Studying Abroad: A Life Changing Experience

3 months, 13 countries, and numerous cities later I am finally back home in Nebraska.  It has been an amazing and unforgettable experience.  I have made such great friendships and memories.  I feel like I have grown and learned so much in my time abroad so I want to say some of the most important lessons I have learned.
     First of all, I have learned to slow down and enjoy the small things in life.  I am involved in a lot of things so my life is typically go, go, go.  On this trip there were many times that felt so surreal, whether it was touring a beautiful castle or overlooking an amazing view.  I couldn't believe what I was looking at and just felt so lucky to be where I was.  It was a good reminder to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the world.
     Another thing I learned is that not everything is going to go as planned, and that's ok.  I am definitely one that likes to have control of situations and want to have everything planned out.  Throughout this trip I learned that not everything is going to go smoothly.  You will get delayed or lose things but it will work out in the end.
     This trip has also made me a much more independent and outgoing person.  I was a fairly reserved person, not one to ask many questions.  On this trip I was forced out of my comfort zone multiple times.  When you're in a new country with a new language, sometimes all there's left to do is ask.  I have also been able to meet some amazing people from all over the world.  After meeting all these people and hearing what they have to say I definitely think twice before judging anyone.  I have learned that everyone has their own story and until you can experience life through their shoes you can't really understand.
     Studying abroad has changed me in many ways, some that I can't even describe.  I have seen so much in such a short amount of time.  I miss it already and can't wait for the chance to go back!
Here's a list of all the countries (and cities) I was able to visit:
- United Kingdom (London)
- Germany (Dresden and Berlin)
- Austria (Vienna)
- Italy (Venice and Rome)
- France (Paris)
- Spain (Barcelona)
- Poland (Krakow)
- Slovakia (Bratislava)
- Hungary (Budapest)
- Ireland (Dublin)
- Belgium (Brussels)
- Netherlands (Amsterdam)
and of course the Czech Republic where we visited up to 9 different cities!

Our whole group in Olomouc's main square

Berlin Wall 

Trinity College in Dublin 

Grand Palace in Brussels 

Becoming a Local (3)

 I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I'm so sad we only have one more week left in the Czech Republic!  After being here for almost three months I would like to consider myself a "local" (although the actual Czechs may think otherwise).  I am going to describe how my viewpoint has changed from when I arrived as a tourist up until now.  

      

One thing that is different is my view of the dorms.  When we first arrived we were a little shocked because they were not at all what we were expecting.  I have now grown fond of my little room and flat mates.  It really does feel like home here.  That's another thing that's different.  Although I am excited to see my family and friends when I actually go home, I now refer to Olomouc as home whenever I talk.  After being worn out by field trips or long weekend trips I notice that instead of saying "I can't wait to be back in Olomouc," like I said before, I have started to say, "I can't wait to be back home."  

     Another thing that has become the norm for me is their currency. One U.S. dollar is roughly 25 Czech koruna.  It's typical to see things for 50-100 koruna, which, having the mindset of dollars, was a scary thing.  Our first few weeks I was constantly pulling out my currency converter to figure out prices.  Now I can look at Czech prices and know what they mean in dollars without really even thinking.  I have gotten so used to the cheap prices here that going back to U.S. prices is going to be very difficult.

     Although we often ate in our dorms to save money, we still went out enough that we were able to find some favorite restaurants.  We have seen kebabs in practically every city all over Europe, but nothing beats our favorite Istanbul kebabs right here in Olomouc.  They have a special discount on Monday's and we probably went almost every Monday we were in town.  They had our orders memorized; if that's not becoming a local I don't know what is.  

    These are just some of the reasons why I fell like Olomouc is home. I never knew I could this much love for a city in such a short amount of time.  I really fee like it has become my city and I am so sad that I have it leave it so soon.  There will always be a place in my heart for the city of Olomouc!

(9) Field Trip 3: Krakow and Auschwitz

     For our third field trip we spent the weekend in Krakow, Poland.   We hopped on our bus Friday morning and made our first stop at the Wieliczka Salt Mines in the suburbs of Krakow.  I had never been to any type of mine before so I didn't really know what to expect.  It turned out to be very cool! It was built in the 13th century and was used all the way up until 2007.  It was huge and had several rooms, chapels, and sculptures all made from salt.  Our tour guide was awesome and hilarious.  I even got a chunk of salt to take home for answering a question right!

