Euro Adventures Part 1
Oh wow, life has been crazy over the past couple of weeks! So it looks like I have a fair bit of catching up to do. I'll still write all of my 3 entries that I've missed...just slightly late. So here is an overload of updates on my exchange adventures recently! Let me begin with one of the greatest parts of exchange - Eurotour! This is where all the exchange students in Sweden are sent off an a road trip for 2 and a half weeks to see all new countries with cute towns, beautiful countrysides, bright cities and magnificent architecture.
Over the eighteen days of travel, we trekked across a total of 11 countries. I really love how in Europe, it is so simple to pass through into another country, and how you can see that each place has its own personal feel to it. I loved the variety of places we had the opportunity to see while on this trip, and was definitely surprised by how beautiful some of the places were. Definitely beyond expectations. With the company of 56 amazing people, I couldn't have asked for a better Eurotour. So now, let me try give you a summary of all the amazing events of Eurotour, and mentioning the highlights from every country. I can't promise this will be a short read, but I'll make sure to fill it with fun stories and interesting things I have learnt along my journey through Europe.
The trip started off in Malmö, Sweden, where all the exchange students gathered together. Some of us were meeting for the first time, while others greeted old friends. The greatest part about exchange students is that we all seem to get along and understand each other. We all have outgoig personalities and are open to new things, and so, it's always fun to be together. From Malmö, we drove down to Denmark in our double decker bus and took a boat to Germany. 3 Countries in a single day. Our final destination was in the lovely city, Berlin. I have to say, it was so strange to hear a whole new language surrounding me again. After finally adjusting to the Swedes, it seems like I'm back at the beginning, where everything is just a jumble of sounds. I also managed to accidentally speak to people in Swedish on multiple occassions, and couldn't understand their looks of confusion. Doesn't everyone speak Swedish? I guess not.
Berlin Germany. Where do I begin? Of course, we had to check out the major tourist attraction, the Berlin Wall which was built for the Cold War. I really loved the art covering every section of the wall, painted on by artirsts after the fall in 1989. It was all really interesting to see and learn about. Also, if you see a streetperformer there with a horse mask on him, tell him I say hi! haha. That was another part about Berlin which I grew to love. The street performers were scattered everywhere throughout the city and they all had so much life and emotion with the music. Most of us exchange students enjoyed just sitting and watching these people, and at one point we made a large semi circle around one performer and just swayed to the music.
Next up we had Krakow, Poland. This was probably the most intense part of the tour as we faced one of our darkest parts of history, the holocaust. We visisted Auschwitz Concentration Camp where approximately 1 million people were executed through gasing, experimentation, starvation, shootings and whatever else their poor situation forced them into. In the buildings they had displays showing mountains of hair which had been shaved from the prisoner’s heads, and all their luggage piled up as rubbish. We walked through a gas chamber where they were tricked into believing that they were to be showered, only to die within 15minutes from gases. They were then searched for valuables, and their bodies taken to be burnt. We learnt about the selection process where a doctor decided upon whether a person would be sentenced to death or labour depending on health. Their homes, which were probably meant to fit about 50 each as a maximum were filled to 700. The flooring was made of mud and their clothing was not enough warmth for the winter. A lot of them survived off around 300 calories per day. I can't believe this was the harsh reality for anyone in this world. Of course, we also toured through other parts of Poland and saw the town which is actually quite interesting, and has so much more history than Australia which is interesting.
One of the most surprising places would be Budapest, Hungary. I honestly hadn't known much about it before arriving, so I also hadn't expected much. However, I can definitely say it was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The cool thing about this town is the mountains bordering the city and waterside, and the gorgeous monuments built on top. I have to say that every piece of structure in this town looked like a piece of artwork, and so it is definitely a place I'd want to return to again. One of the best views was definitIely found at the liberty statue which was built in commemoration of those who sacrficed their lives to defend their country. One of the strange parts about this country though would be the very very few left turns the roads allow. This means that the traffic has to take long detours in some cases in order to get to their destination. Luckily our bus driver knows his way around the place, or it might have been an awkward struggle trying to find our way around the place.
Now while in Hungary, you have to try the famous springs which are naturally hot and actually has to be cooled down to be comfortable to swim in. This water is very good for the body because of the minerals in it. Here they had multiple pools for bathing which all had a range of different temperatures from 16 to 38 degrees celcius. These paths were located both indoors and outdoors, some large and some small. There were also saunas throughout the area, and so my group spent some time in the sauna and then jumped straight into the coldest bath within the area. At first it was a blast of freezing water, but I was shocked at how comfortable the water was merely seconds later. I had a heap of fun going here with all my friends and enjoying the water, finally getting a chance to swim after so many cold months in Sweden. It feels great not needing to bring a jumper every where I go, and feeling the heat even once the sun has gone down.
