Liebe Familie, Freitag 31st Oktober 2008
Happy Halloween! Mommy and I got up this morning to go to Parlament on a field trip with my Politics class. It was so cool! We took loads of pictures, got to sit in the chairs, fiddle with the desks, etc. The building is really very beautiful, and it was interesting to hear the history of the Parlament. Afterwards we wandered around the middle of the city, saw the Votivkirche, the Rathaus, the Burgtheater, the Hofburg, etc. We took lots of pictures for Daddy of buildings, and then headed back to my apartment.
After lunch we rented bikes (for free!) and rode to the Belvedere (not the most direct way, but we got there in plenty of time). We saw the gardens there, and then hopped back on bikes to get back to my street. We ate dinner at this restaurant called Centimeter, completely stuffing ourselves with schnitzel, soup, and french fries. We then walked up and down my street, the largest shopping street in Vienna. We made it all the way up to the Westbahnhof, where we made our reservations for our night train on Sunday. While paying for it we discovered the loss of a credit card—as all of you already know, and hurried home to cancel it, which took quite some time.
Luckily, Daddy got the message 15 times over, and all is well with the world.
Love,
Anna
Friday, 31 October 2008
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Happy Birthday Peter
Dear Family, Thursday 30th October 2008
In class today we were told that our teacher is ill, and will be leaving us. Today was her last day, and she will be replaced by someone else by the next class. I'm so sad! She was so nice, and it takes a week or two to get used to each professor and their styles, and tests, and I don't want to have to go through that again! It's terrible. I hope she gets well soon.
After classes I bummed around and helped my friend Annalise pick out flattering clothing for the next few hours. Turns out my Macy's skills come in handy. I'm beginning to be in high-demand as a shopping partner. Although I didn't buy anything, we did spend half an hour trying on hats! I think if I ever had a bunch of money to spare, I'd buy hats. They're so funny, and not needed at all, and yet people wear them all the time.
I went grocery shopping, then rushed off to the airport to pick up my dearest mother. After waiting for about an hour we were reunited! We went home, ate dinner while talking to my host parents, and hit the hay, as Mommy was exhausted, and I hadn't been sleeping well.
Love,
Anna
In class today we were told that our teacher is ill, and will be leaving us. Today was her last day, and she will be replaced by someone else by the next class. I'm so sad! She was so nice, and it takes a week or two to get used to each professor and their styles, and tests, and I don't want to have to go through that again! It's terrible. I hope she gets well soon.
After classes I bummed around and helped my friend Annalise pick out flattering clothing for the next few hours. Turns out my Macy's skills come in handy. I'm beginning to be in high-demand as a shopping partner. Although I didn't buy anything, we did spend half an hour trying on hats! I think if I ever had a bunch of money to spare, I'd buy hats. They're so funny, and not needed at all, and yet people wear them all the time.
I went grocery shopping, then rushed off to the airport to pick up my dearest mother. After waiting for about an hour we were reunited! We went home, ate dinner while talking to my host parents, and hit the hay, as Mommy was exhausted, and I hadn't been sleeping well.
Love,
Anna
Friday, 24 October 2008
Shady Markets in Prague
Liebe Familie, Freitag 24 Oktober 2008
After getting up and repeating my coleslaw, hot dog and macaroni breakfast, we all went out to meet Vladimir for the last time. He took us to the castle, and all around that area, although we didn't really have time to learn that much about them, or take very many pictures, so it wasn't really the most productive of times. It was neat though, and I did get a picture with a soldier, with a group though, as I couldn't bring myself to embarrassingly go up alone. We saw the St. Vitus Cathedral, the “Golden Lane,” a dungeon, and so on. It was really pretty, but absolutely freezing so I cannot remember that much of it. It was below zero degrees Celsius when we began, which we hadn't expected, as during the day with the sun shining it was not too cold. However this morning there was a terrible fog, so the sunshine couldn't do its job properly.
After the tour was finally over, we meandered back to the hotel, stopping at a few places along the way, and then eating lunch at the hostel. We ended up taking a short nap there, as we were all so tired, and it felt great, although I definitely would have preferred a longer time to sleep in.
Although I was still groggy we went to this shady market with not a single soul in it aside from the vendors and I bought two really cheap scarves. We went to the tower on the Charles bridge at 5, in time to see sunlight, the sunset, and then the night. Needless to say, many photos were taken. After sitting up there for several hours we wandered around the city again, trying to find somewhere to eat. As everything was closing, we finally found a cute little shop where I split a salad with a friend. There were some much needed vitamins in those lettuce pieces, as they tasted so good. I hadn't eaten vegetables since Tuesday, and I was definitely feeling it.
We wandered back to the hostel and just hung out until bed time. We still have one more day in Prague, and I'm wondering what to do, as I'm down to my last few Karuna, and am not quite sure what else there is to do.
Deine Anna
After getting up and repeating my coleslaw, hot dog and macaroni breakfast, we all went out to meet Vladimir for the last time. He took us to the castle, and all around that area, although we didn't really have time to learn that much about them, or take very many pictures, so it wasn't really the most productive of times. It was neat though, and I did get a picture with a soldier, with a group though, as I couldn't bring myself to embarrassingly go up alone. We saw the St. Vitus Cathedral, the “Golden Lane,” a dungeon, and so on. It was really pretty, but absolutely freezing so I cannot remember that much of it. It was below zero degrees Celsius when we began, which we hadn't expected, as during the day with the sun shining it was not too cold. However this morning there was a terrible fog, so the sunshine couldn't do its job properly.
After the tour was finally over, we meandered back to the hotel, stopping at a few places along the way, and then eating lunch at the hostel. We ended up taking a short nap there, as we were all so tired, and it felt great, although I definitely would have preferred a longer time to sleep in.
Although I was still groggy we went to this shady market with not a single soul in it aside from the vendors and I bought two really cheap scarves. We went to the tower on the Charles bridge at 5, in time to see sunlight, the sunset, and then the night. Needless to say, many photos were taken. After sitting up there for several hours we wandered around the city again, trying to find somewhere to eat. As everything was closing, we finally found a cute little shop where I split a salad with a friend. There were some much needed vitamins in those lettuce pieces, as they tasted so good. I hadn't eaten vegetables since Tuesday, and I was definitely feeling it.
We wandered back to the hostel and just hung out until bed time. We still have one more day in Prague, and I'm wondering what to do, as I'm down to my last few Karuna, and am not quite sure what else there is to do.
Deine Anna
Thursday, 23 October 2008
20 Czech Karuna=1 U.S. Dollar
Liebe Familie, Donnerstag 23 Oktober 2008
What a day!?!? We got up early for a Czech breakfast. They eat hot dogs. For breakfast. I kinda liked it. I also had sauerkraut and some weird pasta stuff, but the entire breakfast I discussed life with Bruce's step-dad, who happens to be one of the milk judges in “Napoleon Dynamite.” He invited me and my friend Willow to come ride horses with him sometime next summer, and is completely serious about it, which I'm thoroughly excited about. He actually supplied the horse for the ending scene when Napoleon comes riding in on the horse to Kip's wedding.
After breakfast we met our guide, Vladimir, and he took us to the old Jewish Ghetto. We went into Synagogue after Synagogue, it was really cool at first, but after a while it got a little old. One of the synagogues has 77,000 names of Prague citizens who were killed between 1942 and 1943. They just covered the walls on both the first and second floors. We went to an old cemetery, which was really cool, Hebrew is so pretty looking! The Spanish Synagogue is also gorgeous inside, and it was really cool to see all of the artwork and pictures they had in there.
When the tour ended we just wandered around the city, quickly spending more Kronen than we had previously thought possible. Everywhere they sell marionettes, Babushka dolls, glass/crystal, and paintings. The nativity sets are regrettably expensive, so I didn't get to buy any of those.
We walked along the Charles bridge a few times, and then went back to the hotel to pick up our coats as it darkened. After looking through a market we walked through many stores, testing out exercise equipment and furniture. We ate dinner at an authentic Czech restaurant, and I had the chicken goulash. It was really quite good, so I think I'll try to go there again tomorrow night...
Finishing dinner, I started to fall asleep because I had finally sat down after being on my feet all day, so I opted to go back to the hotel for an early night. Well, back at the hostel we ended up staying up pretty late and now that it's after midnight, I think I'm going to try to go to bed, but I do not regret the fun we had at all.
Deine Anna
What a day!?!? We got up early for a Czech breakfast. They eat hot dogs. For breakfast. I kinda liked it. I also had sauerkraut and some weird pasta stuff, but the entire breakfast I discussed life with Bruce's step-dad, who happens to be one of the milk judges in “Napoleon Dynamite.” He invited me and my friend Willow to come ride horses with him sometime next summer, and is completely serious about it, which I'm thoroughly excited about. He actually supplied the horse for the ending scene when Napoleon comes riding in on the horse to Kip's wedding.
After breakfast we met our guide, Vladimir, and he took us to the old Jewish Ghetto. We went into Synagogue after Synagogue, it was really cool at first, but after a while it got a little old. One of the synagogues has 77,000 names of Prague citizens who were killed between 1942 and 1943. They just covered the walls on both the first and second floors. We went to an old cemetery, which was really cool, Hebrew is so pretty looking! The Spanish Synagogue is also gorgeous inside, and it was really cool to see all of the artwork and pictures they had in there.
When the tour ended we just wandered around the city, quickly spending more Kronen than we had previously thought possible. Everywhere they sell marionettes, Babushka dolls, glass/crystal, and paintings. The nativity sets are regrettably expensive, so I didn't get to buy any of those.
