Hello! My name is Michael Azzato and I am currently studying abroad through the UA in Europe Program for Macroeconomics in Croatia and Italy. The first stop on our faculty-led trip was in Dubrovnik, located in the very south of Croatia. My journey was not short, but it did not end up being nearly as bad as I expected. I had a direct flight from Newark airport to Dubrovnik, which lasted about 9 hours. I was able to sleep while flying over the Atlantic, and once we reached land, we got some amazing views of German cities and of the Alps. I was happy to be sitting near others that were also in my program. Once we landed in Dubrovnik we took a bus to our hotel and began exploring immediately. The city is divided between the newer, more modern part of town and the so-called “Old Town,” which is one of the most famous places in Europe. This part is surrounded by large city walls and sits right on the edge of the water. Walking into the gates is like stepping back in time, and food and shop options are everywhere. We were able to do a tour of the walls which had amazing views, and later on in the week we hiked to the mountain that overlooks the city to see it from a birds eye view. For my first visit to Europe, Dubrovnik had everything I expected and more. Our classes took place each morning at the University of Dubrovnik with amazing views of the harbor, and our professors have been amazing so far at getting through the large amount of content that they have. My favorite thing was probably the people we met though. The locals and the tourists from all over the world were so interesting to talk to and I think most people in our group had an absolute blast just getting to know the city and the people in it. I hope I get to go back some day!