Following the Equator | EF's Educational Travel Blog

Why students should tour Central Europe

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

I work with a lot of EF Group Leaders who ask my advice on which tour they should do next. I often suggest From Rome to Athens or Central European Quartet. "Why would I want to go to Central/Eastern Europe" is a common sort of reply. "There is no Colosseum or Eiffel Tower in Budapest, and what does Vienna do" is another sort of reply that I just made up.

So, here are some thoughts on why Central European Quartet is a great tour to take and also a chance for me to stop having to run through it each time I am asked in future — I can just direct the questioner to this blog.

Currency — Oh, the euro is fun, easy and all that. However, touring in Hungary and the Czech Republic gives you a chance to mix with old-school currency changes and exchange rates. Unfamiliar banknotes with pictures of unknown national heroes. Banks even want to tell you about the designers (I hope that moustache appears on a future banknote).

Statues — The Cold War, it all happened before Twitter, so it can sometimes be deemed as irrelevant to our lives as the Crimean War. However, one thing teachers and others of a certain age will always remember are those monumental statues to Soviet leaders. Just outside of Budapest is the fabulous Memento Park, featuring huge sculptures of the era. Your EF Tour Director can arrange a quick visit; trust me, it’s worth it.

Food — Stop for lunch at one of the service stations on the Austrian or German motorway, and you will be astonished at the range of things on offer. From sandwiches stuffed with smoked meats, cheeses and the like, meat dishes cooked to order as you watch and arrays of pastries, strudels and the famous Sacher Torte.

Prague — What a city. Seriously, what a city. Your EF guided sightseeing tour will take you through the castle grounds and down the hill across the Charles Bridge to the Old Town. From here, you have an afternoon to explore. Just wandering around this amazing place is a joy in itself. Stunning architecture, all sorts of shopping, boat rides on the river, etc. It is just one of those places that you might approach wondering, "What is there to see," and you leave thinking, "I need to come back and see more."

Berlin — A superbly modern European city that blends itself so well into its longer history (try the Reichstag Dome, Glockenturm or Potsdamer Platz). You will also get to visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum as well as having time to see the Brandenburg Gate and the thoughtfully perceived Holocaust Memorial.

The other bits — While travelling between the cities, enjoy a chance to briefly visit Brno and Dresden (to go inside the Zwinger Museum), not forgetting the Hundertwasse House in Vienna and a walk along Budapest’s Andrássy útca.

Photo: pavelm via Flickr (CC license)

European Museums: The Hidden Gems

What are the great art galleries of Europe? I am sure some obvious names spring to mind. I like these big galleries, but I always feel overwhelmed by the “biggest gallery in the world” or “largest collection of Renaissance art.” I sometimes feel as if someone is going to lead me out the door saying, “Sorry, but you’re just not skilled enough to understand how good this stuff really is.” Don’t get me wrong, what’s not to love about a well-drawn, chubby angel; it’s just that, sometimes, I want something different, less imposing and, arguably, a little closer to the world I recognise around me.

So, I would like to take the chance to promote five of the lesser visited (on tour), but supremely accessible European galleries that feature contemporary art, many of them in cities to be visited by you soon.

Tate Modern (London) What a place, and free to enter! Next door to the Globe Theatre on the bank of the River Thames and converted from an old power station, the huge turbine hall has featured some superb temporary installations.  Check out a piece like Equivalent VIII and wonder, “Could I have done this? Does it matter if I could or couldn’t?” Be glad someone did!

Reina Sofia (Madrid) Really do all you can to find the time to visit this super little gallery. One reason alone—Guernica—should be enough. This work alone can keep you fascinated for years to come as you read more and unravel more. Elsewhere in the gallery the idea of time and how we look at history in art is challenged. Great stuff.

Espace Dali (Paris) You are probably going to want to go to Montmartre while in Paris, right? Well, if you go in the day then make some time to visit the Dali exhibition located near the Place du Tetre. Dali looked at the Renaissance masterpieces and re-interpreted in his own fascinating style.  No shrinking violet, he once said, "Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure, that of being Salvador Dali."

