This break I had over 5 weeks off from school. Instead of flying home for the break, I decided to spend the money to travel more around Europe. I visited four countries and was able to do it with friends and family. Now I’m exhausted, traveled-out, and sick, but you’ll quickly see that it was all worth it.

Vienna, Austria

I spent Christmas in Vienna with three St. Edward’s alum. In Vienna, we quickly realized how seriously Christmas is celebrated. We made many mistakes by thinking that places would be open around the Christmas holiday. We had to stock up on groceries on the Dec. 23., because the stores were closing for the holiday — some didn’t reopen until after the New Year. I think our biggest mistake we made was an attempt to go to a famous Biergarten. Upon arrival, we discovered that the Biergarten was closed until Mar. 3, and was located within the amusement park, Prater. Prater is a weird place — weird as in deserted and terrifying and confusing as to why you can walk through it when it is closed. It honestly felt like we were in the movie House of Wax. I later found out from a friend who lived in Vienna that it is known to be a soliciting area for prostitutes in the off-season. Besides that, we spent our time relaxing, eating sausage filled with cheese (a game-changer), and drinking gluhwein and punsch. 

Budapest, Hungary

After Christmas,we took a train to Budapest where we discovered we made another mistake with our tickets and had to purchase new ones. Although the Austrian conductor accepted our tickets, the Hungarian didn’t. We spent our time in Hungary relaxing at the baths and with my Hungarian friend David. One night he came into the city and brought us cabbage rolls that his grandmother had made for us. While we were eating, he showed us pictures of the pig that we were eating (both alive and dead). Budapest was beautiful and I need to go to the baths daily. 

Prague, The Czech Republic

We spent a week in Prague and celebrated the New Year there. We stayed in an amazing apartment that was owned by a local couple that gives food tours of Prague. The kitchen and bathroom walls were chalkboards, and a local artist painted all over the rest of the apartment with a map of the area we were staying in. We found Prague to be a beautiful and hip city. Most importantly, New Year’s Eve was crazier than I expected. We went to Old Town Square, and encountered the most dangerous, out-of-control fireworks. There was debris and glass everywhere, but miraculously the next day it was all gone. 

Berlin, Germany

We decided to stop in Berlin because it was cheaper than the flight back to Copenhagen. I loved it and think I could see myself living there. Maybe this is because its weirdness reminded me of Austin! The hipsters there aren’t messing around. 

Mainz, Germany

My mother came to visit and we went to her hometown of Mainz where I was able to see where she grew up and met relatives I didn’t know existed. Mainz is a beautiful, small city located along the Rhein just outside of Frankfurt. The city is also a historical site for ancient Roman settlers. It was a relaxing trip and we were sad to return to the very windy Copenhagen.