7 cities, 10 Days, & 1 Backpack

**It has taken me so long to write this post because I was trying to figure out the best way to write it without boring my readers. I am trying really hard not to ramble on, while also writing about my entire experience.**

Oh the things you can see with a Eurail Pass & a backpack.

I randomly had 10 days within my semester with no classes so 2 friends and I decided it was time to explore more of Europe. We decided we wanted to see as many cities as possible within our 10 days. There are pros and cons to this travel mentality.We understood that we would be moving fast and that we would not get to fully experience each place, but we also knew we had a very flexible schedule. We knew we had to leave for Zagreb, Croatia on October 30th and return to Zagreb by November 9th. The time in between was very questionable. After much consideration we came up with the following itinerary:

Vienna, Austria                                                                                                          
Prague, Czech Republic
Berlin, Germany                                                                                              
Amsterdam, Holland                                                                                               
Bruges, Belgium                                                                                                       
Paris, France                                                                                                           
Munich, Germany

After repacking about 5 times I finally fit everything into 1 backpack…after 10 days that 1 backpack turned into a backpack, a purse, and 3 shopping bags. My one argument for the extra shopping bags is that we bought winter clothes which are very bulky…

Vienna, Austria                                                                                                         
Vienna is a city full of history, but it wasn’t a city that appealed to me very much. In our short time there we visited the Museum Quarter and Schönbrunn Palace. We also found H&M and Forever 21 (keep in mind we do not have any retail stores in Dubrovnik, so we were in heaven). The highlight of my time in Vienna was walking through trails of colorful leaves and actually being able to play in them.

Prague, Czech Republic                                                                                                 
I never thought I could fall in love with a city on a rainy day, but Prague proved me wrong. The Gothic architecture, the St. Charles bridge, the Prague Castle, the John Lennon Wall and the sunset over the Vltava River were all fabulous! We ate the most delicious lunch in the oldest medieval tavern in Prague. Just imagine the taste of grilled bacon wrapped plums and rotisserie chicken. We also tried local goulash, which was just alright. Our train to Berlin was at 4:00 AM and the hostel was nice enough to let us hangout in the lounge until we had to leave for the train station. When we got to the train station around 3:00 AM we were informed that our train was delayed until 6:00 AM. Our only option was the sleep in the train station for 3 hours until it was time to leave. Well my friend Tom got very comfortable sleeping on the ground so he pulled out his eye mask and fell asleep right away. My friend Makenzie and I on the other hand were a little ashamed to be sleeping in the train station so instead we stayed awake and counted how many people stopped and stared at sleeping Tom. Eventually we all fell asleep and woke up to police men shaking us asking if we were homeless. It was a very interesting experience and definitely one for the books.

Berlin, Germany                                                                                                         
I was told that in order to experience Berlin correctly, you must experience nightlife, which we did not. We wanted to split the long train ride between Prague and Amsterdam so we figured why not spend the day in Berlin. It was really cold and rainy. We went to a local festival and tried mulled wine, which is a warm red wine mixed with spices. At the festival there was a big snow mound so Makenzie and I decided it would be fun to go tubing down it and we were right! Later that day I met up with my friend/mentor Jess who was in Berlin for a conference. She introduced me to her friends and we ate at the most delicious Indian restaurant where we all ordered way too much food. I’ll have to go to Berlin another time and spend a couple days exploring what the city truly offers.

Amsterdam, Holland                                                                                           
Amsterdam was my favorite stop during the trip. No, not for the reasons most people think of when they picture Amsterdam. It is a chic and beautiful city with so much to experience. The canals, hundreds of bikes, and awesome buildings made it hard not stop and stare at the landscape every where we walked. We were thankful enough to be able to stay with a friend of a friend who had an awesome apartment walking distance from everything in the city. He cooked us a fantastic dinner and let us taste a bourbon that was as old as us. We also visited the Anne Frank House which was as moving as expected. Our friend Tom went home while, Makenzie and I continued out journey across Europe. When it was time to head to the train station we walked through the Red Light District, but it was during a football game so the windows were all empty. Upon arriving to the train station we realized the train we needed to take to Bruges required a reservation, which we did not have. Eventually we figured a way around the system by using local trains, which gave us an extra hour in Amsterdam. Within that hour we were able to have one last adventure.

