Bonjour mes amis! Oui, je parle francais. Or.... I wish I could ;). But it's improving!
Anyway, it's been a while since I have posted. And with good reason - I have been doing NOTHING exciting since my last post! In Bad Aussee, I've still just been sitting around, and I was so bored, that I watched the MTV Video Music Awards. If you know me, I don't really do that. Soo... yeah. One day, though, my landlords invited me to the lake, Grundlsee, with them. It was a nice day, and we walked around the lake a little. But now, I'm in the middle of my trip around Germany/Switzerland/Austria, so I have some updates!
As reported, I was supposed to leave Friday to go to Bad Neustadt, but as it turned out, Kerstin's family couldn't accomodate me that weekend, so I had to change my travel plans a bit. But it ended up working out really well, because when I thought about it, I didn't want to take the train all the way up to Bad Neustadt. And! On Monday night, as I was walking in my door, there was a woman walking in in front of me and she goes, "Are you Alaina?" And I'm like "....yeah..." "Oh, I'm Eva Speilmann!" - she is my main English teacher at the school! She had to give an interview or something for the TV station based in my apartment building, and then she knocked on my door so we could get to know each other. She spoke English to me, which set my nerves a bit at ease. She is very nice and very excited/exciting, and reassured me that the students are really nice and I have nothing to worry about! It was fun to talk to her. Anyway...so, I left Tuesday for Innsbruck for 2 days, 2 nights.
Innsbruck is a very nice city, but actually not that big. There are Alps all around the city, which is probably the best part. I met a girl from Berlin, which was cool. We hung out the first night I was there and went to an Irish pub (always a good time!) and then hung out in the park a little the next day before she left. We exchanged numbers and emails and she invited me to Berlin, and I her to Bad Aussee. So, I guess she's my first, new, German friend haha. And probably sometime in November, I'll go to Berlin!
The day she left, Wednesday, I spent walking around the city. There is not too much to see in Innsbruck but the Altstadt is very pretty cobbled streets. I went into a pretty church and walked along the river. Then I bought dinner and read in the park. While I was buying a beer at the grocery store, a German asked me if there was any specialty beer from Innsbruck. Of course, I didn't know the answer. And it turns out this dude was staying in the same hostel as me...weird.
So, I went back to the hostel around 8 pm and was checking my email in the common room. All of a sudden, an old German guy starts talking to me. He's got a bunch of bags and a heavy accent and at first I'm just smiling and kind of laughing, not really talking to him since I was checking my email. He changed the channel on the TV to The Gladiator (in German) and then starts commenting on what happens in the film to me, which is something I find annoying. Then, he feels the need to start speaking with some Japanese people who don't understand German and hardly English. The old German guy opens his bags, and what is in there? But a bunch of seemingly worthless historical collectibles, such as newspaper cuttings, postcards, stamps, coins, pictures, etc. He starts trying to talk to the Japanese people about this and I, of course, become the translator. Meanwhile, The Gladiator is still on, I'm trying to watch, and he's still commenting on everything. Cool. Eventually, the Japanese people escape and I am left to watch the movie in peace. (The Gladiator is a very good, very sad movie - I cried!) Anyway, the old guy had fallen asleep, so I wake him up before I leave, and then he somehow gets me to sit and listen to him talk about his artifacts for a good hour. He actually gave me a few coins, which I thought was very nice and friendly of him, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with them. Then, he wanted to send me stuff about Bad Aussee, so I gave him my address and he gave me his and I'm supposed to send him a postcard. In the end, he was a very nice old man and I was happy I sat and talked to him but it was just a little tiring....
Anyway, the next day I woke early and made my way to the train station to go to Freiburg!!! The ticket ended up being cheaper than I thought it would be, which was a relief. I took the train to Munich and then I was supposed to take a train to Karlsruhe but the train to Munich was late, so I took a train to Mannheim, then to Freiburg. And I was on ICE trains the whole way, which was lovely! I got to Freiburg around 6 pm and tried calling Maude, but apparently she had given me her house phone number, so that didn't work too well haha. I decided, then, to just show up at the Guesthouse because I didn't have anyone else's number. As chance would have it, I ran into Mary Catherine (friend from high school and college, who is now at Goethe) on the way to the Guesthouse! She is now living in Sarah's old room, which is pretty funny. We went straight to Nassim's room and everyone was there, just like normal! I gave everyone a big hug, even Alex who I think actually hates me, and I was immediately poured a drink! Apparently, everyone had been partying all day, so I had to play catch-up. It was so nice to see everyone and hang out just like normal! :)
Eventually, Maude and Marilyne got there and we went to get some pizza. Then we all got ready to go out and Maude, Marilyne, Pac-Man and I went to Shooter's before Kagan (everyone else went straight to Kagan). We stayed until 3:30 am and then went back to Nassim's room...just like usual :). Maude, Marilyne, Ice, Nassim and I all slept in Nassim's room and it was hot and crowded, but fun. Ice said he had to take the train back to Heidelberg at 5 am, and it was 4:30 am when he said this, just as we were going to sleep. He said "oh shit!" and then decided to go to the train station right then. Instead, he decided to sleep for a half hour and when I woke up 3 hours later, he was still there haha.
Marilyne woke up and was feeling sick, so she went to sit on the balcony. Eventually, I went to join her because I just couldn't sleep anymore. When we try to communicate, it's really funny because she doesn't speak English and hardly German and I not-even-hardly speak French, so yeah. Then Mary Catherine got up and let me use her shower. Maude and I then decided to have Schnitzel for breakfast (!!!) at about noon. We went out and it was so awesome to be in Freiburg. Really, I love that city. I didn't realize how much until being away from it for a while. It felt so good to just walk around with Maude as we did all summer. Sooo nice!
Marilyne met up with us and we did a little shopping. We started to head back to the Guesthouse around 2:30 and luckily saw Nassim, Ice, Mary Catherine and some new girl Stephanie, who were all heading out to lunch. We said bye to them and all made promises to meet up in Vienna or Heidelberg or Freiburg and then we parted ways. Us girls packed up and then headed for Neuchatel and la "Fête des Vendanges" (after Alex tried to convince us to stay for the weekend haha). La Fête des Vendanges is the festival of the harvest and, apparently, the biggest/best party in Neuchatel!
The drive was easy/nice and it was fun to drive yet again in Europe. When we arrived, Maude's mother made some delicious spaghetti and we ate a lot before going out drinking. It was planned that I would sleep at Marilyne's apartment on her spare couch, so I brought a bag over there, after Maude and I bought some drinks at "la gare" (Hauptbonhof --> train station). The city was crazy alive because of the festival....music everywhere, people everywhere, people drinking everywhere...it was like a fantasy world. They have a lot of parades and people shoot confetti out of big air guns so the ground and the people were covered with paper. It was insane and was a really cool effect at night, it looked like snow on the ground. I got to see one of the parades and all of the marching bands were wearing crazy masks and I thought about what Ferden would have said if we wanted to wear masks while marching and I laughed. There were even families out, with little kids, and all the kids had bags of confetti and would throw handfuls at people walking by.
Maude and I sat by the lake for a little bit and watched drunk people then we headed to this one bar, Fun I think it was called, and we met up with all of her friends that I know. Maude's brother was really quite drunk and could barely stand, so it was kind of funny....but also annoying haha. He left at some point and then Maude decided it would be better for me to sleep at her house instead of Marilyne's so we went to Marilyne's to get my bag and then we left with the bus. Suddenly, Maude cried out "Shit!" and pushed the button to stop the bus as she explained that he brother was passed out on the sidewalk. So we get out, haul his ass up, and he runs away from us, up the hill, home to his house. We get home, change and pass out in Maude's teeny-tiny bed.
The next morning, we gave her brother a lot of shit but he laughed it off and said he didn't remember anything. His mom said, "So now you have a great impression of my son" but in French and Maude translated. There was another parade on Saturday, so Maude and I got ready to go. It was totally different during the day, with more families and little kids and less really drunk people. We saw the parade and I got to see Maude's old marching band, which her little brother is now in. So cool!! There was still confetti everywhere and the sun was shining! Maude and I met up with Marilyne and we got some food (I ate duck for the first time!) and some drinks and sat by the lake, which we could see now because it was daylight. It was a really nice day, and we went back to Maude's house so I could pack.
At 7, Maude and Felix drove me to the train station and I got some food for my 12 hour jounrey to Graz, Austria. I very nearly left my glasses at Maude's house, but her father drove them to the train station for me. I found my track, said my goodbyes and got on the train to Zuerich. It was a quick, stressfree ride. I ate my sandwich in the Zuerich train station (it was tuna and didn't want to eat it on the train near anyone because I'm nice) and then the train pulled up 20 minutes early and I got on and got settled. I shared a compartment with a Swiss-German grandmother and daughter and another man got on in a different city. I actually slept a little but sleeping on a train is really weird. The train switched travel directions a few times, so I was sometimes forced to roll into the wall. The pillow was really crappy, but I managed to get a couple of hours.
