University of Arkansas Office of Study Abroad: Spring Break: The Whereabouts #HogsAbroad in England #WanderlustWednesday

Denmark – Copenhagen (København), Helsingør

Copenhagen was the first location on our trip and set high expectations for the remainder of our excursion. The city was clean and had low rates of homelessness. Denmark has a flat landscape which makes riding bikes around easy, convenient, and fun. We had a full day of renting bikes and exploring the city. I think Copenhagen takes the cake for the best vegetarian meal I’ve ever had. I feel as if the rest of my life I will try to recreate the wonderful food we ate – despite the fact that I have no idea what I actually consumed. More highlights from Denmark included the fresh food markets, an impressive mix of modern and traditional architecture, the Design Museum, beautiful views from towers that overlooked the city, and a light snow that covered the city.

Sweden – Lund, Helsingborg, Gothenburg (Göteburg)

From Copenhagen we hopped on a quick train to the small, picturesque city of Lund. Our host lived on Lund University’s campus as a master’s student who has started a business selling all natural sunscreen (so safe you could eat it!). I loved hearing about her business, Suntribe Sunscreen, and all of the places she has traveled. Lund was similar to Copenhagen in its cleanliness. We toured through a zone that has been set up like a traditional medieval town with authentic houses that have been preserved from that time. On Easter’s eve we had a flight out to Budapest that ended up getting canceled. Thankfully through our connections on Couchsurfing, we easily headed back to Lund and got to spend an extra day in a different part of Sweden – Göteburg. We took a bus to Göteburg and enjoyed beautiful scenery of forests, farms, and the seaside along the way.

Hungary – Budapest

It turns out I’m “not fussed” (British saying) that our flight to Budapest got canceled. Coming from Scandinavia, Hungary had a much different feel. The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for our hike up a big hill that overlooked the city. Even though we had less time in Budapest than planned, we were still able to enjoy our time eating good food, seeing popular sights, and spending hours at the outdoor spring baths. My love for the film “Grand Budapest Hotel” had me on a constant search for Wes Anderson-style buildings while wandering the streets. I found many buildings in Budapest (as well as Salzburg) that reminded me of Wes Anderson.

Austria – Salzburg

Austria has been my long-awaited destination spot. I love mountains more than any other scenery in nature. Our host home was up through a winding road on the very top of a mountain. Ever since I heard about the Sound of Music Bike Tour, nearly four years ago, I have wanted to visit Salzburg. Our bike tour was nearly 3.5 hours and included visiting many filming site of the movie, behind-the-scenes details about the film, and group-wide singing along to the soundtrack as we cycled through the city. I was told that many locals are unfamiliar with this Hollywood movie and the significance of it being based in Salzburg, which I found surprising. Apart from the tour, we enjoyed the warmest weather we’ve had since being abroad. Austria’s outdoors had much to offer as we enjoyed daily hikes in the mountains, a nap in a sunny garden (featured in the Sound of Music!) and magnificent sunsets through the peaks.

Germany – Munich (Müchen)

We left Salzburg for Munich by a train we didn’t actually have the right ticket for. Our incorrect ticket posed no real problem in arriving in Munich. When the ticket lady questioned us, we acted confident despite our invalid ticket and she let us continue on our way. Munich reminded me of Salzburg and Prague, with the heavier food and emphasis on a variety of good meats. A highlight from the short visit in Munich was a nice long walk to a palace that seemed to stretch a mile long (my pictures do not do it justice!).

By the end of our travels we were ready to return home to Brighton. It is fun to see how I now call Brighton my home, and from the backpacking trip, realized how much I love and will miss England when I return to the States.