Just when I thought the Czech Republic couldn't possibly get any more beautiful, I was proved wrong yet again. Our week spent exploring the Bohemian countryside, a region outside of the bustling city of Prague, was truly one for the books. I was rewarded with extraordinary scenery, pastoral sights, and a bizarre, skeleton-chilling church. 

The picturesque countryside of Bohemia is what makes this region so enchanting. We started our visit in Litomyšl, a small town in eastern Bohemia. The richly decorated village was a sight to see. Our tour guide informed us that the town emerged in the 13th century on the site of an older fortified settlement along a trade route that served as an important link between the regions of Bohemia and Moravia. 

Our next stop was Kutná Hora, a lovely city in central Bohemia. The first place we toured was the famous Bone Church that looks like a normal church on the outside, but inside, the bones of approximately 40,000 to 70,000 plague victims eerily decorate the walls and ceiling. The chapel looks like the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean (though Johnny Depp was suspiciously absent).

St. Barbara's Church pictured above (not Bone Church)

Our last visit was to Český Krumlov, a fairy-tale town of roughly 15,000 that is buried in the hills of the southern Czech Republic. Its main charm stems from the simple fact that the village feels as old-fashioned and medieval as it looks. I read that the town is the second-biggest tourist magnet in the Czech Republic and after experiencing its simple beauty and distinctly medieval feel, I certainly understand why. The rugged woods and hilltop castles of Bohemia made me feel as if I was walking through a scene in the Lord of the Rings film. So many of us dream of experiencing these quaint places and I am traipsing through them. Even as I write this now it simply boggles the mind.

Český Krumlov from Castle viewing spot

The most memorable part of our trip to Český Krumlov was our rafting voyage down the Vltava River. The three-hour (or four hour in our case) float down the dreamy river, through Bohemian forests and villages, past pubs and campsites, was an absolute riot. I really could not think of a better way to end an unforgettable week in Bohemia. 

Our final stop, the grand finale, in my opinion, was our visit to the Hluboká Castle. This château is considered to be one of the most beautiful in all of the Czech Republic and it most definitely did not disappoint. We learned from our brief tour that the castle owes its current appearance to the Schwarzenberg family (the richest aristocratic family in the Czech Republic and one of the wealthiest in central Europe). It has 140 rooms and 11 towers and offers peeks inside lavish ceremonial halls and elegantly furnished rooms. The royal castle made for a royal visit indeed.

I am quite fond of quoting insightful writers and novelists, such as Gertrude Stein, who once said, "That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me."

Paris is magnificent, but it is also crowded and cutthroat. The City of Light is the capital of art, fashion, food, literature, and more. It is said to be one of the world's most romantic cities, and I certainly found this to be true. 

The Louvre, Europe's oldest and greatest museum

We started our visit at the Château de Versailles, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for 30 years. This massive palace was the residence of French monarchs until the 1789 French Revolution. My favorite room came towards the end of the tour in the Hall of Mirrors. In the marvelous 250-foot-long Hall of Mirrors, 17 arched mirrors match the 17 floor-to-ceiling windows providing views to the royal garden. The tour also informed us this was the room in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I.

Later that evening we visited the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart), a massive Roman Catholic Church and wildly popular landmark in Paris, which is located at the top of the hill Montmartre. This hilltop is the highest point in the city, and offers incredible panoramic views of Paris. 

Next was the Notre Dame Cathedral Paris or Notre Dame de Paris (“Our Lady of Paris” in French), a Gothic cathedral located in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is Paris' most beloved church, with two lofty towers and gargoyles galore. As a Catholic, I could not wait to visit this splendid Cathedral. It was glorious and grand and vaguely reminded me of the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague (though Notre Dame happened to be much busier).

Westminster Abbey, the Eiffel Tower, the Sistine Chapel — these are some of the many reasons tourists come to Europe. The Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic Parisian landmarks, did not disappoint. In fact, it was even more spectacular in person. I learned it was built in 1889 and is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel who submitted the idea and design to the French government. Originally, it was built to serve as the entrance to the World’s Fair and was at the time the world's largest tower. The tower was going to be demolished in 1909, but was saved because it was repurposed as a huge radio antenna.

We ended our trip to Paris viewing a soft sunset from the Esplanade du Trocadér. This is one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower. We sat with a calm breeze at our backs as we watched it twinkle in the twilight. One of the many things I've discovered while abroad is the fulfillment that comes with simply being present. For that moment, my mind, heart, and body were completely content. No thoughts or words distracting me, nothing clouding my judgment, I sat in serenity and watched as the tower sparkled in the distance, captivated by a giant iron structure encircled by an endless array of city lights. 

Note: this view is from the Champ de Mars not Trocadér

Kraków is a hidden gem. It is a beautiful, charming, old-fashioned city that has a striking similarity to Prague. In addition to its magnificent baroque architecture, Kraków intoxicates one with its romance. It has an endless array of city performers and countless street vendors and eateries. The historic hilltop where the Wawel Castle sits was splendid. It featured the castle, the Wawel Cathedral (Poland’s nation church), a lush courtyard, and several museums.

