Germany, Switzerland, and France....OH MY GOODNESS

So where do I even begin?  My original plan was to venture off to Frankfurt, Germany to visit the residence of Sharon and Klaus Schmitt.  Well, little did I know, they had SO much more in store for me. They took me under their wing as if I was their own.      :-)

My flight left Vienna on October 21st at 6:40am.  The night before my flight, I began packing and planning how I would get to the airport.  I quickly realized that there was a huge issue- public transportation to the Airport doesn't start until 5:30am.  So after some heavy research, (I DID NOT want to take a cab for 30 Euro) I was able to find an alternative that included a cab and then a private train company. Needless to say, I got little sleep (about 1.5 hours, actually).  I had to leave my building at 3:45am!

Once I arrived in Frankfurt, Germany around 8am, I was greeted by Sharon! We jumped in the car and got right down to business. Because they live outside of Frankfurt, we thought it would be best to explore Frankfurt since we were in the area. After a couple hours seeing a cathedral, Roman grounds, a trip to Starbucks and a walk through the Kleinmarkthalle Market, we were ready to head back to Weinheim, Germany (their home).

City Centre of Frankfurt, Germany

Roman grounds we stumbled on!

After meeting the cats (who by the way love me) and Klaus, we ventured off to explore Weinheim.  First, they took me to a little local restaurant that had some great food. I was a little skeptical as to what to order, because I knew that Klaus and Sharon love food and enjoy all types of food. I decided to order a salad (which is VERY strange for me).  It was literally the best salad I have ever had: A bed of mixed greens topped with balsamic, grape vinegrette, pan fried perch, jumbo shrimp, and a salmon filet. 

Shortly after lunch, we explored a little bit more. We visited a church, beautiful green grounds, small delis, the mall to buy a hat and gloves, the pet store, the grocery store, and much more.

It was a beautiful day!

After a nap in the early evening, Klaus made dinner that I wasn't so sure I would enjoy. The dish contained pasta, bacon, and cream sauce, which in a normal situation, I would love, but there was one ingredient that I was VERY skeptical of: MUSHROOMS...and in particular, Porcini mushrooms, which is a type of mushroom that is quite large and only available this time of the year.  Cooked right, and sliced thin, they happen to be really delicious!  To my surprise, I really loved the pasta. 

Delicious Meal

Shortly after dinner, Sharon and I escaped to Heidleberg, Germany for Pub Quiz Night. It was a very cool experience, because it was at an Irish Pub, the quiz was in English and included a lot of American knowledge, and our team got 2ND PLACE!!!

The ladies of the team!

The 3 men of the team!

So as you can imagine, we had a pretty full day, and I slept like a baby that night! We got up at a decent hour the next day and had breakfast (Food Note: I ate Wild boar's liver, raisin, and honey pate for breakfast and LOVED it). After packing and getting ourselves situated, we packed the car up and headed for Strasbourg, France.  I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got to France, but after walking around for a little bit, I fell in love with the atmosphere. 

Klaus and I

We visited Petit France, Notre Dame Cathedral, and had a snack at a small cafe where I had a French pear tart topped with pistachio nuts....another surprising item I enjoyed.

Notre Dame Cathedral

After fully exploring Strasbourg, France, we jumped back in the car and ventured off to Ribeauville, France along the Vin de Route. We walked through the old town, took a look at the famous stork's nest, found lots of funny outdoor cats, and then ended with dinner where I at the French dish, Coq au Vin. This dish included chicken in a wine and cream sauce. It was very good.  After dinner, we left for our hotel (Schwarzwaldasthaus Goldener Engel) in Germany in the Black Forest region. The hotel was cuter then cute.  It had a very homely layout, but very modern, comfortable rooms.  

After enjoying some BBC WORLD NEWS (in English, obviously, which was AWESOME), I headed to bed.  In the morning, we had breakfast in the hotel where I enjoyed some Black Forest Ham.  We went outside to see the Black Forest in daylight, and it was a site to see. 

The Black Forest region!

With a tight schedule, we headed out of the Black Forest to get to our last two destinations: Freiburg, Germany, and Lucerne, Switzerland.  First, in Freiburg, we were able to enjoy the city market, The Historical Merchants Hall of 1520-21, cool shopping streets, and Black Forest Cake and a cup of Jasmine Green Tea! 

Nom Nom!

Cake and Tea!

Jasmine Tea

After that nice little snack, off to Switzerland we went!! New currency, exiting the European Union...It was a bit different. Our first stop in Switzerland was actually to Burgenstock Mountain. Driving up the mountain was a lot scarier then I had expected, but the view once we got there was pretty amazing!  (Normally, I would have made these pictures smaller for space reasons, but these pictures are very beautiful, so enjoy!)

