I'm back!
And I can't believe it's over. I have visited so many new places over the last five months (hence, "many countries") and experienced things I had never even dreamed existed. I've learned a great deal about how far I can push myself and that it is important to continually face my fears. If I hadn't strayed from my comfort zone I would have missed out on countless opportunities to learn more about the world--and myself!
These few months have been very refreshing and I'm newly excited to go back to school :) Seeing how different cultural groups live their lives has inspired me to really dig into work and make a difference in the world.
I really tried to come up with deep, meaningful thoughts but I realized that this experience--these months--has changed me in ways that I can't exactly put into words. I'm proud of who I've become and I can't wait to get back to school and be fully aware of who I am relative to the rest of the world. I can only hope that I'll have similar opportunities to travel in the future!
I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera cable with me to Europe, but I'm loading my photos onto my computer as we speak (as I type) and I'll have them up here as soon as I can! I can't wait to sift through all those gems!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
penultimate
"Another [sunny] day
has come and gone away
in Paris and Rome,
but I wanna go home ..."
I'm on the last day of my travels! I can't believe what an amazing, educational, and inspirational experience I've had. My plan for today is just to relax and absorb Rome--my final European destination. I visited the Vatican yesterday and it was completely and thoroughly amazing but left me exhausted. Rome--like Paris--is totally flooded with tourists, which I supposed merely reflects the fact that they're great places and popular destinations but it gets kind of old pretty quickly. Perhaps today I'll focus on the culinary factors of Rome ;)
I leave here early tomorrow morning, but keep reading because I do have a few final thoughts I'd like to share with you all once I'm home! And, as always, they will be deep, meaningful thoughts.
has come and gone away
in Paris and Rome,
but I wanna go home ..."
I'm on the last day of my travels! I can't believe what an amazing, educational, and inspirational experience I've had. My plan for today is just to relax and absorb Rome--my final European destination. I visited the Vatican yesterday and it was completely and thoroughly amazing but left me exhausted. Rome--like Paris--is totally flooded with tourists, which I supposed merely reflects the fact that they're great places and popular destinations but it gets kind of old pretty quickly. Perhaps today I'll focus on the culinary factors of Rome ;)
I leave here early tomorrow morning, but keep reading because I do have a few final thoughts I'd like to share with you all once I'm home! And, as always, they will be deep, meaningful thoughts.
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Silver Lining
Yesterday my mom and I got up fairly early to make our way to the airport. We bid farewell to Joan--who was a hospitable and knowledgeable host--and got to the airport by 8AM. I said goodbye to my mom and walked over to my terminal (which took me forever) then there was a loooooong line to check in and stood in it dutifully. An hour and a half later--a.k.a. 15 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart--I asked a SwissAir worker if this flight would still be taking off on time since there were still many people behind me. Apparently, people on the 10 o'clock flight (mine) were supposed to go in the other line ... the one marked "Business Class," which apparently I should have known. So at this point I'm in a frenzy, thoroughly worried that I'm going to miss my flight. I whiz through security and over to my gate to find a chaotic mass of people. I have no idea if I'm in the right place so I keep asking if this is the 10 o'clock flight to Zurich. Finally, one attendant responds without looking, "Yes, ma'am. We'll begin boarding shortly. Just wait over there." So at this point while I'm thoroughly relieved that I haven't missed my flight, the Midwesterner in me--of course--feels incredibly guilty for pestering these workers when they're so busy! We finally made it onto the plane 15 minutes later.
... then proceeded to sit there for another hour. By the time we took off at 11:25 it was clear that I would be cutting it very close for my connection. And when we landed I was informed that I had been rebooked: moved from the 12:35pm flight to the 5:30pm flight. I now had 5 entire hours in Zurich and the airport is not far from the center of the city ... this situation was looking brighter! After calling Aviad (using a phonecard provided by SwissAir, thanks!) to let him know I'd be getting into Rome later than expected, I got on a train heading into the city. This is why I'm traveling: not just to see the sights but also to take advantage of opportunities that provide me with new, interesting, and unexpected experiences. I had never thought to visit Zurich but I was presented with a chance and even though I didn't have very much time and I was still frazzled that my original plans hadn't worked out ... I was going to take this chance to live.