My very own chunk of salt

     After our tour at the salt mines we headed into Krakow and to our hostel.  Once we got all checked in we were free for the rest of the night.  A group of us grabbed a map and headed to the city center for some supper.  We found a great little place off the square where we had some fish and chips.  I know, fish and chips, not the most polish thing to eat, but they were delicious.  After that we did a little more walking around the main square and then headed back to the hostel.  Our hostel was located in what used to be the Jewish ghetto so it wasn't very close to the city center.  However, it still had a lot of old Jewish synagogues near it.  We did a little exploring of the streets around there before stopping at a cafe for some dessert.  Next we went back to the hostel and just hung out and played cards.

Castle 

     The next day we met at 9:00 and headed to the castle.  We first saw the treasury and armory.  There were many old weapons and suits of armor.  It still amazes me that they really fought wearing those suits and carrying around swords or giant guns.  I can't even imagine how heavy it would be to fight like that.  Next we saw the rooms of the castle.  Almost every room was filled with wall tapestries.  They were all motifs of religious stories or kings in battle.  After that we headed to the square to break for lunch.  We went to a burger place that was recommended on one of our maps, and after eating there I can see why.  The burgers were practically as big as my head!  It was absolutely delicious but we were stuffed.  After we ate, a group of us met back up and walked to Schindler's factory.  Oskar Schindler was a German that employed Jews at his enamel factory.  Although being a Nazi he did not agree with their killing of the Jews and was able to save the lives of his workers.  His factory is now turned into a museum.  We got a chance to hear about the war from the Polish perspective, which was something new and interesting for me.
     After the factory we headed back into the city center.  We walked around the square and did some souvenir shopping.  One thing I noticed about the city is the clear difference in types of buildings in the center compared to where our hostel was.  The square had beautiful, big, architectural buildings, which I thought were all really pretty.  However, the farther away from the center, the less magnificent the buildings became.  I felt like you could definitely tell our hostel area was in the Jewish ghetto.  It had a completely different feel to it.  I enjoyed getting to see both types of the city.

'Arbeit Macht Frei' 

     Sunday morning we headed to the Auschwitz concentration camp.  This was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.  We first went to Auschwitz I, the first of the three.  As soon as we stepped through the gate with the inscription 'Arbeit Macht Frei', ("Work Makes you Free") I had goosebumps.  We saw where prisoners lived, worked, and were murdered.  We also got to see the cell where St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who volunteered to die in place of a man with a family, was killed.  Next we headed to Auschwitz II- Birkenau extermination camp.  This camp was huge compared to the first and this is where the mass killing took place.  They had 7 different gas chamber and crematoriums where over 1.1 million people died.  All of the chambers were destroyed during or after the war so all that is left is the ruins.  They also tore down most of the "stables" the prisoners were kept in so all that remains is the chimneys.   No matter how many books you've read or movies you've watched, nothing can really prepare you for the feeling of being there.  Standing where the prisoners stood and were killed only 75 years ago is a memory I am never going to forget.
 

Auschwitz II- Birkenau death camp

A Day in Slovakia

Personal Excursion (10)

Majka and I 

When I was a junior in high school we had two foreign exchange students.  One was from the Czech Republic and the other from Slovakia.  I have been able to stay in touch over the years and with this trip I have been lucky enough to get to see them both!  Zuzana, the one from the Czech Republic actually studies here in Olomouc at Palacky University.  The one from Slovakia, Majka, studies in Bratislava.  This weekend I was able to head to Bratislava to visit her for a day and it was amazing!
     This was my first time traveling by myself and although it was a fairly easy journey I was still a little nervous.  Luckily it went very smoothly on the way there, I found all the connections I needed and made it there no problem.  Majka was waiting for me at the train station and after a long greeting with lots of squealing and hugging we headed into town.  We first walked along Obchodna Street, which is their main street that leads to the square.  It's filled with shops and eating places.  However, it was May 1st, which is a workers holiday, so a lot of the shops were closed.  We walked through the main square while Majka did her best to tell all about the city.  

