Italy Exchange 2022 & Interrail EU 2023

Aug 2

Written By mandi becher

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Concert in the Royal Place of Vienna, Austria.

EU 22

I studied German all through high school, and going into my senior year of high school; my school planned a small-scale Europe trip. Going on this trip was just the tip of the iceberg for me; it got the travel juices seriously flowing. It was a group of about 35 of us, three teachers and 32 kids. We traveled mainly by this massive bus (that only had trouble once..). While also using regional/local trains and walking. We stayed in hostels all along the trip. Throughout this trip, we visited multiple infamous cities such as Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Frankfurt, Grindel, wald and many more. We are hiking in the Swiss Alps near The Eiger and Jungfrau. (I still have those mountains imprinted in my brain). I visited historical sites within Nuremberg, toured all of Munich, and attended a Mozart concert in the Salzburg Castle.

EU 22 Continued..

December of my junior year, my German teacher reached out with an opportunity. She had found a youth short-term exchange through Rotary. It would be for the summer of 22’ and I had no idea where I could possibly go or who it would be, but I applied! A few months later, I got word I was accepted, so the process began. I was matched with an Italian family located in Turin, Italy. They were indeed a family of magic. Davide, Laura, Chiara, and Viola (my exchange sister). It happend to work out perfectly: when my school trip was finished and they all flew home to the US, y second journey was just started and I said my goodbyes to my school friends and flew from Frankfurt by myself to Turin, Italy to start my exchange. I was in Turin for a little over a month. My host family took me everywhere: Rome, Florence, the French Mountains, Italian Mountain ranges, the seaside, literally anything anyone could ask for. They were incredible hosts and became my second family in such a short amount of time. They indeed were incredible. Before I left, we planned for me to visit next summer, no matter what.

After my month in Italy, it was Viola’s turn to come to the US and stay with my family. We flew into LA and were met by my parents with a massive Campervan. We took Viola West and showed her all the natural beauty it has to offer. Canyonlands, Mountains, Dessert plains. National parks and camping were her US experience; we had to show her the “wild wild west,” am I right? We made our way back to Minnesota, and she spent the rest of her exchange there with my family and me, getting to know the good old life in Minnesota. Until the sad day we had to, and she returned to Italy. But in the summer of 23, we would see each other again.

EU 23

It was time to go back and visit Viola and her wonderful family in Turin, Italy. I also wanted my older sister Janae to meet her family and take some time to live her life and stop researching every summer; so it was planning time. Ambitiously I planned a 7 country interrail backpacking trip for the two of us over a span of 50 days.

`The highlight points.`

Rail travel was our best friend.

-We flew in first to Turin, Italy. We stayed with Viola and her family for six days. Turin was filled with revisiting friends I met the past summer and showing Janae all the beauty of Viola’s home city.

-Secone we met up with Ginevra. Who was an exchange student from Italy who attended my high school our senior year? She so happened to live an hour from Viola and an hour from Zermatt, Switzerland. Ginevra’s family welcomed us warmly into their home and took us to Zermatt, Switzerland, to see the Matterhorn.

-We said our gratitude and goodbyes to Ginevra’s family, took the train to Milan and then transferred to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre felt like a movie. These towns seriously seemed fake. As we traveled between the five towns, we were met by coastal gazing, sunsets, and flourishing vineyards.

-From Cinque Terre, we headed to Venice. Venice was highly walkable and a city truly like no other. Janae and I delighted in roaming the sinking city by day and cocktails & jazz clubs by night.

-From Venice, we headed to Bolzano, Italy, our gateway into the Italian Dolomites. We explored the Alpe Di Suisi and Lago di Carezza within these days.

-From Bolzano, we traveled up to Cortina, Italy. Another gateway town into the Dolomite Mountain range with lots of Olympic history. We visited Tre-Cime Di Lavadrado and Seceda these days.

-From Cortina, We traveled to the port city of Trieste, Italy. We roamed the town, checked out the local flea markets, and ate delicious pasta.

-From Trieste, We traveled to Rijeka, Croatia. We stayed on a hostel boat that night and. took this time to rest and recoup before our following big cities; we were already done!

-From Rijeka, We traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia. This city surprised me. I had no idea such a lovely town existed. Slovenia was a true gem.

From Ljubliana, we traveled to Lake Bled, Slovenia. We stayed at an eco bungalow/treehouse establishment (splurged slightly compared to the 12 mixed-bed dorm hostel life we had been vibing with)…Lake Bled was filled with hikes, boat rides, and exploring the island and castle.

From Lake Bled, we traveled to Rodevl, Slovenia. This area is known for its bees. My sister is a beekeeper, and Slovenia is an incredible bee-focused and continuous country.

From Rodevl, we traveled to Triglav National Park in Slovenia. Slovenia’s only National Park! So beautiful and mountainous.

Within Triglav National Park, We stayed within Kranjska Gora and hiked with a guide to take us up to Summit Mt.Triglav, the highest point in all of Slovenia. The sunset after the summit was a picture-perfect moment; I will never forget it.

-From Kranska Gora, We made the big hike to Vienna, Austria. Billy Joel’s “Vienna'“ was on repeat the whole stay. Vienna was filled with class, musems and music.

-From Vienna, We traveled to Prague, Czech Republic. It's a utterly underrated destination. Excellent museums, safe feel, jazz clubs were immaculate, and there was so much history to learn I had no idea existed.

From Prague, our last stop was Berlin, Germany. Berlin was bustling with nightclubs, history, and bumping modernism. We saw a drag show and walked the whole Berlin Wall. It's a highly ominous feeling there.

-We flew home from Berlin, Germany, to land In Minnesota.

-I am so grateful for everything I was able to experience along this trip; honestly, I am full of pure gratitude.