And, boy, did I make the right choice! Zurich was smack-dab in the middle of celebrating its Spring Festival, which is basically the event of the year. People flocked from all over the country--the world, even (I heard a great deal of English)--and there's music playing and food being sold off the streets. I personally indulged in fresh roasted nuts and cider donuts! The weather was beautiful and I had a wonderful view of the Swiss Alps. I decided to head back to the train station before the Children's Parade began but I saw them getting ready and lining up in their cute little traditional Swiss costumes. The festival was absolutely overwhelming; the joy of the people was contagious. Though I was only in the city for a little over two hours I really want to go back to Switzerland and do it right. I want to fully experience the Spring Festival. The city is just so cool ... they pour sand into a pit and hold volleyball tournaments inside the train station! This was a memorable experience and a further incentive for me to start learning German.
It was late by the time I got into Rome but Aviad gave me great directions from the airport then came to meet me at the train station! He and his housemates have been very nice and welcoming and I had a full and exhausting first day that included, among other things: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum & Palatino, Capitol Hill (and the Vittorio Emmanuel monument), a brief glimpse at the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon (I hope to go back and really experience them again some other day) and gelato (duh)! Aviad didn't have class today so he walked around with me a bit in the afternoon! I love sharing new experiences with someone else because it's just somehow not as fulfilling when you say "Look how amazing that is!" and there isn't anyone there to hear you.
... then proceeded to sit there for another hour. By the time we took off at 11:25 it was clear that I would be cutting it very close for my connection. And when we landed I was informed that I had been rebooked: moved from the 12:35pm flight to the 5:30pm flight. I now had 5 entire hours in Zurich and the airport is not far from the center of the city ... this situation was looking brighter! After calling Aviad (using a phonecard provided by SwissAir, thanks!) to let him know I'd be getting into Rome later than expected, I got on a train heading into the city. This is why I'm traveling: not just to see the sights but also to take advantage of opportunities that provide me with new, interesting, and unexpected experiences. I had never thought to visit Zurich but I was presented with a chance and even though I didn't have very much time and I was still frazzled that my original plans hadn't worked out ... I was going to take this chance to live.
And, boy, did I make the right choice! Zurich was smack-dab in the middle of celebrating its Spring Festival, which is basically the event of the year. People flocked from all over the country--the world, even (I heard a great deal of English)--and there's music playing and food being sold off the streets. I personally indulged in fresh roasted nuts and cider donuts! The weather was beautiful and I had a wonderful view of the Swiss Alps. I decided to head back to the train station before the Children's Parade began but I saw them getting ready and lining up in their cute little traditional Swiss costumes. The festival was absolutely overwhelming; the joy of the people was contagious. Though I was only in the city for a little over two hours I really want to go back to Switzerland and do it right. I want to fully experience the Spring Festival. The city is just so cool ... they pour sand into a pit and hold volleyball tournaments inside the train station! This was a memorable experience and a further incentive for me to start learning German.
It was late by the time I got into Rome but Aviad gave me great directions from the airport then came to meet me at the train station! He and his housemates have been very nice and welcoming and I had a full and exhausting first day that included, among other things: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum & Palatino, Capitol Hill (and the Vittorio Emmanuel monument), a brief glimpse at the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon (I hope to go back and really experience them again some other day) and gelato (duh)! Aviad didn't have class today so he walked around with me a bit in the afternoon! I love sharing new experiences with someone else because it's just somehow not as fulfilling when you say "Look how amazing that is!" and there isn't anyone there to hear you.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
the rest of paris
Quickly:
1) Love(d) Versailles. The person at Schonbrunn who said it's better than Versailles? A liar or an idiot.
2) We've taken a tour of a chocolate shop and a bakery. This means first-hand look at how miracle work is done. And free samples.
3) Leave Paris tomorrow (bye, Mommy!) to visit my friend Aviad in Rome!
4) I saw a bride and groom today.
1) Love(d) Versailles. The person at Schonbrunn who said it's better than Versailles? A liar or an idiot.
2) We've taken a tour of a chocolate shop and a bakery. This means first-hand look at how miracle work is done. And free samples.
3) Leave Paris tomorrow (bye, Mommy!) to visit my friend Aviad in Rome!
