Krakow, Poland (A pleasant, surreal surprise)

With all that being said, I absolutely loved Poland and the culture.  This trip to Poland was planned by my school, so there was a level of convenience involved. Poland is approximately 7 hours from Vienna, so we had a long bus ride ahead of us. After entering Poland, we stopped at the Tyskie Brewery (a famous Polish beer) to have a tour of the grounds.  This was my first time stepping foot on the property of a real life, gigantic brewery, and let me tell you, the smell is AWFUL!

Our tour guide was a little dry and boring, but he did show us some pretty cool stuff.  We were not allowed to take pictures in the packaging segment of the tour, but stand assured...I DID! :-) (Please don't judge me!)

Packaging, not the greatest picture, but it was a sight to see!

Brew Truck

A "Bruh-Ha-Ha" as we like to call it.

After enjoying a nice glass of the beer, we ventured into the city of Krakow to our hostel.  This was my first experience in a "true" hostel, and though it wasn't THAT bad, it was much different then what I am used to.  Having to ask the front desk for a broom to sweep the dirt that was left from the people before isn't exactly my idea of a solid experience. (I felt so much like my grandmother while I was there :-))

We quickly settled into our hostel and then made our way to dinner which was located a little ways from our hostel.  I enjoyed water soup with dumplings, chicken and mash potatoes, and an ice cream sundae for dessert. Overall, the dinner was good, but the good food was still to come. 

On Saturday morning, we woke up at a decent hour, had a light breakfast, and went straight to meet our two tour guides for a loooong walking city tour.  Our first stop was to Schindler's Factory (Have you even seen the movie Schindler's List?)  The tour guide did not take us into the museum, but we had free time on Sunday, and a group of us returned here. This museum (and the actual location of the real factory), was single handily the best museum I have ever been to. It was put together in such a creative manner, and it was enjoyable. I typically don't enjoy museums after being in them for 20 minutes, but I was fully capable of making it through this one without complaining. 

The original gates of Shindler's Factory

After the tour guide took us past Schindler's Factory, she then took us to the center of the Jewish ghetto in Krakow. This area was the the exact location that thousands of Jews were forced to move to in the final steps before leading them to the concentration camps. It was surreal to be on the exact streets that so many people thought they were traveling to for safety, for the well-being of their family.  I typically don't get outwardly emotional, but I had to really fight the tears off.  The picture below is a memorial placed in the middle of the Jewish Ghetto to remember all of the people that were led into a spiral of deceit, defeat, and death. 

After leaving the Jewish Ghetto, our tour guide took us to the Jewish Quarter to see the many synagogues and the center of Jewish culture. 

Jewish Quarters

After the Jewish Quarters, and learning more about the Jewish culture in Poland, we ventured off to many other parts of Krakow, including their famous fortress, city centre, and churches!

Overall, the tour was great. Our tour guide was very informative, and she got us very excited to explore the city a little bit more that day.  We got our first traditional Polish meal, Pierogies, for lunch. They were really delicious, and I didn't think I would like them at all. After lunch we shopped around and headed back for a nap before dinner time.  We knew we were in for a long night...dinner, then at midnight, Halloween would be upon us.  

After our nap, we went to a great, family owned restaurant where we had more traditional Polish food. The meal was an A+ until dessert came along. They called it cheese cake, which was really a Pound Cake once we tried it, and for a pound cake, it was pretty awful. But I guess I'm a tough critic considering I come from a family of Pound Cake Bakers. :-)

That night, we were excited to go out and experience Halloween in a new country.  We ended up in this really cool cocktail lounge that specialized in the beauty of making drinks (garnishes, colors, style, glasses, etc...) We loved it.

 

Disclaimer: The drinking age is 16 here!!!! Sadly, I was still carded!

After calling it quits relatively early, we headed back to the hostel to prepare for our visit to the Salt mine in the morning.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in the town of Wieliczka in Southern Poland, lies within the Krakow metropolitan area. The mine continuously produced table salt from the 13th century until 2007 as one of the worlds oldest operating salt mines. It is believed to the the world's 14th-oldest company still in operation. The mine's attractions for tourists include dozens of statues and an entire chapel that has been carved out the rock salt by miners. Not to mention, the amazing ball room that was created many many meters underground. About 1.2 million people visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually.

At the end of the tour, we were able to ride back up to ground level (we took over 700 stairs down) in the same elevator that miners do. It was incredibly small and scary!

The Chapel created and carved from the salt, underground

Kind of gross, but before leaving the salt mine, you are suppose to find a wall and lick it to prove that the whole 300km is truly pure salt. 

After returning back to Krakow that night, we explored some more- went to the museum and did some more shopping. To end the evening before dinner, we grabbed some gelato (Italian ice cream). We, again, got ready for dinner which wasn't as successful as the last two nights until it was time for dessert: FLAMING PANCAKES. Basically, it is a crepe filled with the ice cream of your choice and then they light it on fire. Pretty cool. 

Look closely...you can kind of see the flame. I couldn't get a better shot!

Overall, this trip to Poland was really amazing. I enjoyed the culture and the people. The final day, which was Monday, was a trip to Auschwitz Concentration Camp- a dream I have had since I was in the 5th grade.  My next blog will tackle this surreal, astonishing, and terribly informative experience.

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!

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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 :-)