By: Michelle Enkerlin

After my fall break, I was able to continue my exploring of Europe. I went on an overnight weekend trip with NYU to Weimar & Leipzig. We visited an old library from Imperial Germany and a cafe where Goethe used to eat and drink. It was interesting to visit other German cities that had been part of Communist Eastern Germany. One can still see and feel the differences...

In the peak of fall, I got to visit Amsterdam with one of my best friends from high school! Amsterdam was absolutely beautiful and we were lucky to have a friend that could buy us tickets for Museum Night, where almost all of the museums were open from 7 PM-2 AM for the price of one ticket. It was really cool but exhausting!

(I have no shame...)

​USWIB Study Abroad Liaison Meet-Up: I was able to meet up with another fellow USWIB-er and friend, Amy Elgin (Stern ’18, NYU Florence)! We went to Vienna, Austria, and hopped from Christmas Market to Christmas Market, eating way too many tasty desserts. If you ever find yourself in Europe, please go to Budapest, Hungary. It is one of my favorite places that I was able to visit this semester, and everyone needs a little spa break at the thermal baths ;) 

(Castle Belvedere in Vienna, Austria)

​The last trip of the semester before finals was to Dresden and Prague! Dresden is home to the first ever Christmas Market in Germany. All the markets we visited were beautiful and even had rides and live performances. Prague was really beautiful, but the cold winter really slowed us down and made it hard to take pictures, apart from the mass swarms of tourists…

(The first Christmas Market in Germany in 1434 was here!) 

(The John Lenon Wall and the view from the castle…tourists and Starbucks)

By: Michelle Enkerlin

Before fall break, I was able to spend a weekend in London and my boyfriend came to visit me during NYU’s fall break. It was nice being able to speak English again and being in a city very similar to New York City— where everyone takes card and the smell of urine reminds you of home.

Fall Break- Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Barcelona, Seville, Lisbon

A few weeks ago I had fall break! My mom came to visit me and we planned a week long of quick travel. A tip for those that want to travel with parents: don’t. Unless you know your parent can keep up and WANTS to keep up, I would not recommend what I did. Regardless, the trip was still really great and we got to get a small feel for many places! My best friend from high school that is studying abroad in Rome joined us for the last few days as well. Here is a quick summary of what I saw:

Venice is absolutely beautiful. My mom missed her flight to Berlin and ended up arriving 1.5 days later than she was supposed to so we missed our flight and hotel stay in Venice. We only got a few hours there before we had to catch a train to Florence but I saw enough to know that I have to go back! I also missed out on a gondola ride :(.

Florence is one of my favorite cities in the world. I had been there a few years ago and made it my mission to find the same cute stationary shop I had gone to that last time. If you are ever in Florence, I highly recommend that you visit Signum. It’s right by the Ponte Vecchio and has all sorts of typical and beautiful Florentine paper designs.

Cinque Terre is a MUST. These 5 villages built on the coast of Italy are breathtaking. If
you have time, spend a few days here instead of trying to see all 5 villages in one day-
although that is totally doable as well. You can also hike from village to village through
the mountains and wind through trees and vineyards and enjoy all the views of the
coast. We did not plan to hike, but ended up accidentally following a trail from Corniglia
to Manarola, thinking it was an overlook for Corniglia. It was beautiful but 3 hours long,
and we were not prepared for an intense uphill hike. My mom ended up having to
through away her shoes and buy new ones when we go to Manarola because her feet
hurt so much!

In Barcelona, my mom and I got to stay with our family friends that live there. We hadn’t seen them in over 10 years! I had been to Barcelona before, but I did not remember much of it so we did all the touristy things again. It is probably one of my favorite places I have visited throughout the semester. We went to Parque Güell, La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo- all designed by Gaudi.

​Sevilla was very beautiful and rich in culture. Everyone was nice and it was not as touristy, which was more relaxing. Plaza España was my favorite place there, but the flamenco show we went to was very fun and unlike anything I’d seen before.

Lisbon was an interesting reminder of various cities— with a Golden Gate Bridge like San Francisco and a large statue of Jesus like Rio de Janeiro. Parts of the city are even named Sacramento, Sao Paolo, etc. My favorite part, though, was the oceanarium we spent the whole morning at. It was huge and floats on the ocean. There is a vast variety of species one can see there, but obviously the two sea otters were the cutest. Overall, fall break was great! It was very tiring but now it’s just the final haul! I am excited for the next trips and to see Berlin transform into a holiday wonderland! (It’salready a winter not-so-wonder-land, we are in the 30’s here...)

By: Michelle Enkerlin
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​Hallo! Ich heiße Michelle Enkerlin…
(Hello! My name is Michelle Enkerlin…)

When I first got to Berlin about a month and a half ago, we started off with a mandatory week-long orientation that was actually quite informative and interesting. NYU took us on a bus tour of the city and various professors gave us walking tours of the neighborhoods around the dorms and the academic center. During the bus tour, we got off at one of the most interesting places in Berlin- the Holocaust Memorial. The design and layout of the memorial is very unique and overpowering to remind you of how complex humanity is and how horrific the holocaust was. I really recommend walking through it if you are ever in Berlin. 

One of my walking tours, near the NYU dorms, was through an area that used to be no-man’s land when the Berlin Wall was still up (i.e. the land between the beginning of one end of the Berlin wall and the last part, where attempting to cross was usually fatal). In the picture below you can see the red-roofed building on the left matches and the bridge I am standing on used to be blocked off by the wall. Since I am on the west side, someone in the picture set up a ladder to peer over the wall and look into East Berlin. ​

 The first weekend after classes started, a group of friends and I took off to enjoy some of the last warm days in Palma, Mallorca, an island in Spain. It was beautiful and full of Spanish and Arabic architecture. It’s also full of German tourists and nicknamed, “the 17th state of Germany.” Below are some pictures of the town and the cappuccino I had at a cafe named Cappuccino.​

A few weekends ago I was able to go to Oslo, Norway, and visit my cousin and his fiancé! They were also able to show me around the city, and I was really thankful to have locals that spoke the language and knew all the best spots. Coincidentally, it happened to be Culture Night that weekend so all the museums were open late and free! Below are some images from the top of an ancient fort, the Oslo Opera House, a stereotypical Norwegian lodge, me in the Vigeland Sculpture Park, from the top of an olympic ski jump, and the front of a Viking ship.​