(Hehe, I love that 'ñ' is on the keyboard here XD as it should be, since it's in the Spanish alphabet. Anyway...)
Eep, I know I'm in need of a super update--I've gotten to see and hear and taste and feel so many amazing things in the past week! (er, the past 10 days, I guess) London was a lot of fun, and Lisbon was small but charming. Sevilla, though, is one of my favorites. I just left there today (and am in Granada now), and I just had such an amazingly wonderful experience the past two days. A lot of it had to do with a few new friends that I made :) praise God! (More on them later, for sure.)
I remember seeing these benches at train stations in the Netherlands with a lot of inspiring quotes about traveling...and the one that comes to mind and applies here, I couldn't find online (although I did find this! Which is awesome...read it if you have a few minutes :D)...but it basically said, "The distance we travel matters far less than the people we meet along the way." So, so true. It's easy to see why I liked Berlin and Sevilla so much, I guess (plus, those two cities are just awesome to begin with).
Anywho, I will stop myself here for now (and will update later), or I'll be super exhausted tomorrow :( Time to sleep so I can be energized for exploring Granada tomorrow :D España, te amo! I can't believe I'm leaving in four days.... :(
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
madurodam/the hague (7/12/11)
Earlier today, I went with Saskia's family to visit the Madurodam in the Hague. It's a pretty cool miniature park, filled with places in the Netherlands, but everything is on a 1:25 scale replica. We also saw a short laser light show about the Netherlands and its fight against the water, which was pretty cool and informational. We walked around the park for a few hours, took a lunch break (I had typical Dutch food--croquettes and fries with mayo!), and then walked out to the beach. By then, it had gotten pretty gray/cloudy and windy. It still felt really nice, though. :)
copenhagen (7/11/11)
Thank You, Jesus, for safe travels. I'm now writing from the living room of the house of Ad and Ann, Saskia's aunt and uncle. Their first floor layout actually reminds me of my house last year in Buenos Aires, haha. We're in Delft, Holland, and we'll be here until Friday morning, when we go to Brussels and then London! But yes, this week is for Dutch exploration. Jesus, thank You also for hospitality in the form of Ad and Ann--it's really nice to have a home base again after a week of traveling and before my last ten days here. :)
So before I forget, Copenhagen update time. After we pulled into the station, I wandered around a bit in search of my hostel. Thankfully, it wasn't too far away, since my backpack is heavy! I found Saskia in the lobby, dropped off my things, and off we went on an early evening stroll. We were located right next to Tivoli, one of the oldest amusement parks in Denmark (and in Europe?). It looked fun but expensive, so we didn't end up visiting, although we passed by it quite a few times. We walked down Stroget, the longest pedestrian street in Europe, but most of the stores were closed by then (but not the candy store! where we made a stop). There were tons of crepe stands along the street, too. For dinner, I got a Danish hot dog (they translate it as "sausage wagon", haha), after which we walked around some more.
The next day, we got up and set out to explore Copenhagen on foot. We walked down Stroget to Nyhaven again, which is a really pretty port area, and then we kept walking down to the Queen's Palace to watch the changing of the guards at noon. It was less than impressive, but still fun to watch. There was so much construction going on in the palace square but also around the city in general. It made for some poor picture-taking, sadly. We continued on to see the statue of the Little Mermaid, which was even less impressive, and we also walked to see the old fortress, which didn't seem very fortress-like but was still pretty. On our way back to the city center, we stopped by a fancy bakery, where I tried my first flodeboller, this chocolate-covered marshmallow cream dessert. :) We also passed by some market tables, one of which had funny elf hats.
So there's something going on in Copenhagen called the Elephant Parade involving many "art elephant" statues all around the city, and it's to raise awareness and money for Asian elephants, which are endangered. Since Saskia's mom really likes elephants, we stopped by one of their stores, which had small replicas of all the statues around the city--cute! After a short rest-break at the hostel, we crossed the river to get to Christiania, the "free-town" of Copenhagen. It's known for its open sale of drugs and hippie atmosphere--kind of like the Amsterdam of Denmark. That's a pretty fitting description; overall, I personally felt pretty uncomfortable as we were walking around it, and I was glad Saskia was with me. Afterwards, we headed back to the center in search of dinner. After much searching for a decently-priced restaurant that was open, we settled on a bookstore cafe, where I got a big, pricey, but delicious sandwich. After dinner, we walked back to the hostel and chilled for a while. I met two of our roommates, these two guys from Taiwan (one was Taiwanese but the other was from England). One of them had just come from Norway where he'd been hiking in the fjords--he had some amazing pictures! I'd love to visit there someday. :) Downstairs, we caught the tail end of one of the women's World Cup games, Germany versus Japan. It was intense! Japan scored a beautiful goal in second overtime and won the game.
For breakfast yesterday morning, we made Ramen with the packets Ann had given to Saskia for the weekend. After checking out, we went to the Town Hall for the free walking tour offered by New Europe. Jonny, our tour guide, was very funny and energetic. He also does tours in Berlin, but he's originally from England. He took us around to Nyhavn, the Queen's Palace, and a couple of old churches. After the tour finished, we visited the King's Gardens and Rosenberg Castle as well as the Botanical Gardens, which had some cool greenhouses (they reminded me of the Butterfly Gardens at HMNS, hehe). We grabbed ice cream and also stopped by the Glyptothek, a nearby art museum, before picking up our things from the hostel and heading to the airport. We decided to be super awesomely cheap and use Starbucks' hot water to make Ramen and tomato soup...and we spent our remaining DKs on a fancy and apparently common Danish dessert, some sort of strawberry cream tart. Then we were off to the Netherlands. :) We landed a little over an hour later and took the train to Delft. Ann picked us up from the station and brought us back to the house. Okay, dinner time! First meal with the family--I just met Ad and Aiden a bit ago.
Dinner was fun and yummy :) we had spaghetti and fun conversation. I love their family! Now I'm watching HP1--everything is so primitive and everyone is so young! Ahh, I can't wait to see HP7 tomorrow night. Earlier, we also watched the King's Speech, which is really good. I can see why it won an Oscar. Another aunt and uncle of Saskia's came to visit, and we had tea and cake with them before coming back to the TV.
Today was a good day, too. I slept in, ate a late breakfast/lunch, and then headed out to explore Delft for a bit on my own. It's a pretty town; a bit quiet, but it's nice. I went to see the Town Hall, the Old and New Churches, and Pathe, the movie theater. I also looked at the library next door, which had a cool design and set-up. Afterwards, Saskia found me, and we came back. It's been a fun few days so far with her :)
Overall, Copenhagen wasn't my favorite city so far, I have to admit. It's pretty and has some nice architecture, but it's also pretty expensive and doesn't have much to offer in the way of food, haha. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing the city.
So before I forget, Copenhagen update time. After we pulled into the station, I wandered around a bit in search of my hostel. Thankfully, it wasn't too far away, since my backpack is heavy! I found Saskia in the lobby, dropped off my things, and off we went on an early evening stroll. We were located right next to Tivoli, one of the oldest amusement parks in Denmark (and in Europe?). It looked fun but expensive, so we didn't end up visiting, although we passed by it quite a few times. We walked down Stroget, the longest pedestrian street in Europe, but most of the stores were closed by then (but not the candy store! where we made a stop). There were tons of crepe stands along the street, too. For dinner, I got a Danish hot dog (they translate it as "sausage wagon", haha), after which we walked around some more.
The next day, we got up and set out to explore Copenhagen on foot. We walked down Stroget to Nyhaven again, which is a really pretty port area, and then we kept walking down to the Queen's Palace to watch the changing of the guards at noon. It was less than impressive, but still fun to watch. There was so much construction going on in the palace square but also around the city in general. It made for some poor picture-taking, sadly. We continued on to see the statue of the Little Mermaid, which was even less impressive, and we also walked to see the old fortress, which didn't seem very fortress-like but was still pretty. On our way back to the city center, we stopped by a fancy bakery, where I tried my first flodeboller, this chocolate-covered marshmallow cream dessert. :) We also passed by some market tables, one of which had funny elf hats.
So there's something going on in Copenhagen called the Elephant Parade involving many "art elephant" statues all around the city, and it's to raise awareness and money for Asian elephants, which are endangered. Since Saskia's mom really likes elephants, we stopped by one of their stores, which had small replicas of all the statues around the city--cute! After a short rest-break at the hostel, we crossed the river to get to Christiania, the "free-town" of Copenhagen. It's known for its open sale of drugs and hippie atmosphere--kind of like the Amsterdam of Denmark. That's a pretty fitting description; overall, I personally felt pretty uncomfortable as we were walking around it, and I was glad Saskia was with me. Afterwards, we headed back to the center in search of dinner. After much searching for a decently-priced restaurant that was open, we settled on a bookstore cafe, where I got a big, pricey, but delicious sandwich. After dinner, we walked back to the hostel and chilled for a while. I met two of our roommates, these two guys from Taiwan (one was Taiwanese but the other was from England). One of them had just come from Norway where he'd been hiking in the fjords--he had some amazing pictures! I'd love to visit there someday. :) Downstairs, we caught the tail end of one of the women's World Cup games, Germany versus Japan. It was intense! Japan scored a beautiful goal in second overtime and won the game.
For breakfast yesterday morning, we made Ramen with the packets Ann had given to Saskia for the weekend. After checking out, we went to the Town Hall for the free walking tour offered by New Europe. Jonny, our tour guide, was very funny and energetic. He also does tours in Berlin, but he's originally from England. He took us around to Nyhavn, the Queen's Palace, and a couple of old churches. After the tour finished, we visited the King's Gardens and Rosenberg Castle as well as the Botanical Gardens, which had some cool greenhouses (they reminded me of the Butterfly Gardens at HMNS, hehe). We grabbed ice cream and also stopped by the Glyptothek, a nearby art museum, before picking up our things from the hostel and heading to the airport. We decided to be super awesomely cheap and use Starbucks' hot water to make Ramen and tomato soup...and we spent our remaining DKs on a fancy and apparently common Danish dessert, some sort of strawberry cream tart. Then we were off to the Netherlands. :) We landed a little over an hour later and took the train to Delft. Ann picked us up from the station and brought us back to the house. Okay, dinner time! First meal with the family--I just met Ad and Aiden a bit ago.
Dinner was fun and yummy :) we had spaghetti and fun conversation. I love their family! Now I'm watching HP1--everything is so primitive and everyone is so young! Ahh, I can't wait to see HP7 tomorrow night. Earlier, we also watched the King's Speech, which is really good. I can see why it won an Oscar. Another aunt and uncle of Saskia's came to visit, and we had tea and cake with them before coming back to the TV.
Today was a good day, too. I slept in, ate a late breakfast/lunch, and then headed out to explore Delft for a bit on my own. It's a pretty town; a bit quiet, but it's nice. I went to see the Town Hall, the Old and New Churches, and Pathe, the movie theater. I also looked at the library next door, which had a cool design and set-up. Afterwards, Saskia found me, and we came back. It's been a fun few days so far with her :)
Overall, Copenhagen wasn't my favorite city so far, I have to admit. It's pretty and has some nice architecture, but it's also pretty expensive and doesn't have much to offer in the way of food, haha. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing the city.
berlin, part 2. (7/8/11)
Yesterday was a great day and great way to end my stay in Berlin. God, thank You for sovereign and for providing for me. You knew I was getting lonely, even though I'm seeing Saskia in less than an hour, and You provided. In the morning, I wandered a bit around my hostel area, in the suburbs of Berlin, and I eventually found the few remnants of the Wall Nina had told me about. On my way back to the hostel, I even got hit on/asked out to coffee by a random German guy! >.< lol. Thankfully, he was pretty friendly and let me leave when I told him I was leaving today...lol. Anyway, after that, I headed back to Brandenburg, where I watched some breakdancers for a bit. There were also people dressed up as a Native American chief, Yoda, Darth Vader, and USSR soldiers on the plaza. I then headed to the Reichstag for my 12:45 reservation, where my day took a turn for the better. On my way in, I met Tahir and Jacob, two guys from London who are traveling through East Europe for a few weeks, starting in Berlin. They were really friendly and talkative (and knowledgeable!), and I ended up sticking with them for the rest of the day.
We checked out the Reichstag Dome (I thought it was really cool that the audio guides were triggered by sensors in the ramp!), which was pretty cool and had a pretty good view of Berlin and its landmarks. Afterwards, we passed through Potsdam Platz and went to the Topography of Terror, a free open-air museum on the Wall and Berlin in times of propaganda and terror. We then visited the Pergamon Museum, since Tahir really wanted to see the gates of Babylon, which were impressive, but not incredibly so.
Our last destination of the day was the East Side Gallery, which contains the longest strip of the Berlin Wall still standing. It was quite a ways away on foot, but the guys wanted to walk, so we did. It wasn't exactly the nicest walk, but it was definitely worth it to us to see East Berlin today, which still seems in need of much improvement. The East Side Gallery was filled with artwork (reminded me of Buenos Aires street art), some good and some not so much. We grabbed dinner at a kebap place (those two are the least hungry guys I've ever met!) and then went back to their hostel. After chatting a bit, they needed to sleep, so I headed back and did the same. I really liked talking to and listening to them--thank You for surprise awesome travel buddies, God :) I hope to keep in touch with them, especially since they're studying medicine in London.
This morning, on the way to Hauptbahnhof, I actually met a guy named Alex who lives in Dallas! He goes to Richland and might transfer to UTD or UNT, so maybe I'll see him again. Small world, indeed.
Whoo! Done, and with a few minutes to spare. I'm excited to see Saskia and Copenhagen!
We checked out the Reichstag Dome (I thought it was really cool that the audio guides were triggered by sensors in the ramp!), which was pretty cool and had a pretty good view of Berlin and its landmarks. Afterwards, we passed through Potsdam Platz and went to the Topography of Terror, a free open-air museum on the Wall and Berlin in times of propaganda and terror. We then visited the Pergamon Museum, since Tahir really wanted to see the gates of Babylon, which were impressive, but not incredibly so.
Our last destination of the day was the East Side Gallery, which contains the longest strip of the Berlin Wall still standing. It was quite a ways away on foot, but the guys wanted to walk, so we did. It wasn't exactly the nicest walk, but it was definitely worth it to us to see East Berlin today, which still seems in need of much improvement. The East Side Gallery was filled with artwork (reminded me of Buenos Aires street art), some good and some not so much. We grabbed dinner at a kebap place (those two are the least hungry guys I've ever met!) and then went back to their hostel. After chatting a bit, they needed to sleep, so I headed back and did the same. I really liked talking to and listening to them--thank You for surprise awesome travel buddies, God :) I hope to keep in touch with them, especially since they're studying medicine in London.
This morning, on the way to Hauptbahnhof, I actually met a guy named Alex who lives in Dallas! He goes to Richland and might transfer to UTD or UNT, so maybe I'll see him again. Small world, indeed.
Whoo! Done, and with a few minutes to spare. I'm excited to see Saskia and Copenhagen!
rest day, part 2.
Wow, I only have two weeks left in Europe...! This time around in two weeks, I'll be on my plane back home >.< but that also means two weeks of fun and adventure and learning left :) Lord, prepare me!
Yesterday turned out pretty well. I was able to book the rest of my hostels (five, lol) and catch up on emails. Saskia and I walked to the town center and back, stopping at a candy store on the way. It was cloudy and gray but not raining, so it felt really nice. By this time next week, I'll be in Spain in pretty hot weather, haha...Dinner was delicious and a lot of fun--there were eight of us i total. Yay for family dinners! We had homemade chicken curry with rice and a variety of desserts. After dinner, I got to skype with my mommy :) It's always good to get to see her face and talk to her. She's moving so soon!
Well, we were supposed to go to Amsterdam today, but that got cancelled due to the crazy heavy rain that has literally been coming down for the whole day. It's still really rainy and windy right now :( so we're taking a second rest day and watching Harry Potter! :) Watching the sixth movie right now (again), following the third, fourth, and fifth. Hehe :) and it turns out we're on our own for dinner...that should be interesting, haha.
Yesterday turned out pretty well. I was able to book the rest of my hostels (five, lol) and catch up on emails. Saskia and I walked to the town center and back, stopping at a candy store on the way. It was cloudy and gray but not raining, so it felt really nice. By this time next week, I'll be in Spain in pretty hot weather, haha...Dinner was delicious and a lot of fun--there were eight of us i total. Yay for family dinners! We had homemade chicken curry with rice and a variety of desserts. After dinner, I got to skype with my mommy :) It's always good to get to see her face and talk to her. She's moving so soon!
Well, we were supposed to go to Amsterdam today, but that got cancelled due to the crazy heavy rain that has literally been coming down for the whole day. It's still really rainy and windy right now :( so we're taking a second rest day and watching Harry Potter! :) Watching the sixth movie right now (again), following the third, fourth, and fifth. Hehe :) and it turns out we're on our own for dinner...that should be interesting, haha.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
berlin, part 1. (7/8/11)
Whoo! I'm on a boat! But not for much longer, haha. I'm currently on my train to Copenhagen, and we just took a ferry across the (...?) sea, so now we're in Denmark! Exciting. I guess it makes sense, but I hadn't thought enough about the route beforehand to realize we would be taking a ferry of some sort along the way. No worries--being up on the deck and feeling the ocean breeze was wonderful. It's just a beautiful day in general :) and going up was a nice break from sitting for the past 4.5 hours. Wow, I can't believe it's already been that long on the train...the time seemed to pass more quickly today, which is nice (and I didn't even sleep very much, which I normally do to pass the time). I realized while up on deck that I don't know a single word of Danish (or Dutch, for that matter), not even hello or thank you. Sigh...just as I was getting a grasp of basic German, haha. Thank goodness I'll be with Saskia :) God, thanks for planning my trip perfectly based on everything else but also on my language (in)capabilities. I'm actually sitting by a Danish mom and her two daughters. Wow, we sure are passing a lot of windmills...Anyway, here I am once again, on my next train to a new city with a couple of hours left of the ride, in need of updating my journal. It seems to be becoming a trend, haha...but it works! I do so much wandering/sightseeing each day that I'm pooped by the time I get back to my hostel. Plus, there's just not much to do on the train. It's a good system. Time to update!
Berlin is big and beautiful, and it's filled with culture and historical importance. It makes sense, given WWII happenings and especially everything with the Berlin Wall. There's so much to see--I think I definitely could have spent another day there, since there's a few things I didn't get to, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed my time there.
It started with my arrival. Whew, and I thought Munich's Hauptbahnhof was big? Berlin's is even more massive. I'm no connoissuer of train stations by any means, but I think it's now the biggest one I've been to. It hosts not only regional and international trains, but the U and S lines run through it as well. It has maybe five or six stories total and a ton of shops/eateries. It's also pretty new, so the glass architecture looks quite nice. Needless to say, I was in awe.
