Amazing Amsterdam

The second stop on the long holiday weekend, was to Amsterdam! Holland in general has to be one of the coolest places to go, but Amsterdam was just plain awesome. It was definitively a place that I could call home one day. We got into amsterdam and headed to our hostel. The Van Gogh Hostel were we stayed was really similar to a hotel. It was located right across the street from the famous Van Gogh Museum and just a short distance from the center of town. There was also a great park right around the corner with the famous I am Amsterdam sign.

Our first full day in Amsterdam we decided just to explore the city. So many neat looking old buildings! Not to mention an insane amount of bikes. Bikers rule that city.

We also went to the Van Gogh Museum as it was so close to our hostel. Finally got to see so many of the paintings that I have only seen in Art History books all in one go. The Museum had a wide range of his works, along with several other paintings from artists that he admired. It was definitely worth the money to go and see the museum.

Later that day we ventured out to a flea market. This place had basically everything that in the US we have thrown out over the years. I have never seen so many sequined leggings and tops to match in my life. Not to mention a very large array of hair care products. The best part of the market was the Syrupy Waffles. A traditional Amsterdam cuisine. It is kind of like thin cookie like waffle with hot syrup on the inside.

Again the next day was spent just wandering around the city. This time we came across an American food store. Which yes, to all of you at home, it is so unexciting but for us it was a gold mine. To see Peanut Butter, Pop Tarts and Mac and Cheese was to say the least one of the greatest sights in 2 months. Not to mention being able to read what is actually in something you are eating.

Finally our last grand adventure in Amsterdam was going to the Ann Frank house. It was both interesting and sad all at once. The house which has now been turned into a museum is encased in glass to help preserve the building. It has been kept without furniture in it according to Otto Franks wishes. The Museum does a great job of showcasing the writings and the life of the Franks and there companions.

One final last treat before we left the great land of Holland, was some pancakes. Not the traditional fluffy Ihop pancakes that we are used to in the states... More crape like then pancake. I got a goat cheese, honey and walnut pancake with caramel syrup. It was delicious! The Dutch have a thing for the goat cheese, honey and walnuts. You can get it on almost anything.

Over all, Amsterdam has to be one of the coolest places on earth! Nice people, awesome views, public transport was easy to get around with and who doesn't love a good House boat. Definitely going back again!

Stay Tuned for Berlin!

Paris In 4 days and 3 nights

Holly, Maria and I decided for our extended 10 day break from school to travel to 3 different places. First stop on our grand adventure was Paris. We took an overnight train to Paris in order to have more time. Needless to say 6 people in one tinny box sized room with luggage was not only cramped but I don't know how we found space for everything.

First day in Paris was fun but exhausting. We checked into our hotel which was pretty nice for the price. Then we decided to head to Notre Dame. The inside was just how I remembered it.

Just across the street was the Shakespeare and Company book store where we wondered over and looked at books for a good long while. After words we grabbed a quick dinner lunch before headed to the Louvre. We managed to get in free after showing our EU student ID cards (aka our Salzburg school ID). Tons of very nice art is inside that glass pyramid. Finally got to see the Mona Lisa and many paintings from slides in art history class.

The next day was jam packed. We decided to head out towards Versailles. We decided to take a special behind the scenes apartment look. One of the highlights was seeing this clock that was made to run non stop for 10,000 years and show the date, time, year, month, planet alignment and much more. We also got a chance to walk around the gardens and to see Marie Antoinette house.

Our final day in Paris was our "Grave Day" as Holly had nicknamed it. We decided to visit some of the famous graves. My favorite grave sight of the day had to be Claude Debussy. Not only have we analyzed some of his pieces but he gave the music world some great pieces of music. We also went down into the catacombs. Not my Favorite part of the day. It was a little to close to the face to death... After most of the day spent in the crematories, we decided to venture out see the Effie tower. We just made it in time to see the first sparkling of the lights. It was so awesome.

The night ended with a walk down the famous shopping street and some lights of the Moulin Rouge.

Venice

Venice was amazing! The trip started off a little rough though. We got into Venice by couch bus due to possible train striking. Not realizing that we would need to take the train out of the city to get to our hotel we bought tickets for the train. Only after much standing around and some confusion we found our train had decided not to leave the city until after 5pm. This meant we needed to take the public bus out of the city. That wouldn't have been so bad if we had known Italian or the stops had signs. There were several moments of Panic. After much travel we finally did make it to our hotel. That night we ate dinner in the small town we were staying in.

The next day we ventured back into Venice. Thankfully the train people got it together and stopped striking which made the commute there way less stressful. It was a perfect fall day, 65 and Sunny. Holly, Maria and I just decided to start walking in the general direction of one of the major plazas. The buildings were a pretty sort of old crumbling state.

We made it to the giant plaza and went into the Church that was made of so much gold. I have never seen so much gold in my life. It was pretty and interesting to look at the architecture and paintings inside. After much walking around we decided to find some lunch. One a remote side ally we found a family owned pizza shop where I am pretty sure it was the best pizza I have ever had in my life. We found a small plaza area and people watched while we ate lunch and enjoyed the sun. Then after we continued on our way we found an amazing gelato place. The tiramisu gelato that was to die for. We did make it onto a boat on the grand canal which was one of the highlights of the whole trip.

