daydreaming

Salzburg is one of those places you daydream about. One that you don't think actually exists because it is too perfect to ever be a reality. It could have been the beautiful weather, or the perfect placement of the river, fortress and Alps, but whatever it is Salzburg knows how to do it right. This city was my flatmate Amy's favourite place we visited and I can totally understand why. I will hopefully never forget images of the crystal clear skies against the Alps backdrop, with a mixture of cute houses and greenery in the foreground. I tried to capture the essence of the city with my camera and this is the best I could do. 

Everything about what we saw in Salzburg was magical. I would definitely recommend this city to anyone travelling in Austria, or near Austria. I am so glad we decided to make the trip all the way over there. After Salzburg we stayed in Austria and made our way up to Vienna (pictures for that coming soon - plus the other 7 cities we visited). But for now it is off to bed and then to Denmark tomorrow morning. xo

london town

As I mentioned before I fell in love with London. And this wasn't the type of love that happens instantly. Unlike some of the other places I have been it didn't hit me right as I stepped off the bus/plane. It happened over the course of the day. But I think it is the one that I can see myself heading back to. I will see if that same feeling hits me when I go back for the Royal Wedding :) Here are a few pictures from my way-too-short of a time in London.

Buckingham Palace

St. James Park

So happy

Obligatory

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

This was just the beginning of our trip around Europe. It wasn't even supposed to be a destination...it was just the only place we could get a flight out to Salzburg. But I am so glad I got to get a little sneak peek at the city before I head back a couple more times. xo

not all those who wander are lost

I am home from my 2 and a half week long trip through five European countries. Insane sounding, I know. So much to see in so little time, but I felt that I got a really good grasp of every city I visited. 
Let me start off by saying the trip was absolutely amazing (obviously). I got to see so many places that lots of people will never visit. And even better then that I did the whole thing with three amazing people (and also visited a few other lovely friends along the way). The things that we learned about each other and ourselves can't be found anywhere else. We may have had our disagreements, and our bad days, but in the end we came out closer then ever. I can't wait for the future journeys I take with these girls. So thank you Kayla, Amy, and Claire for being the best travel companions. I could not have had a more hilarious and memorable spring break<3
I leave you with a picture from the start of our journey, ready to start the long waited adventure we planned. 

Big smiles

(I am hoping to update a few more times today while I am in Glasgow. I head off to Denmark tomorrow to visit my bff Tess. The busy life just keeps on going).

the prettiest city

How do I even begin with Prague? This city was magical and lived up to every expectation I had for it. We got in to the city around 12:00 on the 5th of April (after missing our initial earlier train - oops). The initial difficulty when first getting in to the Czech republic wasn't the language, but the money (getting 1500kc out of a bank machine felt ridiculous). We stayed at St. Christopher's Mosaic House which did not feel like the right place as we walked up to it. It was modern, clean and nice - something we weren't exactly expecting on this trip. The staff was so helpful in setting us up and giving us ideas of where to go and what to eat. 
As per suggestion we ate at Cafe Louvre and althouugh it sounds like a French restaurant it serves some of the best traditional Czech food.  We had a beef dish with whip cream and cranberry sauce in a gravy mixture and bread dumplings. It was really heavy but so delicious. We also had our first Czech beer, Bernards, that was priced significantly lower then water- just our style. 
We spent the afternoon wandering all of the curvy, cobblestone streets admiring all of the interesting architecture. I have never seen anything quite like it. Literally every building was beautiful and required us to stop and take a picture. We also stopped by Zidovsky hrbitov, the Old Jewish Cemetary in the Jewish Quarter. The tombstones were all tilted and leaning on one another creating an interesting effect. I didn't know much about Czech history before I visited so it was really interesting to learn about it while we were there. The inside of the synagogue was covered with all of the names of the Jewish people that died during World War II - and the impact it had was incredible. That night we ate at Lemon Leaf, a Thai restaurant close to our hostel and tried the Urquell beer. We spent the rest of the night trying as many more Czech beers as we could (our goal was to compare Czech vs. German beer over the course of our trip).
The following day in Prague was even better. We explored the Old Town Square, astronomical clock, Old Town Hall, Wenceslas Square and visited a market. The market was one of my favorite parts. There were so man cool pieces and childrens toys. If I had room in my bag I would have definitely picked up a piece of artwork. I was able to find a few bracelets that I fell in love with. We continued our day with crossing the Charles Bridge and headed to the Lower Quarter where the Prague castle is located. Within the castle gates we saw St.Vitus Cathedral,that had really beautiful stained glass and the royal palace. The view from the Prague castle was the best. You could see for miles and the city looked beautiful from so high up. We ate more traditional Czech food on our way down from the castle (goulash) that was heavenly. Sadly we only had two days in Prague but we felt like we got to see a ton in the time we had.
I will give more information on this fantastic city when I upload pictures when I get home from our trip (only 4 days left). I still have so many more cities to update on! Out for the night in Barcelona tonight! Xo