I arrived in Graz at 7:40 am and it was actually a pretty nice, crisp morning so I decided to walk to the hostel instead of wait for the bus. My original plan was to check-in and sleep for a couple of more hours, but I can't get my room until 2 pm, which was depressing. I decided to eat their breakfast, which was good, and thank God they have free-wireless internet, so that is how I'm spending some time right now.
So, I've arrived in Graz one day early for my orientation. There are three (I think) other people already here at the hostel, too, so I have to go into the city and buy some credits for my phone so that I can contact them. This hostel is actually really nice and one of the livliest I've ever stayed in - people are everywhere, which is a good feeling.
Anyway, in general, I'm really happy with my traveling. It felt so so so good to get back to Freiburg and see everyone. It was the same as it was all summer and it made me really happy. Everyone was happy to see everyone and we had a great time together. Plus, the city is just perfect - not too big, not too small, can walk everywhere, has everything you need, etc. It's like Ann Arbor, but German. So, a group of friends want to visit me in Austria, in Vienna, and that would be so fun! Ice, who is studying in Heidelberg, invited me (and everyone else) to go to Heidelberg, and I definitely will next time I'm in Germany (probably November). Then, I actually want to make it to Bad Neustadt, Freiburg, Heidelberg and Duesseldorf, because I now know someone there.
Neuchatel was so great, too! I had such a wonderful time at the festival. It was such a different experience than anything I've ever done in the US, and it's something that Maude has done every year since she was born! I wish I could have stayed for last night, too, but oh well!
So now I have today to explore Graz a little and then tomorrow begins my week-long orientation. I'm excited to meet the other people in my program and I know we'll have a fun week here in the 2nd biggest Austrian city :). Then early Friday, I go back to Bad Aussee to prepare for Monday, my first day!!!! I'm a little nervous, but it shouldn't be bad.
Anyway, not much else to say, except that I could really go for a nap........but time to explore a little, I guess. Hope all is well with everyone! Miss you all!!!
Love, Cheers,
Alaina
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
And you were the sunshine heading my frontline
Hello! How's it going? Here in Bad Aussee, it's just going. Lately, I have been doing absolutely nothing and while I had been looking forward to this downtime, it's starting to get really boring. I spend my days walking around the city (which isn't too big, so that doesn't last too long...), grocery shopping (when needed), watching a lot of really crappy American TV dubbed in German and reading. I have, however, started running again, which is really nice. I'm not pushing myself too much with it, since I haven't run in a very long time, but I'm trying to make a good, healthy habit :).
I also haven't been drinking much caffeine lately, so last week when I had a glass of Coke Light(Europe's Diet Coke) at 10 pm, I was up until almost 5 am, which was kind of funny.
Last Saturday (aka, yesterday), I had wanted to go to to Salzburg for the day. When I checked the train schedule Friday night, it wouldn't load, so to be safe, I set my alarm for 8 am to get up on time. However, my alarm didn't wake me up (I suspect it went off and I turned it off without waking up, because it was set) and I woke up at 9:30. I checked the train schedule and the next train was leaving at 10:17 am and I told myself I could make it. I got ready really fast, and as I was walking out the door, I checked my cell phone: 10:05 am. And I still had to go to the bank. I decided I couldn't make it in time and the next train wouldn't get me there until 3 pm, so I ditched that plan and went into the city.
Saturday morning is apparently a big shopping time for the locals, as everything was alive and crowded. I found an even better grocery store than before, and since I love grocery shopping, I enjoyed that :) haha.
But, tomorrow is Monday. Friday, I am leaving little Bad Aussee for a whirlwind traveling trip. I'll be first going to Munich, spending the day there, and perhaps doing a little shopping then off to Bad Neustadt for the weekend! I'll be there until about Monday afternoon, when I'm going to go somewhere? and spend Tuesday and Wednesday. Either late Wednesday night or early Thursday, I'll be going to Freiburg and spend the evening, probably at Kagan haha, and then Friday, I'm driving with Sarah and Maude to Neuchatel for this big wine festival! I'm pretty excited. From there, I'm going straight to Graz for my week-long orientation! After that, I have a weekend to re-cooperate and prepare for my first day- Monday, October 5th! I'm getting a little nervous so.... we'll see how it goes!
Anyway, I've been doing a little research into volunteering with the Red Cross while I'm here. I won't be starting that up until at least mid-October/early-November, just so that I can give myself some time to adjust to working and to get a little more comfortable with the language/dialect here.
Additionally, my sleeping pattern is getting really screwed up. I usually go to bed around 1/1:30 am and sleep until 11 am/12 pm. This is bad considering I will be working in a school very soon. While I don't know my schedule yet, I am sure I'll be starting around 8/9 am. I was thinking about waking up early everyday this week just to get used to it, but then I realized I had absolutely nothing to do and making the days longer would be somewhat painful. I guess I'll just have to jump right in when school starts...haha.
OK....well that's all from my little life. More than ever, I wish I was in Ann Arbor, especially after this weekend (go blue!!!!). I'm not homesick (you know, that horrible, horrible feeling in your stomach?) but I just wish I was in the States, at home or in Ann Arbor. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I'm coming home for Christmas and I'm getting really excited already. And, by the time I start school, it'll only be 3 months until I'm flying home! Which is a pretty exciting thought. I'm already making plans with friends! And the last two weeks before October will go fast, as I'll be traveling, meeting new people, and having fun.
But, hmm, that's all. Hope all is well with all of my lovely readers! Until next time...
Love,
Cheers,
Alaina
I also haven't been drinking much caffeine lately, so last week when I had a glass of Coke Light(Europe's Diet Coke) at 10 pm, I was up until almost 5 am, which was kind of funny.
Last Saturday (aka, yesterday), I had wanted to go to to Salzburg for the day. When I checked the train schedule Friday night, it wouldn't load, so to be safe, I set my alarm for 8 am to get up on time. However, my alarm didn't wake me up (I suspect it went off and I turned it off without waking up, because it was set) and I woke up at 9:30. I checked the train schedule and the next train was leaving at 10:17 am and I told myself I could make it. I got ready really fast, and as I was walking out the door, I checked my cell phone: 10:05 am. And I still had to go to the bank. I decided I couldn't make it in time and the next train wouldn't get me there until 3 pm, so I ditched that plan and went into the city.
Saturday morning is apparently a big shopping time for the locals, as everything was alive and crowded. I found an even better grocery store than before, and since I love grocery shopping, I enjoyed that :) haha.
But, tomorrow is Monday. Friday, I am leaving little Bad Aussee for a whirlwind traveling trip. I'll be first going to Munich, spending the day there, and perhaps doing a little shopping then off to Bad Neustadt for the weekend! I'll be there until about Monday afternoon, when I'm going to go somewhere? and spend Tuesday and Wednesday. Either late Wednesday night or early Thursday, I'll be going to Freiburg and spend the evening, probably at Kagan haha, and then Friday, I'm driving with Sarah and Maude to Neuchatel for this big wine festival! I'm pretty excited. From there, I'm going straight to Graz for my week-long orientation! After that, I have a weekend to re-cooperate and prepare for my first day- Monday, October 5th! I'm getting a little nervous so.... we'll see how it goes!
Anyway, I've been doing a little research into volunteering with the Red Cross while I'm here. I won't be starting that up until at least mid-October/early-November, just so that I can give myself some time to adjust to working and to get a little more comfortable with the language/dialect here.
Additionally, my sleeping pattern is getting really screwed up. I usually go to bed around 1/1:30 am and sleep until 11 am/12 pm. This is bad considering I will be working in a school very soon. While I don't know my schedule yet, I am sure I'll be starting around 8/9 am. I was thinking about waking up early everyday this week just to get used to it, but then I realized I had absolutely nothing to do and making the days longer would be somewhat painful. I guess I'll just have to jump right in when school starts...haha.
OK....well that's all from my little life. More than ever, I wish I was in Ann Arbor, especially after this weekend (go blue!!!!). I'm not homesick (you know, that horrible, horrible feeling in your stomach?) but I just wish I was in the States, at home or in Ann Arbor. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I'm coming home for Christmas and I'm getting really excited already. And, by the time I start school, it'll only be 3 months until I'm flying home! Which is a pretty exciting thought. I'm already making plans with friends! And the last two weeks before October will go fast, as I'll be traveling, meeting new people, and having fun.
But, hmm, that's all. Hope all is well with all of my lovely readers! Until next time...
Love,
Cheers,
Alaina
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
7/4 Shoreline
Yes, it's fall time. School started yesterday in Ann Arbor, and I'm feeling a little nostalgic...even though it's only been exactly 1 year since I was in the same position everyone else is in. It's kind of weird not being there when I know everyone else is there, but I am really glad that I'm not in class- couldn't handle any more of that.