This week during the 10 day break Holly, Maria and I are headed to Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin!

Vienna

Last weekend was our group trip to Vienna which happens to be the capital of Austria. We took the bus there which left at 7:45 am sharp. There is no being late in this country buses and trains leave punctually. After riding for 3 hours in the bus we arrive at Vienna. Just enough time for a brief stop off at the hotel before the group begins a walking tour. So much to see! Tons of really cool looking buildings and in the center of it all was the main residence for the royal family.

That night Holly, Maria and I decided to go see the Magic Flute (one of my favorite Operas) At the Vienna Opera House. We were able to snag the last couple standing places right under the emperors box. For 4 Euros, it was a super good deal.

The performance was amazing and it was so cool to hear a celesta (a type of keyboard instrument) playing live along with the amazing singers.
Three hours of standing took its toll so we decided to go back and go to bed a little early.

The next day was the tour of the art museum. We saw some very famous paintings and got to observe the neat architecture of the building. After the art museum, Holly and I decided to go to the famous ferries wheel. Very cool but very scary.

After we met back up with Maria, Maria and I decided to head to the Nash market. It was full of colors and tons of food. We spend a good two hours trying to make our way through the market to see everything. Afterwards we met back up with Holly. Holly and I decided to go checkout the royal crypt but got sidetracked when we ran into the National Library.

This place had to be one of the coolest libraries I have ever seen. Bookshelves that went all the way to the ceiling and tons of paintings all over. After we take a few pictures, we finally headed to the royal crypt. We went down and for a crypt you were allowed to be super close to the tombs. It was creepy.... Interesting but creepy. Not to mention the one I really did not enjoy walking past was the last grandson of the ruling line who had just died in 3 months ago... pretty sure I have had my fill of grave yards and crypts for a long while.

After a quick dinner we headed back to the hotel exhausted. The final day in Vienna the group went to the summer palace. If I could afford it, this would be my dream house.

The whole palace was so elegant and every room had its own flare to it. The gardens and the maze added to its charm. The group finally made it back to Salzburg late in the afternoon and it was a such a relief to see the fortress.

This weekend it's off to Venice. Hopefully the train strike won't delay our travels! Until next time.

Budapest - Hungry

Greetings All!

Last weekend I went to Budapest. It was so much fun. First stop in the trip was to the Hungarian State Opera House. Very neat place. For $2.33 I was able to get an ok seat. Granted half the stage wasn't visible but nothing standing couldn't fix. To get to the Opera was super tricky. We got into the train station only to realize we had no idea how to get to the nearest metro station in order to get to our hostel. It also didn't help that everything was in Hungarian, which doesn't looking or sound like anything recognizable... After 4 metro stops and 2 tram stops Maria and I found our way to our Hostel (Home Plus Hostel). It was a one level hostel with 3 different rooms. We had booked a bed in the 9 person room but some Australians (the people who actually have kangaroos in there country) had decided to extend there stay. This meant we got to stay in the 4 person room for only 8 euros a night. Great deal for us. We changed and ran out to go to the opera and got lost yet again trying to get there in the dark and cold but we did manage to stumble across it in time to see the show.

The next day we decided to ask our guy in charge of the Hostel where he thought we should go. He was very helpful and directed us to several different place that were a must see. We chose to first start off the day with a trip to the local market.

There was so much to see! I have also never seen so many colors and signs all on one place at one time. We decided to wonder around the whole place and it was huge. Most people spoke English which was good. The only exception was the one lady I chose to go to, to get something. I am pretty sure I made this very scary Hungarian lady made as she started rambling in Hungarian to me after I was confused on what exactly she was asking me.

Maria and I then decided to go find some lunch. Our Hostel owner had recommended a place in the market. It is a kind of flat bread that you can put cheese and sour cream and all sorts of things on. It had to have been one of the best things I have eaten so far.

Our next adventure took us to the one of the famous bath houses. The one we went to used to be an old palace. It was about 40 degrees out the day we went... just a little on the chilly side but the water was a nice temperature of 90. The hot springs as we call them in the states were awesome and it was the perfect thing to do to unwind after a long train ride the day before.

Finally we decided to go check out the night life here in lovely Budapest. The big it thing there was these places called ruin pubs. They are cool local hangouts where old rundown buildings are turned into bars. The one we went to was super laid back. There was two levels and little rooms to hangout in that had bathtubs for couches and all sorts of other odds and ends. One of the boys working at the hostel had recommended we try the Hungarian schnapps that was supposed to be the best there. I tried the honey and pear, while Maria tried the honey and plum.

Before going to sleep we ventured back to the hostel and stopped at the tram station on the middle of the bridge. We found one the best views in Budapest and it was a great ending to a fun but fast weekend trip.

Salzburg Festivial and Oktoberfest.

Been a very interesting 10 days! It snowed last week. Which was crazy! Snow in the middle of September. The group went to a castle that day so it was really pretty walking around the old castle in the snow.