     After grabbing some coffee we headed to check out her dorm and eat at the cafeteria.  On the way the one thing that really stood out to me was how green and full of plants the city was.  For being such a big city there were large areas of trees and plants all over.  Walking up to her dorm I felt like we were going through a forest! She lives up on a hill that they call student village because it has a ton of dorms and so basically all students live there.  For lunch we went to the cafeteria, which had lots of delicious looking choices, for very cheap.  We decided that since I needed to try fried cheese, which I had seen a lot of places but hadn't eaten yet.  It's basically a large square mozzarella stick, but it was delicious.  

Trying fried cheese

     After eating we went to see her dorm.  When we first arrived in Olomouc we thought the dorms here were, well, kind of crappy compared to back home.  Majka's dorm in Bratislava makes these look luxurious.  Their dorms are really cheap to live in so I guess it's understandable but back home we would think they looked like abandoned buildings.  It was a little bit of a wake up call though.  I know a lot of people complain about dorms back in the U.S. but they live in dorms like this and get by just fine.  

    After we left her dorm we headed to the Slavín War Memorial.  It is a huge memorial and cemetery for the soldier of World War II, up on a hill over looking the city.  It was very beautiful and peaceful up there and it had an amazing view of the whole city.  It was a very surreal moment for me.  When Majka and Zuzi left 3 years ago I didn't know if I would ever see them again, and now I've got to see them in their own country!  Back in high school we lovingly called them the foreigners and so when we met up I joked that it was just like old times, but now I'm the foreigner.  

Slavín War Memorial

     After the memorial we walked around for a bit longer and saw a few more things until it started to rain.  We met up with her boyfriend for supper where I had a traditional Slovak dish, halušky.  It's potato dumplings and sheep cheese and it's delicious.  Sadly after that we had to rush to the station to catch my train.  However, when we got there and I looked on the board to find my platform the train number was just blinking in red.  Luckily Majka was there to translate because apparently my train was cancelled at this station and I had to take a different one to a new station to get on the one that would take me home. 

      We sprinted to the train and a quick goodbye and I made it on just in time.  I made it to the new station found my correct train, got on and thought everything was good.  It was a little creepy because the train was practically empty.  I did not see a single other person or worker until about an hour in.  At that point I realized I was going to be way too late to make my connection that I needed to get back to Olomouc.  Luckily a worker (that spoke English) came around and told be about the delay and that I there was a later train I would be able to take back to Olomouc.  I got to the station where my connection was and had to wait about 30 minutes until we actually left.  Then, instead of just making stops at the main stations like the trains usually do, this one stopped at every little station, which was practically every 5 minutes.  What was supposed to be a 2 hour and 40 minute trip took me about 5 hours, but I finally made it back.  

Overall it was a wonderful trip.  I am so thankful I got to see my friend and experience yet another country! 

Cultural Comparisons (5)

After being in Europe for about 6 weeks now there are many differences in culture that I have noticed.  Living in the same state for my whole life I never really thought about things being done differently then the way I was used to.  These are some of the big differences that I have noticed since being here.

Transportation

Tram in Olomouc

Back home practically everyone has a car and drives everywhere.  There's really not a big use of public transportation.  Here, it's either public transportation or walking.  Everyone rides the trams whether it's the elderly or a young child heading to school.  This also means you have to when to leave according to the tram schedule.  I think I am finally starting to get it down but at first you had to get to the stop 30 minutes ahead of time just to make sure you could get the right tram on time.  It seems strange to me when I see kids with their parents on the tram, I just can't imagine what it would have been like to take trams or buses everywhere as a kid.  However, here I am very thankful for them, especially since our dorms are about 15 minutes out of the town center and where we have class.  Once you're in town though, everybody walks.  I don't mind walking now that the weather is nicer but when it was cold it could be a real pain.  It's just so different from Nebraska where you can't really walk to things.  Things in town here are usually close enough to walk to and I still think the city is beautiful so this is a difference that I have learned to enjoy.

Grocery Shopping
We don't have a meal plan here so we get to do our own grocery shopping.  It can be an interesting experience and not just because all the products are in Czech.  One thing we learned very early on is that they never bag your groceries, or even give you a bag when you check out.  You either have to pay for bags or bring your own.  Now I typically have my book bag with me when we go shopping so I put my groceries in there.  I have just about mastered the art of bagging all of my stuff, paying, and leaving in a fluid motion, although it took lots of practice.

Public Restrooms
This was one of biggest differences I noticed, back in America I definitely took for granted having free public restrooms everywhere I went because in Europe that is not the case.  Most places you have to pay to go to the restroom if there is one at all!  The only time they are typically free is if they are in a place you already had to pay to get in such as a museum or on a train.  We have definitely learned to take advantage of free bathrooms whenever given the chance.