Bruges, Belgium                                                                                                        
Bruges can be described as the Venice of the north. It is a very cute quaint town with a lot of personality. Since our train schedule was revised in Amsterdam we did not arrive in Bruges until 2:30 AM. It was raining and the city looked like a ghost town; we were the only 2 people walking down the streets. We arrived to our hostel only to find that the front door was locked. After about 45 minutes of knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell, and calling 3 phone numbers we finally gave up. We continued walking down the empty streets and found 1 hotel that had its lights on. Parkhotel, a 4-star hotel, ended up saving us for the night. At this point we were definitely living for the stories and not our wallets. Even though we were only there for a short time it was nice sleeping in comfortable beds and having hot showers. The next day we spent hours exploring the streets and taking pictures of all the cool houses with different color doors. The little boy below was making fun of us for one of our photo shoots so he decided to jump in and pose against the door for us. Our day in Bruges ended with a Belgium beer tasting. When we asked for the menu we were handed a thick book and hardly knew what to do with it. In the end the waitress suggested we taste the different beers on tap, which included 2 beers that were only brewed in that bar. We agreed that the coconut beer was the best.

Paris, France                                                                                                                     
Paris wasn’t originally on our itinerary, but we somehow made our way there. I did not have very high expectations for Paris, which I think was for the best. Paris kind of reminded me of Rome with all the tourists and big monuments and museums. We were planning on staying in Paris for 1 night, but because of our poor planning with train reservations we ended up spending an extra night there. Paris didn’t appeal to me for the typical tourist attractions, but instead the delicious cuisine and interesting people I met along the way made Paris one of my most memorable stops. My favorite part of Paris was definitely exploring Montmartre and all it had to offer. Also, finding Chipotle on our walk to the train station was sadly one of the happiest moments of my trip.

Munich Germany                                                                                                         
We only had a 5 hour layover in Munich, but we explored as much as we could. Since it was Sunday everything was closed except for a couple restaurants. We decided to act like the locals and enjoy some Munich beer. When we walked into the restaurant we thought everyone would judge us for wanting to try Munich beer so early in the morning, but every person in the restaurant had a stein in front of them. The bartender was from New York and helped us enjoy our short time in Munich by explaining everything Munich had to offer that we were unable to see. Although I didn't truly experience Munich, the parts that I saw were awesome and I am really excited to visit again in the future.

Prettiest cities: Amsterdam, Prague, Bruges                                                               
Best food: French onion soup (Paris), local sausage in Vienna                                      
Best drink: Zwettler (Vienna)                                                                                        
Coolest Cafe: Cafe in Montmartre, Paris                                                                            
Best train ride: Zagreb> Vienna and Munich>Zagreb both had beautiful views            
Worst train station experience: Sleeping on the floor of the Prague train station         
Best hostel: Regent Hostel (Paris)                                                                            
Favorite item purchased: Scarf from Amsterdam                                                      
Where I want to go back to: Amsterdam, Prague, Munich                                       
Where I will least likely will go back to: Vienna

Within 10 days we visited 7 cities and 6 countries. We ate as much food as possible and saw as many cities as possible. I had an amazing time, but I will probably never do a trip that fast ever again. I now know that I would rather truly experience a city than just check cities off the list.

A Spontaneous Trip to Montenegro

The most memorable moments in life are the moments unplanned

Originally I was supposed to be going to Skopje, Macedonia and Sofia, Bulgaria this weekend, but when I went to the bus station Thursday night to get the bus to Skopje I was told no such bus exists. Most of my friends were going to Rome this weekend and I had a 4 day weekend so I figured I'd travel to some cool places alone. So on Friday morning I went to the bus station to find a bus that was leaving and I hopped on a bus to Podgorica, Montenegro. I was told Podgorica wasn't the nicest of cities, but I figured I'd go somewhere inland to experience something a little different and different is exactly what I got.

The bus ride to Podgorica was beautiful. We rode along the coast and through the mountains and saw the sunset. But once the sun was down the sky was pitch black. The bus arrived in Podgorica around 7:30PM and of course I got lost walking to the hostel. I love staying in hostels because it gives you the chance to meet he most interesting people and boy did I meet some interesting people in Hostel Podgorica.

The typical first conversation between fellow travelers is "Where are you from?" "What city did you come before here?" "Why are you in (Insert current city)?" "Where are you going next?"

