Day 19: Stephansdome, A Pool Party, & A Picnic

Today was a very productive day! It was mostly devoted to doing some last minute Vienna Things™️ that we had put off until the last minute or just wanted to do again.

Stephansdome

I met a couple of friends at Stephansplatz around 10am where we decided on some coffee (melange, yet again!) from Aida. I should try to count how many times I’ve been to Aida. I probably can’t. Our coffee fueled us for some nearby souvenir shopping until it was time to meet up with the rest of our group for the Stephansdome Spire. Man, I was so dizzy! I knew it was a spiral staircase... but I didn’t realize how tight the spirals were! The view from the top was so worth it!

After looking around for reasonably priced goulash, we finally settled on Aida! For many of us, it was our second time at Aida today. No regrets. I’m glad I got the goulash because it is a must... but I definitely prefer wiener snitzel. Hehe. By the time we finished our lunch, it was time for another crypt tour below Stephansdome. It was so interesting! We actually saw some organized skeletons, a mass grave, and a room of stacked bones. I was nerding out for sure-- trying to think back to Structure and Function I to name some of the features on the bones I saw. What an experience!

Pool Party
The Hutteldorf crew and I all made our way to the girls’s house house where our host moms were having a goodbye for us and the girls from Hope College. Everyone sat out by the pool until our meal, which consisted of lots of traditional Viennese foods.

Picnic at the Danube

Day 18: Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein Castle
I loved going to Lichtenstein castle! We may have gotten confused on our way there—hopping on and off a couple of busses— but we made it! The castle was beautiful and I loved the scenery. Inside, it was cold and a perfect way to escape the heat! I wish I could’ve taken some pictures inside, but it was really strange to stand in such an old place with thousands of years worth of history. One of the most interesting things about our tour was learning that they slept in an upright position.... wait, wut? Is that ALLOWED? Our tour guide explained that it was somewhat of a superstition because they felt that sleeping on their backs was too similar to the posture of a dead man. Wow! That was so crazy to me. My least favorite part about the castle tour was the mannequins... why do tours always feel the need to recreate scenes using mannequins? Especially the ones that are turned around? I will never understand that. Truly. It’s unfathomable to me. Besides the creepy mannequins though... what an experience! And what a view!

Shoppin'

After Lichtenstein, we made our way to a new suburb I hadn’t been to and did some shopping. We found a few really cool stores but I didn’t end up getting anything except some REALLY GOOD noodles. Yum! When we were shopped out, we made our way to a gelato shop in Stephansplatz. Yum!

Day 17: Krems & Friends

Wow, today was a full day! It started at 5:30am and I did not have time for a break until I got home at 11pm. It was so worth it!

Krems Institute
I learned a lot about Austrian and United States healthcare. I will admit, going into the seminar I had a really high opinion of the Austrian healthcare system, but didn't know all that much about it. Overall, I can still say that Austria does a better job of caring for its inhabitants, but not without some drawbacks. One of the drawbacks of Austria's universal healthcare system is that sometimes people end up waiting quite a while for surgeries, treatments, etc. There are options for citizens to purchase additional private care for faster treatment, but not everyone will have that option. In Austria, it is mandatory to have health insurance. There is no way to avoid having it if you pay taxes because it is automatically taken out of your check. One major difference in the healthcare/taxes systems of the two countries is that in Austria, everyone pays a flat rate percentage toward healthcare. A man who makes $20,000 a year may pay around 8% of that salary in taxes, and a man who makes $100,000 will pay a considerably larger amount of money, but it will still be about 8% of his income.

