jjsutton

With the completion of International Management we were released for our final ten days of travel. My group and I decided that traveling Paris, Barcelona, and Lisbon was the best way to utilize the ten days. As I said we decided to begin our trip in Paris. I was greeted in the train station by a high school friend who was studying at a university in Paris. I was very excited to see someone from back home and it was nice to have someone who was familiar with the city. That night she took my group to a great restaurant where I had steak with a gorgonzola cheese sauce; but more importantly I began my crème brulee tour of Paris. Unfortunately Rachel was leaving for Rome the next morning so we only got to spend one ... read more

We arrived in Brussels late Friday night and spent about an hour and a half lost in the city looking for our hostel. Great start right? Finally checked in at Sleep Tight hostel, we searched for a place to eat dinner but unfortunately the only thing available at midnight in Brussels was a nice McDonalds cheeseburger. Saturday morning was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. In a matter of three hours I had managed to eat 4 genuine “Belgium Waffles.” The first one consisted of just powdered sugar, but the following ones were covered with bananas, nutella, and whipped cream. It was a great switch from the traditional bread and cheese breakfast everywhere else in Europe. After breakfast we made our way towards the Manneken Pis. This statue is a “must-see” monument in the ... read more

My ten-day break began in Munich for a day of Oktoberfest. Because hostels in Munich were fully booked last April we had to stay in Salzburg, Austria. The only downfall was that it was an additional two hours to Munich the next day! We arrived early in the morning (left Salzburg at 4:30 A.M) to make sure we got into the main tent. I managed to network with a few executives of a Real Estate Investment Firm from Venice, they were great! They brought me drinks all day and offered me an internship whenever I wanted haha. Great food, great fun, but when all was said and done Oktoberfest kicked my butt. Enough said. The train ride to Rome gave me enough time to recover before I met up with my parents. I was really looking ... read more

Today was one of the best days I've had since being abroad. Interlaken is known for their extreme sports like skydiving, paragliding, canyoning, zip-lining and many more. Prior to coming, previous Riva students said it was mandatory we go canyoning and zip-lining if we made it to Interlaken. So we took their word for it. Canyoning is an activity that mixes cliff jumping, water-sliding, and repelling down a canyon in the Alps. A company called AlpinRaft took all 11 of us this morning. They provided us with wet suits, helmets, harnesses, and most importantly their guidance down the canyon. The guys who ran the trip were sooooo much fun. They immensely added to the quality of the trip with their personalities and humor. After being briefed at their base camp, we climbed into our wet suits ... read more

Good Evening Everyone! Today was an incredible day. At 6:00 A.M. my roommates and I hiked to the top of the mountain to see the sunrise while the rest of the group slept in. The view over the town was perfect as the sun came over the horizon. We were able to see so much of the landscape that we would have missed out on if we had not woke up and climbed to the top. We were all very happy we did. Around 9 we met everyone else at the local Creperia for breakfast. I ordered a lemon and sugar crepe and let me tell you it was a great way to start off the day. Our agenda consisted of hiking to all of the towns along the Via dell'amore. Which translates into the Trail ... read more