Spring Break in Europe

IES Abroad had our spring break one month into the program. It did not feel like I was in school for long until I was leaving for spring break. For spring break in Europe, myself and nine other girls went to Copenhagen, Budapest, and Prague. All three places were very different and fun in there own way. And I have provided you some highlights of our trip and must sees. 

Copenhagen 

Copenhagen was cold. If I could describe it in two words I would say cold but beautiful. If you plans on going here make sure you pack a lot of layers, bring warm clothes- mainly for the hands and feet because those are the first to feel the pain. However, what I loved about Copenhagen was the feel to the city, everyone seemed relaxed, happy, and minding their own business. They also ride their bikes everywhere which was cool and environmentally friendly. 

Copenhagen also has beautiful streets such as Strøget and Nyhavn (pictured above). We did a lot of walking around these streets and admired the beauty colors of the Nyhavn street and enjoyed the liveliness and shopping of Strøget. 

One place we went to multiple times was this cool street food market called paper island. At paper island you have different options of food. There was pizza, falafels, crepes, tacos, etc. you name it there was probably a cart for it.  My personal favorite was a panini place where I got a chicken caesar panini and it was delicious. 

We also went to see the little mermaid statue which was not as exciting as I thought it would be, however it is a pretty walk to the statue and it is well known so a must see. Ad then we went to the round tower for beautiful views of the city of Copenhagen. And fun fact, you can see Sweden in the distance. 

Budapest 

We did not spend a lot of time in Budapest (basically a day) so I’m not sure I had time to see most of Budapest. However, the views of the bridge and Danube is beautiful and a must see at night. 

We also went to a place called St. Stephan basilica where we saw beautiful views of this city. After the basilica we went to see the parliament which was a beautiful building. 

In the afternoon we went to the famous thermal bath, Szechenyi. This was the coolest thing in Budapest and would recommend if one wanted to go to Budapest. The thermal bath was a good place to relax in the afternoon. The contrast of the cold outdoors with the warm water was perfect we stayed there for a few hours. The steam was also very cool and mysterious to watch come up from the baths. 

Prague 

Prague was a beautiful city and one of my favorite parts of the trip. On the first day here we went to the Charles bridge, the John Lenon Wall, then we watched the changing of the guards at the Castle, and afterwards we went up Petrin to the observation tower. The tower looked a lot like the eiffel tower and views of this city. 

In the afternoon we went to the old town square, which was the cutest little area I have ever seen- it was like a fairytale town the buildings were all different pastel colors with cobblestone roads. In the old town square we got Prague's famous dessert, trdilnik, which is dough covered in sugar filled with nutella and ice cream. It was so good and a must eat. 

The next day we went to see the dancing building and walked along one of their beautiful rivers. I also saw two of my friends from home and we went to the Gallery of Art Prague that showed Dahli, Mucha, Warhol. I really enjoyed this not only because I love Andy Warhol's work, but it was something different from what I did the entire break and I was able to see two of my friends. 

Overall, exploring these three cities was a lot of fun and a great experience. It made my spring break in Europe worthwhile. And I hope you get to experience these cities as well.