During interim of 2018, I had the opportunity to travel through Europe. It was the best experience of my life. We landed in Amsterdam, and traveled through Prague, Munich, Venice, Rome, Florence, Paris, and London in three weeks. As an art major, I wanted to see artwork that I learned about in all of the art history classes I have taken at Buena Vista University (BVU). My goal was to see them in person, and it was finally becoming a reality. My mouth dropped like a cartoon when I saw Lorenzo Ghiberti’s doors, “The Gates of Paradise,” located in the front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Every time I recognized a piece I previously learned, it instantly drew my attention. I would talk about their history to my peers because they had no previous experience with historic artwork. In turn, they learned a fraction about artwork, and I refreshed my memory.  

Apart from artwork, what caught my eye most was the architecture and landscapes. We landed in Amsterdam on December 29. Right out of the airport, I saw large canals that went in-between roads. Each side had opposite directions of traffic, although there were little to no cars driving. Buildings were narrow and about four stories tall. Each one connected and uniform, but they had their own style and color.  

Buildings in Venice, Italy were also connected and several stories tall. They too have canals, but the vibrant colors of the walls, water, and contrast with black window frames gave a more rustic look. Plus, the shops in the area were family owned. I was interested in seeing the smaller shops compared to large companies like Walmart or Target in the United States. Their products were unique and nothing like the tourist shops that were on every corner. Their bags were hand stitched and photos were hand painted by local artists. Each piece was unique. Out of every city we visited, I think Venice was my absolute favorite location. I had the peace of home, but the beauty like nothing I have ever seen.  

Even though my favorite city was Venice, I thoroughly enjoyed the sights in Rome. We arrived to the city in the early evening. Instead of staying in the hotel, all twelve of us, including both professors, took the underground metro to the Trevi Fountain. Like most girls my age, I first saw this landmark from the Disney original movie “Lizzie McGuire Movie.” I know its cliché, but after seeing that movie, seeing the Trevi Fountain up close was a goal for me. The movie portrayed this place as beautiful and magical, and it certainly was. I felt the magic as bright lights were beaming off of the piece and the bright blue water was glimmering. From a young age, I wanted to go to the Trevi Fountain and throw a coin over my shoulder. I accomplished that childhood goal and then ate amazing gelato from a gelato shop right next door. Dessert brought this visit to a new level because I must admit, gelato is much better than American ice cream.  

The most challenging activity for me was outside Munich, Germany. One day was spent traveling to Dachau in Southern Germany. We toured the concentration camp, and the front gate that the prisoners walked through said, “Arbett Machi Frei,” which means, “work will set you free.” The day we visited was cold and rainy. I bundled up in thick layers, but I was still cold. This gave me a new perspective of the living conditions the prisoners had because when they came to Dachau, they had to give up their shoes, and were forced to go barefoot. 

It is one thing to read about the camp in books, but another to see where it happened in person. I took a step on the grass that was near the fence. We were told that if a prisoner stepped on the grass, they were shot. I was numb at the idea that I stood where those prisoners stood. My last memory of the concentration camp was a black cat. We were told the cat was from the neighborhood, and would roam the camp on occasion. He was sweet, but I was confused why he walked around the grounds. To me he symbolized the prisoners’ spirit through his kindness, but a horrible past through the eerie behavior of him showing up out of nowhere. Going to Dachau challenged my emotions, but it was important to me to see history because simply hearing about the concentration camps does not have the lasting affect that seeing them does.  

In fact, this whole trip was eye opening in ways I cannot even put into words. This was my first trip outside of the United States. Going to Europe was my first experience flying and seeing the ocean. Actually, the entire experience was full of firsts. I have always wanted to see the Trevi Fountain and Roman Colosseum in Rome, the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and Stonehenge in England. However, I experienced so much in the past three weeks with friends that were made along the way. We saw a huge fireworks show in Prague, surrounded by thousands of people; gondola races in Venice with the men dressed up as older ladies; and we ate at the Hofbrauhaus, where Hitler first addressed the National Socialist party back in 1920.  

Now that I am back to the United States, I have the longing to go back. One point that I took away from this experience is that I do not need to live in the Midwest. There is so much for me to experience in this world and I am not limited to stay put. Now, I am looking into going on more trips. If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend you go on the Europe Interim trip.