Day 21: June 3rd, My Goodbye to Austria

While I did not go home to the US when everyone else did I still had quite the long travel day. It honestly felt a lot like being on a plane for six hours because I didn't get up at all (I had no idea where food or bathrooms where on the train). This gave me a lot of time to think about different things. I thought a lot about Austria and how I was going to miss it. I thought about what I was going to do in Germany, since I still didn't have a plan for that. Strangely enough I did feel a little homesick, but not really for America per say but for my parents. They are like my best friends so I miss seeing them. Of  all these things though I thought a lot about myself and how I was going to go forward after this adventure. In all honesty I really don't feel like I have changed much, I never do. I just continue with my life and hope I do good things to help improve the world with things I have learned. I've leaned so much on this trip too, not just history and culture, but real world things I can use on campus or just in my life. I am thankful to Austria for al the things it has taught me. I feel like I can't do justice to its beauty, amazement, and spirit in words. I am going to miss it so much. Like other adventure though I will return home, make a scrapbook, stay in touch with people I went with. A walk through each day knowing that theres a special place in my mind and soul for Austria and its people. This blog really isn't long because I am so tired (and still on European time). Just know that I am extremely grateful for the chance to go on this trip, and I don't regret a single moment of it. Thank you for everything, and have a good night! So Long, Farewell! (also my computer is misbehaving again so I will post picture later)

Day 20: June 2nd, Ground Control to Major Tom...

Today was the end, the real last day in Vienna and all day all I could think of was the song Space Oddity by David Bowie. Much like how the chorus goes it felt weird to go through city once more before I left. I seemed to float along melancholy way remembering all the great times I had and reminiscing on all the things I have learned. I may not have learned the same things as the other students but I felt like I was relearning things I knew. In a way this trip retaught me several things. It taught me to be optimistic again, to aim for higher ideals, and dream of the ways I can help others. There were so many things that Vienna does that I could see be implemented in the US or even on campus. It taught me to believe in myself again and to teach myself that my independence isn't a curse but a strong trait to have. It taught me that even though I may not agree with the current state of my country I can still be proud to be from there, and I can make the change I want to see there. I feel like I will always hold the experiences that taught me these things close to my heart. While I did so many fun and exciting things, the most educational things were the places we would go and just listen to other perspectives. Like the Shades Tours where we learned about the homeless situation in Vienna, I never imagine and system like that but seeing it at work just made me think how that could be done in the US. There was also the day we visited Krems and learned about the health care system. I learned so many new things about how the rest of the world works in help and learned good and bad things. One of the most inspiring things for me was hearing the presentation in the US Embassy, because here was a professional women who was married and still had a family, but was able to travel and help change the world in her own way. I never really thought I could be able to do that as a career but it is possible you just have to look for the opportunities. It was inspiring to see and I enjoyed learning about the whole process of forge in service. Really just being abroad was in a way refreshing for me. After being surrounded by pretty like minded people in college (they do have different ways of thinking I just talk to the same people quite often) it was exciting to hear from people from a culture I didn't have much experience with. It's really hard to say what I am going to miss the most about Austria (especially since I am not going to far for the time being). I have to say I definitely will be the leisure time, relaxation, and their tap water. I will also miss the small things though like riding the U, seeing all the interesting people there, the sheer number of bakeries, and I think strangle enough I will miss the Vienna State Opera House. It was my first real impression of Vienna and I really fell in love with the building and what it does on the first day. Being able to go inside and see a stunning ballet performance there too just made the Opera House one of my favorite places to go. I am going to miss walking by it on my way to AAIE. It's really hard to say in total though what I miss and what I learned here, because you don't really realize it until it happens to you. Perhaps one day I will run into a situation where something from Vienna will help me be a better person, or I will go to fill up my water bottle months later and still remember the good taste of the tap water. I look forward to seeing how I grow from here on out, after all Austria is a part of my heart now. Until next time Austria.

Day 19: June 1st, To Reminisce Is A Beautiful Thing

I know I said that today was the beginning of the end, well today was the part right before the climax. Today we deregistered from the country so we could leave on Sunday, and while the process was quite painless I was quite sad doing it. It was one of the first solid steps to leaving Vienna and after the last few weeks I am really sad to have to leave. Even though I did quite a bit of adventuring in my time here I felt like there were still so many adventures to be had. I may have just been a visitor to the city I was really starting to feel comfortable with how things work. Deregistering felt like I was losing part of my identity in Vienna, I was just a regular tourist now. In way though I am not regular in the slightest after this trip. I have learned so much about Vienna's history, culture, and inner workings that if I ever returned I could handle myself well and see things that I have already seen. This experience has been a joyous one, and I may be sad to lave but I know I will always have my memories of my time here. Strange enough the most uncomfortable I felt really during our trip (besides the obvious language barrier) was when visiting the U.S. Embassy. While I loved visiting ad thought the presentation was very interesting and inspiring, considering how I am looking for careers I could travel with, I just felt like I had come back to the U.S. too suddenly in a way. A bit like being thrown into cold water very suddenly, you know you will adjust to it but the shock is still here. I guess it was early on set reverse culture shock.

In all seriousness though experiencing Austrian culture was very interesting because I didn't feel quite like an other most of the time. After all most of the people here look like me in a way, they speak english, and are still polite in there own way. I know the purpose of this trip was to fee like the "other" in a culture that wasn't yours, but after ll my interactions with my interaction friends a lot of the things that would make me feel like an other I was used to. After all my international friends often didn't always speak english around me, we had different ideas about how things worked, and we had culture differences that we worked through. When I came to Austria I tried to handle myself the same way I would around my friends, and so I didn't feel too much like an other. I did sometimes for example when someone would say joke in german to me, or a culture difference would come up and didn't know how to handle it, or even getting used to simple things like relying heavily on coins. For me though these challenges we face in a different country are part of the adventure of traveling. It is to get our of your comfort zone and learn something new, and I wouldn't trade anything for the the awkward moments I experienced to feel comfortable at home all summer. To explain study abroad in hashtag I would probably use #gobeyondyourbounds. I often feel like we hold ourself back in different ways not just in study abroad, but I feel like in order to experience it fully you must go beyond what you think you can do and just go for it. On the other hand though I would say study abroad is like a sentence from a poem my Mom read to me quite often "Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence." For me this means that when you study abroad don't try and stick to your ways too much, become and chameleon and bend into the culture in order to learn something new about the world and yourself. You ay just find a peace in yourself in all the chaos that you never knew you had. I am so glad I was able to go on this trip, and I wouldn't change any experience in the world. They are all unique to me, and I hold them near and dear to my heart. Tomorrow is my last official day in Vienna and I plan to make the most of it. Until tomorrow then!