Friends in Vienna
When the symposium was over, one of the Krems Institute employees gave me a ride to the train station so that I could get back to Vienna to see David and Harrison! After figuring out my platform and switching lines halfway through, I finally made it! We met up at a gelato stand outside of the Stephansplatz station and walked to a coffee house in the first district where we all got melanges-- which are very similar to an Austrian cappuccino. After coffee, we made our way to a foot bridge to cross the Danube. I hadn't actually seen the Danube from Vienna so I was glad to see it! Praterstern was just a quick subway trip away from the Danube, so we made our way to the amusement park, walked around, and rode a really tall swings ride. It was amazing! The views were awesome and I was really fond of the wind blowing in my air. Haha. Swings are already one of my favorite things... but add in some extra altitude and a view of Vienna and it just couldn't get any better! I had really talked up Vapianos, so we ate there for dinner! I got the exact same thing I got the first time-- some basil and pesto pasta with a glass of merlot. Yum! After dinner, we walked over to the opera house and watched the live feed of the opera from the courtyard. From there, we hopped across the street to Aida and got some sachertorte to go. We took our cake, ate it in the subway, and made our way to The Mak, an art gallery that has free admission after 6pm on Tuesday nights. It worked out perfectly! Here are a few of my favorite gems from our short visit...

Day 16: Schonbrunn Palace

The first thing on today's agenda was to tour Schonbrunn Palalce!

I really liked the interior decor of the palace, but I will say, the exterior left something to be desired. I much prefer the beauty of their winter home, Albertina! One interesting part of the tour that stuck out to me was the fact that Maria Theresa mourned her husband after he died for the rest of her life. Walking into the room that was decorated with black walls and Chinese wooden embroideries was very interesting... and almost a bit creepy!

Another interesting part of the tour was these Belgian boys that stuck around me... just saying! Ha! One of them ended up asking for my number and I politely directed him to my Facebook page instead.... Hahahah! As if that whole ordeal wasn't embarrassing enough as it was, it turns out that a large portion of our group was behind me and witnessed the whole exchange. Yes, there is a video. Lol!

For lunch, we finally found some Mexican food in this town and it did not disappoint! The name was interesting, though. El Mosquito. It sounds exotic, I guess, but not when you live in Arkansas!

I don't have a lot of time to talk to our host mom, but I do know that she has some very strong opinions about water usage. According to the girls that live downstairs, she told them that showers should be 4 minutes... max! While I may never accomplish a shower in that time frame in this lifetime, I do try my best to respect her opinions about water conservation by turning it on and off between different parts of the my shower. I'll admit it-- I have been pretty bad about leaving water on during unnecessary times (before the shower, during the shower, while brushing my teeth, etc. sorry mom and dad!), but I have been much more conscious about my usage of it while in Vienna. I hope my conscientiousness continues when I return to the states, especially because I'll be paying my own utilities in my apartment soon. Ha!

Day 15: Munich to Vienna

Today was quite a whirlwind-- I'll start off my saying we made it on our bus to Vienna by the skin of our teeth! We thought we were doing good on time, but when we got to the train station, we realized that we needed to be at the bus station 10 minutes down the road. Yikes! We all booked it down the streets of Munich (just one... but it was a long one) with our luggage. Once we got there, there were probably 10-15 busses that all looked exactly the same, and we had to search for the right one. Finally, at 3:41pm, we boarded the bus that was scheduled to leave at 3:45pm. Woo! I will never forget that adrenaline rush I felt, nor will I forget how hot and heavy my luggage was... and I thought I packed light for this 5 day outing. Sheesh!

Another thing I won't forget is the importance of having water for a long bus ride. We exhausted ourselves getting to the bus station, and then I was SOOOOO thirsty until a few friends graciously let me drink some of their water. On another note, I love the people on this trip. They really have become like family!

Overall, this weekend's experiences were very positive. I learned a lot about the importance of friendship and availability, and wouldn't trade these people on this trip for the world. I'm so glad I have given the opportunity to travel so far with such amazing individuals as I have!

Day 14: A Free Day in Munich

Munich is a very interesting city! It was different than Vienna in a lot of ways-- one of the major ones being its size! Traveling seemed a lot more cumbersome than we were all used to. The map was bigger with more stops, and the subways took longer between runs. Traveling by train and on foot seemed to take up a lot of time, which was pretty exhausting, but all in all our weekend trip was worth it! I can say I spent a weekend in Germany-- woo hoo!

