Twin Reunion in Amsterdam, Prague, and Dublin

For Spring Break, I traveled across the pond to visit Maya in Prague and other countries for the week. I went to three countries in 10 days, met her friends, and was able to see what her life had been like for the past two months! It was an incredible trip and I am so happy for Maya, and I can’t wait to study abroad next year! 

March 8th - Amsterdam

I flew from Raleigh to Charlotte, Charlotte to Madrid, and Madrid to Amsterdam. It was a long travel day and was the very first time I had traveled that far by myself, but I made some friends along the way. I usually never talk to people next to me on the plane, but I decided to give it a go and it made the travel day much more fun. I recommend introducing yourself to the people sitting around you because you never know where a conversation could lead! 

Once arriving in Amsterdam, I was greeted by my old friend Madi whom I had not seen in a few years, and it was the warmest welcome I could have asked for. Maya quickly followed her lead, and I felt whole again. 

For the remainder of the day, we explored Amsterdam. We went to the Hortus Botanicus botanical gardens which were very beautiful and cool. We ate lunch at a little cafe called Lottis and then walked around some more. We went to the Nxt Museum which was centered around New Media Art and Artificial Intelligence, which was very interesting but a little creepy in my opinion. I am not the biggest fan of AI in general so I did not love the museum, but it was still a cool experience. We wanted to go to the Van Gough museum but the tickets were sold out which gives me an excuse to come back! I would recommend buying the tickets to the museum far in advance because I was not aware it would sell out. After the Nxt Museum, we went to dinner at this noodle place called Xi'an Delicious Foods which was indeed delicious. Apparently the restaurant makes all of their noodles from scratch and I believe it because it was so good. It was my favorite meal in Amsterdam for sure. After dinner, we bounced around some pubs, played card games, and listened to live music. We walked around the Red Light District but did not participate in any of the activities, but I think if I were to come back I would go to a sex show just to fully experience the culture in Amsterdam. But we’ll see. We stopped at a coffee shop on the way home which was crazy. It is wild to me how different Amsterdam is from America but I love it. After that, we called it a night and went to bed. 

March 9th 

The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then ventured around Amsterdam again. We went to a flea market and I bought some art for my room. We then hung out at Oosterpark for a few hours and enjoyed each other's company. It was very special for all of us to be able to spend time together after so long apart and it was a pleasant afternoon. Afterward, we went to a bar in Kop Zeedijk that was run by the university students called Skek and it was very local which was awesome. We ate dinner there and then a DJ came out and it turned into a bar. We got to meet some locals and it was very fun. We then went to a jazz bar in Leidsebuurt Noordoost, which had a very fun and bumpin' atmosphere. We sat in the front row at the jazz bar and it was awesome. By the time it was over it was around 2:30 a.m. so we went home after that. People sure do like to party in Amsterdam!

March 10th - Prague

The next morning we said our goodbyes to Madi and Amsterdam and headed to Prague. I will definitely be returning to Amsterdam eventually. The culture there was unlike anything I had ever seen and I had an awesome time. Traveling is so cool because you are exposed to completely different ways of life everywhere you go, and it was nice to be reminded that there is so much out there that I have yet to see. I love Chapel Hill so much, but it was refreshing to go somewhere so unique and different than what I am used to. 

We landed at the Prague airport and met my mom there. All three of us were exhausted from travel so we went to dinner near my mom’s hotel where I tried goulash for the first time. It is a combination of meat and vegetables and was so good. I had my first drink of Pilsner, which is the beer of Prague and is apparently cheaper than water, according to Maya. I was not a huge beer drinker at the start of the trip, but by the end, I was Pislner’s number one fan. 

March 11th

We went to breakfast at and explored Prague 1. Our dad landed in Prague so we met him for drinks in the Kampa Area. We walked across the Charles Bridge which was stunning and was probably one of my favorite things we did in Prague. My mom loves to “wonder,” so we walked around for the remainder of the afternoon and went to Maya’s apartment. I finally got to meet some of her friends which was very fun. We went to dinner and then went to the Jazz Republic and listened to some jazz which was awesome. I had never really been into jazz or been to a jazz bar before but it was very cool because of how talented each band member was. We met Maya’s friends at the London Underground Bar and listened to some terrible karaoke singers, but it was a great time.

I was in Prague from March 11-14th, and when Maya was in class my parents and I did lots and lots of walking. We cleared about 22,000 steps a day. So instead of doing a play-by-play of each day, I am going to highlight the best parts of the trip.

We went to Prague Castle, which was insane. The architecture, detail, art, and history of the castle were mesmerizing to me and it was so impressive. I love seeing ancient and pretty structures like that one and am in awe every single time. I wish we still built buildings like that one because it is so beautiful! Europe is so cool because of its rich history, and the castle reminded me of how much I love history when it’s not in a classroom. 