After getting a transport card, I headed to my hostel. It's so cute and homey! I really liked it; it might be my favorite one so far. Nina, one of the workers, was really nice, plus my room was nice and clean (and empty for most of my stay...in my four-room bed, I only had roommates my first night and last morning), and a pretty good breakfast was included! It was a buffet, and they provide sandwich materials so you can make some to take with you (which is what I did yesterday and today). My thrify side cheers. Also, the walls were decorated like in a children's home. Overall, very cute. It definitely wasn't central, but a 20-minute train ride got me there.
After dropping off my things, I went back to the city center to check out the Brandenburg Gate. It's a beautiful arch, and, as I soon learned, it has a lot of historical significance, one thing being that the Wall ran by it. (Sigh, I realized while in Berlin how little I knew about its/Germany's history, especially post-WWII...things like the Wall and the DDR >.< but I'm learning now!) Right behind the gate, there was a Mercedes Benz Fashion Week going on, so I stood outside for a bit and got to see real paparazzi in action. It was quite entertaining.
Then I walked down to the Memorial for Mudered Jews in Europe, which was pretty cool (and free!). The public part is just a bunch of stone columns of various heights, but it covers a considerable area. The info center underground provided more details about the persecution of the Jews during WWII...so terrible. It was a good memorial, though.
Afterwards, I wandered over to the Reichstag, Germany's cool-looking Parliament building, which has a huge lawn in front. There were even a few guys there practicing frisbee tricks, haha. Since it was getting late and I was getting hungry, I set off in search of currywurst, a popular German snack, but it was surprisingly hard to find a stand. I finally found one, and it was pretty tasty. Naturally, I topped off my meal with ice cream and then wandered back to the Reichstag. They told me that visits to the dome were free but required reservations, so I kept walking until I hit the House of Culture and Art, which was hosting some classy music event. Back at the Brandenburg, there was a street performer making big bubbles with a net, haha. The gate is so pretty at night! :) I also saw this fun-looking multicycle vehicle that looked like a lot of fun, but only with a big group of friends. I went back to my hostel, used the Internet, met my roommates (two girls from Latvia), and went to sleep.
The next morning, I got a sweet surprise after breakfast. When I got back to the room, my roommates were gone, but they had left a short note with their FB info plus two Latvian candies on my pillow. :) It made me smile. When I got to Brandenburg, I decided to walk through the Tiergarten to Victory Column, which was further than I thought, but still a nice walk. After seeing it, I kept wandering, got a little lost, and then found the art/culture house I saw the night before. For lunch, I stopped at a currywurst shop by the main station. This time, I made it complete with Fanta and fries with mayo, which I actually quite like, despite my general dislike for straight-up mayo. Satisfied, I wandered back across the Spree River and, after a short break at an art exhibit (sadly, all in German) one of the government buildings, I wandered down Unter den Linden, the main street coming off Brandenburg towards the Berlin Cathedral. I stopped for a bit in a bookstore and read up a bit on Berlin's history, although I'm not sure how much I retained. Next to the cathedral (which was very pretty) was the DDR museum, an interactive museum exhibiting what life was like in the DDR. I went inside and liked it, but not extremely so, but I think I was just tired of absorbing information after a while.
By the time I left, I was craving noodles for dinner, for some reason, so I found a noodle shop nearby. The owners were Chinese, so I chatted with them for a bit before I left. I crossed the street and entered a church and was pleasantly surprised to find a free choral concert going on. It was called "Life has loveliness," and the last song they sang was Sara Teasdale's "Barter", which I sang in high school choir. Their version was different (and not as good) in my opinion, but it was still awesome. Afterwards, I wandered a bit around Nikolaiveirtl, Berlin's old center, which was kind of neat. As I was going back to the square by the church, storm clouds were quickly rolling in out of nowhere, so I called it a night and headed back early. I chatted with Nina for a bit at the hostel, and I found out she likes Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers! Haha.
Berlin is big and beautiful, and it's filled with culture and historical importance. It makes sense, given WWII happenings and especially everything with the Berlin Wall. There's so much to see--I think I definitely could have spent another day there, since there's a few things I didn't get to, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed my time there.
It started with my arrival. Whew, and I thought Munich's Hauptbahnhof was big? Berlin's is even more massive. I'm no connoissuer of train stations by any means, but I think it's now the biggest one I've been to. It hosts not only regional and international trains, but the U and S lines run through it as well. It has maybe five or six stories total and a ton of shops/eateries. It's also pretty new, so the glass architecture looks quite nice. Needless to say, I was in awe.
After getting a transport card, I headed to my hostel. It's so cute and homey! I really liked it; it might be my favorite one so far. Nina, one of the workers, was really nice, plus my room was nice and clean (and empty for most of my stay...in my four-room bed, I only had roommates my first night and last morning), and a pretty good breakfast was included! It was a buffet, and they provide sandwich materials so you can make some to take with you (which is what I did yesterday and today). My thrify side cheers. Also, the walls were decorated like in a children's home. Overall, very cute. It definitely wasn't central, but a 20-minute train ride got me there.
After dropping off my things, I went back to the city center to check out the Brandenburg Gate. It's a beautiful arch, and, as I soon learned, it has a lot of historical significance, one thing being that the Wall ran by it. (Sigh, I realized while in Berlin how little I knew about its/Germany's history, especially post-WWII...things like the Wall and the DDR >.< but I'm learning now!) Right behind the gate, there was a Mercedes Benz Fashion Week going on, so I stood outside for a bit and got to see real paparazzi in action. It was quite entertaining.
Then I walked down to the Memorial for Mudered Jews in Europe, which was pretty cool (and free!). The public part is just a bunch of stone columns of various heights, but it covers a considerable area. The info center underground provided more details about the persecution of the Jews during WWII...so terrible. It was a good memorial, though.
Afterwards, I wandered over to the Reichstag, Germany's cool-looking Parliament building, which has a huge lawn in front. There were even a few guys there practicing frisbee tricks, haha. Since it was getting late and I was getting hungry, I set off in search of currywurst, a popular German snack, but it was surprisingly hard to find a stand. I finally found one, and it was pretty tasty. Naturally, I topped off my meal with ice cream and then wandered back to the Reichstag. They told me that visits to the dome were free but required reservations, so I kept walking until I hit the House of Culture and Art, which was hosting some classy music event. Back at the Brandenburg, there was a street performer making big bubbles with a net, haha. The gate is so pretty at night! :) I also saw this fun-looking multicycle vehicle that looked like a lot of fun, but only with a big group of friends. I went back to my hostel, used the Internet, met my roommates (two girls from Latvia), and went to sleep.
The next morning, I got a sweet surprise after breakfast. When I got back to the room, my roommates were gone, but they had left a short note with their FB info plus two Latvian candies on my pillow. :) It made me smile. When I got to Brandenburg, I decided to walk through the Tiergarten to Victory Column, which was further than I thought, but still a nice walk. After seeing it, I kept wandering, got a little lost, and then found the art/culture house I saw the night before. For lunch, I stopped at a currywurst shop by the main station. This time, I made it complete with Fanta and fries with mayo, which I actually quite like, despite my general dislike for straight-up mayo. Satisfied, I wandered back across the Spree River and, after a short break at an art exhibit (sadly, all in German) one of the government buildings, I wandered down Unter den Linden, the main street coming off Brandenburg towards the Berlin Cathedral. I stopped for a bit in a bookstore and read up a bit on Berlin's history, although I'm not sure how much I retained. Next to the cathedral (which was very pretty) was the DDR museum, an interactive museum exhibiting what life was like in the DDR. I went inside and liked it, but not extremely so, but I think I was just tired of absorbing information after a while.
By the time I left, I was craving noodles for dinner, for some reason, so I found a noodle shop nearby. The owners were Chinese, so I chatted with them for a bit before I left. I crossed the street and entered a church and was pleasantly surprised to find a free choral concert going on. It was called "Life has loveliness," and the last song they sang was Sara Teasdale's "Barter", which I sang in high school choir. Their version was different (and not as good) in my opinion, but it was still awesome. Afterwards, I wandered a bit around Nikolaiveirtl, Berlin's old center, which was kind of neat. As I was going back to the square by the church, storm clouds were quickly rolling in out of nowhere, so I called it a night and headed back early. I chatted with Nina for a bit at the hostel, and I found out she likes Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers! Haha.
munich, part 3: blade night. (7/5/11)
Then came the fun part of my Munich experience: Blade Night. So all I knew about it (from reading a blurb about it on my hostel map) was that it happened every Monday night during the summer, involved rollerblading (not knives, haha), and was free. Sounds cool, right? That's what I thought, too, so I headed over around 7:30 p.m. Now, realize that I haven't rollerbladed since the good old days at Mark 6 when all of the kids skated around the complex, purely recreationally. I also hadn't seen many people rollerblading around Munich--mostly just cyclists. So what I didn't expect is exactly what I saw when I got there: tons of people just hanging out or skating around, apparently waiting for something.
It turns out that Blade Night is basically a ton of people (mostly from Munich or Germany, I'm guessing) getting together to rollerblade a certain route around the city. It's kind of a race, but not really. It's pretty intense--they block off all the streets for two hours and have a ton of "safety skaters" (that's what I call them) who skate at the back, followed by an ambulance-type vehicle. Naturally, I got pretty excited, waiting in line to rent skates...until I put them on. It was harder than I remembered to balance and move around on them (and stop, too!), so that was a bit of a surprise. I made the smart decision to also rent all of the safety equipment offered (helmet, wrist, elbows, and knee guards), which I had actually never worn, other than the helmet. I actually put on the wrist guards backwards at first, haha. I eventually got all suited up, and all that was left was to wait until 9 p.m., when the race started. I was too scared to skate at the front or the middle, so I waited until pretty much the last group to start skating. Not gonna lie, it was a little scary starting off. It didn't help that I was essentially with all the security skaters, who kept telling me to skate faster, though I tried to explain that it had been quite a while. It got a little better as I continued to skate, although I pretty much stayed near the back the entire race.
I realized that I really didn't like two things: people skating in front of me relatively close, and going downhill. In both cases, I didn't really know how to brake well, so it was a little freaky. I fell a little way into the race on one of the slight downhills, but it wasn't too bad. The route actually took us through most of northern Munich, and it was pretty cool because the sun was setting, and sometimes people who were waiting for us in their cars would honk and cheer as we passed by. :) However, I probably would have been able to enjoy the race a bit more if I hadn't been so focused on staying alive--no joke. Everyone around me seemed so smooth on their skates--people were on their phones, smoking, or even eating gelato! I felt like the noob I was, but I just wanted to finish. Most of the race went pretty well, as sweaty and thirsty and scared as I was, haha...until the end. We were actually pretty close to the finish line when we hit a downhill point, and I lost control once more. My first fall, on my butt again, wasn't too bad, but as I got up and tried to regain balance, I ran into the sidewalk and fell again, this time forward. Unfortunately, my water bottle in my purse knocked the wind out of me as I went down, so I just lay there for a few minutes, breathing deeply. The security skaters helped me back up, and two of them helped bring me down the rest of the slope, which helped enormously. After that, it was a short stretch of flat ground, and then we were done. I made it! PtL, for real.
A lot of people were still skating around, so I just sat and recovered for a bit before returning all my equipment. I decided to buy a wristband that they were selling to commemorate the night. You could exchange them for a drink, but a liter of Munich beer, which was probably high quality but not tasty to me, or a souvenir of an unforgettable night of skating with hundreds of Germans? I say the latter. :) What a great night--I felt like a champion. Now, onward to Berlin!
It turns out that Blade Night is basically a ton of people (mostly from Munich or Germany, I'm guessing) getting together to rollerblade a certain route around the city. It's kind of a race, but not really. It's pretty intense--they block off all the streets for two hours and have a ton of "safety skaters" (that's what I call them) who skate at the back, followed by an ambulance-type vehicle. Naturally, I got pretty excited, waiting in line to rent skates...until I put them on. It was harder than I remembered to balance and move around on them (and stop, too!), so that was a bit of a surprise. I made the smart decision to also rent all of the safety equipment offered (helmet, wrist, elbows, and knee guards), which I had actually never worn, other than the helmet. I actually put on the wrist guards backwards at first, haha. I eventually got all suited up, and all that was left was to wait until 9 p.m., when the race started. I was too scared to skate at the front or the middle, so I waited until pretty much the last group to start skating. Not gonna lie, it was a little scary starting off. It didn't help that I was essentially with all the security skaters, who kept telling me to skate faster, though I tried to explain that it had been quite a while. It got a little better as I continued to skate, although I pretty much stayed near the back the entire race.
I realized that I really didn't like two things: people skating in front of me relatively close, and going downhill. In both cases, I didn't really know how to brake well, so it was a little freaky. I fell a little way into the race on one of the slight downhills, but it wasn't too bad. The route actually took us through most of northern Munich, and it was pretty cool because the sun was setting, and sometimes people who were waiting for us in their cars would honk and cheer as we passed by. :) However, I probably would have been able to enjoy the race a bit more if I hadn't been so focused on staying alive--no joke. Everyone around me seemed so smooth on their skates--people were on their phones, smoking, or even eating gelato! I felt like the noob I was, but I just wanted to finish. Most of the race went pretty well, as sweaty and thirsty and scared as I was, haha...until the end. We were actually pretty close to the finish line when we hit a downhill point, and I lost control once more. My first fall, on my butt again, wasn't too bad, but as I got up and tried to regain balance, I ran into the sidewalk and fell again, this time forward. Unfortunately, my water bottle in my purse knocked the wind out of me as I went down, so I just lay there for a few minutes, breathing deeply. The security skaters helped me back up, and two of them helped bring me down the rest of the slope, which helped enormously. After that, it was a short stretch of flat ground, and then we were done. I made it! PtL, for real.
A lot of people were still skating around, so I just sat and recovered for a bit before returning all my equipment. I decided to buy a wristband that they were selling to commemorate the night. You could exchange them for a drink, but a liter of Munich beer, which was probably high quality but not tasty to me, or a souvenir of an unforgettable night of skating with hundreds of Germans? I say the latter. :) What a great night--I felt like a champion. Now, onward to Berlin!
munich, part 2 (7/5/11)
(Breaking up Munich into several parts because otherwise it would just be one GIANT post...lol)
Yesterday (Tuesday, my only full day in Munich) was a long but good day. After breakfast, I first went to the train station to check timetables, and then I took the U (the underground) for the first time to the University. From there, I wandered over into the English Garden, where I saw some of the park's "sights"--the Chinese Tower (random), a Greek-style temple, and a Japanese tea house that was closed, sadly. There was even a nudist area on one of the fields o.o But yeah, all of the open green space made me really want to play ultimate with my high school group of friends. I miss frisbee.
Afterwards, I wandered through parts of the Residence and its gardens, and at Odeonsplatz, I joined an English tour group for a bit. I really liked the tour guide. I also realized how fail my European history is...like I heard a passing tourist say to another that morning, I wish at least some was required to learn in school. Apparently, the reverse is true, as young as America is. Anyway, the tour guide talked for a bit about Nazi Germany and how the Nazis would congregate at that plaza by the thousands. We also passed an opera house (which also burned down at one point), and when the group went into a beer garden, I split. we also pased Hofbrauhaus, one of the oldest and most famous beer houses in the world. I got a falafel sandwich for lunch and wandered around the Viktualienmarkt, a big open-air market, which was fun. I took a break inside St. Peter's Church (which had a very gaudy altar, but it looked like St. Peter was at the center...hmm), and then I walked over to see the Isar River. Next to it, there's the Deutsches Museum, which focuses on science and technology, and it is giantic. Probably the biggest museum I've ever seen? Sheesh. After walking along the Isar for a bit, I came to St. Luke's Church, which had some impressive stained glass windows inside. Then I walked until I hit the Maximilaneum, which has a cool facade and name but whose function still is unknown to me. I took the tram back to Mariensplatz, the main square, to see the Glockenspiel go off at 5, but with some time to kill, I visited one of the big churches near Odeonsplatz. Its interior was filled with amazing white rococo. Around 5, I headed back to the Glockenspiel, where a decently sized crowd had already gathered, all gazing up at the church tower. It made me think of waiting for the ball to drop on New Year's Eve, haha. Apparently, the Glockenspiel is famous for its bells and moving wooden figures, which go off three times a day (at 11, 12, and 5). It was kind of cool to see the figures moving, but I personally wasn't too impressed. It's funny--I was passing another English tour group afterwards, and the guide was saying that in his opinion, the Glockenspiel is one of the top three most overrated things to see in Europe, haha.
For dinner, I got a smoked (?) fish sandwich thing that had caught my eye in the market earlier, and I'll just say that I'm glad it was pretty small and cheap. It tasted weird and pickled and not good. Sigh. You win some, you lose some--that's what I get for being adventurous (with food). I also went to look briefly at a couple more churches, as well as the Munich Cathedral, which has an alleged "devil's footprint" near the entrance. Not sure of the significance of that...
Yesterday (Tuesday, my only full day in Munich) was a long but good day. After breakfast, I first went to the train station to check timetables, and then I took the U (the underground) for the first time to the University. From there, I wandered over into the English Garden, where I saw some of the park's "sights"--the Chinese Tower (random), a Greek-style temple, and a Japanese tea house that was closed, sadly. There was even a nudist area on one of the fields o.o But yeah, all of the open green space made me really want to play ultimate with my high school group of friends. I miss frisbee.
Afterwards, I wandered through parts of the Residence and its gardens, and at Odeonsplatz, I joined an English tour group for a bit. I really liked the tour guide. I also realized how fail my European history is...like I heard a passing tourist say to another that morning, I wish at least some was required to learn in school. Apparently, the reverse is true, as young as America is. Anyway, the tour guide talked for a bit about Nazi Germany and how the Nazis would congregate at that plaza by the thousands. We also passed an opera house (which also burned down at one point), and when the group went into a beer garden, I split. we also pased Hofbrauhaus, one of the oldest and most famous beer houses in the world. I got a falafel sandwich for lunch and wandered around the Viktualienmarkt, a big open-air market, which was fun. I took a break inside St. Peter's Church (which had a very gaudy altar, but it looked like St. Peter was at the center...hmm), and then I walked over to see the Isar River. Next to it, there's the Deutsches Museum, which focuses on science and technology, and it is giantic. Probably the biggest museum I've ever seen? Sheesh. After walking along the Isar for a bit, I came to St. Luke's Church, which had some impressive stained glass windows inside. Then I walked until I hit the Maximilaneum, which has a cool facade and name but whose function still is unknown to me. I took the tram back to Mariensplatz, the main square, to see the Glockenspiel go off at 5, but with some time to kill, I visited one of the big churches near Odeonsplatz. Its interior was filled with amazing white rococo. Around 5, I headed back to the Glockenspiel, where a decently sized crowd had already gathered, all gazing up at the church tower. It made me think of waiting for the ball to drop on New Year's Eve, haha. Apparently, the Glockenspiel is famous for its bells and moving wooden figures, which go off three times a day (at 11, 12, and 5). It was kind of cool to see the figures moving, but I personally wasn't too impressed. It's funny--I was passing another English tour group afterwards, and the guide was saying that in his opinion, the Glockenspiel is one of the top three most overrated things to see in Europe, haha.
