Europe Excursions

 

As part of the course, we had a two day excursion to Salzburg, Austria. I had never heard of Salzburg before nor did I have too many expectations. When we arrived to Salzburg, it was raining with clouds completely covered the sky and it was the coldest I had ever been on the entire trip. Even with this type of weather, I had a wonderful time absorbing the beauty of Salzburg. All my pictures couldn't even come close to capturing how breathtaking the views were. The environment was completely embracing and the ambiance was so comforting.

Salzburg was definitely my favorite excursion of the course. I had lots of fun walking around in the cold temperatures and hiding from the rain. And had the time of my life having my breath taken away by the beautiful landscapes. It was a place that I couldn't even believe existed. I wish we could spent more days in Salzburg and it was saddening when we had to leave. It was a completely new place for me but it felt so comfortable being there. I laughed and enjoyed myself so much with my classmates in this charming city. My time here has been extremely precious to me. 

On the last weekend of my time in Europe, I was able to go on my only personal excursion with a group of classmates. We had planned this trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia well in advanced, even before we had arrived to Vienna. Since I had such a long time in between buying the tickets and actually going, I had thoughts of canceling the trip due to my tight budget. Because it was a personal excursion, I didn't use any scholarships or grant funds for the expenses and had a personal budget of $500. However, I realized I was focusing too much on the financial aspect of it and I decided that I was set on going. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

Croatia was a place I had dreamed about after first being introduced to the country in middle school. I read about the country in a book and went to search online to see what it looked like. After spending an unspeakable amount of time looking at the unbelievably beautiful photos, I casually told myself, "I'll go there someday." 

Croatia was much hotter than Austria, especially in comparison to Salzburg which we had just spent our time at. Within a few hours of landing, we already made our way to an island and spent our first day walking, hiking, and swimming until the sun set. Overall, the trip was so amazing and I even stayed within my $500 budget which is something I wouldn't have been able to done if I hadn't done this study abroad course. Both Salzburg and Dubrovnik have been meaningful trips for me in shaping my experience of the world and the enjoyment of life. These were places that seemed so unreal but there I was standing right there. Now I hold these memories close to my heart, and they keep me dreaming of the time I will be able to visit them again. 

Victoria Morales Vargas