It’s been three months since I arrived in Aix, and I have spent almost every weekend away, so when it came time for yet another break, as crazy as it is to say, I was pretty tired of traveling. It has been non-stop since I first got here in January, and I felt like I just wanted to hang out in Aix. It’s not that I wasn’t excited for the break, I just felt overwhelmed. But I’m so happy to say that this trip was one of the best of the semester. Why? I was with just two other friends (Sallye and Ally woo!) who were on the same page, and I got to explore a side of Europe that was completely unique from the other places I’ve visited.

Our first stop was Prague, and I was blown away. The architecture and feel of the city was so incredible. It was cloudy for most of the weekend, but it was still a wonderful weekend. Our hostel was in a great location and had a fun vibe. We lucked out and no one else was in the room for the two nights we were there. We started our sightseeing route right away, and rode to the top of the Tower of Praha. It’s a terribly ugly structure, but the view was beautiful.

We made our way to Old Town, a popular part of the city, and were awestruck by the buildings and the true Czech feel of the square. We found ourselves there four more times throughout the weekend. If you ever make it to Prague, make sure to try the Old Prague Ham. It’s a bit on the pricy side, but insanely delicious. The sun was setting when we first arrived in the square, and I was able to snap some fun pictures.

Despite a scary alarm going off in pure Czech at 1:40 am, we were energized the next day to explore more
of the city. We walked to the John Lennon Wall, which is where Czechs would write grievances during the 1980s about the communist government, following a movement ironically called “Lennonism.”  The wall
was a bit underwhelming, as it was much smaller than expected, but the idea behind it is moving. We then saw the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and finished our afternoon by enjoying some food at a local festival.

Dinner was supposed to be a traditional Czech meal, in which I ordered a dish called “Chicken and Ham,” but what came out was a large mozzarella stick. I asked the waitress if this was the chicken and ham and she said yes. Mystery is still unsolved.

After dinner we headed to “The Biggest Bar Crawl in Central Europe!” It was pretty large as suggested, and we had a great time. I ran into a few people I knew which was fun, and we made some new friends along the way. It was cool to do something different when going out and have someone else leading the night. Sunday was spent finishing up our last Prague tasks and enjoying the city. We did a lot of walking and of course ended up back in Old Town. Prague was an incredible city that I did not expect to have as much charm as it did. That is definitely on my list of places to return.

We took an overnight train on Sunday to Budapest. My friends slept beautifully but unfortunately every time we turned I felt like my body was being dragged across the bed. Arriving in Budapest I was pretty useless, but we saw the Hungarian Parliament as our first stop. Budapest had much more of a city feel than Prague, but it was still very charming and had a lot of fun quirks. After a much needed nap, we headed out for dinner and enjoyed a buffet restaurant called Trofea Grill. Normally I wouldn’t have chosen a buffet on my own, but this place came with several recommendations. It was so good and there were several food options. We walked around the city a bit more and explored the Chain Bridge at night before heading back to our hostel.

We spent the next day on the Buda side of the river, and looked over the Pest side from the best viewing spot, Fisherman’s Bastion. It’s a funky little area that belongs in the Little Mermaid. It was a gorgeous day to walk around as well and enjoy the sun. We stopped by an outdoor bar on our walk back that had such a fun vibe. Everyone was enjoying the weather while sipping on wine spritzers, and all were welcome to join. It reminded me of Chicago’s Rooftop Patio season, and got me excited to partake this summer.

 

The Széchenyi Baths were the highlight of our last day. The weather was sunny and 75, making it the perfect day to hang out with Hungarians. The water was incredibly hot though so we didn’t last too long in the actual water, but the scenery was fun and it was nice to relax. Later that day we decided to partake in a Hungarian soccer game. The stadium was only ¼ full, but those that are into football LOVE football. It was a fun site to see even though soccer isn’t a huge deal in Hungary.

Unfortunately I started getting sick when we got to Vienna. It was probably from all the traveling and activities going on, but my body just needed to rest. This was also probably a huge reason I wasn’t crazy about Vienna. However, it also felt very touristy and commercialized. Most of the major streets were flooded with American shops, and the important buildings seemed less important as they were surrounded by Americanization. We found some good restaurants though, including one we went to twice called Aroi Thai. My favorite parts of Vienna were the Rathaus and the festival that was going on right in front of it, the Naschmarkt, and Schönbrunn Palace.

We took a day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia on our last day in Vienna. I never thought I would end up in Slovakia, but it was only an hour from Vienna and $16 round trip, making it a no brainer. When we first got there we were all a bit sketched out at how quiet it was. There was a ton of graffiti everywhere, and we weren’t sure where the rave reviews of the city were coming from. After walking another ten minutes we finally found the cute part of the city. The main square had colorful buildings and several fountains. We walked to get ice cream, and stumbled upon Luculus Ice Saloon. First off, we laughed at the ice saloon part. Second, it was the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life. If you’re EVER in Bratislava, this is an absolute must. So cheap and so incredible. It was also close to the Danube River, which is much grander than the Danube of Vienna. Bratislava also has a Blue Church that was beautiful, but it’s grandest building was the Hrad Castle on top of a hill. It was an amazing view of the city, and we saw how quickly Slovakia turns from city to countryside.

It was nice to get back to Aix since I was still feeling sick, but it was also a huge realization about how quickly this amazing semester is coming to an end. As I write this, I have only 19 days left. This break was perfect, and it was so nice to be with people that you never run out of conversation with and seem to spend the majority of the time laughing with. With the weather getting warm in Aix now, I’m finding myself outside more, reading books and enjoying the sun. It’s time to enjoy Aix and all of its’ wonderful quirks. But before I spend my last two weeks here, there’s one more trip outside of France.
Next stop, Ibiza!