Our next major stop was in Zell am See, Austria, right by the alps. Quite contrasting to Hungary, this country was beautiful through its nature and countryside. We stopped off at a very cute town in a hotel with a gorgeous view. Like, look at it! If someone thinks they know a better view than this, I will be in disbelief. Well, unless they mean from the top of the alps, because that was stunning. All the exchange students got to decide whether they wanted to hike up the mountain or through the valley, and I chose the mountain. A 600m incline in altitude, and aproximately 8km later, I was out of breath from both the walk and the view. Then we had the big walk down. My group took the lead, and found ourselves at the bottom of the mountain right beside a stream of icy water which had come from the melted snow on top of the alps. One of my craziest and greatest experiences on Eurotour was this day after such a long and hot walk, jumping into this freezing water and feeling the adrenaline from it all. It was difficult to stay in the water for more than a few seconds, but it was definitely the best cool off anyone could ask for!
Wow, this really is taking a long time to write! I've decided to cut this into two separate posts to make it easier on both the reader and myself. So this is the first half of my adventures in Europe, and I'll continue with writting about my travels to Italy, France, Belgium and Germany on my next post!
Over the eighteen days of travel, we trekked across a total of 11 countries. I really love how in Europe, it is so simple to pass through into another country, and how you can see that each place has its own personal feel to it. I loved the variety of places we had the opportunity to see while on this trip, and was definitely surprised by how beautiful some of the places were. Definitely beyond expectations. With the company of 56 amazing people, I couldn't have asked for a better Eurotour. So now, let me try give you a summary of all the amazing events of Eurotour, and mentioning the highlights from every country. I can't promise this will be a short read, but I'll make sure to fill it with fun stories and interesting things I have learnt along my journey through Europe.The trip started off in Malmö, Sweden, where all the exchange students gathered together. Some of us were meeting for the first time, while others greeted old friends. The greatest part about exchange students is that we all seem to get along and understand each other. We all have outgoig personalities and are open to new things, and so, it's always fun to be together. From Malmö, we drove down to Denmark in our double decker bus and took a boat to Germany. 3 Countries in a single day. Our final destination was in the lovely city, Berlin. I have to say, it was so strange to hear a whole new language surrounding me again. After finally adjusting to the Swedes, it seems like I'm back at the beginning, where everything is just a jumble of sounds. I also managed to accidentally speak to people in Swedish on multiple occassions, and couldn't understand their looks of confusion. Doesn't everyone speak Swedish? I guess not.
Next up we had Krakow, Poland. This was probably the most intense part of the tour as we faced one of our darkest parts of history, the holocaust. We visisted Auschwitz Concentration Camp where approximately 1 million people were executed through gasing, experimentation, starvation, shootings and whatever else their poor situation forced them into. In the buildings they had displays showing mountains of hair which had been shaved from the prisoner’s heads, and all their luggage piled up as rubbish. We walked through a gas chamber where they were tricked into believing that they were to be showered, only to die within 15minutes from gases. They were then searched for valuables, and their bodies taken to be burnt. We learnt about the selection process where a doctor decided upon whether a person would be sentenced to death or labour depending on health. Their homes, which were probably meant to fit about 50 each as a maximum were filled to 700. The flooring was made of mud and their clothing was not enough warmth for the winter. A lot of them survived off around 300 calories per day. I can't believe this was the harsh reality for anyone in this world. Of course, we also toured through other parts of Poland and saw the town which is actually quite interesting, and has so much more history than Australia which is interesting.
Now while in Hungary, you have to try the famous springs which are naturally hot and actually has to be cooled down to be comfortable to swim in. This water is very good for the body because of the minerals in it. Here they had multiple pools for bathing which all had a range of different temperatures from 16 to 38 degrees celcius. These paths were located both indoors and outdoors, some large and some small. There were also saunas throughout the area, and so my group spent some time in the sauna and then jumped straight into the coldest bath within the area. At first it was a blast of freezing water, but I was shocked at how comfortable the water was merely seconds later. I had a heap of fun going here with all my friends and enjoying the water, finally getting a chance to swim after so many cold months in Sweden. It feels great not needing to bring a jumper every where I go, and feeling the heat even once the sun has gone down. 
Our next major stop was in Zell am See, Austria, right by the alps. Quite contrasting to Hungary, this country was beautiful through its nature and countryside. We stopped off at a very cute town in a hotel with a gorgeous view. Like, look at it! If someone thinks they know a better view than this, I will be in disbelief. Well, unless they mean from the top of the alps, because that was stunning. All the exchange students got to decide whether they wanted to hike up the mountain or through the valley, and I chose the mountain. A 600m incline in altitude, and aproximately 8km later, I was out of breath from both the walk and the view. Then we had the big walk down. My group took the lead, and found ourselves at the bottom of the mountain right beside a stream of icy water which had come from the melted snow on top of the alps. One of my craziest and greatest experiences on Eurotour was this day after such a long and hot walk, jumping into this freezing water and feeling the adrenaline from it all. It was difficult to stay in the water for more than a few seconds, but it was definitely the best cool off anyone could ask for!Wow, this really is taking a long time to write! I've decided to cut this into two separate posts to make it easier on both the reader and myself. So this is the first half of my adventures in Europe, and I'll continue with writting about my travels to Italy, France, Belgium and Germany on my next post!
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