EF College Break

Me and two other girls in the group got these big sunglasses from a guy on the street who was selling them. We were hanging out in the square of Barcelona drinking sangrias, still in the first few days of our trip, and when we put the glasses on we thought of a great idea to take angry tourist pictures at every touristy sight for our whole trip. We did and it was the highlight of my trip!

We spent an amazing night on the rocks off a pier in Barcelona, our last night there. Just having drinks with some of the girls and talking and getting to know each other. We watched the sunset. It was the most amazing sight being right out in the middle of the water on the beach watching the sunset.

Later we spent the night on the beach with locals and other travelers we met out at a disco that night. We stayed out till 5 am when the sun came up and laughed all night long! It was amazing…

ne of my most memorable moments was going to the Aran Islands. We rented bikes when we got there and just started pedaling. There were about 15 of us riding around, stopping in front of cool cottages, taking pictures with old Irish farmers. We headed up this huge hill and the view was unbelievable. Rolling green hills in every direction with stone walls to mark the territory of each farmer’s land.

A few of us headed back down the hill because it looked like it might rain, but a couple friends and I kept riding. The rocks became almost impossible to ride on. We looked around and there wasn't a person in sight. We stopped to ask an old Irish man how to get back into town. He mumbled something in a thick Irish accent and pointed down a long road.

It wasn't long after that it started to drizzle, then rain, then pour. Our hands were frozen to the bikes and we were soaked. We saw a small church up ahead and decided to duck inside for a while until the rain stopped. We waited a few minutes then headed out again.

Finally we found our way back! We parked our bikes and went inside this little pub where the rest of our group had been eating and drinking Guinness the whole time we were gone. We ordered fish and chips and hot chocolate and sat by a fire. This was one of my favorite moments on the entire trip.

On St. Patty's day we all woke up extra early and put tattoos of clovers and flags on each other's faces. We headed out to the main street, which was right by our hotel, and picked a spot where we could see the parade. After the parade we all went to a nearby park that had live music. We sat in the park and talked while drinking Jameson and coke.

Every night out was a good one. In Dublin we'd all walk down to Temple Bar together and stay until the bars closed. One of my favorite bars in Ireland was the Gravity Bar in the Guinness factory. It overlooked all of Dublin.

Our tour director’s name was Angus. He was so funny. He was an Ireland native. He was always cracking jokes, but he had such a thick accent we couldn't understand him most of the time.

Best restaurant:
Trattoria La Mossacce

Best sights:
Piazzale Michelangelo, the Duomo, the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio

Best bar:
Small pizza place/bar two blocks from Hotel Cordova—no idea what it was called!

Best club hit:
Anything by Swedish House Mafia

The optional wine-tasting trip outside of Florence was the best. Reds, whites, we tried it all, and they were not shy about giving it out. '80s music on the way back to Florence made it a party bus for sure.

Our tour director Elena was awesome! She was from Spain and knew a ton about the Mediterranean region. She was also a lot of fun and catered to everyone's needs! Elena ruled.

We met some guys in Paris that took us to a club called Le Back-Up where we could "DANCE ALL DEE NIGHT." It was a lot of fun. It was exactly the kind of scene we were looking for—a lot of dancing, great music, and an authentically Parisian crowd. We might have been the only tourists there. The guys who showed us the club were all really nice. And they were a lot of fun to be with—until we found out that they were probably still in high school.

A lot of house music (although I loved spelling it haus or huis when I was there). It was a very appropriate genre of music, as Europe is one of the biggest hubs for it.

Britney Spears "Till The World Ends". Once one person sang the "Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh" part, no one was safe. Everyone would have it in their heads and would sing it all day.

We named our tour director Pepe because Giuseppe was too foreign of a name for everyone to pronounce. Pepe was one of the nicest people I have ever met. He was always ready and eager to show us a great time. And the tour-y experience was definitely boosted when he explained everything with his euro-swag.

Every time a new train comes, a man’s voice says "Mind the gap" over and over again, and it’s also written on the ground on the edge of the tracks. They really don’t want you to fall into the space between the platform and the train.

Not only was this the best way to see the city, it’s also a classic London icon. Word of advice? Sit on the top.

Beatles fan or not, you gotta walk in the footsteps of the Fab Four at Abbey Road. Of course, this is an actual street (and a pretty busy one), so you also have to look both ways before you cross. And remember, you’re in London, look RIGHT first…

If you don’t know what platform 9 ¾ is, you’re obviously not a Harry Potter fan. Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station is where Harry gets the train to Hogwart’s. Now it’s one of the most popular tourist spots in London (they have a sign and a shopping cart halfway through the wall). Harry Potter nerds unite!