Devastated one day, full the next

First: With the accent here, "baroque" sounds an awful lot like "Barack" so while I should be getting all cultured I feel like I'm getting some subliminal messages from the other side of the pond.


Moving on:
The walk from Ann and Tobi's place to the Staatsoper (the big operahouse) takes only about 15 minutes (she wasn't joking when she said "very, very central")! On our way there I was telling Ben about my extreme excitement because I've never had an experience of idolizing a living person so to see my idol--in her element--was mind blowing. But I didn't want to get too excited because there's always the chance she'll break her leg (knock on wood) and won't be able to go on. I had been looking forward to seeing Diana perform for months!

... and she was ILL. Unable to perform. The understudy was fine; she hit all the notes in her Staatsoper debut, but she lacked Diana's power and energy and spunk. I think Diana should have just popped a Ricola and dragged her ass to work--at least for me--but that clearly didn't happen.

Today we visited Schonbrunn Palace, which was the Hapsburgs' summer residence. We toured the palace and the grounds and watched a demonstration of apple strudel being made in the bakery (sample included!). We also walked through other parts of the city, visiting the famous Karlskirche, Naschmarkt (a market that we plan to visit again on Saturday when it gets crazy!), and various monuments. It will likely rain for the rest of our stay so we are planning to visit many museums throughout the rest of the week.

Tobi and Ann (and their roommate Bernard) made dinner for us tonight! Viennese specialties that were just wonderful ... and it's my first home-cooked meal in a long time! We had a traditional soup (broth with carrots and "fried peas"), a green salad with dressing made with pumpkin seed oil (which is DELICIOUS and will become a staple in my diet), and essentially Austrian mac'n'cheese (kind of like German spaetzle) with a dessert of apple strudel! I was well-fed with Austrian food and thoroughly satisfied. With dinner I had a bottle of Radler, which is essentially beer mixed with lemonade (beer for the bike, apparently) and I'm in love with it. It has a nice, light taste and a lemonadey after-taste, go figure. What a delightful evening!

first impressions: wien

Have arrived safely in Vienna after a fun day in the Holiday Inn! I left early yesterday morning and arrived to meet Ben! I was swept through the EU gate so I didn't get my passport stamped which made me very sad. Also, I will hopefully have no problem leaving in a week! The streets of Vienna look--unsurprisingly--like they're straight out of the movies. We toured the Hapsburg palace in the afternoon and the opulence is absolutely astounding ... can you imagine peeing into a gold-lined porcelain chamber pot decorated by the most famous contemporary artists? Because I can't.

We had dinner last night and chilled with a few other people at our hostel then this morning we moved all our stuff to an apartment very, very close to the center of town! We're staying with family friends Ann and Tobi ... I grew up with Ann's younger sister Alyss until they moved away in fifth grade, so it will be very fun to catch up! We're going to walk around town a bit more this afternoon before heading to the opera tonight to see Diana Damrau as Zerbinetta in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. I'm so excited by the thought that Diana and I are in the same city right now that I might pee my pants.

The Holiday Inn

The best part of being limited in my food choices is that I can actually compare the quality of the food at each restaurant since I'm basically eating the same dishes (well, appetizers) everywhere. It's brilliant! Thursday night's dinner was--by far--my favorite. The Greek salad was perfect, the grilled mushrooms were just the right texture and had a nice dressing, and the eggplant spread had actual pieces of eggplant and garlic rather than being turned into a mush. It was very exciting. Interestingly, though, it was the most underwhelming bread of the entire trip. Aaron and I predict (with hope) that this could be the end of the aubergine phase of my travels.

Also exciting: we went to both the site of the first modern Olympic Games (1898) AND the 2004 Olympic Stadium!! We've been to so many beautiful historical sites in Athens that I can't even list them all. Or, maybe I could but I'm down to the last few minutes of my free internet time.