I was staying in a 5 bed mixed room and there were only 2 other beds occupied. They were 2 guys from Moscow named Nikita and Elias. They explained to me that they are from Moscow, but their families are part of a very small community that has their own language and own culture. They then explained that they are came to Montenegro because it is a better place than Moscow and they hope to stay there forever. They said they want to start some kind of "society"...I didn't ask for details because I didn't think it was in my best interest to know. They then pointed to some animal bones that were lying next to the bed. Originally I thought they were just some decoration from the hostel, but turns out they found the bones at the Albanian border (yes, I took a selfie with the bones when they left the room). While they seemed to be hiding some details of their journey and their background they were super nice and very engaging. They asked me questions about the United States and they even asked me my opinion of the NSA. I tried to keep all my answers as neutral as possible. Before we went to sleep Elias reached in his pocket, pulled out a Russian Ruble, and tossed it to me telling me to remember my new friends. In return I gave him a Croatian Kuna. While my new "friends" were definitely hiding something, they made my visit to Podgorica worth it. It was a very quite and boring city so in the morning a caught the first bus to Kotor.

It's funny how a simple question to a couple strangers can turn into a friendship. There were 2 girls sitting in front of my on the bus to Kotor and I asked them where they were coming from. That question led to a conversation that was held for the entire bus ride. Lily and Stella are both studying abroad in Paris and were headed to Kotor then Dubrovnik.

Once I arrived to Old Town Hostel Kotor the guy at reception asked me if I was only staying for 1 night and when I confirmed that statement he laughed and said "you know you're going to stay for more than 1 night, right?" I laughed, grabbed my keys, and dropped my bags off in my room. Kotor is almost like a smaller version of Dubrovnik. It has a small Old Town and is on the sea. I explored the city for a while and then decided to climb to the fortress at the top of the mountain before sunset. The fortress is 1350 steps up to Castle of San Giovanni (St John) that offers a fabulous birds-eye-view of the Old Town.

The next morning I packed my bags, returned my keys, and before my bus took off I went with Lily and Stella to try out a highly recommended local lunch joint. What we thought was going to be a restaurant turned out to be a butcher shop with a grill inside of it. The owner asked us if we were hungry and if we ate meat. Both answers of course were YES! Within minutes the man brought us 3 plates of deliciousness. The flavors were like nothing I have ever tasted before.

During our wonderful meal Stella and Lily were discussing visiting Budva for the day. Budva is another coastal town not too far from Kotor. I decided to miss my bus and explore Budva with them. I went back to the hostel, asked for my keys back, and dropped my bags off again. Nikola was right and I ended up staying a total of 3 nights. He even tried to convince me to stay a 4th night because the hostel has a deal when you book 3 nights you get your 4th night free, but I had to leave the 4th day to make it to class. Budva was was a nice town, but it was very small. We spent most of our time sitting on the beach listening to Russian tourists sing songs and play guitar.

 That night the hostel cooked dinner for all the guests and it was a very tasty free meal. During dinner I met Alan Isaacs. I know I have said that I already met the most interesting people, but everyone I meet is worth describing as the most interesting. Picture a bigger version of Bob Marley, with mannerisms that remind you of friendly people from he Caribbean. Alan was actually born and raised in India and currently lives in Thailand. He is one of the best story tellers and most insightful people I've met. One thing that mostly stuck out to me was his passion. Over dinner we asked him what he does back in Thailand and he put his fork down, looked up at the table with a huge smile on his face, and said "I am a writer." His face lit up with excitement like I've never seen before. Most people I've met while traveling either hate their job or just quit and are traveling on their time off. His emotion was contagious and you could see the entire table had a smile on their face. When I commented on how nice it was to see the joy in his face he told us "Happiness is not doing what you like, but it's liking what you do." When I left the hostel I gave Alan my smiley bean, which is a bean that is supposed to remind us to not forget to smile in our everyday life. Alan is someone who spreads happiness wherever he goes and even though I love my smiley bean I knew I could get another one.