We walked along the Charles bridge a few times, and then went back to the hotel to pick up our coats as it darkened. After looking through a market we walked through many stores, testing out exercise equipment and furniture. We ate dinner at an authentic Czech restaurant, and I had the chicken goulash. It was really quite good, so I think I'll try to go there again tomorrow night...
Finishing dinner, I started to fall asleep because I had finally sat down after being on my feet all day, so I opted to go back to the hotel for an early night. Well, back at the hostel we ended up staying up pretty late and now that it's after midnight, I think I'm going to try to go to bed, but I do not regret the fun we had at all.
Deine Anna
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Welcome to the Eastern Block!
Liebe Familie, Mittwoch 22 Oktober 2008
After getting up early this morning I went off to the train station and got on the train. We were all so exhausted from earlier this week, so we just talked and did sudoku on the train. At one point we folded out our seats really cool and all laid down, but by the time we finished documenting the event, we were nearly there and the train was too loud to get any real sleep.
After arriving in Prague we took a subway to hostel, and dropped our stuff off in time for our tour with “Vladimir.” He's this funny old man who waves his umbrella for us to see where he is. We walked around the old town, and saw many beautiful buildings. It was difficult to understand him with us being such a large group, so I didn't really get to learn that much. I did get to run across Charles' Bridge, I don't know the real name of it, sorry. But yeah, within the first hour of our tour it became so dark and cold, I was so glad I had brought my jacket with me, even though it had been so sunny and warm. By the end of the tour we were all freezing and hungry, and very anxious to go pull money out and buy food.
We ran to a grocery store, where a very angry, old, mean man would refuse each and every one of us. As we had just taken out money from the ATM, we had larger bills, but they were the equivalent of $50. He would refuse to take our money, and we would have to keep handing it to him for about 30 seconds before he would grudgingly take it, and give us our change. What a grump! He would then proceed to crumple our receipts and throw them on the ground behind the counter, so we couldn't really see how much money we'd just spent and compare it with the change he'd given us. He has been voted my least favorite person in all of Europe.
At the hostel our floor shares a very gross, small kitchen where we made our pasta. We also have communal showers with no curtain or door, so none of us will be showering all that much. This is the first time we've stayed in a hostel, not a hotel. Which is completely fine, accept for the shower thing. I at least expect there to be some kind of article blocking me from other people.
I am ready to keel over, so I'm going to bed, even though it is only 9. But I need it terribly.
Love,
Anna
After getting up early this morning I went off to the train station and got on the train. We were all so exhausted from earlier this week, so we just talked and did sudoku on the train. At one point we folded out our seats really cool and all laid down, but by the time we finished documenting the event, we were nearly there and the train was too loud to get any real sleep.
After arriving in Prague we took a subway to hostel, and dropped our stuff off in time for our tour with “Vladimir.” He's this funny old man who waves his umbrella for us to see where he is. We walked around the old town, and saw many beautiful buildings. It was difficult to understand him with us being such a large group, so I didn't really get to learn that much. I did get to run across Charles' Bridge, I don't know the real name of it, sorry. But yeah, within the first hour of our tour it became so dark and cold, I was so glad I had brought my jacket with me, even though it had been so sunny and warm. By the end of the tour we were all freezing and hungry, and very anxious to go pull money out and buy food.
We ran to a grocery store, where a very angry, old, mean man would refuse each and every one of us. As we had just taken out money from the ATM, we had larger bills, but they were the equivalent of $50. He would refuse to take our money, and we would have to keep handing it to him for about 30 seconds before he would grudgingly take it, and give us our change. What a grump! He would then proceed to crumple our receipts and throw them on the ground behind the counter, so we couldn't really see how much money we'd just spent and compare it with the change he'd given us. He has been voted my least favorite person in all of Europe.
At the hostel our floor shares a very gross, small kitchen where we made our pasta. We also have communal showers with no curtain or door, so none of us will be showering all that much. This is the first time we've stayed in a hostel, not a hotel. Which is completely fine, accept for the shower thing. I at least expect there to be some kind of article blocking me from other people.
I am ready to keel over, so I'm going to bed, even though it is only 9. But I need it terribly.
Love,
Anna
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
La Traviata
Liebe Familie, Dienstag 21 Oktober 2008
I went off to class, and everything was normal. On my way home I decided to bushwhack my way through a different part of town. I ended up walking by this sweet used book store, so I went in and found a Martin Luther Bible from 1912. I'm fairly excited about it, as it was only €3. I went grocery shopping for my trip tomorrow, and did homework.
At 4 I went to the opera to stand in line for a standing room ticket. Two of my Austrian friends came, so I talked with them while in line. We saw “La Traviata” tonight, after having learned the music in Humanities 101 my first semester at BYU. The set was absolutely amazing, as well as the costuming, but I did not appreciate the music as much as I had at “Faust.”
After the opera I sat outside and talked to one of my Austrian friends for a while, before finally trudging home pretty late and being ridiculously tired.
Good night, I still have to pack for Prague.
Deine Anna
I went off to class, and everything was normal. On my way home I decided to bushwhack my way through a different part of town. I ended up walking by this sweet used book store, so I went in and found a Martin Luther Bible from 1912. I'm fairly excited about it, as it was only €3. I went grocery shopping for my trip tomorrow, and did homework.
At 4 I went to the opera to stand in line for a standing room ticket. Two of my Austrian friends came, so I talked with them while in line. We saw “La Traviata” tonight, after having learned the music in Humanities 101 my first semester at BYU. The set was absolutely amazing, as well as the costuming, but I did not appreciate the music as much as I had at “Faust.”
After the opera I sat outside and talked to one of my Austrian friends for a while, before finally trudging home pretty late and being ridiculously tired.
Good night, I still have to pack for Prague.
Deine Anna
Monday, 20 October 2008
Karlskirche
Liebe Familie, Montag 20 Oktober 2008
I took another test in my German class, and I feel really good about it, so we'll see what my grade will be next week...I'm hoping amazing!
For my Fine Arts class we went to the Karlskirche, which was great because now I do not have to pay to go in there on my own. They did a very extensive renovation over the past six years, and the last place for them to restore is the very top of the dome.
After all of my classes were finished I ran off to FHE, had dinner, a good lesson, and then talked to Austrians for a little over an hour before rushing home, finishing homework, and collapsing in bed. I really just need to catch up on sleep sometime.
Deine Anna
I took another test in my German class, and I feel really good about it, so we'll see what my grade will be next week...I'm hoping amazing!
For my Fine Arts class we went to the Karlskirche, which was great because now I do not have to pay to go in there on my own. They did a very extensive renovation over the past six years, and the last place for them to restore is the very top of the dome.
After all of my classes were finished I ran off to FHE, had dinner, a good lesson, and then talked to Austrians for a little over an hour before rushing home, finishing homework, and collapsing in bed. I really just need to catch up on sleep sometime.
Deine Anna
Sunday, 19 October 2008
Late Again
Liebe Familie, Sonntag 19 Oktober 2008
I got up this morning and left with an hour to get to church, but half way there realized I'd forgotten my train pass, so I got off and walked home to get it. It took FOREVER, so I finally arrived at church very sweaty and 15 minutes late. So far I have not once been on time for church, and it is so painful! I hate being late!
I got there, met a few girls in the YSA there, barely understood a word during Sunday School due to my teacher's accent. However, I was talking to one of the other girls in my class, and apparently he's really hard for her to understand too, and she's Austrian, so I don't feel nearly as bad.
After church I rushed home for dinner with my host family. We had a delicious zucchini soup as the first course, followed by a Hungarian stuffed pepper dish that was amazing, with potatoes. Dessert was a chestnut and cherry cake. It was delicious, and ridiculously filling, and I will very much so be getting those recipes before leaving here.
After dinner I ran off to Cindy's to cook dinner and listen to a spiel on Case. We had our religion class, our guest speakers today being Bruce's parents. They had some really interesting things to say, as they have a very big history in the church.
When the class was over my group's Hawaiian Haystacks were a great success, and then I got to listen to a bit on Adjective endings, which is perfect, as I have a test on that tomorrow morning, unfortunately.
But yeah, I need to get up early to study, so good bye, I miss you, I miss having a bit of free time to just lounge around, and I miss cheap food,
Love,
Anna
I got up this morning and left with an hour to get to church, but half way there realized I'd forgotten my train pass, so I got off and walked home to get it. It took FOREVER, so I finally arrived at church very sweaty and 15 minutes late. So far I have not once been on time for church, and it is so painful! I hate being late!
I got there, met a few girls in the YSA there, barely understood a word during Sunday School due to my teacher's accent. However, I was talking to one of the other girls in my class, and apparently he's really hard for her to understand too, and she's Austrian, so I don't feel nearly as bad.
After church I rushed home for dinner with my host family. We had a delicious zucchini soup as the first course, followed by a Hungarian stuffed pepper dish that was amazing, with potatoes. Dessert was a chestnut and cherry cake. It was delicious, and ridiculously filling, and I will very much so be getting those recipes before leaving here.
After dinner I ran off to Cindy's to cook dinner and listen to a spiel on Case. We had our religion class, our guest speakers today being Bruce's parents. They had some really interesting things to say, as they have a very big history in the church.
When the class was over my group's Hawaiian Haystacks were a great success, and then I got to listen to a bit on Adjective endings, which is perfect, as I have a test on that tomorrow morning, unfortunately.
But yeah, I need to get up early to study, so good bye, I miss you, I miss having a bit of free time to just lounge around, and I miss cheap food,
Love,
Anna
Saturday, 18 October 2008
What do Nazis, Mining, and "The Three Musketeers" have in common?
