Spring Break in Interlaken and Lisbon!

Ciao!

It’s been a while since I’ve written here! I’ve been so busy with traveling, classes, and experiencing Florence and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Last week we had our last day of class and I finished up my Italian class! I highly recommend taking a language class if you are studying abroad. While I am nowhere near fluent in Italian, it has definitely helped with the language barrier a little bit! After finals finished up, I headed to the bus station and took an overnight bus to Interlaken, Switzerland.

I went with my roommates and a couple other friends from South Carolina, and it was so fun! Definitely a bucket list trip for me, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to do it. We went through a student travel company and it was so convenient because they planned out our transportation and hostel.

Switzerland was a dream! Friday morning I did a chocolate making class and got certified as an official swiss chocolatier! We made 3 handmade, original swiss chocolate bars that I got to take home with me! After the chocolate making class, we walked around Interlaken and I got to see a couple of my friends paraglide! It looked super fun but my fear of heights hindered me from that activity. Maybe one day I’ll go back and do it, but for now I stayed on the ground. 

After we collected our friends from the paragliding field, we went to a burger place called Asllanis Corner and it was delicious. Hands-down probably the best burger I’ve ever had! I definitely recommend going if you’re ever in Interlaken! It was so good we went back on Sunday before we left!

We walked around Interlaken some more and popped into some cute shops before making our way back to the hostel for some much needed rest after a long night’s bus ride. For dinner, we did a group dinner with the travel company at Bebbis which was so entertaining and delicious. We had some traditional swiss dishes including cheese fondue, macaroni and cheese with applesauce, and chocolate fondue! 

Saturday we got up bright and early to hit the slopes! It was about an hour train ride to Grindelwald where we rented snow attire and sleds. I wasn’t confident enough in my skiing abilities to attempt that in the Swiss Alps, but sledding was an amazing alternative. It was so fun and there were a ton of specific trails just for sledders! If you go to Switzerland and don’t love to ski, definitely check out sledding! 

Sunday we went to check out Lake Brienz before we left for Florence and the views were stunning. I have never seen something so beautiful before! We walked around the lake and snapped a few pics before heading back to the hostel to catch the bus to Italy. Switzerland was a 10/10 trip for me and I highly recommend going if you ever get the chance! 

Since it was our week off from classes, we had Monday to rest and repack and then a couple friends and I were off to Lisbon, Portugal! We spent Tuesday to Saturday in Lisbon and had an amazing time! We got lucky with the weather on Wednesday so we went to the beach in Cascais and walked around Lisbon. We saw the famous Umbrella Street and The Rua Augusta Arch!

Thursday and Friday were a little cooler and rainy, so on Thursday we headed to the Aquarium and spent 4 hours there! It’s one of the largest indoor aquariums in Europe! My favorite thing we saw was definitely the penguins!

Friday we went to Sintra and toured the Pena Palace which was home to the Portuguese Royal Family until the early 1900s. It was such a beautiful palace and is well worth the visit! If you want to go, make sure you buy tickets a day or two in advance so you can have your choice of timeslot! Also, get there with plenty of time because it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the dropoff point to the entrance of the palace!

Another tip I have if you visit Portugal is to download the Bolt app! While they do have Uber, it is more expensive than Bolts or Taxis. Unlike Florence, Lisbon is not as walkable and to get to Cascais and Sintra I definitely recommend taking a car!

In Portugal we also had amazing food! Lisbon, being on the coast, is known for their seafood which is fresh and delicious. One of my friends I was traveling with got fresh scallops and they looked so good! We also tried some authentic Portuguese chicken with Piri Piri sauce. If you ever go to Portugal, you have to get a pastel de nata! It’s a traditional Portuguese pastry which is filled with warm custard like pudding. It was so good and I wish I could get them in Florence! We went to Fabrica da Nata, but they have them all over the city!

After a very fun few days in Lisbon, we headed back to Florence to start our first week of classes! My first day is tomorrow, and I can’t wait to update you all on how my new classes are! I am taking a food and wine class, history of the Italian Renaissance, and a Journalism class which includes topics like food, wine, art, and fashion! Stay tuned to find out how they are!

Ciao!

Olivia