Holiday Break Travels

As we look toward the upcoming holidays, I know a lot of us have planned a vacation over the break.

A while back, I saw that Lufthansa was having a crazy good deal from Denver to Stockholm for $495 RT. Naturally, I started booking my trip to Sweden (how do you pass up a deal like that?). Soon after booking my flight (back in October), I was able to convince my cousin and a close friend to join me. When we started planning the trip, we initially figured we'd spend most of our time in Stockholm, then maybe try visiting Copenhagen or Oslo. However, as the planning continued, we realized how much we wanted to visit northern Scandinavia in the hopes of catching the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) over New Year's Eve. Now our trip has evolved into the following (tentative) itinerary:

Day 1: Depart for Stockholm.

Day 2: Arrive in Stockholm and explore the city.

Day 3: Continued exploration of the city, then hop on the night train to Narvik, Norway

Day 4: Arrive in Narvik. Pick up the rental car and drive to Tromsø, Norway.

Day 5: (Also New Year's Eve) Seriously considering dog sledding, that is TBD. Spend NYE in Tromsø.

Day 6: Drive to Abisko, Sweden while aurora hunting.

Day 7: Visit the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi. More aurora hunting. Stay overnight in Abisko.

Day 8: Fly from Narvik to Oslo, Norway.

Day 9: Explore Oslo.

Day 10: Take the train from Oslo to Stockholm. Last night in Stockholm.

Day 11: Depart for the USA.



I, of course, will post an updated itinerary after the trip (with photos). I hope everyone has a great holiday break!!

Itinerary for Holocaust in Europe Student Tour

12 Days | Netherlands | Germany | Poland | Czech Republic

"One of history's darkest moments takes on a poignant immediacy when you walk through the cities, towns, and buildings where the events occurred. At the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the Jewish Museum in Berlin, in the Warsaw Ghetto, and at the camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau, you have the opportunity to recall the suffering, honor the victims, and celebrate the liberation (EFTours)."

Tentative Itinerary:

Day 1: Fly overnight to Amsterdam

Day 2: Amsterdam

• Meet your Tour Director at the airport in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, known for its artistic heritage and elaborate canal system.
• Take a walking tour of Amsterdam.
• Go on a cruise through the canals of Amsterdam.

Day 3: Amsterdam

• Visit the Anne Frank House, where the Jewish wartime writer, Anne Frank, composed her famous diary. During WWII, Anne Frank hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four others in the hidden "secret annex" at the back of her father's warehouse. 
• Additional activities TBD

Day 4: Berlin

• Travel by train to Berlin, the vibrant capital of reunified Germany.
• Take a walking tour of Berlin to explore how the city has been transformed since the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the vital role the city now plays in the European Union. 

Day 5: Berlin

• Take an expert-led tour of Berlin: Brandenburg Gate; Kurfürstendamm.
• Photo stop at Checkpoint Charlie
• Visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
• Visit the Jewish Museum

Day 6: Warsaw

• Travel by train to Warsaw. 

Day 7: Warsaw

• Take a walking tour of Warsaw and the Warsaw Ghetto, including the Warsaw Ghetto Monument. 
• Visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Day 8: Krakow

• Travel to Krakow, the only major Polish city to escape devastation during World War II, leaving the beautiful architecture of its Old Town intact. 
• Take an expert-led tour of Krakow. 

Day 9: Krakow

• Take a somber visit to the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau. Now the site of a memorial museum, you can view a film about the horror of Auschwitz and Hitler's Third Reich here. Before you leave, observe a moment of remembrance for the six million victims of the Holocaust. 

Day 10: Prague

• Travel to charming Prague, and encounter the legendary beauty of the former capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Here, you'll discover how the city gracefully balances classical features with a lively, bohemian spirit. 

Day 11: Prague

• Take an expert-led tour of the city. Walk the quaint cobbled streets of the Mala Strana and visit the 13th-century Stare Mesto and Market Square. Here you'll see the famous 15th-century astronomical clock.
• Visit St. Vitus Cathedral to continue celebrating the art and architecture of the City of One Hundred Spires. 
• Visit the Golden Lane

Day 12: Depart for home


(Pictures from when I traveled with my mom last April)