Paris
If I am being completely honest, I must admit that my expectations for Paris were not exceptionally high. I wanted to go, but I was expecting disappointment. I had heard so much about Paris for so long and I had seen it in so many movies that I was convinced it could not live up to the image I had of it. I was wrong. We walked out of the train station and into the streets, and I fell in love. Paris is BEAUTIFUL. It is truly like a dream. The streets are broad and the river flows through the heart of the city. There is a café on every corner, along with a man playing the accordion. There are vendors selling prints and crepe shops everywhere. We walked to Notre Dame, which made me want to cry. It is truly majestic. I never thought when I watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a child that I would ever see it in person. We ate in a café right in front of the cathedral. There, I had my first glimpse into the wonder that is French food. French culinary standards are remarkably high, and since they invented most of the food western cultures enjoy, they have western food essentially mastered. I had an incredible omelet with ham and cheese, and a coffee with whipped cream and cookies in it. The omelet, though I am sure fried in butter and quite fattening, was almost worth the entire trip to France on its own.
After breakfast, we went to mass in Notre Dame. Notre Dame is massive and honestly overwhelming. Though it is a beautiful building architecturally, it is hard for me to worship in a space which feels so big and cold. However, I was more than honored to be in the same church where Quasi Modo lived, and I was generally shocked to be in Paris at the same time. That is what I remember most about Paris: shock and awe and delight.
We ate crepes and wandered around Paris that afternoon, ending our day with the monumental elevator ride up the Eiffel tower. At my first site of the tower, I burst into tears. I had no idea how grand and beautiful it would be. I thought about my family and the sacrifices they were making so that I could see something that they may or may not get to see. It was a difficult but revolutionary moment for me.
Monday, December 14, 2009
"You made the right choice"
I wish I could blog about every single thing that happened to me, but I can't. My entires are excessively long as it is. I wish I could make people understand how it was, how it has been, but I know that I can't. Before I left for Europe, I was so scared. I didn't know if all the money, time, and energy would be worth it. I felt guilty for leaving my family and costing them so much money so that I could go see and do things that they themselves might never see and do. I was scared to leave Nashville, afraid that everyone would forget about me or that I would miss big happenings. I was scared of being in a foreign country and traveling around with a bunch of immature college students. I was scared of getting robbed. I was scared of a lot of things.
I remember in orientation when Dr. Laurence first came to talk to the Vienna students. He stood in front of the class and reviewed with us the monetary, time, and relational costs of the trip and then he said, "By choosing to come anyway, you made the right choice." For the first time, I felt a peace about the trip. Later, while standing in Vienna gazing at the Schonbrunn palace, I realized that his words were true.
I am not a perfect individual, and I did not handle this trip perfectly. However, I have no regrets. By the grace of God, I learned and grew and experienced, and He looked out for me the whole way. People have said that I am not any different than I was before I left, and I have trouble identifying specific ways that I have changed. But just as Daniel, our beloved travel guide, told us on the day we left Vienna, "Your family won't see the change, and you might not either. But that doesn't mean that something is not different."
I left for Vienna hoping to see the world and grow in the process. What I didn't know is how I would grow. I didn't know how my conidence would increase as I learned to navigate large groups through foreign cities. I didn't know I would learn the significance of living in a small group of people and loving unconditionally, I didn't know I would discover quite so many negative things about myself, but I also found some good surprises in the mix.
I am not capable of truly understanding the implications of this trip, but I pray every day that God will continue to use it to mold me even though I am back home. Coming home has not been a struggle, but a blessing. I am honored to be back among friends and family. Though I love Europe, America is my home. I do know one thing though: Vienna will always be my second home. Roaming around Karlsplatz and Stefansplatz will always be second nature to me. I hope and pray that I can go back one day, but if I can't, I am at peace. After all, Dr. Laurence said it best: by the grace of God, I made the right choice.
I remember in orientation when Dr. Laurence first came to talk to the Vienna students. He stood in front of the class and reviewed with us the monetary, time, and relational costs of the trip and then he said, "By choosing to come anyway, you made the right choice." For the first time, I felt a peace about the trip. Later, while standing in Vienna gazing at the Schonbrunn palace, I realized that his words were true.
