Fantastic Cities and Where to Find Them #HogsAbroad in Italy

When you have the opportunity to travel, take it. Go explore, go learn, and just go experience new places and cultures. 

 

This Spring Break, I had the opportunity to do just that. I bought a rail pass and visited seven European cities in nine days, just myself and a backpack.

Pisa, Nice, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Vienna

I started my adventure on a Saturday morning. I woke up bright and early to catch a 7:00 train from Rome to Pisa. I had planned Pisa to be an afternoon trip, mostly to see the leaning tower and the landmarks around it before I moved on. With this plan, I arrived in Pisa around 10:00 and immediately set out for the leaning tower (It wasn’t hard to find!).

There, I was immediately surrounded by a tide of tourists and travelers from a variety of countries and cultures, each trying to take the perfect photo. So I joined in! While I was there, I also went inside the baptistry and the cathedral.

As I slowly made my way back to the train station, I grabbed street food for lunch and browsed the local outdoor market, looking at the handmade trinkets and crafts. I also discovered the Museo della Grafica, which quickly became one of my favorite spaces in the city.
 
My train left at 2:00, and I arrived in Nice at 8:00.

I didn’t have much time in Nice, so I started my experience of the city with an amazing French dinner at L’Oustaou, and then checked in to my AirBnb. The following morning I woke up early to walk the city and see what Nice was all about. I walked along the beach while the sun was still low in the sky. It was perfect.

After wandering for three hours and getting a breakfast of orange juice and a chocolate croissant at a local bakery, I walked to the train station.

My train left Nice at 10:oo on Sunday morning, and arrived at 3:40 PM in Paris.

First order of business, FOOD. I had snacked on the train, but a late-afternoon snack was in order. Breizh Cafe’s chocolate crepe was calling my name. So good. Since I was in Paris for two days, I decided to head toward Notre Dame for my first evening, and do some exploring in and around the cathedral. Little did I know that I was heading there just as evening mass was starting. The brassy notes of bells of Notre Dame pealed over the city, answered by the bells of St. Chappelle. It was magical. I walked into the cathedral to the beautiful gothic space, filled by seemingly weightless vaults and brilliantly colored stained glass.

My second day in Paris was a day-long exploration of the major sites. The first site of the day was Montmartre. I began with the Church of the Sacre Coeur, walked the narrow streets at the top of the hill, and eventually made my way down to see the Moulin Rouge.

From there, I grabbed a bus to the Louvre. I spent the afternoon wandering amongst incredible works of art and sculpture. Seeing as art is one of my great loves, I was a happy camper. As the afternoon passed and the museum close, I made my way to the Eiffel Tower to watch it as the sun went down and it lit up for the night. I ended the day at a restaurant called “Le Petit Cler”, where I had the most delicious creme brûlée of my life. Go there. Also go to “Chez Papa” and order their duck in peach sauce. Believe me, it’s heaven.

The next day I got on a train to Brussels. I had one day in this city, and loved every minute of it. Paris was probably my favorite city in terms of things to do and see, but Brussels was by far my favorite city in terms of general vibe. Get the waffles, get chocolate, go to Delirium Cafe for a beer from their world-record selection quantity (I’m not joking, the menu is essentially a magazine). Brussels is also amazing for the shear quantity of things to see near the city center. While the Grand Place is definitely a to-do, definitely go check out the Mont des Arts and all of its museums and galleries, as well as the Mannekin Pis and the Palais of Justice. Furthermore, most of the churches and Cathedrals around the city are open to the public to walk in, which I recommend if you’d like to see some very beautiful Gothic Architecture. As for museum recommendations, the Museum of Musical Instruments was my favorite!

The next day I was off to Berlin. This was another city I had reserved two days for, and was actually meeting a friend in. The first afternoon and evening was fairly chill as my friend showed me around to some of her favorite restaurants and we even took a painting class together. The next day, however, we went to see all of the touristy, and some not so touristy places. The two places on my must-see list were the Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. Being an architecture student, both of these sites held an importance to me due to their design and the architects responsible for them on top of their symbolic and educational value to the city, but I recommend everyone visit them.

