Spring break took on a whole new meaning during my study abroad experience! While most college students were heading home to warm weather or to Palm Springs for crazy nights, I was off to the Czech Republic and Italy. This break was also a week of celebrations with no school for the week, St. Patty’s day, and my birthday. Prague was an experience I will never forget. We were fortunate enough to have one of the girls know a guy who lived in Prague, Richard, who became our own personal tour guide to the sites and nightlife! Through his knowledge of the city and people we were able to assimilate and experience the culture with a little more depth. The city was beautiful with fantastic views and magnificent architecture. The Prague Castle was one of the grandest I’ve seen and was quite breathtaking. We also had some traditional Czech meals which were delicious! I particularly enjoyed this trip because my maternal grandparents are Czech and I felt a sense of peering into my heritage when walking these streets. I began to recognize things that my grandma has told me about or foods that we have ate. This trip was definitely one that I have valued most because it related to my family.
Next, we came back to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. However, we had some issues with our flight and ended up being awake for almost twenty-four hours which took a dent out of St. Patty’s day celebrations. After a quick nap and sadly missing the parade, we headed off to Galway to join in on the fun. We were surprised to see that the streets were not as filled with green as we had expected. However, we found out that St. Patrick’s Day is more valued as a religious holiday since it is centered on St. Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland, rather than a fun day, as celebrated in America. None the less, we still had a good time and ended up meeting some locals and celebrating with them in true Irish fashion!
Lastly, I was off to Milan with Kori and Taylor. During this trip we discovered delicious wine, food, and extravagant shopping of course. We also saw one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen in my life, the Duomo Cathedral. This cathedral was different because it was all white and much larger than any other I have seen before. The white added a pureness to its beauty and the blooming of flower trees below reminded us of the awakening of spring. We managed our way around the city through the subway, thank goodness we had the city girl, Taylor, to get us to where we needed to go! My birthday was filled with wonderful firsts as we explored the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum where we learned about the maintaining and restoring of the painting of the Last Supper, followed by a wine tour with flavors spread over Italy and small appetizers that complemented each tasting. We seriously indulged in pizza, pasta, and all foods Italian here! Talk about a carb overload, but it was well worth it!
Our trip ended with a flight and bus back to Galway where we were happy to rest our heads in our own beds again!
Next, we came back to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. However, we had some issues with our flight and ended up being awake for almost twenty-four hours which took a dent out of St. Patty’s day celebrations. After a quick nap and sadly missing the parade, we headed off to Galway to join in on the fun. We were surprised to see that the streets were not as filled with green as we had expected. However, we found out that St. Patrick’s Day is more valued as a religious holiday since it is centered on St. Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland, rather than a fun day, as celebrated in America. None the less, we still had a good time and ended up meeting some locals and celebrating with them in true Irish fashion!
Lastly, I was off to Milan with Kori and Taylor. During this trip we discovered delicious wine, food, and extravagant shopping of course. We also saw one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen in my life, the Duomo Cathedral. This cathedral was different because it was all white and much larger than any other I have seen before. The white added a pureness to its beauty and the blooming of flower trees below reminded us of the awakening of spring. We managed our way around the city through the subway, thank goodness we had the city girl, Taylor, to get us to where we needed to go! My birthday was filled with wonderful firsts as we explored the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum where we learned about the maintaining and restoring of the painting of the Last Supper, followed by a wine tour with flavors spread over Italy and small appetizers that complemented each tasting. We seriously indulged in pizza, pasta, and all foods Italian here! Talk about a carb overload, but it was well worth it!
Our trip ended with a flight and bus back to Galway where we were happy to rest our heads in our own beds again!