8) Field Trip 2
The last 2 weeks of my trip have been filled with adventure
and great memories. Last Tuesday, the group set off on our trip to Vienna,
Austria and Venice, Italy and from Venice we all went our separate ways for spring
break. Over the next week, Tess, Louie, Mei and I stayed in Venice an extra day
and then ventured into Amsterdam, Netherlands and Berlin, Germany. However for
this blog I am going to focus on Vienna and Venice.
Tuesday morning we hopped on our bus to Vienna. We arrived
mid-afternoon and settled into our hostel. After freshening up from the bus
ride, we began our tour of the city with Martin. Our first stop was the Maria Theresien
Platz. There we saw the outside of the beautiful museum, Kunsthistorisches Museum. Also in the square was a statue of Maria Theresa. Maria Theresa, archduchess
of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, and queen of Hungary and Bohemia, was
the only women ruler in the history of the Hapsburg Dynasty. After that,
we were given a break for lunch. We were starving so we walked into one of the
first places we saw, which turned out to be one of the fanciest restaurants I
have ever been to. It’s safe to say we stuck out like a sore thumb, but the
food was amazing. It was quite an experience to say the least.
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| Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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| Statue of Maria Theresa |
We regrouped after lunch and walked over to the Imperial
Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty. There, we saw a collection of
rare treasures that were compiled by the Imperial House of Habsburg over the course
of centuries. The artifacts in this place were stunning.
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| Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty |
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| Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty |
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| Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Dynasty |
That concluded our group activities for the day so a few of
us ventured over to one of the cathedrals we could see from a distance. On the
way we ran into a beautiful park so we stopped there to admire the beauty for a
while. We finally arrived to St. Stephen’s Cathedral which was breathtaking
from the outside. I can’t even imagine what it looked like on the inside, and
sadly I didn’t get to find out.
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| A park we ran into on our way to the cathedral |
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral Exterior |
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
The next morning our group voted on attending the horse
show, as White Stallions are supposed to be unique to the city of Vienna. It
was a very classy horse show, much different than the rodeos we are used to in
Nebraska.
The next day we were up bright and early and headed off to
Venice, Italy. I fell in love with the city the moment we arrived. I have never
seen anything so stunning in my life. The pictures are beautiful but they
cannot even begin to do it justice.
We arrived late that afternoon after a 7 hour bus ride
through the Swiss Alps.
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| Swiss Alps |
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| Swiss Alps |
We didn’t have time to do much that day, so Martin took us
to the city center and gave us the evening to do as we pleased. Since we had
nearly 4 whole days in Venice, my friends and I decided to just wander around
the city and try to get a sense of it. This was one of my favorite days. There
was an amazing view around every corner. We eventually found a place for dinner.
That meal beat any spaghetti I’ve ever tasted. The noodles were homemade and
the sauce was fresh. They even gave us free Italian bread to go with it!
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| Canal in Venice |
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| Spaghetti Bolognese |
The next morning we woke up around 6 to explore before the
other tourists could crowd the city. This was completely worth it. Venice was
incredible even when it was filled with tourists, but it was breathtakingly
beautiful when the streets were empty and the sun was just coming up.
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| View from the main island |
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| A park we ran into in Venice |
Once we met up with the group that day we toured the Basilica
of St. Mark and the Doge’s Palace. The Basilica of St. Mark was filled with
more amazing architecture. And the Doge’s Palace was remarkable as it was
previously the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. That night Martin took a few of us out of the
touristy side of Venice, into a quieter side of town where we could eat a
cheap(er) authentic, Italian meal in the peace and quiet. I got yet another
plate of pasta and it did not let me down.
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| Basilica of St. Mark |
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| View overlooking the Palace Courtyard |
The next morning we attempted to wake up early for our
Gondola ride, however waking up was progressively getting harder. We took a 30
minute gondola ride throughout the canals of Venice. The rides are a little
pricey but 100% worth it. I kept thinking to myself it can’t get any better
than this, and each new activity would prove to be better than the last one.
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| Selfie with the Gondolier |
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| Gondola Ride |
After spending a couple of days on the main island a
few of us ventured onto the next island where we would continue our stay, and
once again the view got increasingly better. Our hostel was oceanfront, and I
could have sat outside looking at that view for hours.
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| View from the hostel |
Our last day in Venice was spent exploring the island
of Lido. We began walking after we arrived and shortly ran into a beach. It was
the perfect way to spend the last day in Venice.
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| Lido Beach |
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| Lido Beach |
The city of Venice was beautiful in its own unique way.
It was a bittersweet departure as I was sad to leave, but I was thrilled for
Amsterdam.
Stay tuned. There is more to come about my week in
Amsterdam and Berlin.
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