I am not a perfect individual, and I did not handle this trip perfectly. However, I have no regrets. By the grace of God, I learned and grew and experienced, and He looked out for me the whole way. People have said that I am not any different than I was before I left, and I have trouble identifying specific ways that I have changed. But just as Daniel, our beloved travel guide, told us on the day we left Vienna, "Your family won't see the change, and you might not either. But that doesn't mean that something is not different."
I left for Vienna hoping to see the world and grow in the process. What I didn't know is how I would grow. I didn't know how my conidence would increase as I learned to navigate large groups through foreign cities. I didn't know I would learn the significance of living in a small group of people and loving unconditionally, I didn't know I would discover quite so many negative things about myself, but I also found some good surprises in the mix.
I am not capable of truly understanding the implications of this trip, but I pray every day that God will continue to use it to mold me even though I am back home. Coming home has not been a struggle, but a blessing. I am honored to be back among friends and family. Though I love Europe, America is my home. I do know one thing though: Vienna will always be my second home. Roaming around Karlsplatz and Stefansplatz will always be second nature to me. I hope and pray that I can go back one day, but if I can't, I am at peace. After all, Dr. Laurence said it best: by the grace of God, I made the right choice.
Nice
For fall break, we decided to tour France and Spain. We didn’t want to overbook our schedule, but we wanted to see as much as possible, so we finally decided upon Nice, Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona as our destination cities. We left Vienna on Thursday night and took an overnight train to Nice. I love overnights because they prevent me from wasting precious daylight hours on a train when I could be experiencing the wonders of a new city or country. Nice is quite a ways from Vienna, however, and so we didn’t arrive there until about noon on Friday. As soon as I stepped off the train, I knew that Nice would be everything that I hoped it would. Nice is very close to the border of Italy, but its architecture and culture are undoubtedly French- I could see an obvious difference as soon as the train crossed the border. The houses in Nice are built along the ocean cliffs. The city is much bigger than I supposed it would be, and it has a decent public transportation system. The temperature was in the sixties, and the warm sun and ocean breezes gave the town a tropical feel. When we arrived, we headed straight for our hostel in order to check in and drop off our bags.
While I was busy checking in, the other six people in our travel group were busy looking at an advertisement for canyoning. When I walked over to them, they told me that we were going. I didn’t believe them for several reasons. First of all, it was expensive, and secondly, I didn’t know what canyoning was. The picture showed a man jumping off a large cliff, and I did not think that looked safe or even fun. We went ahead and reserved our spot on the canyoning trip for the next day, but I remained unconvinced that we would actually go through with it.
We took the train to Monaco, and spent some time in the famous French coastal city where multiple celebrities own multi-million dollar getaway houses. Then we went back to Nice and wandered around the beach and the city streets. Finally, we went back to the hostel where we ate fahitas, and I headed to bed as soon as possible.
The next day, we woke up as early to meet our guide for the canyoning trip. I still did not believe the reality of the situation until I stood in front of our tour guide, a skinny Frenchman whose English was quite poor. The night before, the seven of us had examined the clothes we had brought with us, and we realized that we did not have the proper attire for the adventure. We had no tennis shoes, no swim suits, no shorts, and no spare t-shirts. Completely desperate, Cari and I raided the hostel’s lost and found bin until we found enough t-shirts and knit pants, which we cut into shorts. Then, we all went to a shed in the back of the hostel and hunted for tennis shoes. Cari wore a pair of much-too-small white keds, Amy found a pair of old man black tennis shoes, and I wore some kid’s skater boy shoes. We climbed into the van with the Frenchman, who was a terrible driver, and we were off. The drive took a little over an hour, and we finally pulled over to a small parking area beside a highway. There, we donned full body wetsuits and helmets. I still didn’t know what canyoning was at this point, and I began to get a little nervous, but I knew it was too late to do anything about it.
We started our canyoning experience by repelling down a waterfall. Granted, it wasn’t a huge waterfall, somewhere between twenty and thirty feet, but it looked like fifty from the top. I have repelled multiple times in Colorado, but I have always been belayed. Here, there was no belay- if I chose to let go of the rope, I would fall and that would be the end of that. No one fell, though, and we all came down smiling and laughing.