Anyway, here are some things I miss:
Anyway, here are some things I miss:
- The time in between early Saturday football games and dinner time/going out again time. It was a good time to take a nap, borderline sober up or just keeping drinking right on through.
- I do miss that first day back to class feeling. You know what I'm talking about? The exictement, the prospect of learning something life changing, looking forward to boardening one's mind, hoping to change a little in the next semester...
- I miss brand new textbooks and how they smell. But I definitely don't miss buying them and therefore I am a couple dollas richer than those returning students.
- I miss the campus, and the leaves that will soon change and fall on the ground. I miss the smell of fall. Although I'm sure fall will be similar here, there is just something about Ann Arbor and the campus that makes it better.
- I miss the new fall shows that are starting on TV. And even though I don't watch much TV, I still miss that I could. I can't even watch the TV shows online in Europe! WTF! I have to download whatever from iTunes, which may get expensive and take a lot of time... grr.
- I miss all my friends and just sitting around bullshitting with some beers for hours. Most likely in 1225.
- I miss my old apartment and my cool bed on the floor.
- I really miss my pillows. My pillows here are subpar.
- I have always missed Mexican food but it's just getting worse as time goes on. I just want a damn Big Ten Burrito burrito or nachoes! OMG! Is that too much to ask?!
- I miss Charley's Fishbowls- Purple Rain specifically. mmm
- I miss Dance Marathon! Another year with those people would have been great...
- And I miss Hilary and Emily and Amy so so so much!
So that's that.
Around here, I really haven't done much for the past couple of days. I got internet (I posted some pictures!) and have just been keep a low-profile. I walked around the city a little bit and I have some errands to run (sending those DAMN postcards...) but mostly I've just been resting and sitting around my apartment trying to catch a good dubbed American TV show or movie on the Austrian channels. So far, along the lines of "good" I have seen: Bring it On (haha!), The Professional, Crash, random episodes of House and Law and Order: CI, Catch and Release...blah blah blah. It's helping my German understanding :). I finished my book, Wicked, which, by the end, I didn't like much anymore. The beginning was really good, but once I hit the halfway point it really dragged on and I didn't like it. But I finished it.
I started listening to music again. I didn't realize until my mom mentioned it that I didn't listen to music anymore. I guess I just kind of stopped for the last few months and didn't get back into it, which it is a little weird to think I just stopped listening to music. Like, it's not something you really need to DO.... Hmm. But I put on Broken Social Scene this morning and from just the opening two seconds of their self titled album, instantly I fell in love all over again. I literally stopped what I was doing, listened intently and swooned. So that was good.
So yeah. Today I'm going to try and figure out if there is a gym in the area (I want a treadmill!) and how to get to the nearby Grundlsee via bus. It's been quite sunny and hot around here, so I'd like to go swimming again sometime soon. I'm going to Bad Neustadt sometime coming up, but I'm not sure when because I want to be able to just leave, go to NES, Freiburg and Oktoberfest then straight to Graz for my orientation. So it'll take some good planning haha.
Anyway, that's all for now! Until next time...
Love,
Cheers,
Alaina
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Welcome to the Good Life
Grüß Gott!(<-- how they greet in Austria.) Sorry it's been forever and a half since I've written... things have been a little crazy since my last post, and I'll try and recount it all.... *WARNING: this post is very long!!!*
The last week before my mom came to Germany was pretty uneventful. I don't remember anything specific that I did, but I know I went to class everday expect for Friday (when my mom came!) and probably went out a few times. I also went early to the Mediothek quite a bit to study some German and Maude said that I spoke only German all week, which is kind of funny. It was getting really close to the end, so we were all hanging out a bit and just enjoying each other.
So... my mom came on Friday the 21st! I met her at the train station around 1 and definitely skipped class. I brought her to my room, we drank a beer, then we went around the city. Of course, the first day, we had Schnitzel! Mmmmm, so good! The next day, Saturday, we took the train to Basel and went to the Van Gogh exhibit at the Kunst Museum Basel, and it was really, really nice. We walked around the city a little bit, got some food and then headed back to Freiburg. That night, we went out to Thai food (delicious!) and had a nice evening. I left her at the dorm for the night and went out with a group of people...probably to Agar, but I can't remember... Sunday, we were going to go to Baden-Baden but decided against it and went out to breakfast at Uni Cafe. Then, we made our way to the Seepark! So nice, as always! My mom loved it, I didn't get burned and there were not too many naked people- perfect day! We ended the day with half-a-chicken and it was a perfect Sunday.
The last week in Freiburg was nice. I spent about half the time with my mom and half the time we friends. Monday night, I think it was, Sarah, Maude, Pac-man and I went FINALLY to Augustinerplatz to sit and drink a beer. It was a really chill time and I'm glad that I did it before leaving Freiburg! Tuesday night Maude and I went to Stammtisch, only to immediately turn around and leave because it was so packed and hot. We went to Cafe Brazil and had a drink and just chatted and then called it an early night. My mom and I made breakfast everyday but Wednesday, we met Maude in the city for breakfast at Aspekt. Oh my gosh- so delicious! It was the biggest breakfast I had ever seen and so yummy haha. Then, we went into the city to purchase me some new shoes, because my Converses are pretty dead. I got some nice Pumas, but ended up getting them too small, so I had to exchange them the next day (I LOVE THEM!!). Anyway, Wednesday night, Maude, Pac-man and I went to Shooters and had a few drinks and chilled. Some German dudes sat by us and chatted Maude and I up, and we made them guess where I am from. For some reason, they first guessed Luxembourg because of my accent haha. Then, they decided Russia, or some Eastern European country. The US was the last possible country they could guess, and finally they did haha. Sometime during this week, I Skyped with Hilary and Amy it was a lot of fun!!! I miss you ladies so much and hope you're having a good welcome week!! xoxo
Thursday was the last day of class. We watched a movie, "M", which was boring but then my class went to a cafe together for cake and coffee, and it was really nice. Thursday night was a really good night. Fernando, Sabri, Nassim, Aturo, Sarah, Maude, Francesca, Pac-man and I all went out to eat at Karma (which was not that good...) and then Fernando, Pac, Aturo, Maude, Sarah and I went to Shooters and had about 4 Schüttler shots each haha. The "Schüttler" is when you have lemon juice and blue curacao (I think) in two different shot glasses, take them together, and swish them around in your mouth (German verb for this is "schütteln", hence the name) and then swallow. So fun!! After that, we all tried to get into Kagan, but since only the girls were on the guest list (thanks to Sarah!), the dudes couldn't get in and they went home. It was some kind of special night at Kagan, with a singer, so it was super packed! But it was a really fun night- I enjoyed dancing with my girls :) and some dude took pictures of us and they are on some party website now- funny!!
The next day, I had to pack up all the remaining stuff and head out nice and early..... My mom and I were in a mad rush all morning packing, checking out and trying to figure out how to pick up our rental car. Somehow, we managed it all and I even sent my transcripts from Goethe. Finally, by about 12 noon, we were on our way to Bad Aussee! I navaigated us all the way, and my mom drove superbly. The landscape was so cool, especially when we got into Austria (ALPS!!) and it was a really nice and easy ride. ...Except that it was 8 hours long haha. We ended up about 1.5 hours late to meet my landlord, but that's alright since she was still waiting for us.
And- wow- let me tell you: my city is gorgeous! There are the "lower" Alps all around the city and trees and low hanging clouds and lakes and everything is amazing. The town is quiant, but not too small, and I think I will really enjoy it. Also, my apartment couldn't be more perfect! I had a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom- all separate. The bedroom is small, but it has a big bed and a window facing on the most crowded street in BA haha. But it's OK. There is a dishwasher in the kitchen and a clothes washer RIGHT in the bathroom so it's pretty neat. And- the very best part- is that I have a balcony!!!!!!! It's actually like a little deck built on the roof of my landlord's place, but it's outside, has a view and a chair and I couldn't ask for more! My mom helped clean and unpack and decorate a bit so now it actually feels like home!
Anyway, so we stayed in BA (that's what all the license plates say- BA! haha) for approximately 12 hours and then made our way to Vienna on Saturday morning. We didn't have any directions, just an atlas and a small city map in a guidebook, but we found our way all the way to the hotel...somehow...without getting lost! Vienna was a great city. We walked around, met mom's friend Sarah, who married an Austrian and was visiting in-laws at the time, and had a pretty chill time. We went to the big castle, Schönnbrunn, and did a neat little tour! Let me tell you, the Hapsburgs were badasses and liked to show it. I also happened to buy this really cheesy, kitschy display plate with Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi on it hahah- very funny actually. We went up to the hunting lodge and had a beer and then walked back down again, very enjoyable! On Sunday night, we went to a concert of Strauss and Mozart's music and it was so much fun! I didn't think it would be, but I really liked it. The only problem was, we couldn't find the stupid place at first and we were running around the city like idiots, but we finally found it haha. In Vienna, we ate Wiener Schnitzel twice, and it was good. We also somehow managed to get free breakfast both days, even though it should have been €60 all-together haha... ask my mother for the details.