For dinner, I got a smoked (?) fish sandwich thing that had caught my eye in the market earlier, and I'll just say that I'm glad it was pretty small and cheap. It tasted weird and pickled and not good. Sigh. You win some, you lose some--that's what I get for being adventurous (with food). I also went to look briefly at a couple more churches, as well as the Munich Cathedral, which has an alleged "devil's footprint" near the entrance. Not sure of the significance of that...
munich, part 1 (7/5/11)
Geez, I barely just finished writing about Brunnenburg in here, and now I'm already almost at Berlin?! Crazy. Let's try to knock out my thoughts on my brief time in Munich before my train arrives.
So I arrived in Munich on Sunday afternoon and was overwhelmed by the train station. It is giant, and it's much bigger (or at least it seems that way) than any other station I've been to in Europe yet. It has 30+ platforms! And right as you get off the train, there's two whole stories of restaurants staring at you. It wasn't very helpful, given my hunger level, but I wanted to get to my hostel first. After getting a three-day transportation pass, I ended up taking some time to look at a series of award-winning photos on display near the entrance. The categories ranged from nature to everyday life to horrific situations--mostly leaning toward the last category. I saw glimpses of disasters that I both knew and didn't know about, going on all over the world: Pakistan, Thailand, China, the U.S.., Africa, and the Middle East. The photos were excellent, but it was also heartbreaking and even sickening to think about the things people do to each other or to themselves. Jesus, our world is more broken now than ever before. Please come back soon.
As I took the tram to my hostel, I wasn't that impressed by what I saw of Munich on the ride there. It probably didn't help that the sky was gray and we weren't in the city center, but still. I guess it also wasn't very pedestrian (at least from what I saw), which isn't the case of most cities I've been in so far, and that's a minus in my book. Anyway, I got to the Tent, my hostel, and it literally is just three big tents with a ton of bunk beds and lockers inside, haha. But it's not too bad, especially for only 10 euro a night. Plus, I'm a low-maintenance girl anyway :)
After checking in, I was really hungry, so I made the mistake of eating a pasta dinner at the hostel. It was pretty cheap, and I appreciated the veggies in it, but it was so tasteless! Boo. However, the rest of my night turned out well--on one of the hostel workers' recommendations, I went to check out the Tollwood Festival at Olympic Park, and that was a lot of fun. It was like BISA Fest meets International Fest (and Renaissance Festival a bit, even?)--just a ton of market stalls selling either food or other products from different countries. The products ranged from jewelry to house decorations to other things. There were also a lot of bars and a few big tents with performers inside. In one of the tents, there was a BISA Fest-like thing going on--different ethnic youth groups performed cultural dances, with costumes and everything. There were even three judges giving feedback. I'm not sure if there was a winner, but it was enjoyable to watch. It made me realize also that America isn't the only melting pot out there. That's probably pretty ignorant of me, but I'd never seen proof of it, I guess (other than tourists, which doesn't quite count). It's also cool to see tha tregardless of where you are, people are still fascinated by and celebrate other cultures :) yay multiculturalism! I also had a spinach pancake to make up for my tasteless pasta, and it was so good--kinda like thousand-layer pancake. So worth 5 euro. I think the novelty of eating something also enhances my enjoyment of it, so if I really am set on eating something, work up the appetite, and eat it, I'm extremely content.
Overall, the festival was a lot of fun, even by myself. Sadly, it started to rain pretty hard and get chilly after a while, so I headed back (and received grace from strangers once again in finding my tram stop!). Once I got back, I opted to just go to bed (yep, at 11 p.m.). Three blankets for the win!
So I arrived in Munich on Sunday afternoon and was overwhelmed by the train station. It is giant, and it's much bigger (or at least it seems that way) than any other station I've been to in Europe yet. It has 30+ platforms! And right as you get off the train, there's two whole stories of restaurants staring at you. It wasn't very helpful, given my hunger level, but I wanted to get to my hostel first. After getting a three-day transportation pass, I ended up taking some time to look at a series of award-winning photos on display near the entrance. The categories ranged from nature to everyday life to horrific situations--mostly leaning toward the last category. I saw glimpses of disasters that I both knew and didn't know about, going on all over the world: Pakistan, Thailand, China, the U.S.., Africa, and the Middle East. The photos were excellent, but it was also heartbreaking and even sickening to think about the things people do to each other or to themselves. Jesus, our world is more broken now than ever before. Please come back soon.
As I took the tram to my hostel, I wasn't that impressed by what I saw of Munich on the ride there. It probably didn't help that the sky was gray and we weren't in the city center, but still. I guess it also wasn't very pedestrian (at least from what I saw), which isn't the case of most cities I've been in so far, and that's a minus in my book. Anyway, I got to the Tent, my hostel, and it literally is just three big tents with a ton of bunk beds and lockers inside, haha. But it's not too bad, especially for only 10 euro a night. Plus, I'm a low-maintenance girl anyway :)
After checking in, I was really hungry, so I made the mistake of eating a pasta dinner at the hostel. It was pretty cheap, and I appreciated the veggies in it, but it was so tasteless! Boo. However, the rest of my night turned out well--on one of the hostel workers' recommendations, I went to check out the Tollwood Festival at Olympic Park, and that was a lot of fun. It was like BISA Fest meets International Fest (and Renaissance Festival a bit, even?)--just a ton of market stalls selling either food or other products from different countries. The products ranged from jewelry to house decorations to other things. There were also a lot of bars and a few big tents with performers inside. In one of the tents, there was a BISA Fest-like thing going on--different ethnic youth groups performed cultural dances, with costumes and everything. There were even three judges giving feedback. I'm not sure if there was a winner, but it was enjoyable to watch. It made me realize also that America isn't the only melting pot out there. That's probably pretty ignorant of me, but I'd never seen proof of it, I guess (other than tourists, which doesn't quite count). It's also cool to see tha tregardless of where you are, people are still fascinated by and celebrate other cultures :) yay multiculturalism! I also had a spinach pancake to make up for my tasteless pasta, and it was so good--kinda like thousand-layer pancake. So worth 5 euro. I think the novelty of eating something also enhances my enjoyment of it, so if I really am set on eating something, work up the appetite, and eat it, I'm extremely content.
Overall, the festival was a lot of fun, even by myself. Sadly, it started to rain pretty hard and get chilly after a while, so I headed back (and received grace from strangers once again in finding my tram stop!). Once I got back, I opted to just go to bed (yep, at 11 p.m.). Three blankets for the win!
afterthoughts on brunnenburg. (7/3/11)
Once again, since I'm really behind on updates, I'll be dating my entries based on when they were written. Thankfully, at least I've been keeping up in my written journal :) which is where these entries are coming from. Here we go!
--
(on the train to Munich last Sunday morning)
...that brings me to today (finally!). I was really thankful that I got to see Sizzo and Brigitte this morning on my way out and say bye to them as well. :)
Wow, I really am going to miss Brunnenburg--the people, the food, the animals, the views, everything about it--so much. I usually don't like to repeat places or experiences, but I think I would be willing to make an exception in this case, at least for a brief visit. Haha, Sizzo mentioned that I should come back as a farm hand, seeing my interest in everything farm-related, but I'll have to see. Looking back, I'm trying to think/decide if this month was indeed a learning and enriching experience, as it was supposed (and I hoped it) to e. At first, I wanted to say not really, since it wasn't my first time abroad (Argentina last year). But I think it still has been. Maybe I haven't quite surprised myself with the things I've learned, but I'd still say I've learned and grown during my month at Brunnenburg. I legitimately traveled by myself (to the castle, to Switzerland) for a decent bit of time, which I think (and hope!) helped prepare me for my travels. I did so in a land where I really didn't know either language (German or Italian), but I was able to pick up some of both and figure out how to adapt when I still didn't understand. I learned more about myself--that I can handle myself in those situations--and also more about farm life, living eco-friendly, the value of branching out and getting to know new people (aka the de Rachewiltz family)--and I'm thankful, because I think being LG coordinator last year helped me a lot in this, as well as some McD skills--the magic of afternoon tea with an extremely cultured and respectable lady, how I spend (and don't spend)--an ongoing learning process that I started in Argentina...so much more. My faith was also tested and renewed. :) God, thank You for all these things and for this opportunity in general. Thank You also that my time in Europe isn't over yet. Munich, here I come!
--
(on the train to Munich last Sunday morning)
...that brings me to today (finally!). I was really thankful that I got to see Sizzo and Brigitte this morning on my way out and say bye to them as well. :)
Wow, I really am going to miss Brunnenburg--the people, the food, the animals, the views, everything about it--so much. I usually don't like to repeat places or experiences, but I think I would be willing to make an exception in this case, at least for a brief visit. Haha, Sizzo mentioned that I should come back as a farm hand, seeing my interest in everything farm-related, but I'll have to see. Looking back, I'm trying to think/decide if this month was indeed a learning and enriching experience, as it was supposed (and I hoped it) to e. At first, I wanted to say not really, since it wasn't my first time abroad (Argentina last year). But I think it still has been. Maybe I haven't quite surprised myself with the things I've learned, but I'd still say I've learned and grown during my month at Brunnenburg. I legitimately traveled by myself (to the castle, to Switzerland) for a decent bit of time, which I think (and hope!) helped prepare me for my travels. I did so in a land where I really didn't know either language (German or Italian), but I was able to pick up some of both and figure out how to adapt when I still didn't understand. I learned more about myself--that I can handle myself in those situations--and also more about farm life, living eco-friendly, the value of branching out and getting to know new people (aka the de Rachewiltz family)--and I'm thankful, because I think being LG coordinator last year helped me a lot in this, as well as some McD skills--the magic of afternoon tea with an extremely cultured and respectable lady, how I spend (and don't spend)--an ongoing learning process that I started in Argentina...so much more. My faith was also tested and renewed. :) God, thank You for all these things and for this opportunity in general. Thank You also that my time in Europe isn't over yet. Munich, here I come!
chill day.
So. First things first--Harry Potter 7 Part 2 was AMAAAAAAAAZING. Really well done, in my opinion, and I really enjoyed the movie :) The theater ended up being completely full, but the excitement that would have been at an American theater wasn't quite there. We did see some people dressed up in costume, though I must say that they weren't the best at it...for the most part, I couldn't tell who they were trying to dress as, haha.
Secondly, the weather is still gray here in Delft and also in Amsterdam, apparently, so we decided to take today to just rest/chill in the house and in Delft and also plan for this weekend (and for next week, in my case)'s travels. Sigh, so much to research. But! I just finished booking my last hostel :) I'll be visiting six more before I go back to the U.S., haha, which seems kinda crazy. I can't believe I only have two weeks left here...better make them count, like Evonne said. :)
I'm supposed to go grab Saskia, who's semi-napping, so I guess I won't get to blog until later...? We might go visit a candy shop that she wants to go to, haha. We'll see; I'm going to make it a goal to finish updating this blog by tonight, which means lots of new and long posts! Whoo. I also get to skype with my mommy tonight :) excited!
Secondly, the weather is still gray here in Delft and also in Amsterdam, apparently, so we decided to take today to just rest/chill in the house and in Delft and also plan for this weekend (and for next week, in my case)'s travels. Sigh, so much to research. But! I just finished booking my last hostel :) I'll be visiting six more before I go back to the U.S., haha, which seems kinda crazy. I can't believe I only have two weeks left here...better make them count, like Evonne said. :)
I'm supposed to go grab Saskia, who's semi-napping, so I guess I won't get to blog until later...? We might go visit a candy shop that she wants to go to, haha. We'll see; I'm going to make it a goal to finish updating this blog by tonight, which means lots of new and long posts! Whoo. I also get to skype with my mommy tonight :) excited!
Monday, July 11, 2011
harry potter (in europe)!
So I'm currently finishing up the first Harry Potter movie before going to sleep, and it's amazing to watch a film from ten years ago and see how much things have changed. So many of the special effects are really primitive, it seems, and even more striking is how young all of the actors were. Can you believe the Harry Potter movie saga has been ten whole years? That's crazy.
What's equally or even more exciting is that in less than 24 hours, I'll be at the Pathe theater in Delft, Holland (which is the city where I currently am), watching the last Harry Potter movie! :D Ahhh, so excited. Yay for midnight premieres, hehe.
I'm currently staying at Saskia's aunt and uncle's house and super thankful for their kindness and hospitality. I hope to update either tonight or tomorrow or sometime this week before we head out to London on Friday...I'm so behind, haha XP It's been so much fun in Munich, Berlin, and Copenhagen, and we're off to see the Hague tomorrow. Wheeeeee!
What's equally or even more exciting is that in less than 24 hours, I'll be at the Pathe theater in Delft, Holland (which is the city where I currently am), watching the last Harry Potter movie! :D Ahhh, so excited. Yay for midnight premieres, hehe.
I'm currently staying at Saskia's aunt and uncle's house and super thankful for their kindness and hospitality. I hope to update either tonight or tomorrow or sometime this week before we head out to London on Friday...I'm so behind, haha XP It's been so much fun in Munich, Berlin, and Copenhagen, and we're off to see the Hague tomorrow. Wheeeeee!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
farewells to dorf tirol.
Oops, I haven't updated in a few days...here's one last post before I leave Dorf Tirol (hopefully not forever!).
Well, it's finally time to say goodbye to Schloss Brunnenburg and everything that I now associate with it--breathtaking views, funny classmates, tea with Mary, amazing food, the super friendly de Rachewiltz family, farm animals (including Dino the dangerous one), and so much more. I've had such an amazing, unforgettable month here, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be able to be here. There really is something magical about this place. :) There's probably much more I could say about my experience/time here, but we'll see if I get time to add that in somewhere.
The past few days have been a lot of fun. Our last day of class was really easy (our quiz was an evaluation, yay!), and our last lunch with Brigitte's cooking and Frank's dessert was delicious as always. The weather that afternoon (which has continued over the past couple of days) was calling me to come outside, it was so beautiful. I ended up hiking up to Vellau, a scenic overlook a little way away from here, which took about three hours round trip. I got back just in time to join the rest of the bunch for dinner at Lindenwirt, our staple restaurant (lol), after which we headed to Lana with a few Tirolean girls that Kayla and Lauren had met earlier in the trip. They had a fun and bustling main street with live music and food (they had funnel cake, called strauben...yum!), where we hung out until later in the evening, when we went to a discoteca and danced the night away. Thank goodness for the shuttle that took us back!
It was a nice feeling to sleep in yesterday. Half of our group left in early afternoon, so we spent the first half of our day seeing people off. The four of us who were still remaining went to tea with Mary, which was fun as always. Afterwards, we went with Frank down to Merano's botanical garden, which was beautiful and big and a lot of fun. They had a museum about waiters, as well as a ton of flowers and scenic hiking trails. We climbed up to a couple of viewing balconies, visited the aviary (where one of the birds took a great liking to my hair, haha), and just marveled at the natural beauty :) We had a late dinner in Merano, and then...we had to hike back up to the castle >.< But it's all good--we made it back not TERRIBLY late, haha.
Today was a good last day :) In the morning, Frank took us up to Sammy's ice cream shop (which has the most delicious handmade gelato!), and we went grocery shopping. After lunch, we went around with Frank and said goodbye to all the animals. Our last tea with Mary was a delight once again (and I sang "Da Hai a Gu Xiang" to her! Fun stuff :D hehe). For dinner, Dr. Redman very kindly set up a pasta dinner for us with everyone who was left at the castle. I'm so glad I stayed! It was a lot of fun and deliciousness and good conversation. :) I'm going to miss everyone a lot. Maaaaaaan...leaving never gets easy, does it?
Alright, time to finish packing and sleep. Off to Munich tomorrow!
Well, it's finally time to say goodbye to Schloss Brunnenburg and everything that I now associate with it--breathtaking views, funny classmates, tea with Mary, amazing food, the super friendly de Rachewiltz family, farm animals (including Dino the dangerous one), and so much more. I've had such an amazing, unforgettable month here, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be able to be here. There really is something magical about this place. :) There's probably much more I could say about my experience/time here, but we'll see if I get time to add that in somewhere.
The past few days have been a lot of fun. Our last day of class was really easy (our quiz was an evaluation, yay!), and our last lunch with Brigitte's cooking and Frank's dessert was delicious as always. The weather that afternoon (which has continued over the past couple of days) was calling me to come outside, it was so beautiful. I ended up hiking up to Vellau, a scenic overlook a little way away from here, which took about three hours round trip. I got back just in time to join the rest of the bunch for dinner at Lindenwirt, our staple restaurant (lol), after which we headed to Lana with a few Tirolean girls that Kayla and Lauren had met earlier in the trip. They had a fun and bustling main street with live music and food (they had funnel cake, called strauben...yum!), where we hung out until later in the evening, when we went to a discoteca and danced the night away. Thank goodness for the shuttle that took us back!
It was a nice feeling to sleep in yesterday. Half of our group left in early afternoon, so we spent the first half of our day seeing people off. The four of us who were still remaining went to tea with Mary, which was fun as always. Afterwards, we went with Frank down to Merano's botanical garden, which was beautiful and big and a lot of fun. They had a museum about waiters, as well as a ton of flowers and scenic hiking trails. We climbed up to a couple of viewing balconies, visited the aviary (where one of the birds took a great liking to my hair, haha), and just marveled at the natural beauty :) We had a late dinner in Merano, and then...we had to hike back up to the castle >.< But it's all good--we made it back not TERRIBLY late, haha.
Today was a good last day :) In the morning, Frank took us up to Sammy's ice cream shop (which has the most delicious handmade gelato!), and we went grocery shopping. After lunch, we went around with Frank and said goodbye to all the animals. Our last tea with Mary was a delight once again (and I sang "Da Hai a Gu Xiang" to her! Fun stuff :D hehe). For dinner, Dr. Redman very kindly set up a pasta dinner for us with everyone who was left at the castle. I'm so glad I stayed! It was a lot of fun and deliciousness and good conversation. :) I'm going to miss everyone a lot. Maaaaaaan...leaving never gets easy, does it?
Alright, time to finish packing and sleep. Off to Munich tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
pruning vines.
The Vine and the Branches (John 15)
"Jesus said, 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.'"
It's been a little while since I've thought about this passage, but today, I got the cool opportunity to experience this firsthand, and it immediately came to mind. :) After lunch today, Jon and I went to help Frank with his chores (out of boredom). We got to go play with the pigs for a bit and feed them peanuts, and then I went with Frank to go trim the vineyard. As I clipped off the tops of the vines, I thought of John 15 and how it really is crucial to our spiritual health to stay rooted and abiding in the true vine, Jesus. Without Him, I can't bear a single fragment of fruit. It also reminded me of discipline and the beauty of being pruned and molded for my sanctification and for the glory of God. Every time I go through a trial, it is God pruning me, cutting off the bad and unnecessary parts of my life (though I may try to hold tight onto them) so that I can bear even more fruit for Him. Praise God :)
I also got to eat a fresh duck egg for dinner (!), thanks to Frank, hehe :) Since then, it's been a pretty chill night, since our last day of class is tomorrow...insanity. The rain has started outside, so we're all just hanging out in the croft, belting Disney and Queen at the tops of our voices. I played my first chess game in probably over a decade (and beat Jon!), so that was fun. I'm going to miss chilling with these funny people.