My favorite parts of the day were our trips to a local bookstore and a high-quality coffee shop. We found the book store on accident when we were looking (almost aimlessly) for our shop, Man vs. Machine. When we told the owner of the store that we only spoke English, she quickly changed from German to English with no hesitation-- I was impressed! She directed us to the English section of her tiny store (I was surprised it existed!), and after I bought a poetry book in German and another interesting looking book in English, she directed us to our coffee shop.


Man vs. Machine had really delicious coffee, reasonably priced beans that they roast at their shop (I got some!), and cool music playing! The workers were all jamming and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Sierra, Lucas, and I sat outside and I was glad for some leisure time to sip on my coffee and read my new books.

Day 13: Exploring Dorfgastein & Last-Minute-Mountains

Exploring Dorfgastein

A few of us decided to go off for the day in Dorfgastein to explore the small town and some of the walking trails that it had to offer. We had a great time bonding and exploring! There was really only one place to eat that was open, so we ended up eating at a cafe for both breakfast and lunch! They were very nice people, much friendlier than those we had encountered in the bigger cities so far, and were glad to serve us for both meals. We also wandered around to find an adorable plant shop. If it was easier to get plants through customs... I would've dropped some euros there! Walking around and looking at all of the houses reminded me of how much I love the mountain-town house styles. My ultimate goal is to live in a log-cabin-ish house with solar panels and a mountain in view. Yes mom and dad, you guys can come with me!

Last-Minute-Mountain

 

Day 12: Sound of Music Tour

Today went very differently than I thought it was going to, but I had a great time!

Kristoff, the tour guide that led our Salzburg tour a few days ago, led us around Salzburg for our Sound of Music tour. We rode around on our tour bus as Kristoff talked to us on the speaker system, playing songs from the music and giving us historical details about the filming of the movie and the real Von Trapp family. I was relieved to know we weren't going to be walking around in the rain all day!

Our first stop was the sight of the back of the house from the movie. We weren't here long, but we got some cool pictures!

My favorite stop on the tour was the site of the gazebo from the "I am sixteen, going on seventeen" song! 

Later on, we stopped at our last stop: the wedding church from the movie! We had an hour to kill, so right around the corner, several of us stopped at a coffee shop known for its delicious apfel strudel. Yum! 

 

Day 11: Hallstatt

Day 11: Hallstatt

Today was beautiful! We ate a delicious breakfast in our Salzburg Hotel, Turnerwirt! I had perfect croissants, hazelnut spread, coffee, and some yogurt! I also discovered the deliciousness of nectarines. I will never go back!

After breakfast, we hopped on the bus for our trip to Hallstatt— which took about an hour and a half. It was beautiful!! Our day started off with a tour through the oldest salt mine in Europe! Our tour guide, Peter, led us through to the underground tunnels where we were able to see salt crystals all over the walls, slide down giant wooden slides, and see the oldest staircase in the world! I was overall impressed with the quality of the tour. There were several videos projected onto the walls of the mine, a light show, and detailed historical accounts. Don’t even get me started on Peter…….. He was a beautiful man. That’s all I can say. 

When we finished the tour, we were set loose to find lunch and go souvenir shopping. Yay! I finally found a bear wearing traditional Tracht, and I affectionately named him after Peter. 

Meet Peter Salzbear.

When we got home, we walked to a nearby grocery store, stocked up on some snacks and dinner foods, and had a sandwich party and hung out and played music until bedtime. 

Day 10: Mauthausen

What an interesting way to start the day...

