Study Abroad

Junior at The Prague Institute- Spring 2017

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Brussels, Belgium

04.08.17 - 04.09.17

Although I gave up chocolate for Lent, I couldn’t pass up a Belgian waffle with dark Belgian chocolate! It was (obviously) delicious, especially because I hadn’t had chocolate in a month. 

Happy 21st birthday to Sam Linville!!! We spent our weekend celebrating Sam’s birthday in this gorgeous city.

Belgium was filled with beautiful architecture including many Gothic-style churches. We were blessed with amazing weather on Sunday, I even got a little sunburnt for the first time in a while!

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Barcelona, Spain

We loved the beautiful Barcelona beach! Although it was never warm enough for us to tan, we visited the beach every day because the area was so beautiful.

Park Güell - We visited the famous picturesque park and enjoyed the view of Barcelona. The mosaic benches were gorgeous as well as the rest of the park. We tried to go to the park at 11:00 am, but the next available entry time was at 5:30 pm! It’s safe to say this is an extremely popular spot in Barcelona!

Mercado de La Boqueria- On the rainy Saturday, we visited this huge market filled with street food and local meats, cheeses, etc. It reminded me of the Borough Market in London! I enjoyed some delicious paella, and we still had a fun-filled day in the rain.

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Charles Bridge at Sunrise

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Florence, Italy

The majority of my spring break was spent in Florence with my 4 best friends! Dana and I arrived from Rome on 3/8 (after a small hiccup with the train), and Brendan met us at the train station. Chandler and Allie met us shortly after at Brendan’s apartment! It was so great to all be together again for a short time.

Duomo di Firenze- The gorgeous cathedral in the city center. The inside was breathtaking, and I was lucky enough to pass by it for 4 days!

Ponte Vecchio- Brendan and I on the most famous bridge in Florence overlooking the Arno River

Piazzale Michelangelo- As good of friends as we are, Chandler and I don’t get enough pictures together! All 5 of us climbed to the top of a hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo for an amazing view of Florence. We watched the sun set before getting dinner at the Westin Hotel.

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When in Rome...

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London, UK

02.23.17 - 02.26.17

After an arduous day of traveling on Thursday, we were welcomed into Brendan’s family’s home in London. Friday’s weather was better than we could have imagined. Brendan and I took advantage of this and explored most of the touristy spots of London. We took a river boat tour on the Thames (selfie featured above with the Tower Bridge). 

Despite popular belief (MOM), I finally made it to the Buckingham Palace. We were extremely lucky because right when we walked up, the changing of the guards started!

They weren’t kidding when they said BIG Ben! 

Saturday was a little rainy, but we made it to the Borough Market with Brendan’s family. We got all the ingredients we needed for our dinner that night! So fun to walk around and see the different artisans and their goods.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

2.15.17-2.19.17

Hej after a long weekend in Copenhagen! I arrived Wednesday night to a familiar face, Anna Claire, and could not have been happier to have a little slice of home. The weekend was packed with everything I could see in the city in just 4 days. Together, we took over 100 photos during this short amount of time, so I’ll be selective with them here! (see my Facebook or my Google album for more photos)

The Little Mermaid Statue: The author of The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen (also wrote Thumbelina , The Princess and the Pea, and more) is from Copenhagen, so they see Andersen as their certain “Claim to Fame.” This statue honoring him and his work is located on the Baltic Sea!

The Carlsberg ExBEERience! Tour of the Carlsberg Brewery and beer tasting! The weekend was overall very cloudy, overcast, and rainy (typical for Copenhagen), so it was a nice break to be indoors exploring the brewery and learning about the brewing process. 

Amalienborg Palace: These beautiful grounds called for a picture with a guard! However, he was not happy about me standing so close to him (probably because of his giant weapon). This is the after shot when he told me to be “a meter and a half away.” Don’t let the picture fool you...I was extremely embarrassed!

