Long time no see everyone!
So I have managed to get back alive from my first week of spring break, and let me tell you it was an adventure!
First on our list was Berlin, Germany. We took a train from Bremen and once we got to Berlin there was a light dust of snow falling from the sky. It was pretty amazing. We didn’t really know where we were going but we managed to find our hostel…and then it went downhill for about ten minutes. Upon arriving we noticed that Berlin is covered in graffiti, or should I say street art. Graffiti back in the States is usually something you find in poorer neighborhoods so it sort of put us on edge. The outside of our hostel looked safe enough and then when we were buzzed inside we noticed that there was graffiti inside the building too. We tried to laugh (you know those laughs to keep from freaking out?) and we found the reception area. And we were scared yet again.
Can you imagine a group of six pretty respectable girls walking into a reception area where there are about five people all covered in tattoos and piercings bumping old Missy Elliot in the background? T’was a shock. They actually all turned out to be very nice, especially Sylvia, but the first ten minutes were super sketchy.
For dinner that night we ate at the only Mexican German bar/restaurant in town most likely. We always seem to stumble onto the strangest little places, but the waiter was great and we had some not-super-traditional German food. It was quite the night we were there and then we went back for drinks that next night and it was crazy! We were treated to a free round of shots and a wonderfully made drink by our awesome waiter from the night before.
Other than our hostel, Berlin is a very interesting city. It isn’t the prettiest city I have seen, but it is amazing with all the history. We got to see the East Side Gallery of the Berlin wall which was powerful. We then adventured into lesser known parts of Berlin and toured an Anne Frank museum and found two or three really cute markets. It was one of the hardest things for me to pull myself away from everything!
Next city was Prague in the Czech Republic. Fun fact about the Czech language: there are no cognates. And I mean none. But it is also one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. And the coldest city of the trip, seven degrees the first night we were there. I’ve never been in such cold weather before! We took a self-guided tour around the square and ventured to see Charles Bridge at night. In the snow. Now, whatever you are imagining, imagine it even more beautiful. I mean it was absolutely amazing. I fell in love.
Also I would have to say the food in Prague is to die for. I had home-made potato pancakes with sautéed veggies and cheese. Yum! I’m hungry thinking about it now. We then had an American night where we splurged and got dinner at the Hard Rock Café in Prague. It was totally worth it, but it did make me realize exactly how big America’s portion sizes are. And because I loved Prague so much I decided to splurge and got myself a beautiful magenta sparkly scarf, earrings, presents for friends and family, and food. Lots of food.
Then it was on to Vienna, Austria! I don’t know too much about Vienna but I was still super excited! Turns out Vienna is the place for chocolate cake, music, and museums. My kind of place! Our first night there we took a partial night tour and saw many of the big tourist spots like St. Steven’s Cathedral, the opera house, and a view of the city from behind the palace. Not bad for our first night! We also ate the most famous chocolate cake and it was great. It wasn’t the best cake I have ever had, but it was completely unique to Vienna and I definitely could have had another piece.
The hostel we stayed at in Vienna was AMAZING. It’s called the Wombats and you must stay there. There was a computer area in the lobby, crazy clean rooms with private bathrooms, and a bar by the lobby. The room had a glass shower and skylights and every bed had their own charging station. It was super amazing.
We also did a day trip to Salzburg, the hometown of Mozart and castles. There was snow on the ground, the sky was clear, and there was a castle on the horizon. Can you say magical? It was like living in a snow globe it was so pretty.
Our last stop was Interlaken, Switzerland. Interlaken means between two lakes, and if I thought Prague and Salzburg were pretty this was otherworldly. The snowy Swiss Alps were certainly a sight to behold! And of all the cities, Interlaken happened to be the warmest. Or maybe we were just hot because of all the food weight we’d gained and the layers we were wearing. I would like to think it was warm in Switzerland, the optimistic that I am.
It was one of our friends 20th birthday the second day we were there so we decided to do something a little crazy and go paragliding! I’ve been skydiving before so I wasn’t that scared but…I was a little scared! It was the strangest thing actually running off the side of a mountain and being swept off by the wind. The view from the sky was crazy and looked like the town and the mountains had been painted. We also went to a chocolate shop and got to watch them make swiss chocolate and then we got to eat it. I was in heaven! We also had a fondue dinner night and I learned that I am not a big fan of fondue. Sadness! But I had plenty of other delicious food while we were there.
Overall the break was crazy amazing. I also would have never guessed that I would have been so happy to be back in a German speaking country! I learned so much about myself and all these new facts about new countries, and ate so much food it was unbelievable. I can’t wait for next break!
Cheers,
Paige   Â