We have officially finished our month of spring break trips and are going into the second half of semester trips. This weekend we went out strong with trips running to Munich, Budapest, the French Riviera, and of course the final half of the last Northern Loop. Between the Dark Beer festival in Germany, to caving in Hungary, to lounging on the beach in the South of France, students went all out this past weekend.
First up is the last leg of the Northern Loop. We just wrapped up the last of our Northern Loop spring break trips which means that spring break season is now officially over! Good thing we went out with a bang! This last Northern Loop to Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris was complete with walking tours of every city, nights out, group dinners, delicious food, plenty of photo-worthy moments, and memories to last a lifetime! With students from Rome, Florence, and Siena all in attendance, everybody managed to make a few new friends from other study-abroad cities. Mother nature was certainly on our side too as we enjoyed 70-degree weather in Paris for the final days of our trip. It was a great trip and an even better ending to the most successful spring break month Bus2alps has ever had!
To kick off the first weekend in April we celebrated in Munich. Just a couple weeks before Springfest, the Starkbierfest, or Dark Beer Festival for us foreigners, made sure it set the bar pretty high. We began with an exciting tour around the city and the gardens with Frankie’s Bike Tours. This tour covered everything in just a few hours! The music, food, and drinks at the Lowenbraukeller really made for a great night after a beautiful day! Sunny and 70 degree weather made for a perfect weekend. Visits to Dachau, the BMW Museum, and the Zoo were the highlights of the trip. Saturday night was spent at the well-known Hofbrauhaus. Munich provided everyone with a wild party and a great taste of history. This clean and innovative city is a must see.
On the other side of the map our crew brought students to Budpest for an epic hungarian experience. The 3 hour private walking tour with our hungarian guide sparked everyone’s appetite for a weekend of indulgence in the history, culture and nightlife of Budapest. After a taste of St. Stephens Basilica, the Chain Bridge, Parliament, Castle Hill, Fisherman’s Bastion, and local cuisine, we headed to Great Market Hall for Langos, beer, and affordable shopping. While some people dove through the caves of Budapest (hard hat, head light, and all) other’s enjoyed a scenic dinner boat cruise down the Danube River. It is just as difficult to narrow down the options for wild nightlife in Budapest as it is to narrow down the sites to experience in the City Park. From bohemian hookah bars and wild dance clubs, to thermal bath houses and scenic walks to historical sites, it is easy to understand why students were sad to say goodbye to Budapest.
To round out the weekend we also headed to the beaches in the South of France. Kicking off the weekend with beautiful weather, on Friday we explored the gorgeous city of Nice, the Promenade des Anglais and hung out by the beach. It’s safe to say that everyone was mesmerized by Nice’s beauty. The rest of the weekend was spectacular. Activities included rubbing elbows with the elite of the elite in Monaco, smelling scents in the oldest perfume shop in the city and exploring the medieval coastal village of Antibes. With clear blue skies greeting us every morning we were definitely living the good life in the French Riviera.
