Before leaving for my study abroad program I could have easily made a list of cities that I knew I wanted to see. When coming to my program, I thought that I was going to stick to my list and that was that. But I got the chance to travel to three different cities that I never would have expected to visit and I absolutely loved it!

A week ago I traveled to Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg in three days. Even though I was on a bus for a total of 16 hours traveling, it was worth every single minute!

Our first stop for the weekend was Budapest, Hungary. To me, Budapest is the up and coming

Skyline view of Budapest

city for younger travelers! The city is extremely clean and completely filled with restaurants, stores and so much to see. We didn’t need to use public transportation to get around which was even better. Hungary is known for its “public” bathes, but it’s almost like a large Jacuzzi with minerals that are supposed to be healthy for you. At night, we dined at a Hungarian style restaurant and paid 20 euros for all we could eat and drink. Other than all the amazing Italian food, this was by far the best meal I’ve had.

The next morning we got back on the bus to cross the borders to Vienna, Austria. Across the street from our hostel was a traditional Austrian market. There we dined on Austrian food and sweets before exploring the city. Austria is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. While walking around the city, we came across Sigmund Freud’s house! I had no idea that he was from Vienna, so it was another moment that was completely unplanned but unforgettable. In his house, his study is still set up with the original furniture and pictures hanging on the wall. It was unforgettable.

After Vienna, we traveled to the where the Sound of Music was filmed! Salzburg looks exactly as

The church that was used for the wedding scene in the Sound of Music

it did in the movie, beautiful with lots and lots of hills. The hills are still alive and well! There, we were able to take a Sound of Music tour and go to the locations of multiple scenes. It was also awesome to explore the city that the actual von Trapp family lived in.

In all, this weekend was one of the greatest trips I’m sure I will ever experience. The lesson I learned was that I should always keep my options open no matter what it comes. You never know, you might find yourself eating a strudel in the middle of Austria!

Location: Budapest, Hungary; Vienna, Austria; Salzburg, Austria