"Jesus said, 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.'"
It's been a little while since I've thought about this passage, but today, I got the cool opportunity to experience this firsthand, and it immediately came to mind. :) After lunch today, Jon and I went to help Frank with his chores (out of boredom). We got to go play with the pigs for a bit and feed them peanuts, and then I went with Frank to go trim the vineyard. As I clipped off the tops of the vines, I thought of John 15 and how it really is crucial to our spiritual health to stay rooted and abiding in the true vine, Jesus. Without Him, I can't bear a single fragment of fruit. It also reminded me of discipline and the beauty of being pruned and molded for my sanctification and for the glory of God. Every time I go through a trial, it is God pruning me, cutting off the bad and unnecessary parts of my life (though I may try to hold tight onto them) so that I can bear even more fruit for Him. Praise God :)
I also got to eat a fresh duck egg for dinner (!), thanks to Frank, hehe :) Since then, it's been a pretty chill night, since our last day of class is tomorrow...insanity. The rain has started outside, so we're all just hanging out in the croft, belting Disney and Queen at the tops of our voices. I played my first chess game in probably over a decade (and beat Jon!), so that was fun. I'm going to miss chilling with these funny people.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
tell me where is fancy bred (6/28/11)
That's the name of the song (in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice") that I sang tonight at the performance get-together with Mary. I was actually more nervous than I expected, and my voice wavered a bit, but I think it went well, thankfully. Either way, it only lasted a minute or so, haha. We also heard from Josh (I really liked his short story, "The Bald"), Grace, Jason, and Ted...and Mary too, of course! I love listening to her talk. Before the get-together, I also got to go up to Ted's apartment/balcony and just chat with him for a bit, so that was fun.
After we finished performing, we got to just mingle and then watch a super-old BBC film on Ezra Pound, which was pretty neat. On the way up to Mary's apartment to help drop stuff off, she talked to me a little about her fascination with Chinese, and I realized how thankful I should be that I know as much as I do know (which is pretty limited, especially in reading/writing, but still). I really like Mary :) She's brilliant.
For reasons not completely known, but mostly related to the get-together, I felt really giddy afterwards and skipped back to the croft. Hehe.
On another note, I really want to read Dante's Inferno now...just need to get my hands on a copy of it. Bedtime!
After we finished performing, we got to just mingle and then watch a super-old BBC film on Ezra Pound, which was pretty neat. On the way up to Mary's apartment to help drop stuff off, she talked to me a little about her fascination with Chinese, and I realized how thankful I should be that I know as much as I do know (which is pretty limited, especially in reading/writing, but still). I really like Mary :) She's brilliant.
For reasons not completely known, but mostly related to the get-together, I felt really giddy afterwards and skipped back to the croft. Hehe.
On another note, I really want to read Dante's Inferno now...just need to get my hands on a copy of it. Bedtime!
sunshine and countdowns (6/28/11)
Whoo, a live update for once! Haha. I've just been spending the last few hours online because it's gotten so sunny and hot the past couple of days, which means going outside before 6 or 7 p.m. is really hot...(even though that's what I did yesterday, haha.)
After lunch yesterday (which may have been the best lunch we've ever had here: potatoes, home-grown pork, and lemon tart for dessert...although today's rivaled it: polenta and cabbage strudel with organic mirabellas and golden watermelon for dessert!), I decided to go on a hike because I was just that full >.< unfortunately, Schloss Tirol is closed for the next few days (not sure why), so I ended up visiting St. Peter's, a small, old church just up the hill, which was quiet and nice. It had very faded frescoes and funny chairs, haha. On the way back, just before I got back to the castle, I saw a sign for a hiking trail and indulged...I think I ended up hiking more than halfway down to Merano, haha. It was pretty fun, but I had to get back to drink water, since I hadn't brought any with me.
After eating some cereal as an early dinner, I met up with Brigitte and went with her to walk the pigs. It was a lot of fun :) They really do fall over when you scratch their tummies! Hehe, so cute. We just walked around and let them run around and graze. Jako, the little black lamb, also joined us. Yay for animals :) It was really nice and breezy down in that area. Afterwards, I just hung out with the other students in the kitchen, where things got a little crazy...so I just went to the vineyard for a bit for some quiet time and praise songs. :)
Today has been pretty uneventful, too, other than getting to talk to Brigitte a bit after lunch again. I always love talking to her, and I'm glad I've been making the effort to get to know the people who live here at the castle. They're so nice and talkative, especially Brigitte and India (who's gone for now). I'm hoping to get to hike with Brigitte sometime this week to go see her donkeys :) We'll see! Tonight, we have a small art show-type thing going on at 7 p.m., sponsored by Mary, where some of us will be either singing or reciting or reading short original works. I may be singing "Tell Me Where is Fancy Bred" from Merchant of Venice...! I guess Shakespeare in Song from Chamber Singers did come in handy after all XP
After lunch yesterday (which may have been the best lunch we've ever had here: potatoes, home-grown pork, and lemon tart for dessert...although today's rivaled it: polenta and cabbage strudel with organic mirabellas and golden watermelon for dessert!), I decided to go on a hike because I was just that full >.< unfortunately, Schloss Tirol is closed for the next few days (not sure why), so I ended up visiting St. Peter's, a small, old church just up the hill, which was quiet and nice. It had very faded frescoes and funny chairs, haha. On the way back, just before I got back to the castle, I saw a sign for a hiking trail and indulged...I think I ended up hiking more than halfway down to Merano, haha. It was pretty fun, but I had to get back to drink water, since I hadn't brought any with me.
After eating some cereal as an early dinner, I met up with Brigitte and went with her to walk the pigs. It was a lot of fun :) They really do fall over when you scratch their tummies! Hehe, so cute. We just walked around and let them run around and graze. Jako, the little black lamb, also joined us. Yay for animals :) It was really nice and breezy down in that area. Afterwards, I just hung out with the other students in the kitchen, where things got a little crazy...so I just went to the vineyard for a bit for some quiet time and praise songs. :)
Today has been pretty uneventful, too, other than getting to talk to Brigitte a bit after lunch again. I always love talking to her, and I'm glad I've been making the effort to get to know the people who live here at the castle. They're so nice and talkative, especially Brigitte and India (who's gone for now). I'm hoping to get to hike with Brigitte sometime this week to go see her donkeys :) We'll see! Tonight, we have a small art show-type thing going on at 7 p.m., sponsored by Mary, where some of us will be either singing or reciting or reading short original works. I may be singing "Tell Me Where is Fancy Bred" from Merchant of Venice...! I guess Shakespeare in Song from Chamber Singers did come in handy after all XP
one more week (6/26/11)
Wow, it's my last full Sunday here! I can't believe we only have one week left at the castle...crazy how quickly time flies.
Today was pretty chill; I woke up early to send Apeksha to the airport, and then we all headed back to the castle (and had delicious kebabs for lunch!). We got back in time for tea with Mary, which was delightful and yummy, and I really liked not having surprise guests that I don't know, which happened last time.
Man, Shakespeare is such a genius. We're reading The Merchant of Venice for class, and I'm loving it. I also just got done skyping with my mom and sister, yay! :) I always love doing that. Alright, goodnight! Time to finish my travel journal for class.
Today was pretty chill; I woke up early to send Apeksha to the airport, and then we all headed back to the castle (and had delicious kebabs for lunch!). We got back in time for tea with Mary, which was delightful and yummy, and I really liked not having surprise guests that I don't know, which happened last time.
Man, Shakespeare is such a genius. We're reading The Merchant of Venice for class, and I'm loving it. I also just got done skyping with my mom and sister, yay! :) I always love doing that. Alright, goodnight! Time to finish my travel journal for class.
la biennale (6/25/11)
Today was our last full day in Venice, and it was well-spent at the Biennale. Man, words can't describe how awesome and thought-provoking all the things I saw today were! I really loved the Biennale--it's like a world expo of modern art exhibits. I have so many brochures from all the pavilions I visited...haha. Every pavilion was so unique, not just in its content, but even in its architecture; every pavilion is built differently, which is pretty nifty.
At the Giardini (Gardens), we saw Spain (which was really weird and hard to understand--not the best one to see first, haha), Belgium, the main Illuminations pavilion, Israel, USA, Sweden, Denmark, France, Czechoslovakia, UK, Venice, Egypt, Austria, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Venezuela, Russia, and Switzerland. So much cool stuff! Man, I can't even describe all o fthem...The main pavilion had some cool things, both to do with light and not. Israel's was called "One man's floor is another man's feelings" and focused on the artist's attempt to build a salt bridge on the Dead Sea. Denmark's was really neat, focusing on free speech. The USA pavilion had a weird ATM-organ which was pretty amusing. I don't think I saw any (other than Spain) that I didn't really like. Ahh...I can't describe it all. It was cool, though, to see so many international things, and it reminded me of a lot of things that happened worldwide this past year, like the miners in Chile, the tsunami in Japan, and the riots in Egypt. What a sad state our world is in today =\
I also went to the Arsenale and saw some more pavilions: Iraq, Bangladesh, China, Italy, Chile, and then a whole line of India, Argentina, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, and UAE. Those were also pretty neat, and I also checked out their gift shop and spent some time reading a guidebook for Houston, of all places XP It's always fun to read an outsider's view on your hometown, in my opinion, haha.
We all met back together at St. Mark's and had dinner in Campo Santa Margherita. I tried calf liver with polenta, Venetian style, and it was pretty good. Not my absolute favorite, but worth trying for sure. We briefly visited the Lido again before coming back to the campo and hanging out at a pub.
It's been a wonderful, amazing, and fun three days in Venice. Every day was so different and so full of new things, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend our time. I love that feeling :) and I love Venice! I think it's my favorite city in Europe so far...there's just something magical about the water.
At the Giardini (Gardens), we saw Spain (which was really weird and hard to understand--not the best one to see first, haha), Belgium, the main Illuminations pavilion, Israel, USA, Sweden, Denmark, France, Czechoslovakia, UK, Venice, Egypt, Austria, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Venezuela, Russia, and Switzerland. So much cool stuff! Man, I can't even describe all o fthem...The main pavilion had some cool things, both to do with light and not. Israel's was called "One man's floor is another man's feelings" and focused on the artist's attempt to build a salt bridge on the Dead Sea. Denmark's was really neat, focusing on free speech. The USA pavilion had a weird ATM-organ which was pretty amusing. I don't think I saw any (other than Spain) that I didn't really like. Ahh...I can't describe it all. It was cool, though, to see so many international things, and it reminded me of a lot of things that happened worldwide this past year, like the miners in Chile, the tsunami in Japan, and the riots in Egypt. What a sad state our world is in today =\
I also went to the Arsenale and saw some more pavilions: Iraq, Bangladesh, China, Italy, Chile, and then a whole line of India, Argentina, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, and UAE. Those were also pretty neat, and I also checked out their gift shop and spent some time reading a guidebook for Houston, of all places XP It's always fun to read an outsider's view on your hometown, in my opinion, haha.
We all met back together at St. Mark's and had dinner in Campo Santa Margherita. I tried calf liver with polenta, Venetian style, and it was pretty good. Not my absolute favorite, but worth trying for sure. We briefly visited the Lido again before coming back to the campo and hanging out at a pub.
It's been a wonderful, amazing, and fun three days in Venice. Every day was so different and so full of new things, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend our time. I love that feeling :) and I love Venice! I think it's my favorite city in Europe so far...there's just something magical about the water.
island-hopping (6/24/11)
Today was another amazing day, and the weather could not have been more perfect. We went island-hopping today and hit up pretty much every island with anything interesting on it. Go us!
We started the day off by going to Murano (which I'd been to before), the glass-blowing island. I'll admit, the glass-blowing show we saw today was better than the one I saw the first time, so that was nice. We spent a little while wandering and seeing the glass shops, and then we grabbed a quick lunch (and gelato--Apeksha's first time!) before getting on another vaporetto to Burano, which is known for its lace. The lace merchandise (especially the parasols) were nice, but what I liked more were the colorful buildings all around the island. It reminded me of La Boca in Buenos Aires :) The clouds in the sky provided good shade but didn't rain down on us, which was perfect, and we just sat by the water for a while.
Next up was Torcello, the oldest island in Venice. It had such a relaxing atmosphere, and we all loved it. Everything was just very simple and unadorned, but it was nice that way. We saw Ponte di Diavolo (Devil's Bridge), so nicknamed because it lacks railings on either side, as well as the church, which was very simple and good for meditating and praying. It reminded us of a chapel we visited in Santa Fe last year in its tranquility and simplicity. Afterwards, we found a spot by the water and just sunbathed for a while. Summer perfection :)
Then, we went to San Michele, the island cemetery. We found the graves of Stravinsky, Brodsky, Pound, and Rudge, which were interesting to see. The cemetery itself was pretty big, and it reminded me of Recoleta in Argentina (lol, so many reminders of Argentina!). I never quite know how to feel when I'm at a cemetery...sad? Meditative? I guess a combination of the two.
Our last island of the day was the Lido, known as the resort island of Venice, and it lives up to its name. The beach there is really pretty, and we played in the ocean for a bit. We headed back to the other side of the island (and grabbed a big pizza on the way, as well as these fried rice balls called arancini siciliani) to eat and watch the sun set over Venice. It was breathtakingly beautiful. :) The night got even better when some live jazz music started playing at a nearby restaurant, and we started to swing dance, by the water, without a care in the world. It was a really awesome feeling of pure, innocent joy :)
On the way back to San Marco, we belted out Disney songs on the vaporetto, which was fun X) Instead of taking the vaporetto back to Piazzale Roma, we opted to walk back instead...it was a lot of fun. The streets of Venice are pretty dark and extremely quiet at night, except at the restaurants, but I never felt the slightest hint of danger. It was a really cool feeling :) Great day!
We started the day off by going to Murano (which I'd been to before), the glass-blowing island. I'll admit, the glass-blowing show we saw today was better than the one I saw the first time, so that was nice. We spent a little while wandering and seeing the glass shops, and then we grabbed a quick lunch (and gelato--Apeksha's first time!) before getting on another vaporetto to Burano, which is known for its lace. The lace merchandise (especially the parasols) were nice, but what I liked more were the colorful buildings all around the island. It reminded me of La Boca in Buenos Aires :) The clouds in the sky provided good shade but didn't rain down on us, which was perfect, and we just sat by the water for a while.
Next up was Torcello, the oldest island in Venice. It had such a relaxing atmosphere, and we all loved it. Everything was just very simple and unadorned, but it was nice that way. We saw Ponte di Diavolo (Devil's Bridge), so nicknamed because it lacks railings on either side, as well as the church, which was very simple and good for meditating and praying. It reminded us of a chapel we visited in Santa Fe last year in its tranquility and simplicity. Afterwards, we found a spot by the water and just sunbathed for a while. Summer perfection :)
Then, we went to San Michele, the island cemetery. We found the graves of Stravinsky, Brodsky, Pound, and Rudge, which were interesting to see. The cemetery itself was pretty big, and it reminded me of Recoleta in Argentina (lol, so many reminders of Argentina!). I never quite know how to feel when I'm at a cemetery...sad? Meditative? I guess a combination of the two.
Our last island of the day was the Lido, known as the resort island of Venice, and it lives up to its name. The beach there is really pretty, and we played in the ocean for a bit. We headed back to the other side of the island (and grabbed a big pizza on the way, as well as these fried rice balls called arancini siciliani) to eat and watch the sun set over Venice. It was breathtakingly beautiful. :) The night got even better when some live jazz music started playing at a nearby restaurant, and we started to swing dance, by the water, without a care in the world. It was a really awesome feeling of pure, innocent joy :)
On the way back to San Marco, we belted out Disney songs on the vaporetto, which was fun X) Instead of taking the vaporetto back to Piazzale Roma, we opted to walk back instead...it was a lot of fun. The streets of Venice are pretty dark and extremely quiet at night, except at the restaurants, but I never felt the slightest hint of danger. It was a really cool feeling :) Great day!
venice from the ground up (6/23/11)
(Sorry, I'm not too creative with my post titles, as you can tell. That's actually the name of one of the books we had to read for class...it was our least favorite, by far.)
Today was our first full day in Venice together (not my first time, but first time with friends), and what a fun and full (and pricey =\) day it was! It's so different being here with family instead of friends, and I wish my family would have gotten to do some of the things we're doing, but I had a lot of fun with them, too :) what a blessing to be able to come here twice in one month...I'm well aware of it.
Paying for the hotel this morning was like going to the ATM, haha--I paid for all five of us that booked in a group, and everyone paid me cash. Whoo! It was well-needed, too, since we all spent a decent amount of money today. Oh, Venice. Thankfully, there is a shuttle that takes us to the island (since we're staying on the mainland), and it's included in the 3-day transportation pass we bought. We got to Piazzale Roma, split up, and the group I was with (Apeksha, Josh, Grace, and Sachin) walked to the Rialto Market and Bridge (and got gelato on the way! :) I tried walnut and fig...pretty tasty, actually), and then we got to St. Mark's Square not long after. The basilica was pretty the second time around, with all of its gold mosaics, and then we visited the Doge's Palace. It really is pretty awesome to see in person paintings and buildings that you've been learning about in class for the past month :) I especially enjoyed seeing Tintoretto's "Paradise" (which is giant!), which was in the Hall of the Grand Council, one of the largest meeting rooms in Europe--beast! I also liked these globes that would be in pairs--one depicting earth, one depicting the heavens--those were pretty interesting. Apeksha and I lost the other three somewhere along the way and just stuck together. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs and saw the prisons on the other side. Nifty stuff! It reminded me of when I went to visit Alcatraz with my mom and sister back in high school. It was kinda eerie but cool.
