Emily Tsao: Amsterdam, the Netherlands & Berlin, Germany
For Spring Break, I decided to take a solo trip to Amsterdam and Berlin! My favorite thing in Amsterdam was the Rijksmuseum because of the Vermeer exhibit. I was able to snag a ticket about a month prior to my trip, and it really made the journey a wonderful experience. In Berlin, I walked around a lot (especially to the Victory Column), and it reminded me of New York since I walk around so much in the city.
Traveling solo is definitely something everyone should try at least once in their life. I’ve learned a lot about myself through this experience, like the locations I’m comfortable in alone, the times of day in which I’ll be out and about, etc. Being a woman in a brand new country alone, I learned that it’s so important to be very aware of your surroundings. While I did feel unsafe at times, like at night or if my data wasn’t loading properly, I can say that I grew from this experience and feel more prepared for situations similar to this in my future!
Picture courtesy of Emily Tsao
Sandy Friedman: Dublin, Ireland
For my Spring Break, I had the pleasure of visiting Dublin, Ireland for five days with a couple of my friends from high school. A major highlight of the trip was going to the Guinness Storehouse, where we got to observe the beer-making process, and also had a great time sharing a few pints amongst the craze that is St. Patrick’s Day. The city was absolutely packed with tourists and locals alike, everybody out and about to watch the parade and have some beers to celebrate the classic Irish holiday.
Pictures courtesy of Sandy Friedman
Rylie Dempster: Prague, Brno, Moravia, & Vienna
For my spring break, my best friend, Sarah, came to Prague from New York. We decided to mainly stay in the Czech Republic so Sarah could experience life in Prague as I have this semester. I had a great time showing her my favorite restaurants, visiting the Prague monuments, and exploring hidden gems like vintage shops and cat cafes. We spent a few days in Brno and Moravia to taste wine and sightsee. During our visit to Lednice, one of the enchanting castles in Moravia, Sarah and I were humbled by our dependency on modern transportation, a.k.a. Uber. We took an Uber into Lednice, but could not take an Uber out … this granted us a great adventure of finding the right bus to take to the train station, traveling in a free-spirited manner. Apart from being stranded at a castle, we tasted the most beautiful, natural wine we’d ever had along with some incredible aged cheese. Spontaneously, we booked a trip to Vienna, where we did some more sightseeing and most importantly, shopping. Vienna is home to Mariahilfer Strasse, a shopping street that is essentially SoHo on steroids. The retail therapy cleansed our souls, and we then made our way back to Prague. I highly enjoyed the relaxing spring break with many mini-adventures, and I loved being able to share it with my best friend.
Pictures courtesy of Rylie Dempster
Parker Powers: Venice, Florence, Rome, Lucca & Cinque Terre
For my spring break, my friends and I embarked on an ambitious 10 day journey throughout Northern and Central Italy! This trip was intense, largely due to the amount of cities we packed in over the course of the week. But, even though we were all exhausted and confused by the Italian train schedules, some of my favorite moments of the trip were just looking out the train window and seeing the Italian coast. We also traveled in a large group of six people! Because of the group’s size, we split up in certain cities to ensure that everyone’s travel goals were being met. Nonetheless, some of my favorite memories of the trip are the dinners where we were all together, sharing stories from our respective travels. All in all, I am so thankful for this trip. I had never been to Italy before, and the girls I was traveling with made it truly unforgettable. Each person on the trip was someone that hadn’t met prior to studying abroad; and even though we’ve been friends throughout the entire semester, I can confidently say that I left the trip with memories and friends that will last a lifetime.
The trip highlights: Wine tasting in Lucca, learning how to make pasta in Rome, going to the Boboli Gardens in Florence, and reading on the beach in Cinque Terre.
The trip challenges: the Italian public transportation system and knowing no Italian.
Picture courtesy of Parker Powers
Alex Milne: Protests in Paris
Between the years of 1793 and 1794, around 17,000 members of the French nobility were beheaded at the guillotine as part of the French Revolution. The French people do not take kindly to those who abuse their positions of power, and they will go to great lengths to punish those who do so. This revolutionary spirit, which lives at the core of France’s identity, was on full display during my trip to Paris over spring break. Since January, French workers have been striking and demonstrating in protest of President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Macron, a center-leaning liberal, received support from the far-left in the most recent election despite their many disagreements in an effort to block far-right candidate Marine Le Pen from taking office. “I … know,” said Macron after the election, “that a number of our compatriots voted for me today not to support the ideas that I uphold, but to block the extreme right. I want to thank them and say that I am aware that I have obligations toward them in the years to come.” This statement has, however, proven to be an empty promise as Macron now refuses to conduct negotiations with far-left union leaders and has invoked Article 49.3 of the French constitution which allows him to bypass a full parliamentary vote on his retirement age proposal.