Liebe Familie, Samstag 18 Oktober 2008
Whew! Today has been so tiring after last night-I got up early to go meet many of the other students in my group. We had a rough start, but we did eventually get there, and I was able to visit Seegrotte. It was a mine that closed in 1912 due to an accident, but in 1932 was opened up for tourists, and during WWII the Nazi's took it over as a “hang out” place. Since the accident, it has been the largest underground lake in all of Europe, and a filming location in "The Three Musketeers." Never seen it, but they still had a whole bunch of props left there, just as Kreuzenstein did from "Interview with a Vampire." Apparently I'm not very cultured, as I've never seen any of the movies that I keep hearing about.
After coming back to Vienna I stopped by at the Belvedere Palace with some friends and we walked around the grounds. There happened to be a strike going on at the same time, so the Strassen-Bahn's weren't running due to the police blocks. I ended up having to bushwhack my way through the streets to find an U-bahn.
Upon arriving home I researched possible travel plans, and studied for a test. All in all it's been a pretty tiring day...but hopefully I'll catch up on my sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow.
Deine Anna
Whew! Today has been so tiring after last night-I got up early to go meet many of the other students in my group. We had a rough start, but we did eventually get there, and I was able to visit Seegrotte. It was a mine that closed in 1912 due to an accident, but in 1932 was opened up for tourists, and during WWII the Nazi's took it over as a “hang out” place. Since the accident, it has been the largest underground lake in all of Europe, and a filming location in "The Three Musketeers." Never seen it, but they still had a whole bunch of props left there, just as Kreuzenstein did from "Interview with a Vampire." Apparently I'm not very cultured, as I've never seen any of the movies that I keep hearing about.
After coming back to Vienna I stopped by at the Belvedere Palace with some friends and we walked around the grounds. There happened to be a strike going on at the same time, so the Strassen-Bahn's weren't running due to the police blocks. I ended up having to bushwhack my way through the streets to find an U-bahn.
Upon arriving home I researched possible travel plans, and studied for a test. All in all it's been a pretty tiring day...but hopefully I'll catch up on my sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow.
Deine Anna
Friday, 17 October 2008
I voted in my first General Election!
Liebe Familie, Freitag 17 Oktober 2008
This morning I got up early to go vote! Haha, although I had tried so hard yesterday, we finally had the correct location and the correct time, and made it to the U.S. Consulate. We went through a security thing—didn't even have to prove we were U.S. Citizens in any way, and went through. We gave a man our absentee ballots, and we were done. Apparently you can even vote there, you don't even need absentee ballots, but it saved us time by having done them previously.
Willow and I went and met another friend and we wandered around Cindy's apartment. We visited the Servitenkirche, and then the Votivkirche. The Votivkirche would be so cool if it weren't for all of the scaffolding. It seems all of the churches in this city are being renovated at the same time, all of them are being thoroughly cleaned with a laser or something.
I went to my Opera and Theater class, then grocery shopping with my group—we take turns cooking for everyone on Sundays, so we're making Hawaiian Haystacks and Buckeyes. Haha, well, actually I'll be making the buckeyes.
After shopping I registered with the Citybike company, which allows you to rent bikes by just signing in. The first hour is free, the second hour is a €, the third is two, etc. I just rode around for 45 minutes and it was so much fun! Riding along the Donau is really fabulous, although it was a bit chilly.
I took care of some business at home, and then went to the Institut for the game and film night there. Apparently not too many YSA come to that, but there were enough for me to really practice my German. I actually liked it better in a smaller group, because then you get more in-depth conversation, rather than just flitting from person to person making small talk. We watched a movie that apparently came out while I was in Berlin and was extremely popular, so that was kind of cool. After the movie we played the Austrian version of “Mafia,” which is actually “Werewolves,” and is slightly more complicated, with many more characters than the average Mafia game.
At midnight we were kicked out of the Institut, as the missionary couple definitely needed to get home, but some of us went to get pizza at Schwedenplatz. We talked a bunch, and then wandered around the city.
Marvin, a civil engineering student told us a pretty extensive history of Stephansdom, which was so cool, as I never would have learned any of it otherwise. There's a tragic legend about a boy falling in love with his master's daughter, and making a deal with someone so that he can fulfill the requirements of his master in order to marry the girl, and then failing and tragically dying. I've heard loads of those types of stories since first coming to Europe. There are also several cannon balls still in the walls of the church from the second Turkish siege. We got to see the “secret” sign of the Austrian Resistance movement graffiti on the wall, as well as a copy of Mozart's skull. Weird, huh? I then walked home, as the night buses do not go all that often, and I live pretty centrally. But it was a late night, and I really need to sleep, Gute Nacht!
Anna
This morning I got up early to go vote! Haha, although I had tried so hard yesterday, we finally had the correct location and the correct time, and made it to the U.S. Consulate. We went through a security thing—didn't even have to prove we were U.S. Citizens in any way, and went through. We gave a man our absentee ballots, and we were done. Apparently you can even vote there, you don't even need absentee ballots, but it saved us time by having done them previously.
Willow and I went and met another friend and we wandered around Cindy's apartment. We visited the Servitenkirche, and then the Votivkirche. The Votivkirche would be so cool if it weren't for all of the scaffolding. It seems all of the churches in this city are being renovated at the same time, all of them are being thoroughly cleaned with a laser or something.
I went to my Opera and Theater class, then grocery shopping with my group—we take turns cooking for everyone on Sundays, so we're making Hawaiian Haystacks and Buckeyes. Haha, well, actually I'll be making the buckeyes.
After shopping I registered with the Citybike company, which allows you to rent bikes by just signing in. The first hour is free, the second hour is a €, the third is two, etc. I just rode around for 45 minutes and it was so much fun! Riding along the Donau is really fabulous, although it was a bit chilly.
I took care of some business at home, and then went to the Institut for the game and film night there. Apparently not too many YSA come to that, but there were enough for me to really practice my German. I actually liked it better in a smaller group, because then you get more in-depth conversation, rather than just flitting from person to person making small talk. We watched a movie that apparently came out while I was in Berlin and was extremely popular, so that was kind of cool. After the movie we played the Austrian version of “Mafia,” which is actually “Werewolves,” and is slightly more complicated, with many more characters than the average Mafia game.
At midnight we were kicked out of the Institut, as the missionary couple definitely needed to get home, but some of us went to get pizza at Schwedenplatz. We talked a bunch, and then wandered around the city.
Marvin, a civil engineering student told us a pretty extensive history of Stephansdom, which was so cool, as I never would have learned any of it otherwise. There's a tragic legend about a boy falling in love with his master's daughter, and making a deal with someone so that he can fulfill the requirements of his master in order to marry the girl, and then failing and tragically dying. I've heard loads of those types of stories since first coming to Europe. There are also several cannon balls still in the walls of the church from the second Turkish siege. We got to see the “secret” sign of the Austrian Resistance movement graffiti on the wall, as well as a copy of Mozart's skull. Weird, huh? I then walked home, as the night buses do not go all that often, and I live pretty centrally. But it was a late night, and I really need to sleep, Gute Nacht!
Anna
Thursday, 16 October 2008
U.S. Embassy not for Us
Liebe Familie, Donnerstag 16 Oktober 2008
School, then an adventure to the U.S. Embassy to attempt to vote. Turns out the embassy is not meant for American citizens. We were not allowed in, and were directed to the consulate, which happens to only be open 8-11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So yeah, no voting for today.
I then went and bought tickets for “Die Zauberflöte” at the Volksoper, and then inquired about train tickets at the Westbahnhof. I meandered down Mariahilfe Strasse, and then researched traveling for a few hours with a little bit of homework mixed in.
All in all, an ok day.
Anna
School, then an adventure to the U.S. Embassy to attempt to vote. Turns out the embassy is not meant for American citizens. We were not allowed in, and were directed to the consulate, which happens to only be open 8-11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. So yeah, no voting for today.
I then went and bought tickets for “Die Zauberflöte” at the Volksoper, and then inquired about train tickets at the Westbahnhof. I meandered down Mariahilfe Strasse, and then researched traveling for a few hours with a little bit of homework mixed in.
All in all, an ok day.
Anna
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Yet Another Castle
Liebe Familie, Mittwoch 15 Oktober 2008
We went on a trip to Kreuzenstein, a castle outside of Vienna today. It was really fun, it was a castle built in the Middle Ages, but ruined several hundred years afterwards. In the 1600s some man ran out of space for his antique collection, so he bought the ruins of the castle, built on top of it, and put his collection inside. Our tour guide was really cool, and let us take pictures even though it wasn't allowed.
The tour did not take as long as expected, so we ended up back in the center of Vienna in the early afternoon. I went home, talked to my inhospitable guest mother, then went out with two friends to discover the city. The things you can find when you just somewhat aimlessly wander! We found the cheapest book store I have ever seen in Europe. Ever. We found loads of second hand stores, which I will now devote myself to checking out regularly so I can find a Dirndl.
After seeing loads of stuff we wandered over to the Institut for a German lesson about the Book of Mormon, and then socializing and eating with the members afterwards. I gave my number to a couple of people tonight, so hopefully I'll get to spend more time with natives than just at church activities. We just go out of town so much it's really difficult....
Hope all is well,
Deine Anna
We went on a trip to Kreuzenstein, a castle outside of Vienna today. It was really fun, it was a castle built in the Middle Ages, but ruined several hundred years afterwards. In the 1600s some man ran out of space for his antique collection, so he bought the ruins of the castle, built on top of it, and put his collection inside. Our tour guide was really cool, and let us take pictures even though it wasn't allowed.