Day 18: May 31st, The Beginning of The End

All great things must come to an end, and the end must always begin somewhere. The end of my time of Vienna been when I opened my suitcase and started packing. For me that symbolizes the end of an amazing trip that I will remember for the rest of my life. Even though this day is the beginning of the end for me, I am not going out without a fight. So on this peaceful Thursday  decided to do two things: go to a going away party for some students I had meet, and attend the Summer Concert for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. After all before I left for Vienna I was told by my music majors that it wouldn't be a trip to Vienna without seeing a classical concert (so a free concert in the park seemed like an obvious idea). Before that though I went to the going away party for the girls I share my host house with. They had been really sweet to me while we stayed together so I really wanted to go and support them. It was interesting for me to go and see some cult differences in person with the idea of swimming and different foods that are traditional. With swimming it was seen more as a way to relax and cool off than exercise (which is really the same for many Americans it just seemed different with them). The food was first off incredible and second really kind of interesting. IT was amid of things we had and things I would never expect at a pool party. For instance in Austria some people eat radishes whole, a bit like an apple. They also included many foods I would consider fancy dinner foods like a cheese board, bread, and sausages. I really had a good time talking to the adults about different topics, including making a great game plan for the concert. I enjoyed all the food and learning more about Austrian culture. Sadly I had a concert to catch so I hurried off to catch a train (which ended up being a bus) to get a good spot for the concert.

I really would like to put in words how amazing the concert was, but I don't think I can do it justice. To start there were a large number of people there I honestly felt like I was a t a football game in America with all the excitement and competing for the best spot. The wait for the concert was also really exhausting since i had to stand for two plus hours just to have a good spot. Luckily I made some friends with some girls from Quebec in Canada who had just started working as doctors there. They were very nice and we talked a lot about traveling, cultures, and the excitement for the concert. Once the concert began all the pain of standing and waiting was immediately worth it. I could have stayed for just one song and have been satisfied, the music was that beyond amazing. The lights that lit up Schonbrunn Palace beautifully and expertly set the mood for the different songs. In a way this concert was a lot like how the Super Bowl is to us. I even saw a bar playing the concert on TV (the concert was broadcasted live to city). I could feel the love for music all around, every bit of pain of standing was worth the beauty of that evening. It will definitely be a stand out in my memories of Vienna. Even now as I look back I start to pick out special moments. There are so many great experiences I have had here, and I don't regret a minute of this trip. Some stand outs are really the whole week in the Alps, exploring museums in Vienna, and really just learning Vienna as a city. Learning how to get places fast, where good food it, how to find cheap bathrooms, even the not as glamorous moments of walking through the city to get from one place to the next. With each moment I could just admire and wonder about the city and its stories. I get quite sad with the thought of leaving, I have really fallen in love with the city. I hope someday I can return, still there are a free days left, and I tend to make the most of them. Until next time!

Day 17: May 30th, A Day At The Castle, A Night At The Ballet

One of the biggest differences between Europe and the United States is an extreme lack of castles in the US. This is probably due to the fact the castle building had gone out of style by the time we were a country. So the only time to really see castles is when you visit Europe, and boy do they not disappoint. While we had been to many palaces over the last few days we had yet to go to a stereotypical medieval castle, so you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that we could be going to Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein is a very unique castle for due to various circumstances the castle had different sections that date from various time periods (some as early as the 12th century and as late as the 19th century). The area surrounding the castle is a forrest planted by one of the owners with many trails and ruins (it was romantic at the time to take a walk in the woods and come across a ruin). The castle itself was a incredible place to tour though. Our tour guide of course gave us a lot of information about the castle like how it can to be, who owned it, etc. but the most interesting part for me was trying to imagine how people actually lived there. After all many things were different than they are now. The whole castle was meant for just one lord and his family, so what did the rest of the people do? Where did they stay? Did they just work their entire lives or did other things happen? Wandering the halls may have gave me a better idea about how royalty lived, but it only raised more questions about how others lived. Something we learned about at the castle was that people slept sitting up due to superstition of the dead laying down, and while the Lord's bed looked quite big and comfortable, how did the servants and other staff mange? Today made me think a lot about assumptions. After all we assume people have slept like we did but really laying down is quite a recent fashion. There is so much we assume about our past and other people and its interesting to think about how much they affect our lives. I am not saying assumption are bad by many means, its just he way our brain works, assumptions are the quickest and most effective ways of thinking for our brain. We have to put real effort in if we want to look past assumptions, which is something I have been trying to work on this trip. To see beyond what I think of others at first, whether I ave been successful or not is the real question I guess. Back on topic though something else I really enjoyed about the castle was just how beautiful everything was inside and out. While the views may not have been the most impressive we have seen (peaks of mountains in the Alps is quite hard to beat) there was something beautifully tranquil about the views from the balconies. It was like I could sit there staring out at Vienna or the forest all day. As a whole I enjoyed Lichtenstein and everything it had to offer.

Later that day some people from the trip and I hurried to the Vienna State Opera House to buy standing room tickets to the ballet Giselle. We though we were quite lucky at first since there was no line outside the building yet, but we were quickly stopped by the Usher who said we were not allowed to enter the Opera in shorts. Just goes to show you you should always look into the dress code of buildings before you enter them. However we weren't going to let a pair of shorts stop us from experiencing the beauty of the ballet, so we ran to the shopping district a rushed to find some pants and a proper outfit for the State Opera House. It was in my mind at least a lot like Pretty Women were we went from drab outfits to very pretty ones. After we bought our new clothes we rushed to a bathroom to change and then got in line again. Now standing room is quite nice in theory a cheap ticket to see an experience, but in execution it quite painful to stand as long as you have to. You stand not only for the performance but to get the ticket, to stand in line to get a place, and then if there are not enough places on the rail you get to stand next to the rail with no support. As one would expect in a situation like this people were quite rude to each other in attempts to get a better spot or claim spots that weren't marked. Despite all the negativity I stayed positive and excited about the whole experience, I love and appreciate ballet after years of doing it myself so I was excited to see a world wide recognized company perform, and man did they not let me down. Despite half the stage being blocked by a very tall man in front of me the dancers were phenomenal. The story was simple but the emotion and performance were astounding, after all Giselle is a romantic period ballet which meant it was very dramatic and compelling. Despite no words being used you could just feel the story being told. I loved the performance and was even able to make a friend with someone near me. She was visiting from Spain and had seen many ballets before (we talked quite a bit before the show and she helped raise my sprints considerably). Even though I got home late and was very tired it was worth it to see the ballet in its entirety and to thank the dancers with my applause. Today was a great day to start winding down on my time in Vienna, but I still look forward to my last few days. Until next time! (P.S. Photos will be up later my computer is acting up right now)

