A Journey Through Central Europe: Travel Tips and Places to See

Our bus pulled into the Filippin Institute parking lot at 4 pm on Sunday and I couldn’t have been more relieved to be back in one piece and with the majority of the belongings I left with. Finally, our first week-long travel break had come to an end and we were back to the place we now call home.

From Austria, to Munich, to Amsterdam, and finally Berlin, it’s hard to believe that in one short week I traveled to more countries than I have my entire life. To say the trip was exhausting is an understatement, but it was worth every ounce of energy we put into it. Now that everyone is back we have all been swapping stories and giving each other travel tips about all the different cities that we visited. From what it sounds like, CIMBA students left their mark in just about every major city in Europe, stretching from Lisbon to Prague. For the group I was traveling with the journey began in the beautiful city of

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA.

After an overnight train we arrived at around 9 am, semi-well-rested and ready to hit the slopes. The cold hard fact is that we came to this city to shred as much powder as possible and as soon as we stepped out of the train station it was clear we came to the right place. No matter which direction you looked, all you could see was towering snow covered mountain peaks surrounding the city. Dividing the city was a crystal clear river fueled by the glaciers to the north.

Our first day we took a shuttle to the Nordkette mountain where we hopped on a huge gondola with about 50 other people and took it to the top. After getting our equipment, we hit the slopes until the mountain closed down. That night we went to a local pub called Elferhause with a British chap named Jack who we met at the hostel. It was everyone’s first meal outside of Italy so it resulted in Wiener Shnitzel and curry wurst dishes all around. Our motto the whole trip was to get at least one quality meal at each of our stops so that we could really get a taste of the local cuisine.

The next day we took a gorgeous bus ride through the mountains to get to Stubai Glacier ski resort. While Nodkette was like nothing we had ever skied before, the powder covered mountain of Stubai looked like something out of the movie “The Art of Flight”. The mountain itself was so massive that one of the runs was almost 5 miles from the top of the mountain to the base gondola. Once on the top of the 9,000 foot peak you could look out and see snow covered mountain peaks that seemed to go on forever. The views were out of this world.

While Germany and Amsterdam were great places to travel, Innsbruck had a very unique feel to it that was much different than anywhere else we went. If you are ever planning on going skiing while in Europe I would absolutely recommend this awesome city. Make sure you do your research about the bus schedule and ticket/rental prices so that you can maximize your time and money spent on the mountain.

MUNCHEN, GERMANY

After leaving Innsbruck we started the second half of our journey in Munich. Though we only spent a day and a half in the city, we planned our trip well enough to take full advantage of our time there.

Once a stronghold for the Nazi party, the city of Munich is home to the first concentration camp located in Dachau, about 25 minutes from the central train station. After checking into our hostel, the camp was our first destination. Upon arriving, we entered through the gates where over 200,000 Nazi prisoners had walked in and over 25,000 never walked out. Inside the camp a museum provided endless information about the history of the camp and accounts of survivors. We were able to walk through the barracks, crematories, and gas chambers. It’s hard to describe the feeling of being in a place where so many unthinkable acts of inhumanity once occurred but it’s an experience that I would recommend to anyone who gets a chance to go.

“Hard Work Will Make You Free”

Later that evening we ate dinner at one of Munich’s famous beer gardens named “Augaustiner”. While many tourists spend their evening at the well-known “Hafbrauhaus”, Augaustiner was recommended to us by a Munich local (whom we met the night before in Innsbruck) because of it’s authenticity and delicious Bavarian food. After filling our stomachs with bratwurst and sauerkraut we spent the rest of the night exploring the city, stopping into different pubs, and meeting locals and travelers from all over Europe.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS.

While it’s no secret that there are a VAST array of interesting activities available to tourists while in Amsterdam, there are also many historic sites and popular museums that are great to visit. During our two day stay in the city, we explored many of the large town squares lined with churches and museums. We walked along the intricate system of canals that were layered in a semi-circle formation around the central train station.

One of my most memorable experiences was our audio tour through Amsterdam’s Royal Palace. The massive building in the central square was where important judicial hearings once took place and town council meetings assembled. Inside, the rooms were lavishly decorated with massive painted ceilings, beautiful art work, and golden chandeliers. Afterwards, we made our way to the the Van Gogh museum and finally to the Anne Frank Haus.

BERLIN, GERMANY.

From once being the center of Nazi control, to being almost completely flattened by air raids during WWII, to being divided by the infamous Berlin Wall, the capital city of Berlin is one of the most historic and most visited places in central Europe.

During our visit we made it on one of the daily tours. Without a doubt this is a must-do while in Berlin. Our tour guide had been working for years and seemed to have unlimited knowledge about each monument, museum, and memorial we stopped at. He explained, in depth, the rich history of each site we visted, including part of the Berlin Wall. We stood on top of the bunker that Hitler ended his life and we walked through the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe. I suggest going on a tour to every city you visit because you will gain so much more knowledge and appreciation than you would from just exploring yourself.

The next day, we visited the Berlin Zoo which happens to be the largest zoo in the world. Finally we ended our trip at the East Side Wall Gallery. Here you can walk along one of the last remaining sections of the wall and enjoy the colorful and expressive artwork that is painted on it for about a quarter mile. Once a symbol of communist division, the wall now stands as the largest outdoor art gallery and a place where people can come together from all over the world and enjoy amazing paintings.

Sorry about writing a book. I would like to commend anyone who is still reading. There was just so much to write about and even now I feel like I only told a fraction of the whole story. There are many things we could have done differently and a few things we got right, but my best advice is to learn as you go and make as much out of each destination as possible. Anyway, next weekend we are off to Interlaken, Switzerland and then Rome the following weekend so stay tuned.