The first thing we did today was hop on a bus and drive towards Salzburg. Along the way, we stopped at Mauthausen, a concentration camp from WWII that was comprised mostly of Polish prisoners of war. After we stepped off the bus, the first thing we noticed was the beautiful view of the rolling hills/mountains from the concentration camp. What a juxtaposition, I thought, of beauty and horror. It must also be interesting for the people living in the town to have a constant reminder of the atrocities that occurred in that very camp. There is no way to avoid it. I think this could have one of two effects on a town. I think in some places, without intentions to remember, people may become desensitized to it. It may also be an effective way to remind the people in the town and elsewhere of what humans are capable of, and prevent something like that from happening again.

Day 9: Shades Tour, Victor Frankl, and Hundertwasser Village

Today’s was a thought provoking day.

Shades Tour
Prior to today, my feelings towards homelessness were somewhat undefined. I was aware of all sides of it— the legitimate reasons and the not-so-legitimate reasons (ex: the small percentage of stereotypical drug dealers/addicts). I know that many people have strong prejudices against homeless people based on the idea that they COULD be drug addicts... but I’ve never really felt that way. I’ve never really known a struggle— I have never wondered where my next meal would come from, never wondered where I would sleep (except when everyone was lagging on making Munich plans... hello guys??? just kidding— we got a hotel and i’m pumped!), etc. Because of this, it’s difficult for me to put myself in the shoes of someone who has lost everything. Not that I don’t try, but I will admit, it can be challenging. 

The Shades tour, given by a woman who is/was homeless (not sure of her current status), made that a little easier. She started off reminding us of the major ways that people become homeless... losing jobs, losing family providers, becoming mentally or physically ill, drug/alcohol addiction, etc. Our guide once owned a company, but had lower quality health insurance because of her self-employment (paying 20% of chemotherapy costs— which is still better than the 100% she would’ve payed in the US, but still an astronomical amount of money). She ended up selling her company and coming out without any debt, but was still stuck with paying large medical bills. Long story short, she ended up in Vienna’s homelessness program, and eventually found work through the Shades organization. Hearing her story reminded me that not all homeless people have done something to “deserve” that fate, and compassion compels me to say that even if they have, we all deserve the right to fulfill our basic needs.

Many of us were taken aback by the liberties denied to the homeless population in the United States. In Vienna, they have an AMAZING housing program for their homeless population that allows individuals to work their way through from a transitional housing situation (a shared apartment, sort of) to eventually owning “flat,” where they pay rent and can stay there for the rest of their lives. I don’t quite remember the numbers, but there are housing buildings scattered throughout the city, some in every district, to avoid the formation of “ghettos,” or class-based lines. In America, homeless women fear prosecution (?) and the loss of her children. This forces homeless women into the shadows and prevents process. In Vienna, all children are housed though their housing program, and women do not fear the loss their children or being arrested. 

Lunch Thoughts
During lunch, we sat outside in the first district. I could hardly enjoy it, however, despite its deliciousness (it was like a tiny homemade pizza. Yum!), because of the thick cloud of smoke around our table coming at us from all directions. There was even a woman casually holding her cigarette down next to a baby sitting innocently in a stroller at a table next to us... In the colloquial language of the trip... I was shook. I thought about how energy efficient the people of Europe have been so far, and how contradictory it seemed that so many people would pollute the air so frequently and without a care in the world. We have a joke among the students... America does two things right. Cigarettes and dental hygiene.


Victor Frankl
Hundertwasser Village

The Victor Frankl museum was so cool! He was a unique and inspiring man. It reminded me the importance of approaching life with positivity, optimism, and resiliency. 

My favorite part of today was visiting Hundertwasser Village in Vienna. It was colorful, interesting, and had a cool history behind it. In the book I purchased as a souvenir, I read a quote from the artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, that said "The Straight Line is Godless." At first I thought, wow, I love that! Then I remembered my personal photography style... which is dedicated to symmetry, order, and straight lines. Ha! Yet, somehow, I was in love with the village!
                

Day 8: A Day of Leisure

Today was a pretty low-key day. After a full week of going hard 24/7, my body told me I needed a rest. I got out of bed at 7:45, but after a quick, water-saving shower I took my time in the bathroom getting ready and relaxing, eating breakfast, and doing what I needed to do to feel refreshed and ready for the new week.