No Free Water
This one was also tough to get used to.  Back home if you don't want a drink at a restaurant you can get a nice be glass of water with unlimited refills, for free.  Here water is not even the cheapest thing on the menu and if you do get it it's typically a tiny bottle with no refills.  Sometimes water can be just as expensive as a soda and in the Czech Republic you can actually get beer cheaper!  I have gotten used to carrying a water bottle with me wherever I go which definitely comes into use on days with lots of walking.

There are plenty of other differences here and there but these were some of the main ones that stood out to me.  It's interesting to see a different way of life and really puts things in perspective for me.   While I don't necessarily like all of the differences, I love getting the chance to experience life outside what I considered the "norm."

Spring Break

Glass making in Murano

Colorful houses in Burano

Tocello

     After our field trip to Vienna and Venice we were free to start our week long spring break.  My group for spring break was Miranda, Rachel, Miriah, Nancy, and myself.  Our first activity for spring break was staying in Venice and doing a half day boat tour of 3 surrounding islands.  So Saturday morning we headed down to the dock to get on our boat that would take us to Murano, Burano, and Torcello.  The first island was Murano.  Murano is famous for it's glass making and glass blowing.  When we first arrived we got to see a glass blowing demonstration which was very cool.  After that we just walked around the island.  The next stop was Burano.  This island was definitely my favorite! It is known for having colorful houses and lace.  When we got there we saw a lace making demonstration.  Then we just walked around and explored, took lots of pictures, and ate some amazing gelato.  The last stop was the island of Torcello.  This is the oldest island and only has 11 inhabitants.  The thing I really liked about this one was it was so green and filled with colorful plants.  They also had an extremely old church which was very cool to see.  Since it was only a half day tour we only got about an hour on each of the islands so we couldn't see everything but we saw enough to get a good feel of the islands.
     After the islands we went back to the hostel to grab our stuff and head to our train to Rome.  Once in Rome we dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed out to explore the city.  We wanted to go see Trevi Fountain so we headed there.  Unfortunately the fountain is under construction so we could only see part of it.  They had a little makeshift fountain that you could throw coins into so we still got to make a wish!  We spent the rest of the night wandering around and seeing more of the city.  We got the best gelato I have ever had at a place right next to our hostel.  I think we got some each day, it was just that good!

Throwing a coin into "Trevi"

Papal address

     The next morning we headed to Vatican city; it was packed with so many people!  It was Divine Mercy Sunday so Pope Francis said a special mass in St. Peter's Basilica.  They had it playing on screens in St. Peter's square so we watched it there.  We also stayed there to see the Papal address at noon.  After that we headed to the colosseum and Roman Forum.  These were both amazing things to see.  It's hard to believe they were all once prestigious buildings people lived in and used everyday.  After that we headed back to Trevi fountain.  During the day they had a walk way open for you to walk up where the water normally would be and see it up close.  Luckily we got there right before it closed.  From there we headed to see the Pantheon.  After that we walked along the touristy area doing a little shopping and looking for a place to eat.  We had some amazing pasta and met some really fun people at dinner!  It was pretty late by the time we actually left the restaurant so we headed back to the hostel for bed.

Fun people we met at dinner 

     Since all of the Vatican Museums were closed on Sunday we had only a few hours on Monday to try and fit it all in.  We got to see quite a bit in only a few hours.  We saw parts of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica.  They were all beautiful and I especially loved seeing the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Once we finished we had to rush back to our hostel grab our bags and head to the train station.  We took a train to the airport and caught our flight to Paris. I was sad to leave Italy, Venice and Rome had both been so beautiful! But I was excited get to Paris as well.

view from top of Eiffel Tower

     It was pretty late by the time we arrived at our hostel in Paris.  We decided to just eat at the hostel and get to bed to be fresh for our next few days.  The next morning we were up bright and early and headed a little out of town to see the Palace of Versailles.  It was very beautiful and they had a room called the Hall of Mirrors.  It was basically a long hall with a bunch of chandeliers, mirrors, and decked out in gold.  The whole palace was very ornate with lots of embellishments in every room.  After that we headed to see the Eiffel Tower.  We planned to go up it at night so for now we just took typical touristy pictures from afar.  Our next stop was the Catacombs.  This was really eery and creepy but also really amazing.  We read that 6 million peoples bones were laid there.  They were stacked so strategically it was hard to believe they were bones once belonging to people.  Next we ate supper and then headed back to the Eiffel tower by sunset.  Miranda had already climbed to the top once and we had a long week filled with walking so we broke down and took the elevator to the top.  At the top we had the most amazing view of Paris! It was a beautiful night so we just stood there and took everything in for awhile.  It was definitely one of my favorite things over the break.