As our trip wore on, I slowing pieced together a definition for the word “canyoning”. Canyoning when you essentially travel down a river which is in a canyon. The way you travel is by repelling, swimming, jumping off cliffs, and sliding down waterfalls. One recurring problem during the course of our travel was our guide’s inability to speak English and our inability to speak French. He got frustrated and mad at us frequently, as we would jump the wrong way off of a cliff or let go of a rope we were supposed to hold onto. We all made it through safely, but I think our guide was more than a little glad to be rid of us.
My favorite part of the experience was sliding down waterfalls headfirst. These waterfalls were only about six to eight feet, and the stone in the river was smooth and easy to glide over. I also greatly appreciated seeing the beauty of God’s creation and being in nature, something that I haven’t done much since I have been in Europe.
By the time it was over, we were exhausted. I could not believe that we had taken such a risk, because honestly canyoning was not the safest choice of things to do. However, I have learned that you have to do dangerous things every once in a while, or you will never really live. We returned to the hostel and showered, and then we wandered around the beach and ate dinner. We caught an overnight train that night, and at eight a.m. the next morning, we woke up in Paris.
While I was busy checking in, the other six people in our travel group were busy looking at an advertisement for canyoning. When I walked over to them, they told me that we were going. I didn’t believe them for several reasons. First of all, it was expensive, and secondly, I didn’t know what canyoning was. The picture showed a man jumping off a large cliff, and I did not think that looked safe or even fun. We went ahead and reserved our spot on the canyoning trip for the next day, but I remained unconvinced that we would actually go through with it.
We took the train to Monaco, and spent some time in the famous French coastal city where multiple celebrities own multi-million dollar getaway houses. Then we went back to Nice and wandered around the beach and the city streets. Finally, we went back to the hostel where we ate fahitas, and I headed to bed as soon as possible.
The next day, we woke up as early to meet our guide for the canyoning trip. I still did not believe the reality of the situation until I stood in front of our tour guide, a skinny Frenchman whose English was quite poor. The night before, the seven of us had examined the clothes we had brought with us, and we realized that we did not have the proper attire for the adventure. We had no tennis shoes, no swim suits, no shorts, and no spare t-shirts. Completely desperate, Cari and I raided the hostel’s lost and found bin until we found enough t-shirts and knit pants, which we cut into shorts. Then, we all went to a shed in the back of the hostel and hunted for tennis shoes. Cari wore a pair of much-too-small white keds, Amy found a pair of old man black tennis shoes, and I wore some kid’s skater boy shoes. We climbed into the van with the Frenchman, who was a terrible driver, and we were off. The drive took a little over an hour, and we finally pulled over to a small parking area beside a highway. There, we donned full body wetsuits and helmets. I still didn’t know what canyoning was at this point, and I began to get a little nervous, but I knew it was too late to do anything about it.
We started our canyoning experience by repelling down a waterfall. Granted, it wasn’t a huge waterfall, somewhere between twenty and thirty feet, but it looked like fifty from the top. I have repelled multiple times in Colorado, but I have always been belayed. Here, there was no belay- if I chose to let go of the rope, I would fall and that would be the end of that. No one fell, though, and we all came down smiling and laughing.
As our trip wore on, I slowing pieced together a definition for the word “canyoning”. Canyoning when you essentially travel down a river which is in a canyon. The way you travel is by repelling, swimming, jumping off cliffs, and sliding down waterfalls. One recurring problem during the course of our travel was our guide’s inability to speak English and our inability to speak French. He got frustrated and mad at us frequently, as we would jump the wrong way off of a cliff or let go of a rope we were supposed to hold onto. We all made it through safely, but I think our guide was more than a little glad to be rid of us.
My favorite part of the experience was sliding down waterfalls headfirst. These waterfalls were only about six to eight feet, and the stone in the river was smooth and easy to glide over. I also greatly appreciated seeing the beauty of God’s creation and being in nature, something that I haven’t done much since I have been in Europe.
By the time it was over, we were exhausted. I could not believe that we had taken such a risk, because honestly canyoning was not the safest choice of things to do. However, I have learned that you have to do dangerous things every once in a while, or you will never really live. We returned to the hostel and showered, and then we wandered around the beach and ate dinner. We caught an overnight train that night, and at eight a.m. the next morning, we woke up in Paris.
The Sound of Music
I had a friend in high school who got to go on the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria, and I remember being so jealous. I wanted to go on it as soon as possible, and as it turns out the first weekend of free travel was the best time. We traveled with Frau Swann and her husband Jarrin, two of the adult leaders on this trip. We had a great weekend… I am so glad we went with them!