District 1

I did finally emerge from the house at 11 to catch a bus, tram, and train to my destination: Stephansdom. I still haven't climbed up those steps to catch some views, but I won't leave here without it! At that Stephansplatz stop I met up with Lucas, and after getting lost a few times, Sierra finally found us souvenir shopping! We walked around aimlessly just looking for somewhere to eat, and ended up deciding on a place with cheap wiener schnitzel. It was huge! But yes, I somehow managed to eat the entire thing. I didn't eat many fries, so that helped. Mom, I know you are proud! 

Wandering
We found our way back to a souvenir store where I got a Vienna sweatshirt, grabbed some to-go coffee in a subway station, and hopped on an S-train to the mountainy area on the way to/past both Lucas and Sierra's houses that they had been wanting to explore. It was lovely! There were quaint little houses along a walking trail/bike path, a stream following the trail, and the perfect selfie bridge! After deciding on a night in our respective houses, we made our way back to the bus station and I found my way home.

Day 7: Returning to Vienna, The Belvedere, and District 1

After a noisy night in the Not-so-Grand Budapest Hotel, the girls in my hotel room all rolled out of bed around 8:30 for some continental breakfast downstairs. We took our time eating, getting ready, and collecting our things in order to be downstairs ready to head to the train station at 10:30. At the train station, we were able to wander around for a bit until our train took off.

The Train Ride
The most interesting thing about the train ride was the cafe. Sierra, Anna, and I made our way to the back of the train to grab some lunch, and ended up with a chicken sandwich, some Manner wafers, and a carbonated lemonade concoction. It was an Austrian brand, and interesting to say the least! Peter, the cafe employee, was so adorable! He was tall with glasses and black hair that was slicked back. His perfectly kept train uniform, Austrian accent, and quirky demeanor made it seem like he had stepped out of a Wes Anderson movie!

The Belvedere
My favorite part of the day was visiting the Belvedere Palace. I knew it was beautiful, but the pictures on the internet could never do it justice. My pictures could never do it justice. Though I did try... The weather was perfect, and the sun was hitting the palace just right for perfect pictures. I was so amazed by the beauty of the front side of the building, that I almost missed out on exploring the back side, where there were sculptures, fountain-like decorations, and a maze of hedges!

Day 6: The Buda in Budapest

Wow— what a full day!

The Pest Side

The Hop-on-Hop-off tour bus was our means of transportation for Budapest. It took us around the city on a double decker bus (we sat up top outside!) This was a good way to get a better view of the city than we had from our skeezy hotel! In comparison to Vienna, the buildings on the pest side of town were less colorful, dirtier, and overall underwhelming. The smoke in the air was about the same as the amount in Vienna, if not a little more. In a lot of places we went, it seemed like Hungarians were much louder in comparison to the Viennese. People in Vienna were very quiet in and calm, but Hungarians were loud and unruly. Overall, I will say I feel much safer in Vienna. If I were to live somewhere, I would choose Vienna over Budapest any day!

Lunch was my favorite part of that side of town. Lucas, Victoria, and I stopped at the Ecocafe. Their adorable exterior seating caught my eye and the fact that they claimed to be eco-friendly was a plus! What does eco-friendly mean in Budapest? Didn’t matter— we were sold! It was super cute and cool inside, and the first one that wasn’t a chain that I finally got to go to! I got a cafe latte, as always, and a ham/mozzarella/tomato sandwich.

The Buda Side

A lot of people wanted to go to a bath house, but my buddy Lucas and I weren’t convinced that we would be able to adequately explore the other side of the Danube River (the nice side, the Buda side) and go to a bath house all in one day. So, we set out to finally cross the Danube! After a few bus stops, we got out right at a foot bridge. It was beautiful! On the other side of the bridge, there were people offering rides up to the top of the hill, saying it would be about a 25 minute walk. We had lots of time to kill so we went for it! I’m so glad we did, because the trek up was easy and so scenic. And by the time we made it up, did a lot of wandering/sight seeing, and took some high-quality photographs… we knew we deserved some gelato from one of the shops at the top. This side of town was much calmer and I felt very safe. The buildings were pretty and well-taken care of, and I got more of a high-class feel while we were wandering around. 