The tour did not take as long as expected, so we ended up back in the center of Vienna in the early afternoon. I went home, talked to my inhospitable guest mother, then went out with two friends to discover the city. The things you can find when you just somewhat aimlessly wander! We found the cheapest book store I have ever seen in Europe. Ever. We found loads of second hand stores, which I will now devote myself to checking out regularly so I can find a Dirndl.
After seeing loads of stuff we wandered over to the Institut for a German lesson about the Book of Mormon, and then socializing and eating with the members afterwards. I gave my number to a couple of people tonight, so hopefully I'll get to spend more time with natives than just at church activities. We just go out of town so much it's really difficult....
Hope all is well,
Deine Anna
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
[Standing] At the Opera
Liebe Familie, Dienstag 14 Oktober 2008
I got an “A” on the test I took yesterday! All of the studying is paying off, I'm absolutely ecstatic!
After classes I ran home and took care of a bunch of business, mostly just researching candidates (my absentee ballot finally arrived today!) and figuring out flight/train/hostel information for my week off.
At four I went and got in line for the standing room tickets at the Staatsoper. After doing some homework in line, I got an okay spot in the Balcony standing room. Expecting to hate the opera, and completely dreading it, I was amazed. I do not understand how that could have been so entertaining, as I read the play and was bored out of my mind, and expected a very painful night. It was Faust by Goethe. Surprisingly auf Franzoezisch. I was definitely expecting it to be in German, but then I heard a “merci” in there, and it took me a while...
After the amazing performance I came home and just researched tickets for traveling. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so have fun, and I miss you all!
Love,
Anna
I got an “A” on the test I took yesterday! All of the studying is paying off, I'm absolutely ecstatic!
After classes I ran home and took care of a bunch of business, mostly just researching candidates (my absentee ballot finally arrived today!) and figuring out flight/train/hostel information for my week off.
At four I went and got in line for the standing room tickets at the Staatsoper. After doing some homework in line, I got an okay spot in the Balcony standing room. Expecting to hate the opera, and completely dreading it, I was amazed. I do not understand how that could have been so entertaining, as I read the play and was bored out of my mind, and expected a very painful night. It was Faust by Goethe. Surprisingly auf Franzoezisch. I was definitely expecting it to be in German, but then I heard a “merci” in there, and it took me a while...
After the amazing performance I came home and just researched tickets for traveling. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so have fun, and I miss you all!
Love,
Anna
Monday, 13 October 2008
Ecstasy from Politics (Or Lack Thereof)
Liebe Familie, Montag 13 Oktober 2008
My Politics Course was canceled! It's amazing! Now instead of getting behind in homework, I got to catch up, it was great. Also, I got my second test back in Germ 320. A-, not bad. Now if I can just keep this up, I can make up for the first two....My test in that class today didn't go as poorly as I thought it would, so maybe there's still hope for me!
Today was pretty much made up of school, homework, and then going to Family Home Evening at the Institute. I met a couple more Austrians, got to practice a lot, and am just working on remembering their names so that I can talk to them on Wednesday. All around, a great day!
Deine Anna
My Politics Course was canceled! It's amazing! Now instead of getting behind in homework, I got to catch up, it was great. Also, I got my second test back in Germ 320. A-, not bad. Now if I can just keep this up, I can make up for the first two....My test in that class today didn't go as poorly as I thought it would, so maybe there's still hope for me!
Today was pretty much made up of school, homework, and then going to Family Home Evening at the Institute. I met a couple more Austrians, got to practice a lot, and am just working on remembering their names so that I can talk to them on Wednesday. All around, a great day!
Deine Anna
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Ich mag Deutsch
Liebe Familie, Sonntag 12 Oktober 2008
My first Fast Sunday in Vienna! Leaving the apartment my roommates had looked up how to get to our ward on google again, as it had been several weeks since we'd been there, due to General Conference and being out of town. Although the directions were different from before, we just figured there were multiple ways to get to our ward. So, we left our apartment with an hour to get to church. We got to the station it told us to within a half hour, but it was certainly not the one from before, and we could not find the streets it directed us to in order to walk to the building. With the three of us walking around and trying to find maps or street signs, we noticed a guy drive by on a bike. Five minutes later he came back and asked us if we needed help. We told him we were trying to get to a church, and he asked which one. Turns out he was a member of our ward! So he directed us to get back on the U-Bahn for two more stops. We did that, but then it was really three more, so we wandered around that station for a while as well.
Finally making it to the correct U-Bahn station, we just missed our bus, so we had to wait another ten minutes. We ended up being a half hour late for church. It was terrible. Terribly embarrassing at any rate. I apologized to the teacher afterwards though, so I feel much better. Today I talked to so many Austrians, it was great. I spoke to several in Relief Society, or “Frauenhilfsvereinigung,” and then there was Sunday School where I read a scripture, and a pretty hefty one at that, and then in Sacrament Meeting I understood a fair amount. I spoke to several women I was sitting around, and then met this kid named Gregor who's leaving on his mission in a few weeks. Then I talked to the guy who saved us this morning. He was probably the most friendly person I have ever met. It was so much fun to talk to him and practice German. Unfortunately, he's married, but I never got to meet his wife...I'll definitely try to meet her next week. Apparently she's pregnant with their first child, but I didn't notice any pregnant women today, so I don't know if she was there. His brother served in the Akron Ohio Stake, but before we lived in Ohio, so there's no way we would know him. Sad day, I know.
After talking to him for forever we left, and lamented the fact that he doesn't have a younger, single brother. I came home, and spent the next three hours doing homework. I never used to do homework on Sundays, but it's really impossible not to, because we're traveling so much on this trip. It's terribly doubtful I'll be ready for my tests tomorrow....I just won't get any sleep again tonight.
I met up with my friend Willow and we took little Nick, Cindy's youngest son to the park where we made a leaf pile and played on the playground. We were stared at the entire time though, we were the only people older than 10 actually playing on the equipment, all of the parents sat on benches watching.
Our religion class tonight was really good, the Stake President spoke to us about his experiences in the church. There are only two stakes in all of Austria, and as the Vienna Stake President, he is the representative of the church for the entire country. It really took forever for missionary work to start here, as during the Austro-Hungarian Empire only Catholicism was legal. I want to come here on my mission so badly!
After the class I talked to his son for a really long time, trying to practice my German. He works for some Electronic Company though, so there were so many words I could not understand....it was not the most understood conversation I've ever had for sure.
I am currently taking a break from my homework, and will probably be at it until one or two. I often feel we have too much homework to have time to talk to natives, we're always hurrying home to study for Politics, or Opera, or our Grammar course, I'm not really speaking all that much...Ok. On to memorizing the reflexive verbs and some more irregular conjugations before I continue reading “Where is Central Europe?” and Faust. Oh, and for the record, it's impossible to get any more than an hour of homework done on each train ride.
Hoping you're not as bogged down as I,
Deine Anna
My first Fast Sunday in Vienna! Leaving the apartment my roommates had looked up how to get to our ward on google again, as it had been several weeks since we'd been there, due to General Conference and being out of town. Although the directions were different from before, we just figured there were multiple ways to get to our ward. So, we left our apartment with an hour to get to church. We got to the station it told us to within a half hour, but it was certainly not the one from before, and we could not find the streets it directed us to in order to walk to the building. With the three of us walking around and trying to find maps or street signs, we noticed a guy drive by on a bike. Five minutes later he came back and asked us if we needed help. We told him we were trying to get to a church, and he asked which one. Turns out he was a member of our ward! So he directed us to get back on the U-Bahn for two more stops. We did that, but then it was really three more, so we wandered around that station for a while as well.
Finally making it to the correct U-Bahn station, we just missed our bus, so we had to wait another ten minutes. We ended up being a half hour late for church. It was terrible. Terribly embarrassing at any rate. I apologized to the teacher afterwards though, so I feel much better. Today I talked to so many Austrians, it was great. I spoke to several in Relief Society, or “Frauenhilfsvereinigung,” and then there was Sunday School where I read a scripture, and a pretty hefty one at that, and then in Sacrament Meeting I understood a fair amount. I spoke to several women I was sitting around, and then met this kid named Gregor who's leaving on his mission in a few weeks. Then I talked to the guy who saved us this morning. He was probably the most friendly person I have ever met. It was so much fun to talk to him and practice German. Unfortunately, he's married, but I never got to meet his wife...I'll definitely try to meet her next week. Apparently she's pregnant with their first child, but I didn't notice any pregnant women today, so I don't know if she was there. His brother served in the Akron Ohio Stake, but before we lived in Ohio, so there's no way we would know him. Sad day, I know.
After talking to him for forever we left, and lamented the fact that he doesn't have a younger, single brother. I came home, and spent the next three hours doing homework. I never used to do homework on Sundays, but it's really impossible not to, because we're traveling so much on this trip. It's terribly doubtful I'll be ready for my tests tomorrow....I just won't get any sleep again tonight.
I met up with my friend Willow and we took little Nick, Cindy's youngest son to the park where we made a leaf pile and played on the playground. We were stared at the entire time though, we were the only people older than 10 actually playing on the equipment, all of the parents sat on benches watching.
Our religion class tonight was really good, the Stake President spoke to us about his experiences in the church. There are only two stakes in all of Austria, and as the Vienna Stake President, he is the representative of the church for the entire country. It really took forever for missionary work to start here, as during the Austro-Hungarian Empire only Catholicism was legal. I want to come here on my mission so badly!
After the class I talked to his son for a really long time, trying to practice my German. He works for some Electronic Company though, so there were so many words I could not understand....it was not the most understood conversation I've ever had for sure.
