5 Countries in 10 Days

ISA Discovery Model: Intercultural

Annissa Peterson is a student at the College of St. Scholastica and an ISA Photo Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Florence, Italy.

Recently, FUA (Florence University of the Arts) had their fall break, so my roommate and I ventured to five different countries over the course of 10 days – talk about busy!

We first hit Brussels, Belgium.  Prior to this fall break vacation, we were researching what to do in each place we were planning on visiting. Obviously, in Brussels, the main “thing” to do, or should I say “eat”, are Belgium waffles – which were BEYOND delicious! They were also really filling.

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The second main attraction we came across was the Grand Palace of Belgium, which was so incredibly beautiful not only in the day but also at night all lit up.

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Our next adventure was Dublin, Ireland where we did the Guinness Factory Tour. It was incredibly cool and we got to go to the very top of the building where we had a panoramic view of Dublin.

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I especially loved Dublin the most – the food was amazing, the people were so funny and kind.

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The second day we were in Dublin, we took a tour to the Cliffs of Moher where the views took my breath away.

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Our third stop was the beautiful Amsterdam, where we stayed one night.

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We saw the many canals – I was amazed at just how many canals there were.

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Even though it was chilly, we both enjoyed ourselves.  We went to the Anne Frank House, where I was hit so emotionally with the history and just the fact that I was literally standing exactly where the Franks hid and were eventually betrayed.

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The fourth place we went was Santorini, Greece. I love Greece because of the culture and the gorgeous views of the Aegean Sea. The water is so blue and calm. Also, you can’t go wrong with all of the little kitties running around the island.

 

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Some of the loves I got to pet!

My roommate and I rented ATV’s and drove around the entire island, seeing different towns and different beaches even though it was too cold to swim.santorini-greece-atv-fun-annissa-peterson-photo-14

We watched the sunset in Oia, which is breathtaking!

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And lastly, we came back to Italy and took trains to Verona and also Milan. In Verona, we got to see the famous balcony that Juliet would spend her nights talking with Romeo, falling in love with him. We also got to see the many love notes written on the walls to Juliet.

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Walking the streets of Verona and Milan were really interesting.

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Overall, I would say that this vacation was absolutely amazing and I loved every second of it. If anyone is planning on going to any of these countries, I highly recommend!

The world awaits…discover it.

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