It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks of travel for me and some of my friends from USC who are also studying abroad. I visited my friend Kaya, who is doing the USC Paris program. Then, she came to Edinburgh to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The next weekend I visited my friend Cat who is studying in Vienna with the Marshall School of Business. USC offers so many different places for its students to study abroad, and one of the perks of such a wide variety of offerings is the chance to crisscross Europe and see new places with familiar faces.
Paris was just as beautiful as it always is, albeit soaked from the rain. Nevertheless, even in the rain, the city has much to offer. By staying more lowkey and local, you can save money and experience new, non-touristy things. Try heading to Grouvie, a cocktail bar located on the top floor of a brasserie on a cobblestone street lined with other packed restaurants and bars. Grouvie is disco-themed: The walls and floors are covered in crushed pink and red velvet with tassels hanging off the seats and a collection of disco balls hanging from the ceiling.
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The drinks, although slightly expensive from around €14-18, were inventive and all based on bands or songs. One of the drinks is the Night Fever, a Bee Gees-themed drink, and it is an interesting experience for your palate. The fruity, creamy flavors of the liqueurs and wine contrast sharply with the bitterness from the anise and the savory aftertaste of the smoked salt on the rim. It may be an acquired taste, but once you come around, it’s a delight to enjoy the sophisticated flavor blend.
Another great nighttime venture is Supersonic, a bar-slash-club with live bands in the funky Bastille area. Even though you might have to wait in line for a little while, it is completely worth it. The warehouse vibe with its metal railings, large colored windows and exposed brick walls gave it an underground feel.
Nearly everyone else there is French, and it feels like a very local experience. Believe it or not, cover bands come on at 1 a.m. and perform English-language hits like “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC and “Take on Me” by a-ha. It’s guaranteed to be a long night of crowded and sweaty, but exhilarating, dancing.
On Sunday, you can wander around a few of the many flea and farmer’s markets in Paris. At these markets, you can find delicious Lebanese, Spanish and French food stands alongside vintage jewelry, trinkets and books. A perfect way to end a Sunday night in Paris is at the Sacré-Cœur. Sitting on the steps in front of one of the most beautiful churches in the world, you can enjoy one of Paris’ beautiful pink sunsets while sipping on some supermarket wine, which in France has an average cost of only €6 for a bottle.
On the other hand, going to see Cat in Vienna was my first time in Eastern Europe, and it was a very different experience than Paris. Even if you arrive late on a Friday night, you can still go clubbing. Many clubs in Vienna don’t close until 6 a.m., giving you plenty of time to party it up until the sun rises.
One of the most underappreciated destinations in Vienna is the record store from Richard Linklater’s cult classic movie “Before Sunrise” (1995). It has the rather clunky name of The Teuchtler Schallplattenhandlung und Antiquarität. The owners are very sweet and generous. The store is absolutely stuffed full of records and CDs from all genres, and the walls are plastered with posters and pictures. You can even listen to any of the records before purchasing them, and if you buy a tote bag, they even throw in a few free records to take home with it.
A trip to Vienna wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of the most famous clubs, Volksgarten. There are three rooms all playing different music from electronic to chart hits to rap. The property is massive, but it is always packed. The DJs play a wide range of hits from Frank Ocean to Daft Punk and even Spice Girls techno remixes as the lights flash and bounce around. Every once in a while, the roof opens up to reveal the night sky, and cool air descends onto everyone, providing relief from the heat of the dance floor.
My time dancing with Cat and her friends at Volksgarten was such a picture-perfect movie moment that I knew it was something I would remember forever. It encapsulated the study abroad experience: being with friends new and old in a completely foreign place, yet nevertheless feeling like you belong out there in the big wide world.
Hannah Contreras is a junior writing about her experiences abroad in Europe. Her column, “Notes from Abroad,” runs every other Friday.