On Friday morning, we woke up early and left Vienna around 6 a.m. We arrived in Salzburg just in time for the nine o’clock Sound of Music tour. Now there are two companies who give this tour- they both have buses, but one of them has a picture of Julie Andrews and all the children slapped on the side, painted by someone who missed their calling in life. We luckily took the other bus.
Our guide was a jolly woman from Great Britain who smiled and laughed and made us all smile and laugh. In the summer the tours are usually packed, but by this time in the season they are almost deserted. I actually preferred the quieter tour- we were able to talk more with our guide, and she took pictures of us and made us laugh even more. We saw the gazebo from the movie, the house and lake where Maria and the children took a plunge, the church where Maria was married, and the abbey where Maria stood in the “I have confidence” scene.
I think the best thing about the tour was the fact that we drove for a good hour and a half around Austria. We saw snowy mountains, quaint villages, and scenic outlooks that we would not have seen otherwise. The driver blared tunes from the movie, and we sang along while enjoying the beauty of our second home. After the tour, we walked around the absolutely stunning city of Salzburg. I think that Austria is my favorite country in Europe…. Vienna and Salzburg are, as Mary Poppins would say, “practically perfect in every way.” Mozart was born in Salzburg, and we saw his birthplace before eating one of the best meals of my time in Europe. The café was nestled behind Mozart’s house in an ivy-covered building, and I ate chili, German bread, and apple strudel with vanilla sauce (my favorite) enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, our time in Salzburg was much too short. I could have stayed there by the majestic river, quaint houses, and manicured gardens all day, but we had to catch a train before heading on to our next adventure. Our plan was to spend the night in Fussen, Germany, before visiting the castle at Neuschwanstein Friday morning. Unfortunately, we missed a train connection, and we ended up a couple of hours out of our way. We were all tired and somewhat grumpy, a situation born out of the fact that we had left Vienna at five a.m. that morning and it was now nearing midnight.
An irritable old man pushed past us rudely as the train came to a stop. In German, he told Frau Swan that this was his stop. As his stop happened to be our stop, we hurried to gather our belongings. I followed the Swans off the train with the three other girls behind me, and turned around just in time to see the train begin to move. Fast. Frantically, we began pulling the other girls off the train. By the time Ricki, the last one, dismounted, the train was moving at almost full speed. Breathless, we stood laughing and hugging Ricki, until one of us looked around and said “Uh oh.” For truth be told, we were not at a train station at all; we were in the middle of a field, nowhere near civilization, and our train was leaving. We all simultaneously broke into a run and began chasing our train with arms flying. The grumpy old man, the only person who got off the train with us, began saying inappropriate things in German, until miraculously the train stopped. Without knowing why it had stopped, we joyfully re-boarded the train which we had just leapt from. The conductor angrily walked down the aisle asking who had pulled the emergency brake. Someone must have seen us and taken pity. Embarrassed, we took our seats, trying not to acknowledge the look on every face which seemed to say “You are stupid Americans!”
On Friday morning, we woke up early and left Vienna around 6 a.m. We arrived in Salzburg just in time for the nine o’clock Sound of Music tour. Now there are two companies who give this tour- they both have buses, but one of them has a picture of Julie Andrews and all the children slapped on the side, painted by someone who missed their calling in life. We luckily took the other bus.
Our guide was a jolly woman from Great Britain who smiled and laughed and made us all smile and laugh. In the summer the tours are usually packed, but by this time in the season they are almost deserted. I actually preferred the quieter tour- we were able to talk more with our guide, and she took pictures of us and made us laugh even more. We saw the gazebo from the movie, the house and lake where Maria and the children took a plunge, the church where Maria was married, and the abbey where Maria stood in the “I have confidence” scene.
I think the best thing about the tour was the fact that we drove for a good hour and a half around Austria. We saw snowy mountains, quaint villages, and scenic outlooks that we would not have seen otherwise. The driver blared tunes from the movie, and we sang along while enjoying the beauty of our second home. After the tour, we walked around the absolutely stunning city of Salzburg. I think that Austria is my favorite country in Europe…. Vienna and Salzburg are, as Mary Poppins would say, “practically perfect in every way.” Mozart was born in Salzburg, and we saw his birthplace before eating one of the best meals of my time in Europe. The café was nestled behind Mozart’s house in an ivy-covered building, and I ate chili, German bread, and apple strudel with vanilla sauce (my favorite) enthusiastically.