Galerie Jakubska (Prague) This beautiful gallery exhibits works by contemporary Russian artists and offers a fascinating insight into the art of Russia and the other countries of the former Soviet Union. The gallery is owned by the highly successful Ukrainian artist Alexander Onishenko who came to Prague with few possessions and began selling his work on the Charles Bridge.

Rosengart Collection (Lucerne) This comprehensive collection of more than 200 pieces of classic modernist art by a select group of predominantly European artists includes work by Klee, Picasso, Miro, Cezanne and Renoir. Housed in an elegant, neo-classical building that was formerly the Swiss National Bank, this collection was originally the private collection of father and daughter, Siegfried and Angela Rosengart.

Global Citizen Spotlight: Lucy Chen

“Almost a week later, and I’m still jet-lagged. I guess it's just my body telling me to never ever leave Europe mode. Not that I want to. I spent 10 days being my crazy self, boarding too many flights, exploring picturesque cities, eating too much chocolate, running on four hours of sleep each night, playing pretzel on top of the Swiss alps, visiting Willi-Graf-Gymnasium in Berlin, painting blocks to recreate the Berlin Wall for the 20th anniversary, being photographed and videotaped 24/7, eating doners (yum), being way too American and tourist-like, yodeling, lying down on the streets of Berlin spelling "Berlin," doing the same in Prague, making new friends, writing too many journal entries, laughing, crying, and doing so much more. Gosh, I miss it…so, so much. Life was so surreal those 10 days…”

I wrote that in my journal a few days after I came home (which then seemed like the most boring and trivial place on earth) from my EF Global Citizen Scholarship tour of Berlin, Munich, Prague, Lucerne, and Dachau. Even eight months later, typing on my friend Bridget’s Facebook wall, I found myself again reminiscing about some of the same exact moments. Yes, we’re still friends, and collectively, along with Aswar, Matt, Sajda, Sharvani, Lindsay, Dizz, Shawaunna, and Kylie, we probably still remember all our adventures in Europe like it was yesterday.

This past summer, I was honored to represent the youth of the United States on a scholarship tour of Berlin, Munich, Prague, Dachau, Lucerne, and Washington, D.C., as one of the 10 national winners of the EF Global Citizen Scholarship. Yes, as a Chinese-American, I grew up with Mandarin and the dialect of Shanghai being my first languages, and in high school, I was taking the most challenging classes, learning about the world, and studying French. At the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, I also tackled international issues, serving on the Student Advisory Council and as Model Senate Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee and Model UN Chair, but this trip made everything real.

Staff Spotlight: Paul Mattesini

Starting next week, Paul Mattesini, one of EF’s best-loved tour directors, will begin posting weekly to Following the Equator. Look for his advice and musings on everything travel-related. In anticipation of his blogging debut, a little bit about Paul:


The early years: I was born and raised in the UK. At the age of 15 I took a break from school and traveled throughout Europe for five years, before returning home and completing night-school leading to the University of London, where I studied history.  


EF career path: I joined EF in 1992, and have since led more than 200 tours to 50 countries. I spent a year in Boston working in the Customized Department and I still check most customized itineraries each year. These days, I lead several tours a year, but I also work with product development, designing and adjusting tours, and look after the tour director website.

The EF family: I spent two years managing the London regional office (1999-2001), where I was responsible for allocating tours and hiring and training tour directors. I liked Michelle McHale so much as a new tour director that we married in 2004! We have a 2-year-old daughter, Izzy, and another daughter due April 25th.

Living the good life: Having lived in Spain for a few years, we are now back in rural England with a growing collection of chicken, sheep and rabbits.


Hobbies: Love backgammon, dancing with my daughter, keeping bees and cooking. As the son of an Italian chef, I was cooking from the age of six on.

Favorite sport: Arsenal football (soccer). I was a former season ticket holder, and once bought a flat so I could live less than a mile from the stadium.


Best travel destination: Thailand, without a doubt. I love it.


Favorite tour destination: Iceland was superb. Prague is a favorite city.