 My last day in Kotor was spent on a north tour operated by the hostel. It was 8 of us from the hostel with a tour guide in a little van driving up north to the Durmitor National Park. On the drive through the mountains one of the main roads was closed so we had to take a detour. This detour consisted of us driving over small cliffs and driving past cars coming the opposite direction of us. Keep in mind the roads are very narrow so when we had to pass other cars we were centimeters apart. Living in Florida we don't get to experience the excitement of seasons and leaves changing color, so I was loving every second of the beautiful colorful trees along the way. After about 3 hours we started arriving at different points throughout the tour. My favorite stop was at Devil's Lake where the shore of the lake was a light green color and towards the center got dark blue.

 While we were driving we noticed an interesting house that our guide said he never noticed before. It was built with rocks and tree trunks. He said that for the past couple of years the house was covered and he thinks its because the owner didn't want people to see it until it was finished. We all happened to get out the van to take pictures of the house at the same moment the owner drove into his driveway. He invited us all in to explore his newly built home. While he didn't speak any English our guide was able to translate for us and you could see in his face how proud of his home he was, especially because it took him 3 years to build by himself. When we walked into the house his little puppy ran up to us and we all fell in love. His children and wife were very confused as to why 9 strangers were entering their home, but we all warmed up to each other. When we left the house the family invited us to stop by for coffee on our way home. Everyone in Montenegro were so friendly and hospitable. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stop by the house again.

Our last stop of the tour was at the top of a mountain that overlooked the entire area. We were able to see the Tara River Canyon, which is the deepest river canyon in Europe. It's bright turquoise water next to the colorful fall tree was a stunning sight.  Sometimes we must do risky things to get great pictures, even if that means standing on the edge of a cliff and making sure we keep our body weight forward so we don't fall.

After 4 very interesting nights in Montenegro it was time to catch an 8:30AM bus to make it back to Dubrovnik in time for my 12:30PM class. During the ride back to Dubrovnik we drove along the coast through the clouds. It was unreal.

It's funny how things work out. A trip to Skopje and Sofia turned into an adventure around Montenegro. Beautiful scenery, delicious food, and interesting people seems to be the trend around Europe. And people wonder why I never want to come home....

Dubrovnik Adventures

Our new motto for the semester is "Do it for the stories!" When we are questioning a decision we just remind ourselves that a good story will come from it and we are usually right.

Everyday there is a new adventure waiting for us. Even on the dullest days we find ourselves sitting on the steps in the Old City people watching, which is probably the most interest activity you can do. We even made a game out of it. We see who can spot the cutest old coupe or the funniest looking tourist. It is quite amusing and can last for hours. Of course that's after long days of learning and being studious...

Next to Dubrovnik there is a little island named Lokrum and my friends (who are both swimmers) decided they wanted to swim to Lokrum, despite the local's advice not to swim there. My friend Makenzie and I rented a kayak that way we can make sure if boats pass they will see us and not hit our friends who were swimming. Since Dubrovnik is a very touristy city there are a lot of companies that do kayaking tours, but we just wanted to rent a single kayak for a couple hours. Well in order to do that you must have prior kayaking experience...which we told the company that we both has experience (that might have been a white lie). Once Makenzie and I got in the kayak they could definitely tell we did not have much experienced. We all laughed and eventually we figured out the correct way to paddle and we were off to meet Tiffany and Shantel who were waiting for us at the harbor to start their swim.  The second they jumped in the water you could see in their faces how cold the water was, but they were troopers. After only 15 minutes we made it to the Lokrum!

After a couple celebratory pictures we tried to figure out how they would get back to Dubrovnik because the Kayak only fit 2 people. We came to the conclusion that we would drop them off at Lokrum and they would take the ferry back to Dubrovnik and meet us back at the Kayaking point. One problem was they didn't have any clothes or shoes with them, so Makenzie and I being good friends gave them our clothes and shoes that we had in a waterproof bag on the Kayak. We parted ways and kayaked back to shore. When we returned the kayak the man who was helping us asked where our clothes went and we made up a story about our friends meeting us at Lokrum because we couldn't tell him the truth that we helped them swim to the island. We walked up the path and sat in a chair in our cold, wet bathing suits waiting for our clothes to return. I didn't realize how funny bathing suits were until we noticed we were providing entertainment for many people. A couple local kids ran up to us and asked us if we needed to borrow clothes. After convincing them that our friends would be there soon we noticed tourists pointing at us. About 45 minutes later the little kids ran towards us screaming "Your friends are finally here!" and everyone clapped as Tiffany and Shantel walked down the path with our clothes. Now that I reminisce about the experience I am laughing, but in the moment I was just cold and a little embarrassed.

