Fall Break- Abroad Edition

Hello everyone!

For the past ten days I have been traveling around Europe. All students at DIS have their core course which they travel with for one week in October. I travel with my class at the end of October so I had this past week off. Me and a few of my friends decided to take advantage of our week off, as many DIS students do, and spend the week traveling. I was able to travel to Prague, Budapest, and Madrid.

Our first stop was Prague. My friend and I left Friday morning since we don’t have classes. We got to Prague, checked into our hostel, and hit the ground running. One of my best friends studied in Prague last fall so she shared a ton of suggestions on things to do and see. We walked across the Charles Bridge and explored a few different churches along the way. 

The next day we braved the horrific rain and cold to see the Lennon Wall and Prague Castle, which isn’t actually a castle but a church. The wall was fun to see but in all honesty, a lot smaller than expected. Nonetheless, it was cool. We all were exhausted and decided we needed a hefty dinner so we went to a place serving only lasagna. It was amazing. Truly a comfort food that all of us have missed dearly.

The next day we walked to the main square and climbed up the Astronomical Clock Tower which had incredible views of the city. We then sampled some Czech specialities including fried cheese. It was different than mozzarella sticks as it felt a lot less greasy, but was basically the same thing. 

We woke up in Budapest the next morning after catching a flight late Sunday night. We all were a bit tired and decided to have a chill day. We went to the thermal baths which were quite the experience. Beautiful, slightly gross, but still pretty relaxing. At night we went on a cruise down the Danube and got to see Budapest illuminated. The Parliament building was particularly beautiful. 

The next morning we hit the ground running. We got to see two phenomenal views of the city. One from the top of a hill and the other from the Basilica. We then made our way to Buda Castle which included more lookout points and a stunning church. We continued to walk around, ate some amazing tacos, and finally ended up at the Parliament building during golden hour, pretty perfect. 

The next morning we went on a chairlift ride up the side of Buda Hill. We took the bus which was easy to navigate and got to the base of the hill with few expectations. We were all blown away by the beauty and views of what was around us. Living in a city definitely makes you appreciate the stillness and peacefulness of nature. We all took in the view and the changing leaves before heading back down. 

The following morning I left bright and early to meet up with two of my friends in Madrid. I nearly missed my connecting flight but eventually made it and enjoyed a late lunch with them. We then went to find the famous churros at Chocolatería San Ginés which were so good, I really liked the chocolate dip. We went to El Retiro Park to watch the sunset before enjoying a tapas dinner with more friends. 

The next morning we went straight to the park to row boats around the little pond. It was definitely more of a challenge than GoBoating in Copenhagen, but we managed. We then went to explore the city and get lunch at this taco place. The tacos were to die for and were only 1 euro. Coming from Cope, this was insane. We explored the Prado Gallery and did a speed tour of the Masterpieces. We then went to watch the sunset at another beautiful lookout. 

On our final day we went to a flea market and then got brunch at a cute Australian/American cafe. We had to rush back to the AirBnB to change and pack. Our ten day adventure had come to an end. It was a whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change anything. It was an absolutely amazing time. The people I got to share it with were even more amazing and helped make this magical trip possible. Now back to Copenhagen and school for two weeks before heading out on my Long Study Tour which I will share more about soon. Until then!