After coming down from the mountain, we went into the city centre of Lucerne, Switzerland.  We walked around for a good amount of time and enjoyed the city.  

By Night

By Day

Chapel Bridge

After a very eventful day, enjoying the culture, enjoying lots of food, and enjoying the weather, we hopped back in the car, to drive back to their home in Weinheim, Germany.  It was getting pretty late, but we were able to have a light dinner, and Skype home to my Mom. They really enjoyed being able to see each other!

Mary Poppin's, I guess :-)

The Fourth day: Day of departure, but stand assured, we fit the exploration of one more town in.  We headed back to Heidelberg, Germany (where the Pub Quiz was), but this time we were able to see the city by day.  First, we took the Funicular to Heidelberg Castle.  

We enjoyed the Old Town quickly, before it was time for to head back to Vienna.  Overall, these four days that I have just written about were the quickest, most eventful, and most fulfilling four days I have had here in Europe. It was amazing to see such great places with to very kind and giving people. Trips like these help me realize more and more why this is such a once in a lifetime opportunity that I need to take full advantage of.  Needless to say, I slept like a baby for the next 2 days after the trip.  School that following week was stressful, but so worth it!

Buda and Pest (Budapest, Hungary.....not the best...not the worst)

So hello all,

It's been a while, as usual.  On October 15-17, I went to Budapest, Hungary. I was not very certain whether I would enjoy the city or country, but I was certain that is is a place that not many people can get to in their lifetime....so why not jump on the bandwagon, you know?

My first impression of Budapest was, "Wow....it's really dirty here."  After a pretty short, but interesting city tour, I had learned to appreciate a little more of what Buda and Pest had to offer.  Before I continue, let me explain the separation between Buda and Pest.  Budapest is split by a huge river. On one side, is Buda, and the other side is Pest. I definitely grew to love Pest more the Buda as the weekend went on.

Atina, Me, Meizi, Stephen, and Kyle

After the bus tour, we went to a very cool traditional Hungarian restaurant.  I had some pretty amazing food, that I was surprised I liked.  At the beginning of each meal, it is a tradition to take a shot of peach schnapps.  Needless to say, everyone was pretty excited about this tradition. :-)  Along with the delicious 3 course meal, there was live "Gypsie" music.

The next day, we woke up pretty early and ventured off to the famous market in the city.  The market was huge and had anything you could imagine for sale. The wide range of colors in the market was a site to see.

After the market, we ventured off to the Parliament.  Bottom line, this was one of the most impressive buildings I have been in since my trip abroad. It is simply gorgeous!! I'll let the pictures do the talking:

The main staircase....GORGEOUS.

Parliament Meeting Room. Where all diplomats gather for meetings.

The view of the Parliament Building from across the river in Buda!

That night, we went to a Mongolian BBQ all you can eat restaurant. It was delicious. Every type of meat, side dish, vegetable, etc you could think of were there and ready to be prepared right in front of your eyes.  Another success came from this restaurant: I had the BEST tiramisu I have EVER consumed in my 20 years of life.

On Sunday, there was one trip planned. As a group, we all went to the Terror Museum. It was a very interesting venue that explained and explored Soviet and German Nazi torture strategies. During World War II, Hungarian people went through a period of turmoil, including the Holocaust. This museum traveled inside of that period. Very enlightening, to say the least.

A tank that was reinforced inside of the museum along with a wall of pictures of those people that were tortured and killed.

Overall, the trip was very interesting. I really enjoyed the places we went, and my favorite location was St. Stephen's Church. It is a very modern church (only 100 years old), and was simply breathtaking!

]

Vienna Update (Wirtschaftsuniversitat!)

Class is finally in session! Let's give the academic update first, since I know everyone is dying to know if I'm actually learning anything while I am here :-)

I am taking the following classes this semester:

• Global Marketing Research (it's a challenge...lots of group work. My group is compiled of Me, a girl from Austria, a guy from Poland, and my really good friend, Josh from Canada)
• Global Consumer Behavior (it's interesting...we just have class discussions about all the countries we are from. I am the only American...and NO ONE else in the class is from Austria...pretty cool)
• International Marketing (Class is a bit boring....BUT...I am able to apply a lot of what I learned at the HRInsights this summer to the material)
• Selected Topics in Gender Studies (Not too bad)
• Cross-Cultural Communications (And intensive course that starts on December 15-16 and meets for a total of 24 hours during those days.....THAT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING)

I have my cut worked out for me. But classes here are a lot different then in the States. They do not meet often, on the same schedule, or in the same room. For example, my Global Marketing Research met 3 times in October and will only meet twice this month. After that, we work on our own on a huge project due in January.