The next night we were invited to a BBQ hosted by the Croatians in our class. This is one of my favorite parts of my study abroad program! I love that the locals and the study abroad students get along so well. We asked them what a Croatian BBQ was they and they told us we would have to wait and see. One of our friends named Edi picked us up from the Old City and we went to a nearby town named Cavtat, which is where a couple of the Croatian students live. The drive there was beautiful and the town itself was fascinating! We didn't have time to explore, but I'm excited to return. When we arrived to Vlaho's house, Tamara brought the girls outside while the guys went inside and prepared dinner. I know girls usually don't do the BBQing but I expected us to help with something. The boys took care of everything! It was really nice to hangout with everyone outside of a classroom setting. The food was delicious and we had so much fun! By the end of the night we decided that next week we are throwing an American BBQ for them, which should be very interesting.

Mostar: An Adventure in Disguise

Everyone tells me that while I am in Dubrovnik I must visit Mostar and Montenegro. We did not have school because of Croatian Independence Day (we were going to stay in Croatia to experience Independence Day, but we found out it is more of a sad holiday and is not celebrated) so we decided to take a day trip to Mostar. I thought Mostar was in Bosnia until a classmate explained to me that Mostar is municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We mostly decided to visit Mostar because we were told there is cheap shopping compared to Dubrovnik and we wanted to see the pretty bridges everyone talks about.

8 A.M. we board the bus to Mostar expecting to arrive back in Dubrovnik later that day....

Once we arrived in Mostar 4.5 hours later we went to the bus information to find out what time the bus home was at. We assumed there were buses back to Dubrovnik all day. We were wrong. The woman at the information booth told us that the only bus back to Dubrovnik today was leaving in 5 minutes. We knew going back wasn't an option, so we walked away to analyze the situation.

Luckily a friend of mine suggested a hostel to stay at in case we were staying the night and the hostel ended up being only a 5 minute walk from the bus station. We turned down a street and found a small sign with the hostel's name on it, Majdas Hostel. We opened the door to find an empty lot. Picture 4 delirious girls walking in what looked like an abandoned house. When we turned the corner we found a colorful garden with a bunch of people sitting at the table. We were so nervous that we were laughing uncontrollably. I saw a woman that looked like the owner and I asked her if she had 4 beds for one night to accommodate the "4 lost girls". Without hesitation she said yes and brought us her mothers homemade iced tea. Hands down one of the best cups of iced tea I've ever had. She brought us out 4 slips of paper and told us to make name tags and then she asked us where our bags were. We had to explain to her that we were not planning on staying the night so we had no clothes or tooth brushes or anything really. She laughed and assured us that it happened for a reason and that we were lucky to stay the night in Mostar. Of course she was right. Her mother was speaking in Croatian and the owner translated to us that her mother was giving us one of the nicest compliments by telling us that we were all such pretty girls and that she could not tell who was prettier. Normally I do not like compliments, but this little old lady was so cute and so nice and her iced tea was just so wonderful. She came over to all of us and gave us kisses and pinched our cheeks. We knew everything was going to be okay. 

There were 2 other travelers hanging out when we arrived so the 5 of us went and got some lunch then explored the city. We went to a local restaurant and tried their signature Ćevapi which was delicious. I have yet to eat a bad meal in Europe and hopefully it stays that way. After lunch we were walking to see the Old Bridge that was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century. On our way to the bridge we passed through the old city and had to remind ourselves that we would do our shopping after we saw the bridge so we continued walking. We heard that people jump of the Old Bridge but we didn't believe it...until we saw a man standing on the top and then we saw him jump and eventually heard him smack the water. The water in Mostar is much different than Dubrovnik. It is a much deeper turquoise, still beautiful, just very different. Walking through the city you can see all the bullet holes in the buildings from the war, but it is still very beautiful. We walked down to a garden below the bridge and while we were standing there in the serene environment we were able to hear the Islamic call to prayer. It was a feeling of peace that you can't really describe.