Window at Notre Dame

     The next morning we headed to see the famous Notre Dame Cathedral.  I loved all the sculptures on the outside and it had more beautiful stained glassed windows.  Then we went to see the Paris Opera House.  This is the opera house that Phantom of the Opera was based off of so it was very cool to see.  Next we went to the Louvre Museum.  I really loved this museum because it had so much stuff to see! We started seeing some paintings including the famous Mona Lisa.  We also saw many sculptures, Egyptian ruins and findings, and even a mummy.  Unfortunately I wasn't feeling well.  I woke up with a sore throat and plugged nose and it had only gotten worse throughout the day.  We left the Louvre and walked across the famous Ponte des Arts Bridge otherwise known as the lovers lock bridge.  On this bridge lovers put a lock and throw the key in the river to show their love lasts forever.  It had gotten to heavy and the railings with locks were taken down a few years ago.  People have been refilling it ever since, but it wasn't completely full when we saw it.  At this point I definitely had a fever and the chills so Nancy and I went back to the hostel so I could try and sleep and I pretty much slept the rest of the night.

Sagrada Familia 

     The next morning we had to leave early to get to the airport for our flight to Barcelona.  We arrived in Barcelona and made it to our hostel around 1:00.  Another group of students got to Barcelona the day before and were staying in the same hostel.  As soon as we got there we dropped our bags off and headed out with them for lunch.  Then we went to La Sagrada Familia.  Sagrada Familia is a giant church that has been in construction for over 100 years and still isn't finished. The detail on it is absolutely incredible! They plan to finish it in 2026 which is the 100 year anniversary of the original architects death.  It is definitely one of the coolest churches I have ever seen.  The rest of the day we spent walking and shopping on Las Ramblas, their long street filled with shops.

Barcelona beach

     Since Barcelona was our last stop we didn't completely pack our schedule like in the other cities so for once we got to sleep in.  When we did get out, we went to visit Park Güell.  You have to climb some pretty steep hills to get to it but the view is totally worth it.  Rachel had been there a few years earlier and everything in the park was free.  However, now to get down to the famous mosaic area you have to buy tickets.  We did not know this and most of the times for the day were already sold out so sadly we didn't get to see that part.  The rest of the park was still really beautiful though.  After the park we headed down to the main boardwalk and just walked along the beach for a couple hours.  That night there was a pub crawl type thing through our hostel that we did.  We met a ton of cool people from all over the place and it was really fun.
     For our last day we went and laid out on the beach.  It was hot but very windy which made it a little too cold for any swimming.  It was still so relaxing to just lay there and soak it all up.  Late afternoon we went back to Las Ramblas and did some souvenir shopping.  Then we ate some amazing paella at a sports bar place while we watched some fútbol.  We went to bed pretty early that night because we had to leave by 5:00am for the airport.  Our flight got into Prague around 10:00 but we had to wait until 2:00 for our train back to Olomouc.
     It was an absolutely amazing 2 weeks but I was very ready to be back "home" by then.  We packed so much into such a short amount of time and I am so grateful for everything that I got to see and experience.  However it was nice to get back to somewhat of a schedule and to be able to live off less than $5 a day. again  I can't believe our program is already half over! Time has gone by so fast but I have loved every minute of it and can't wait for my next adventure!
Here are some more of my favorite pictures from spring break:

St. Peter's Basilica

Island of Torcello

Pantheon

Roman Colosseum

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles 

Catacombs

Typical tourist picture at the Lourve

Notre Dame

Lock Bridge

Eiffel Tower 

Top of  the Eiffel Tower

Mummy in the Louvre Museum

Eiffel Tower at night 

Sagrada Familia 

Park Güell

Barcelona 

Field Trip 2 (8)