Anyway, on Monday morning, we made our way back to Salzburg. We only stayed there for about 18 hours, but it was well worth it. We went to "Die Weisse" restaurant and got Hungarian goulash, which is somehow actually an Austrian dish and it was very good. Then we crossed the river into the downtown area and just explored, which was very nice! We went back to the hotel and I watched 10 Things I Hate About You in German and it was funny.
We left early-ish on Tuesday and took our time exploring on the drive back to Bad Aussee. We stopped at Dachstein (a mountain peak) and took a cable car up and got some good pictures, then we drove through Halstatt and admired the lake. We got back to BA a little early, which was good. We went grocery shopping and tried to find internet (which doesn't exist in BA, apparently) and then worked on setting up my apartment. We watched House in German, an episode which my mom had previously seen, so she knew what was going on. Wednesday, we wanted to explore the area a little more, so we drove around and went to Altaussee, which is a pretty nice lake, but my mom wasn't too impressed. Then, we went back to BA, tried again to find internet, but instead found the Kurpark and the Mercedes Benz bridge! This park is so beautiful and the bridge is neat! It symbolizes the geographic middle point of Austria and of Europe, but it's kind of strange to have a Mercedes Benz symbol shaped bridge in the middle of such a tiny town haha. Anyway, then we went back to my apartment and watched the Grey's Anatomy season finale in German and even though I didn't understand half of it I still cried and my mom thought it was great even though she understood nothing haha.
Thursday was a really nice day, as we actually made it to a nice lake- Grundlsee. According to my mom, not a prettier lake exists in the world (but I'm not sure, the jury is still out on that one haha). It was really nice, though, and not crowded at all! The water was freezing, but we still swam a little, and it was really clear. The weather was perfect! Then, we went back to my place, had dinner and packed up for Munich the next day!
Friday morning, we drove to Munich! I love this city. We had a difficult time finding the hotel and the car return place, but we ending up with no problems- somehow! Then, the first tourist-y thing we did, of course, was go to the Hofbräuhaus. Yum! I finally saw the sign: "Durst ist schlimmer als Heimweh" (thurst is worse than homesickness) and I think I am going to adopt it as my motto, since I'm already a little homesick and apprehensive for this year. Anyway, we explored the city a little, traveled around via the U-Bahn and had a nice time. We got some really delicious mussels, which made my mom really happy.
We had to wake up at 3:15 am because my mom left the hotel at 4 am. I was very sad. I slept for another couple of hours and it was weird being in the hotel alone! But I woke up and had a really nice breakfast and then made my way back to the internet cafe and I'm about to get ready to go back to Bad Aussee via train.
Phew. So that has been the last three weeks. It was weird leaving Freiburg. I thought I would feel more sad or something, but really it was just like anything else. My two best friends from the place, Maude and Sarah, both live in Switzerland and already are planning to come visit, so that's not too bad. I also already have plans to go back to Freiburg at the end of September, so I won't miss the city too much. I guess it's just another chapter in my life- I took a lot of pictures, have a lot of memories, learned a lot, met a lot of people- but it had to end. Some people I'll stay friends with, some I won't. That's just how it goes. I just can't believe how fast the 3 months went by! I think my German improved a little bit, but not a whole lot. However, I did pass C1 (the highest level) with a "Sehr Gut" (very good) so I should be proud. I know I'll look back on this summer with really fond memories, so I'm glad it happened and I wouldn't change anything.
Being in Austria is weird. I have only been in the country for a week all-together, but when I came to Munich for the last 24 hours, it was obvious how much I missed Germany and how different the two countries actually are. Mostly, I'm referring to language. When Austrians speak, their dialect is so strong, I can barely understand anything. I heard a bunch of young kids speaking, and I was shocked. For example, if they want to say "What is that?" --> German: "Was ist das?" --> Austrian dialect: "Wos ist dos?" Omg! So their vowels sound funny and it'll take a little getting used to, but it'll be hilarious to "impress" my other German-speaking friends with my Austrian dialect afterwards haha. The small town is a little shocking. For one thing, I don't have internet in yet in my apartment. This would be OK in any other city, as bigger cities have internet cafes or T-Mobile hot spots, but Bad Aussee doesn't. So, I have to go about getting internet installed in my apartment...so that should be fun. Oooh, but I do have a cell phone... ask my mom or dad for the number, because I forget it right now.... And, in my city, every other store is a traditional German clothing store- i.e. Lederhosen and Dirndls (I think I spelled that wrong). Plus, I've actually seen people around town dressed in such clothes! Hilarious, precious, and a little weird, too.
I'm also a little apprehensive about living totally alone. Once I get in the groove of things and learn how things go in the city it shouldn't be too bad. The whole thing will take some getting used to, but I'm up for the challenge. :)
Anyway, like I said, I'm going to Freiburg at the end of September and hopefully I'll be going to Bad Neustadt or Würzburg to visit Kerstin. I also really want to go to Oktoberfest, but I have no plans yet...so we'll see.
Blah, OK, this post is long enough. Congrats to anyone who read it all the way through! Hopefully it won't be too long until I post again (meaning, too long until I get internet in my apartment).
Until next time! Love! Cheers!
Grüzi,
Alaina
The last week before my mom came to Germany was pretty uneventful. I don't remember anything specific that I did, but I know I went to class everday expect for Friday (when my mom came!) and probably went out a few times. I also went early to the Mediothek quite a bit to study some German and Maude said that I spoke only German all week, which is kind of funny. It was getting really close to the end, so we were all hanging out a bit and just enjoying each other.
So... my mom came on Friday the 21st! I met her at the train station around 1 and definitely skipped class. I brought her to my room, we drank a beer, then we went around the city. Of course, the first day, we had Schnitzel! Mmmmm, so good! The next day, Saturday, we took the train to Basel and went to the Van Gogh exhibit at the Kunst Museum Basel, and it was really, really nice. We walked around the city a little bit, got some food and then headed back to Freiburg. That night, we went out to Thai food (delicious!) and had a nice evening. I left her at the dorm for the night and went out with a group of people...probably to Agar, but I can't remember... Sunday, we were going to go to Baden-Baden but decided against it and went out to breakfast at Uni Cafe. Then, we made our way to the Seepark! So nice, as always! My mom loved it, I didn't get burned and there were not too many naked people- perfect day! We ended the day with half-a-chicken and it was a perfect Sunday.
The last week in Freiburg was nice. I spent about half the time with my mom and half the time we friends. Monday night, I think it was, Sarah, Maude, Pac-man and I went FINALLY to Augustinerplatz to sit and drink a beer. It was a really chill time and I'm glad that I did it before leaving Freiburg! Tuesday night Maude and I went to Stammtisch, only to immediately turn around and leave because it was so packed and hot. We went to Cafe Brazil and had a drink and just chatted and then called it an early night. My mom and I made breakfast everyday but Wednesday, we met Maude in the city for breakfast at Aspekt. Oh my gosh- so delicious! It was the biggest breakfast I had ever seen and so yummy haha. Then, we went into the city to purchase me some new shoes, because my Converses are pretty dead. I got some nice Pumas, but ended up getting them too small, so I had to exchange them the next day (I LOVE THEM!!). Anyway, Wednesday night, Maude, Pac-man and I went to Shooters and had a few drinks and chilled. Some German dudes sat by us and chatted Maude and I up, and we made them guess where I am from. For some reason, they first guessed Luxembourg because of my accent haha. Then, they decided Russia, or some Eastern European country. The US was the last possible country they could guess, and finally they did haha. Sometime during this week, I Skyped with Hilary and Amy it was a lot of fun!!! I miss you ladies so much and hope you're having a good welcome week!! xoxo
Thursday was the last day of class. We watched a movie, "M", which was boring but then my class went to a cafe together for cake and coffee, and it was really nice. Thursday night was a really good night. Fernando, Sabri, Nassim, Aturo, Sarah, Maude, Francesca, Pac-man and I all went out to eat at Karma (which was not that good...) and then Fernando, Pac, Aturo, Maude, Sarah and I went to Shooters and had about 4 Schüttler shots each haha. The "Schüttler" is when you have lemon juice and blue curacao (I think) in two different shot glasses, take them together, and swish them around in your mouth (German verb for this is "schütteln", hence the name) and then swallow. So fun!! After that, we all tried to get into Kagan, but since only the girls were on the guest list (thanks to Sarah!), the dudes couldn't get in and they went home. It was some kind of special night at Kagan, with a singer, so it was super packed! But it was a really fun night- I enjoyed dancing with my girls :) and some dude took pictures of us and they are on some party website now- funny!!
