Category: Europe

Submitted by Martina Esparza the 2024 Spring program in Czech Republic…

This past week my roommate and I traveled to Budapest. Upon our arrival we rushed to make it Budapests infamous activities: A night time boat tour. After a little running and some google map difficulties we made it. With the sun setting the city brightened as each historical monument lit up, the parliament building being the most spectacular. This government building is majestic due to its historical significance, representing Hungary’s rich cultural heritage and the nation’s pride in its democratic institutions. A sight to see is an underwhelming statement to be able to witness the grandness of this building being reflected off the Danube river. (Submitted on April 15,2024)

Submitted by Martina Esparza the 2024 Spring program in Czech Republic…

Summer House

This past week I had two of my good friends visit Prague on UD’s spring break. Together the three of us explored all Prague’s major attractions.  Collectively we decided that the summer house and the Prague castle were the best two the city has to offer. The Summer House (also known as the Belvedere) is a 16th century building that once served as a recreational residence for Prague royalty. One of the largest ancient castles in the world, the Prague castle filled our eyes with its stunning architecture and high towers. 

After being abroad for three months familiar faces were the just the thing I needed to undo my homesickness. While also a tourist in Prague, I enjoyed playing tour guide for the a couple days to my visitors, and found it truly thrilling showing them all my new favorite places in an beautiful new city. (Submitted on April 15,2024)

Submitted by Lauren Choptij the 2024 Spring program in Rome, Italy…

I am combining these last two weeks as I experienced one of the hardest challenges while being abroad. I was hospitalized for two weeks following Easter due to an untreated ear infection that led to surgery and two weeks in the hospital. I am very lucky to be out of the hospital now, but it was not an easy journey. I am trying to catch up on all the work I missed and still be able to enjoy the last two weeks of this study abroad experience. (Submitted on April 15,2024)

Submitted by Olivia Tadlock the 2024 Spring program in Limerick, Ireland…

Moving to another country comes with a lot of cultural differences and culture shock. One culture shock that I didn’t expect to experience in Ireland was the strong accents. Even though everyone in Ireland speaks English, some Irish accents are very strong which can make it difficult to understand what they are saying. I’ve had trouble understanding the accent with my professors and classmates, in stores and restaurants, and when traveling around Ireland. Some areas of Ireland have stronger accents than others. In fact, I was recently on the west coast of Ireland where their accents are very strong and it was very difficult to understand people’s accents. Even though it’s frustrating when I can’t understand someone’s accent, I try to be patient with myself and I just ask the person I’m talking with to repeat themselves. I also know that the more I hear the Irish accent, the better I get at understanding it. (Submitted on April 13,2024)

Submitted by Megan Zalinkanskas the 2024 Spring program in London, England…

At the top of my sightseeing list from the beginning of the year was Liverpool. As a massive Beatles fan and music fan in general, I was so excited to finally see this city, and it did not disappoint. From the vast amounts of museums, shopping, restaurants, and music venues, there was a lot to explore. I went on a bus tour to see various Beatles signs throughout the city which was an incredible experience. My tour guide was super friendly and knowledgeable, everyone was so excited to see these seemingly boring houses and streets because of the music history behind them. 

The Museum of Liverpool, which I explored on my second day, had artifacts surrounding the city’s shipping history and railway innovation. It’s important to acknowledge that Liverpool was once a thriving port city because it profited from the trade of enslaved people. This history, while difficult, is important to learn about. 

My third day in Liverpool was dedicated to the British Music Experience, an interactive museum with costumes and artifacts from the 1950s to the present day. Many of the early music stars of the British skiffle movement were covered in my British Popular Culture class this semester so it was really cool to see some costumes from these stars in real life. Liverpool was such a cool city and I really recommend visiting it if you ever have the opportunity. (Submitted on April 11,2024)

Submitted by Sydney Moreno the 2024 Spring program in London, England…

Classes end soon, which means that now starts the whirlwind of lots of final papers, projects, and presentations. Lots of my final projects are with groups of two or three other individuals, and with us living scattered all over the city and having different schedules, it can be extremely difficult trying to figure out when the best time to get all of our work done is. 