Day 16: May 29th, Discussion of Health in Krems

In every system there are advantages and flaws, for there is no system that is perfect and depending on your perspective one system may be better than the other. That is why it is important to examine both our own systems and other systems used in the world. A great example of this is the American Health Care System versus the Austrian Health Care System. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but in the end one has to think of what is better for the people. The Austrian system runs on the ideal mandatory insurance payed on different rates based on income to support everyone equally. This makes healthcare affordable, accessible, and quell to all. Which in the eyes of many including myself is the best system to have in order to improve the health of a nation as a whole. In American we may get to choose how much we want to pay and what kind of insurance we want and to what extent it goes to, but not everyone can have insurance if they need it. So when they do get sick the uninsured fall into debt or even worse situations. The Austrian system is also advantageous because it is possible to do private insurance and care if someone wishes to do it (though their general hospitals are more then adequate). Even if you don't have private insurance you can choose your own doctor and have freedom in your insurance. Overall I think the American System could learn a lot form Austrian in the insurance and healthcare division. There are some things I do think that the American System does better. In Austria there is a clear division between doctors and nurses. Doctors do most to all of the work for the patient when it comes to their health, while the nurse is there more as a caretaker getting food and different things the patients need. There is also a very different level of respect for a doctor versus a nurse. In American we have a varying range of nurses that have different responsibilities in the hospital, and have more respect from society as whole. This helps the patients get better care since they do not always have to wait specifically for a doctor for help. Doctors in Austria on theater hand are often overworked because they have to be extremely hands on with their patients. As a whole I enjoyed learning and comparing the two health care systems and I an glad we were able to visit Danube University.

Another very interesting thing we did while at the University was talk with some of the medical school students. While we didn't really talk much about school we did talk throughly about cultural differences and ideas about the others culture. It was very interesting to see what they thought about Americans and how similar some of our thoughts were. We also found out we had pretty similar senses of humor (at least I thought we did). I also will admit I did not get to talk with them as much as I wanted. Much like our own groups they had their own groups which they preferred talking to. I am usually very outgoing and really excited to talk to other students especially from other cultures, but I guess today just wasn't my day for it. I did enjoy talking with them when I did though. I also enjoyed the House vs. Prof program and discussion (even though I didn't understand much of the medical terminology they used). The doctor that was there to discuss the diagnosis was very intelligent in what he was explaining and I was able to understand the basic idea despite not know the terminology. Another thing we did with a student from the university was go snack and drink (which I did not do) by the Danube River and walk around the city. Krems as a whole is a very small charming peaceful despite the university and prison in its centre. I never felt uneasy there and enjoyed the fair weather. Something I did notice was the face that many of the buildings were quite old, but they were working on and already hadmnay new modern buildings near the University. It was a bit like Vienna where the old and new were colliding but Krems was doing it in a very different way since much of the change seemed recent. Today as whole was very educational and enjoyable and I hope the rest of the week is just the same, until next time!

Day 15: May 28th, A Palace Fit For Complicated Royal History?

The one thing we did as a group today was visit Schonbrunn Plaace which resides in the city limits of Vienna. Now I have to be honest here, I really didn't know much about the Austrian Royal Family before I came here, and I still don't know much. I guess if I had to complain about something about the place it would be the lack of history of the family and what occurred in the palace, not just the purpose of each room. Other than that the tour was quiet enjoyable. The audioguide was very helpful in getting us to understand the history of the construction of the palace and what the various rooms were used for. All of this was done while filling in some important historic points and using many first person sources which I thought was very interesting to hear from. Overall I had fun exploring the different rooms and imaging what it was like for those to live there years ago. I guess I didn't enjoy myself as much as I could due to the large amount fo people there since the Palace is one of Vienna's biggest tourist spots. Also they kind of went a little overboard with the gift shops and souvenirs, and this is coming from a girl who loves souvenirs! I did enjoy some of the history I learned like the fact that many of the heads of the imperial family order remodels to reflect the styles the time. Or how Napoleon's son was separated for his mother and kept at the palace due to his father's actions and beliefs. I did throughly enjoy the gardens attached the palace. The baroque styling of the garden amazed me despite all the construction around it. My friend Kirsten and I even went through the mazes they had in the garden which actually proved to be pretty hard at times. It was interesting to think that even with all the visitors the park didn't seem crowded, which really got me thinking what it would be like with only the imperial family there. Royals sure were lucky in some ways I guess. I do appreciate how the city of Vienna has turned these gardens into parks for the public to enjoy. As a whole I enjoyed the palace but I think I would only want to visit there the one time and maybe return to the garden someday.

While the rest of the day was a free day I knew I wanted to make the most of my time since my time was running out in Vienna. So Kirsten and I went on a adventure to see more of the city. The first place we visited was Prater an amusement park inside the city limits. The whole park felt like a weird thrown together rejection pile for Disney with most of the rides and attractions right on top of each other with no rhyme or reason. Admission was thankfully free but the prices to ride the rides was steep, on average it was 5 euros and there were hundreds of rides there to ride. There were also many carnival games to play and a surprising number of haunted houses. The park was also home to a very historic ferris wheel which while a little overpriced was still a lot of fun to go on and learn the history of. As a whole the park was fun but expensive but I did enjoy getting to the city from so high on some of the rides.

After Prater we went to St. Stephen's Cathedral in the city center. While we had seen the outside of the church several times on our adventures in Vienna we had yet to actually go inside. So with much anticipation we hurried inside the cathedral and basked in the beauty that is St. Stephen's Cathedral. While enjoying the beautiful interior I couldn't hep but think about how much of the church was reconstructed due to bombings during World War II, much like the rest of Vienna. It can really make you be proud of how far Vienna and its people have come and how well they have recovered from the ghosts of its past. I do find the attitudes of Viennise people very interesting. Take for instance my host mom, much like her Vienna is very environmentally and medically conscious. People try nd eat healthy organic foods and save water and energy in the home, but then they turn around do things like smoke everywhere in public. While they act like they are perfect (much like the US does) they still have many flaws about them. Which I think is something we will never be able to escape as a society.

This trip has been an amazing experience for me, and as it draws to a close I have been started how much things have changed for me. I talked a lot about this in my blog yesterday but somethings that happened today have cleared my image of myself. I am learning to stand for myself again, while also learning different kinds of patience I am not used to using. I believe I am changing and learning for the better on this trip. Still there are still couple days left and many adventures left to write about, until next time!

Day 14: May 27th, A Day of Relaxation and Reflection

There's a lot of things I imagined I would learn on this trip. Some of them obvious things like history of the city or how to navigate public transportation in another country, yet the things I have learned about myself are coming at a complete surprise to me. I really didn't think someone could change much in fourteen days, but I have started noticing small changes about myself. It's like this trip and started restoring my self-confidence that has been waning for the past year or two. Before we get too deep though I should probably at least talk about what I did today. While I have noticed that many people feel the need to do everything everyday in order to be happy or complete. I however am quite religious when it comes to designated times where I do nothing and recover from the exhausting days from before. Since we were in Salzburg though we did have to manage to get back to Vienna in time for class Monday. Kirsten and I had decided that we should head back earlier because we both wanted to do laundry and other things back in Vienna. The walk to the train station and the train ride itself were both quite uneventful. I was able to enjoy the beautiful Austrian country side, while also catching and couple Z's. After that I hustled though the hour long commute back home with all my luggage, and arrived home safely. I was able to get my laundry done while also resting up a little in  preparation for my last week in Vienna. I did do a lot thinking though.