Along with school, I've felt kind of helpless not keeping myself busy, going to meetings, or hanging out with my Evans Scholar roommates.  As usual, I had to find something to plan.  I am in the process of planning a gathering with the approximately 35 Austrian students who will be studying abroad next semester at U of I. With the help of Professor Murray, (or guidance who lives here) we are planning an event where the Austrian students can meet us, ask us questions, socialize, get help with the apartment hunt, etc....

Leave it to me to get involved.....:-)

Any questions about the serious side of this study abroad experience? Post them...I'd be happy to hear them!!! 

Miss you guys so much! Happy Belated Halloween :-)

Hanging out with the VonTrapps: Salzburg, Austria

So, I decided to take a chance. I separated myself from my normal comfort zone, and ventured off with a group of Texans and Canadians to Salzburg, Austria. It was an amazing decision. On Friday at 4:45am, I jumped quickly out of bed (unusual for me), got dressed, packed a bag, and scurried out of the door to catch a 6am train with my newfound friends.  Why was I so excited, you ask? Well friends, I had a date with Captain VonTrapp and the VonTrapp family!

So after a 3 hour train ride (I slept the ENTIRE way), we arrived in the beautiful Salzburg, Austria.  Living in Vienna, I was expecting the beauty to be very similar, but we were pleasantly surprised at how much more beautiful Salzburg really is.  However, we had business to attend to and a tight schedule to maintain.  We quickly jumped on a bus and arrived at our hostel.  After leaving our luggage, getting all pretty and proper for our exciting day, we grabbed lunch and waited for our drive to get pick us up.

Our hostel...VERY NICE and good breakfast

NOTE: Before anyone gets upset about us getting a personal driver (and assuming I'm wasting away precious Euros...now equivalent to $1.40), by personal driver, I am referring to our Sound of Music Tour Bus. LOL.

Tour Bus

The tour bus that picked us up from the hostel, however, was only a shuttle that took us to the meeting point for the large tour bus. We arrived at the meeting point 20 minutes early, so we ventured off into a magnificent garden close by.  We were amazed by all the beautiful flowers!!

Amazing garden in Salzburg

We continued to look around, and came to a very pretty, small staircase. We walked in the courtyard and felt we were in a VERY familiar area. We all looked at each other and yelled, "DO-RE-MI!!!" We all realized it at the same time.  5 guys and 9 girls...I bet you can guess how annoyed the guys were by the end of this trip....the tour hadn't even started!!! 

Look familiar? This is the Trellis that the kids frolicked in with Maria

DO-RE-MI Stairs....with us on them!


After being completely thrilled by the fact that we recognized a scene from the movie, we ran to the bus and started the tour.  Our tour guide was funny, a little boring at times, but she was entertaining.  As we pulled up to our fist stop, we could barely contain ourselves: "16 Going on 17" Gazebo!!!!!

The Gazebo

We are all about 20 Going On 21, but let's not get caught up in the details!!

 Gazebo: The gazebo was actually a part of a private property during the filming of the movie. After the movie debut in America, the people who owned the home had problems with mass amounts of tourist ringing their doorbell, hoping the fence, camping outside, just to catch a glimpse of the gazebo.  After a couple of years, they got tired of it, and donated the Gazebo to Salzburg. The Gazebo now sites in a public, secluded park in Salzburg. 

Why didn't I dance on the benches inside the gazebo? Well, an American, 82 year old lady tried to reenact the dance inside the gazebo a couple of years back, and broke a hip.  It has been locked ever since.  She ruined it for all of us...bless her heart :-)

Our next stop was to the VonTrapp House.  We were very excited. On the way, however, we passes a point at which a pivotal scene in the movie was filmed: when the VonTrapps were trying to escape to Switzerland and pushing the car down the driveway with Uncle Max.

The driveway...hard to see, but you get the idea.

Once we arrived at the house, we were informed that the front of the house is actually an entirely different house (located in America) then the house used for the back.  The house used for the "back" is what is located in Salzburg. To jog your memory, this is when the kids fell into the lake while on the small boat with Maria. They were wearing their new play clothes (made out of Maria's recycled curtains) and were expected to be home to meet the Baroness. This house is private property and can only be viewed from across the lake, which was almost better- made for beautiful pictures.

VonTrapp House: picture perfect

Gorgeous

I couldn't stop smiling!!

