These last two weeks have been crazy! I have been to so many incredible places. On Friday April 3rd I left for Krakow, Poland for the weekend with a couple of friends. It was Easter weekend, and Easter there is so different than it is back home. Easter is a much bigger deal there than it is back in America, and it is celebrated Friday-Sunday, and some places were even still closed on that Monday. It was a really cool experience to be there over Easter weekend though! We left Krakow on Monday, April 6th, as we had to be back in Olomouc the next morning so that we could catch our 9 am bus for Vienna, Austria with our school group.
A little after 9 am on Tuesday, April 7th, my school group and I departed Olomouc for Vienna, Austria. It was a really nice, scenic drive on our way there, with us passing by many vineyards and small towns. We finally arrived in Vienna a few hours later, and we checked into our hostel, which was more like an apartment building. After our check in we brought our luggage to our rooms and then we went on to explore the city. We explored many different places while we were there, we saw many different palaces and cathedrals, beautiful gardens, a horse training show, and the crown jewels of Austria. My favorite part about Vienna was just walking around and seeing the huge palaces, cathedrals, and gardens that are remnants of the power this city had when it was the capital of the Austrian-Hungary Empire. Today this city, I would say, is still thriving, but it is definitely geared towards the older and wealthy populations. When I think of Vienna, I think of a very high class society. Classical music is huge here, and I would say that the majority of the city is already closed by 9 or 10 pm. I had a lot of fun touring this city, but I think I would appreciate this incredible city even more if I was older. We left Vienna early Thursday morning by bus to leave for Venice, Italy.
Venice was the most beautiful city that I have ever been to in my life. Everything about this place is amazing. We arrived during the "slow" season, as "not that many" tourists were there when we arrived. IT WAS SO CROWDED! We were told that it was not busy at all compared to how it gets in the summer, and I am so grateful that we visited during the slow season. The weather was super nice while we were there, it was a really nice break the 45-55 degree weather that we have had since we have been in Olomouc. Venice is located on the north-east side of the Italian peninsula, and the city sits on hundreds of islands that are a couple of miles offshore. Boats are the primary source of transportation, with walking being the only other mode of transportation available for the majority of the islands. However, there is one large island, which is relatively empty of tourists, where they have streets and use cars. We accidentally discovered this island, and we also discovered a beach on it. That was the first time that I have been to an ocean beach since I was a little kid, and I cannot wait to return to one! We had roughly two hours to explore this island, and I really wish that we would have had more time with it. The main island of Venice is amazing, but just being around all the tourists kind of takes a lot away from how amazing of a place it is. Me and a few friends woke up early almost every morning to explore the main island before all the tourists came out, and those early mornings were by far my favorite time in Venice. I also rode in a gondola... twice! It was such a cool experience! I absolutely loved this city and I highly recommend visiting Venice, it’s a place that you just really need to experience for yourself.
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