4) I saw a bride and groom today.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Paris holds the key to your heart
What a whirlwind! If you're not prepared for a long read then you should come back another time because I have quite a few things to recount and I dare to say most--if not all!--of them are fairly interesting.
First, let me lead off with a few bits about Vienna that I forgot in my last post. The great thing about the Staatsoper is that an American billionaire donated millions of dollars to have personal sub/super/whatever-titles installed in front of each seat. Apparently he's in prison now, but because the guy's American you have your choice of whether your display reads in German or English! Very much unlike the Volksoper, which did Carmen in German! Gag me. And the greatest thing about paying for the most expensive standing room is that I was on the same level as all the expensive seated tickets so we all got the royal treatment in the restroom. After each lady came out of the stall there was a cleaning lady waiting to wipe down the seat with antibacterial gel. I thought that was pretty good service for 3.50.
Now, PARIS! It's much bigger than I imagined! There are 14 metro lines that all intertwine with each other and Paris is making it very clear that this is the biggest city I've been to in Europe. It takes forever to get anywhere but so far it has all been worth it. We've done a bunch of interesting things including visiting a North-African hammam, visiting the bakery and successfully buying things in my limited French, and walked around different neighborhoods in the city. We're staying with one of my mom's ex-coworkers, Joan, who is currently living in France and studying French. We've taken up residence in her cozy apartment and I'm really liking the neighborhood (located in the 11th). I've recently decided that in the future I would like to read a book relevant to the place I'm visiting before I go: either a piece of non-fiction or a novel that takes place there. It just so happened that Joan had a short mystery novel (a Maigret ... anyone familiar?) that takes place in the 11th! It's pretty neat to read about daily practices with which I've become familiar and street names that I've walked along earlier in the day.
We've visited the Musee d'Orsay, which--given all the hype--I wasn't sure I'd love as much as everyone else had. But I did (thanks, Guy)! The building itself is SO cool ... you can still see the remnants of the train station in the architecture. And the artwork that's housed in the building is fantastic. I've always loved the Impressionists for the way they play with light and there were works by so many of my favorite artists. After the Orsay we headed to the Eiffel Tower with the intention to see it both by day and night! (It was beautiful.)
I must preface this next section of my post by telling you about something that I have elected not to write about in the past. It was interesting to note and recount to my mother but did not seem relevant enough to make the cut for this blog. I have since changed my mind :) Essentially, everywhere I've gone I've seen couples on their wedding day. A small town in China, the highrise Taipei 101, driving off in a white VW bug in Amsterdam, and many, many more. It felt a bit like I was a wedding-magnet. It kind of makes sense because many people like to get married and/or take photos at major landmarks ... the same landmarks that I've been visiting on my travels. But my experience yesterday was just too much.
As we were in line for the elevator to the Eiffel Tower, there was an older couple behind us in line--very well-dressed (well, the lady was fairly scantily dressed)--and we went up in the same elevator. When we got to the top of the Tower I was completely engrossed in my tourbook and I failed to notice him PROPOSE to her right next to me. Not even next to my mom, but next to ME. According to my mother, he asked her, slipped a MASSIVE diamond on her finger, and had a photographer take their photos. I sincerely hope that I'm not in their engagement photos ... in front of the skyline of Paris you can see the bride, groom, and ... me, with my head buried in a guidebook. So you can see that with all the people visiting the tower at that given time the couple was--clearly--drawn to me.
Today, we went to the Louvre! We saw the Mona Lisa and all the other famous landmarks. Before we left, I had an itching to go see the Dutch/Flemish/etc. section of the museum. When we arrived at the entrance we were informed by security that we could not enter for the time being. So we joined the 10 or so other people who were waiting. There were hordes of suited security milling around and people were getting their cameras ready ... it was clear that someone important was inside the wing and that was the reason we were not allowed inside. Then we saw the Queen of Belgium emerge! She was only about 10 feet away from me and I snapped a photo as she descended the escalators. Later, as we were browsing the exhibit, we happened to glance out a window and caught the Queen leaving the Louvre and being led to her vehicle which was escorted by police. It was really, really neat and I fully enjoyed my first encounter with royalty ;)
It is now getting to be quite late and we have a relatively early morning event planned for tomorrow. I hope the events of the last few days have entertained you as much as they have entertained me!