Follow EF's Global Citizens on Twitter

EF's Global Citizens become world travelers next week.

Ten inspiring U.S. high school students were selected to receive tour scholarships through EF's annual Global Citizens essay contest. These outstanding Global Citizens depart this weekend on an incredible educational tour to Berlin, Prague, Munich and Lucerne.

The best part is that you can follow along on Twitter. Each day on tour, a different Global Citizen will tweet about their experiences. You can follow them at twitter.com/efglobalcitizen.

EF Tour Director Alex Luther—a Germany native and good friend of Following the Equator—may occasionally be tweeting during the tour, as well. You can follow Alex at twitter.com/AlexLuther.

First Lady Focus On: Prague

"I'll be back."

First Lady Michelle Obama toured Prague Sunday. She loved it, and backed it up with a resolve to return that would make Arnold Schwarzenegger proud.

She's right on. Millions of backpack-donning students (both of the EF variety and the backpacking-through-Europe variety) and the FLOTUS herself can't be wrong.

What's to love? Feel free to let us know below, but I'll share first. I love Prague for the vertical lines in the cityscape.

Group Leader Spotlight: Dan Ware

It can happen at any point in life, but once you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, it’s hard to sit still. And with four trips on the horizon, Dan Ware—a history and geography teacher at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri—is doing anything but that.

Whether he’s traveling on an educational tour to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam or exploring Austria, Germany and Switzerland, Dan understands the importance of the lessons that take place outside of the classroom. To integrate his tours into his classroom lessons, he takes advantage of the credit option EF offers and also makes sure to teach his students some of the life skills they’ll need for traveling abroad at his pre-tour meetings.

Over the years, Dan (pictured above on a school visit in Kenya) has learned a few tricks for holding a successful recruitment, too. He shares some of his secrets:

Travel Tidbits: Shakespeare marathon

Are you ready for some Shakespeare?

If you're like my father (a high school English teacher and devoted student of Shakespeare), you can't get enough of William Shakespeare. So here's an unprecedented opportunity: The esteemed Royal Shakespeare Company is performing the Bard's entire, eight-play History Cycle in order.

The Histories cover 100 years of English history and nearly 1,400 minutes of viewing time. That's more than 23 hours to you and me. The RSC is performing all eight plays in the order that Shakespeare wrote them (and his audiences would have seen them): Henry VI Parts I, II & III, followed by Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV Parts I & II and finishing with Henry V.

The epic undertaking is believed to be the first time one theater company has staged the entire History Cycle. It has taken more than two-and-a-half years to produce.

There's a lot of good information at the Royal Shakespeare Company site. But  Globespotters has some impressive figures: 34 actors play 264 parts, each part is understudied, which means a total of 528 parts have been rehearsed. The production also includes 210,000 spoken words, 800 costumes, 40 wigs and hairpieces and—get this—more than 15 liters of stage blood.

The Histories are running through Sunday at the RSC's Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and then the performances will run from April 1 to May 25 at The Roundhouse in London.

Travel Tidbits: One long walk

How much does it cost to travel from Bristol, England, to Porbandar, India?

If you're Mark Boyle, the answer (hopefully) is nothing.

The catch is that Boyle is walking—yes, walking—from his British hometown to Gandhi's birthplace without any money.

The 28-year-old former businessman (pictured at left) began the 9,000-mile "pilgrimage" last Wednesday and plans to survive by relying solely on the goodwill of humanity or working for food and a place to rest.

"I've got some sunscreen, a good knife, a spoon, a bandage ... no Visa card, no travellers' cheques, no bank accounts, zero," he told BBC radio. "I won't actually touch money along the way."

Boyle, who also goes by the name Saoirse, estimates he'll cover 15 to 45 miles a day walking through France, Italy, eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He guesses it will take him two and a half years to arrive in Porbandar, Gandhi's birthplace on India's west coast.

You can follow Boyle on his journey by reading his blog. And, if you happen to spot him along the way, be sure to post your sighting.

Read on for this week's installment of Travel Tidbits.