First time biking in 11 years! Fear = Conquered. Although I’d love to take the credit, I almost had no choice but to do so in Copenhagen! Here, there are separate street lanes and also street lights for bikes. It was interesting to see how it played a role in the Danish culture.

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Valentine's Day!

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02.12.17 - Berlin

On Saturday night, we ventured to West Berlin to go out to a historic “punk bar” called SO36. It was 80′s night, so the music was great, and there were a lot of interesting people there. (Apologies for the blurry picture- there was a sign saying no pictures, but the venue was too cool not to at least try)

The East Berlin Wall Gallery- This is the most famous mural on the remains of the Berlin Wall. Walking next to all of the murals was an incredible experience thinking of the division of the city and the armed watch guards at the site. The presence of the fence was a slight bummer for my photo’s sake, but I understand it for the preservation of history. I love the accepting message and culture!

10,000 faces in this “memory void” at The Jewish Museum in Berlin. 

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02.11.17 - Berlin

Today we broke into groups to walk around Berlin to learn the history of East and West Berlin and to see some of the sights that Berlin has to offer! They called it an “Alternative Tour” because it wasn’t all of the touristy stops you would usually come across.

Lauren, Rachel, and I just before reaching where the Berlin Wall used to stand. All smiles even though we were uncomfortably freezing!

West Berlin- extremely progressive. Freedom, equality, and acceptance in this portion of the town. We stopped for some delicious hot chocolate on this cold day!

At the end of the day, Sam L, Lauren, Rachel, and I went to the top of the TV Tower (above) to overlook the entire city. The tower is 368 m high, and it was awesome seeing the hustle and bustle of the city at night.

One more day in Berlin! Tomorrow, we are going to The Jewish museum, then headed back to Prague (7 hour bus ride). 

Next trip: Copenhagen!

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Berlin, Germany

On Thursday, we left for Berlin bright and early with a short pit stop at a glass-blowing facility. It was very cool to see, but also pretty alarming because of all of the safety hazards. The professionals must know what they’re doing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how this would be regulated in America.

We arrived in Berlin late Thursday, grabbed dinner, then hit the hay.

Today, Friday 2/10, we toured the user experience center for Icon Mobile. That was extremely interesting, especially for the design students, but I also appreciated the product design and engineering involved.

The rest of the day was filled with some sight seeing!!! 

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany with Sam Horn

Republic Square, Berlin, Germany

Sony Center, Berlin, Germany

I am so excited for the next two days…more pictures to come!

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Roomies!

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Super Bowl...Monday?

Caramel + Chocolate + Coffee gelato! Absolutely fell in love with this shop Amorino because of their delicious hot chocolate and gelato. I was slightly bummed when I learned that it’s a chain, and there is a location in Raleigh...oh well!

Sam and I at the Drunken Monkey Bar to watch the Super Bowl! 

Kickoff wasn’t until 12:45 AM and we left around 4:30 AM mid-4th quarter. We were physically tired and also tired of the Falcons dominating the game! It’s true what they say... “It’s not over ‘til it’s over!”

This Weekend: Berlin, Germany!

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I bought a sketchbook! I’m starting to doodle and play with calligraphy! It's nothing compared to the design students, but I'm having fun playing around and seeing what I can do.

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Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace

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Vienna, Austria

01.27.17-01.29.17

This weekend, I traveled to Vienna, Austria with Sam and Rachel. Although it was freezing, the weekend was filled with beautiful architecture, palaces, and museums. 

Albertina Museum- The second was my favorite Picasso painting at the museum. The Albertina was filled with famous and beautiful art and made for a fun (and warm!) afternoon.

Polaroid with Sam!

St. Stephen’s Cathedral! The size and design of this cathedral was unbelievable. We got to go inside, and I lit a candle and said a prayer for Dad. 

Overall, the weekend was a success! I am happy to be back in Prague and back in my routine. I think leaving and then coming back to Prague makes me appreciate my time in this city more. 

NEXT TRIP: Berlin, Germany 02.09.17-02.11.17