I have spent the last four weeks exploring the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. It is considered Central Europe and I now see why. The best thing about studying abroad here has been how easy it is to take weekend trips to some other great cities!

The second weekend I was here a group from my program went to Berlin and Dresden in Germany. The five hour train ride was well worth it. Berlin had lots of sites that I’d always dreamed of seeing especially since I’ve always been very interested in WWII. Dresden was almost the opposite. A smaller city with beautiful buildings all located in the same area. Although we kept reminding ourselves that the buildings were really only about 20 years old because Dresden was thoroughly bombed in the war.

I also had the opportunity to travel to Vienna. This is my new favorite city in Europe. Everyone was very friendly, the public transportation was easy to navigate, and they had tons of things to see and do. I especially loved all the parks and also a free Film Festival that the Town Hall was hosting.

All these cities are beautiful but living in a European city has been an adjustment. I won’t lie, sometimes I crave familiarity and look for American things like TGI Friday’s. Prague has positive and negative points about it like any city. I love all the history and just walking through the cobblestone streets for hours, the shopping, the prices, and the weather has been great as well. While here I feel like I’ve learned a lot about being on your own and pushing through uncomfortable situations. That’s what study abroad is all about and why every single person should get to experience at least a summer abroad. If you choose Prague as your destination, take a weekend trip to see another country or city. Take advantage of every minute of your experience because it goes by a lot faster than you think.