I am currently taking a break from my homework, and will probably be at it until one or two. I often feel we have too much homework to have time to talk to natives, we're always hurrying home to study for Politics, or Opera, or our Grammar course, I'm not really speaking all that much...Ok. On to memorizing the reflexive verbs and some more irregular conjugations before I continue reading “Where is Central Europe?” and Faust. Oh, and for the record, it's impossible to get any more than an hour of homework done on each train ride.
Hoping you're not as bogged down as I,
Deine Anna
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Island Hopping
Liebe Familie, Samstag 11 Oktober 2008
Although the day started out very stressful, it was absolutely amazing! I got up bright and early, breakfasted, and then waited for my friend Willow to get ready. However, while she was in the shower the water in the entire hotel went out, and so I ended up having to wait for her a lot longer, as she needed water to wash the shampoo out of her hair. When we finally got water again we were leaving much later than we thought we would be, but luckily we ran into the Brewers at the ferry, and they were going to try to visit both Murano and Burano—which was our goal but we had been told we wouldn't have enough time. However, as there is no way the group would leave the Brewers' in Venice, we figured we'd be safe if we went with them.
We bought a 12 hour ferry ticket—sadly we were so lost yesterday we didn't have the chance to see any of the islands around Venice before today. We hopped on a ferry and went to Murano and saw a man make a glass horse. Apparently different kinds of horses stand for different glass-making families, so they keep their secrets within their families. Also, the artist has at the most a minute and a half before the glass is too cool to work with, so they know how to make these within 30 seconds, it's so cool to see how fast they make them!
We saw several glass shops, and then we hopped back on the ferry to go Burano, an island famous for its lace. The lace factories were closed, so we just looked at the shops and took loads of pictures with the VERY colorful houses there. They were gorgeous.
After getting back on the ferry I advised Cindy on the Berlin program, and then we were back on the mainland Venice, if you can call it that. We went on two of the short, 50 cent gondola rides, purely for picture and bragging purposes. It was really fun, because one of the gondaliers was a very short, old, angry man, who had a voice that brought sailors to mind when he spoke. It was quite funny. He was not a fan of tourists taking pictures on his boat, but as he didn't speak anything but Italian we played the American tourist card.
Leaving the gondola we didn't have that much time left in Venice, so we went to a cafeteria called Brek for lunch (I had the most amazing grilled zucchini and tomatoes, it was fabulous. But far more expensive than expected. Then I had my last gelato, it was a tragic, tragic experience. I shall never forget the scrumptiousness of gelato here. We went back to the hotel, picked up our luggage, and went off to the train station.
The train ride consisted of homework, homework, and homework. Although I did have an hour conversation with my professor and her family about raising children bilingually. I am DEFINITELY doing that. Just need to work on finding an Austrian.....
Anyway, let it comfort you to know that I am safely back in Vienna, and will be sleeping in my own bed tonight! Yay!
Deine Anna
Although the day started out very stressful, it was absolutely amazing! I got up bright and early, breakfasted, and then waited for my friend Willow to get ready. However, while she was in the shower the water in the entire hotel went out, and so I ended up having to wait for her a lot longer, as she needed water to wash the shampoo out of her hair. When we finally got water again we were leaving much later than we thought we would be, but luckily we ran into the Brewers at the ferry, and they were going to try to visit both Murano and Burano—which was our goal but we had been told we wouldn't have enough time. However, as there is no way the group would leave the Brewers' in Venice, we figured we'd be safe if we went with them.
We bought a 12 hour ferry ticket—sadly we were so lost yesterday we didn't have the chance to see any of the islands around Venice before today. We hopped on a ferry and went to Murano and saw a man make a glass horse. Apparently different kinds of horses stand for different glass-making families, so they keep their secrets within their families. Also, the artist has at the most a minute and a half before the glass is too cool to work with, so they know how to make these within 30 seconds, it's so cool to see how fast they make them!
We saw several glass shops, and then we hopped back on the ferry to go Burano, an island famous for its lace. The lace factories were closed, so we just looked at the shops and took loads of pictures with the VERY colorful houses there. They were gorgeous.
After getting back on the ferry I advised Cindy on the Berlin program, and then we were back on the mainland Venice, if you can call it that. We went on two of the short, 50 cent gondola rides, purely for picture and bragging purposes. It was really fun, because one of the gondaliers was a very short, old, angry man, who had a voice that brought sailors to mind when he spoke. It was quite funny. He was not a fan of tourists taking pictures on his boat, but as he didn't speak anything but Italian we played the American tourist card.
Leaving the gondola we didn't have that much time left in Venice, so we went to a cafeteria called Brek for lunch (I had the most amazing grilled zucchini and tomatoes, it was fabulous. But far more expensive than expected. Then I had my last gelato, it was a tragic, tragic experience. I shall never forget the scrumptiousness of gelato here. We went back to the hotel, picked up our luggage, and went off to the train station.
The train ride consisted of homework, homework, and homework. Although I did have an hour conversation with my professor and her family about raising children bilingually. I am DEFINITELY doing that. Just need to work on finding an Austrian.....
Anyway, let it comfort you to know that I am safely back in Vienna, and will be sleeping in my own bed tonight! Yay!
Deine Anna
Friday, 10 October 2008
Gelato times Three
Liebe Familie, Freitag 10 Oktober 2008
Whew! What a day! Turns out I love Italy. Haha, or Venice, I haven't really seen that much of Italy. This morning we got up early to eat breakfast at the hotel and then run to the other side of Venice and meet our tour guide at the San Marco. Italian breakfasts are so wimpy compared to Austrian ones! It's so weird, at home I don't eat much every morning, but here I'm so accustomed to stuffing myself for breakfasts that eating only two rolls in the morning seems so small...
We speed walked through the city, and after a half hour made it to the columns on the pier right as the church bells were ringing for the hour. Our tour guide took us through some interesting parts of the city, although when a sea gull attacked a pigeon and tried to eat it, it was far too loud and distracting for me to hear about the library...although I didn't miss the business about how much they hate Napoleon Bonaparte.
After several hours we were let out to do whatever we wanted. I fairly promptly got lost with a friend, and we spent the next 6 hours being completely unaware of where we were in the city, and wandering around. It was so much fun! We saw so many small alleys and pretty buildings, and we did a really good job of speaking German throughout the entire day.
At night we went to a cheaper restaurant and splitting with a friend I got to try the pizza and the pasta, which was good but not fabulous. After making some Italian men fall madly in love with us with the helpful phrases courtesy of Daddy, we got my third gelato of the day. Nutella, Hazelnut, and Milk were the flavors of today in case you wanted to know.
Coming back to the hotel I've just been resting my feet and getting rid of a headache. All in all, it was a great day, although I wish I could have visited Murano or Burano or Lido. Tomorrow maybe I'll see one of the islands...but we're leaving in the early afternoon, so I cannot get lost tomorrow if I'm going to be doing this...
Cross your fingers I'll be able to do everything I want to!
Deine Anna
Whew! What a day! Turns out I love Italy. Haha, or Venice, I haven't really seen that much of Italy. This morning we got up early to eat breakfast at the hotel and then run to the other side of Venice and meet our tour guide at the San Marco. Italian breakfasts are so wimpy compared to Austrian ones! It's so weird, at home I don't eat much every morning, but here I'm so accustomed to stuffing myself for breakfasts that eating only two rolls in the morning seems so small...
We speed walked through the city, and after a half hour made it to the columns on the pier right as the church bells were ringing for the hour. Our tour guide took us through some interesting parts of the city, although when a sea gull attacked a pigeon and tried to eat it, it was far too loud and distracting for me to hear about the library...although I didn't miss the business about how much they hate Napoleon Bonaparte.
After several hours we were let out to do whatever we wanted. I fairly promptly got lost with a friend, and we spent the next 6 hours being completely unaware of where we were in the city, and wandering around. It was so much fun! We saw so many small alleys and pretty buildings, and we did a really good job of speaking German throughout the entire day.
At night we went to a cheaper restaurant and splitting with a friend I got to try the pizza and the pasta, which was good but not fabulous. After making some Italian men fall madly in love with us with the helpful phrases courtesy of Daddy, we got my third gelato of the day. Nutella, Hazelnut, and Milk were the flavors of today in case you wanted to know.
Coming back to the hotel I've just been resting my feet and getting rid of a headache. All in all, it was a great day, although I wish I could have visited Murano or Burano or Lido. Tomorrow maybe I'll see one of the islands...but we're leaving in the early afternoon, so I cannot get lost tomorrow if I'm going to be doing this...
Cross your fingers I'll be able to do everything I want to!
Deine Anna
Thursday, 9 October 2008
David and the First Gelato
Liebe Familie, Donnerstag Oktober 9 2008
This morning we got up far too soon for our level of tiredness. My friend Willow and I walked over to the first hotel, which was still feeding us breakfast, and ended up being the first ones there. No one spoke English, and apparently they had not done a very good job of conveying information the day before. We were told that we could eat between 7:30 and 8:00. Apparently they had meant that they wanted the entire group at 7:30. With just the two of us we were yelled at in Italian for 5 minutes, before she forced us to sit down and watched us like a hawk as we ate.
Afterwards I ran off to the Accademia to see the David at 8, but then there was a sign on the door saying that it didn't open until 10:30. Was that sign there the night before? Nay. So we went to the Duomo and climbed that instead. Pretty fun, it was very pretty to see the inside of the dome so close, all of the frescos and everything. Then you climb up a little more to go out on the outside and see the city of Firenze from above.
