My sister and I grew up singing in a choir for the Summit Choral Society in Akron, Ohio. It was always my dream to participate in their touring choir, because they always went on these incredible trips, singing in the most beautiful of places, from historic cathedrals to castles in Europe. After a few years, my sport took top…

The Czech Republic is so conveniently located in the middle of Europe, making road trips a very easy and fun way to see the continent. One summer, we decided to take a trip to Berlin and a neighboring city, Potsdam. We drove from Hradec Králové to Potsdam and were there in less than five hours. Our hotel was…

Remember that time I drifted down the Danube with my family and the Summit Choral Society Touring Choir? What I didn’t tell you is that my mom had found two paintings at a tiny gallery on Castle Hill in Budapest that she could not leave without. Well, obviously she left without them because she couldn’t take them…

Europe is full of small countries that many people don’t even know exist. I would know, my family comes from the Czech Republic, which most people still refer to as “Czechoslovakia” although that hasn’t been a country since 1993. Another one of these countries is Estonia. Estonia is located on the Baltic Sea and has a…

Growing up, I had a best friend. We did everything together, from sleepovers and movie nights, to getting lost in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. But in first grade, she left me. She and her family moved to Spain. That wasn’t a problem, though. That just gave us an excuse to go there.  My dad had a…

Travel around Europe is incredibly easy, whether than means by car, bus, train, or plane. This past winter, after successful convincing on my part, my family and I flew to the Czech Republic for New Years (and good thing we did because then COVID happened). My best friends that I had met during the summer…