"Travel far enough, you meet yourself." - Cloud Atlas

When I came into college, I knew that one thing I wanted to do was travel. I had been on a short trip in high school to France and Spain, and I quickly realized I'd been bit by the travel bug. Sure, it's scary to be in a place that you don't know with people who (usually) don't speak English. But, by leaving home and exploring new places, I learned so much about myself.

I know, it's a little cliché to say, but it's true. When you're in another country, it's like you have this pass to just be 100% yourself. You don't have to put on the show that you usually do for the people that you try to impress. There's this freedom to just be who you are and enjoy all that's around you. You don't have to worry about looking cool because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other people around you who are just as amazed by the things around them as you are.

There are so many beautiful things in this world, and a lot of them aren't in the United States. Yes, our country is amazing, but there's just this history in other parts of the world that isn't in America. You get to see buildings that were built hundreds of years ago; buildings that have withstood the test of time and offer a portal to a much different time in our history. One of my main thoughts on my first trip was, "Wow, history comes alive and makes so much more sense when you can actually be there." There's so much that a textbook just can't teach. Being where history happens just hits you.

One of the best things about my school is our J-Term. This means that we have January to either take one class, stay home and work, or travel. Being the travel bug that I am, I chose to go on a trip. Our trip was about studying two methods of teaching music, so I got to study something that was interesting to me while also getting to see a part of the world I had never been to before. It was, as my girl Hannah Montana would say, "the best of both worlds."

During our two week trip, we spent some of the time studying and observing colleges in Hungary and Austria. Other times, we would get to take workshops, which were a lot of fun. Another part of our time was spent going on tours. We'd take a bus and get to go around the city and learn about some of the history. To be honest, I don't remember a lot of the facts because I was too busy staring at the beauty around me.

Doing "touristy" stuff was another part of our trip. We'd go shopping for souvenirs, try new foods, go to markets, explore buildings, and a whole bunch of other fun things. A lot of the time, we would eat dinner together and talk about our day. The food there was amazing (If you know me, you'll know that I can be a pretty picky eater, so that statement means quite a lot). I think my two favorite activities were going on a dinner cruise in Budapest and going to the thermal baths. Thermal baths are basically like huge hot tubs, but the water came from hot springs. If you ever find yourself in Budapest, I highly recommend it.

While we were gone, I took a lot of pictures, but here are some of my favorites.

(Some of the people from my trip to Austria and Hungary in Vienna)

(Looking out over Budapest)

(Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna)

(Somewhere in Hungary)

So, dear reader, I encourage you to go. There is so much beauty in the world that's just waiting for you. Go and enjoy and try new things and take lots of pictures.