The time has come…my abroad journey is over and I am returning home to America. I can’t even describe the feelings that are occurring right now- excitement but sadness are two of the emotions. These past 3 months have been beyond amazing. I could not be any luckier to be given an opportunity of a life time. I traveled to 11 different countries and 22 cities throughout my 3 and a half months abroad. I have met friends that I know will last a life time. I also did go to school throughout my time here and passed all my classes (my mother wanted me to add that in so I reminded everyone that I did in fact go to school and get an education while I was here!!) I cannot believe that my time here has ended. I have been talking about going abroad for a few years and now it is the end. I am sad that the time is over, but I am so lucky and happy that I got the chance to experience it. I have changed as a person, learned so many things, and have found a new home. Florence will always be my second home & I look forward to coming back soon!
This experience would not have been possible or as enjoyable if it was not for my amazing parents & the amazing friends that I have made. I was lucky enough to travel all over the world and make friendships that will last forever. These past 3 months have been life changing and unforgettable. Without my family & friends none of it would have been possible.
Friday: We arrived in Croatia after a very long 12 hour bus ride around 9AM. There was no time for sleeping once we arrived. We ate a quick breakfast, put our bathing suits on, and headed straight for the beach! We all got lounge chairs and relaxed by the beach for practically the entire day; we also burned by the beach for that long too. The sun was so strong our bodies were completely burnt once the day was over. We took a break mid-day for some lunch and some drinks; the malibu twist that I ordered was perfection! After laying on the beach for a few more hours, we decided to head back and get ready for the night. We went to a pub crawl around 8:00 and embarrassingly enough we were back in our rooms at 10:30. There are probably not too many people who can say they started a pub crawl at 8 and ended by 10, but hey we were all exhausted!
Saturday: Island hopping boat tour! We got on the boat around 10:00AM and spent the day cruising along the gorgeous blue water to two different islands, Brac and Solta. We got a few hours at each of the islands to lay out, relax, and enjoy the beauty of Croatia and the 80 degree weather. In between the Islands we hung out on the boat, drinking wine (boxed wine actually, classy I know) listening to music, and eating lunch. Saturday night we were all exhausted so we all went for a nice dinner but came back to the rooms early. The sun completely wore us out and we knew that our 6AM alarm would be going off before we knew it!
Sunday: We had to leave Split at 6:45AM, waking up was definitely not enjoyable, but we were headed to the beautiful waterfalls in Krka, Croatia. We got to the national park around 8:30 and had until 11:30 to explore the gorgeous park. The weather was a bit chilly so many of us decided to take off our bathing suits and put on warmer clothes. When we arrived at the huge waterfall we decided that there was no way we were going to just watch everyone else in the water so we decided to change back into our bathing suits. I ended up just going in to my knees but the waterfalls were magnificent and it was amazing being able to take pictures by the gorgeous views. We headed back on the bus around 11:30 and had a 10 hour bus ride back to Florence.
Friday: Bike tour around Munich! For about 4 hours we went on a bike tour, a large group of us, all around Munich. The weather was incredible and it was so nice biking and seeing the beautiful city. We stopped for lunch at a beer garden where I had to try the famous beer. I am not a beer drinker, well I should actually clarify and say I absolutely hate beer and never drink it. I knew that I had to try it though to experience what Germany is all about. Surprisingly, the beer was light, cold, and amazing! After the bike tour we headed to Springfest. Springfest is a big carnival in Germany that they have for 2 weeks in April. It is filled with carnival rides, food, and beer’s the size of my head! We spent the day in tents drinking, dancing, going on and off rides, and experiencing Springfest!!
Saturday: We walked around for a bit Saturday morning stopping at Starbucks to get some coffee and wandering around the beautiful city of Munich. It was already about 75 degrees when we walked out of the hostel at 10AM so we knew it was going to be an extremely hot day. After walking for a bit we were all hungry and ready for lunch. We walked into a few “traditional German” places but none of us were loving their options. We decided that the hard rock was the way to go! We sat and enjoyed some American food, cheeseburgers, nachos, raspberry mojitos and had a great lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Munich, Germany! Around 3 we decided to head over to springfest because we wanted to go on the rides. We spent about 2 hours and a lot of money going from ride to ride having the time of our lives. I do not think that I stopped smiling for that entire time, I felt like a little kid again! Around 5 we decided it was beer drinking time! We all sat down and a had a few beers and then ended up in the tents, dancing on tables, singing, and having the most amazing time! Around 11 we all wanted to go home so we left the tents and started walking out of springfest. All of a sudden, we decided that we should go on the rides one last time. All 8 of us decided to go on the rides and we spent about an hour all together going on the rides one last time!
Sunday: We woke up early to take the train to Dachau, the concentration camp in Germany. It was a gloomy, cold, day in Germany unlike the other two days that were 80 degrees which was a bit ironic since we were spending it at a concentration camp. When we arrived we found out that it was the 67th anniversary of the Liberation at Dachau. There were many families and survivors there that day and a beautiful memorial service going on. We walked around the camp and went into a barrack. It was so horrible to see the beds that they had to sleep in, the small rooms, the toilets, and pictures of the victims being tortured, and the actually gas chambers where they were persecuted. I am taking a Holocaust class here in Florence so for me I was able to actually see things that I have been learning about these past 3 months. It was an amazing experience seeing the camp but it was a very solemn day. After Dachau we returned back to the hostel and got on the bus for an 8 hour ride back to Florence.