Before going on this trip I have to admit I was really nervous about not knowing anyone on the trip. We would be together for three weeks in a foreign country and I was worried about getting along with them. While I still believe today I have trouble being on the same level the others are on I feel like we get along. We can have nice conversation hang out if we want an many other things. They may be very different from me but we are still able to be friends. While this probably seems really obvious to others, this something I have been struggling with a lot not only on this trip but my first year of college. I felt like everyone was too different from me and they were befriending each other much quicker than I was. I still feel this way, which leads me to what this trip has begun to teach me. How to be my best friend and stand by my own side. At college this was harder for me to do since there are so many options of things to do and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but here on this trip I had clear goals for what I wanted to do. This helped reteach me ways to do things I want without compromise. I have been able to do a lot fo things on my own, teach myself new things, and learn new things about myself. I am relearning my strong points as well as learning about my weak ones, and I have learned to unapologetically be me and have fun as myself. Which I feel like I really needed to learn to do again. This trip is prepping me to start making the most of my time at college. Again I can't wait to see what my last week here holds, until next time!

Day 13: May 26th, Salzburg Take Two!

While I am always a person who is welcome to a new adventure in a new city or country I decided against it for my second free weekend and choose to return to Salzburg for the weekend. There were many things that called me to return to the city, perhaps it was the lack of Museum time or the people. It was most likely my obsession with the Sound of Music though if we were being honest. While the tour we went on our first day was very helpful in finding all the landmarks from the film I didn't get to spend near enough time there, and we didn't get to see everything I had wanted to. I was very lucky in the fact my friend Kirsten also wanted to stay so we came together to plan a day of sightseeing for Salzburg. The plan was to try and fit the major Sound of Music spots and hit other sights along the way.

As a whole I can say today was pretty perfect. For the first time since we had gotten into the Alps we didn't have a single drop of rain and it was really warm outside (the first day I shed my hoodie the whole trip). Since we got up early and hurried to all the crowded spots early we were able to get good pictures and enjoy ourselves throughly at each location. We even got to see some great museums like the museums for Mozart at his second residence in Salzburg. The museum was beautifully put together and held a lot of interesting information about Mozart and is family, including his apparently disappointing son. We even got to see some of the same instruments he played in that house. It was really surreal to think about when I think back on it. After that we continued across the view to look for Sound of Music locations and some other interesting sights. One of these was the Museum of Modern Art which while wasn't my favorite I thought was really interesting to visit. Later we found out out that the lookout for the museum was a location for the Sound of Music we didn't even realize was there. After that we got lunch in the farmer's market that was going on, which turned out to be the most American meal I have had so far (a donut pretzel and some fries, how nutritious!). We then explored the churches near the square where we leaned that much like America May is a busy wedding season, this of course was after we walked in on one marriage in progress and several wedding photoshoots. After that we explored St. Peter's cemetery which was surprisingly beautiful. Usually I get freaked out by cemeteries or places that hold dead people but I felt strangely at peace there. Now the catacombs that were in the caves attached to the cemetery did freak me out only because I thought there would be skulls (they were not it was apparently a cave for Christians to hide and worship in). After that we finished up our Sound of Music locations and wandered the city spiking up things here and there and enjoying our time. We retired early to the hotel due to our early morning and relaxed the rest of the evening. I throughly enjoyed returning to Salzburg and felt I experienced the city more throughly today. Tomorrow we return early to Vienna to get work done before we start our last busy week in Vienna. While it is bitter sweet I look forward to making every moment count. Until Next Time!

Day 12: May 25th, The Charming Town of Dorfgastein

When I imagined this trip to Austria I thought we would be running around trying to do as much as possible and experience as much as we could before our time in Europe was up. That image was soon shattered by my first weekend here, and by my day today in Dorfgastein. Dorfgastein is a sleepy little skiing village in a valley in the alps. A place where all the shops shut down for tow hours for lunch and the loudest the town gets is on it's one main road. The view are incredible and the people are some of the kindest I have ever meet. When we first got there I was concerned what exactly I would do in such a sleepy town, but Dorfgatsein held many wonderful surprises for me. As a group we decided to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain. I was reluctant at first due to my disappointment of something else I had hoped to do, but then I though why not I am sure the views are worth it. The views from the top were beyond anything I could describe in words in beauty. While Hallstatt was seeing a valley, Dorfgastein was seeing a whole mountain range. I lived for every moment on top of that mountain. I was even bale to read a few pages from my book the Hobbit which made the adventure seem a little more real in such a fanatical place. The highlight of my day was soon to come however. The previous day Dr. Demers had old me how her and her kids were going to go paragliding in Dorfgastein, and instantly tried to book myself an appointment. Unfortunately was unable to contact them and thought all hope was lost for my dream of flying in the Alps. However I decided to go ahead and put myself out there and ask the man flying tandem with them if he could squeeze me in. At first he seemed quite sure he wouldn't have time for me after Dr. Demers's family went but I was persistent and stayed close to the peak so I could be there at a moments notice if he said I could. I received the great news right before Dr. Demers flew that he had time for one more. I jumped at the chance and anxiously awaited my turn to fly. We decided that he would fly me to the bottom due to the limits of my gondola ticket. An hour passed and then he said I could join him on a flight. At this point a little crowd of hikers had gathered around to see the parasail launch which made me feel a little pressure about looking good, but in all honesty I was more focused that I was actually going to go flying in the Alps. I must be honest and say that I don't think I will be able to accurately describe just how amazing it was to fly through the Alps. It was all I could dream of and more. The view were stunning the feeling was unbelievable. Our flight was gentle and peaceful with a few exciting parts where Louis (my tandem flyer) let me steer and do some deep turns which were a lot fun. I also enjoyed flying over the village nearly brushing the tops of roofs with my feet. The landing was just as exciting as the rest of the ride, it was a lot like a movie where the grass flies up to hit you. Overall I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend my day in Dorfgastein and this experience will definitely be a highlight of my trip. The rest of the day was spent walking around the village enjoying to peace the village had to offer. I have to admit I was sad to see Dorfgastein go and I honestly want to return someday whether it be with family, honeymoon, or really an excuse to see those mountains again. Today was one fr the books, but I still hold excitement for the rest of the trip. Until next time!