After about an hour of taking pictures of the bridge from different angles it was time to go shopping! In Mostar they use a different currency called a convertible mark which made me really excited to add to my currency collection. We walked up and down the streets of the old town for hours and explored each little shop. It was the first time during my 3 weeks in Europe I actually went shopping, which is very impressive. After hours of shopping we went back to the hostel to relax. We then gathered a group of travelers and went to dinner at Hindin Han. I'm not exactly sure what I ate, but the plate was clear by the end. While we were sitting and chatting a girl came up and asked if she could sit with us because she was by herself. I've learned how amazing interactions with strangers can be. Traveling truly opens your eyes to the world and made me realize that most people are alike. We are just looking for an experience and we are looking to meet inspiring people.

Before we left to make our 10 A.M. bus back home to Dubrovnik (wearing our same clothes as the day before) the owner of the hostel called our names and had breakfast and hot tea waiting for us. It was a perfect end to our adventure.

Everything truly happens for a reason. It was a blessing in disguise that we were stuck in Mostar for the night. We learned that if you keep a positive attitude the journey, no matter what it may be, will be worth it. Mostar is a city of beauty and disaster. It has a rich history, with an unfortunate present, and a hopeful future.

Back to Reality...

After 4 flights, 2 buses, and 1 train I finally made it back to Dubrovnik! Just in time for classes to start the next day. After having a 5 month summer it was hard to think about finally starting class again...then I remembered I was in Dubrovnik. My entire 14 hour journey home I kept telling myself that my vacation was over and I was going home to reality, but the truth is Dubrovnik is not reality.

Dubrovnik International University is a small private school that flies in its professors from all over the world to teach us students. The professors choose when they will have class based on how long they can stay in Dubrovnik. Before classes started I had an idea of how professional and esteemed our professors would be from just looking at DIU's website. I have never been more impressed by professors and their teaching styles than I have been this past week.

Once we received the schedule for the semester I saw that I have European Union for 5 hours Monday-Saturday. 1. I have never sat in a class for 5 hours. 2. I have never had class on a Saturday. I was definitely a little hesitant about how this was going to play out. I am also taking Organizational Behavior, International Business, and Peace & Negotiations. My Peace & Negotiations class doesn't start until November 17th and it lasts 1 week long and each class is 6 hours long...we will see how that goes.

When I walked into my first class of the semester, European Union, I noticed a couple things. 1. Americans are usually early or on time, while Croatians are usually late. 2. Americans sat in the front of the class, while all the Croatians sat in the back. Our professor began right away. I have a tendency to always ask my professors their background that way I know who I am learning from and to build their credibility. He laughed a little because he felt bad for forgetting to do that in the first place. He begins pronouncing his name which none of us could understand so we all had to Google later. He proceeds by telling us that he used to be a professor at Harvard and has taught all over the world, along with having been in the Croatian Parliament and was an ambassador for Croatia and Montenegro. He also slipped in his introduction that he was a part of the team to help get Croatia to join the EU. No one in the room expected that introduction and you can bet that everyone's mouth dropped by the end.  Yes, Professor Petar Turčinović definitely established credibility with the entire class. That is just a glimpse of one of my professors. My professor for international business, Janice McCormic (she likes us to call her Janice), just retired from 30 years of administrative and academic work at Harvard Business School. While classes are long, it is the first time I have actually enjoyed learning in a classroom setting.

 This is the view outside of my classroom.

At such a small university it is very easy to become friends with each other. The main difference between my study abroad in Dubrovnik compared to Florence is that I am actually able to interact with and get to know locals in my classes. During our breaks and after class we all go to a nearby cafe and hangout for hours. I have also become very close with all of the American's at the university. All of them except for me are on the API study abroad program so they became a tight knit community very fast, but they were more than welcoming for me to join.

Everyday after class my friends and I find a new way to entertain ourselves and just enjoy life. One day we went to a place called Buza, which means hole in the wall. It is actually a hole in the old city wall that leads to cliffs on the Adriatic Sea. Picture yourself walking along a wall and seeing a small arch that looks like it leads to a dark room, but when you walk through it imagine walking into another dimension. You walk through it and it is blue skies, cliffs locals use for cliff diving, a bar, and a lounge area all built into the rocks. After a long day of class we went to Buza to go cliff diving and to watch the sunset. The next day we went to a small set of cliffs that is just up the hill from the old city and we swam to a cave. The water was bright blue and ice cold, but when you have the opportunity to swim to a cave you take it!

The next 3 months of amazing professors, beautiful views, and many adventures in Dubrovnik are going to make it very difficult to return to reality in Gainesville.