One thing that is extremely important to getting work done in a group project is just having an open line of communication. Making sure that I am in constant contact with my group members for my different projects has made managing all of the work so much easier, and has also allowed us to get the work done faster. I’ve loved having these group projects, as they have allowed me to get to know more people in the program, and now I can come back home with more friends! (Submitted on April 11,2024)

Submitted by Sydney Moreno the 2024 Spring program in London, England…

As the semester starts to wind down, I have learned to live more in the moment than ever before. Making sure I have time to balance my studies, my social life, and my internship has gotten easier with time, and now that I feel like I’ve finally gotten the hang of it, it’s almost over!

I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what it means to live in another country, and how it shapes my views as well as my behavior. I feel like Inhave learned so much about becoming adaptable and remaining flexible in order to make the most of my experiences, and that’s really all that I can ask for. I feel like I will be returning home with not only a better understanding of a new culture, but also a better understanding of who I am as a person. (Submitted on April 11,2024)

Submitted by Samantha Jennings the 2024 Spring program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

This week marked the first opportunity that I was able to venture into another city of Denmark beyond Copenhagen! My friends and I traveled to Roskilde, Denmark where we spent the day exploring, learning about history, and shopping! We began at the Roskilde Cathedral where we saw beautiful stained glass portraits and learned about how the Protestant Reformation affected the church and Denmark as a whole. Next, we went to an open-air museum to experience how shops and general stores were run in Roskilde during the 1800s. We compared this experience with our own when we traveled to the open-air market in the city center. A selection of flowers, antiques, and unique Danish cheeses were on display for purchase and it was a beautiful day to see people outside and greeting each other. We finished the day with another one of my Copenhagen Bucket List items–the Viking Ship Museum. This museum was amazing! It was super interesting and interactive. We learned all about the vikings and their journeys as well as how their real ships were found and restored. It was so cool to imagine how the vikings sailed on these wooden ships all the way from Roskilde to Dublin, Ireland! I can’t wait to travel to Ireland next week and learn more about how vikings affected history in Dublin. Stay tuned to hear more about my Irish experiences next week! (Submitted on April 11,2024)

Submitted by Samantha Jennings the 2024 Spring program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

This week our weekly event for the Culinary Living and Learning Community brought us to Bygaard, a sustainable mushroom farm located in Refshalevej, Copenhagen. There, we learned how the farm was established in a base of three former shipping containers, as well as how the mushrooms are grown, processed, and sold in a sustainable manner. We discussed the malpractice of labor and harvesting that is often characteristic of products sold from large companies in grocery stores and we talked about the true costs associated with fair labor. This farm is small and relatively new, however its products service a wide array of restaurants across the city center of Copenhagen. All mushrooms from the farm are grown in controlled conditions in two of the shipping containers, then processed, packaged, and delivered to each restaurant or catering service in true Danish fashion–by bike! Any remnants of mushrooms that cannot be sold are either used as a foundation to propagate new mushrooms or repurposed as compost for a local community vegetable garden nearby. Prior to coming to the farm I didn’t know anything about mushrooms or food sustainability, but I feel as though I definitely learned a lot from attending this event! It was extremely informative and interesting to see the process of how our vegetables ultimately reach our tables. I can’t wait to try cooking with some of these mushrooms next week! (Submitted on April 11,2024)

Submitted by Samantha Jennings the 2024 Spring program in Copenhagen, Denmark…

In the wake of the first travel week of the semester I had a lot of homework and resting to do! Although traveling around Norway was extremely exciting, it felt very nice to come back to the little home that I have made for myself here in Copenhagen. For this reason I decided to dedicate this week to checking-off some of my Copenhagen Bucket List items! By the end of the week I was able to accomplish two of my most important Copenhagen activities–trying an almond croissant and climbing up the spire of the Church of Our Savior. After a hard day of working on homework and class projects, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful European ‘cafe culture’ and finally try an almond croissant. Although Denmark is not necessarily well-known for this pastry in particular, the Danes certainly do enjoy their baked goods and I must say that I have been enjoying their baked goods as well! Going out to get the croissant at a cafe rather than the local grocery store (which would be somewhat cheaper) was a great way to experience Danish culture in its natural setting, while also rewarding myself with a sweet treat. The second most exciting experience of my week was traveling to a new neighborhood of the city, Freetown Christiania, to explore and climb the spire of one of the oldest and most famous churches in Copenhagen, the Church of Our Savior. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking and I was extremely grateful that the crystal clear blue skies of Copenhagen made a rare appearance for the occasion. Although wind speeds reached up to 40 mph this day, I still managed to hold on tight to the railing and snap this quick photo! It was a wonderful way to end a lazy week! (Submitted on April 11,2024)