The next day, I had to pack up all the remaining stuff and head out nice and early..... My mom and I were in a mad rush all morning packing, checking out and trying to figure out how to pick up our rental car. Somehow, we managed it all and I even sent my transcripts from Goethe. Finally, by about 12 noon, we were on our way to Bad Aussee! I navaigated us all the way, and my mom drove superbly. The landscape was so cool, especially when we got into Austria (ALPS!!) and it was a really nice and easy ride. ...Except that it was 8 hours long haha. We ended up about 1.5 hours late to meet my landlord, but that's alright since she was still waiting for us.
And- wow- let me tell you: my city is gorgeous! There are the "lower" Alps all around the city and trees and low hanging clouds and lakes and everything is amazing. The town is quiant, but not too small, and I think I will really enjoy it. Also, my apartment couldn't be more perfect! I had a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom- all separate. The bedroom is small, but it has a big bed and a window facing on the most crowded street in BA haha. But it's OK. There is a dishwasher in the kitchen and a clothes washer RIGHT in the bathroom so it's pretty neat. And- the very best part- is that I have a balcony!!!!!!! It's actually like a little deck built on the roof of my landlord's place, but it's outside, has a view and a chair and I couldn't ask for more! My mom helped clean and unpack and decorate a bit so now it actually feels like home!
Anyway, so we stayed in BA (that's what all the license plates say- BA! haha) for approximately 12 hours and then made our way to Vienna on Saturday morning. We didn't have any directions, just an atlas and a small city map in a guidebook, but we found our way all the way to the hotel...somehow...without getting lost! Vienna was a great city. We walked around, met mom's friend Sarah, who married an Austrian and was visiting in-laws at the time, and had a pretty chill time. We went to the big castle, Schönnbrunn, and did a neat little tour! Let me tell you, the Hapsburgs were badasses and liked to show it. I also happened to buy this really cheesy, kitschy display plate with Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi on it hahah- very funny actually. We went up to the hunting lodge and had a beer and then walked back down again, very enjoyable! On Sunday night, we went to a concert of Strauss and Mozart's music and it was so much fun! I didn't think it would be, but I really liked it. The only problem was, we couldn't find the stupid place at first and we were running around the city like idiots, but we finally found it haha. In Vienna, we ate Wiener Schnitzel twice, and it was good. We also somehow managed to get free breakfast both days, even though it should have been €60 all-together haha... ask my mother for the details.
Anyway, on Monday morning, we made our way back to Salzburg. We only stayed there for about 18 hours, but it was well worth it. We went to "Die Weisse" restaurant and got Hungarian goulash, which is somehow actually an Austrian dish and it was very good. Then we crossed the river into the downtown area and just explored, which was very nice! We went back to the hotel and I watched 10 Things I Hate About You in German and it was funny.
We left early-ish on Tuesday and took our time exploring on the drive back to Bad Aussee. We stopped at Dachstein (a mountain peak) and took a cable car up and got some good pictures, then we drove through Halstatt and admired the lake. We got back to BA a little early, which was good. We went grocery shopping and tried to find internet (which doesn't exist in BA, apparently) and then worked on setting up my apartment. We watched House in German, an episode which my mom had previously seen, so she knew what was going on. Wednesday, we wanted to explore the area a little more, so we drove around and went to Altaussee, which is a pretty nice lake, but my mom wasn't too impressed. Then, we went back to BA, tried again to find internet, but instead found the Kurpark and the Mercedes Benz bridge! This park is so beautiful and the bridge is neat! It symbolizes the geographic middle point of Austria and of Europe, but it's kind of strange to have a Mercedes Benz symbol shaped bridge in the middle of such a tiny town haha. Anyway, then we went back to my apartment and watched the Grey's Anatomy season finale in German and even though I didn't understand half of it I still cried and my mom thought it was great even though she understood nothing haha.
Thursday was a really nice day, as we actually made it to a nice lake- Grundlsee. According to my mom, not a prettier lake exists in the world (but I'm not sure, the jury is still out on that one haha). It was really nice, though, and not crowded at all! The water was freezing, but we still swam a little, and it was really clear. The weather was perfect! Then, we went back to my place, had dinner and packed up for Munich the next day!
Friday morning, we drove to Munich! I love this city. We had a difficult time finding the hotel and the car return place, but we ending up with no problems- somehow! Then, the first tourist-y thing we did, of course, was go to the Hofbräuhaus. Yum! I finally saw the sign: "Durst ist schlimmer als Heimweh" (thurst is worse than homesickness) and I think I am going to adopt it as my motto, since I'm already a little homesick and apprehensive for this year. Anyway, we explored the city a little, traveled around via the U-Bahn and had a nice time. We got some really delicious mussels, which made my mom really happy.
We had to wake up at 3:15 am because my mom left the hotel at 4 am. I was very sad. I slept for another couple of hours and it was weird being in the hotel alone! But I woke up and had a really nice breakfast and then made my way back to the internet cafe and I'm about to get ready to go back to Bad Aussee via train.
Phew. So that has been the last three weeks. It was weird leaving Freiburg. I thought I would feel more sad or something, but really it was just like anything else. My two best friends from the place, Maude and Sarah, both live in Switzerland and already are planning to come visit, so that's not too bad. I also already have plans to go back to Freiburg at the end of September, so I won't miss the city too much. I guess it's just another chapter in my life- I took a lot of pictures, have a lot of memories, learned a lot, met a lot of people- but it had to end. Some people I'll stay friends with, some I won't. That's just how it goes. I just can't believe how fast the 3 months went by! I think my German improved a little bit, but not a whole lot. However, I did pass C1 (the highest level) with a "Sehr Gut" (very good) so I should be proud. I know I'll look back on this summer with really fond memories, so I'm glad it happened and I wouldn't change anything.
Being in Austria is weird. I have only been in the country for a week all-together, but when I came to Munich for the last 24 hours, it was obvious how much I missed Germany and how different the two countries actually are. Mostly, I'm referring to language. When Austrians speak, their dialect is so strong, I can barely understand anything. I heard a bunch of young kids speaking, and I was shocked. For example, if they want to say "What is that?" --> German: "Was ist das?" --> Austrian dialect: "Wos ist dos?" Omg! So their vowels sound funny and it'll take a little getting used to, but it'll be hilarious to "impress" my other German-speaking friends with my Austrian dialect afterwards haha. The small town is a little shocking. For one thing, I don't have internet in yet in my apartment. This would be OK in any other city, as bigger cities have internet cafes or T-Mobile hot spots, but Bad Aussee doesn't. So, I have to go about getting internet installed in my apartment...so that should be fun. Oooh, but I do have a cell phone... ask my mom or dad for the number, because I forget it right now.... And, in my city, every other store is a traditional German clothing store- i.e. Lederhosen and Dirndls (I think I spelled that wrong). Plus, I've actually seen people around town dressed in such clothes! Hilarious, precious, and a little weird, too.
I'm also a little apprehensive about living totally alone. Once I get in the groove of things and learn how things go in the city it shouldn't be too bad. The whole thing will take some getting used to, but I'm up for the challenge. :)
Anyway, like I said, I'm going to Freiburg at the end of September and hopefully I'll be going to Bad Neustadt or Würzburg to visit Kerstin. I also really want to go to Oktoberfest, but I have no plans yet...so we'll see.
Blah, OK, this post is long enough. Congrats to anyone who read it all the way through! Hopefully it won't be too long until I post again (meaning, too long until I get internet in my apartment).
Until next time! Love! Cheers!
Grüzi,
Alaina
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Head underwater, now I can't breathe
Hey all! This week has been just as quiet as last week, but still quite enjoyable. Tuesday, I woke up early, made breakfast, and did some laundry. This was quite a fiasco because there are more washers than dryers and everyone decided to do laundry this day. First, I ran out of money for laundry. Then, my clothes finished washing, but the dryers were full. So I ended up borrowing a drying rack and using that and the one I have, I layed out all of my clothes- each individual sock and underwear included. After this entire situation, I was quite tired and upset, so I skipped class. :) I used the day to write some postcards and just relax. A friend from my last class (who is from Syria) invited me to have tea, so I drank a glass with him and a girl from Egypt, which was nice. Later that night, Merrill and I got some wine and we drank before we went out to Stammtisch. A big group of us went to the bar, and then left for Agar. We danced all night and had a good time.
Wednesday was a good day. I slept in a little bit on Wednesday, made breakfast and then went to class, like a good student. It was long and boring and really hot. Afterwards, I met Andrew for pizza on the Dreisam, and it was really nice. Also this evening was my school's Sommerfest party, so I showed up and everyone was there. We hung around eating and drinking for a while then made our way back to the Guesthouse. Sarah and I kept our eyes out for shooting stars, as this was the night of the metoer shower and we actually saw one! I made a wish of course :). We hung out in Nassim's room for a bit and then I went to bed because I was quite tired.