So, I got to spend the whole afternoon with Apeksha :) which was awesome. We visited the Correr Museum, which had some cool artwork, and wandered away from the plaza on a quest to find La Fenice, the opera house that we read about in one of our books. We ended up seeing the back side first, and it was just so peaceful and pretty and quiet. Soon after, we saw a whole bunch of gondolas pass through (and one of the gondoliers called out to us, "Ciao, baby!" to our amusement), and then we went around to find the front. We were debating for a little while whether or not to go in, but we decided to in the end--probably one of the best decisions we made today. It is such a beautifully decorated opera house (and keep in mind, this is after two fires), and as we were walking around, listening to the audio tour, we stumbled upon a group rehearsal in the theater, and we got to sit in and listen (in the royal box! So awesome). It was a choir rehearsal, accompanied by piano and harpsichord, and it was really pretty--the music fit the mood perfectly. It was funny, too, because everyone on stage was just in their normal clothes, so they weren't matching. It reminded me of my choir days. Good times :) The Apollo Rooms (used for socializing before, during, and after the operas) were really pretty as well, especially the ballroom. We walked down the red carpet stairs like rock stars. :)
Afterwards, we wandered into Dorsoduro, passed by the Accademia (which, after hearing from Sachin, I'm glad we opted not to visit), and we found San Trevaso, the only remaining gondola repair shop in the city. Too bad it was already closed for the day. By then, it was almost dinner time, so we went on another quest to find Al Cugnai, which had been recommended to me by Mary, for dinner. We found it, but it wasn't open yet, so then we went to try and find gelato for Apeksha, which failed because Dorsoduro really is a very residential area of Venice. Once it opened for dinner, we went back and ate (it was kinda pricey, but worth it!). I ordered monkfish (again on Mary's recommendation), which was really tasty. You can only eat the tail (which I didn't know), since the rest of the body is poisonous. Crazy!
Then it was time to head back to St. Mark's, where we had bought tickets for a Vivaldi concert at 8:30. On the way, we saw the Music Museum (how fitting, right?), and it had a lot of string instruments, and even a violin-making exhibit :) cool stuff! The concert was really good--Vivaldi/the Four Seasons live is so much better than iTunes. I think because I'm more of a visual person than aural, seeing and listening to music helps me absorb and experience it a lot better than just listening. The solo violinist for the "Four Seasons" was really good, and he was super into the performance. His energy really drove the performance, even though he looked like a snob sometimes with this big grin he'd get on his face after a really hard solo part, haha.
By the time the concert ended (after two encores!), the sky was dark, so we hung out for a bit in St. Mark's before taking a crowded vaporetto back to Piazzale Roma, from where we took the bus back to our hotel. Apeksha bought profiteroles from the pizzeria, which are pretty tasty. Bedtime!
Today was our first full day in Venice together (not my first time, but first time with friends), and what a fun and full (and pricey =\) day it was! It's so different being here with family instead of friends, and I wish my family would have gotten to do some of the things we're doing, but I had a lot of fun with them, too :) what a blessing to be able to come here twice in one month...I'm well aware of it.
Paying for the hotel this morning was like going to the ATM, haha--I paid for all five of us that booked in a group, and everyone paid me cash. Whoo! It was well-needed, too, since we all spent a decent amount of money today. Oh, Venice. Thankfully, there is a shuttle that takes us to the island (since we're staying on the mainland), and it's included in the 3-day transportation pass we bought. We got to Piazzale Roma, split up, and the group I was with (Apeksha, Josh, Grace, and Sachin) walked to the Rialto Market and Bridge (and got gelato on the way! :) I tried walnut and fig...pretty tasty, actually), and then we got to St. Mark's Square not long after. The basilica was pretty the second time around, with all of its gold mosaics, and then we visited the Doge's Palace. It really is pretty awesome to see in person paintings and buildings that you've been learning about in class for the past month :) I especially enjoyed seeing Tintoretto's "Paradise" (which is giant!), which was in the Hall of the Grand Council, one of the largest meeting rooms in Europe--beast! I also liked these globes that would be in pairs--one depicting earth, one depicting the heavens--those were pretty interesting. Apeksha and I lost the other three somewhere along the way and just stuck together. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs and saw the prisons on the other side. Nifty stuff! It reminded me of when I went to visit Alcatraz with my mom and sister back in high school. It was kinda eerie but cool.
So, I got to spend the whole afternoon with Apeksha :) which was awesome. We visited the Correr Museum, which had some cool artwork, and wandered away from the plaza on a quest to find La Fenice, the opera house that we read about in one of our books. We ended up seeing the back side first, and it was just so peaceful and pretty and quiet. Soon after, we saw a whole bunch of gondolas pass through (and one of the gondoliers called out to us, "Ciao, baby!" to our amusement), and then we went around to find the front. We were debating for a little while whether or not to go in, but we decided to in the end--probably one of the best decisions we made today. It is such a beautifully decorated opera house (and keep in mind, this is after two fires), and as we were walking around, listening to the audio tour, we stumbled upon a group rehearsal in the theater, and we got to sit in and listen (in the royal box! So awesome). It was a choir rehearsal, accompanied by piano and harpsichord, and it was really pretty--the music fit the mood perfectly. It was funny, too, because everyone on stage was just in their normal clothes, so they weren't matching. It reminded me of my choir days. Good times :) The Apollo Rooms (used for socializing before, during, and after the operas) were really pretty as well, especially the ballroom. We walked down the red carpet stairs like rock stars. :)
Afterwards, we wandered into Dorsoduro, passed by the Accademia (which, after hearing from Sachin, I'm glad we opted not to visit), and we found San Trevaso, the only remaining gondola repair shop in the city. Too bad it was already closed for the day. By then, it was almost dinner time, so we went on another quest to find Al Cugnai, which had been recommended to me by Mary, for dinner. We found it, but it wasn't open yet, so then we went to try and find gelato for Apeksha, which failed because Dorsoduro really is a very residential area of Venice. Once it opened for dinner, we went back and ate (it was kinda pricey, but worth it!). I ordered monkfish (again on Mary's recommendation), which was really tasty. You can only eat the tail (which I didn't know), since the rest of the body is poisonous. Crazy!
Then it was time to head back to St. Mark's, where we had bought tickets for a Vivaldi concert at 8:30. On the way, we saw the Music Museum (how fitting, right?), and it had a lot of string instruments, and even a violin-making exhibit :) cool stuff! The concert was really good--Vivaldi/the Four Seasons live is so much better than iTunes. I think because I'm more of a visual person than aural, seeing and listening to music helps me absorb and experience it a lot better than just listening. The solo violinist for the "Four Seasons" was really good, and he was super into the performance. His energy really drove the performance, even though he looked like a snob sometimes with this big grin he'd get on his face after a really hard solo part, haha.
By the time the concert ended (after two encores!), the sky was dark, so we hung out for a bit in St. Mark's before taking a crowded vaporetto back to Piazzale Roma, from where we took the bus back to our hotel. Apeksha bought profiteroles from the pizzeria, which are pretty tasty. Bedtime!
back in venice! (6/22/11)
I'm back in Venice! And so happy to be here. Although I must say, it was quite an adventure just to get here. I like our hotel--it's nice and wasn't too expensive. Whoohoo!
Today, after lunch (and after saying bye to India! since she and Nick are on vacation these next couple of weeks), it was time to head down to Merano. The problem was, it had begun pouring right after lunch, but we didn't know how long it would last, so we set out...and immediately got drenched, pretty much. By the time we got on the bus to Merano, my sneakers were sloshy and my jeans were stuck to my legs. Awesome.
Even better, our bus broke down on the way to Merano--but luckily, another bus came by soon after and took us all to the train station. Once we got to Bolzano, we booked tickets to Venice, but what we didn't realize until after we were almost at Verona was that the ticket people had made a mistake in booking our reservations, and they had given most of us an impossible connection--we were supposed to catch a 6:30 train to Venice, but our train didn't get to Verona until 7 p.m.! Craziness. Refusing to be deterred, I hopped on the 7:05 train to Venice with the few who did have correct reservations (yay for rail passes! and no guarantee of ticket checks XP), and I got to Mestre just fine. Besides, I had to pick up Apeksha from the airport, and I didn't want her to wait there by herself for too long. Thankfully, the bus to the airport was easy to find, and there she was when I got there! It was so good to see her :) Best roommate ever. We didn't have too much trouble getting to the hotel from the station, and then we joined everyone else who was grabbing late-night pizza, and now here we are. Tomorrow, the real adventure starts! :D
Today, after lunch (and after saying bye to India! since she and Nick are on vacation these next couple of weeks), it was time to head down to Merano. The problem was, it had begun pouring right after lunch, but we didn't know how long it would last, so we set out...and immediately got drenched, pretty much. By the time we got on the bus to Merano, my sneakers were sloshy and my jeans were stuck to my legs. Awesome.
Even better, our bus broke down on the way to Merano--but luckily, another bus came by soon after and took us all to the train station. Once we got to Bolzano, we booked tickets to Venice, but what we didn't realize until after we were almost at Verona was that the ticket people had made a mistake in booking our reservations, and they had given most of us an impossible connection--we were supposed to catch a 6:30 train to Venice, but our train didn't get to Verona until 7 p.m.! Craziness. Refusing to be deterred, I hopped on the 7:05 train to Venice with the few who did have correct reservations (yay for rail passes! and no guarantee of ticket checks XP), and I got to Mestre just fine. Besides, I had to pick up Apeksha from the airport, and I didn't want her to wait there by herself for too long. Thankfully, the bus to the airport was easy to find, and there she was when I got there! It was so good to see her :) Best roommate ever. We didn't have too much trouble getting to the hotel from the station, and then we joined everyone else who was grabbing late-night pizza, and now here we are. Tomorrow, the real adventure starts! :D
Sunday, June 26, 2011
texas in tirol (6/21/11)
Well, the Internet is down for now, probably due to the fact that it's pouring pretty hard outside, so I'll just record this for now and then go to sleep. It's actually causing the ceiling to leak in our upstairs bathroom, so hopefully that doesn't cause too much trouble...
Today was a pretty good day. Between class and lunch, I went down to visit the goats and piglets, and it was fun just to pet them and watch them play around with each other. :) Lunch was a hearty, cheesy pasta followed by fruit salad, and then it was time to make chili for our "Texas in Tirol" dinner. We were assigned shifts (except I was talking to Brigitte while this happened, so I didn't sign up for one, haha), so I helped with chopping bell peppers and onions for the first shift. Afterwards, I found Ted, the professor from St. Andrews, sitting outside, and I chatted with him a bit. The weather was pretty nice, so I was trying to decide whether or not to go for a short hike, but then the guinea fowls were trying to escape from the front gate, so I just stayed and wasted a couple of hours online (but I did upload photos, yay!).
Before I knew it, it was around 7 p.m., so I went to the kitchen to see how things were going. Most people were there, and there was a chess game going on (it seems to have gotten really popular among us in the past week; now I'm wanting to play someone! I probably will only play Jon, since he's not very good, and I'm pretty sure anything I learned from 10+ years ago at summer camp, other than the rules, has long gone out the windows of my brain. Anyway...). The chili (two pots, vegetarian and meat) was done, so we were just waiting around for all of the guests. I ended up getting to sit at a table with Mary, India, Nick, and Brigitte (and Monica, Matt, and Jason), so that was pretty entertaining and interesting. We ended the meal with Mexican hot chocolate, courtesy of Grace, which tasted mostly like hot chocolate, but it's still yummy. Cleaning up wasn't too bad, and we got to see Dr. Redman's chess skills in action as he played Greg, who's also pretty good. Dr. Redman still won, but it was a good game. Chess is so intense!
After Sachin and I finished cleaning up, we saw a lot of lightning on the way back to the croft, so we detoured to the balcony outside of our classroom, where we watched the lightning light up the sky and mountains in the distance. Lightning really is God's most beautiful natural light show :) It reminded me of when my mom and I were driving back from Dallas this past May, and we saw a TON of lightning (it actually scared my mom a good bit). I thought it was awesome, haha. Anyway, the night was quiet and calm, and we just sat and watched the lightning in awe. So beautiful :) However, I think our whispers carried to Dr. Redman's apartment, which was right there, so we left pretty soon after (and good thing, too, since it started pouring soon after!)...and now here I am. Bedtime!
Today was a pretty good day. Between class and lunch, I went down to visit the goats and piglets, and it was fun just to pet them and watch them play around with each other. :) Lunch was a hearty, cheesy pasta followed by fruit salad, and then it was time to make chili for our "Texas in Tirol" dinner. We were assigned shifts (except I was talking to Brigitte while this happened, so I didn't sign up for one, haha), so I helped with chopping bell peppers and onions for the first shift. Afterwards, I found Ted, the professor from St. Andrews, sitting outside, and I chatted with him a bit. The weather was pretty nice, so I was trying to decide whether or not to go for a short hike, but then the guinea fowls were trying to escape from the front gate, so I just stayed and wasted a couple of hours online (but I did upload photos, yay!).
Before I knew it, it was around 7 p.m., so I went to the kitchen to see how things were going. Most people were there, and there was a chess game going on (it seems to have gotten really popular among us in the past week; now I'm wanting to play someone! I probably will only play Jon, since he's not very good, and I'm pretty sure anything I learned from 10+ years ago at summer camp, other than the rules, has long gone out the windows of my brain. Anyway...). The chili (two pots, vegetarian and meat) was done, so we were just waiting around for all of the guests. I ended up getting to sit at a table with Mary, India, Nick, and Brigitte (and Monica, Matt, and Jason), so that was pretty entertaining and interesting. We ended the meal with Mexican hot chocolate, courtesy of Grace, which tasted mostly like hot chocolate, but it's still yummy. Cleaning up wasn't too bad, and we got to see Dr. Redman's chess skills in action as he played Greg, who's also pretty good. Dr. Redman still won, but it was a good game. Chess is so intense!
After Sachin and I finished cleaning up, we saw a lot of lightning on the way back to the croft, so we detoured to the balcony outside of our classroom, where we watched the lightning light up the sky and mountains in the distance. Lightning really is God's most beautiful natural light show :) It reminded me of when my mom and I were driving back from Dallas this past May, and we saw a TON of lightning (it actually scared my mom a good bit). I thought it was awesome, haha. Anyway, the night was quiet and calm, and we just sat and watched the lightning in awe. So beautiful :) However, I think our whispers carried to Dr. Redman's apartment, which was right there, so we left pretty soon after (and good thing, too, since it started pouring soon after!)...and now here I am. Bedtime!
the wonders of wine (6/20/11)
Skype is so awesome! I just got to talk to Apeksha (even though I'll see her in a couple of days!), and before that, I skyped with Lisa for 2+ hours about IV stuff for the fall :) definitely a lot to pray for and prepare, but I know God will provide. It was really encouraging, both IV-wise and personally, just to be able to talk to and pray with a fellow believer.
Otherwise, earlier this evening, I got my first real tastes of wine at my first ever wine tasting. Walter, the "head" of the household here, is really educated about a lot of things, including wine, so he held a wine tasting for us with five different wines from this region. He told us a lot about the history of wine-making and of the Tyrolean region, which was pretty neat, and then he described each wine as we tasted them. I still really can't stand the taste, but I was able to get them down. I wonder if I'll ever acquire a taste for alcohol...we'll see. They also served the crunchiest bread I've ever eaten (thank goodness my braces are off!) with salami and cheese, yum. There also happen to be several guests visiting the castle this week all at once, so we met a couple of them--both professors, just at different universities. I talked for a bit with Kirby, who teaches at University of Massachusetts, and that was pretty fun.
Tomorrow, we'll be making chili as part of Dr. Redman's "Texas in Tirol" tradition as a repayment of the hospitality and wonderful food we've been given here. I'm not the biggest chili fan, but cooking for a big group with a big group is exciting! And we'll get to use Brigitte's kitchen, so that should be fun.
Otherwise, earlier this evening, I got my first real tastes of wine at my first ever wine tasting. Walter, the "head" of the household here, is really educated about a lot of things, including wine, so he held a wine tasting for us with five different wines from this region. He told us a lot about the history of wine-making and of the Tyrolean region, which was pretty neat, and then he described each wine as we tasted them. I still really can't stand the taste, but I was able to get them down. I wonder if I'll ever acquire a taste for alcohol...we'll see. They also served the crunchiest bread I've ever eaten (thank goodness my braces are off!) with salami and cheese, yum. There also happen to be several guests visiting the castle this week all at once, so we met a couple of them--both professors, just at different universities. I talked for a bit with Kirby, who teaches at University of Massachusetts, and that was pretty fun.
Tomorrow, we'll be making chili as part of Dr. Redman's "Texas in Tirol" tradition as a repayment of the hospitality and wonderful food we've been given here. I'm not the biggest chili fan, but cooking for a big group with a big group is exciting! And we'll get to use Brigitte's kitchen, so that should be fun.
third sunday (6/19/11)
Wow, I can't believe it's already my third Sunday here. I think it really hit me earlier this afternoon when I was walking through Dorf Tirol and heading down Ezra Pound Weg to get to the castle. Just two weeks ago, I was doing that for the first time...time really does fly. Whew.
It was nice to see familiarity again after almost nine hours of transportation, although naps and Joseph Brodsky's Watermark helped relieve the boredom a lot. Man, I love that book (and finished it just as we got to Merano, hehe). His writing is so eccentric but awesome! It's really catchy, if a book or an author's writing can be referred to as such.
I just got back from joining India on her evening rounds once more, but this time, we got to go feed the goats, the sheep, and the pigs, so I learned more about all of them. It reminded me of feeding the animals at ASB last year, hehe. I'm sad that India and Nick are leaving soon though (although it's for a good reason--vacation!), which means I won't get to see India any more. She's really cool and super friendly, and I love going around with her when she feeds the animals. Anyhoo, now I suppose it's time for bed. Goodnight!
It was nice to see familiarity again after almost nine hours of transportation, although naps and Joseph Brodsky's Watermark helped relieve the boredom a lot. Man, I love that book (and finished it just as we got to Merano, hehe). His writing is so eccentric but awesome! It's really catchy, if a book or an author's writing can be referred to as such.
I just got back from joining India on her evening rounds once more, but this time, we got to go feed the goats, the sheep, and the pigs, so I learned more about all of them. It reminded me of feeding the animals at ASB last year, hehe. I'm sad that India and Nick are leaving soon though (although it's for a good reason--vacation!), which means I won't get to see India any more. She's really cool and super friendly, and I love going around with her when she feeds the animals. Anyhoo, now I suppose it's time for bed. Goodnight!
vienna (6/17/11, 6/18/11)
We're in Vienna! It is such a beautiful city in its own ways--much different from Salzburg, I'll admit--kind of like the Rome of Austria (if Salzburg was the Florence of Austria), in my opinion. I still can't get over how much Vienna reminds me of Buenos Aires... :)
So yesterday morning, we left for Vienna in the morning and got here around 1:30 p.m. After some complications buying our tickets back for tomorrow, we found our hostel, dropped off our things, and then headed for a restaurant recommended by the hostelkeeper. It turns out that it was pretty far away (we walked almost 30 minutes to get there, lol), but I personally really enjoyed the walk, hungry as I was. We got to walk down the main shopping street of Vienna, called Mariahilfer Strasse, and it reminded me so, so much of Calle Florida in Buenos Aires. A lot of the architecture, combined with the different shops underneath, was just like the types I saw as I wandered the streets of Buenos Aires. Crazy, right? But it was really neat. We also saw repeats of a lot of stores as we walked...H&M, Paolo Bortolotti (a gelato place I wanted to try but didn't end up getting to), and some other ones that are escaping me. Finally, we reached the restaurant (called Centimeter), and it was pretty empty, although it was around 3 p.m., to be fair. We found out just how HUMONGOUS the portions were when our food arrived...way too big. I mean, they served some of their dishes in frying pans! (way more than one serving) Grace and I ended up with just pasta with ham and cheese, which was good at first but got tasteless and too salty very quickly. It's the only meal thus far that I haven't been able to finish in Europe (and that's saying something)...boo.
