Category: Europe

The Baroque Library

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Going to Prague was one of the best travel experiences so far. Prague had a certain magic in the air that captivated my friends and I and didn’t let go. The city itself was gorgeous with different colored buildings, red roofs, and many bell towers, and not to mention, one of the most gorgeous libraries in the world.

The baroque library in Czechia is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and has captivated everyone that has gone through the doors. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

Waking up at 2:30am set the scene for my roommates and I and started our travel to Prague (and later, Budapest). Our flight was easy and short, curtesy of Ryanair, and we were excited to land in this new city and country.

Getting ready in the bathroom in the airport after we landed was definitely a ‘girly’ moment. The bathroom had amazing lighting, and girls lined the mirrors putting on makeup, touching up their hair, and getting ready to hit the city of Prague. Of course, me and my friends joined the masses and started getting ready, but soon we were out of the airport, in an uber, and going to our Airbnb.

Waiting til we could check into our Airbnb, we strolled around looking for a cafe to wait in and have some breakfast, to which we found “Waf Waf” which was a crepe house! This was very interesting, because when looking at the menu (which was all in Czech) I found myself recognizing a lot of words that I know in Bosnian — because they’re both in the Slavic language tree! It was exciting being able to translate some words and menu items to English and translate for my friends. Nevertheless, we sat down and had our crepes and waffles while we waited to check into the Airbnb.

Soon enough, we were on the way into the city and heading towards our scenic spots of the trip. We passed by bell towers, churches, little shops and more as we headed towards the Astronomical Clock (the only one that works in the world!) a staple of Prague. Truth be told, most of our trip was walking around and exploring the city such as the Prague castle (or as Bri called it ‘Hogwarts’), walking across the Charles Bridge (and recreating Depeche modes famous photo from 1988), as well as exploring and going in cathedrals, clock towers, and more.

After the clock, we headed towards the library. The Baroque library in Czechia, or the Klementinum library. My favorite part!!! My whole life, I’ve been captivated by the beauty of old libraries, books, history and the arts, and seeing this library just added to my obsession and interest. It was a guided tour, and one couldn’t go actually within the library and look around (for good reason), but we could look at it through one of the double doors. While it was a lot smaller than the Austrian National Library (another one of the most beautiful libraries in the world that I’ve gone to) it was beautiful. I would have loved to just sit there and read all day.

Books lined the walls, with beautifully twisted columns holding the upper platform. Beautiful globes lined the middle of the room, with clocks between them and old dark wooden tables. The lights were turned down and dim to preserve the antique books and give the room an old, historic feeling. The ceiling was beautifully painted with intricate designs and pictures of angels and academics.

After admiring it, I took photos and videos to preserve it in my memory and (of course) to show friends at home. While people went in and out taking photos and looking around shortly, I stayed pretty much the whole time we were allowed just looking at the beautiful library and imagining what it could have been like to truly study and learn there, and what it was like when it was in full operation.

After the library, they took us up an astronomical tower, and at the top it had a gorgeous view of the city! Perfect for photo opportunities! My friends and I were quick to find the perfect views/spots and take photos, as well as laughing about how high we were and telling each-other not to drop our phones. This tour was by far my favorite part of the trip.

After the library, we headed to Sweet Dreams, where we tried chimney cakes! They’re a Prague staple, and Nicole and I were excited to try them together and make a vlog. Laughing about how hard it was to eat; we made a vlog together in front of Charles bridge and had amazing chimney cakes. I got chocolate and strawberry, and it’s a MUST to try it if you’re in Prague. There are shops basically on every corner.

Lastly, one of the greatest memories of this trip was walking across Charles bridge and the bell tower. the sun was starting to go down and there were a lot of people on the bridge walking, talking, laughing, and enjoying Prague. Street musicians lined the sides of the bridge, played fun music, and created an amazing atmosphere that I loved to experience. My friends and I had also stumbled across a bell tower that also provided another great view of the city, but we also were up there when the bell had gone off, providing its own beautiful music to the city. The only thing we could hear were the bells of our tower, as well as the many others in the city. It was a gorgeous view and sound. The perfect ending to our trip.

Slowly but surely, we got back to our Airbnb after some dinner, and we all took naps and ‘brain breaks.’ We had a very eventful day and definitely needed some naps/sleep after waking up at 2am for our flight. After our nap, we did see the nightlife of Prague and went to Duplex club, which honestly was one of the best clubs I’ve ever been too. But soon enough, we had to leave and get ready for our other flight the next morning, heading to Budapest!

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The laughs we had on the way

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Yesterday (Saturday, 8th of February), my friends/roommates and I headed off to this little town in the countryside of Italy called Orvieto. Resting on a hill, this town looks over a beautiful valley, filled with old houses, a castle in the distance, cows and horses, and it also had a fortified wall protecting itself from sieges (back in the day).