We thought we could make the 8:30 boat ride with half of our crew, but when we made it at 8:20, they had already taken off! It all worked out, though, because we got to spend the boat ride with the other half. By this time it was dark, and the lit up view of both sides of the city from the Danube were beautiful. Sure, I was exhausted from wandering around without a plan all day, and I nodded off for part of it… but it was still worth it! 

The Eye

Our last adventure for the day was a ride on the Budapest Eye, where we split into a few groups and were able to overlook the city from the top of the ferris wheel. It was beautiful, and a perfect way to end the day!

Day 5: The United Nations, Austrian National Library, and Budapest

For a change... I am writing this blog before 11pm. I'm really on top of things.
So far, today has been very interesting! A trip to United Nations, the Austrian National Library, and yet another visit to Aida. Currently, we are on our way via train to Budapest, Hungary!

United Nations
Leading up to the United Nations tour, I had really no idea what to expect. I did a bit of research before our visit, but I still pretty unsure of what I was going to learn. I knew going in that the United Nations was formed to keep the peace after WWII, but I didn't know much past that! The first thing we saw on the tour was the display of flags from all 193 member states of the UN. There were also 2 additional flags representing observer states (the Holy See and Palestine), which can only attend meetings without voting. My favorite part of the tour was being able to observe an active meeting that was taking place in their largest conference room. At its full capacity, their largest room can accommodate up to 700 people! Anyways, we got a chance to put on a pair of headphones to listen in on the speaker, who was talking about violent crimes against women and the importance of diminishing the prevalence of such atrocities. During our observation, we also learned about the qualifications for being an interpreter at the UN. First, they must natively speak one of the UN's 5 languages (English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian). They must also be fluent in 2 of the UN's other official languages. I also enjoyed getting to see the space exhibits on display within the International Atomic Energy Agency at the UN-- one of which featured a moon rock from Apollo 15! *pic

The Austrian National Library
After our tour, 8 of us wanted to tour the crown jewel treasury. Upon arriving, however, we were sad to see that a tour would cost us 20.00... to which we all collectively said no thanks! Right around the corner was the Austrian National Library, which only cost 6.00 with a student discount. That was more like it. Without a tour guide, I'll admit to being a little lost. I didn't know much about what I was looking at, nor did I understand its significance past its age and beautiful. I learned that it is the biggest baroque library hall in Europe! The architecture was beautiful and so so detailed. *pics

Lunch/Dessert
We ate lunch at an Italian place, Toto's, right around the corner from the library. 7/8 of us all got a Margarita pizza, and they ended up cooking 5 of ours into one long rectangle on a giant pizza paddle. It was pretty spectacular. The pizza was absolutely delicious, and so filling!
Dessert was even better... Sierra, Victoria, and I made our way to Aida yet again and finally tried the Vienna-famous Sachertorte chocolate cake. I added a little cup of espresso with whipped cream on top to mine... It was delicious! The coffee culture in Vienna has yet to disappoint.

Train to Budapest
Well, it started off a bit confusing because we didn't realize there were some assigned seats. A few of us got kicked out of our seats because we were in someone else's... But then once everything was settled, it was very comfortable! So far, I've only had the chance to listen to music while blogging, so nothing much to speak of yet. I think it's time for a nap now.

*pictures to come

Day 4: Walking Tour, Albertina, & Le Burger

Today was a very full day! It started off a bit rough when Sage and I missed the bus... but we still made it on time... in fact, we were the first one's there!