Day 11: May 24th, THE HILLS ARE ALIVEEE

As you can guess from the title today was the day of the long awaited Sound of Music tour in Salzburg. Ever since I was a child I've fantasized by the city of Salzburg shown in the film, but I never imagined I would visit it. Yet here I type after a long day of exploring that same city. There is much charm to the city, not only do you get to see your favorite on set locations of the Sound of Music surrounded my picturesque mountains but you also get to see the rich history Salzburg has to offer. salzburg was founded around 800 A.D. as a mining community. It later grew into a wealthy city headed by a Prince Bishop which has resulted in the city having 48 churches. Along with these amazing churches and charming buildings there is the musical history of Salzburg. Home to some of the most famous opera stages music has long since influenced the town even before Mozart made it even more famous. Overall the city has some of the richest culture I have seen so far on this trip and have throughly enjoyed exploring it. It was also fun to to leave the city and view some other sites nearby (this was due to our want to see more Sound of Music sights after the ones in the city). We traveled through many mountain villages sitting next to some of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. These lakes have a unique greenish blue color due to the minerals from the mountain, and are often undisturbed so they show a perfect reflection when you gaze at them. While we were unable to go see the hills that they actually filmed on due to complications we were able to visit the city of Mond See to visit the church that was used for the wedding scene. Mond See rests next to the largest lake in the Austria, Moon Lake in English, which is funnily enough privately owned by someone. The church however was free to visit and was just as beautiful as it was in the movie. While it does look a lot different it was still amazing to walk in the same places as Julie Andrews once did. We also were able to eat some amazing Apple Strudel in the cafes near the church. After that we returned to Salzburg to explore the city more before we headed Dorfgastein. Due to Kirsten and I staying here this weekend I didn't really feel pressured to do much and wandered the city enjoying the food and soaking in the culture.

While I do love most of the city there are parts of the city I do not enjoy. Like any tourist destination the streets are crowded with people rushing to see the sights which can make it hard to walk around and enjoy yourself. I often felt more crowded here than I did in Vienna, probably doe to Salzburg being more concentrated in one place. I also didn't like all the traffic. Compared to Vienna Salzburg doesn't use as much public transportation which means there are a lot more cars than one would like in a city so small. As always though the smoking was intolerable but that really is just a European problem not a Salzburg problem. As a whole though I have enjoyed Salzburg and today and can't wait to go back and explore it more this weekend. I am sorry for the lack of detail with the Sound of Music tour there really isn't too much detail to offer. Until next time!

Day 10: May 23rd, Salt For The Soul And Fun for A Lifetime

Supposedly salt has some medicinal purposes, and while I may be no doctor I can tell you as someone with a nasty cold a nice brisk tour through a salt mine can really clear up the sinuses. That is was the brilliant mountain water and air. All I know is for a few hours of the day I had the best time of my life. While many people would thinking touring a salt mine is boring I was quite excited. I had never been to anything like this before, and I have always been fan of salt so what could be disappointing about that? In reality the mine was ten times better than anything I could have imagined. In a way it was an odd version of Disney-world complete with attractions. The first thing you do in order to enter the mines is ride a trolley that goes up the steps incline of the mountain. From there you take a short hike though the beautiful alps to the building where the mine entrance is. In there we get suited up in ill-fitting and odd colored pajama like clothes that have extra support on the butt for when we got to slide down the miners slides. That's right miners in the Hallstatt mine actually used slides to get form different chambers at one time in its operation, now they are used for the public's entertainment. After we got suited up we hiked ups little farther to the entrance to the mines. While caves usually don't freak me out but something about Hallstatt mine creeped me out (maybe the creepy music and german voice affected this feeling). For the beginning of the tour I was honestly scared until we went down our first slide. Now is may be the child that always lives in me or my desperation to have some fun but I was absolutely ecstatic to go down the slides. They didn't disappoint in the slightest and by the bottom of the slide I was no longer scared but excited to learn more about the salt mines. It was very interesting learning about eh history of the mine since it dates to over 7,000 years ago, but also learning functional things about eh mine like the different ways to mine the salt and the ways it is still active in the world salt market. I was most impressed with the archeological significance of the site. As the guide reported many times salt preserves everything so archeologists can learn a lot about the Bronze Age society and many other things. The most impressive exhibit was the display of the oldest known wooden staircase in the world. Used in the mines probably by the first miners it was a way to try and make their hard work a little easier. After that we left the mines to go admire more of the beautiful views Hallstatt had to offer.

Near the salt mines there is a viewing platform for people to take pictures of the lake and the mountains, and in all honesty there are no words to describe that view. It almost seemed fake, like you could reach out and rip away a corner as if it were a set. But it was beautiful and real and breath taking. I could have honestly stayed up there the whole time but I did want to see what the city of Hallstatt had to offer. The unique setting of town makes it quite the tourist section for many people all over the world. The views in from the town are some of the most amazing things you will ever see. So it was no surprise to me that the town was packed with tourists weaving out of restaurants an gift shops as we all tried to fir onto Hallstatt's one street. While the tourist part of the city was alive and well you could still tell people actually live there whether it be a car taking up the one lane or residents on bikes passing you in the street. I loved the obvious german influence on the town with the architecture and flower baskets on the window sills.

Day 9: May 22nd, The Concentration Camp at Mauthausen

There is something quite impossible to wrap your head around when it comes to the Holocaust. It seems almost impossible that we as human beings would do such terrible things to others, yet when you visit places like Mauthausen you are faced with the truth that was the concentration camps. When we drove up to the camp it caught me a little off guard. We were driving along beautiful hills and nice houses when suddenly there it was an immense beast on a peaceful hill. I instantly felt something ominous come over me that didn't really leave me until we were quite a bit aways from the camp. The feeling only increases as we started to wonder the cam individually. Listening to recordings I was given insight into what really was happening in these concentration camps. One of the first things I noticed was how close many roads and houses were to the camp. You could tell that back during the war people could clearly see what was going wrong, but did nothing to help the people inside. The recordings even told of a time when some prisoners managed to escape but were shot down by the SS and the local population. Many were unpunished for their contribution to the camp's crimes. Another thing the recordings pointed out to me was the fact that many of the memorials sent by other countries were figures of strong masculine men, which didn't fit the actual image of the prisoners often. The hours only continued once I stepped into the camp. Display after display recording after recording recounted the tragic conditions and deaths of the people who were forced to come to this horrible place. The whole time I felt chills and tears creep up behind me eyes for all the madness that had happened right where I was standing many years ago. The worst parts for me were the rooms in the basements. Above ground the nice views could slightly distract me from what I was learning, but below ground there was no escape from the truth. The awful enclosed feeling you had while down in the basements was unbearable, and learning about the horrific things that happened out of the eye of the world was truly haunting. Perhaps the most haunting rooms for me were the Room of Names and the Crematorium/Gas Rooms/Execution Rooms. The Room of Names was intense seeing every single name of known people killed at the camp glowing the dimly lit room where peoples' dead bodies were once stored. Seeing the rooms that actually killed these people was just as bad. The emptiness of the rooms haunted me. I honestly couldn't stay long. The whole experience really put the idea of the Holocaust into reality for me. You can always try and imagine how tragic these places must have been, but seeing it in person changes it for you. The creepiest part for me was the fact that I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the scenery was around the camp. After all how can such an awful place hold such beauty? I guess those are one of the things me must learn to accept about the world. Tragic things happen we should honor them and try and respect them, but in great scheme of time nothing ever stays. Despite the negative feelings around this experience I am glad I was able to go. It was a learning moment in many ways. While I did some pictures there I will not post any with this blog out of respect for those who lost their lives there.