the city of palaces

On April 3rd we arrived in Vienna around 8:30am. Without very good directions to our hostel we spent the first hour wandering the surrounding neighborhood trying to find someone that both understood English and knew where the hostel was. Of course it was basically right next to the train station. This was the first hostel we were staying at on our trip - and my first hostel stay ever. Thankfully they are nothing what movies make them seem like. It was easy and had everything we could have needed for our stay.


With the help of my Fodors Europe guide we decided that we had to see the Schonbrunn palace. Being the smart girls we are we were able to figure out how to get there on the tram. When we got off the tram and stood in front of the massive yellowish building I am pretty sure we all gasped. The front courtyard is ruled by formal design of rigorous symmetry, with every inch complimenting each other. Little did we know it got even better on the other side. We took a tour of the rooms available to be seen, learning about the Habsurgs family life and importance in European politics. After the tour we went to the back of the palace for one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever seen. The immensity of it all was unbelievable. The formal garden promenades that shoot off diagonally from the palace, and the woods beyond are merely a frame for the composition in the center. The sculptured marble fountain on the opposite side of the courtyard, the screen of trees planted behind and the almost vertical rise of the grass covered hill beyond make this entire scene mesmerizing. We determined that it would take days to see it all, and even then it wouldn't be enough to capture it all. I can definitely say that this attraction is a must see, and by far one of my favorites. 


Continuing with our palace theme we went to see the Belvedere palace. It is one of the most splendid pieces of Baroque architecture and I now know why. The palace is actually two imposing palaces separated by a garden parterre boosting with fountains. Although originally lived in by a different person I was interested in seeing it because the Archduke Franz Ferdinand lived there later. The inside of both the upper and lower palace houses some of the most interesting rooms I have seen. One of Kayla and my favorites was an entire room made of only marble. 


The rest of our afternoon consisted of walking through Old Town, visiting Karlskirche, and trying to get a sense of the Vienna lifestyle. The weather was really warm and sunny that day allowing the sun to glimmer on the pretty buildings. Vienna had a more city vibe then I had expected but you were still able to see the history shine through. The two palaces are what made me enjoy Vienna as much as I did, specifically Schonbrunn. I can still not get the breathtaking image out of my mind (hopefully I never do). 


Austria was a very interesting country, and one that I knew very little about before visiting. After seeing what I did I am interested in learning more about it's earlier history. I have a feeling this is going to happen in every country though. My summer reading list will be covered with history books in regards to all of the places I visit. It was off to a new country the next morning, one that I was very eager to visit! xo