Unfortunately, our time in Salzburg was much too short. I could have stayed there by the majestic river, quaint houses, and manicured gardens all day, but we had to catch a train before heading on to our next adventure. Our plan was to spend the night in Fussen, Germany, before visiting the castle at Neuschwanstein Friday morning. Unfortunately, we missed a train connection, and we ended up a couple of hours out of our way. We were all tired and somewhat grumpy, a situation born out of the fact that we had left Vienna at five a.m. that morning and it was now nearing midnight.
An irritable old man pushed past us rudely as the train came to a stop. In German, he told Frau Swan that this was his stop. As his stop happened to be our stop, we hurried to gather our belongings. I followed the Swans off the train with the three other girls behind me, and turned around just in time to see the train begin to move. Fast. Frantically, we began pulling the other girls off the train. By the time Ricki, the last one, dismounted, the train was moving at almost full speed. Breathless, we stood laughing and hugging Ricki, until one of us looked around and said “Uh oh.” For truth be told, we were not at a train station at all; we were in the middle of a field, nowhere near civilization, and our train was leaving. We all simultaneously broke into a run and began chasing our train with arms flying. The grumpy old man, the only person who got off the train with us, began saying inappropriate things in German, until miraculously the train stopped. Without knowing why it had stopped, we joyfully re-boarded the train which we had just leapt from. The conductor angrily walked down the aisle asking who had pulled the emergency brake. Someone must have seen us and taken pity. Embarrassed, we took our seats, trying not to acknowledge the look on every face which seemed to say “You are stupid Americans!”
In and about Vienna
I feel like I should take a moment to reveal some of the inner workings of my day-to-day life here in Vienna. I will walk you through a typical school day. If typical days bore you, skip this entry entirely. If not, then here you go.
I usually wake up later than I plan, and I rush to shower (sometimes) and then I go down to breakfast. Breakfast at the hotel is great. My favorite option is a plain white roll with brie cheese and apricot jam on it. It is INCREDIBLE! I could eat brie cheese every day of my life, and here lately, I do.
Then I take the U-bann to school. For some reason, the U-bann is ten times more fun in the morning than it is at any other point during the day. All the Austrians stand around waiting for it and reading their newspapers. Little kids hop on to go to school. The U-bann is busiest around this time of day, and it’s great for people watching.
Then we go to school. We have a devotional every morning from eight to eight twenty, and then we have German till nine forty-five. Then we get a fifteen minute break, after which we have either Humanities or Bible till twelve, but we usually get out a little early. Then we go eat. Sometimes I go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week and stock up on a week’s supply of lunch supplies. Sometimes I splurge and eat out; sometimes I get tomato soup or pizza from the Italian Restaurant next door to the hotel. The owners love all the Lipscomb students, and sometimes they will throw in a free drink or bread sticks.
After lunch, I go to do my “one fun Vienna thing” that I try to do every day, no matter how much schoolwork I have. Sometimes I go to a museum, or a play, or a concert; sometimes we just go to a new café to study and drink a cup of coffee. Every day, I try to do something new. This practice has been both stress-relieving and gratifying- I feel like I am seeing Vienna while still staying on top of my schoolwork and avoiding stress. I would like to bring this practice home to Nashville- everyday I need to do at least one fun thing, no matter how small it may be.
After lunch, I usually start doing homework. We try to do Pilates every afternoon. Sometimes, we do it in the gym next door, and sometimes we stay in our rooms. Every afternoon/night is different. I love when we have movie nights or when we all go try a new restaurant together. I have been constantly surprised at the wide array of culture available to us here. Culture in Europe is more accessible than it is in America. Tickets for concerts or events are cheaper, and you don’t have to plan such outings far in advance. Each day, I am blessed to learn something new, and to me, that makes the entire trip well worth while!
I usually wake up later than I plan, and I rush to shower (sometimes) and then I go down to breakfast. Breakfast at the hotel is great. My favorite option is a plain white roll with brie cheese and apricot jam on it. It is INCREDIBLE! I could eat brie cheese every day of my life, and here lately, I do.