Along with seeing these two important sites, my friend also took me to see the Brandenburg gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Mall of Berlin, Panorama Point, Ritter Sport ChocoWorld (where you can go and make your own chocolate), and to end the day, the East Side Gallery. The entirety of my tour of Berlin was accompanied by delicious bratwurst, chocolate, assorted German snacks, and for dinner we went to the street food market. If you are in Berlin on a Thursday Night I highly recommend it. I had the best spätzle of my life there, but you can find cuisine from all over the world as well as traditional German Food. It was the perfect conclusion to this beautiful city.

The next day I was on a train to Prague, Czech Republic. Fun fact, the place I was staying was on the top floor of the Philippine Embassy! After getting settled, I was off to find some traditional Czech food for lunch. “Sisters” restaurant did not disappoint on that front. I was able to order two traditional open-faced sandwiches (perfect for mixing and matching flavor combinations) along with a side of their split-pea soup.

While I was there, a food-tour group even came by! From there I went to check out the castle district, occasionally wandering into churches I passed along the way. I spent a large part of my afternoon wandering around the castles and basilicas, and then made my way to see the John Lennon wall, the Charles Bridge, and Old Town. My evening was mainly spent in Old Town, climbing the Astronomical clock tower, eating traditional Czech food for dinner, and wandering into various small shops.

Many people have asked me how I was able to travel by myself, and if I ever got lonely while doing so. While I definitely recommend traveling alone if there’s something that you’re wanting to do, and there really isn’t much time to feel lonely or homesick if you’re doing and seeing a lot, it is ok to occasionally feel that way. Those feelings of homesickness did catch up to me in Prague; however, a FaceTime call, some souvenir shopping for my family, and an early night were enough to have me feeling better in the morning.

My final city was Vienna, and at this point in my adventure the weather turned. What had previously been a week of uninterrupted sunny and mild weather turned into a cold, windy, and rainy day in Austria. Not to be deterred, I grabbed my scarf and umbrella (which ended up being pointless in the wind), and after a lunch at the Naschmarket I set off to explore the indoor attractions of the city. These included the Natural History Museum, Holdenplatz, the National Library, Hofburg Palace, and the Spanish Riding School (my favorite!). Due to my love of all-things horse related and my history in dressage riding, I decided to buy tickets for a tour of the horse stables and one of their shows for the next morning before my flight back to Rome. My evening, since at least the rain had stopped, was spent walking to see  the Burgtheater, the Parliament Building, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The next morning, I went to see the show at the Spanish Riding School, and then made my way to the airport. While all of the other legs of my trip were made by train, allowing me to see the European countryside, the final leg back to Rome was more practical (and cheaper) by plane.
Thus concluded perhaps one of the greatest travel weeks of my life, and it had all gone off without a hitch. As the plane took off from Vienna to take me back to Rome for the remainder of my study-abroad semester, the exhaustion from the week finally caught up to me, and I slept until the plane touched down in the Eternal City.

Best Food: Duck in Peach Sauce from Chez Papa in Paris

Best Drink: Delirium Cafe in Brussels, followed by U Supa house-brewed beer in Prague

Favorite Sweet Treat: Tie between the Belgian Waffles in Brussels and the Chocolate Crepe from Breizh Cafe in Paris

Best Public Transportation: Berlin

Most Walkable City: Brussles and Vienna

Best attractions: Paris

Best overall vibe: Brussels

Best for an afternoon trip: Pisa

Best Museum: The Louvre (duh!) followed closely by the Jewish Museum in Berlin

Best Panoramic View: Sacre Coeur in Paris

Favorite Cathedral: both Notre Dame in Paris and St. Stephen’s in Vienna

Favorite monument: Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin

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Read more from Sarah at https://sarahromesitaly.wordpress.com
Check out http://studyabroad.uark.edu/romecenter for more information on the U of A Rome Center options.