Day 8: May 21st, To Learn Something New...

When we visit a city during vacation we don't often think about the inner workings of a city. We usually focus on getting from point A to point B and seeing and doing all the things we want to see. For the most part my trip to Europe has been much of the same, but his trip wouldn't really count for college class if we didn't go beyond what other people see on the surface. That is what we did today during our Shades Tour. The Shades Tour in Vienna is a tour given by a homeless guide to show and explain the homeless situation in Vienna while also seeing many of the iconic sights of Vienna. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by this tour when we were told what it was going to be about. After all though I would try avoid thinking about on my own vacations I couldn't help but worry about the homeless people I see in other city and Vienna was no different. After all just today before the Shades Tour when I went to go help my roommate Caroline find a bathroom and coffee there was a homeless man outside the shop we were at. It's always a struggle for me to decide what to do internally. I want to help them but I don't know if they will always use my money for honest means (something drilled into me by other people mot likely) and getting them food isn't really going to solve their problem. With my mind on the tour ahead I went inside the shopped bought the man a sandwich in the hopes that at least today he could feel a little better. After that I started to fear what else I would see on the tour, would my heart break more after what happened this morning? However that was no the case, instead of learning about how terribly handled the homeless situation in Vienna is handled I learned about although the situation is not perfect it is a lot better than other places in the world. The city of Vienna created a program called the Winter Package (through the help of the university students) where there would be additional beds and help for homeless people in Vienna during the winter. Before this they could stay in various shelters around the city, sometimes in the State Opera House, or out in the streets. While the city doesn't cover food there are many organization and churches all across the city that offer meals to people that need it all day long. Sadly during the Summer they don't offer as much but there is still hope due to their three stage program they have. In this program based on how people are defined in their homeless situation they can get different levels of help over time. The first step is the overnight shelter for people who are recently homeless or who have not lived in Vienna long enough to reach other levels of help. The second step in the transitionary housing where they have a house they live in with other people as they try to support themselves and do other things as they wait for the final stage. That final stage is Social Housing that the city has offered sine 1920. These are buildings holding many flats that are reserved for people who are either homeless or struggle to afford a flat in today's market. Once someone has a flat they get to keep it for the rest of their lives if they meet the requirements. That's not all the city does to help. They also have great health care system in place  to help those who need it as well as other NGO's helping out. Even organization that give opportunity to homeless people like the Shades Tour help incorporate a big industry in Austria. Overall how Vienna handles its homeless population is miles ahead of other countries. Most often try to blame the people or criminalize them, but Vienna actually tries to reach out and help those it can. Which is really encouraging to someone like me who often does worry if the people in these situations are getting the help they need. It has inspired me a lot as a person and I hope to try my best to help improve our situation in the USA as Viennas has improved theirs.

To try and lighten up to mood a little bit I'm goin to highlight some of the other things I did today. We visited the Victor E. Frankl museum which was really inspiring. He was a jewish psychologist who came up with a new branch of psychology at the time that I still haven't heard much of today. He was sent to concentration camps but survived and went on to inspire millions of people around the world with his books, and his museum though small was just a inspiring and exciting. It has encouraged me to look up more of his works and hopefully read them soon. I also visited Sigmund Freud's house/museum which was very disappointing. There was very little exhibit and the information was quite boring, this could be due to the controversy around his character. We also went to Hundertwasserhaus which is a place a lot like Eureka Springs and the Gardens of Barcelona rolled into one. I loved the architecture and feel of the place, it was a lot different from the rest of Vienna which was very refreshing. Okay while I would love to talk more I should be off to bed for an early start to Slazburg tomorrow. Until next time!

Day 7: May 20th, A Day of Leisure

During my travels abroad and to other places in the States the idea of a free day was quite unheard of. My family and I usually had a limited time where we were staying and wanted to do and see as much as we could(the only clause for this was of course sickness or a free day was planned). I thought that my trip to Europe would be under much of the same ideal where I would be running around Vienna trying to see as much as I can before I return back home. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned and ideas must change, and while I did originally planned to explore some more today I remind home one more day in order to try and rest up for our approaching trip to Salzburg. So in some respects this free day was like many other free days I have at college back in the States. I caught up on some laundry (which is interestingly different here), I started a good book, I listened to new music, and I caught up with my family. Most of these were enjoyed in my room of my host family's house which has a great peaceful scenic view. The only interesting part of my day was trying to figure out how to use a foreign washing machine and learning the proper technique to hanging clothes. While I was unable to meet new people today I did get to know my Host mom Lilo and her granddaughter Stella more, since they were often around the house with me. It was interesting how even though this was considered their relaxing day they still tried to say active by going to the zoo or going to the park (this could be due to her being about two though). They also seemed quite surprised that I was content to sit in bed to relax instead of finding a proper chair to sit in to read or do other things. It made me start to think that although Austrians may vault leisure time more than use, their leisure time is still quite productive when compared to us. They still do things they just don't do was many work things. Perhaps I will try to apply some of these techniques when I return home to the US. Sadly another short blog for today due to rest, but many exciting adventures coming up that I am looking forward to. Until then enjoy pictures from adventures past.

Day 6: May 19th, Not All Days are Good

While traveling like I am can be very exciting and fulfilling as a person, there are times when you have to slow down. Sometimes these times aren't really a choice. Earlier today when we were still in Budapest I started to feel feverish and sick. I took many medicines to try and feel better but I knew when our group got back to Vienna the smart thing to do would be to rest so I can continue to do more things later on. So when we got back to Vienna I returned to my host home to relax for the family. However I still had some fun a long the way. Part of the subway system that I take to get home is closed for a few days to install new connections so I had to take many more transfers to get home. On one of these stops I ran into two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There were confused with the line closing so I helped them find their way and had a very pleasant conversation with them. It was very interesting for me due to the fact that some of my friends will be doing the same thing in the fall at different cities so it was interesting to see what they do in person. I also stopped at a supermarket on the way home to try and get some contact solution and toothpaste. Unfortunately they didn't have contact solution so I bought some things to make a simple dinner and attempted to check out with my very limited German. So while today wasn't full of awe inspiring sights or exciting museums it was still and interesting day in its own right. And while I wasn't able to visit a park due to my desire to rest I did go to a park the first day I arrived and have been talking about leisure with different people I have encountered. Overall I think Austrians value their leisure time and try to enjoy it outside as much as they can. Even at night they go to bed early, I can tell this as I stay up to write these blogs and I can see the lights of other houses go out before nine. This is probably due to their cultures ideas about work and how too much of it can be harmful. I also know that one of the questions we were supposed to answer is about our favorite thing but I really can't pick a favorite I've enjoyed all of our experiences uniquely and can't wait to experience more. Apologizes for the short blog, after all you can only write about nothing for so long. Until next time!