After airing out a bit up there, we went back down and explored the markets some more. I even rubbed the nose of a boar statue, which apparently means I'll be coming back to Firenze someday. Oh, and I had my first Italian gelato at 10:00 in the morning. That's right, 10. And it was amazing. And amazingly expensive. They gave me two scoops of mint instead of one, and didn't speak English, so I had to pay the €4 to avoid a scene. But it was scrumptious!
At 10 we went back to the Accademia, and the line for entrance was already wrapped around the building. We got to the end of the line, and then waited a little over 2 hours to enter the museum. €10 for entrance to a museum that does not allow you to take photos....AGAIN! Apparently you're not allowed to take pictures anywhere in this city. But don't you worry, I got one. It's not very good, and very blurry, but I have it! The weird thing is they don't have signs or anything telling you you cannot take pictures, you just have to wait until someone working there sees you and yells at you to know.
I ran off to the famous market in the middle of the town, and grabbed some fresh fruit, and even bought some dried fruit which was AMAZING. I will definitely be buying more of that!
Meeting at the train station, we boarded for a 3 hour train to Venezia. I was definitely too tired to do much homework, but it was too loud to sleep at all, so it was just a time to talk and watch the countryside. Upon arriving in Venezia, we went straight to the hotel without getting lost at all! That was appreciated. We checked in, unloaded our stuff in our room, and went out on the town.
Wandering around the city was so much fun! The water wasn't as dirty as I expected it to be, and due to the lack of cars here there isn't much pollution, and it's much cleaner than Firenze. PLUS, it's so much cheaper here! We were warned so many times how expensive Venice would be, but it's so much cheaper here so far! The Venetian masks, the gelato, the post cards, the glass, it's all so much cheaper here. We even went into a glass shop where the owner was sitting there in a corner at a work bench making the glass figures. We sat there staring for probably 15 minutes, it was so interesting to see him do it! I had some Nutella gelato here for only €1 for this humongous scoop, it was fabulous. I will definitely be eating at least two more while in this city. I shall remember this for always.
I cannot wait to see the city in daylight tomorrow, so I'll need to go to bed to be up bright and early for VENICE!
Deine Anna
This morning we got up far too soon for our level of tiredness. My friend Willow and I walked over to the first hotel, which was still feeding us breakfast, and ended up being the first ones there. No one spoke English, and apparently they had not done a very good job of conveying information the day before. We were told that we could eat between 7:30 and 8:00. Apparently they had meant that they wanted the entire group at 7:30. With just the two of us we were yelled at in Italian for 5 minutes, before she forced us to sit down and watched us like a hawk as we ate.
Afterwards I ran off to the Accademia to see the David at 8, but then there was a sign on the door saying that it didn't open until 10:30. Was that sign there the night before? Nay. So we went to the Duomo and climbed that instead. Pretty fun, it was very pretty to see the inside of the dome so close, all of the frescos and everything. Then you climb up a little more to go out on the outside and see the city of Firenze from above.
After airing out a bit up there, we went back down and explored the markets some more. I even rubbed the nose of a boar statue, which apparently means I'll be coming back to Firenze someday. Oh, and I had my first Italian gelato at 10:00 in the morning. That's right, 10. And it was amazing. And amazingly expensive. They gave me two scoops of mint instead of one, and didn't speak English, so I had to pay the €4 to avoid a scene. But it was scrumptious!
At 10 we went back to the Accademia, and the line for entrance was already wrapped around the building. We got to the end of the line, and then waited a little over 2 hours to enter the museum. €10 for entrance to a museum that does not allow you to take photos....AGAIN! Apparently you're not allowed to take pictures anywhere in this city. But don't you worry, I got one. It's not very good, and very blurry, but I have it! The weird thing is they don't have signs or anything telling you you cannot take pictures, you just have to wait until someone working there sees you and yells at you to know.
I ran off to the famous market in the middle of the town, and grabbed some fresh fruit, and even bought some dried fruit which was AMAZING. I will definitely be buying more of that!
Meeting at the train station, we boarded for a 3 hour train to Venezia. I was definitely too tired to do much homework, but it was too loud to sleep at all, so it was just a time to talk and watch the countryside. Upon arriving in Venezia, we went straight to the hotel without getting lost at all! That was appreciated. We checked in, unloaded our stuff in our room, and went out on the town.
Wandering around the city was so much fun! The water wasn't as dirty as I expected it to be, and due to the lack of cars here there isn't much pollution, and it's much cleaner than Firenze. PLUS, it's so much cheaper here! We were warned so many times how expensive Venice would be, but it's so much cheaper here so far! The Venetian masks, the gelato, the post cards, the glass, it's all so much cheaper here. We even went into a glass shop where the owner was sitting there in a corner at a work bench making the glass figures. We sat there staring for probably 15 minutes, it was so interesting to see him do it! I had some Nutella gelato here for only €1 for this humongous scoop, it was fabulous. I will definitely be eating at least two more while in this city. I shall remember this for always.
I cannot wait to see the city in daylight tomorrow, so I'll need to go to bed to be up bright and early for VENICE!
Deine Anna
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
The Night Train
Liebe Familie, Mittwoch 8 Oktober 2008
Whew! It's been crazy these past two days. I got up very early after staying up very late completing homework on Monday night, so Tuesday was a little painful. However, everything seemed to go well, my presentation in class, staying awake and paying attention to class, not keeling over throughout the day, etc. After my last class I went home and packed while watching the last session of General Conference. It was so good, but it definitely didn't feel like 2 hours, it went by so fast!
I left for the train station, and then we were introduced to sleeping cars for the first time...Wow. A little bit of a squeeze, but it was really fun hanging out in there before bedtime. Every time we stopped into a station I woke up, because I'd move a bit. It was one of the most terrible nights I have ever experienced. Waking up for real at 5:30 for breakfast hurt a lot. We got ready in that teeny little space and arrived in Firenze at 6:20 in the morning. We wandered around the city for an hour trying to find our hotel, then dropped off our luggage. I explored a bit, finding the San Marco Church, as well as a big one I forget the name of at the moment, that was Renaissance and really gaudy. Oh, it's the Duomo, and has a cool bell tower.
We met up with the tour guide and wandered around the city, seeing all of the cool stuff and learning all about it. Afterwards we went shopping in the markets, and it was so sunny and pretty! Absolutely fabulous.
We checked into our hotel, which ended up not having enough space for us even though we had made reservations, so they had to call around until they found a hotel that could fit us and we all walked there. Throwing our stuff down I immediately went out on a trek with some friends to see the Duomo and then find Vivoli, the supposed name of the best gelato in all of Florence. The Duomo's line was too long, we would have run out of time, so after waiting a while we left, and then we went hunting for Vivoli. We wandered around until we were out of time, and then ran over to meet at the Uffizi. The Uffizi is said to be second only to the Louvre. Well, after hearing that I was terribly disappointed. The student price was €14, and we were not allowed to take photos. They only had their information about the art in Italian except for the really famous pieces of those of Botticelli and Da Vinci. It was cool to see those well-known and studied pieces, but the high expectations I had for it were not fulfilled.
I started to feel pretty negative about Florence, and Italy in general, until I realized that the reason I was so depressed about being here was the prices. Once I realized that I relaxed a bit, and will see the David tomorrow, even though I wasn't going to because of the price, and I will also climb the Duomo, even though the price was dissuading me. So after the museum with my new-found attitude, I found a cheap-ish pizza with a wood fired oven. I split it with a friend, so it was only €3 and it was so good! I still haven't had gelato yet, which is kind of depressing, but I will definitely be remedying that tomorrow. I just want to eat the famous stuff though....
After dinner we ran off to see the David, but it was already closed.
Completely beat we limped back to the hotel and collapsed there to rest our poor little lower appendages. So yeah. If I run out of money I'll just take some out of the ATM, even if the exchange rate is not so good at the moment.
So yeah, Italy has greatly improved, even if they do try to suck as much money out of you as possible, so I cannot wait to go to Venice tomorrow night!
Whew! It's been crazy these past two days. I got up very early after staying up very late completing homework on Monday night, so Tuesday was a little painful. However, everything seemed to go well, my presentation in class, staying awake and paying attention to class, not keeling over throughout the day, etc. After my last class I went home and packed while watching the last session of General Conference. It was so good, but it definitely didn't feel like 2 hours, it went by so fast!
I left for the train station, and then we were introduced to sleeping cars for the first time...Wow. A little bit of a squeeze, but it was really fun hanging out in there before bedtime. Every time we stopped into a station I woke up, because I'd move a bit. It was one of the most terrible nights I have ever experienced. Waking up for real at 5:30 for breakfast hurt a lot. We got ready in that teeny little space and arrived in Firenze at 6:20 in the morning. We wandered around the city for an hour trying to find our hotel, then dropped off our luggage. I explored a bit, finding the San Marco Church, as well as a big one I forget the name of at the moment, that was Renaissance and really gaudy. Oh, it's the Duomo, and has a cool bell tower.
We met up with the tour guide and wandered around the city, seeing all of the cool stuff and learning all about it. Afterwards we went shopping in the markets, and it was so sunny and pretty! Absolutely fabulous.
We checked into our hotel, which ended up not having enough space for us even though we had made reservations, so they had to call around until they found a hotel that could fit us and we all walked there. Throwing our stuff down I immediately went out on a trek with some friends to see the Duomo and then find Vivoli, the supposed name of the best gelato in all of Florence. The Duomo's line was too long, we would have run out of time, so after waiting a while we left, and then we went hunting for Vivoli. We wandered around until we were out of time, and then ran over to meet at the Uffizi. The Uffizi is said to be second only to the Louvre. Well, after hearing that I was terribly disappointed. The student price was €14, and we were not allowed to take photos. They only had their information about the art in Italian except for the really famous pieces of those of Botticelli and Da Vinci. It was cool to see those well-known and studied pieces, but the high expectations I had for it were not fulfilled.
