Life Abroad: Week Fourteen
Final Weekend Trip Remarks
Hey from the Amsterdam airport! I am trying so hard not to get behind on these because I am so close to the end. Actually, way too close to the end…
Week Fourteen was so sweet and dear because I met up with my bestie Reena in Split, Croatia for one of the most wholesome and chatty weekends of abroad yet. Old friends in new places seems to be the perfect combination and recipe for a good time. I swear, it felt like a non-stop three day conversation because even in our bunk beds we were giggling away, texting each other about the weirdos in our hostel room. I wish I could tell you all everything we talked about, but when Reena and I are together we are usually laughing at something nobody else finds funny.
Split as a place was charming because of how small it was. The city center is built around the ruins and remnants of a palace, so it was fun exploring the different areas and getting lost in the walls. The city is better for a summer vacation and unfortunately we only caught one day of “summer weather”. Therefore, we spent our days walking at leisure, drinking coffee, sharing meals, and overstaying our welcome at every place we sat to eat because we were engrossed in conversation. We could have been anywhere and it would’ve been a great vacation, but Split was a funny place that only added to the humorous comments we kept making. Reena is someone I can hang out with for hours and we’d always find something to talk or laugh about. Having friends like such are so special because you know the friendship is so genuine. Reena is someone that has fundamentally shaped the person I am today, and time spent with her is always rewarding.
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Picking the blog post back up two weeks later… I’m writing this way later than I should have, but it’s also because I’ve been indulging a lot in life recently. Well, I have been indulging for most of this trip but especially this last week as I have visitors and say my goodbyes to this city. So forgive me if I forget certain things.
I then flew to Amsterdam to meet up with Casey and Juli. Amsterdam is a picteresque city- every canal, bicycle, and street was worthy of a photo. The people are also much more relaxed (makes sense lol) and overall, everyone we would see on the streets seemed really happy and at peace. We walked through Vondelpark and people were riding bikes, having picnics, walking dogs, just existing in peace. It felt like a fairytale utopia. Also, the museums we visited were probably the best I’ve seen in Europe thus far. Both the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh art museum were well-structured, not overloaded with information, and all the explanations were digestible and impactful. We were in Amsterdam for King’s Day, a Dutch national holiday where they celebrate the birthday of the king. Basically just an orange darty where people drink on boats in the canals, dance in the streets- similar to 4th of July but more of a collective celebration. It was really unique to see and I’m glad we were there to experience a national holdiay in Europe since I wasn’t in Dublin for Patty’s.
We flew to Prague at the end of King’s Day and were welcomed to probably the best and only hostel that gives Home Lisbon a run for their money. Seriously- if you are staying in Prague you have to stay at Roadhouse: it’s extremely clean, people are friendly, and location couldn’t be better. Prague is a city I absolutely fell in love with- the views are the best I’ve seen in Europe, and similar to Amsterdam it feels like you’re walking through a storybook town. We met up with Rahul for dinner and chimney cakes and heard all about his abroad experience living in Prague. The next day, we went to a beer garden with Rahul and some of his abroad friends. I sat next to some girls from Sweden and Norway and Texas and talked about summer holiday in Europe and differences between Europe and America (such a fun topic to discuss). I will likely make a blog post detailing some of these key differences soon. If I hadn’t studied abroad in Madrid, I think I would’ve wanted to go to Prague.
So this week was my last doing “weekend” / side trips in Europe. I am so eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to explore these different countries with friends while meeting a mixed bag of delightful and curious people. I learned so much about myself, my travel style, history, and how different life really is in different corners of the world. This entry is a little short just because I’m travel fatigued which is causing brain fatigue; stay tuned for next week for my final (tears) recap of this whole semester of adventure. Thanks for reading and happy living.
With love,
Rachel