Day 5: May 18th, Bustling Through Budapest

Budapest, a city that is separated by the great Danube river but unifies the country of Hungry. Its history is long, dense, and not all it is pleasant. Still it continues on today as one of the beaconing new and improving cities of Europe that holds rich culture and history unique to its own. While many compare Hungry to Austria due to Austria's hold over Hungry for some time the two countries are quite different from each other. One of the biggest differences is the influencing culture. Austria is influenced by Germanic culture while Hungry is heavily influenced by Slavic culture with some impressions from Germanic. This makes Budapest an interesting combination of the two cultures that can be seen through the differing architecture, ideas, and language. While many of the buildings in Budapest are modeled on European designs, for different reasons, the over all feeling of the city is darker and more city like than Vienna. This could be due to the fact that while Vienna was controlled by the Allied Powers Budapest came under communist power from the U.S.S.R. This caused them to face more difficulties as city then Vienna did. After all many buildings have a run down or destroyed appearance because of the mass poverty the city faced. Despite all its hardships Budapest marches on and is trying to improve its economic status in the world by renovation old buildings and building new and exciting attractions. Budapest is much larger than Vienna so it can progress a lot in this aspect. You can also feel a difference between the two cities in the people. While both seem a little abrasive Budapest's people feel a little more intimidating. This could be due to either the unfamiliarity of their language, or the socialization of their people differs in how to deal with foreigners. I also found it interesting how the food while similar seems more bland and international than Vienna's food. This could be due to their attempts to build their tourism industry. As a whole I enjoyed both cities equally appreciating the different aspects of the world and what they have to offer.

Overall I enjoyed all the sightseeing we did in Budapest. I was interesting learning about Budapest's past and how it has affected their buildings and lifestyle today. The city is quite beautiful during the day and along the river at night. The river tour at night was what made me really start to fall in love with Budapest which is a shame since we are leaving so soon. Another part of today while I won't say was enjoyable it was necessary to understand Hungry as a whole better and to broaden my horizon was the Terror Háza (Terror House). This was a museum about the Nazi and Communist Regime in the country of Budapest. It beautifully honored the victims of these regimes while also educating the public about what actually happened during these tragic times. The building they used for the museums was actually the headquarters of the Arrow Cross (the communist party) and was the final resting place of many Hungarians who were trying to fight against the fascist regime. The exhibit was interactive and haunting and really left me with better understanding of our past than when I walked in. We also went to what is commonly called the Shoes, a memorial along the Danube river honored the Jewish people who were shot and thrown into the river during the time of Nazi occupation. It was chilling to see the abandoned shoes along the river side and know that this actually happened to people not too long ago.

Someday I would like to return to Budapest and learn more about its history as well as being able to visit more of the sights and overall get to know the city better. I enjoyed today's adventure to a new place immensely and hope the rest of the trip s just as education and exciting.

Day 4: May 17th, Three Countries in One Day, Hooray!

The United Nations is a household name all across the globe, yet many details of the organization illude the general public. For instance the fact that the UN is hosted in four different cities all over the world: New York City, Geneva, Nairobi, and luckily enough Vienna. What makes the centers at these cities interesting however is the fact that once you step into the center you are technically in a different country. So these sovereign countries hold very power in these duties based on what they do. The United Nations splits it's different departments and responsibilities between these four cities. Vienna being in charge of many departments but most importantly the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs). The UN in Vienna also holds many conferences for these agencies as well as its multiple other agencies. During our tour of the United Nations today we were able to sit in on one of these conferences from an observation room above the room. There we learned that although the UN uses two working languages (French and English) they use may interpreters to translate for the 193 member states (and the two witness states). Our tour continued by walking about the different buildings learning about how the UN runs and what it does to try and make the world a better place. Many of them had displays that showed different countries accomplishments and plans. For instances in the Space office they had a rock from the moon donated by NASA along side may of the models of the rocket models used by the meter states. Something I personally loved was the fact that member states could donate art and sculptures to the UN to be put on display. This included things like the bell for peace donated by Japan made out of coins donated by the people, and a Chinese mural that depicted two sky phoenixes in the clouds who will only return to earth when humans are at peace. These personal touches really show the good will and passion the UN has for making the world a better place. I would love to return someday and see and learn more about the different agencies and offices of the UN in Vienna, and while the UN may seem unhelpful since it has no "real" power I believe having a place like this where we can talk and make goals without the need of power helps make better na more permeant change we need in the world.

After visiting the United Nations we were allowed to explore Vienna until our train at 3 o'clock. My friend Kristen and I decided to go to some of the more historic parts of Vienna to learn more about Vienna. Our first stop was the Imperial Treasury where all the jewels, robes, valuables, and crowns of the once great Austrian Empire are gathered. It was really interesting learning more about the Habsburg family and their long reign of power over Europe. The jewelry and crowns were also very impressive to look considering the masterful craftsmanship and their age. It really reminds you that all though we like to think that the past was a technologically inferior time they still made many impressive things that still amaze us today. After that we went to the Imperial Crypt per Kristen's request. While I was personally creeped out by the experience it was still quite amazing to see the crypts of the people we had just read history about or had just seen their paintings. It was also quite sad seeing how many small children of the Habsburg died at such young ages. I also enjoyed seeing how the crypts changed over time or depending on who they contained. The craziest part of it all though was they were still putting Habspurgs in there! The most recent crypt was as early as 2012, and there was still an open spot for the next Habsburg that died. Kind of odd thing to think about considering they no longer hold any real power in Austria. I also wonder how many more Habsburgs there are left to go into the crypt.

The last part of our day was of course the train the Budapest in Hungry. While the train ride through the country side was really beautiful I did admittedly fall asleep for parts of it (I was dead tired from the crypts). The parts I did see however I found very interesting. Even though Hungry was under Austria's control for many years the two countries seemed very different. While Vienna revered their history and were constantly cleaning and restoring their old buildings Hungry in a way was letting the past die, either by choice or due to something that was out of their hands. It was also interesting seeing how different all the train stops were. Overall I found the train very relaxing and enlightening and I am ready to explore more of Budapest tomorrow. Also know that Hungarian queso is the bomb . com and that cottage cheese wrapped in chocolate isn't half bad either (our dinner was very interesting due to circumstances out of our hands).