Anyway, we headed back out down Mariahilfer Strasse towards the House of the Secession, an art museum that Jason really wanted to see. (We got free coffee on the way! Whoot.) It turned out to be a really neat museum, and I really enjoyed everything we saw there (it wasn't even that big). We first saw Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, which was stunning. His style is so interesting, and interpretations of the artwork were provided, and it made it a lot more meaningful for me. Another exhibit that was there showcased some works done by Saskia Olde Wolbers, and they were basically very intriguing stories (based on true stories) set to a visual. It's hard to describe, but the storylines were very...captivating? for lack of a better word.
The last exhibit that we saw there was a collection of furniture by Stephen Prina ("As He Remembered It"), all painted pink, and the question that was posed was: "If a piece of furniture designed for a specific use is taken out of that context and transferred to another location, how much of its original setting does it still bear with it?" Very interesting, and it got me thinking. As I walked around the room, most of the furniture I could still distinguish from certain features (ie. bathroom sink), but it did make me wonder--not just about the furniture, but also about us as humans and how much of our "original setting" (whatever that may be) we retain when we are taken out of our "context" and transferred elsewhere. Hmmmm...
After we left the Secession, we just kept wandering around the old city center and looking at the different palaces, which are all so grand and beautiful and old! We also went down another shopping street and saw some cool street performers. We finally turned around and went back to the hostel to check in (since we were too early when we first got there), and then we headed out. By then, night was falling, and we ended up chilling at a bar for a while and then wandering down Mariahilfer Strasse again. It was very well-lit, and there were a lot of people out and about, so again, it felt very safe and comfortable. We were kinda trying to find a club, but that was unsuccessful, so we finally went back and slept.
This morning, I got the surprise of my life when we walked out of our room to check out (a process we'll have to repeat tomorrow morning, due to some complications about getting a room for an additional night, haha). As soon as I stepped outside, guess who I saw?? Jeremy Yang!! Ahh, I was so excited and surprised and overwhelmed, all at once. I haven't seen him in so long, for one, and then to see him in Vienna was just so amazing. It was crazy, because they (he was with his choir) were literally just about to go to the airport and head back to the U.S. Serendipity at its best :) That was pretty awesome.
Afterwards, we set out for the Belvedere, the other art museum at the top of Jason's list. Once again, we took Mariahilfer, but we made some detours to the Museum Quartier (with more free coffee, hehe), where we also got to see a small outdoor exhibit on UN refugees for the past six decades. Man, the hardships people have to go through...=\ all because of politics and war. Sigh.
We also saw this big fountain in another plaza, where there was also a really neat temporary exhibit called "The Morning Line", which was a bunch of metal shapes and speakers blasting different transportation sounds, like the subway, airplanes, buses, etc...it was really neat. Vienna is so exciting like that, haha :) We finally made it to the Belvedere and spent a few hours there. I really loved Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" (and so did Jason, haha), and I can see why it's famous. Like Michelangelo's David, I could just sit there for a while and look at it. And the Belvedere Museum itself was actually really big! It reminded me of the Louvre, just with fewer pieces (and all paintings).
By the time we left, it was getting to the afternoon (we had the weirdest eating schedule today, haha...just an orange and a pastry each for breakfast around noon), so we headed back and stumbled upon NachtMarket (I think that's the name?), which is just a super long strip of restaurants, many of which are Asian, surprisingly, next to the Secession. We settled on an Austrian place and got real, legitimate Wienerschnitzel from its source, Vienna (Wien)! :) I love doing things like that; I think the novelty really appeals to me, haha.
On our way back, it started to rain again, and it got pretty hard, actually. We tried going out for a bit just now to a cafe down the street, but it was dead...so now we're getting ready for bed relatively early, except Jason, who will lull us to sleep with his sansula. :)
So yesterday morning, we left for Vienna in the morning and got here around 1:30 p.m. After some complications buying our tickets back for tomorrow, we found our hostel, dropped off our things, and then headed for a restaurant recommended by the hostelkeeper. It turns out that it was pretty far away (we walked almost 30 minutes to get there, lol), but I personally really enjoyed the walk, hungry as I was. We got to walk down the main shopping street of Vienna, called Mariahilfer Strasse, and it reminded me so, so much of Calle Florida in Buenos Aires. A lot of the architecture, combined with the different shops underneath, was just like the types I saw as I wandered the streets of Buenos Aires. Crazy, right? But it was really neat. We also saw repeats of a lot of stores as we walked...H&M, Paolo Bortolotti (a gelato place I wanted to try but didn't end up getting to), and some other ones that are escaping me. Finally, we reached the restaurant (called Centimeter), and it was pretty empty, although it was around 3 p.m., to be fair. We found out just how HUMONGOUS the portions were when our food arrived...way too big. I mean, they served some of their dishes in frying pans! (way more than one serving) Grace and I ended up with just pasta with ham and cheese, which was good at first but got tasteless and too salty very quickly. It's the only meal thus far that I haven't been able to finish in Europe (and that's saying something)...boo.
Anyway, we headed back out down Mariahilfer Strasse towards the House of the Secession, an art museum that Jason really wanted to see. (We got free coffee on the way! Whoot.) It turned out to be a really neat museum, and I really enjoyed everything we saw there (it wasn't even that big). We first saw Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, which was stunning. His style is so interesting, and interpretations of the artwork were provided, and it made it a lot more meaningful for me. Another exhibit that was there showcased some works done by Saskia Olde Wolbers, and they were basically very intriguing stories (based on true stories) set to a visual. It's hard to describe, but the storylines were very...captivating? for lack of a better word.
The last exhibit that we saw there was a collection of furniture by Stephen Prina ("As He Remembered It"), all painted pink, and the question that was posed was: "If a piece of furniture designed for a specific use is taken out of that context and transferred to another location, how much of its original setting does it still bear with it?" Very interesting, and it got me thinking. As I walked around the room, most of the furniture I could still distinguish from certain features (ie. bathroom sink), but it did make me wonder--not just about the furniture, but also about us as humans and how much of our "original setting" (whatever that may be) we retain when we are taken out of our "context" and transferred elsewhere. Hmmmm...
After we left the Secession, we just kept wandering around the old city center and looking at the different palaces, which are all so grand and beautiful and old! We also went down another shopping street and saw some cool street performers. We finally turned around and went back to the hostel to check in (since we were too early when we first got there), and then we headed out. By then, night was falling, and we ended up chilling at a bar for a while and then wandering down Mariahilfer Strasse again. It was very well-lit, and there were a lot of people out and about, so again, it felt very safe and comfortable. We were kinda trying to find a club, but that was unsuccessful, so we finally went back and slept.
This morning, I got the surprise of my life when we walked out of our room to check out (a process we'll have to repeat tomorrow morning, due to some complications about getting a room for an additional night, haha). As soon as I stepped outside, guess who I saw?? Jeremy Yang!! Ahh, I was so excited and surprised and overwhelmed, all at once. I haven't seen him in so long, for one, and then to see him in Vienna was just so amazing. It was crazy, because they (he was with his choir) were literally just about to go to the airport and head back to the U.S. Serendipity at its best :) That was pretty awesome.
Afterwards, we set out for the Belvedere, the other art museum at the top of Jason's list. Once again, we took Mariahilfer, but we made some detours to the Museum Quartier (with more free coffee, hehe), where we also got to see a small outdoor exhibit on UN refugees for the past six decades. Man, the hardships people have to go through...=\ all because of politics and war. Sigh.
We also saw this big fountain in another plaza, where there was also a really neat temporary exhibit called "The Morning Line", which was a bunch of metal shapes and speakers blasting different transportation sounds, like the subway, airplanes, buses, etc...it was really neat. Vienna is so exciting like that, haha :) We finally made it to the Belvedere and spent a few hours there. I really loved Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" (and so did Jason, haha), and I can see why it's famous. Like Michelangelo's David, I could just sit there for a while and look at it. And the Belvedere Museum itself was actually really big! It reminded me of the Louvre, just with fewer pieces (and all paintings).
By the time we left, it was getting to the afternoon (we had the weirdest eating schedule today, haha...just an orange and a pastry each for breakfast around noon), so we headed back and stumbled upon NachtMarket (I think that's the name?), which is just a super long strip of restaurants, many of which are Asian, surprisingly, next to the Secession. We settled on an Austrian place and got real, legitimate Wienerschnitzel from its source, Vienna (Wien)! :) I love doing things like that; I think the novelty really appeals to me, haha.
On our way back, it started to rain again, and it got pretty hard, actually. We tried going out for a bit just now to a cafe down the street, but it was dead...so now we're getting ready for bed relatively early, except Jason, who will lull us to sleep with his sansula. :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
salzburg (6/16/11)
Another adventure update! We're currently in Salzburg, and it's such a beautiful and quiet little city. It's still hard to believe we're in Austria!
After lunch yesterday, Grace and Jason (my travel buddies!) and I took a few trains to Salzburg, stopping in Bolzano and Innsbruck. Our hostel wasn't too hard to find (and I learned that the beta-looking sign = "ss" in German, haha), and when I got to my room, I met a few hostelkeepers who work in Munich! They all spoke English and were from either the UK or Australia, and they were pretty funny. Too bad I can't stay at their hostel when I'm there; there's no more space. I might try to stop by and say hi, not sure if they'll remember me, haha...Then we just wandered around the city a bit. I guess there just aren't as many cars, and that's why it's so quiet? However, there were still a decent amount of people and lit storefronts, so it wasn't dangerous at all. The river also looked so pretty at night. We chilled at a bar for a bit before heading back.
Today, we headed back out along the same path we took last night. Before we got to anything touristy, though, we were drawn into this amazing World Instruments Store, which ended up being a lot of fun. It was small and filled with instruments of all kinds, from harmonicas and kazoos to crazy-looking string and wind instruments, most of which I'd never seen before. The shopkeeper was very kind and demonstrated several instruments that I asked about (all of which were very foreign to me). I got to sit in a chair (not sure what it's called) and have a "music trip", for lack of a better term....it was amazing. He also played something called a "water phone" (I think?) and some other instruments. It was awesome. Jason bought a sansula, which was also pretty awesome and can make some pretty interesting sounds/music.
After our musical adventure (I guess that substitutes for the Sound of Music tour that we didn't take, haha), we wandered around, ducked into some candy stores filled with chocolates with Mozart's face on the label (called Mozartkugeln, I think), and then found a place for lunch. We then climbed up to see the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which is this beautiful and big fortress on the top of a hill, and it has a couple of pretty neat museums as well as an unmatched view of Salzburg, so that was really fun :) We went on a short audio tour through different parts of the fortress, and then in another museum, we got to see old weapons, instruments, and even marionettes! Hehe.
As we kept wandering around town, it started to rain. We played for a bit in the rain in the Mirabell Gardens (which I think are in the Sound of Music?), but then the rain forced us to hide in a cafe, then a restaurant, where we had dinner (Salzburg schnitzel is yummy!).
Thankfully, the rain let up after dinner, so we went back to the Mirabell Gardens and just watched night fall over Salzburg. It was one of the most beautiful and peaceful evenings I've ever experienced, and that was really nice. We also played on a strange but awesome playground that had an immense slide (way too tall for little kids, in our opinion!) and a fun seesaw. We also saw a hedgehog! So cute :)
We got to walk along the river and see the night lights in Salzburg once more, but we couldn't stay too long because the rain relapsed. Goodnight!
After lunch yesterday, Grace and Jason (my travel buddies!) and I took a few trains to Salzburg, stopping in Bolzano and Innsbruck. Our hostel wasn't too hard to find (and I learned that the beta-looking sign = "ss" in German, haha), and when I got to my room, I met a few hostelkeepers who work in Munich! They all spoke English and were from either the UK or Australia, and they were pretty funny. Too bad I can't stay at their hostel when I'm there; there's no more space. I might try to stop by and say hi, not sure if they'll remember me, haha...Then we just wandered around the city a bit. I guess there just aren't as many cars, and that's why it's so quiet? However, there were still a decent amount of people and lit storefronts, so it wasn't dangerous at all. The river also looked so pretty at night. We chilled at a bar for a bit before heading back.
Today, we headed back out along the same path we took last night. Before we got to anything touristy, though, we were drawn into this amazing World Instruments Store, which ended up being a lot of fun. It was small and filled with instruments of all kinds, from harmonicas and kazoos to crazy-looking string and wind instruments, most of which I'd never seen before. The shopkeeper was very kind and demonstrated several instruments that I asked about (all of which were very foreign to me). I got to sit in a chair (not sure what it's called) and have a "music trip", for lack of a better term....it was amazing. He also played something called a "water phone" (I think?) and some other instruments. It was awesome. Jason bought a sansula, which was also pretty awesome and can make some pretty interesting sounds/music.
After our musical adventure (I guess that substitutes for the Sound of Music tour that we didn't take, haha), we wandered around, ducked into some candy stores filled with chocolates with Mozart's face on the label (called Mozartkugeln, I think), and then found a place for lunch. We then climbed up to see the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which is this beautiful and big fortress on the top of a hill, and it has a couple of pretty neat museums as well as an unmatched view of Salzburg, so that was really fun :) We went on a short audio tour through different parts of the fortress, and then in another museum, we got to see old weapons, instruments, and even marionettes! Hehe.
As we kept wandering around town, it started to rain. We played for a bit in the rain in the Mirabell Gardens (which I think are in the Sound of Music?), but then the rain forced us to hide in a cafe, then a restaurant, where we had dinner (Salzburg schnitzel is yummy!).
Thankfully, the rain let up after dinner, so we went back to the Mirabell Gardens and just watched night fall over Salzburg. It was one of the most beautiful and peaceful evenings I've ever experienced, and that was really nice. We also played on a strange but awesome playground that had an immense slide (way too tall for little kids, in our opinion!) and a fun seesaw. We also saw a hedgehog! So cute :)
We got to walk along the river and see the night lights in Salzburg once more, but we couldn't stay too long because the rain relapsed. Goodnight!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
castle-day 6 (6/14/11)
Yes! I've finally caught myself up...that took forever, haha.
Today, after lunch, we got to take a tour of Schloss Tirol (the main castle in this region) with Dr. de Rachewiltz, the executive director of the museum. He knows a lot!--something that was clear even though our tour was brief. There are some great views from up there...definitely will hike up and visit it again (and hopefully St. Peter's Church nearby) next week sometime.
I also got to chat more with Frank today after finishing my reading, which was pretty enjoyable.
Otherwise...tomorrow, I'm Salzburg-bound after lunch! Hoping for the best (even though weather says otherwise :( blah, rain!) in both Salzburg and Vienna. Thankfully, this time I'll have travel buddies :) toodles!
Today, after lunch, we got to take a tour of Schloss Tirol (the main castle in this region) with Dr. de Rachewiltz, the executive director of the museum. He knows a lot!--something that was clear even though our tour was brief. There are some great views from up there...definitely will hike up and visit it again (and hopefully St. Peter's Church nearby) next week sometime.
I also got to chat more with Frank today after finishing my reading, which was pretty enjoyable.
Otherwise...tomorrow, I'm Salzburg-bound after lunch! Hoping for the best (even though weather says otherwise :( blah, rain!) in both Salzburg and Vienna. Thankfully, this time I'll have travel buddies :) toodles!
castle-day 5 (6/13/11)
Back to class! Today was still rainy and thus rather uneventful. I watched Jon play his first game of chess, which was pretty fun...it's been a while since I've watched a chess game in general, and it brought me back to when I first learned to play. Chess is a good game. Intense, but fun too :) I also used clothespins for the first time in a long time...felt dumb, haha.
For dinner, I had typical Tirolean food, finally! Knudel (aka dumplings, but not the Asian kind...more just like dough balls in soup) with speck (which Frank dubs "super bacon: a mix of beef jerky and bacon," haha)...pretty yummy. Only 5 euro, too :)
After dinner, I walked a bit farther down the path from our castle into the vineyard area. It was a good time of just singing praises and being with God as I watched the sun go down and the moon come out. :) Yay nature!
For dinner, I had typical Tirolean food, finally! Knudel (aka dumplings, but not the Asian kind...more just like dough balls in soup) with speck (which Frank dubs "super bacon: a mix of beef jerky and bacon," haha)...pretty yummy. Only 5 euro, too :)
After dinner, I walked a bit farther down the path from our castle into the vineyard area. It was a good time of just singing praises and being with God as I watched the sun go down and the moon come out. :) Yay nature!
interlaken to merano (6/12/11)
On my way back to Dorf Tirol! Currently on my 5th train (of 8 today), and a lot more relaxed. Just praying for safe connections the rest of the way. A little sleepy today because of a disruption last night...around 2:30 a.m. or so, a bunch (maybe all) of the guys from my room returned, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. I was half-awake but could still smell the smoke and alcohol on them. One of them actually apologized when he saw me open my eyes, lol...even after they turned off the lights, there was still quite a bit of German and laughter before I fell back asleep.
Woke up this morning to sunshine! Too bad it didn't come a day earlier, but I'm glad anyway; I got to hike in cloudy/cool weather and yet still saw a glimpse of sunny Interlaken on my way out. I think I may have spotted snowy Jungfraujoch, too!
Random observation: Everyone here hikes or bikes: couples, families with little kids, old couples...everyone is so active! Is it the same in America, and I just never noticed?
Back at Dorf Tirol, not too much happened tonight, other than getting to know Frank (the farm boy for this summer) a little better. I didn't know he was our age! He's a pretty cool and funny guy.
Woke up this morning to sunshine! Too bad it didn't come a day earlier, but I'm glad anyway; I got to hike in cloudy/cool weather and yet still saw a glimpse of sunny Interlaken on my way out. I think I may have spotted snowy Jungfraujoch, too!
Random observation: Everyone here hikes or bikes: couples, families with little kids, old couples...everyone is so active! Is it the same in America, and I just never noticed?
Back at Dorf Tirol, not too much happened tonight, other than getting to know Frank (the farm boy for this summer) a little better. I didn't know he was our age! He's a pretty cool and funny guy.
interlaken (6/11/11)
Today, I soared, I glided, I flew.
And I don't just mean that metaphorically or figuratively. I literally flew through the air, with the aid of another person and a parachute. It's called paragliding :) and it was awesome. Meeting my paragliding partner (Dave, with an Australian accent), driving up the mountain to our liftoff site, suiting up--those were all pretty exciting (and the view was suhweeet!). But one of the best parts was when we were about to lift off. Dave said to me, "When I saw '3,2,1, go,' just start running. Don't lean back on your knees--just lean forward. If you feel me at your back, you need to go faster. Ready?" I just nodded, and we were off. I definitely didn't run as fast as I needed to, I don't think, but it didn't matter. A few more steps, and then suddenly--the ground disappeared from beneath me. That was SUCH a cool feeling.