Waking up in the early morning right next to the birds chirping, the 7 of us headed off to catch the bus that would take us to the train station. We waited for a little before getting on the (thankfully) on-time and right bus and we were on the way to the Roma Termini station. Prior to this trip, we had gotten bus tickets, which is supposed to validate on the bus, but weirdly enough our bus didn’t have one. So, last ditch effort, I tapped my card on the “tap and go” screen. However, once we got to the train station, the security stopped our bus and checked our tickets (to which I learned not everyone had tapped their card on the reader). This is what started the laughs of the trip. Laughing at the misfortune, and the $50 fine that followed. While it was disappointing and difficult, it was another learning opportunity; either validate your ticket (get a stamp on it) or use ‘tap to pay.’

However, even though my friends got some fines, we were on our way to Orvieto with spirits still high. We eventually got on the train and headed to this little Medieval town. After 2 hours on the train, we then took a cable car up to the top of the hill.

The views were gorgeous. With the valley being a little foggy/hazey, it contributed to the most gorgeous view with different gradients of mountain and rolling hills. Cows, horses, and birds in the distance were the perfect start to our time in Orvieto. The weather was cloudy and provided the perfect ambiance to this town. We started our walk in search of a cafe and a breakfast, and once we got that, we started wondering around and seeing what Orvieto had to offer. We wondered through the cobblestone streets, past watchful cats and plant-covered balconies, until we made it to the cathedral.

Bri had somehow acquired the biggest map possible and used it every occasion we got to try and point us in the right direction. Walking up to the Orvieto cathedral was…odd. The front of the cathedral was beautiful, but honestly, the rest of the building was a little creepy and off in some way. It wasn’t the picture of an average Cathedral. The sides of the building were painted in white and blue faded stripes, while the back had streaks of red (like spilled paint), which honestly looked very creepy. The front of the cathedral, however, was very pretty. With intricately painted pictures and gold accents, the cathedral was certainly unique. Going inside, the cathedral continued to focus on detail by the alter and the rooms to the side.

After admiring the cathedral, we took to the town again and did some more exploring, but this time in the caves underneath the town. Bri and I had watched As Above So Below previous to this trip, and we kept saying how we might be in the movie and how the eeriness of the caves was just that of the movie. Nevertheless, it was so fun to explore the caves with friends and make jokes about where we would put furniture if we were to live here as vampires.

Now, while the day was fun, we had to get lunch eventually, to which we found a spot with amazing burgers. While sitting down and waiting for our food, Bri had asked our 2 new friends (her hometown friends) what our names were. Abby had the idea of giving hints to Zach to help him remember our names, to which for Ella she gave the hint of cinder (like the Disney princess, Cinderella), at this point he also knew her name started with ‘E’ and was four letters. Immediately, without hesitation he said “cinderblock.” Well, now that was new nickname for Ella. It was so hilarious that everyone had to stop what they were doing and stop looking at each-other in an attempt to stop laughing. When it was my turn, Abby gave the hint “Mamma” for Mamma Mia, to which Zach, again, without hesitation said “Mama-cita.” To say the least, it’s now Ella and my new nicknames.

After the hilarious lunch, we started to look for souvenirs, to which I found the most perfect ceramic magnet and little bowl for my jewelry. They’re bright yellow and decorated with Italian lemons and olives with cursive on the bottom titling ‘Orvieto.’ Along with a postcard, it was the perfect souvenir and gift.

The clouds had taken a turn, and it had also started raining a bit. The silent streets, with fresh gardens, and the cobblestone had brought the most amazing atmosphere, and the rain was the cherry on top. Even though some say rain ruins things, to me, it made this trip even better. We walked through the streets, dodging puddles and exploring new churches (there was one on every corner)! After we came out of one, the slanted cobblestone steps (adorned with some moss) had made a slide for Zach. He slipped on his way down in a comedic way. We all burst out laughing after making sure he was okay. After, he tricked us by faking to slip on other streets and we would turn around every-time, laugh-yelling at him to stop tricking us.

Before heading back to the cable car and down to the train, we stopped at a special spiral well. Again, Bri and I compared it to some horror movies; As Above So Below, and In The Tall Grass. Walking down the well took about 15 minutes and Luke and Zach had scared us on numerous occasions by hiding in small alcoves in the wall, waiting for us to approach. It was so interesting though, at one point Luke had pointed out that voices carried. While we were talking to each-other (Luke had sped up the stairs), it had sounded like he was just around the corner, when in reality he was 2 floors up.

The well itself was pretty cool, and it was interesting to get to the bottom and see the clear rainwater it collected. It then took about 15 more minutes to walk up the many flights of stairs (or circles? it was a spiral staircase). After that ‘hike’ we made it back to the cable car, complaining how it had gotten so cold, and started our journey back home to Rome.

The train back was silent, with everyone taking ‘brain breaks’ or sleeping. Orvieto had taken all our energy, but it was the perfect day trip from Rome, and even better with friends! To whoever is studying abroad, I highly endorse taking day trips to better your knowledge with the country you’re living in. While traveling to new countries is fun, day trips around your home country also give new experiences and memories, and surely, my time in Orvieto will be one to remember.

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