Notre Dame's Central Europe Trip

by Cooper Winkler '26

During Midwinter break, my peers and I had the chance to travel to Central Europe and explore four amazing cities: Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague. There, we learned about different cultures; experienced various new cuisines; and made core memories. The Central Europe trip was truly a wonderful experience, one that taught me so many things I could never have learned from a textbook.

Venice:

Our first stop in Europe was Venice, Italy. We spent our first two days here and saw a variety of sights including St. Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge.

We saw the historic church of Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore, as well as a breathtaking view of Venice from the top of the bell towers. After a morning full of sightseeing, we were given the opportunity to watch an authentic Venetian glass-blowing demonstration, during which a talented glass-blower created an incredibly detailed lamp in mere minutes. After our break for lunch, we rode gondolas throughout the Venetian canals. While we almost tipped our boat over numerous times, we got to see some beautiful architecture away from the crowds on the sidewalks. During our time there, we were surrounded by authentic Italian food like gelato, cannoli, and pasta.

Salzburg:

After Venice, we traveled through the Alps to our next destination: Salzburg. On the way to Salzburg, we stopped in the small town of Villach in Austria. Villach is located on

the border of Italy and Austria and was approximately halfway to Salzburg. In Villach, we saw the Stadthauptpfarrkirche St. Jakob, which has been both a Protestant and Catholic church. After driving for several more hours, we arrived in Salzburg. Salzburg is a beautiful city, situated in the alps and the site of the Sound of Music. We experienced the enriching historic sights of Salzburg, including the Schloss Mirabell and Mirabellgarten, Salzburg Cathedral, and Mozart’s birthplace.

Salzburg was extremely walkable, and it was relatively easy to understand the layout of the city. In the evening of our second night in Salzburg, we partook in a scavenger hunt during which we were challenged to run throughout the city and find as many clues as possible. During the game we were instructed to find various sites throughout Salzburg, including St. Rupert’s Square and Marko-Feingold-Steg, an iconic bridge. Finally, we ate dinner at the oldest restaurant in Central Europe: Stiftskeller St. Peter’s.

Vienna

On our first day in Vienna, we explored the Prater - the former hunting ground of the 

Habsburg dynasty, which had been converted to an amusement park. The Habsburgs were integral to Austria’s history - the powerful family having originally controlled Austria and later expanding into Hungary and Bohemia. The Prater is similar to New York’s Coney Island, in fact having many allusions to it.

Our second day in Vienna was spent exploring the city. We began our day at Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer estate of the Habsburgs. Schönberg Palace is

exceedingly large and ornate, having contained the apartments of Empress Sisi and Emperor Franz Joseph I. In a direct contrast to the classical style of the palace, we next visited Hundertwasserhaus. Hundertwasserhaus is an apartment building built by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The abstract building has a large emphasis on the preservation of the natural environment, with the top of the building consumed by a rooftop garden. Perhaps one of the coolest facets of the house, besides its overall abstract structure, is the unique power tenants have over the building. Tenants are able to paint the outside of their apartment (as long as they can reach it) from their window. Towards the heart of Vienna, we saw a myriad of sights including St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Hofburg Palace. Finally, after experiencing a Viennese coffee house, we went ice skating at Rathausplatz.

Prague

Our final stop was Prague, in the Czech Republic. On our way to the city, we made a 

stop in the UNESCO world heritage site called Telç, situated in the Bohemian countryside. Telç was originally made out of wood, but was rebuilt into the small town it is today after a

fire broke out. When we arrived in Prague, our first stop was a glass decorating workshop where we were all able to decorate our own glass plates. On our way to and from the workshop we saw many of Prague’s famous sights including the Astronomical Clock Tower, which many might recognize from the Czech Republic’s iconic children’s film, Goat Story. During our final day in Europe, we roamed throughout the city, seeing iconic buildings like Franz Kafka’s house and Prague Castle. Perhaps the most beautiful sight we saw was St. Vitus’s Cathedral. St. Vitus is incredibly elegant, with beautiful stained glass windows and intricately carved statues. St. Vitus is not only known for religious ceremonies and coronations, but is also the burial site of several patron saints.

I am beyond grateful that I got the opportunity to explore Central Europe with my peers. I learned so many things from this trip--both about the cultures I was surrounded by and about myself. This trip has given me a plethora of memories I continue to cherish, and I hope everyone is given the opportunity to travel to new parts of the world like I was.

All Photos Courtesy of Cooper Winkler '26 and Catherine Polatidis'26

Edited by: Aryana Mehran '26, Kavya Chacko '26, Catherine Polatidis '26, & Ms. Brillant

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