I started to feel pretty negative about Florence, and Italy in general, until I realized that the reason I was so depressed about being here was the prices. Once I realized that I relaxed a bit, and will see the David tomorrow, even though I wasn't going to because of the price, and I will also climb the Duomo, even though the price was dissuading me. So after the museum with my new-found attitude, I found a cheap-ish pizza with a wood fired oven. I split it with a friend, so it was only €3 and it was so good! I still haven't had gelato yet, which is kind of depressing, but I will definitely be remedying that tomorrow. I just want to eat the famous stuff though....
After dinner we ran off to see the David, but it was already closed.
Completely beat we limped back to the hotel and collapsed there to rest our poor little lower appendages. So yeah. If I run out of money I'll just take some out of the ATM, even if the exchange rate is not so good at the moment.
So yeah, Italy has greatly improved, even if they do try to suck as much money out of you as possible, so I cannot wait to go to Venice tomorrow night!
Monday, 6 October 2008
In the Chamber of Mummies...
Liebe Familie, Montag 6 Oktober 2008
Difficult day, I got up early to do homework and study my Dative verbs while on a run. I went off to school, took a test, then spent the next few hours in class.
In between classes I went to Michaeler Kirche with some friends, and we had a tour of the crypt there. It was so cool! They stopped burying people there in the 1500s, and sealed it up until 1923 when monks decided to go in. Because of cold drafts going throughout the crypt, many of the bodies in the wooden coffins had been mummified—and it was natural. Originally when they first built the crypt they would just take bodies out of coffins that were no longer recognizable, put them on the ground, and cover it up with dirt, so I walked around on a meter and a half of dead bodies. Gruesome no? But yeah, there was a big flood when a bomb in WWII hit a pipe line, so many of the mummies were damaged, and many have been stolen, so they only have 27 left. They take turns and only display 3 at a time, so we only saw a man and two women. One of the women still looked pretty real. One of the mummies is of a pregnant woman and she has one of the more decorated coffins.
When the monks came there in the 1920s they piled bones and such as I've seen in loads of crypts over the past month. However, they also hung skulls all around the crypt on the walls “to make it look more alive.” Seems like not very good reasoning to me....but was auch immer. The coolest part of the crypt is being worked on right now, so we didn't get to see that part at all, but maybe someday I'll go back there and get to see it...Most of the crypt hasn't even been opened yet, many of the walls are still sealed and they do not know what's back there.
In case you were interested in how to mummify yourself naturally, you need to be buried in a wooden coffin—metal doesn't let in enough of the draft, and put yourself in a very cold, drafty place, not too moist though. It has to be just the right temperature to be too cold for bugs, but not too cold for you either. Then sit around for a couple hundred years and wait. Oh, and pure silk is the fabric that all of the mummies I saw today were wearing, so you should probably be buried in that.
After the tour I went back to the school, had another class, and then ran off to FHE at the Institut. I talked to my favorite JAE member, Robert. He learned English on his mission just from all of the other missionaries using it with each other! How funny...not that we were speaking English. Definitely Deutsch.
I've come home, sat around doing homework and taking care of some last business before leaving for Italy. I'll be getting on my train at 7 tomorrow evening, and arriving in Venice at 6 the next morning, wahoo for me. I'm excited to see Italy though!
Arrivederci!
Anna
Difficult day, I got up early to do homework and study my Dative verbs while on a run. I went off to school, took a test, then spent the next few hours in class.
In between classes I went to Michaeler Kirche with some friends, and we had a tour of the crypt there. It was so cool! They stopped burying people there in the 1500s, and sealed it up until 1923 when monks decided to go in. Because of cold drafts going throughout the crypt, many of the bodies in the wooden coffins had been mummified—and it was natural. Originally when they first built the crypt they would just take bodies out of coffins that were no longer recognizable, put them on the ground, and cover it up with dirt, so I walked around on a meter and a half of dead bodies. Gruesome no? But yeah, there was a big flood when a bomb in WWII hit a pipe line, so many of the mummies were damaged, and many have been stolen, so they only have 27 left. They take turns and only display 3 at a time, so we only saw a man and two women. One of the women still looked pretty real. One of the mummies is of a pregnant woman and she has one of the more decorated coffins.
When the monks came there in the 1920s they piled bones and such as I've seen in loads of crypts over the past month. However, they also hung skulls all around the crypt on the walls “to make it look more alive.” Seems like not very good reasoning to me....but was auch immer. The coolest part of the crypt is being worked on right now, so we didn't get to see that part at all, but maybe someday I'll go back there and get to see it...Most of the crypt hasn't even been opened yet, many of the walls are still sealed and they do not know what's back there.
In case you were interested in how to mummify yourself naturally, you need to be buried in a wooden coffin—metal doesn't let in enough of the draft, and put yourself in a very cold, drafty place, not too moist though. It has to be just the right temperature to be too cold for bugs, but not too cold for you either. Then sit around for a couple hundred years and wait. Oh, and pure silk is the fabric that all of the mummies I saw today were wearing, so you should probably be buried in that.
After the tour I went back to the school, had another class, and then ran off to FHE at the Institut. I talked to my favorite JAE member, Robert. He learned English on his mission just from all of the other missionaries using it with each other! How funny...not that we were speaking English. Definitely Deutsch.
I've come home, sat around doing homework and taking care of some last business before leaving for Italy. I'll be getting on my train at 7 tomorrow evening, and arriving in Venice at 6 the next morning, wahoo for me. I'm excited to see Italy though!
Arrivederci!
Anna
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Missing Out
Liebe Familie Sonntag 5 Oktober 2008
Saturday morning I accidentally slept in, to 10:45! It was ridiculous, but I really did need the sleep. I've been waking up so often every night this week added to the fact that I've had a pretty bad cold for the past 8 days meant that I really needed that extra sleep.
I sat around the apartment doing homework until the middle of the afternoon, when I went to see another wing of the Art History museum from the night before. Well, I have now finished the Gemaelde Galerie and completed the Greek/Roman/Egyptian exhibit as well. After several hours in there I went out to begin the “Lange Nacht der Museen” festivities. It's the one night of the year that Vienna sells these 13€ tickets to the public (11€ for students) and you can go to nearly any museum in the city with it, from 6 P.M. To 1 A.M. So I ran off to the Albertina, shoved through all of the lines, and finally got to see the Monet/Picasso exhibit I'd missed from before. I then ran off to the Museum of Torture next door (didn't stay there long, don't worry), then the Butterfly house. That once was worthless, as I saw 2 whole butterflies. They don't really like to hang out in the dark.
I ran off to Museums Quartier, hit up the Toberlone exhibit (where I got a free piece of Toberlone!) and then the “Western Motel” exhibit where I set off an alarm. It was complete accident, it's one of those modern museums where they play movies throughout each room. Well, we entered a room painted black, with black pillows on the floor to sit in while watching the film, and the film was over, so it was a black screen. Black, black, black means you can't see anything, and blindly going through the room I accidentally opened an emergency exit door. Whoop! Don't know why they didn't have a neon light above it....I'm surprised me feeling along the wall opened the handle. Weird.
At 7:15 I ran off to the Volkstheater to see “Besuch der alten Dame,” a very creepy, creepy, yet thought-provoking play. Very strange, but I enjoyed it. Afterwards I finished Museums quartier, seeing the Arkitektcentrum, and then the Leopold Museum. However, I was beat after straining to understand everything from the play, so I turned in relatively early at 11. Did some more homework, and went to bed.
Happy General Conference Day! It's always so much fun to see General Conference—that is, when you are not plagued with homework. I've spent today sitting around the apartment making German flashcards, listening to conference, and organizing my photos. I would have gone to the stake center to see it, but then because of last night I never got to watch the Saturday morning session, and I wanted to see them in order.
Eve gave me some tastes of this Hungarian dessert, as well as a big of a raw meat delicacy. The dessert was really good, but the delicacy was kind of gross. I don't know, I'm not so much a fan of it, whatever it was.
After a very tiring day of sitting around, I really need to get to bed for all of my many things tomorrow, first of which is a test in Germ 320...
Deine Anna
Saturday morning I accidentally slept in, to 10:45! It was ridiculous, but I really did need the sleep. I've been waking up so often every night this week added to the fact that I've had a pretty bad cold for the past 8 days meant that I really needed that extra sleep.
I sat around the apartment doing homework until the middle of the afternoon, when I went to see another wing of the Art History museum from the night before. Well, I have now finished the Gemaelde Galerie and completed the Greek/Roman/Egyptian exhibit as well. After several hours in there I went out to begin the “Lange Nacht der Museen” festivities. It's the one night of the year that Vienna sells these 13€ tickets to the public (11€ for students) and you can go to nearly any museum in the city with it, from 6 P.M. To 1 A.M. So I ran off to the Albertina, shoved through all of the lines, and finally got to see the Monet/Picasso exhibit I'd missed from before. I then ran off to the Museum of Torture next door (didn't stay there long, don't worry), then the Butterfly house. That once was worthless, as I saw 2 whole butterflies. They don't really like to hang out in the dark.
I ran off to Museums Quartier, hit up the Toberlone exhibit (where I got a free piece of Toberlone!) and then the “Western Motel” exhibit where I set off an alarm. It was complete accident, it's one of those modern museums where they play movies throughout each room. Well, we entered a room painted black, with black pillows on the floor to sit in while watching the film, and the film was over, so it was a black screen. Black, black, black means you can't see anything, and blindly going through the room I accidentally opened an emergency exit door. Whoop! Don't know why they didn't have a neon light above it....I'm surprised me feeling along the wall opened the handle. Weird.