Then we began to soar. High up above the trees on the mountain. We even saw a hawk flying around beneath us in a similar manner, and watching it made me feel like a bird, hehe. We made some crazy turns and dips over the trees before going out over the rooftops of the city, where we could see both lakes on either side. That was a pretty dizzying but unique view, too. Too soon, it was time to land in a large meadow...but seriously, paragliding was so amazing. :) Do it if you can! Plus, I bought the pictures from when we were in the air--even though they were a tad pricey, it was worth it.
Other than paragliding, I went hiking in the morning (in the rain, sadly) to go see one of the lakes, which was pretty fun. The water is just so clear! And it turns into this beautiful blue color when you look farther out...so cool.
After paragliding, I ate some random things for lunch before going on a 6-hour (I didn't realize this at the time) hike. I climbed up this small mountain behind my hostel, from which I could see both lakes from different vantage points. After that, I just kept walking...stopped by some old castle ruins and also walked through a couple of mountain towns before turning around. I got slightly lost on the way back (and had to walk along rail tracks downhill, grr), but it ended well. I got to see the lake at ground level, which was pretty sweet. Those lakes are SO HUGE. But so beautiful :) Topped off the night with some deliciously soft passion fruit/mango ice cream. Yay for a wonderful day in Interlaken!
And I don't just mean that metaphorically or figuratively. I literally flew through the air, with the aid of another person and a parachute. It's called paragliding :) and it was awesome. Meeting my paragliding partner (Dave, with an Australian accent), driving up the mountain to our liftoff site, suiting up--those were all pretty exciting (and the view was suhweeet!). But one of the best parts was when we were about to lift off. Dave said to me, "When I saw '3,2,1, go,' just start running. Don't lean back on your knees--just lean forward. If you feel me at your back, you need to go faster. Ready?" I just nodded, and we were off. I definitely didn't run as fast as I needed to, I don't think, but it didn't matter. A few more steps, and then suddenly--the ground disappeared from beneath me. That was SUCH a cool feeling.
Then we began to soar. High up above the trees on the mountain. We even saw a hawk flying around beneath us in a similar manner, and watching it made me feel like a bird, hehe. We made some crazy turns and dips over the trees before going out over the rooftops of the city, where we could see both lakes on either side. That was a pretty dizzying but unique view, too. Too soon, it was time to land in a large meadow...but seriously, paragliding was so amazing. :) Do it if you can! Plus, I bought the pictures from when we were in the air--even though they were a tad pricey, it was worth it.
Other than paragliding, I went hiking in the morning (in the rain, sadly) to go see one of the lakes, which was pretty fun. The water is just so clear! And it turns into this beautiful blue color when you look farther out...so cool.
After paragliding, I ate some random things for lunch before going on a 6-hour (I didn't realize this at the time) hike. I climbed up this small mountain behind my hostel, from which I could see both lakes from different vantage points. After that, I just kept walking...stopped by some old castle ruins and also walked through a couple of mountain towns before turning around. I got slightly lost on the way back (and had to walk along rail tracks downhill, grr), but it ended well. I got to see the lake at ground level, which was pretty sweet. Those lakes are SO HUGE. But so beautiful :) Topped off the night with some deliciously soft passion fruit/mango ice cream. Yay for a wonderful day in Interlaken!
journey to interlaken (6/10/11)
So, I wrote this in a series of short notes to myself as I boarded/rode the various trains to Interlaken on Friday. Apologies for all the jumps in thought, if you feel like trying to read through them!
I'm scared.
It's Friday morning, I'm sitting by myself on the train to Malles, I'm surrounded by people who only speak either Italian or German, and I'm scared. It's funny, because this isn't the first time I've traveled alone--and on a train in Europe, to boot. No, I didn't have too much difficulty riding to Padova or Verona by myself on the train, and that was just last week. I think it's the whole Eurail Pass deal that I'm uncertain about. I know it will save my money (or at least I hope it will...), but right now it's just a hassle. I think that, plus the fact that my trip to Interlaken today involves no fewer than seven connections, is starting to get to me a little. I just want to get to Interlaken before it's dark, unscathed.
Whoo! Praise God, first connection successful. I'm now on a bus that will take me to Zernez, Switzerland. The bus driver accepted my rail pass, thankfully; I don't know if it works or because he didn't want to deal with it...German sounds so different. On the bus to Merano this morning, it was so crowded and full of people speaking German. It reminded me of the bus in Pisa, where there were a lot of hilarious Spaniards getting really excited. I can't wait for Spain :)
Excited to cross the border!
Wow. Just hit a huge school group boarding the bus. Wonder if they speak any English...probably not. A few have helmets, interesting.
So now I'm on my fourth train, and my rail pass worked once again. Thank You, Jesus :) I'd say the saying, "The journey matters more so than the destination" resonates a lot more with me now, haha. I've received grace from several strangers and gotten to watch mountain landscapes every ride (except this one--it's all tunnel). There are definitely several school/youth groups traveling together that I've seen. I spy an older Asian couple! I'm not the only one here! Wonder if they're German...
Praise the Lord! I'm on my 7th and last train of the day. Destination: Interlaken Ost. (On my last train, I sat near someone with handcuffs...random)
(After wandering around town with dinner on the go)
First impressions of Interlaken: I'm definitely happy to be here. The neighborhoods kind of remind me of American suburbia, except the buildings are all super cute and rustic log-cabin types. The hotelkeeper was really friendly and switched me to one room for both nights. I got to my room, and I'm pretty sure everyone else is a guy. It smells like guy, lol.
There are a LOT of Asians (Indians, Chinese, Korean) here. Therefore, there is a decent amount of Asian/Indian restaurants, too. The food is kinda pricey at every restaurant. There are also a lot of hotels, watch shops, knives, and chocolates.
Now I'm sleeping early...need to decide what adventurous thing to do tomorrow...bungee or skydive or paraglide.
I'm scared.
It's Friday morning, I'm sitting by myself on the train to Malles, I'm surrounded by people who only speak either Italian or German, and I'm scared. It's funny, because this isn't the first time I've traveled alone--and on a train in Europe, to boot. No, I didn't have too much difficulty riding to Padova or Verona by myself on the train, and that was just last week. I think it's the whole Eurail Pass deal that I'm uncertain about. I know it will save my money (or at least I hope it will...), but right now it's just a hassle. I think that, plus the fact that my trip to Interlaken today involves no fewer than seven connections, is starting to get to me a little. I just want to get to Interlaken before it's dark, unscathed.
Whoo! Praise God, first connection successful. I'm now on a bus that will take me to Zernez, Switzerland. The bus driver accepted my rail pass, thankfully; I don't know if it works or because he didn't want to deal with it...German sounds so different. On the bus to Merano this morning, it was so crowded and full of people speaking German. It reminded me of the bus in Pisa, where there were a lot of hilarious Spaniards getting really excited. I can't wait for Spain :)
Excited to cross the border!
Wow. Just hit a huge school group boarding the bus. Wonder if they speak any English...probably not. A few have helmets, interesting.
So now I'm on my fourth train, and my rail pass worked once again. Thank You, Jesus :) I'd say the saying, "The journey matters more so than the destination" resonates a lot more with me now, haha. I've received grace from several strangers and gotten to watch mountain landscapes every ride (except this one--it's all tunnel). There are definitely several school/youth groups traveling together that I've seen. I spy an older Asian couple! I'm not the only one here! Wonder if they're German...
Praise the Lord! I'm on my 7th and last train of the day. Destination: Interlaken Ost. (On my last train, I sat near someone with handcuffs...random)
(After wandering around town with dinner on the go)
First impressions of Interlaken: I'm definitely happy to be here. The neighborhoods kind of remind me of American suburbia, except the buildings are all super cute and rustic log-cabin types. The hotelkeeper was really friendly and switched me to one room for both nights. I got to my room, and I'm pretty sure everyone else is a guy. It smells like guy, lol.
There are a LOT of Asians (Indians, Chinese, Korean) here. Therefore, there is a decent amount of Asian/Indian restaurants, too. The food is kinda pricey at every restaurant. There are also a lot of hotels, watch shops, knives, and chocolates.
Now I'm sleeping early...need to decide what adventurous thing to do tomorrow...bungee or skydive or paraglide.
castle-day 4 (6/9/11)
Getting a dose of farm life is so exciting! I just got back from a chance meeting with India while visiting the bunnies (everyone else had gone to the village for dinner), and she was just finishing her evening chores. She actually saved me from Dino, the crazy gander (yes, it turns out he has a name) as he was coming up behind me. No joke, that bird inspires fear in my heart as soon as I see him coming, but I guess I feel a bit better after getting a couple of tips from India. She showed me the turkey and its surrogate duckling child (cute!). Then, as we were preparing to take the two donkeys, Gina and Leila, back to their stall, Leila suddenly galloped off into the vineyard, and Gina followed. Bad news, since the donkeys will chew the vines. We went to get their leads, as well as some peanuts, and without too much trouble, we got them hooked and led them back to the stall. It's a funny feeling to feed a peanut to a donkey, I'll tell you that much. It tickles your fingers. Before heading back, I went to visit the goats and the pigs. I hopped into the pig pen for a bit and got to play with the piglets, but then I think they realized that I didn't have any food for them, so they ran back inside their shed.
Otherwise, my day was pretty average. After lunch, I went down to Merano with Jon and Sachin, who were heading to Florence, and tried again to ask the train station worker about how to make a reservation for my trip to Interlaken tomorrow. Once again, it was only slightly helpful. Then I just spent some time wandering down one of the main streets of Merano. At the bridge, the breeze was wonderful, and it was funny to look one way and see the sun shining brightly, and then turn around to see the rain clouds descending on the mountains up ahead. I just love when the clouds do that--shroud and envelop the mountaintops--which they've been doing a lot lately, in fact. It makes them look so...mysterious.
Before the rain hit, I wandered some more to a long row of food stalls, mostly selling cheese, meat, bread, or a combination. They had some gigantic loaves of bread! But I guess it makes sense if they sell it by the kilogram.
I always love walking through food markets (much more than clothes or other goods)--it's such fun for the senses! The colorful sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes (should there be a sample or purchase). I even saw a chocolate fountain as well as a legit lemonade stand. Fun! Afterwards, the rain signaled that it was time for me to go back, so I headed back up to Dorf Tirol. I did get to take a quick stroll through the church cemetery, which seemed to fit the rainy afternoon. The tombstones are all very fancy, and there were flowers growing over every grave. RIP.
Yay! Hoping for Interlaken tomorrow.
Otherwise, my day was pretty average. After lunch, I went down to Merano with Jon and Sachin, who were heading to Florence, and tried again to ask the train station worker about how to make a reservation for my trip to Interlaken tomorrow. Once again, it was only slightly helpful. Then I just spent some time wandering down one of the main streets of Merano. At the bridge, the breeze was wonderful, and it was funny to look one way and see the sun shining brightly, and then turn around to see the rain clouds descending on the mountains up ahead. I just love when the clouds do that--shroud and envelop the mountaintops--which they've been doing a lot lately, in fact. It makes them look so...mysterious.
Before the rain hit, I wandered some more to a long row of food stalls, mostly selling cheese, meat, bread, or a combination. They had some gigantic loaves of bread! But I guess it makes sense if they sell it by the kilogram.
I always love walking through food markets (much more than clothes or other goods)--it's such fun for the senses! The colorful sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes (should there be a sample or purchase). I even saw a chocolate fountain as well as a legit lemonade stand. Fun! Afterwards, the rain signaled that it was time for me to go back, so I headed back up to Dorf Tirol. I did get to take a quick stroll through the church cemetery, which seemed to fit the rainy afternoon. The tombstones are all very fancy, and there were flowers growing over every grave. RIP.
Yay! Hoping for Interlaken tomorrow.
castle-day 3 (6/8/11)
I feel like such a loner right now. Everyone else is in the kitchen cooking and eating spaghetti, but I don't mind too much. I'm full, and to be honest, I'm not that close with anyone here, except maybe Sachin. For the most part, I'm just not that close to the McDs, plus I feel sometimes like they're very worldly and talk about perverse/awkward things...it makes me miss my family and my IV family. It is a struggle to go these two months without any fellowship, but I know God has and will continue to make me strong and teach me in that way.
Today, after lunch (delish! polenta and stuffed bell peppers), a few of us went down to Merano to run various errands. I went to try and find out about making a reservation for my trip to Interlaken, but he just told me to come back after several hours to talk to his colleague (who, by the way, didn't speak English either). We wandered around downtown Merano a bit, stopping for gelato, a sweatshirt and pillow for Ben, and groceries. That store had expensive fruit! After, we returned to the train station where the other worker just printed a few timetables for me before throwing up his hands in frustration...oops. Back in Dorf Tirol, we stopped for some groceries (I visited the fruit and veggies lady and got a couple of apples from her!), and I've been blogging and trying to book hostels for this weekend. Looks like I won't be going anywhere until Friday...
Today, after lunch (delish! polenta and stuffed bell peppers), a few of us went down to Merano to run various errands. I went to try and find out about making a reservation for my trip to Interlaken, but he just told me to come back after several hours to talk to his colleague (who, by the way, didn't speak English either). We wandered around downtown Merano a bit, stopping for gelato, a sweatshirt and pillow for Ben, and groceries. That store had expensive fruit! After, we returned to the train station where the other worker just printed a few timetables for me before throwing up his hands in frustration...oops. Back in Dorf Tirol, we stopped for some groceries (I visited the fruit and veggies lady and got a couple of apples from her!), and I've been blogging and trying to book hostels for this weekend. Looks like I won't be going anywhere until Friday...
castle-day 2 (6/7/11)
Gah, I am such a klutz. Earlier, I was sitting and reading in the library with Jon and Sachin as they planned their Florence trip, and as I was running to my room to grab something, I underestimated my leap across a few steps and crashed onto the stairs. Needless to say, in addition to scaring the others, I also gave myself a decent scab and bruise on my shin (which stung in my cold shower right after). I felt so dumb.
Anyway, things were better earlier in the day (other than waking up with a ton of bug bites on my face and hand). After our delicious lunch (ratatouille! with pasta, then ice cream with strawberries for dessert), I stayed behind to chat with Brigitte a bit and get to know her better. She's so nice and talkative! She told me a bit about her hometown (four hours away in Austria) and her family, as well as life at the castle (and how it's not as easy as it seems--they all have to work really hard, still!). She also told me a bit about her travels (and how her favorite is Africa!), and then she gave a brief diatribe about our generation and its obsession with technology and Google and such, even though those she knows without these things (ie. her friends in Africa) are much happier in many ways. I completely agree with her--nature is such a gift! But she concluded, realistically and rather unfortunately, that it is a very romanticized mindset. It was really refreshing and interesting to talk to her, though.
Then, at 4 p.m., I went up with Greg and Grace to have afternoon tea with Dr. Redman and Mrs. Mary de Rachewiltz, daughter of Ezra Pound. (Nbd, lol) we were joined by two guests from Bolzano, Pier Paolo and Ruth. It was an enjoyable and interesting time of conversation, and Mary really is so sharp! She showed us a book of her poems, compiled by her friend, and she read one to us. It went something like...
"I own nothing, save for the snow falling from the sky on my straw hat in a foreign land."
So beautiful. :) They also talked for a while about an upcoming Pound conference in London, where Mary will be a keynote speaker. She also let us go out on her balcony--what a great view! She also has a really extensive library, since she spent much of her life studying and translating Pound's Cantos.
For dinner, we realized we could eat leftovers from breakfast and save money. Yay! Haha :P
Anyway, things were better earlier in the day (other than waking up with a ton of bug bites on my face and hand). After our delicious lunch (ratatouille! with pasta, then ice cream with strawberries for dessert), I stayed behind to chat with Brigitte a bit and get to know her better. She's so nice and talkative! She told me a bit about her hometown (four hours away in Austria) and her family, as well as life at the castle (and how it's not as easy as it seems--they all have to work really hard, still!). She also told me a bit about her travels (and how her favorite is Africa!), and then she gave a brief diatribe about our generation and its obsession with technology and Google and such, even though those she knows without these things (ie. her friends in Africa) are much happier in many ways. I completely agree with her--nature is such a gift! But she concluded, realistically and rather unfortunately, that it is a very romanticized mindset. It was really refreshing and interesting to talk to her, though.
Then, at 4 p.m., I went up with Greg and Grace to have afternoon tea with Dr. Redman and Mrs. Mary de Rachewiltz, daughter of Ezra Pound. (Nbd, lol) we were joined by two guests from Bolzano, Pier Paolo and Ruth. It was an enjoyable and interesting time of conversation, and Mary really is so sharp! She showed us a book of her poems, compiled by her friend, and she read one to us. It went something like...
"I own nothing, save for the snow falling from the sky on my straw hat in a foreign land."
So beautiful. :) They also talked for a while about an upcoming Pound conference in London, where Mary will be a keynote speaker. She also let us go out on her balcony--what a great view! She also has a really extensive library, since she spent much of her life studying and translating Pound's Cantos.
For dinner, we realized we could eat leftovers from breakfast and save money. Yay! Haha :P
castle-day 1 of class (6/6/11)
Today was our first day of class! Something worth noting. Breakfast was good (the wonderful bread, as mentioned below, that seems to be in endless supply, plus some tasty granola-cereal, aka muesli), and class wasn't too bad. It went by pretty quickly, and we learned the format of the quizzes and that they're not that hard, thank goodness. Afterwards was our first lunch with Brigitte's cooking once again, which was pretty yummy (and followed by a pretty dessert! Yogurt-cream with freshly picked cherries).
Over lunch, we discussed the idea that all identity is plagiarism (any thoughts?), and we also talked about our individual projects for the class. Our interests are all so diverse! It reminded me of God's creativity in uniquely molding our personalities and interests. :) Among us, there will be projects on Pound (Josh), fashion (Lauren), adapting to new places (Monica), photoblog (Sachin), travel journal (me), food (Kayla), theater (Grace), urban design (Greg), cars (Matt), stereotypes (Jon), Venice (Jason), and life up in the mountains (Ben). I wish we got the chance to present our projects to each other, like we did in Argentina...
After lunch, the rainy afternoon kept us in the croft (our living area), where we mostly used the Internet, which we'd just gotten access to. For dinner, we ventured up to a pizzeria (Lindenwilt) in Dorf Tirol, but several of us opted not to eat a whole meal and instead got snacks from the neighboring Despar (grocery store). As we waited, we chilled and chatted in front of a potable fountain, where we witnessed a dog get a quick bath, haha. After they were done eating, we found one of our classmates to be rather giggly, and then we stopped by the gelato place from the night before for more fancy ice cream.
Over lunch, we discussed the idea that all identity is plagiarism (any thoughts?), and we also talked about our individual projects for the class. Our interests are all so diverse! It reminded me of God's creativity in uniquely molding our personalities and interests. :) Among us, there will be projects on Pound (Josh), fashion (Lauren), adapting to new places (Monica), photoblog (Sachin), travel journal (me), food (Kayla), theater (Grace), urban design (Greg), cars (Matt), stereotypes (Jon), Venice (Jason), and life up in the mountains (Ben). I wish we got the chance to present our projects to each other, like we did in Argentina...