The first sign of the strike came right as we arrived, as we tried to take the metro from the airport and found that it was stopping services earlier than usual. Later, as we explored the city, we noticed the trash buildup on the sidewalks. While there were standard picket-line protests outside of the Parliament building similar to those that we often see in the US, we also witnessed more radical tactics that exemplified the French people’s revolutionary flair. As we were leaving a burlesque show at the Crazy Horse, for example, we witnessed a trash fire set by protestors. This was the only one we saw, however they were occurring all over the city. I found this experience of being in Paris during a time of political unrest to be extremely eye-opening. It is during these times that a culture reveals its true colors, and as a result I learned a great deal about France’s cultural DNA.
Celeste Newman: Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome
When I was little, my dad traveled a lot for work. My mom didn’t want to sit at home for months on end with three little kids, so we often followed him around the world, spending a few weeks visiting where he was working or staying with friends. I was really lucky to grow up a world traveler, but the downside was that because we mostly traveled when I was in preschool and elementary school, many of these fantastic cities I have been to have become forgotten memories. Istanbul, Florence, Copenhagen, and Seoul all seem like a dream, and it almost feels like a lie to say that I have been there.
During spring break I went back to Italy for the first time in fifteen years. Immediately I was met with a strange sense of nostalgia. Memories that were previously forgotten came back to the surface. At Pisa, I remembered being too young to go up the tower so I sat at the base while my brothers took turns climbing with my mom while the other stayed with me coloring on the grass.
At the Boboli gardens in Florence, I recalled the memory of sliding around on these large white smooth stones in the middle of the garden. I wasn’t sure if it was part of my imagination, but when we stumbled across the stones I knew I wasn’t dreaming. My mom even confirmed my theories by sending pictures of me as a five year old crawling across them.
Staring up at the Duomo I remembered the confusion I had fifteen years ago when my parents told me we were climbing the Duomo. I thought they meant we were scaling the outside of the building. I can remember the disappointment of walking up a bunch of stairs inside because it would have been much cooler to rock climb on the outside.
This trip emphasized to me how crazy memories are. It is amazing how our brain can forget something and when you return to the place of a forgotten memory, it can all come back.
Picture courtesy of Celeste Newman
Angie Liu: Osaka, Japan
I went to Osaka, Japan for spring break! It seems like a bit of an extravagant destination considering I’m studying abroad in Europe, but I think that in the end it was really worth it. I had to fly from Prague to Warsaw, then Warsaw to Seoul, and finally Seoul to Osaka. One of my friends from the New York campus was already planning to spend their break in Osaka shadowing some of the executives at Universal Studios Japan for the week, so I decided to share their hotel. For most of the week, I was traveling alone, visiting various touristy destinations. I invested in the Osaka Amazing Pass which gave me access to a lot of popular museums and destinations and also access to a lot of boat rides. On Thursday, I got a chance to spend the day at Universal Studios. They have a really nice Super Nintendo World, which was definitely a unique experience. On Friday, I took a day trip to Kyoto and visited a big shrine and hiked all the way to the top. My favorite part of the trip was probably the food. I’m a big fan of Japanese street food.
Pictures courtesy of Angie Liu
Anna Kulikowski: Morocco
The decision to take the thirteen hour trip into the Sahara Desert from Marrakech was beyond worth the long scenic drive. Our group was warmly welcomed amongst the rich orange dunes by our passionate guide who spent the two days showing us the thrill, tranquility, and vastness of the desert. We were able to watch the luminous sunset on our camel ride and chase the serene sunrise on atvs. At night as the stars appeared in the vast sky, we trailed into the dark and chilly dunes to stargaze. Our guide shared with us his personal stories, each reflecting his passion for a nomadic lifestyle which touched our hearts. The experience affirmed our need to slow down and appreciate our encounters— with nature, with people, with our surroundings. We are constantly in a rush striving for the success and affluence promised by the big cities, but, it is important to reflect on the purpose behind this lifestyle. This remarkable experience in Morocco allowed me and I believe our entire group to reflect on this purpose and refresh our mindset and perspective.
Picture courtesy of Anna Kulikowski