Then I take the U-bann to school. For some reason, the U-bann is ten times more fun in the morning than it is at any other point during the day. All the Austrians stand around waiting for it and reading their newspapers. Little kids hop on to go to school. The U-bann is busiest around this time of day, and it’s great for people watching.
Then we go to school. We have a devotional every morning from eight to eight twenty, and then we have German till nine forty-five. Then we get a fifteen minute break, after which we have either Humanities or Bible till twelve, but we usually get out a little early. Then we go eat. Sometimes I go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week and stock up on a week’s supply of lunch supplies. Sometimes I splurge and eat out; sometimes I get tomato soup or pizza from the Italian Restaurant next door to the hotel. The owners love all the Lipscomb students, and sometimes they will throw in a free drink or bread sticks.
After lunch, I go to do my “one fun Vienna thing” that I try to do every day, no matter how much schoolwork I have. Sometimes I go to a museum, or a play, or a concert; sometimes we just go to a new café to study and drink a cup of coffee. Every day, I try to do something new. This practice has been both stress-relieving and gratifying- I feel like I am seeing Vienna while still staying on top of my schoolwork and avoiding stress. I would like to bring this practice home to Nashville- everyday I need to do at least one fun thing, no matter how small it may be.
After lunch, I usually start doing homework. We try to do Pilates every afternoon. Sometimes, we do it in the gym next door, and sometimes we stay in our rooms. Every afternoon/night is different. I love when we have movie nights or when we all go try a new restaurant together. I have been constantly surprised at the wide array of culture available to us here. Culture in Europe is more accessible than it is in America. Tickets for concerts or events are cheaper, and you don’t have to plan such outings far in advance. Each day, I am blessed to learn something new, and to me, that makes the entire trip well worth while!
Weekend in the Alps
For several weeks, we had been talking among ourselves about taking a group trip to the Alps. We all wanted to go to the Alps, preferably in Switzerland, and we all wanted to spend one weekend together. Frau Swan did the research for us, and she found a lovely house in Northern Austria. The timing could not have been more perfect for me… after all of our grand adventures, I was exhausted and greatly anticipating a relaxing weekend before finals.
We left early on Friday morning, and we reached the town by around two in the afternoon. The house was big, clean, and equipped with kitchens. I have missed cooking more than I ever thought I would, and that is saying a lot! After walking around for half an hour or so in the fruitless pursuit of a restaurant (we had been given directions by the German-speaking woman who owned the house… one of the only times during the whole trip when I encountered an Austrian who spoke only his or her native language!), we decided to cook our own food for a pleasant change. About eight of us went to Hofer, known as Aldi in America, and loaded up on supplies to make the most incredible grilled cheese, canned chili, and French fries you have ever tasted. We cooked with enthusiasm and energy. The food was quite good, especially considering the lack of proper grilled cheese cooking utensils (such as a skillet). The canned chili was surprisingly great…. In general, pre-prepared food in Europe is of much higher quality than that found in the States.
After lunch, I did the unthinkable… I took a nap. Yes, for one whole hour, I slept. It was great. We set the alarm in time to wake up and assist the Professors Horton as they cooked our evening meal. Professor Horton specializes in Italian cuisine, and we feasted on pasta with three different kinds of sauce, roasted Italian peppers which had a sweet and sour flavor, a caprese salad (basically just chopped tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, a common salad in Europe), and bruschetta. After dinner, we talked and entertained each other with various impromptu performances, cleaned the dishes, and went to bed.
The next day, the majority decided to go skiing. I was exhausted at even the prospect of a ski trip, and I opted to sleep in. I didn’t want to expend the money either, and I am not good enough at skiing to go to the Alps and have a lot of fun in one afternoon…. It takes me a couple days to get the hang of it. So, I woke up around nine o’clock and had a stereotypical European breakfast consisting of bread, and bread, and nutella. The Professors Horton had left me in charge of their baby, Stella, who napped while I watched a movie with several other girls (we watched My Girl, in case you were wondering!). Then she woke up and we ate leftover for lunch and took her to the local Christmas market. It was small but endearing.
