NEWS

Spring Break in Europe

by Stephen Falco

I know I normally write about sports and the like, but I recently had the privilege of taking a trip to Europe with my best friend and fellow senior, Zach Reisler. This was my first time going to Europe and I bet you could imagine the look on my mother's face when I told her I bought tickets before getting her permission. I have had the itch to travel and to learn more about the world, rather than the little bubbles most of us live in. We found the cheapest flight we could and just went. That first place we visited was Helsinki, Finland, which after sleeping overnight in the Icelandic airport was like a breath of fresh air. Zach and I had a question about the place: why is it known as the happiest country on Earth? We had conversations with several locals and conducted our own observations on why that may be. After two long-feeling days there, we noticed how most of the Finnish people were on the same level of financial prosperity- in contrast to the low povery rate (only 6% of people). Other big things like the sauna culture and the cleanliness of the country definitely contribute to the happiness of the people that live there.

Some other things we noticed abroad was the ease of public transport. Hopping onto a tram and getting from point A to point B was such an intuitive experience and drastically made our trip that much simpler. Google Maps was also our savior when getting even remotely confused on where to go next to explore these vast places. Looking back on everything, we are very lucky to have had everything go our way; we were able to stress less and keep our heads focused on taking in everything that our trip had to offer.

The next place we visited was Tallinn, Estonia. Having never heard of this country before Zach informed me about this trip, I could not have been more pleasantly surprised with what Estonia had in store for us. The two top images on this article were taken in Tallinn’s old town which had some of the most unique architecture I have ever seen. One night, we ate dinner in the medieval Tallinn Town Hall with no utensils to complete the effect. Another night we discovered a hidden viewing deck within the city which gave us the perfect view to stay for way longer than necessary to take a million photos. Tallinn opened my eyes to the beauty of a country that flies under the radar. The people were so welcoming and always respectful to us even though we were travelers. A family even invited us to their house for an Easter dinner party; this was such a unique experience to have that was attained just by talking to people. If you ask Zach or me, we would both tell you that Estonia was our favorite country visited. The fact that I didn't even know this place to begin with really brought forth the real lesson I learned on this trip: never write anything off due to lack of popularity. Estonia was not Italy, it was not France, but it was something only it could be. Which was a beautiful country that blended its new prosperity with the roots of its old culture and I loved every minute of it.

The next place we visited was Riga, Latvia. After a 6 hour bus ride from a city called Narva, which is on the Russian border, we arrived in the capital of Latvia. To say one thing about this city that is very unique was just how peaceful it was, clean streets, kids without parents running around, and a really beautiful old town with cobblestone streets that helped Riga become another of our favorite places. While exploring Riga, we visited the 1,207 foot TV tower. While it was under construction, if we ever come back, we’ll be sure to scale it and take in that stunning view that overlooks the entire capital city. In Latvia, one of my favorite things we did was visit the bog trails. We took a bus and then a van to Jurmala where these trails lie, we ended up getting lost for an hour before getting on the right path and following that for another hour before finally finding what was one of the most refreshing views of the trip. As we walked down a dirt road, we were met with a beautiful clearing of water with several wooden platforms to walk on to cross the boglands. It was nice to disconnect from the city life for a day and to venture out off the beaten path to find something that felt so rewarding. Our days in Latvia ended with us getting lost in Riga at nighttime before our savior, Google Maps, brought us back to our AirBNB.

Then, we headed back to Tallinn to catch a ferry back to Helsinki for our connecting flight to Reykjavik, Iceland before heading home. This final day in the Baltics was special as we revisited the Tallinn’s viewing deck for the final time. We ate at a surprisingly good neapolitan pizza joint and then headed to bed before catching our ferry. Our morning to get back to Helsinki started with our Bolt (European Uber) driver dropping us off a mile away from our ferry port, so with our twenty pound backpacks on, we sprinted like our life depended on it. Luckily, we did make it on the ferry with around 30 seconds to spare and we were off to Helsinki, Finland to catch our connecting flight. 

The flight from Helsinki to Reykjavik went smoothly and before we knew it, we were stuck in 15 degree weather. Iceland is entirely a volcanic island and it had the most stunning scenery I have ever seen. Plateaus that stretched miles, snowy mountains that overlooked the capital city, and an active volcano that made us feel like we were in another world. We ventured out into the city to explore on our last full day abroad. We visited the grand Hallgrimskirkja Church that has a huge statue of Leif Erikson, the viking who discovered Iceland. After some more time spent in Reykjavik and our pockets nearly out of euros, we decided to pack it in for the night and catch our flight back to the good old USA.

Our trip lasted 12 days and in short, I could not have been more grateful for the experiences and knowledge I have gained from this adventure that Zach and I took together. To anyone that might be on the fence about taking the trip to another country, all I have to say is: just go. If you keep a good head on your shoulders and stay aware of your surroundings, you’ll be safe and maybe even make some new friends on this trip just like we did. I think this is one of those special experiences that shapes you and it definitely opened my eyes to all that the world has to offer, and I just scratched the surface.