Vienna and Venice

It's been awhile since my last post because we've gone for almost two full weeks! We had our second field trip, which ended in Venice and from there we started spring break.  Here's what happened on field trip #2.
     We left for our second field trip on the morning of Tuesday April 7th to head to Vienna.  It was about a 2 hour bus ride so we arrived early afternoon.  We walked to the square where we took a break for lunch.  After lunch we headed to the National Treasury, which was really beautiful.  It was filled with jewels, crowns, robes, and other royal belongings.  It seems crazy to me that people actually lived and dressed that way.  You can see it in movies but you always know they are costumes so when I see the real thing it blows my mind.  After the treasury we had the rest of the night free.  Unfortunately, one of my friends got really sick and we had to take her to the hospital.  It was a very different experience than a hospital back in the States.  Everything seemed a little disorganized and honestly a little scary.  The "waiting room" had all types of people; some just waiting, some hooked up to IVs or some sitting in wheel chairs.  Luckily everything went smoothly and some of the doctors actually spoke English.  It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. (Hopefully!)
     The next day we met in the morning to go to what we thought was a horse show.  It turned out to just be practice or training.  It took place in this indoor arena where 4-5 horses and their riders prance around to music for about 30 minutes and then a new set of horses and riders take their place.  Looking back on it, it was kind of funny because we kept waiting for something to happen or for the "show" to start each time a new group came out, but it never did.  What I found really interesting about this was that the arena was pretty packed with people.  I'm assuming most of these people actually knew it was only training taking place and yet they still came to watch.  I think that really shows a difference in cultures.  People actually paid and showed up to watch horses walk around.  In America I feel like that would never happen.  Either way it was an interesting experience.  After the horse "show" were were free to explore and a group of us went to the Museum of Natural History.  This was probably my favorite part of Vienna.  It had so many different and cool exhibits from rocks and gems, astronomy, anthropology, and dinosaurs! They had the largest turtle in the world which was actually found in South Dakota and we also found a giant rock they had from Nebraska.  I thought it was a really fun and cool museum.  The rest of the night was spent shopping and hanging out.  To get back to our hostel we had to walk down a long street filled with shops so we took our time getting back.  We called it a pretty early night since we were leaving for Venice the next day.

Rock from Nebraska

Giant turtle from South Dakota

     The next morning we headed back on the bus for the long drive to Venice.  We passed through the beautiful Alps on our way, which was very cool to see.  When we finally made it to Venice we had to take a train to actually get to the island.  Once we arrived we dropped our stuff off at our hostel and headed to Piazza San Marco.  The first thing I noticed is that Venice is absolutely gorgeous.  It has tiny windy streets with little bridges everywhere.  There are no cars so you have to take boats everywhere or walk.  There can be hundreds of ways to get to the same place so you basically start walking in the general direction and will eventually end up where you want to go but it's very easy to get lost.  Luckily this time we had Martin leading us so we all made it to the square.  Once in the square we were free to explore on our own.  It was so beautiful walking along the water and looking at little shops.  For supper we ate some delicious pasta at a restaurant right on the water.  After supper we had to try and make it back to the hostel.  It took us a couple hours and some questionable streets but we finally made it back.  The rest of the night was spent hanging out by the hostel and exploring around there.  We were kind of close to the famous Rialto Bridge so we went there for a beautiful view at night.
     The next day we had to get to San Marco's square on our own to meet as a group.  It was really fun exploring the streets and trying to find our way.  It's so strange because some of the streets that would be considered sketchy back home were just normal streets that people take everyday.  There were lots of twist and turns and crossing tiny bridges here and there.  We made our way there pretty early so we just sat by the water and soaked in the sun.  The weather was absolutely beautiful compared to what it had been back in the Czech Republic.  Once our whole group arrived we went in St. Mark's Basilica and then to the Doge's Palace.  They were both very beautiful and cool to see.  After that I went with a group on a gondola ride through the city.  It was such an amazing experience! Everything was so pretty and our gondolier told us some interesting things about different buildings.  The rest of the night was free and we spent it doing more wandering and shopping.  Then we went back to the hostel to pack up our stuff and get ready to start spring break.


     Overall I would definitely say it was a successful filed trip.  Vienna had a very different vibe than any other city we had been to before.  Venice was just so amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen.  The fact that their main transportation was by boat is a hard concept to grasp.  We even saw a boat ambulance.  It honestly seemed like a city out of a fairy tail and I loved it!