Walking Tour
Once everyone made their way to the institute, we took off down the street with our spunky tour guide, Elizabeth. Seriously, she was so cool! Born and raised Viennese, Elizabeth (Maybe Elizabet? The jury is out) had so many interesting things to tell us about the history of Vienna-- we were so sad to let her go when our tour was over! One of my favorite aspects of the tour was Elizabeth's attitude towards the bombings in WWII and the war in general. Whenever it was mentioned that much of Vienna was bombed during that time, she made it very clear that it was important not to be sad about this. She said, "Oh no, it is not a sad thing. It had to be done, there were terrible things happening." Early in the tour, she took us by a few WWII monuments, one in particular that represented a Jewish man cleaning the street on his hands and knees with a toothbrush. Though many Austrians were dissatisfied with these "ugly" sculptures in town, Elizabeth stressed the importance of remembrance of these atrocities as a reminder of what human beings are capable. Remembering is the only way to keep history from repeating itself. Unsurprisingly, I was impressed by all of the ornate architecture lining the streets of Vienna. Even the buildings without intricate detail caught my eye because of the beautiful color combinations. We ended our walking tour with a trip to another AIDA with Elizabeth. A few friends and I decided to look down the street for a place to eat lunch before enjoying gelato, and ended up getting a cheese-filled wiener for 3.00! It could've been better... but it could not have been cheaper! Then we made our way back to AIDA's and I enjoyed a delicious scoop of apple strudel gelato. YUM!

Appel Strudel Gelato

A stop on our way back to AIDA...

Albertina
Our tour of Albertina was amazing!! I loved every second of it. Sure, I was pooped. Towards the end I was losing focus and feeling very very sleepy. Luckily, we had the tour guide right in our ears so I could focus on her words and view the paintings she spoke of when my legs were ready to move again. I enjoyed learning about the history of the building and the function of all the different rooms and secret passageways! They weren't so secret, just a shortcut for the servant staff, but they were interesting nonetheless. There were 2 paintings that I favored. The Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet, and Landscape with Lanterns by Paul Delvaux.

Landscape with Lanterns

Someone New...
I met a sweet 95 year old lady while waiting at the bus stop today. When she leaned over and asked me a question in German, I was honestly pretty flattered! One of my goals as a traveler is to fit in as much as possible, which, as an American in Vienna, Austria, I can say has been quite a challenge so far. Anyways, I had to tell her that I only spoke English. She asked if I was from Britain and I said "No, I am from the United States." After having to repeat my statement a couple of times, she finally understood, nodded, and smiled. She seemed amused. "I've been to America," she said. She told me in very few words about her time spent traveling by car from the Florida Keys to Yellowstone. She also mentioned visiting Lousiana when I told her I was from the southern part of the US. This woman, whose name I regrettably did not get, was born and raised in Vienna. "I was born here, and I will die here," she said. Before I got a chance to ask her why, the bus came and she stood up, waved, and said, "Goodbye." If I had gotten the chance, I'm sure she would have told me how much she loves the beauty, culture, and leisure of this wonderful city-- I know that's what I would have said.

**pictures later, the rest of them were riding the struggle bus this evening.

Day 3: Naschmarket & Transportation

What a full day in Vienna! Yes, it may have been rainy and cold, but I didn't let it bring me down!

Naschmarket
After registering with the proper authorities, we took a bit of a walking tour with Maria, a representative from AAIE. She showed us a few points of interest and let us loose at the Naschmarket, a large conglomerate in town of shops selling anything and everything you could ever need! After wandering around, me and a couple of girls settled on Dr. Falafel, a well-established restaurant/shop that specialized in... well, falafel! They had lots of other options, but I opted for a very inexpensive (3.80) falafel sandwich. It was delicious and so filling! I was impressed by the very decent prices I was able to find around Naschmarket. Sure, a few sit-down restaurants were on the expensive side with meals up to 12.00, but for the most part I was very pleased with how reasonable the prices were! I can't wait to go back to Naschmarket on a Saturday morning when the whole thing turns into a giant flea market!