First, let me lead off with a few bits about Vienna that I forgot in my last post. The great thing about the Staatsoper is that an American billionaire donated millions of dollars to have personal sub/super/whatever-titles installed in front of each seat. Apparently he's in prison now, but because the guy's American you have your choice of whether your display reads in German or English! Very much unlike the Volksoper, which did Carmen in German! Gag me. And the greatest thing about paying for the most expensive standing room is that I was on the same level as all the expensive seated tickets so we all got the royal treatment in the restroom. After each lady came out of the stall there was a cleaning lady waiting to wipe down the seat with antibacterial gel. I thought that was pretty good service for 3.50.
Now, PARIS! It's much bigger than I imagined! There are 14 metro lines that all intertwine with each other and Paris is making it very clear that this is the biggest city I've been to in Europe. It takes forever to get anywhere but so far it has all been worth it. We've done a bunch of interesting things including visiting a North-African hammam, visiting the bakery and successfully buying things in my limited French, and walked around different neighborhoods in the city. We're staying with one of my mom's ex-coworkers, Joan, who is currently living in France and studying French. We've taken up residence in her cozy apartment and I'm really liking the neighborhood (located in the 11th). I've recently decided that in the future I would like to read a book relevant to the place I'm visiting before I go: either a piece of non-fiction or a novel that takes place there. It just so happened that Joan had a short mystery novel (a Maigret ... anyone familiar?) that takes place in the 11th! It's pretty neat to read about daily practices with which I've become familiar and street names that I've walked along earlier in the day.
We've visited the Musee d'Orsay, which--given all the hype--I wasn't sure I'd love as much as everyone else had. But I did (thanks, Guy)! The building itself is SO cool ... you can still see the remnants of the train station in the architecture. And the artwork that's housed in the building is fantastic. I've always loved the Impressionists for the way they play with light and there were works by so many of my favorite artists. After the Orsay we headed to the Eiffel Tower with the intention to see it both by day and night! (It was beautiful.)
I must preface this next section of my post by telling you about something that I have elected not to write about in the past. It was interesting to note and recount to my mother but did not seem relevant enough to make the cut for this blog. I have since changed my mind :) Essentially, everywhere I've gone I've seen couples on their wedding day. A small town in China, the highrise Taipei 101, driving off in a white VW bug in Amsterdam, and many, many more. It felt a bit like I was a wedding-magnet. It kind of makes sense because many people like to get married and/or take photos at major landmarks ... the same landmarks that I've been visiting on my travels. But my experience yesterday was just too much.
As we were in line for the elevator to the Eiffel Tower, there was an older couple behind us in line--very well-dressed (well, the lady was fairly scantily dressed)--and we went up in the same elevator. When we got to the top of the Tower I was completely engrossed in my tourbook and I failed to notice him PROPOSE to her right next to me. Not even next to my mom, but next to ME. According to my mother, he asked her, slipped a MASSIVE diamond on her finger, and had a photographer take their photos. I sincerely hope that I'm not in their engagement photos ... in front of the skyline of Paris you can see the bride, groom, and ... me, with my head buried in a guidebook. So you can see that with all the people visiting the tower at that given time the couple was--clearly--drawn to me.
Today, we went to the Louvre! We saw the Mona Lisa and all the other famous landmarks. Before we left, I had an itching to go see the Dutch/Flemish/etc. section of the museum. When we arrived at the entrance we were informed by security that we could not enter for the time being. So we joined the 10 or so other people who were waiting. There were hordes of suited security milling around and people were getting their cameras ready ... it was clear that someone important was inside the wing and that was the reason we were not allowed inside. Then we saw the Queen of Belgium emerge! She was only about 10 feet away from me and I snapped a photo as she descended the escalators. Later, as we were browsing the exhibit, we happened to glance out a window and caught the Queen leaving the Louvre and being led to her vehicle which was escorted by police. It was really, really neat and I fully enjoyed my first encounter with royalty ;)
It is now getting to be quite late and we have a relatively early morning event planned for tomorrow. I hope the events of the last few days have entertained you as much as they have entertained me!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Auf Weidersehen
Today I followed in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette and made the journey from Austria to France (omitting, of course, the part where my family sells me into a marriage contract). My last days in Vienna were wonderful, though I'm also looking forward to spending a week--with my mommy!--in Paris.
