Bonjour tout le monde!

 

Sorry for such a huge gap in between posts (there was no room for my laptop on this trip)! It is safe to say that our Winter Break was a huge success! Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, and Rome! I might have aged about 10 years during the span of three weeks but it was well worth it. I got to see SO many things in such a short span of time. I am so lucky and blessed (and happy to make it back in one piece). Three weeks worth of fun is a lot for one blog post so I will give you the condensed version (without leaving out the good parts). For some reason I am having trouble uploading pictures, so once I fix that I will be able to show you everything I did!

 

Chapter One:  Barcelona, Spain

 

I would compare the city of Barcelona to that of a black hole.  It sucks you in and once you’re there it is impossible to get out. We started the first leg of our journey traveling by car to Barcelona. We found a carpooling website where people post what days they will be driving to and from certain cities. My roommate Greta and I signed up to ride with a young couple from Montpellier directly to Barcelona. It was only a three-hour ride and only cost us 20 euros! We were a little worried about this concept, but we got there safe and sound and would definitely recommend this type of transportation if you are looking to safe a little bit of money. The weather in Barcelona was so beautiful when we arrived and I could not wait to get out and see the city. Our friends took us to Bo De B’s, a super famous sandwich shop in the Gothic area of town. The restaurant was super tiny, only seating about 15 people but there was still a line wrapped around the block. I was instructed to get the chicken sandwich with everything on it (except for the spicy sauce). It was delicious but the greatest part about it (and the reason this place is so famous) is that it only costs 3 euros! During the weekend we were in Barcelona, and the main reason for our trip there, was for Abroadfest. Abroadfest is three nights of concerts at different clubs in Barcelona. It is a chance for all American students who are studying abroad to get together in one place and have one hell of a time. During the course of our stay in Barcelona I got to see all my friends from school who I haven’t seen in months. Some highlights of the weekend were watching the sun rise on the beach, getting the best pancakes from Milk, seeing Cedric Gervais play his remix of Adore You by Miley Cyrus(my fave), and getting kicked out of our hostel (not fun). Since no one in Barcelona goes to bed before 6 am or wakes up before 3 pm, it was hard to do the touristy sight seeing things. My roommate and I did get to see the famous Sagrada Familia Basilica though. It was absolutely beautiful! Sunday morning we got a cab home from the club, packed our things and were headed straight to the airport for our 8 am flight to Prague. Don’t worry, Greta and I got to nap in the terminal during our 5-hour layover in Brussels. After an exhausting day of traveling and barely any sleep, we arrived at our hostel in Prague at 8 pm and went directly to bed. But not before buying Chinese food for $3! I knew Prague was going to be a wonderful place.

 

Chapter 2:  Prague, Czech Republic

 

Greta and I were relieved to have chosen a nice hostel compared to our experience in Barcelona…

 

This one provided us with a HUGE free breakfast every morning (music to our ears). When we left the hostel on Monday morning, and saw Prague for the first time during the day light I was a little shocked. It was definitely different from any other European city I had been to. Being a post-communist city, everything from the buildings, to the clothing and the people were just slightly off. The currency was the hardest thing for me to get used to. 1 Czech Koruna = $0.05 USD. So the first time I ordered a beer and saw the price was 300 Koruna, I was a little baffled. I was even more surprised when I calculated that to be only $1.50 USD! Just like in Barcelona, so many of our friends from school were in Prague visiting because it was Penn State’s spring break. It was nice to travel in a big group and actually do some sight seeing (opposed to Barcelona). We went on some very informative historic tours of the city, got to visit the beautiful old castle, and of course enjoy the authentic Czech cuisine.

 

Fun Fact:  The Rolling Stone’s paid for the lights to be installed around the castle because they wanted it to be seen from the city at night. Sick.

 

There was surprisingly a huge nightlife in Prague, which I was not expecting. By Wednesday night, we had pretty much seen and experienced everything we wanted to and were ready for our next stop:  Budapest.

 

 

Chapter Three:  Budapest, Hungary

 

We decided the best way to travel from Prague to Budapest was to take an 8-hour overnight train. This ride ended up being 10 hours long (because of unforeseen train problems) and we arrived in Budapest at 10 am on Thursday morning. Being woken up at every boarder to have your ticket checked on the train isn’t really considered a “good night’s rest” but we were so excited to be in Budapest so we weren’t phased by the little sleep we got on the train. We checked into our hostel and immediately went out to explore. We traveled from the Pest side (where our hostel was) to the Buda side to check out the castle and the amazing view from the top. After stopping for some authentic Hungarian cuisine (sausages and saut�ed vegetables) we went on a tour of the Jewish Quarter. We learned about the Jewish history of Budapest and saw every synagogue in the city. The tour ended at one of the most famous “ruins” bars in the world. Despite looking like a hole in the wall from the outside, this bar was ENORMOUS on the inside. It was kind of like a yard sale meets a tailgate and it was very cool. Budapest was filled with very cool modern bars, which was very surprising to me considering they were just a communist country only 25 years ago. Because Budapest is known for its traditional Turkish baths, this was on the top of my list for things to do during our stay. We went to the Szechenyi Baths, one of the biggest baths in Budapest. There were 21 different pools that are open all year long. It was a little nippy the day we went but even the outside pools were nice and warm. Although the majority of the crowds at the bathhouse were old men in speedos, it was an experience of a lifetime and definitely something you should try if you ever make it to Hungary! Budapest was definitely my favorite city on the trip. That was until I tried the spaghetti in Rome…

 

Chapter Four: Rome, Italy

 

By the time we arrived in Rome, we were completely exhausted (mentally, physical, emotionally) from traveling around Europe for the past week and a half. It was becoming routine to being dropped in a new country I had never been in and figuring it out. Figuring out public transit, which restaurants to go to, landmarks to see (all while trying to be conscious of spending) is something I was getting quite accustomed to. So by the time we got to Rome we were pros at figuring out the lay of land, which was perfect because Rome has SO MUCH to see and do. I immediately fell in love with the language. It seemed like everyone in Rome was so happy, outgoing and excited. Everyone was very helpful and willing to speak English, which is always a plus. We got to see all of the main attractions:  The Vatican, The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, The Colloseum, and of course indulge in the AMAZING cuisine.

Note: Gelato every day is a must!

Sadly, I don’t think I will ever be able to eat spaghetti again unless it is in Italy (I don’t know if this is good or bad…). The only down side of Rome was the annoying men at every tourist attraction trying to sell you crap. They run right up into your face and try to put things in your hand. After four days of being harassed by them I was ready to leave. Except for that one little downside, Rome is the most beautiful and interesting city I had ever been to. I would recommend anyone to go there and would really like to make it back some time in my life. Although I saw so many things in my short stay, there is still so much of that huge city to discover.

 

Montpellier felt like a completely different place when we returned. The weather was warmer and there were many more people on the streets. I was so excited to take a nice hot shower and be back in my own bed. I slept for about 14 hours the night I got home (much needed) and woke up feeling so refreshed. The last three weeks were some of the most amazing weeks of my life. I got to see and do more things than many people do in a lifetime! It really reminded me how lucky I am to be here and experience so much culture.

 

� bient�t!

Location: Montpellier, France