The skiers returned and we cooked an array of starches for the evening meal- Stove Top stuffing, bought at Julius Meinel and devoured without hesitation, mashed potatos, mac ‘n cheese, salad, and leftover peppers and tomatoes with cheese. After dinner, we proceeded to play the most incredible game of Mafia ever. It was quite intense, but no one was physically hurt, which is all that matters!
Sunday morning we left early to head back to Wien. We had a German final as well as a Humanities final the next day, and our train time was well-utilized as we feverishly crammed for our exams. When we got back to Wien, Leah and I went on a date to the Mozart house. We had vowed not to let one day go by without doing something fun in Vienna, and this was it. I could not believe that I was standing in the very rooms where Mozart stood, where he lived, worked, argued with his wife, etc. I learned a lot about his life. Apparently, he was a heavy gambler who always lived above his means. Though his apartment was considered massive by eighteenth century standards, it seems relatively small today. The museum was well put together in my opinion, and did an outstanding job of appealing to all age ranges. Since Mozart is one of my heroes, I think it could have been his empty apartment and I still would have been enthralled.
I was reminded as I stood in the house of one of the greatest, or perhaps THE greatest, composers ever how blessed I am to have spent time in Vienna. Culturally, it really is the greatest city in the world (not that I’m biased!). Of all the places to have a study abroad, I am glad my school picked this one.
We left early on Friday morning, and we reached the town by around two in the afternoon. The house was big, clean, and equipped with kitchens. I have missed cooking more than I ever thought I would, and that is saying a lot! After walking around for half an hour or so in the fruitless pursuit of a restaurant (we had been given directions by the German-speaking woman who owned the house… one of the only times during the whole trip when I encountered an Austrian who spoke only his or her native language!), we decided to cook our own food for a pleasant change. About eight of us went to Hofer, known as Aldi in America, and loaded up on supplies to make the most incredible grilled cheese, canned chili, and French fries you have ever tasted. We cooked with enthusiasm and energy. The food was quite good, especially considering the lack of proper grilled cheese cooking utensils (such as a skillet). The canned chili was surprisingly great…. In general, pre-prepared food in Europe is of much higher quality than that found in the States.
After lunch, I did the unthinkable… I took a nap. Yes, for one whole hour, I slept. It was great. We set the alarm in time to wake up and assist the Professors Horton as they cooked our evening meal. Professor Horton specializes in Italian cuisine, and we feasted on pasta with three different kinds of sauce, roasted Italian peppers which had a sweet and sour flavor, a caprese salad (basically just chopped tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, a common salad in Europe), and bruschetta. After dinner, we talked and entertained each other with various impromptu performances, cleaned the dishes, and went to bed.
The next day, the majority decided to go skiing. I was exhausted at even the prospect of a ski trip, and I opted to sleep in. I didn’t want to expend the money either, and I am not good enough at skiing to go to the Alps and have a lot of fun in one afternoon…. It takes me a couple days to get the hang of it. So, I woke up around nine o’clock and had a stereotypical European breakfast consisting of bread, and bread, and nutella. The Professors Horton had left me in charge of their baby, Stella, who napped while I watched a movie with several other girls (we watched My Girl, in case you were wondering!). Then she woke up and we ate leftover for lunch and took her to the local Christmas market. It was small but endearing.
The skiers returned and we cooked an array of starches for the evening meal- Stove Top stuffing, bought at Julius Meinel and devoured without hesitation, mashed potatos, mac ‘n cheese, salad, and leftover peppers and tomatoes with cheese. After dinner, we proceeded to play the most incredible game of Mafia ever. It was quite intense, but no one was physically hurt, which is all that matters!
Sunday morning we left early to head back to Wien. We had a German final as well as a Humanities final the next day, and our train time was well-utilized as we feverishly crammed for our exams. When we got back to Wien, Leah and I went on a date to the Mozart house. We had vowed not to let one day go by without doing something fun in Vienna, and this was it. I could not believe that I was standing in the very rooms where Mozart stood, where he lived, worked, argued with his wife, etc. I learned a lot about his life. Apparently, he was a heavy gambler who always lived above his means. Though his apartment was considered massive by eighteenth century standards, it seems relatively small today. The museum was well put together in my opinion, and did an outstanding job of appealing to all age ranges. Since Mozart is one of my heroes, I think it could have been his empty apartment and I still would have been enthralled.