Diana was scheduled for her third (and final) performance of Ariadne on Friday. Still sick! So instead, we went back to the Volksoper (where you can buy standing-room tickets in advance for 1.50 euro ... brilliant!) for an above-average production of Carmen. Seeing opera in Vienna has turned out to be the cheapest thing we've done! Between pricey museum admission--even with student rates--and afternoon coffee with dessert (we sampled the famous Sachertorte, which was delicious!) nothing has cost as little as the opera!
Saturday, Ben and I decided to attend different musical events in the evening. I had to get in line at 5:30pm for standing-room tickets to the 7:30 performance of Vincenzo Bellini's La Sonnambula. He is one of my favorite composers of art songs so I was very excited. Waiting in line was relatively uneventful. Ben, unfortunately, left with my glasses in his backpack and my texts weren't getting through to him. This time I had paid 3.50 (for very good tickets at the Staatsoper) so I filed into a second-row spot and--following instructions--tied my scarf around the railing to reserve my spot. I had about 20 minutes to grab some food before the show and I decided to run to the concerthouse where Ben was going and just try my luck to see if I could find him. On my way there I tried calling him using the number he had used to text me. I kept getting different people--and never Ben--speaking German to me then hanging up. The third time I tried a "hello" and the response was: "Hello, Vienna ambulance." I had accidentally called the AMBULANCE three times! I felt terrible and quickly explained that it was not an emergency before hanging up.
After the harrowing events of the evening (they were fairly traumatic, OK?), Ben and I met Ann for drinks. We went to a nearby pub that is located in the building where Beethoven wrote both "Ode to Joy" and his 9th Symphony. Pretty fantastic. Unfortunately, that also meant that after going back to the apartment and packing I didn't get to bed until 2:00AM ... and had to wake up at 4:45 to begin my trek to Paris.
I took the City Airport Train (CAT), which is BRILLIANT! The main station is not even a 10-minute walk from Ann and Tobi's and it's remarkably convenient. I checked in, printed my own boarding pass and luggage ticket, tagged my bag and sent it on the belt ... all from an electronic kiosk! Ann was absolutely right in saying it's kind of like "playing Airport"! Then I got on the train--which took me directly to the airport--and once there I had to do nothing but get on the plane. Wonderful!
I do want to tell you all about where we're staying in Paris and what we did to relax and settle in this afternoon, but I've already recounted quite a bit today. Nobody wants to read a post that's too long and I'm quite ready for bed considering the fairly sleepless night I had last night. So, until next time!
Diana was scheduled for her third (and final) performance of Ariadne on Friday. Still sick! So instead, we went back to the Volksoper (where you can buy standing-room tickets in advance for 1.50 euro ... brilliant!) for an above-average production of Carmen. Seeing opera in Vienna has turned out to be the cheapest thing we've done! Between pricey museum admission--even with student rates--and afternoon coffee with dessert (we sampled the famous Sachertorte, which was delicious!) nothing has cost as little as the opera!
Saturday, Ben and I decided to attend different musical events in the evening. I had to get in line at 5:30pm for standing-room tickets to the 7:30 performance of Vincenzo Bellini's La Sonnambula. He is one of my favorite composers of art songs so I was very excited. Waiting in line was relatively uneventful. Ben, unfortunately, left with my glasses in his backpack and my texts weren't getting through to him. This time I had paid 3.50 (for very good tickets at the Staatsoper) so I filed into a second-row spot and--following instructions--tied my scarf around the railing to reserve my spot. I had about 20 minutes to grab some food before the show and I decided to run to the concerthouse where Ben was going and just try my luck to see if I could find him. On my way there I tried calling him using the number he had used to text me. I kept getting different people--and never Ben--speaking German to me then hanging up. The third time I tried a "hello" and the response was: "Hello, Vienna ambulance." I had accidentally called the AMBULANCE three times! I felt terrible and quickly explained that it was not an emergency before hanging up.