Thursday was another hot, hot day in school. Luckily, though, I've learned that the seat next to the window is much better than the seat near the door, so things have gotten better haha. And I think actually that the higher ability of German of my peers is helping me, so that's good. After class, we hung around a bit and then decided to go to Kagan. I hadn't been there in a while, so it was nice. Sabri ended up spending 250 Euro on two bottles of vodka and a bottle of champagne hahaha. He spent so much money, that the bartender brought us all free shots haha. It was pretty nice. I left alone, and ended up meeting Pac and Sarah on the street. We were all hungry, so we ended up cooking at 2:30 am! It was pretty nice and definitely the most delicious rice and butter that I had ever made hahaha. I went back to my room and put on Harry Potter 1 but fell alseep before the opening was over hah.
Friday was another long day in school, but I left class early because Alberto was coming! I cleaned my room a bit and kept watch out of my window for him. I almost didn't see him because of the trees in the way, but I did see him! I brought him around the city and showed him the sights. We ended up going out for Schnitzel, which was really good, as usual. Then we of course got ice cream...mmm. We went back to the Guesthouse, and chilled for a bit until we got Fernando and Pac and went out to Schlappen. It was a pretty good/chill night and we tried to watch a movie after the bar, but I fell asleep, as usual. The next day, we woke up earlyish and I went to go buy some breakfast stuff. I made breakfast and we made our way to the Seepark. The day was absolutely perfect for the Seepark! We got there by noon, there was not a cloud in the sky alllll day and there were a TON of naked people around- we were surrounded by naked people! So funny. We both got quite sunburned, and it was quite funny. Andrew came by with his former roommate and we chatted for a bit.
We left at 5, and I made some dinner then we got ready to go out. I actually couldn't believe that I went out because I looked so funny haha... Anyway, I brought him to the Scholossberg Biergarten and the Feierling Biergarten and, being a true Bavarian, he found the beer not quite up to his standards haha. We returned to the Guesthouse with hopes of drinking Sekt and doing my German homework while drunk, but Alberto passed out haha. I made some food, talked a little with Fernando and then went to sleep.
This morning, we woke late and I made some breakfast. Andrew came by to say goodbye and I made him some breakfast too. Francesca came out on the balcony and Alberto got to practice his Italian. Afterward, we went into the city because Alberto wanted to see the Muenster and my school. I got ice cream, because it was so hot, and Alberto got a Burger King burger haha. We went up the Muenster and Alberto was really scared, but he made it all the way! The view was, as usual, lovely. We came back to the Guesthouse, he packed up and then left- quite sad. Afterward I watched HP 1, as I fell asleep last time, and surprise! I fell asleep again. So I pretty much did nothing all day, but it was nice.
It was a very good weekend, though, and really nice to speak German the whole time. Alberto said that my German has improved since I last saw him (1.5 months ago) but that my accent is still quite American and funny. He liked Freiburg a lot (he had never been here) and said that it's the best German city he's been to (I have to agree). He also really liked that the Guesthouse was so international, and I have to agree that this is my favorite part of being here, too. I'm sad, though, that he didn't get to meet Maude, Sarah, Nassim and Sabri because they were all out of town, but it was a really good weekend anyway. :)
And my mom comes on Friday! Yayyy!!! I'm so excited that she is coming! I can't wait to see her and show her my city! :) Should be a pretty nice time :)
Other than that, not much is going on. Life is life and I'm getting ready to move on, because I know the end is so close. I'm really looking forward to Austria and September in general. An old friend from high school, Chris Blair, is going to be studying abroad in Dresden starting tomorrow, so I'm going to visit him in September- and I'll get to experience Dresden with a friend, like I said I wanted to!- and then we're going to go to Oktoberfest together! I'm so excited that I finally get to experience an Oktoberfest! :) My mom, sadly, will miss it by a week!
Well, let's all for now. I'm going to cook some food and go to bed!
Miss you all! Lovesss
Until next time...
L'chayim,
Alaina
Wednesday was a good day. I slept in a little bit on Wednesday, made breakfast and then went to class, like a good student. It was long and boring and really hot. Afterwards, I met Andrew for pizza on the Dreisam, and it was really nice. Also this evening was my school's Sommerfest party, so I showed up and everyone was there. We hung around eating and drinking for a while then made our way back to the Guesthouse. Sarah and I kept our eyes out for shooting stars, as this was the night of the metoer shower and we actually saw one! I made a wish of course :). We hung out in Nassim's room for a bit and then I went to bed because I was quite tired.
Thursday was another hot, hot day in school. Luckily, though, I've learned that the seat next to the window is much better than the seat near the door, so things have gotten better haha. And I think actually that the higher ability of German of my peers is helping me, so that's good. After class, we hung around a bit and then decided to go to Kagan. I hadn't been there in a while, so it was nice. Sabri ended up spending 250 Euro on two bottles of vodka and a bottle of champagne hahaha. He spent so much money, that the bartender brought us all free shots haha. It was pretty nice. I left alone, and ended up meeting Pac and Sarah on the street. We were all hungry, so we ended up cooking at 2:30 am! It was pretty nice and definitely the most delicious rice and butter that I had ever made hahaha. I went back to my room and put on Harry Potter 1 but fell alseep before the opening was over hah.
Friday was another long day in school, but I left class early because Alberto was coming! I cleaned my room a bit and kept watch out of my window for him. I almost didn't see him because of the trees in the way, but I did see him! I brought him around the city and showed him the sights. We ended up going out for Schnitzel, which was really good, as usual. Then we of course got ice cream...mmm. We went back to the Guesthouse, and chilled for a bit until we got Fernando and Pac and went out to Schlappen. It was a pretty good/chill night and we tried to watch a movie after the bar, but I fell asleep, as usual. The next day, we woke up earlyish and I went to go buy some breakfast stuff. I made breakfast and we made our way to the Seepark. The day was absolutely perfect for the Seepark! We got there by noon, there was not a cloud in the sky alllll day and there were a TON of naked people around- we were surrounded by naked people! So funny. We both got quite sunburned, and it was quite funny. Andrew came by with his former roommate and we chatted for a bit.
We left at 5, and I made some dinner then we got ready to go out. I actually couldn't believe that I went out because I looked so funny haha... Anyway, I brought him to the Scholossberg Biergarten and the Feierling Biergarten and, being a true Bavarian, he found the beer not quite up to his standards haha. We returned to the Guesthouse with hopes of drinking Sekt and doing my German homework while drunk, but Alberto passed out haha. I made some food, talked a little with Fernando and then went to sleep.
This morning, we woke late and I made some breakfast. Andrew came by to say goodbye and I made him some breakfast too. Francesca came out on the balcony and Alberto got to practice his Italian. Afterward, we went into the city because Alberto wanted to see the Muenster and my school. I got ice cream, because it was so hot, and Alberto got a Burger King burger haha. We went up the Muenster and Alberto was really scared, but he made it all the way! The view was, as usual, lovely. We came back to the Guesthouse, he packed up and then left- quite sad. Afterward I watched HP 1, as I fell asleep last time, and surprise! I fell asleep again. So I pretty much did nothing all day, but it was nice.
It was a very good weekend, though, and really nice to speak German the whole time. Alberto said that my German has improved since I last saw him (1.5 months ago) but that my accent is still quite American and funny. He liked Freiburg a lot (he had never been here) and said that it's the best German city he's been to (I have to agree). He also really liked that the Guesthouse was so international, and I have to agree that this is my favorite part of being here, too. I'm sad, though, that he didn't get to meet Maude, Sarah, Nassim and Sabri because they were all out of town, but it was a really good weekend anyway. :)
And my mom comes on Friday! Yayyy!!! I'm so excited that she is coming! I can't wait to see her and show her my city! :) Should be a pretty nice time :)
Other than that, not much is going on. Life is life and I'm getting ready to move on, because I know the end is so close. I'm really looking forward to Austria and September in general. An old friend from high school, Chris Blair, is going to be studying abroad in Dresden starting tomorrow, so I'm going to visit him in September- and I'll get to experience Dresden with a friend, like I said I wanted to!- and then we're going to go to Oktoberfest together! I'm so excited that I finally get to experience an Oktoberfest! :) My mom, sadly, will miss it by a week!
Well, let's all for now. I'm going to cook some food and go to bed!
Miss you all! Lovesss
Until next time...
L'chayim,
Alaina
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Let's paint the town, we'll shut it down
Hey, Leute! This past week has been somewhat quiet. As previously explained numerous times, all of my American guy friends have left me here, so I've been hanging out a lot with Maude, Sarah and Francesca. Also, I've become friends with Fernando, who was here in June, went home for a while, came back and didn't know my name. Nice. But he's actually really cool. We eat breakfast together haha. And of course there is Nassim, Sabri, Craig, Star, etc... I think I've realized the thing that I don't like the most about my American friends being gone is that almost none of my friends left are native English speakers (only Craig, but we don't converse too much). It's hard getting close to people who do not speak your native language, but it's possible... It's happening slowly for me, but sometimes I just have nothing to say. Most of them speak in French 75% of the time and the Spanish and Italian's understand half of the French and vice versa, so the lone American girl is left alone haha.