At 7:15 I ran off to the Volkstheater to see “Besuch der alten Dame,” a very creepy, creepy, yet thought-provoking play. Very strange, but I enjoyed it. Afterwards I finished Museums quartier, seeing the Arkitektcentrum, and then the Leopold Museum. However, I was beat after straining to understand everything from the play, so I turned in relatively early at 11. Did some more homework, and went to bed.
Happy General Conference Day! It's always so much fun to see General Conference—that is, when you are not plagued with homework. I've spent today sitting around the apartment making German flashcards, listening to conference, and organizing my photos. I would have gone to the stake center to see it, but then because of last night I never got to watch the Saturday morning session, and I wanted to see them in order.
Eve gave me some tastes of this Hungarian dessert, as well as a big of a raw meat delicacy. The dessert was really good, but the delicacy was kind of gross. I don't know, I'm not so much a fan of it, whatever it was.
After a very tiring day of sitting around, I really need to get to bed for all of my many things tomorrow, first of which is a test in Germ 320...
Deine Anna
Friday, 3 October 2008
Cultured and Beloved
Liebe Familie, Friday, October 3rd 2008
What a cultured, dignified woman I am. After finally being home for a little while, I'm now mentally preparing myself to take off for Italy next week. All of this traveling is really fun and everything, and I have no idea how long it will be until I am ever in Europe again, but I just wish we could stay in Vienna for awhile and see the city! I have been making an extra effort to go out there the past few days, but it's hard to find the time!
Wednesday I got up nice and early to go running, complete with my new flashcards! I am currently doing poorly in my German 320 class, so I'm going to be spending every second working on that. It's a grammar course though, so new vocabulary can only help so much....
After breakfast I went off to the Albertina, an art museum owned by the Son-in-law of Maria Theresia. There's an exhibit there of Van Gogh's work, which was really cool to see. I have definitely wikipediaed him since then. However, Museums here tend to be in old palaces and random buildings like that, so they were not built to be a museum. Therefore, the rooms usually don't connect, and it's really hard to make sure you've seen everything in the museum. In this case, I missed out on the Picasso/Monet exhibit, which is rather upsetting as it's €7,00 to go in with the Student Price. But don't you worry. I have a plan to rectify the situation.
I had an afternoon class, and then ran home to do homework like mad. That evening I went to Institut, understood most of the class, and ate some amazing tacos afterwards. I'm meeting a couple new people every time, but we're just not here enough for us to be friendly enough to hang out all of the time.
Thursday I had school until 2, and then I took off for cultural experiences. I went with a couple of friends to the Secession building in Vienna, where they have some modern art exhibits. Did we know that when we went? No, but we sure do now, after staring at posters of fungi, cars with their windshield wipers going for all of eternity, and tvs with strange repeating programs on them. Do I like modern art? Nay. I do not. Although, to give credit where it is due, the Gustav Klimt Beethoven Frieze isn't bad at all.
After the Secession we ran down the street to see the Wagner Apartments. They're just buildings decorated in a weird style that was looked down upon at that time period, but they are very pretty. Also on that street was Theater an der Wien, and I got to see the famous Papageno statue, as “Die Zauberflöte” is my favorite opera. After hanging out in the Naschmarkt, I tried to go to the Academy of Fine Arts. For some strange reason, the Academy is closed until December 15th for renovation. I fly home on the 16th. What a cruel, cruel world.
After several nights in a row of waking up fairly often, I'm exceedingly tired, but as I'm in Vienna, I'm pulling through still. I got up this morning to go meet some people to see the “Morning Exercises with Music” at the Spanish Riding School.
Horses are pretty, but I completely understand why we never had a pony growing up.
Directly afterwards we went and saw the Roman ruins they discovered in the middle of the city in the early 1990s, then to the famous Loos Haus, a few other things you've probably never heard of, before going to the State Apartments and Treasuries. A free museum for Austro-American Institut students, and it was amazing! I've seen enough jewels and golden robes to last a lifetime. They of course had loads of crowns, scepters, and the robes that Popes wear, coronation robes, etc. However, they can also boast having an 8 foot tall “Unicorn” horn (I'm not going to tell you what it really is, it would ruin the magic,) the biggest emerald in the world, and a baby bassinet made of 2,000 pounds of silver. I need to research the Habsburg who married Napoleon, I got to see their wedding present there....
After seeing all of the splendor I toned things down and went to the Kunsthistoriches Museum—or Art History Museum. I didn't even finish one wing. Thank goodness that place also free for me, because I think I'll have to make at least two more additional trips to finish it. Luckily, it's just down the street from me, so I am perfectly ok with this.
Now for the title...Yes, I am beloved. The maid who comes on Friday adores me, as she shows by making me late to everything on Fridays by telling me all about her grandchildren and life here. Eve also adores me. She invites me personally to come eat the left over food, and not my roommates. I kind of feel bad, but they're not willing to put in the time it takes to talk to her and make her love you, so I guess it all works out. Tonight she invited me to try her chocolate carrot cake. Very delicious, as usual. I guess she has to make food for parties for the next few days, so she's going to be busy, and I can only hope that there will be leftovers, as grandchildren are coming into town for these.
Still working hard at the homework, I've taken on extra homework (and quite a bit of it, to) so that I can catch up on grammar, so we'll see how soon I can be up to par. I wish everyone well,
Love,
Anna
What a cultured, dignified woman I am. After finally being home for a little while, I'm now mentally preparing myself to take off for Italy next week. All of this traveling is really fun and everything, and I have no idea how long it will be until I am ever in Europe again, but I just wish we could stay in Vienna for awhile and see the city! I have been making an extra effort to go out there the past few days, but it's hard to find the time!
Wednesday I got up nice and early to go running, complete with my new flashcards! I am currently doing poorly in my German 320 class, so I'm going to be spending every second working on that. It's a grammar course though, so new vocabulary can only help so much....
After breakfast I went off to the Albertina, an art museum owned by the Son-in-law of Maria Theresia. There's an exhibit there of Van Gogh's work, which was really cool to see. I have definitely wikipediaed him since then. However, Museums here tend to be in old palaces and random buildings like that, so they were not built to be a museum. Therefore, the rooms usually don't connect, and it's really hard to make sure you've seen everything in the museum. In this case, I missed out on the Picasso/Monet exhibit, which is rather upsetting as it's €7,00 to go in with the Student Price. But don't you worry. I have a plan to rectify the situation.
I had an afternoon class, and then ran home to do homework like mad. That evening I went to Institut, understood most of the class, and ate some amazing tacos afterwards. I'm meeting a couple new people every time, but we're just not here enough for us to be friendly enough to hang out all of the time.
Thursday I had school until 2, and then I took off for cultural experiences. I went with a couple of friends to the Secession building in Vienna, where they have some modern art exhibits. Did we know that when we went? No, but we sure do now, after staring at posters of fungi, cars with their windshield wipers going for all of eternity, and tvs with strange repeating programs on them. Do I like modern art? Nay. I do not. Although, to give credit where it is due, the Gustav Klimt Beethoven Frieze isn't bad at all.
After the Secession we ran down the street to see the Wagner Apartments. They're just buildings decorated in a weird style that was looked down upon at that time period, but they are very pretty. Also on that street was Theater an der Wien, and I got to see the famous Papageno statue, as “Die Zauberflöte” is my favorite opera. After hanging out in the Naschmarkt, I tried to go to the Academy of Fine Arts. For some strange reason, the Academy is closed until December 15th for renovation. I fly home on the 16th. What a cruel, cruel world.
After several nights in a row of waking up fairly often, I'm exceedingly tired, but as I'm in Vienna, I'm pulling through still. I got up this morning to go meet some people to see the “Morning Exercises with Music” at the Spanish Riding School.
Horses are pretty, but I completely understand why we never had a pony growing up.
Directly afterwards we went and saw the Roman ruins they discovered in the middle of the city in the early 1990s, then to the famous Loos Haus, a few other things you've probably never heard of, before going to the State Apartments and Treasuries. A free museum for Austro-American Institut students, and it was amazing! I've seen enough jewels and golden robes to last a lifetime. They of course had loads of crowns, scepters, and the robes that Popes wear, coronation robes, etc. However, they can also boast having an 8 foot tall “Unicorn” horn (I'm not going to tell you what it really is, it would ruin the magic,) the biggest emerald in the world, and a baby bassinet made of 2,000 pounds of silver. I need to research the Habsburg who married Napoleon, I got to see their wedding present there....
After seeing all of the splendor I toned things down and went to the Kunsthistoriches Museum—or Art History Museum. I didn't even finish one wing. Thank goodness that place also free for me, because I think I'll have to make at least two more additional trips to finish it. Luckily, it's just down the street from me, so I am perfectly ok with this.
Now for the title...Yes, I am beloved. The maid who comes on Friday adores me, as she shows by making me late to everything on Fridays by telling me all about her grandchildren and life here. Eve also adores me. She invites me personally to come eat the left over food, and not my roommates. I kind of feel bad, but they're not willing to put in the time it takes to talk to her and make her love you, so I guess it all works out. Tonight she invited me to try her chocolate carrot cake. Very delicious, as usual. I guess she has to make food for parties for the next few days, so she's going to be busy, and I can only hope that there will be leftovers, as grandchildren are coming into town for these.
Still working hard at the homework, I've taken on extra homework (and quite a bit of it, to) so that I can catch up on grammar, so we'll see how soon I can be up to par. I wish everyone well,
Love,
Anna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)