After the harrowing events of the evening (they were fairly traumatic, OK?), Ben and I met Ann for drinks. We went to a nearby pub that is located in the building where Beethoven wrote both "Ode to Joy" and his 9th Symphony. Pretty fantastic. Unfortunately, that also meant that after going back to the apartment and packing I didn't get to bed until 2:00AM ... and had to wake up at 4:45 to begin my trek to Paris.
I took the City Airport Train (CAT), which is BRILLIANT! The main station is not even a 10-minute walk from Ann and Tobi's and it's remarkably convenient. I checked in, printed my own boarding pass and luggage ticket, tagged my bag and sent it on the belt ... all from an electronic kiosk! Ann was absolutely right in saying it's kind of like "playing Airport"! Then I got on the train--which took me directly to the airport--and once there I had to do nothing but get on the plane. Wonderful!
I do want to tell you all about where we're staying in Paris and what we did to relax and settle in this afternoon, but I've already recounted quite a bit today. Nobody wants to read a post that's too long and I'm quite ready for bed considering the fairly sleepless night I had last night. So, until next time!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Bug opera & Eastern Europe
Last night we went to Puccini's Turandot at the Volksoper (the people's opera) and it was quite a spectacle! Instead of Asian royals, the show was about bug royals ... vaguely Oriental bugs ... so that was interesting. The technical design was amazing! The costumes were terrifically reminiscent of Star Wars (or, according to Ben, Power Rangers villains), the lighting was uber dramatic, and the set was outrageous and had so many moving pieces! It was a much more daring production than the one we saw at the Staatsoper, but I didn't enjoy the singers quite as much. The tenor was very good and I enjoyed his aria greatly. The soprano was a beast and the worst actress I've ever seen in my life ... but her voice was indeed beautiful.
This morning we watched Ann teach an English class on Second Life! For those not in the know, Second Life is like an online community where you design an avatar and live as it and actually interact with other people online more than just talking in a chatroom or something (I had only ever seen it on CSI!)... apparently, you can buy things with real money and also transfer money out. So Ann sat at the computer with her headset and taught a class of students at a technology school a few hours from here. It was so cool!
Then, for the meaty part of our day, we made our way to Bratislava, Slovakia! The train ride only cost 14 euros (roundtrip) and lasted about an hour. It had a distinctly more eastern feel ... and to me felt a lot like Istanbul, but more European. We walked around for a few hours and had a meal then got back on train to return to Vienna! We won't be going to Salzburg (Mozart's birthplace!) as originally planned because the times didn't work out for the fabulously kitschy tour of 'Sound of Music' sights, but I'm glad we got to see a place so different from anywhere else that I'm going.
I really, really like Vienna. I especially like the fact that people follow little rules like not walking on the grass and not crossing the street on a red light even when there are no cars. Honestly, nobobdy does it! As someone who enjoys following rules it makes me so comfortable! I can't wait to go to museums and (hopefully) see more opera in my last couple of days here :)
Finally, I miss everyone--including you, Matthew--very much. So quit telling lies to my mother.
This morning we watched Ann teach an English class on Second Life! For those not in the know, Second Life is like an online community where you design an avatar and live as it and actually interact with other people online more than just talking in a chatroom or something (I had only ever seen it on CSI!)... apparently, you can buy things with real money and also transfer money out. So Ann sat at the computer with her headset and taught a class of students at a technology school a few hours from here. It was so cool!
Then, for the meaty part of our day, we made our way to Bratislava, Slovakia! The train ride only cost 14 euros (roundtrip) and lasted about an hour. It had a distinctly more eastern feel ... and to me felt a lot like Istanbul, but more European. We walked around for a few hours and had a meal then got back on train to return to Vienna! We won't be going to Salzburg (Mozart's birthplace!) as originally planned because the times didn't work out for the fabulously kitschy tour of 'Sound of Music' sights, but I'm glad we got to see a place so different from anywhere else that I'm going.
I really, really like Vienna. I especially like the fact that people follow little rules like not walking on the grass and not crossing the street on a red light even when there are no cars. Honestly, nobobdy does it! As someone who enjoys following rules it makes me so comfortable! I can't wait to go to museums and (hopefully) see more opera in my last couple of days here :)
Finally, I miss everyone--including you, Matthew--very much. So quit telling lies to my mother.
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