After lunch, the rainy afternoon kept us in the croft (our living area), where we mostly used the Internet, which we'd just gotten access to. For dinner, we ventured up to a pizzeria (Lindenwilt) in Dorf Tirol, but several of us opted not to eat a whole meal and instead got snacks from the neighboring Despar (grocery store). As we waited, we chilled and chatted in front of a potable fountain, where we witnessed a dog get a quick bath, haha. After they were done eating, we found one of our classmates to be rather giggly, and then we stopped by the gelato place from the night before for more fancy ice cream.
getting to the castle (6/5/11)
(Okay, to help with clarification, I'm going to date these entries, since they're all starting from last week...at least until I can catch up >.<)
Today was the most confusing morning of my life...
For starters, the bus that my hostelkeeper told me to take, #91, wasn't running (even though it was supposed to run specifically on Sundays), so I had to wander around for a bit, until I found another bus stop that looked like it could work. Thankfully, I met a nice Aussie couple (with Italian roots) at that bus stop who were also headed for the train station. As we talked, we saw a bike race pass by--they had police escorts and everything! It was pretty intense.
Once I got to the train station, the ticket validation machines weren't working, and when I tried to ask the train officer what to do, he wasn't very clear and just told me to get on train. Once again, I cried a little out of frustration while trying to calm down--I was mostly just scared of getting a fine again. (It reminded me of something Daphne was telling me the night before: when she had been waiting for the bus to the hostel, it had also taken forever, and she had gotten worried, so she just "put on her shades and cried a little bit." That's how I felt, minus the shades.) It turns out that the same officer I'd talked to was the one checking tickets, so I was good to go (why do I always have such little faith?...sigh)
When I got to Bolzano, I realized that the signs were now all in either Italian or German, neither of which I know well enough to survive, so that was a little nerve-wracking. I made it to Merano without any other obstacles, thankfully, and I was able to find the bus up to Dorf Tirol almost immediately after getting off my train. Buying my ticket on the bus was a little confusing and embarrassing, but it wasn't too bad. I was just glad to be on the bus. Once the bus dropped us all off in Dorf Tirol, it was a little hard to navigate to Schloss Brunnenburg, but it ended up alright...just a really steep slope down to the castle (something we're still dealing with every day! haha).
Man, I was so thankful to finally make it to the castle. Praise God--that's all I can say :) As the first one there, I got a mini-tour from Dr. Redman and then just relaxed. To pass the time, I found some old "yearbooks" from St. Andrews students (they come here in the fall for a three-month program), and those were interesting, to say the least. Since there's also a farm here at the castle, I went to explore the animals' cages for a bit (bunnies!), and then around 4 p.m., half of the group showed up, which was pretty exciting. Due to a lottery drawing, we all ended up with single rooms, even though some of us were supposed to be in doubles, so that was kind of funny (it looked like we were doing it first come, first serve, but it was a fair draw!). After another mini-tour, we had a delicious cold buffet (our first taste of Brigitte's cooking!), after which the rest of the group arrived, and then we went downhill to play with the goats and pigs for a bit, hehe.
Since it was still relatively early after we finished dinner, we went up to the village and got gelato before coming back, settling in, and just chatting with each other and finishing up reading.
First (and compiled) thoughts on the castle:
It is so, so beautiful here. It's not just the nature, it's not just the view, it's not just the castle itself, it's not just the people/family who own the castle and live here...it's all of it together. This is such a unique place (I still get slightly weirded out when I tell people where I am, haha), and it's just so different from anywhere I've ever lived. I love the rusticness of our rooms (but we're not lacking anything modern at all), the view of the mountains and Merano in the valley every time I step outside or look out my window, the farm animals, the cute German/Austrian accent the family members have, the amazing food we're being fed by Brigitte (and even breakfast! Bread is somehow super amazing here), the vineyards and greenery everywhere...mm. Thank You, Jesus, for allowing me a glimpse into a completely different world for a month. I'm trying to make the most of every day and really take it all in, because I really won't be here for very long at all.
verona. (6/4/11)
At breakfast, I met a group of Texas Tech students (yay Texas!) who were studying architecture in Verona/other parts of Italy, so that was kind of cool. Since I didn't have too much planned for the day, I started off climbing uphill for a bit for a pretty good view of Verona before heading down to the city center. At Juliet's house/balcony, there were a lot of tourists taking pictures while rubbing the breast of her statue (awkward, but supposedly it brings you true love?...). There was also a crazy amount of graffiti on the walls leading to the balcony...it was kind of cool-looking, actually. At the nearby Piazza Erbe/Piazza Fruta, I munched on some strawberries, saw a statue of Dante, and then headed down Via Mazzini, the main shopping street.
For a little while, I went into the Disney store and lost myself for a bit. It's funny--it made me feel like I had been transported back home, I guess to the Galleria, and I momentarily forgot I was in Verona until I left the store again, haha.
At Piazza Bra (where there was a mini-Colosseum of sorts, haha), I just sat for a while in the park and people-watched. I forgot how fun and relaxing it can be, haha. I ended up near this building (a church?) next to the park, and I guess it was the place in town to get married: in the course of an hour or so, I saw 7 or 8 brides (no joke). Crazy, right?! I've never seen so many different newlyweds celebrating and taking pictures in the vicinity of each other, haha. Some of their wedding cars were even the same...haha. Also, their dresses were pretty interesting; some just looked like prom dresses and were black, magenta, or red instead of the ordinary white.
As I sat there, I fell into a very reflective mood...seeing the brides reminded me of Chris Rice's "Smile (Just Wanna Be With You)," which talks about yearning for the day when we finally get to be with Jesus forever. Another thought that came to mind was what the speaker at this year's Epic Anthology said about God waiting excitedly for us on that day, looking at us with such love and adoration, the way a groom looks at his bride on their wedding day. I can't wait :) I also reflected on my whole trip thus far as I rested there. With my mind filled with so many thoughts, I really wanted to journal but didn't have any paper on me at the time. Lame! For lunch, I had some scrumptious pumpkin ravioli, and then I wandered over to the Arsenale and Castelvecchio (Old Castle), where there was a bridge spanning the river, and it felt really nice to just sit there for a while.
I did some more people watching back in Piazza Bra, mostly because my legs were tired. Man, I thought the smokers were bad in Argentina last year...but it's even worse here in Europe. It seems like EVERYONE smokes, and they start really young, too! I saw some kids who looked around 12 or 13 years of age who were smoking together, and it just made me sad. It seems impossible to break that cycle when smoking is so embedded in their culture...gross. Something random: I also saw a TON of Hard Rock Cafe shirts that day in Verona from a decent number of cities/places...like Barcelona, California, Russia, England, etc. I also saw Anna from my Padova hostel, which was totally unexpected. It reminded me of when Michelle and I saw the "headphones girl" (a girl we saw on the train to Versailles) when we were in Venice. What are the chances, right?
That afternoon in the piazza, there was some sort of event where people with disabilities had the chance to perform music in small groups. It reminded me of the MI kids at Rogers, as well as Best Buddies at Bellaire. It'd been a while since I'd seen people like that, and just seeing them tugged at my heartstrings.
Back at the hostel, I got ahold of a bit of Internet, and then I was going to go back to Piazza Erbe for a concert that night, but we got rained in, so I don't even know if the concert happened. Either way, I stayed in my room and met a few new girls: Daphne from the Netherlands and Natalie and Francesca from Germany. Daphne was really talkative, haha, but it was fun to get to know them a bit before heading to sleep.
For a little while, I went into the Disney store and lost myself for a bit. It's funny--it made me feel like I had been transported back home, I guess to the Galleria, and I momentarily forgot I was in Verona until I left the store again, haha.
At Piazza Bra (where there was a mini-Colosseum of sorts, haha), I just sat for a while in the park and people-watched. I forgot how fun and relaxing it can be, haha. I ended up near this building (a church?) next to the park, and I guess it was the place in town to get married: in the course of an hour or so, I saw 7 or 8 brides (no joke). Crazy, right?! I've never seen so many different newlyweds celebrating and taking pictures in the vicinity of each other, haha. Some of their wedding cars were even the same...haha. Also, their dresses were pretty interesting; some just looked like prom dresses and were black, magenta, or red instead of the ordinary white.
As I sat there, I fell into a very reflective mood...seeing the brides reminded me of Chris Rice's "Smile (Just Wanna Be With You)," which talks about yearning for the day when we finally get to be with Jesus forever. Another thought that came to mind was what the speaker at this year's Epic Anthology said about God waiting excitedly for us on that day, looking at us with such love and adoration, the way a groom looks at his bride on their wedding day. I can't wait :) I also reflected on my whole trip thus far as I rested there. With my mind filled with so many thoughts, I really wanted to journal but didn't have any paper on me at the time. Lame! For lunch, I had some scrumptious pumpkin ravioli, and then I wandered over to the Arsenale and Castelvecchio (Old Castle), where there was a bridge spanning the river, and it felt really nice to just sit there for a while.
I did some more people watching back in Piazza Bra, mostly because my legs were tired. Man, I thought the smokers were bad in Argentina last year...but it's even worse here in Europe. It seems like EVERYONE smokes, and they start really young, too! I saw some kids who looked around 12 or 13 years of age who were smoking together, and it just made me sad. It seems impossible to break that cycle when smoking is so embedded in their culture...gross. Something random: I also saw a TON of Hard Rock Cafe shirts that day in Verona from a decent number of cities/places...like Barcelona, California, Russia, England, etc. I also saw Anna from my Padova hostel, which was totally unexpected. It reminded me of when Michelle and I saw the "headphones girl" (a girl we saw on the train to Versailles) when we were in Venice. What are the chances, right?
That afternoon in the piazza, there was some sort of event where people with disabilities had the chance to perform music in small groups. It reminded me of the MI kids at Rogers, as well as Best Buddies at Bellaire. It'd been a while since I'd seen people like that, and just seeing them tugged at my heartstrings.
Back at the hostel, I got ahold of a bit of Internet, and then I was going to go back to Piazza Erbe for a concert that night, but we got rained in, so I don't even know if the concert happened. Either way, I stayed in my room and met a few new girls: Daphne from the Netherlands and Natalie and Francesca from Germany. Daphne was really talkative, haha, but it was fun to get to know them a bit before heading to sleep.
padova. (6/3/11)
For my first day alone, I'm glad I was in Padova. I really, really liked it, probably for several reasons, but I also just liked the overall feel of the city. It was interesting but not too hectic. I don't know; it's a little hard to describe, but I think it was definitely worth a day's visit. :)
In the morning, there was some type of field day event going on in Prato della Valle, with tons of elementary-age kids grouped by their t-shirt colors participating in semi-athletic events. I actually don't know how else to describe it other than field day, haha. It was fun to watch for a bit, and it definitely brought me back to my days at Lovett. Good times! There was also an amusement park/carnival around the corner from the square...kinda random, haha.
I checked out St. Anthony's Basilica, which was pretty cool. One part of the church has his tomb, and it was interesting to see a lot of people praying to him while touching his tomb. I guess it's a bit weird for me, since I'm not Catholic and don't put that much import in the saints (I don't even really know what St. Anthony did, other than that he was a really good orator--which I learned from Rick Steves--plus his tongue is a relic in the chapel at the back, which I thought was slightly strange).
Since I had a Padova Card, which allowed me free admission to a decent number of museums and buildings, I went to the Loggia and Odeo Cornaro, a small museum showcasing a couple of old buildings. Since it was just me and an older Italian lady visiting at the same time, the tour guide, a young lady, conducted her tour in Italian. I tried really hard to understand what she was saying, using my years of learning Spanish, but it didn't help too much. I picked up key words here and there, but it was an interesting experience. Afterwards, I stopped by the Piazza Erbe again, which was a lot more lively and filled with fruit markets--yay! I got a peach and an orange for 35 euro cents, hehe.
Then came the highlight of my visit to Padova--going to see Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. They're really awesome! He's just a great artist. The limitations on visiting are pretty intense--they only let in groups of up to 25 people for 15 minutes at a time to maintain the humidity inside the small chapel, but it was worth it, in my opinion. Most of the frescoes portrayed different scenes of Jesus' life and ministry, and they were just really realistic and well-done. The one that hit me the most was the one of the kiss of Judas. Jesus' expression seemed to clearly say, "Do what you came to do," (Matthew 26:50) and I was reminded again of the weight of Jesus' burden and obedience to the Father. Praise God for His salvation through Jesus Christ, again and again.
After our brief visit in the Scrovegni, I wandered around the neighboring Eremitani Museums, which had a lot of paintings and old ruins and artifacts, as well as Palazzo Zuckermann, which also had a collection of various items that were pretty neat. On my way back to the hostel area, I also stopped by Palazzo della Ragione above Piazza Erbe, which had a giant horse statue, as well as an exhibit on counterfeit money (talk about unrelated topics). I ate my first European kebab (yum!) for "linner", since it was around 4 p.m., lol...I also stopped by the small Botanic Garden, since I had a little more time before my train, where I saw a lot of college student-age artists sketching various plants. On my way out, I got gelato (that matched my shirt, haha), and the guy behind the counter gave me an extra sample, which was surprising but nice. Yay for random kindness :)
However, not yay for train fines...which I was subject to on my train to Verona. Apparently, I had gotten onto an inter-city train without paying the extra fee that came with it, so that was a little off-putting...oh well. It happens, I guess. But things didn't get better yet. I got to Verona and waited for the bus to the hostel area of town...for forever, it seemed (30 minutes, realistically). It started to frustrate me, since the sun was setting soon, and there was nothing I could do. While I waited, a little girl even talked to me for a bit, but only in Italian, so not much was communicated in that short conversation. Even when the bus finally came, it was hard to find the hostel after I got off the bus. After asking the bus driver plus a couple of strangers, plus following various street signs with a hostel logo, I climbed uphill for a bit longer before finally finding the hostel. Geez, it could not be farther from the train station...anyway, when I checked in (since that place doesn't take reservations), the guy behind the counter told me there might not be beds for two nights in a row, and I would have to check again in the morning. That was also unexpected, and pretty much the last straw for me. I managed to hold myself together until I got to my room, but once I got there, I broke down and cried for a little bit. It wasn't anything big, just a buildup of several frustrating things in the course of an hour or two, and I needed to let it out. Prayer definitely helped me calm down, too. I just spent the rest of the night organizing my things, figuring out the shower and trying to shower quickly (it was a weird, kind of corporate shower, and potentially very awkward...but the next morning, I saw girls go in with their swimsuits on, which would make sense...too bad I didn't bring that with me to Europe!), and then turning in early. Which I guess is something I'm not doing tonight...must finish updating!
In the morning, there was some type of field day event going on in Prato della Valle, with tons of elementary-age kids grouped by their t-shirt colors participating in semi-athletic events. I actually don't know how else to describe it other than field day, haha. It was fun to watch for a bit, and it definitely brought me back to my days at Lovett. Good times! There was also an amusement park/carnival around the corner from the square...kinda random, haha.
I checked out St. Anthony's Basilica, which was pretty cool. One part of the church has his tomb, and it was interesting to see a lot of people praying to him while touching his tomb. I guess it's a bit weird for me, since I'm not Catholic and don't put that much import in the saints (I don't even really know what St. Anthony did, other than that he was a really good orator--which I learned from Rick Steves--plus his tongue is a relic in the chapel at the back, which I thought was slightly strange).
Since I had a Padova Card, which allowed me free admission to a decent number of museums and buildings, I went to the Loggia and Odeo Cornaro, a small museum showcasing a couple of old buildings. Since it was just me and an older Italian lady visiting at the same time, the tour guide, a young lady, conducted her tour in Italian. I tried really hard to understand what she was saying, using my years of learning Spanish, but it didn't help too much. I picked up key words here and there, but it was an interesting experience. Afterwards, I stopped by the Piazza Erbe again, which was a lot more lively and filled with fruit markets--yay! I got a peach and an orange for 35 euro cents, hehe.
Then came the highlight of my visit to Padova--going to see Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. They're really awesome! He's just a great artist. The limitations on visiting are pretty intense--they only let in groups of up to 25 people for 15 minutes at a time to maintain the humidity inside the small chapel, but it was worth it, in my opinion. Most of the frescoes portrayed different scenes of Jesus' life and ministry, and they were just really realistic and well-done. The one that hit me the most was the one of the kiss of Judas. Jesus' expression seemed to clearly say, "Do what you came to do," (Matthew 26:50) and I was reminded again of the weight of Jesus' burden and obedience to the Father. Praise God for His salvation through Jesus Christ, again and again.
After our brief visit in the Scrovegni, I wandered around the neighboring Eremitani Museums, which had a lot of paintings and old ruins and artifacts, as well as Palazzo Zuckermann, which also had a collection of various items that were pretty neat. On my way back to the hostel area, I also stopped by Palazzo della Ragione above Piazza Erbe, which had a giant horse statue, as well as an exhibit on counterfeit money (talk about unrelated topics). I ate my first European kebab (yum!) for "linner", since it was around 4 p.m., lol...I also stopped by the small Botanic Garden, since I had a little more time before my train, where I saw a lot of college student-age artists sketching various plants. On my way out, I got gelato (that matched my shirt, haha), and the guy behind the counter gave me an extra sample, which was surprising but nice. Yay for random kindness :)
However, not yay for train fines...which I was subject to on my train to Verona. Apparently, I had gotten onto an inter-city train without paying the extra fee that came with it, so that was a little off-putting...oh well. It happens, I guess. But things didn't get better yet. I got to Verona and waited for the bus to the hostel area of town...for forever, it seemed (30 minutes, realistically). It started to frustrate me, since the sun was setting soon, and there was nothing I could do. While I waited, a little girl even talked to me for a bit, but only in Italian, so not much was communicated in that short conversation. Even when the bus finally came, it was hard to find the hostel after I got off the bus. After asking the bus driver plus a couple of strangers, plus following various street signs with a hostel logo, I climbed uphill for a bit longer before finally finding the hostel. Geez, it could not be farther from the train station...anyway, when I checked in (since that place doesn't take reservations), the guy behind the counter told me there might not be beds for two nights in a row, and I would have to check again in the morning. That was also unexpected, and pretty much the last straw for me. I managed to hold myself together until I got to my room, but once I got there, I broke down and cried for a little bit. It wasn't anything big, just a buildup of several frustrating things in the course of an hour or two, and I needed to let it out. Prayer definitely helped me calm down, too. I just spent the rest of the night organizing my things, figuring out the shower and trying to shower quickly (it was a weird, kind of corporate shower, and potentially very awkward...but the next morning, I saw girls go in with their swimsuits on, which would make sense...too bad I didn't bring that with me to Europe!), and then turning in early. Which I guess is something I'm not doing tonight...must finish updating!
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