picturesque city

This was not a place I had ever planned to visit while over here on exchange. But I am so glad that Claire had a friend studying there and convinced us to go and visit with her over our break. The city was stunning, and nothing like I had ever seen before.
We got in to Salzburg around 9:30pm on Friday and successfully figured out how to get a taxi and get to Lauren and Peggy's place (the girls we were staying with). Considering we don't know German we thought this may have been a little more difficult. When we got there the girls already had friends over at their apartment pre-gaming for the night ahead. We did the best we could to make ourselves look presentable (the amount of buses and planes we had been on since our last shower made this difficult) and started enjoying our first night in Salzburg.We went to Murphy's and O'Malley's, two Irish bars over the course of the night. Kayla and I tried apple strudel shots and Claire and I had some of their local beer. The night was crazy, hilarious, and just what we wanted out of our first night out on our Eurotrip.
The following day was unbelievably sunny and warm (we all ended up getting sunburns -who thought you could get sunburnt in Austria). It made for the perfect way to see the picturesque city. Most of the sights were located in the Alstadt (Old City), between the Monchsberg and the Salzach River. We walked around the Alter market, admired the Dom and took a peek at Mozart's residence.
For lunch we decided to walk up towards the Fortress Hohensalzburg. Founded in 1077, it is the largest preserved medieval fortress in Central Europe. Brooding over the city from atop the Festungsberg we could see the fortress from wherever we were. We enjoyed an Austrian style lunch on the Festunsberg (cliff) with the Alps in the backdrop. We could not get over the absolutely stunning view we had. It was mesmerizing.
In the afternoon we got some delicious ice-cream and took a stroll through the Mirabell Gardens. This is where Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music. Both the formal gardens and the palace were spectacular. The flowers were all just planted for the springtime so the colours were bursting. Since the weather was so nice we decided to sit out by the river and bask in the sun for the remainder of the day.
We picked up some food at the grocery store and enjoyed dinner on their rooftop. With the church bells ringing in the background, the sun setting, and the river in the distance it was just lovely. I will always remember sitting out with some of the best people out there and truly appreciating this experience. This was followed by us pre-gaming with catch phrase and going out to a bar later that evening. A 4:30 wakeup call made our night be cut a little bit shorter then normal but it was still lots of fun. Some great new friends and some everlasting memories (and the stunning scenery) made this city one of the best. Xo

a little piece of my heart

We arrived in London safe and sound, although the overnight bus was just about as sketchy as we thought it would be. It was cramped, hot, smelly and overall one of the least enjoyable sleeps ever (in competition with our sleep in the airport). We grabbed a bite to eat at Pret A Manger, one of my favourite places to eat over here, fixed ourselves up the best we could and got on our way to start seeing the sights.


Buckingham place was first in order and although the building itself is no masterpiece, its gray bulk sums up the imperious splendor of so much of the city: stately, magnificent and ponderous. It continues to be a supreme symbol of Britain, and the Royal Family in particular. After gazing at the building for quite some time we strolled through the beautiful St.James Park. Here we enjoyed the view of the Houses of Parliament in the distance and plentiful fountains.
The politics nerd in me was super excited to see the Houses of Parliament. The seat of Great Britian's government has been argued to be the city's most famous and photogenic sight (the photography lover in me also took advantage of this). Designed by two Victorian-era architects, the buildings arose in 1834. The spires, pinnacles and towers of the great building can't help but keep you hooked. It also has virtually the symbol of London, the 1858 Clock Tower that contains the bell known as Big Ben. This did not seize to disappoint.
Across the street is Westminster Abbey which is a testament to the rich - and often bloody and scandalous - history of Great Britain. Due to the long lines and limited time we did not g inside but I am hoping to do that the next time I head down to London. We did enjoy the view of it risen on the Thames skyline while we took a break from carrying our heavy bags.
The rest of the afternoon contained having delicious Indian food for lunch, picking up some typical London souvenirs (royal wedding paraphanelia for me please), and figuring how to get to the London Stansted airport, which turned out to be very simple - yay us for figuring it out! 


Now a little note about the city as a whole. Let's just say I wasn't sure if I was going to like London - a lot of hype, and a big city - not necessarily my cup of tea (ha a tea joke in reference to Britain, how convenient). But I am amazed to say that I loved it. And yes I realize that I have said this about everywhere I have been so far and will most likely continue to say it about the places I am headed but London was something different. It felt like the place I was always supposed to live in. As if at some point, hopefully in the not so distant future, I will be able to gaze at all of these other on a regular basis. Who knows what will happen in my life but after a short day in London it stole a little bit of my heart. Thank god I have a few more reasons to go back (including the Royal Wedding).