Europe was so amazing. Our first day was spent in Prague where we immediately go on the subway and went downtown. We saw so many amazing statues and the streets are full of beautiful architecture that can only be described in pictures (see below). We walked the streets for hours, took pictures and ate at a cute street café.
Since we were on an MBA business trip, our trip was full of many business visits. I must say, although business isn’t conducted TOO much differently than in the U.S. in Europe (besides our different currency conversions and inflation rates) – they seem to move at a much slower pace and actually leave work after an eight hour day over there. If business is done, they close up the doors (even if you are in line for a bus ticket!) haha. The second day in Prague we visited an old school steel factory that had huge pieces of steel swinging back and forth over our heads. These huge steel blocks were put in heating rooms then formed into things such as trolley cars, buses, trains, car parts, etc. It was pretty neat (we couldn’t take pictures in most of the business visits though – understandably).
We went to a beautiful cathedral in Prague (which was my favorite part of the whole trip). The cathedral is in the Prague castle complex and is called Cathedral of St. Vitus. It’s seriously the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! And ironically enough, my camera completely lost battery for the first and only time on the trip right when I stepped in. I did manage to steal some pictures from other people on the trip though, see below. The stained glass windows and art within the building is something that you could look at for days. I’ve been studying art history for years, so seeing a Gothic church is one of my dreams. The architectural design is so amazingly ornate – it’s not really something you can explain unless you are actually there. Check this out Prague St. Vitus Cathedral.
While we were in the cathedral we climbed this massive tower which was quite the adventure because a) it was over 500 steps (OK, I may be exaggerating a little) b) there were people going up and down in very tight quarters within the tower which made for a quite uncomfortable trip up and down the tower c) you are going in circles for about ten minutes in small, tight quarters haha! But when you get to the top – it is sooo worth it. What a beautiful view of all of Prague!
The culture in Prague (and in Europe in general) is interesting…It was nice to be in a place where people are so free spirited. FYI though, Prague people don’t have much of a tolerance for people from the U.S. that don’t speak Czech.
We went on another business visit to Amati-Denak, who manufactures wind and percussion music instruments and parts. That was interesting, but we didn’t get to tour their manufacturing factory, so that was kind of a let down. We did gain some interesting business incites as to where they stand in the marketplace and what their competitive advantages (or lack there of) are.
The next place we went, after spending four days in Prague, was Vienna, Austria. We spent a lot of time on the bus on this trip because we had many business visits to go to and we traveled by bus to the other countries within Europe. So, I got to see a lot of the European countryside and forests and I have to say, the country sides are soo amazingly beautiful.
When we got to Vienna we had a business visit at Pitney Bowes where we discussed their European business ventures. It was interesting to learn that they don’t have much competition in the mail sorting business. They said they own above 80% of the market share in their industry! Amazing.
We went to an adorable restaurant (with way to many koo-koo clocks in it) in Vienna. The lady who owned the restaurant was extremely hospitable and bought us all drinks. It was such a nice dinner with all the great friends I met on the trip. It was quite a delight to come in contact with someone who actually liked Americans in Europe haha! After dinner, we mainly just walked around, took pictures and went with whatever adventure fell into our laps.
We went on another business facility visit in Vienna – AKG Acoustics (they manufacture U.S. brands such as JBL speakers and headphones and many many other electronic items for European and other markets). We had the opportunity to take quite an extensive tour of their manufacturing facilities and their marketing and research and development executives gave quite extensive presentations. It was the most detailed business visit we went on. Very neat.
We arrived in Budapest, Hungary for our last four days in Europe and I was just thankful for plugs that actually worked (we stayed in a much nicer hotel) haha! We went to a bank called ING which was really interesting. They are number 13 in the top 20 global financial institutions. We got to learn about banking in Europe which didn’t really seem TOO different since they mainly work in a global market anyway. But, as mentioned above, they’re economic situation is much different from the U.S. We also visted the U.S. Embassy in Hungary which was pretty interesting – we mainly learned about the history in Budapest (Amazing to hear about the Stalinest era (1949-1956) Stalinest Era 1949-1956
That night, we went to some Romanesque style bathes that were soo relaxing and beautiful. It was one of those nights where you sit back and say “Wow, I am in one of the most beautiful places on earth.” and really being soo thankful for it. The bathes are kind of like Lava Hot Springs in Idaho except they have amazing architecture around them and statues that look like they were formed in the 13th century (and probably were). You must do this if you go to Budapest.
We went to a really fun pub in Budapest with really cool signs and just a really neat atmosphere. Many of us sang karaoke which was fun. Hungarians seem to take karaoke very seriously haha. They sang many songs from the U.S. with a few Hungarian songs mixed in now and then. It was just a great night.
I didn’t get to go to too many art galleries (which I expected I would do the entire time). But art is literally everywhere on the streets, in the buildings, everywhere you go – so I think I got a fair share of that. I really hope to return to Europe one day and I suggest everyone go! It’s an amazing experience you will never forget and you can’t really understand until you go. So seriously, book your trip now! You could die tomorrow!
I am so thankful for all the people I met and all the experiences I had. Thanks to all of you who made it amazing!
Also, research this - Prague Astronomical Clock you know how much I love astrology!
