome.  I was traveling to Athens where I planned to meet my dad and his girlfriend, Maryanne.  After arriving in the airport, I surprised myself by figuring the public transportation and way to my hotel on my own...a challenge that I do not successfully meet on a regular basis.  I made my way through "the hood" as we came to call our area to the lovely little Art Hotel where I was served tea and pound cake upon my arrival...already off to a good start.  I spent the next few hours relaxing and indulging in the "cultural experience" of the jacuzzi bath in my hotel room (one of the benefits that comes along with traveling with parents) until my dad and Maryanne arrived.

Arriving in Aegina

That night we enjoyed an elegant dinner at the top of a hill in the middle of the city, looking down with a gorgeous view from all sides.  Little did we know that this delicious feast was only the beginning of the incredible food we were about to enjoy over the course of the weekend.  With full bellies, we headed back down the hill in a gondola  and back to our hotel.  

The next morning we got an early start and headed for the island of Aegina, which our lovely concierge Zoe assured us would be much nicer than Athens.  After a quick ride on the Flying Dolphin hydrofoil we arrived on the island.  The dock was cluttered with little tiny fishing boats and their owners, admiring the catch of the day and cleaning their boats.  From the moment we stepped foot on the island, we knew we had chosen the right place to spend the day.  Unlike the people of Athens, the inhabitants of Aegina were friendly, happy to have tourists, and proud of the history of their island, as the first capital of Greece.  We spent our first hour or so wandering the streets near the water, admiring the shops, and grimacing at some which had whole lambs and rabbits, eyes and all hanging in the windows.  We also discovered several stands selling pistachios which were grown right on the island.

Pistachios 

Our first stop was to find the Temple of Aphaia, as Zoe had recommended.  Upon first sight, I couldn't help but think of the Parthenon (which I had not yet seen).  Although much of the temple had been destroyed, I was surprised at the amount that had been left intact.  Looking at the huge marble columns and walls, one cannot help but wonder just how this temple was built.  It must have taken true dedication and a lot of manpower.  

The beach in Aegina

From the temple of Aphai, we headed onwards to find one of the famous Greek beaches.  On the way there our cab driver point out to us a hill covered in at least 30 little tiny churches and explained to us that when the weather was nice, you could climb the hill and visit each of them.  But with the weather not in our favor and only a day on the island, we decided to continue onwards.  Soon we arrived in an almost abandoned little beach town.  It seemed that in March, which is definitely not the peak of tourist season in Greece, the entire town closed down.  The beach itself was littered with trash and cigarette butts.  Despite the need for a little bit of clean-up, the beach's beauty still radiated throughout the area and I could tell that in the summer time, it must be incredible.  But without good weather, we weren't tempted to stay long and decided to head back near the docks to find some lunch.

Greek Salad

Off of one of the side streets we found an empty little place and wondered if it was empty for a good reason.  We decided to try our luck and stay for lunch...which turned out to be amazing.  First came the Greek salad with one of the creamiest and most delicious feta cheeses I have ever tried and incredible, fresh vegetables.  Next came the meat, chicken and pork with roasted potatoes on the side and to top it off, stuffed bell peppers.  What a meal!  We spent the next hour or so wandering the shops where we found baklava to take home for later and then it was time to head back on the hydrofoil.
Back in Athens that night we decided to explore the town's night life.  After a light dinner of small gyro appetizers, we wandered in and out of several different bars and restaurants, all crowded with Greek people and loud, Greek music.  What a wonderful way to experience the Greek culture!

The Parthenon

Sunday morning item number one on the agenda was to see the Parthenon.  We hiked uphill where it was situated and were surprised to see several stray dogs lying around.  After a little research I learned that the city of Athens gives the dogs their vaccinations and fixes them and then turns them loose again in the city.  The dogs tend to congregate around the Parthenon because it's a peaceful area with no cars or other major disturbances.  Hiking up the hill to the temple itself, it was easy to see why this hill had been chosen: we were given an incredible view of the city below.
Upon reaching the top, this structure was even larger than I had pictured and definitely more impressive than the Temple of Aphaia that I had

View of Athens from the Parthenon

seen the day before.  As I wandered the ruins, I was captivated by the sheer size of everything.  Next to the main temple I was also surprised to see the caryatids, columns made in the shape of women,
supporting the roof on the front porch of the smaller temple, which I had forgotten were there.  I would later learn that these were not the originals but would see the originals in the museum of the Parthenon. After wandering the area for a bit longer, we were chased out by oncoming of rain and found cover inside the Parthenon museum where we saw originals of many of the statues that were once inside the structure.  These were incredible to see as many had been so well preserved.

The Caryatids

Although I had only spent two days in Greece, I realized the breadth of wonders that I was able to experience.  I had seen an island with beaches and eaten incredible food.  I had eaten at the top of the mountain and grabbed traditional gyros off the street.  I had seen the Greek night life and heard Greek music.  And to top it all off I had seen the Parthenon...one of the oldest structures in history.  And to make it even better, I had spent the trip with family, a much needed comfort after a few months away from home.