Day 3: May 16th, Don't Know Much About History

There are many ways to learn about a city and its people. You can walk around and visit all the sights, you can eat the local food, and most importantly you can learn the history of an area. I personally believe that history is one of the more important aspects of a culture. After all it helps you understand what the city has experienced and what the people have been through. These things shape a country and it's people, and that is what made me excited about learning the history of Vienna. As a visitor I was impressed with just how much of the history of Vienna could be told through the buildings in Vienna. You could learn around District 1 of Vienna all day and get a pretty clear idea of what the history of Vienna looked like. As the capital of a strong empire the buildings and sculptures boasted the power that the emperors had. The designs and details of buildings could give you a time, while also describing the purpose of a building. Even the location in respect to the palace stressed how important the building and its residents were. The recent history of the city can also bee seen in the new buildings that mark the bombings from the two world wars. Seeing the history in this way has really opened my eyes to Vienna in many ways, and I hope to learn more of the history from the inside of these buildings as well.

Another way to see a city is from above the city. Vienna is unique in this regard with the fact that not many of its buildings are very tall. Many re just a few floors up and you can't see much from their top floors. Thats is what makes the climb the top of the south tower of the cathedral so special. Even though it is a hard 343 steps to the top the view from above historic Vienna is worth the pain. Seeing how similar et different Vienna is from the top of the tower really reminds you about the rich and deep history that Vienna has held onto for thousands of years. I also loved to see how beautiful Vienna was not just form below but also from a bird's eye view.

One of my most anticipated events on our schedule today was the Albertina art museum. Personally I am a big lover of art especially the iconic artists Monet and Picasso. However I do have to say that I was very impressed with the other exhibits and sections of the museum as well. Learning about how the museum's art collection came to be out of a unique marriage between a favored princess and an art obsessed young man really makes the art museum connect on a personal level. I also loved that you got to tour some of the rooms of the Albertina as they might have been when the couple lived in the palace. All of the art on all levels of the museum was impressive and unique and really added something to the feel of Vienna. I would love to go back sometime and spend more time exploring the different levels of the museum and take a longer time to appreciate at the amazing art work.

Perhaps the most exciting part of today would be meeting and talking with our tour guide Elizabet (I believe this is how you spell her name). Elizabet is the daughter of two musicians and grew up in the great city of Vienna. She works as an art manager but also teacher germane at AAIE and on days like today gives tour's of her city. Being able to go on a tour with a local was one of my favorite things about today, because you get to know s much more than what is provided on the service by many other tour guides. Elizabet showed us the city in a unique way by trying to get us to guess and answer her questions, while also sharing what she loved about the city. I enjoyed learning about all the rich history of Vienna from her as well as learning personal tid bits of information from her. Her favorite part of Vienna was the entrance to Golden Street, a place where the old and new collide in a spectacular display of differing architecture. Every building in the circle is a different style, time period, purpose, you name it! I personally saw this section as a representation of Vienna as a city, where the new and old combine to make a unique experience for the people who have been there their whole lives, and those who are just coming to fall in love with the city.

Day 2: May 15th, The First Real Day in Vienna

When people travel abroad they usually think of the fantastic sights they will see and the people they will see. However there is a really important part of a culture that people often forget about, the food. Food is what binds us together, and is one of the most polarizing aspects of different cultures. That is why visiting and learning about the Naschmarket is very important in trying to understand Vienna. As I trudged through the rain to explore Naschmarket I couldn't help but draw similarities to the markets I had visited in France. All sorts of restraints and food stalls selling almost every kind o food under the sun. While the first part of the market was very quiet the later sections of the market where bustling with people and storekeepers yelling for us to try their goods. The market overall was very different from anything in the US. The stalls were all very close together and there seemed to be a strong connection between the market and the city. The market was kind of similar to the US in the way that despite the market's originality some cooperate and chain places still took part in the market. The food I ate there was called a Duren Kebap which was made of lamb meat and other various vegetables, and was very delicious and affordable. Overall I hope to go back to Naschmarket and try the other foods offered there.

In my first blog entry I talked about how Vienna connects the new and the old into a peaceful village like atmosphere. Exploring Vienna today only strengthened that view of mine. Even when we were in the bustling tourist center there were still history and culture attached to the buildings and people. We could be walking by a large shopping center that has a historic clock attached to it's side. These collins of old and new make Vienna such an exciting place for me to explore in the coming days of ur trip. I hope to now only throughly explore the town centre and all it's history but also investigate the outer edges of the city a little bit. The little part of the outer edge I got the explore was very interesting. Despite the few faults the city has I can't help but be excited by the charm of Vienna.

One of the interesting parts of Vienna is it's love for well a done public transportation system. This is best shown in the ease of the public train system. Containing five main lines that can connect you to anywhere in the city the train system is simple and easy to use. Maps for the trains are found all over the different stations and on the train's themselves. You can also find the different lines easily due to their color coordination and helpful lighted lines. The trains are also quick making it easy to get from one end of the city to the other. One of the most amazing parts of the train system is the use of the honor system with tickets. This makes rush hour and quick travel really convenient for all travelers. Overall Vienna's train system is without much fault and one of the best train systems I have dealt with in my travels, and is easy to use wether you are a resident of the city or a tourist hoping to explore the city.

Day 1: May 14th, Arrival at Austria

In all honesty, Vienna was unlike any city I had experienced before. Even from the air there was something about the capital of Austria that seemed different from other big cities. When I stepped into the city there was an unparalleled calm and peacefulness about the town. The whole country seemed to feel that way. Like it wasn't a city of two million people, but a small village where everything was connected. 

Before I entered the city of Vienna however, I had to get to the city. Despite my exhaustion from the many flights I had just completed I couldn't help but feel impressed with Vienna's airport. Everything felt clean and modern, and the airport was easy to navigate even if you did not speak any German which was very relaxing. The CAT (City Airport Train) was a lot like the airport, modern and efficient but still very calming and easy going. Despite my stress of not knowing what I was doing or where I was going I felt very safe on the train. My first impression of Vienna was being awestruck about the mix of old and new buildings and ideas to make a beautiful cooperative city. Exiting the modern train system you are ushered right into the revered State Opera house, it honestly makes you feel something that is almost unexplainable. 

In order to study abroad in an amazing place like this you need a place to study and be educated about the city and different topics. This place for our group is the Austro-American Institute of Education right across the street from the State Opera House. Looking our of it's windows gives you a great view of the opera house and the surrounding area. The building the matches these views is just as beautiful. A few floors of an old family house that boasts the old architecture of a town house with the modern design of a educational institute, that really sum up the feeling of the city of Vienna. 

None of this trip would be complete without the help and support of the host families that house students. My host mother (who we affectionally call Lilo) has so far been a wonderful host. She gives us very clear instructions about what needs to be done and ow to operate things in her house. However she is also very caring and supportive. Our first night she made of a welcoming dinner that was amazing and a great first impression of Austrian food. She also took us on a walk around the park near her house to help us with our jet lag. Lilo is also hosting three other girls from another university while we are here, they are just as sweet as her and are very welcoming and understanding of what we are going through.  is a very caring yet structured host mother and I cannot wait to get to know her more and share her house for the next few weeks.