I’ve officially finished my course studies in Dublin and bittersweet doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ve managed to spend the last four months seeing every piece of Europe I could, and I’m not done yet! Although I didn’t know a soul in the study abroad program when I started this adventure, I’ve made relationships and memories to last a lifetime. My flatmates (there are 5) come from across the US and even Ireland. Just before exams two of my roommates and I travelled to Vienna, Budapest and Prague. In comparison to the weather we’ve had in Ireland, 65 and sunny was nice enough to lay out and tan! The thermal baths were the perfect place to be warm and get some sun. We did a dinner cruise on the Danube River, a Ruin Bar, and ate Langos.
We headed over to Vienna, learned some life lessons about pick-pockets (don’t stay out all night before you travel for 4 hours- you ARE a target), and had delicious Viennan chocolate cake. While we usually do walking tours of every city, we decided to spend a little more and do a day bike tour of the metropolis and nearby river park. Additional lesson learned: do not selfie whilst biking if you’re not proficient at both.
One of the thing I love traveling the world is to realize just how big and how small it is all at once. While surrounded by buildings and culture that dates back dynasties, I still found one degree of separation to a complete stranger. A couple from England, in Vienna, was telling us about their son who was a counselor at a summer camp in the states last year- which happened to be the same small summer camp I went to as a teenager, and the one my little sister was at this past summer as well. After some iMessage we discovered he had taught one of her sailing courses.
However a big or small world it is, I can’t wait to see more!
