I have been in Vienna, Austria since January 13th. Vienna is a beautiful city with so much history. The best thing about Vienna is how it is so centrally located in Europe, this makes it very easy to travel on the weekends. Vienna is quite literally the center of Europe and connects Western and Eastern Europe. This has given me the opportunity to visit several other European cities in a matter of hours by planes, trains, cars and buses. I have been here for almost two months and I have only stayed in Vienna for one weekend. I am so lucky that I get to do this. So far I have been to Prague, Maastricht, Innsbruck, Saint Anton, Munich, Cologne and I have just arrived in Geneva.
So far my favorite city has been Munich. The second I arrived in Munich I instantly felt the vibe of the city. It has a strong Bavarian culture and just a warm feeling. Also, an amazing Bavarian cuisine with bretzels, duck dishes, sausages, and famous beer. I met some friends from Highschool and we explored the city and went skiing in nearby Kitzbühel, Austria. It was so amazing because you are so close to the best skiing in the world and you can still be back for a full evening in the city. On Sunday, we walked through the Englischer Garten and watched the surfers. In Munich, you can surf in waves all year long. It is called the Eisbach and is part of the River Isar. It just happened to be a 60-degree day so there were probably 20 surfers and a large crowd of spectators.
On my last day in Munich, I went to BMW Welt and the BMW factory. I got a tour and learned all about BMW and it was amazing. It was really interesting learning more about the connection BMW has with South Carolina. It is pretty interesting because their largest factory is in Spartanburg.
After a four day long weekend in Munich, I took the 4-hour train back to Vienna. So far being abroad has been a great experience full of adventures and ups and downs. I have really enjoyed practicing my language skills while abroad. I am taking two classes completely in german and I get constant exposure when in restaurants, train stations, and airports to name a few.