Before sightseeing the city, we explored the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a vast, thousand-foot-deep mine with nine levels and over 100 miles of tunnels. After our three-hour tour of the mine, our docent informed us we had surveyed only 1% of the total mine. The mine’s massive underground church, carved in the early 20^th century, was quite neat. Interestingly, the church is still used for Mass today.

Located in Old Town, the Main Market Square is easily one of Europe’s most vibrant public spaces. As I traipsed around the square, I felt as though I was living in the Old World. A bonus: Poland is one of Europe’s least expensive countries, and thus an indulgence in a pivo is obligatory. The square is quite grand but also retains a folksy intimacy.

St. Mary’s Church (pictured below) was one the many highlights of our visit. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 92 percent of Polish citizens are Catholic. This makes them the most religious country in Europe. While today Poland’s people are overwhelmingly Catholic, this was not always the case. In fact, before World War Two a quarter of Krakow’s population was Jewish.

We ended our visit to Kraków at Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory. The factory offered us a time travel through the city’s history. Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist and former member of the Nazi Party who saved the lives of over a thousand Polish Jews by employing them at his factory.

I found myself particularly moved at Schindler’s Factory. Perhaps because one of the classes I am a student in is largely focused on the Holocaust. In addition to this class, I am also reading Man’s Search For Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. Our visit felt as if it was the culmination of my somewhat suppressed frustrations and profound sadness.

There was a quote from Frankl’s book that haunted me as I walked through the factory: “I shall never forget how I was roused one night by the groans of a fellow prisoner, who threw himself about in his sleep, obviously having a horrible nightmare. Since I had always been especially sorry for people who suffered from fearful dreams or deliria, I wanted to wake the poor man. Suddenly I drew back the hand which was ready to shake him, frightened at the thing I was about to do. At that moment I became intensely conscious of the fact that no dream, no matter how horrible, could be as bad as the reality of the camp which surrounded us, and to which I was about to recall him.”

Our guide explained to us that Mr. Schindler was a womanizer and, from an early age, quickly inhabited a world of sin. These imperfections and flaws, while certainly not laudable, humanized the man. If he was able to save a thousand souls and see the immense darkness of Nazism, then so might we. Darkness overwhelms this world but so too does light. I find a deep comfort in knowing the latter will ultimately prevail.

Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love, brilliantly said, “There's a power struggle going on across Europe these days. A few cities are competing against each other to see who shall emerge as the great 21st century European metropolis. Will it be London? Paris? Berlin? Zurich? Maybe Brussels, center of the young union? They all strive to outdo one another culturally, architecturally, politically, fiscally. But Rome, it should be said, has not bothered to join the race for status. Rome doesn't compete. Rome just watches all the fussing and striving, completely unfazed. I am inspired by the regal self-assurance of this city, so grounded and rounded, so amused and monumental, knowing she is held securely in the palm of history.”

Rome is magnificent. It is an unparalleled adventure tangled with ancient sights and a modern vibrancy. It is Italy’s political capital, the capital of Catholicism, and the center of an ancient empire—still visible through evocative remains.

We began our visit in the Roman Forum. It's neat to imagine that at one point in time these few acres of land were the center of the civilized world. To think that the Romans ruled for 1,000 years and, after the fall of the empire, the once-grand city dwindled to 10,000 is almost surreal. Though today the forum is largely a sprawl of ruins, the glory of Rome remains eternal, living on in the Catholic Church and through the empires timeless influence.

While the Roman Forum was unforgettable, the true magic of the trip came with our visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, the greatest church on earth. It’s a humbling thought, though, to think that even the greatest and grandest of earthly churches utterly pale in comparison to His heavenly kingdom. Mere words cannot express the profound satisfaction of my visit. It was simply marvelous. A pilgrimage to the capital of not only Catholicism but of all Christendom is something all should do.

I am beyond grateful to have visited such a culturally and historically saturated place. I recently read, “The legend goes that as long as the Coliseum shall stand, the city of Rome shall also stand.” And how true it is. The “Eternal City” indeed.

We ended our spring break on the lovely island of Santorini, Greece. The island itself is a flooded caldera (a collapsed volcanic crater). The massive, steep, multicolored cliffs thrust up a thousand feet above sea level, leaving tourists captivated by the brilliant beauty. Along the ridgeline is a number of perfectly placed whitewashed villages, reflecting the bright sunlight off their azure domes.

As I silently sat and watched the sunset, I couldn’t fathom that this place actually existed. It was otherworldly. The sky was dyed a pomegranate pink, the color of a Nebraska sunset during the harvest. I gazed at the orange rays dancing on the calm sea as the clouds ghostly drifted away and twilight beckoned the stars. Sitting in the cool spring air, lost in the beauty, I couldn’t help but say to myself, “If this isn’t nice, what is?”