I was reminded as I stood in the house of one of the greatest, or perhaps THE greatest, composers ever how blessed I am to have spent time in Vienna. Culturally, it really is the greatest city in the world (not that I’m biased!). Of all the places to have a study abroad, I am glad my school picked this one.
Poland
Auschwitz is actually a town. You probably already know this, but honestly I had no idea. I literally thought it was just a concentration camp. It makes sense, though, that the Nazis would have named the camp after the town it was closest too. I understand why they chose that town as the site to build an extermination camp- there is NOTHING there. NOTHING. I only saw two restaurants, a train station, and some apartments. Maybe we were just far from the actual center of town- I don’t know. I do know that the town was foggy, dark, and colorless.
As soon as we got there, we went to eat in one of the two restaurants. This was actually one of the best culinary experiences I have had since I have been in Europe. Everything in Poland is dirt cheap (for once, we went to a place where the American dollar was strong!) and so took the opportunity to order a massive amount of food. I had my first bowl of borshe, which is a beet and cabbage soup eaten in North Eastern European countries and Russia. Borsche is mentioned in a lot of novels by Russian writers, and I have wanted to try it for years. I thought I would hate it, but it’s great! We also ordered bread and butter that tasted like it just came out of a cow (and maybe it had…)
After lunch, we walked to Auschwitz. We signed up for the last tour of the day. I began to get a little nervous when I saw the sign that said that children under fourteen were not allowed to see the video or the museum. I’m not going to write very much about Auschwitz, because I don’t want to….. I just wrote a paper about it and that’s all I can handle. Feel free to ask me about it when I get back!
When we finished at Auschwitz, it was very dark and very foggy. We walked back to the train station and saw not a soul. By this time, we were all upset and scared, and we still didn’t know if we could get out of the country without having problems. We ate dinner at the other restaurant (unfortunately the first one was closed for a private dinner party), and then we didn’t know what to do. We still had over five hours till our train left. Our original plan had been to go to Krakow after Auschwitz, but out train was delayed coming into Poland which meant that we didn’t have enough time. Since we didn’t know where else to go, we went to the ATM, took out fifty dollars of Polish money (which is only like 13 Euros) and spent it all on junk food. Then we went to the train station, found a bench, and camped out. The whole thing was still scary…. No one else was in the train station, and it probably wasn’t the safest place to be. We made it through the ordeal, though, and got on the train safely and successfully. We had sleepers that night, which are even nicer than couchettes, and I slept great. I can say though, when we got to Vienna on Sunday morning, that I had never been so glad to be home!
As soon as we got there, we went to eat in one of the two restaurants. This was actually one of the best culinary experiences I have had since I have been in Europe. Everything in Poland is dirt cheap (for once, we went to a place where the American dollar was strong!) and so took the opportunity to order a massive amount of food. I had my first bowl of borshe, which is a beet and cabbage soup eaten in North Eastern European countries and Russia. Borsche is mentioned in a lot of novels by Russian writers, and I have wanted to try it for years. I thought I would hate it, but it’s great! We also ordered bread and butter that tasted like it just came out of a cow (and maybe it had…)
After lunch, we walked to Auschwitz. We signed up for the last tour of the day. I began to get a little nervous when I saw the sign that said that children under fourteen were not allowed to see the video or the museum. I’m not going to write very much about Auschwitz, because I don’t want to….. I just wrote a paper about it and that’s all I can handle. Feel free to ask me about it when I get back!
When we finished at Auschwitz, it was very dark and very foggy. We walked back to the train station and saw not a soul. By this time, we were all upset and scared, and we still didn’t know if we could get out of the country without having problems. We ate dinner at the other restaurant (unfortunately the first one was closed for a private dinner party), and then we didn’t know what to do. We still had over five hours till our train left. Our original plan had been to go to Krakow after Auschwitz, but out train was delayed coming into Poland which meant that we didn’t have enough time. Since we didn’t know where else to go, we went to the ATM, took out fifty dollars of Polish money (which is only like 13 Euros) and spent it all on junk food. Then we went to the train station, found a bench, and camped out. The whole thing was still scary…. No one else was in the train station, and it probably wasn’t the safest place to be. We made it through the ordeal, though, and got on the train safely and successfully. We had sleepers that night, which are even nicer than couchettes, and I slept great. I can say though, when we got to Vienna on Sunday morning, that I had never been so glad to be home!
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