This last week on Thursday the Salzburg festival started. There are rides and booths and lots of really good food, and of course a beer tent. (no where in this region is there not a beer tent at a large event) I got to see some traditional dancing and tons of cool looking stuff.

The Salzburg festival ends tomorrow but there is still lots more to come this semester. Today I went on a short trip to Munich. I will be going back in a week again with my group but today was all about Oktoberfest! I think it is a one time deal in my lifetime. SO MANY PEOPLE! I didn't even know that so many people could fit into one area. I got the best chicken in the world there. It was amazing. We saw rides and the beer halls and the gardens. We did try and get into one of the beer gardens but no luck. We stood in a mass mob of people for a good hour waving the number four and jumping around like a fool. It was also the closets I have ever been to random strangers before as everyone proceeded to get as close as possible to each other. I tried to take on the 6 foot guys that elbowed me in the shoulder but not luck. However the very handsy Italian guy (also super loud and was resting his arm on my friends while trying to shove them out of the way) got kicked out before ever getting in. Interesting times in the beer garden mob.

We did however finally make it out of the festival area and into a nice part of the town with a second hand English book shop and an ice cafe before heading back to the train.

Tomorrow is the ice caves. Super excited for that. (not excited about the 800 steps though) Should be lots of fun. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures!

Ich liebe Österreich!

Greats from Austria! I have been here 3 days now. First day was rough. New city, a couple major dorm issues (that have been fixed YAY!) The city is awesome. Its pretty easy to get every where by bus and by walking. I just bought a monthly bus ticket that is good until the 13 of next month. The bus basically gets you every where and then walking does the rest. My poor feet have taken a good beating by the amount of blisters that have appeared since London.

Signs of life today in the dorms! There are tons of Austrians on my floor. I don't have a roommate right now but she will be here in the next week or two depending on when her classes start. The University its self is all over the city, in old buildings and new buildings. Its really hard to spot what is academic and what is not... doesn't help either that everything is in German.

Tonight a friend of mine and I went to a cute cafe called Mozart's Cafe. I got the coolest looking dessert ever. It is egg whites beaten in the shape of the mountains with cranberries on the bottom. So good! Tomorrow I have German class but then its off to Mozart's house. Can't wait!

London and First Day in Salzburg

My trip did not go as smoothly as planed to begin with. After getting to the airport I found that I could not carry on the plane the bag I had brought. So in the midst of changing everything around at the check in counter the zipper on my bag broke... A share moment of panic. Thank goodness the other zipper still zipped. Then during the 7 hour plane ride the guy in front of me decided it was a good idea to keep is seat reclined all the way back for all 7 hours. It wasn't the best 7 hours of my life that's for sure. I did make it in one piece though!

London was amazing! Got in at 7 am and had to wait in the longest line ever to get through immigration. Which once I got up there, only took 2 min. I got to meet up with Anna and went to see Kings Cross and Soho. Some really cool places there and I got to see platform 9 and 3/4. We then had a group gathering where we all got to know each other. Finally got to bed around 11 pm after what was basically two full days.

The next day we went on a group tour to see all of the famous sights. Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Westminster Abby, ect.. It was awesome. I saw the crown jewels got to take lots of pictures. It was over all a super fun day.

Finally today I got on a plane to Munich. After finding our AIFS guide at the airport we got to take a wonderful drive through the Mountains to get to Salzburg.Its so pretty here! Although I am having major defficulties finding things on maps and trying to understand German...

One Week before takeoff!

Super excited to leave a week from tomorrow! I have already starting packing and have found that it is super hard to pack your whole life into one carry-on bag, a backpack and one checked suitcase... the whole other part of that challenge is making sure its under 50lb... two issues I am seriously fighting with. I have two more days of work. (tonight and tomorrow) one family party, and tons of small errands to run before I leave.

I am hoping all of these small things keep me busy until 1:35pm on Friday. First stop on my grand semester adventure will be LONDON! Where I will hopefully be meeting up with my roommate for the last 2 years Anna. :D Then after 3 days, it's off Germany where I will catch a bus into Salzburg.

Also one final note before I sign off and go attempt to narrow down which clothes I am taking, I got a lovely email stating that my per-departure packet would be arriving by UPS in the next day or two. So the UPS truck pulls up to the house and I run to the door and anticipation only to get a package of shoes. (note the box of shoes is super less exciting then it sounds because its only a size 6 right shoe for shoe shows.) It was a complete let down.

Stay tuned next week for my adventures in London!

Still Waiting to leave....

Only 27 days until I am on the plane headed to London. If I think about it, I act like a giddy little 5 year old about to get birthday presents. Everyone else right now is headed back to school which is awesome for them and terrible for me. They were a good source of distraction. Hopefully after my week long trip to Springfield Missouri, time will go by faster. I have picked up scrap booking to pass the time... and looking up potential jobs and graduate schools. Just need to hang on 27 more days!

2 Months Until Austria

So I am super excited for the end of July. Summer school well be ending soon and in August I will get to see all my college friends again! Especially my awesome little. I have from today 52 days until I leave for London. Super excited. Already started a basket of things I am taking to Austria. Visa check, Passport check, Money on its way... flights all booked and ready to go. Now just to wait 52 days.