Anyway, let's see... Monday, we didn't have class. Maude wasn't back yet, so I helped Sarah move all of her shit out of my room and we hung out all day. We were both quite tired, so when we planned to go get a coffee, we didn't actually do it haha. We hung out on the terrace for a little bit while Fernando played his guitar and I went to bed quite early (I think I watched Keinohrhasen again haha).
On Tuesday, we also did not have class, but it was the testing day for all the new people, so people were moving in all day. Weird. Maude came back and then her, Sarah and I went around town- we went shopping for our outfits for Street Parade and we went to the Goethe, to try and do something?, but it was insane there (because of the new people) so we left. Tuesday night, we all drank on the balcony and Craig brought out his 95% alcohol from Italy. Please trust me when I say never drink something with this much alcohol haha. We danced in Sarah and Maude's room (which is, incidentally, Stephanie's old room) and then Maude and I went to Stammtisch where Fernando and Pacman (he's from Korea and new this month) met up with us. It was pretty crowded even though all of the students are on vacation, but we stayed for about an hour and then left. We all went to Craig's room, where everyone stayed when we left, and then I went to bed.
Maude woke me up at 11:30 the next day and we ate some breakfast. It was the first day of class, so that's always sort of exciting.... Anyway, my teacher is pretty cool but for the first week, I was the only "not-new" person in the class. Everyone else speaks better German than I do, so it's kind of intimidating, but I was on the same level as the other people in my last class, so I don't know what's up with that. Wednesday after class, Sarah drove Maude, Fernando and I to the city center becasue Fernando needed to fix his Wii, but it's that didn't happen so then we just went back to the Guesthouse. Maude and I cooked pasta and it was delish. Then, I had a Skype date with my love Hilary, so we chatted for like 2 hours because my video wasn't working for some reason. Anyway, it's always lovely talking to her- miss you lotssssss :(
Thursday, Maude and I made FRENCH TOAST! and it was amazing. Then, we all actually studied before class! After class, Andrew and I had a date. We went to Uni Cafe and ate some delicious baguettes and then we got some wine and drank on the terrace. Since Andrew is a lightweight, I had to do some work on the wine but it wasn't too bad haha. We watched part of Keinohrhasen (he hadn't seen it before!) and then he left to see off some friends. I went to Francesca's room to hang out with everyone and it was a good, chill night.
Friday after class, Maude and I continued our quest for Street Parade outfits, as it was the next day. It was so strange, at 8 pm on Friday the city like SHUT DOWN and no one was on the streets. Having afternoon class really messes up your day haha. But we got some random french fries and chicken and sat on a bench. That night was the monthly pizza buffet, and for the 3rd time I ate pizza and drank beer without paying haha (but don't tell!). Everyone hung out on the balcony for a bit singing songs while Fernando played his guitar then at 10 pm the Night-Watch-Guy AND the Hausmeister came to bust up the party (10 pm is apparently the new 11, ha). I went to take a shower, and then we all (Maude, Nassim, Sabri... met later by Craig, Star, Merrill, Pacman, AliG, Erhan and half of Goethe haha) went out to Agar. Because the Guesthouse got broken up so early, we got to Agar at 11 pm and NO ONE was there. Anyway, it was quite funny. We chilled on the couches for a bit until everyone started dancing and it was a good night :).
Saturday was the STREET PARADE! and I woke up really early (7:45 am) to make breakfast because we were supposed to leave at 9:30 am. I get ready at 9, and hear someone knocking on the door down the hall..... I look out the door, it's Sabri knocking on Nassim's door, and Nassim is not awake haha. Great. So I finish getting ready and then go chill on the balcony with everyone else. Needless to say, we missed the 10 am train and didn't go to the station until 10:30ish am. There was a huge drama with the tickets, but in the end we got a group price for 43,50 Euro there and back each and left on the 12:55 pm train. In between the purchase and the wait, we went back to the Guesthouse and started the party haha.
The train ride was not bad at all. We (Maude, Sarah, Merrill, PacMan, AliG, Nassim, Sabri and me) got seperated into 2 groups of four, but in Basel we all sat near each other. We continued the party and saw a bunch of groups on the train also going to the Street Parade. So....we finally reach Zuerich. It's a little rainy, but whatever. The second we got off the train, I heard techno music....and it was good. We walked towards the main area of the Bahnhof and it's PURE rave anarchy EVERYWHERE. It was INSANE! So many people, so much trash and so much techno hahaha. Ohhh the rest, I can't even explain.....we went to the actual Parade, on the Hauptbonhofstrasse and the S-Bahn's weren't even running because of the party. There were so many people and it was raining and it was so intense. We just danced and danced and danced as the floats went by and before I knew it, it was 1 am and we were at McDonald's. We tried to find a bar, and we did, but by then I was too tired and I sat outside and fell asleep hahaha. Merrill did too and everyone was in and out and around, it was funny.
We left again for McDonald's at like 4:30 am and just sat there for a while, waiting for 5:30 am to roll around, when we could go to our 6 am train. Apparently, I was being quite funny, as I was so tired. Everyone was laughing at my shoes and my tongue and Nassim and I took some funny pictures haha. We made it to the train and everyone passed out curled on their own two seats. We made it back in one piece (well, eight separate pieces), though it was close....
We got back to the Guesthouse at 8 am, so we all passed out. I, for some reason, woke up at 12 pm and couldn't fall back asleep so I made some food and talked with Fernando. At 3, after many failed attempts to upload pictures, I knocked on Maude/Sarah's door, and they were still sleeping haha, so I left them to wake up and went back to my room. After they got up, we hung out a bit, ate, and then decided to watch Finding Nemo! We went to Francesca's room and watched- nice. Then, Maude, Nassim, Star, AliG and I went to the Greek restaurant and then I went to bed pretty early.
This morning, I did some grocery shopping and had a nice breakfast with Fernando. I finished putting up the pictures and did my homework, like a good student. In class, we had a sub who really sucks and it was a horrible day. But an old classmate finally showed up, so I'm happy! After class, I was supposed to meet Andrew, but he stood me up (!!!) so I got Schnitzel, and it was really good. Then I came back here, went on the internet for a bit then went to hang out with Francesca and her friend, Pedro, who is really funny. After that, I watched a funny mtv show in Nassim's room with some people then retired to my room.
Anyway, like I said, really exciting life nowadays. I wish I could write more about the Street Parade, but wow- there is nothing to say! It was unlike anything I've ever done or seen in my life and just SO much fun! Like one of my friends said, "None of the pictures can convey the fun we were having." And it's so true (but there are some pretty hilarious pictures). So much funny stuff happened and it was just a crazy day, in which we literally danced all day :) outside :) in the rain :) with friends :) and a funny outfit :).
I've realized that 1. my German is getting worse and 2. my English is, too. I think I'm just started to confuse the two languages, or I'm still out of it from Street Parade...who knows. It is perhaps because everyone else in my class speaks so well so now I notice my own mistakes more... Tomorrow is a new day. But! I am doing my homework! And Maude and I are going to study in the library Wednesday morning and make lists of stuff to learn and stuff- sounds good! haha I really just need something to study, ya know?...
My mom comes soon (the 21st!) and I'm getting excited to see her! I haven't asked her yet, but she's going to bring me ranch dressing, Apple Jack's, American Jiff peanut butter, a can of Diet Coke (it's just not the same here!) and some other fun American foods that I miss hehe....
Anyway, today I found myself reading old Livejournals/blogs that I have had in my life. I do this every few months or so, and it's always so funny to read about the old me. I'm definitely going to keep this blog for a while and I hope to use it for more reflective purposes than just writing exactly what I did everyday. When I get to Austria, this will be more possible because I won't be living such a thrilling life... haha. Speaking of, the closer and closer I get to Austria the more EXCITED I am.... heheheh :)
Also, I am OBSESSED with "I gotta feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. Ahhh- it's going to always remind me of Street Parade, because we listened to it before we left. ...same with "When Love Takes Over"...mmm so good.
Also also, my friend Alberto, from the exchange program that I did in high school, is coming to visit this weekend! omg! Ha, it should be interesting I guess.
Phew- I guess I had a lot to say. And it's getting late- time for bed. I want to get up and run tomorrow.... I'm feeling lazy haha. Maude and I are making French Toast again tomorrow and I can't wait mmmm. I've been cooking more lately, and it's nice. Cheaper, more fun and I love making breakfast the best, of course, haha.
OK... Until next time, everyone!
lovess
Mazeltov,
Alaina
Anyway, let's see... Monday, we didn't have class. Maude wasn't back yet, so I helped Sarah move all of her shit out of my room and we hung out all day. We were both quite tired, so when we planned to go get a coffee, we didn't actually do it haha. We hung out on the terrace for a little bit while Fernando played his guitar and I went to bed quite early (I think I watched Keinohrhasen again haha).