AIDA Prousek & Co. Chocolaterie & Grosskonditorei
We spent quite a while in the drizzling rain wandering around Naschmarket and finally decided to seek some warmth. Knowing that we had to be back at the Institute fairly soon, we decided to start walking in that direction and hope for a coffee shop along the way. We ended up stopping at an adorable (lots of pink!) cafe called AIDA's. This place, though not the most inexpensive coffee shop I've been to, still had fairly reasonable prices. The workers didn't seem too friendly, but there was an old Viennese man that took an interest in us! He had one eye that had recently had some difficulty opening, but told us that he made a joke to his wife that when he saw us it opened wider, and that maybe looking at "pretty young women" more often would be helpful in his condition. LOL!

Vienna So Far
I have made the observation that in public places, Viennese people are very quiet. In almost any location, we manage to be the loudest-- no matter how hard we try! It just happens. I have also noticed my total and complete inability to blend. What an interesting experience it is to be an outsider. Traveling abroad, especially where the citizens may already have some preconceived notions about you, can really put things into perspective. In America, I am very average. I don't stick out when I go in public, I don't have difficulty communicating with strangers, and I don't worry about others and their preconceived notions. I have learned very quickly that people on the subways and busses like to keep quietly to themselves, which is something that our large group of American college kids has difficulty doing! Another note... Vapiano's, an Italian restaurant in town, is DELICIOUS!

Transportation
-description of task
-end of green line towards... Heiligenstadt
-we got lost! not much out there... karl marx hof, 2km, nice man walked us to subway
-big loop, switching lines, feel more comfortable with transportation system!

Days 1 & 2: Travel, Arrival, and Jet Lag

Arriving in Vienna
WOW! We made it. What a blessing. These 2 days have felt like one NEVER-ENDING day. By the time 9pm rolled around, I was so glad to finally be going to bed!

When we were finally finished with air travel, our bodies thought it was 1am, but on Vienna time it was a bright and sunny 8am. Surprisingly, I didn't feel too exhausted at this point, but was just excited to get my first experience of the Viennese way of life. I was greatly looking forward to the leisurely attitude and constantly reminding myself to live in every moment without getting too caught up in the tiny details. I have a tendency to be rigid on time, schedule, and structure, but I came abroad fully prepared to go with the flow and enjoy whatever opportunity comes my way.

Truthfully, I couldn't tell you much about the City Airport Train (CAT), except that its sole purpose to me was to get me one step closer to a place to ditch my suitcase and take a rest. We took the CAT for what felt like an eternity, maybe changed a line or two, and finally came to a flight of stairs. At this point, my first thought was the realization that I had been in Vienna for quite a while, but I hadn't even stepped outside! It was so refreshing to feel the cool, crisp breeze as we came upon the Vienna State Opera. What a beautiful sight! From there, we walked about a block to the Austro-American Institute. The building itself, an historic one-family home, is beautiful! Everyone there seems very kind and welcoming. One of the first things I noticed was an espresso machine, which I will certainly be using at least a few times during my time here in Vienna (only when I'm too feeling too cheap for coffee from a local shop)!


Host Family
My roommate, Sage, and I are being hosted by a very sweet woman who lives alone in a beautiful home on the outskirts of town. Per her preference, I won't give any personal details about her, but from here on out I'll call her AM (Austrian Momma!). She loves to travel, but when she can't, she enjoys having traveling students live in her home to get that sense of other cultures. When we arrived at her home around 4pm, AM encouraged us to take a 45 minute nap to help keep us awake until it was time to go to bed. An experienced traveler herself, she knew a few tricks to help us cope with the jet lag. After our nap, we took turns taking showers and sat down with AM for a delicious dinner of risotto with asparagus and salad. We then decided to wait on dessert, fresh and local strawberries with a dash of icecream, and take a walk around Lainzer Tiergarten, a large nature reserve just down the street from her home. This took us about 30 minutes, and after returning home and enjoying those PERFECT strawberries, it was finally time for bed.

And then I SLEPT!