That night Maya took us to a very nice restaurant that was in a boat on the Vltava River called Botel Matylda. We then met Maya’s friends at the bar The Dubliner and our parents bought everyone a round which was too much fun. After Maya took us to her favorite spot, Vzorkovna Dog Bar, which was super cool because it was underground and had a bunch of tunnels and little rooms inside of it. I left with Maya’s friends David and Camilla and we ate delicious kabobs but I did not feel so great the next morning. 

The next day, my parents and I went to Klausen Synagogue, which is the largest synagogue in the former Prague Jewish ghetto. It was interesting to read about the ghetto because I knew very little about the history of Prague before going. After that, we went on a Prague boat tour on the Vltava River through the company Prague Boats. The weather was sunny and it was a very nice change of pace from walking for hours at a time. After that, we met Maya and walked around the beautiful Petřín Gardens. We hiked to the top of the garden and then went inside the Petrin Tower, which overlooked all of Prague. It was so pretty and was one of my favorite spots in Prague. Maya and I sat in the grass for a while and admired the beauty around us before leaving for dinner. It was restful and peaceful, and I definitely recommend going. Afterward, we went to an authentic Czech restaurant called U Matěje in Prague 6 which was delicious. It was cool to go somewhere so local to fully embrace Prague culture.

On our last day, we did more walking and wandering and stumbled across Havel’s Market, which sold different foods, souvenirs, and arts & crafts. The city was being set up for Easter and it was cool to see the decorations before leaving. We went to an underground restaurant in Prague 1 called White Horse for dinner and then met Maya’s friend Nate for a beer. We said our goodbyes to our parents which was a little sad, but we were so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with them in such an awesome place! 

March 15th - Dublin 

The next day Maya and I flew to Dublin, Ireland for Saint Patrick’s Day! Once we landed and checked into our hotel, we ate lunch at Krewe which was New Orleans-style street food and it was delicious. Our hotel concierge gave us a list of bar and restaurant recommendations that I will list down here:

Bars: Kalabasa, Wigwam, Riot, Pygmalion, Bar With No Name

Resuntrars: Murray’s, The Church, Arisu, Krewe, White Rabbit, Happy’s Bar & Street Food 

After lunch, we explored Dublin and tried to find a funny Saint Patrick’s Day shirt but we had no luck. We decided to customize our own shirts but it was a fail. Note to self if you want a funny Saint Patrick’s Day shirt you need to bring one from America. Maya’s friend Brennan from Prague and my friends Paige, Cami, and Reece from UNC met us and we went to the Temple Bar District. It was very cool because there were a ton of bars in close vicinity to each other so we could just bounce around. Most of them had live music and were very crowded but it was a fun atmosphere. We then went to Dicey’s Garden which was a huge bar full of American college students. If you are looking for more of an authentic Dublin experience, I would recommend going to the Temple Bar District and not Dicey’s. 

March 16th

The next morning Paige, Maya, Brennan, and I took a 35-minute Uber to the Howth Cliff Walk. It was amazing and so beautiful. Ireland's famous cliffs are the Cliffs of Moher, which are 3 hours from Dublin, so the Howth Cliffs were a perfect alternative and were just as cool. We walked around the cliffs for a few hours and it was breathtaking. We found hidden steps that led to the water and Maya, Brennan, and I swam! It was freezing but so much fun, and now I can cross that off my bucket list. People thought we were crazy, but we had the attitude of “why not?” and it was awesome. After the cliffs, we went to lunch sopping wet at the Brass Monkey and I ordered the best seafood chowder of my life. After lunch, we ventured home and then rested for a few hours before going back out to the Temple Bar District. I was able to meet up with some more of my UNC friends which was fun and we bounced around to the different bars before going to bed.

March 17th

Saint Patrick’s Day woohoo! We went to the Saint Patrick’s Day parade at noon which was fun but a little random because we did not understand what all the floats represented, but it was still very cool. It was extremely crowded, as expected, so when the parade was over Maya and I found a smaller pub outside of the main city part and hung out there for a few hours. It was much more mellow and up our alley. Some of our family friends met us at the pub, and then we decided to go explore around Dublin some more. We stumbled upon what looked like a pub called Crowbar and found a whole concert venue inside. There was a band playing music and we were able to wiggle our way to the front which was awesome. They let Maya play the tambourine and we stayed for an hour or two before going back to the hotel to get some sleep before going to the airport. I had to leave the hotel at 3:30 a.m. to start my long travel day back to the States and parted ways with Maya. Saying goodbye wasn’t too bad because I am so happy that she is happy and that she is having the absolute best time of her life! 

Overall the trip was so much fun and I am so happy that I was able to get a glimpse into what Maya’s life has been like since January. Our lives have never been so different from each other, and it is so awesome that we are both so happy yet are in completely different environments and phases of life. Going abroad was a good reminder for me that there is so much outside of the Chapel Hill bubble and that the problems I have are so small compared to the rest of the world. I am so excited to go abroad next year and explore everything the world has to offer. 

To anyone who is debating going abroad, go. Never in your life will you have the opportunity to travel on your own with so few responsibilities. There is so much you can learn by going somewhere new and different, and I challenge you to try it out. What's the worst thing that can happen? 

Ellie Kollme 3/28/2024