Aaron left this morning so my parents are kindly treating me to a night at the Holiday Inn near the airport. It is a very clean and beautiful hotel (with automated curtains!) and it will be a relaxing evening. It took me far too long to get here (2.5 hours for a trip that would take about 20 minutes by cab but it was both cheap and enlightening, I suppose). It is, unfortunately, daylight savings time here tonight so I lose an hour while I sleep ... but, on the bright side, I have to wake up in order to fly to Vienna (where I'm meeting my friend Ben Skerritt) so I suppose it's worth it! I feel desperately as though I've forgotten to relay an interesting/important story but seeing as how I'm running out of time it will just have to wait until next time!

Athena

The historical sites of Athens are extensively numerous. We were wandering around town yesterday after lunch and within 5 minutes had accidentally happened upon the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It's crazy! Today we visited various other sites, including the Acropolis where we took some wonderful photos. While I understand that reconstruction work must always be occurring, it's just not as picturesque when the beautiful structures are obstructed by supports and cranes. Other than that, I'm loving the weather and vibrancy of Athens. The buildings are beautiful, the food smells delicious, and the locals and tourists are so full of life.

Last night, Aaron and I tried to find the only vegetarian restaurant in town ... but apparently it closed two years ago. So that was sad. But we did go somewhere else where I had delicious grilled oyster mushrooms (!) and an eggplant spread that I hadn't yet tried. By the end of this week I'm going to be the eggplant queen and there won't be a single eggplant dish that I haven't tried. The fresh tomatoes and feta cheese really do hit the spot, though. The Athenians dine late so I'm taking a short internet break before dinner anywhere between 8 and 10pm. I bought some fresh strawberries off the street today so I have plenty to tide me over until then! I have very constant internet access until Saturday, so feel free to email me with any interesting Spring Break (or other-themed) stories or particular requests for goods from Vienna, Paris, or Rome.

Still miss you all!

another aeroplane, another sunny place

Turkey was a wonderful, aubergine-filled (I learned a new term!) experience. I will never forget its history, character, and ice cream. I'd like to recount some of the more interesting experiences, but frankly I'm too lazy. Maybe once I return home I'll take some time to collect a few thoughts and keep you all entertained even after my travels. We woke up early this morning and took a short flight to Athens, Greece. They served a full breakfast! We took off, ate, then landed. Ha! It's Independence Day here, but we unfortunately juuuust missed the parade. There will hopefully be something extra exciting going on tonight?

This post is dedicated to Alex Peyser who has been a constant reader of my blog. I hope you're having a relaxing break, but Aaron and I wish you were here ;) If you've somehow stopped reading, I will maim you upon my return.

Top 10 Greek Inventions:
from "Top 10 Athens"

1. Olympic Games
2. Athenian Trireme
3. Democracy
4. Theatre
5. Pythagoras's Theorem
6. Hippocratic Oath
7. Catapult
8. Archimedes' Screw
9. Greek Fire
10. Pap Smear

Final Turkish Delights

I didn't think I could ever eat my fill of eggplant, but I might have gotten there. There is likely much more eggplant in my future, though, so I'm doing my best to enjoy it! Today we visited Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar, both of which exude "character" ... you know (hopefully). My favorite site of the day was the Underground ("Basilica") Cistern, which is a startlingly lavish structure for a reservoir. It's wonderfully lit and a delightful bit of history (as is everything else in Istanbul). We also walked through some streets that gave us a glimpse of not-touristy-Turkish life, which was a nice change of pace.

#1 discovery of the day: Turkish ice cream is delicious!

Istanbul, Day 2

On our second full day in Istanbul, Aaron and I took the Bosphorus Strait ferry cruise to a little fishing village on the Asian part of Istanbul, a 1.5 hour trip (and a quick visit back to Asia on the European leg of my travel!). It was, as most of my visits have been, very picturesque. We climbed the hill up to some castle ruins and from there had a very peaceful view of the Black Sea then had lunch on the sea. Not on the sea, but you know what I mean. I wish I could post photos for you all but I'm only on internet cafe computers, etc. for a while ... hopefully soon, though! We've just gotten back from the ferry trip (6 hours in all) and are trying to figure out whether we can force our exhausted bodies into motion for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Istanbul, so we want to see as much as possible! The city has amazing culture and character and has been a wonderful place to visit.