Next, we jumped back into the van for a longer trip outside of Salzburg. The scenery was surreal.  I've seen a lot of beautiful places since I've been abroad, but this beat it all.  Where we stopped was basically the last helicopter view that was shown after Maria sang "The Hills are Alive."

Breath-taking

The entire group...I was the only person from Illinois...everyone else is from Texas and/or Canada

Tour Fun Fact: "The Hills are Alive" was actually filmed on the other side of the mountains above.  This side of the mountain is actually Germany...not Austria.  

Next, we went into the center of Monsee, Austria where the wedding was filmed as well as the scene where Captain VonTrapp was driving with Uncle Max and the Baroness (back from Vienna), and saw the children in the trees.  First we went to the church where the wedding took place. 

Monsee Church from the outside...not in the movie.

Inside of the church where the wedding was filmed. Maria walked down THIS AISLE!!!!!

Tour Fun Fact: Before everyone gets mad at me for not posting a picture of the famous gates in the church, I am sorry to break it to you, but that was a Hollywood addition, and the portion of the scene when she walks through the gates with the Nuns was filmed back in Los Angeles, CA. Sad, right?

Monsee, Austria was quaint and memorable. We were able to walk around, grab souvenirs, get coffee, and venture off to yet ANOTHER lake.  We then jumped back on the bus and back to the beginning.  We ended our tour at the DO-RE-MI stairs (where we also started the tour). 

Overall, we had an amazing time for those four hours, and our excitement didn't end there.  Our hostel plays The Sound of Music at 8pm every night.  We grabbed a quick dinner and made it just in time for 3 hours of singing and laughing.  It was so great to recall all the places we had been during the day as they appeared on the screen. 

On Saturday, we just enjoyed Salzburg. Walked around, had coffee at Mozart's house, and had a great time.  

Mozart's Casa!

Can you see the rainbow? It was like that alll day!

Salzburg, Austria

Pretty flowers

FAVORITE TRIP, THUS FAR! :-)

Oktoberfest...OH! Oktoberfest

Let me start by saying that I went with a group of 190 students from my university here in Vienna.  It was a planned trip by the university and the package included the following:

1. A night train with UNLIMITED beverages and music all night arriving in Munich at 8am. 
2. 14 hours at Oktoberfest with 2 liters of Lowenbrau Beer, a 1/2 of chicken (quite delicious), and a VIP spot in the Lowenbrau Beer Tent
3. A night train with UNLIMITED beverages and music all night arriving back in Vienna at 8am.

Lowenbrau Beer Tent

Get the picture? It was close to one of the most awful situations I have ever been apart of. Not because I was influenced by any particular part of the three amenities mentioned above, but because EVERYONE else seemed to be minus my roommate and I. 

However, let me reiterate the fact that Oktoberfest was a very cool experience. I would have beat myself up if I decided not to attend, and the beer that I did drink (It's legal here, people) was pretty amazing. 

Inside the Lowenbrau Beer Tent: Pretty cool

At the entrance of Oktoberfest (Me, Karen, Meizi, and April)

An Enlightening Day at Mauthausen Concentration Camp

In grammar school, around 5th grade, I had a teacher that put her heart and soul into two historical events: the Titanic and the Holocaust. Naturally, if you wanted to succeed in her class, we were urged to do the same.  I never really got interested in the Titanic, but something about the Holocaust, even at that young age, grabbed my attention.

People might find such an interest a little strange and/or repulsive, but in reality, my interest does not lie in the awful suffering that the Jewish race experienced in the 1940's, but more importantly, my interest stems from a need to understand the Holocaust completely.  People get caught in the visuals, the awful pictures and videos taken, the gruesome practices, but I enjoy looking deeper into this time in history.

So why am I saying this, you ask?

Being in Austria, I am in the middle of an area that was in complete Holocaust turmoil 70 years ago.  Mauthausen Concentration Camp, now Mauthausen Memorial was the last and final concentration camp to be closed.  It is located two hours outside of Vienna, and we took a trip last week to see it.  It was a perfectly awful day, we like to say.  Around 50 degrees, cloudy, and raining.  I suppose 65 degrees and a bright, sun shiny day is asking too much.  

Without going into too much detail, it was an incredibly sad, but enlightening day.  We were able to watch a 45 minute long video that explained the usage of this particular concentration camp (interestingly enough, it was liberated by AMERICAN troops).  After walking around and seeing some pretty surreal things, my interest has grown to a new level.  I will never understand why a group of people were forced to face such a terrible time, but to avoid ignorance and a lack of knowledge, I plan to continue my "studies."

The entrance at Mauthasen Memorial

Stairs at the Memorial....what would have been seen here 70 years ago will bring tears to your eyes.