Since my last post, I have traveled to Prague, Czech Republic; Nice, France; Barcelona, Spain; and of course I have been exploring Florence a little bit more. From these travels I have realized that food is just as much essential to the culture as art and history. Thankfully, I was able to experience the culturally significant cuisine in all of these places and here is what I found:

Prague knows its street food.

To me, Prague embodies a big beautiful, modern city that was taken right out of a Disney fairytale. The architecture is colorful and traditional while mixed with rows and rows of stores and restaurants. I found that the easiest way to eat good food while still being able to explore Prague was to get the street food. The first street food I tried was a trdelnik. If I could have one dessert for the rest of my life it would be a trdelnik. It is a hollow cylindrical pastry that can have fillings like Nutella or ice cream and are dusted with sugar, nuts or cinnamon. You can find them almost anywhere in the city being made right before your eyes.

It was pretty fishy in Nice.

The beautiful coast of Nice

Nice (pronounced like niece) sits on the coast of France and is one of the most beautiful cities. Surrounded by blue water and breath taking views, there is no place quiet like Nice. While not wondering the beach, I splurged on a local cuisine: seafood. From salmon to haddock to crab, Nice is a fish lovers dream. My first French fish experience was with a seafood spaghetti. Noodles covered in marinara sauce were paired with plenty of scallops, shrimp (that still had the eyeballs attached) and muscles. It was a meal that many Americans are probably familiar with, but not many have been able to experience the taste of fish from Nice, which is unlike any other.

Crazy for paella.

If you’re the type that likes to have an early dinner and be in bed before nine, then Barcelona is the yin to your yang. Barcelonans enjoy large late night dinners, which is paired with staying o
ut until 6 a.m. In between midafternoon naps, the people of Barcelona enjoy a big skillet of paella. Paella is typically rice cooked with fish, meat and an assortment of vegetables. It’s salty, savory and so filling that you want to roll out of the restaurant.

The more the merrier.

My favorite course of grilled vegetables

While in Florence I had the opportunity to experience a traditional five-course meal for a class that I am taking on food and culture. Our teacher took us to restaurant that is Chianti, an area in Tuscany that is known for its many wineries. Once at the restaurant we were seated and immediately served warm bread to start the meal. For the first course, we had a crepe that was filled with radishes and cheese. Once we were finished, we were served a creamy and thick risotto that had pieces of asparagus. Our third course was penne pasta with meat sauce and peas. Our last course before dessert was grilled vegetables with a smoked cheese (my favorite course). And lastly, we were given a dessert that looked like a piece of cake that was made out of ingredients for a cannoli.

If you think this sounds like an extreme amount of food, then you’re right. As Americans we aren’t used to eating this many courses at one sitting. But if you ever get the chance to experience a five course meal I highly suggest it!

Food has been one of the best parts of my study abroad journey. If you’re thinking about going over seas, I suggest preparing to indulge in the delicacies of the world by bringing loose fitting clothes. You wont regret it.

Location: Florence, Italy

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

Coming to Florence, I had a lot of expectations of the people, food, culture and city. But after spending almost three weeks in this lovely city I can confidently say that most of my expectations were not met by the reality.

Expectation: Everyone eats pizza and pasta all the time.

Gusta Pizza is a popular pizza place that will shape your pizza like a heart!

Reality: Ok so this is very true when going out to eat. At almost every restaurant I’ve been to the menu is completely filled with different pasta dishes and unique pizza toppings. But when at the local markets it’s clear that the locals have a more colorful pallet. And this pallet includes rabbit and horse!

Expectation: Everyday is another magical adventure in Italy.

Reality: Since getting to Florence I have had many moments where I have felt at peace with Italy. And honestly almost none of those moments have been while taking in a breath taking view or eating the world’s greatest pasta. Those moments have been when I have gotten lost by myself and have found my way back. Or when I have been walking through the rain eating a Panini completely alone. Because lets be honest, what’s cooler than eating a Panini in Italy???

While walking in the rain with a panini has been great, the views here in Italy are unbelievable as well.

Expectation: Locals welcome you into their culture with open arms.

Reality: I have not had a bad experience with locals, but I have yet to have an amazing moment. Other than my teachers and staff members at school, I have not had a chance to interact with many locals. As an American it feels like they are aware of my inadequate knowledge of how their culture works. My goal in fixing is going to be to get out of comfort zone and put myself in more situations where I am able to interact with locals.

Expectation: Other students will already have a lot of friends and will be cliquey.

Reality: This expectation has definitely been the most wrong when it comes to the reality! I have five other roommates and two are from Arizona State University, two from Rutgers University and one from Mexico. Even though we all come from different places we have been able to connect through the great experience we are all having together. We have already traveled to Rome, Pisa and Lucca together and we plan to go on more trips in the near future!

For the most part, I have been enlightened by the reality of not needing to have expectations and just “going with the flow.” When coming abroad you can imagine all you want what your experience will be like but I promise that reality will change everything. And if you allow it, the reality will be better than any expectation you could imagine.

My name is Sophia Fox and I am junior majoring in print and digital journalism and I will be spending my semester in Florence, Italy.

You should know that I am currently lying in my bed in my own bedroom that is in my average American house that sits in my little neighborhood, which is located in a little suburb, which is surrounded by more little suburbs. And this is one of the last times I can say that before I leave for a trip that will take me across the world for the next four months.

I’ve lived in the same house for over 10 years and I know the scenery outside of my window in my bedroom like the back of my hand. But after four months, I can’t help but to think that it may not be as recognizable. I wonder what the scenery will be like outside my window in Florence and will it become as familiar. Will I change as a person and become someone different than I am today or will I be just as recognizable as I was when I left?

In all honestly, it really still has not hit me that I leave in less than two days. But I came pretty close yesterday as I was driving home from hanging out with some of my college friends for the last time, I turned to my friend and said “We are going to be spending a semester traveling around in Europe. That is unreal.” Unreal is about the only word I can really think of to use to describe what the next four months will be like.

It is unreal that me, a pretty average American college student, will leave my comfortable life to live within a culture I no nothing about, let alone the native language. It is unreal that my family and my marvelous college have given me this opportunity. It’s unreal that I will be leaving some of the greatest people I have ever met in State College, but their endless encouragement has made it slightly easier.

Within the next 72 hours I will embark on a trip of a lifetime. My final word of thought is: unreal.

Location: Harrisburg, PA 17110