Missing you all! MUCH LOVE.

Another city, same me

Quickly, let me run through my last day in Holland. Guy's mum took me on the train into Amsterdam and we went to the Van Gogh Museum and walked around the center of town. Then I took a tour of the Anne Frank House, which was very meaningful. The city is very pretty but I'm sure I would've appreciated its beauty more had I gone on a sunny day ... instead, Thursday had miserable, drizzling weather.

I'm now in Istanbul with Aaron! I'm too exhausted to describe everything we've done in our one full day here, but we've hit many big sights. We went to the Aya Sophya and Blue Mosque and then walked around the "New District" in the late afternoon. It is very beautiful in a mostly standard Mediterrannean way, but is also steeped in its own individual history. We have two more days here and I hope I don't pass out from exhaustion before then.

Much love to everyone and hope to write more soon!

Alkmaar

The jet-lag isn't beating me up too badly this time around. I fell asleep rather late but once I was asleep it was a pretty peaceful night. No sleepless morning spent waiting for a Hawaiian sunrise on a beach that faces West (in my defense, I realized it before the sun actually rose).

I slept in a little and then went into the city of Alkmaar with Guy's mum. It's situated in Northern Holland--about an hour from Amsterdam--and looks just like Epcot. I realize that my statement may come across as ignorant or terribly American-focused but whatever. I was really just very surprised that Disney seems to have gotten it right. The city, its canals, and the blatantly Dutch-ness of it all are wonderful. I took a self-guided walking tour, visited a beer museum and a cheese museum, and was sufficiently exhausted by the time I finished about 3 hours later. I'm very grateful for this chance to see more of Holland--not just the "big city" that many people hit. I also very much enjoyed when Guy's mum asked me if I have "any serious boyfriends,"which I choose to interpret as a suggestion that I could perhaps have more than one serious boyfriend at the moment.

EUROPE beckoned

... and I answered.

I'm here! I arrived in Amsterdam early this morning (via Atlanta, which is a surprisingly beautiful airport) and it was a fairly comfortable flight because the seat next to me was empty and I don't really take up that much space. I'm staying with Guy's parents (and dogs) who are taking very good care of me. Holland is--thus far--completely picturesque. I'm very sorry that I'm too early for the famous tulips (for those of you who don't already know, make note for May Day that it's my favorite flower) but it is nonetheless wonderful to be here. I'm going to rest up again tomorrow and tour the city on Thursday ... and I'm looking forward to meeting up with Aaron in Istanbul on Friday!!!

Also, it doesn't cost extra for me to receive text messages here, so do text me! Avoid calling, though, because the phone company charges about a kidney (or any vital organ, really) for 5 minutes of international roaming so it's unlikely that I'll answer.

and again ...

I find myself yet again on the eve of extensive travels. I had a wonderful two weeks at home—in Minnesota and Providence—and it’s been so great that I can’t wait to be back for a month in April! Until then, I’ll miss you all dearly and wish you the best. I give you full permission to live vicariously through me because my life is clearly quite exciting.

I leave tomorrow for Europe, where I will be touring around for the next month. I will be seeing various people that I LOVE, including Diana Damrau as Zerbinetta! And while I adore the opera, I’m clearly really going to Europe to experience the culture and see the sights (and by that I think I mean eat the food and experience European shopping). I have packed a seriously tiny piece of luggage for a girl of my age (and beauty) and I can only hope that I won’t be tempted to buy anything before I meet up with my mother in two-and-a-half weeks. I’m nervous about being completely on my own for a few days in Amsterdam and Athens, but I suppose now is the time to face my fears and take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Here’s a little gem from Hawaii to show you (and remind myself) that embracing new challenges allows for unbelievable experiences.