Spring Break in Tennessee

My name is Reetta Hannula, and I am a Master's student at the University of Eastern Finland. Last year I applied for the ISEP exchange program and ended up studying Hospitality here at Maryville College. It's been a wonderful spring and I'm really grateful for all the new experiences and friendships I've made during my time here. Love you all!

Over Spring break, my boyfriend and I rented a car and went to Nashville. Naturally, our Finnish mission was to go see a NHL game, so we traveled to the Bridgestone Arena first. The arena offered great facilities to enjoy world-class hockey and of course to see Finnish hockey players on the ice! After the weekend in Nashville, we spent the rest of our stay in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, where we admired the Great Smoky Mountains and enjoyed the wide range of amenities.

The holiday gave us a chance to see several sides of Tennessee. We saw big city life in Nashville with the music and bright lights of Broadway, as well as the beautiful rural scenery of Tennessee and its Smoky Mountains. While we did not leave the state of Tennessee's borders even once, we had a wonderful holiday.

Our varied experiences led us into nature as well as into the pulse of a big city. Many times, the most magnificent places can be found just around the corner. As we say in Finland:

”Ei kannata mennä merta edemmäs kalaan.”

One should not go farther than the sea to fish.