On Tuesday, we also did not have class, but it was the testing day for all the new people, so people were moving in all day. Weird. Maude came back and then her, Sarah and I went around town- we went shopping for our outfits for Street Parade and we went to the Goethe, to try and do something?, but it was insane there (because of the new people) so we left. Tuesday night, we all drank on the balcony and Craig brought out his 95% alcohol from Italy. Please trust me when I say never drink something with this much alcohol haha. We danced in Sarah and Maude's room (which is, incidentally, Stephanie's old room) and then Maude and I went to Stammtisch where Fernando and Pacman (he's from Korea and new this month) met up with us. It was pretty crowded even though all of the students are on vacation, but we stayed for about an hour and then left. We all went to Craig's room, where everyone stayed when we left, and then I went to bed.
Maude woke me up at 11:30 the next day and we ate some breakfast. It was the first day of class, so that's always sort of exciting.... Anyway, my teacher is pretty cool but for the first week, I was the only "not-new" person in the class. Everyone else speaks better German than I do, so it's kind of intimidating, but I was on the same level as the other people in my last class, so I don't know what's up with that. Wednesday after class, Sarah drove Maude, Fernando and I to the city center becasue Fernando needed to fix his Wii, but it's that didn't happen so then we just went back to the Guesthouse. Maude and I cooked pasta and it was delish. Then, I had a Skype date with my love Hilary, so we chatted for like 2 hours because my video wasn't working for some reason. Anyway, it's always lovely talking to her- miss you lotssssss :(
Thursday, Maude and I made FRENCH TOAST! and it was amazing. Then, we all actually studied before class! After class, Andrew and I had a date. We went to Uni Cafe and ate some delicious baguettes and then we got some wine and drank on the terrace. Since Andrew is a lightweight, I had to do some work on the wine but it wasn't too bad haha. We watched part of Keinohrhasen (he hadn't seen it before!) and then he left to see off some friends. I went to Francesca's room to hang out with everyone and it was a good, chill night.
Friday after class, Maude and I continued our quest for Street Parade outfits, as it was the next day. It was so strange, at 8 pm on Friday the city like SHUT DOWN and no one was on the streets. Having afternoon class really messes up your day haha. But we got some random french fries and chicken and sat on a bench. That night was the monthly pizza buffet, and for the 3rd time I ate pizza and drank beer without paying haha (but don't tell!). Everyone hung out on the balcony for a bit singing songs while Fernando played his guitar then at 10 pm the Night-Watch-Guy AND the Hausmeister came to bust up the party (10 pm is apparently the new 11, ha). I went to take a shower, and then we all (Maude, Nassim, Sabri... met later by Craig, Star, Merrill, Pacman, AliG, Erhan and half of Goethe haha) went out to Agar. Because the Guesthouse got broken up so early, we got to Agar at 11 pm and NO ONE was there. Anyway, it was quite funny. We chilled on the couches for a bit until everyone started dancing and it was a good night :).
Saturday was the STREET PARADE! and I woke up really early (7:45 am) to make breakfast because we were supposed to leave at 9:30 am. I get ready at 9, and hear someone knocking on the door down the hall..... I look out the door, it's Sabri knocking on Nassim's door, and Nassim is not awake haha. Great. So I finish getting ready and then go chill on the balcony with everyone else. Needless to say, we missed the 10 am train and didn't go to the station until 10:30ish am. There was a huge drama with the tickets, but in the end we got a group price for 43,50 Euro there and back each and left on the 12:55 pm train. In between the purchase and the wait, we went back to the Guesthouse and started the party haha.
The train ride was not bad at all. We (Maude, Sarah, Merrill, PacMan, AliG, Nassim, Sabri and me) got seperated into 2 groups of four, but in Basel we all sat near each other. We continued the party and saw a bunch of groups on the train also going to the Street Parade. So....we finally reach Zuerich. It's a little rainy, but whatever. The second we got off the train, I heard techno music....and it was good. We walked towards the main area of the Bahnhof and it's PURE rave anarchy EVERYWHERE. It was INSANE! So many people, so much trash and so much techno hahaha. Ohhh the rest, I can't even explain.....we went to the actual Parade, on the Hauptbonhofstrasse and the S-Bahn's weren't even running because of the party. There were so many people and it was raining and it was so intense. We just danced and danced and danced as the floats went by and before I knew it, it was 1 am and we were at McDonald's. We tried to find a bar, and we did, but by then I was too tired and I sat outside and fell asleep hahaha. Merrill did too and everyone was in and out and around, it was funny.
We left again for McDonald's at like 4:30 am and just sat there for a while, waiting for 5:30 am to roll around, when we could go to our 6 am train. Apparently, I was being quite funny, as I was so tired. Everyone was laughing at my shoes and my tongue and Nassim and I took some funny pictures haha. We made it to the train and everyone passed out curled on their own two seats. We made it back in one piece (well, eight separate pieces), though it was close....
We got back to the Guesthouse at 8 am, so we all passed out. I, for some reason, woke up at 12 pm and couldn't fall back asleep so I made some food and talked with Fernando. At 3, after many failed attempts to upload pictures, I knocked on Maude/Sarah's door, and they were still sleeping haha, so I left them to wake up and went back to my room. After they got up, we hung out a bit, ate, and then decided to watch Finding Nemo! We went to Francesca's room and watched- nice. Then, Maude, Nassim, Star, AliG and I went to the Greek restaurant and then I went to bed pretty early.
This morning, I did some grocery shopping and had a nice breakfast with Fernando. I finished putting up the pictures and did my homework, like a good student. In class, we had a sub who really sucks and it was a horrible day. But an old classmate finally showed up, so I'm happy! After class, I was supposed to meet Andrew, but he stood me up (!!!) so I got Schnitzel, and it was really good. Then I came back here, went on the internet for a bit then went to hang out with Francesca and her friend, Pedro, who is really funny. After that, I watched a funny mtv show in Nassim's room with some people then retired to my room.
Anyway, like I said, really exciting life nowadays. I wish I could write more about the Street Parade, but wow- there is nothing to say! It was unlike anything I've ever done or seen in my life and just SO much fun! Like one of my friends said, "None of the pictures can convey the fun we were having." And it's so true (but there are some pretty hilarious pictures). So much funny stuff happened and it was just a crazy day, in which we literally danced all day :) outside :) in the rain :) with friends :) and a funny outfit :).
I've realized that 1. my German is getting worse and 2. my English is, too. I think I'm just started to confuse the two languages, or I'm still out of it from Street Parade...who knows. It is perhaps because everyone else in my class speaks so well so now I notice my own mistakes more... Tomorrow is a new day. But! I am doing my homework! And Maude and I are going to study in the library Wednesday morning and make lists of stuff to learn and stuff- sounds good! haha I really just need something to study, ya know?...
My mom comes soon (the 21st!) and I'm getting excited to see her! I haven't asked her yet, but she's going to bring me ranch dressing, Apple Jack's, American Jiff peanut butter, a can of Diet Coke (it's just not the same here!) and some other fun American foods that I miss hehe....
Anyway, today I found myself reading old Livejournals/blogs that I have had in my life. I do this every few months or so, and it's always so funny to read about the old me. I'm definitely going to keep this blog for a while and I hope to use it for more reflective purposes than just writing exactly what I did everyday. When I get to Austria, this will be more possible because I won't be living such a thrilling life... haha. Speaking of, the closer and closer I get to Austria the more EXCITED I am.... heheheh :)
Also, I am OBSESSED with "I gotta feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. Ahhh- it's going to always remind me of Street Parade, because we listened to it before we left. ...same with "When Love Takes Over"...mmm so good.
Also also, my friend Alberto, from the exchange program that I did in high school, is coming to visit this weekend! omg! Ha, it should be interesting I guess.
Phew- I guess I had a lot to say. And it's getting late- time for bed. I want to get up and run tomorrow.... I'm feeling lazy haha. Maude and I are making French Toast again tomorrow and I can't wait mmmm. I've been cooking more lately, and it's nice. Cheaper, more fun and I love making breakfast the best, of course, haha.
OK... Until next time, everyone!
lovess
Mazeltov,
Alaina
Sunday, August 2, 2009
You give me miles and miles of mountains and I'll ask for the sea
Hey all! I posted new pictures to my original Freiburg album, and I got up all my pics from my travels! Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2620245&id=2254021&l=fd3bdf47b3
Anyway, yesterday was quite hectic. I woke up earlyish and took my time eating breakfast- all you can eat mini-baguettes with butter, meat, cheese, marmelade and honey, not to mention coffee and tea, for 3 Euro at the hostel....so worth it. So I took my sweet time and made my way to the Hauptbonhof. I didn't have any idea of my train schedule, because the internet worked so poorly in the hostel, so I got there hoping everything would be OK....and it was! My train was leaving in a half hour (at 10:55 AM) and I would get back at 10:18 pm... an 11 hour and 23 minute journey. So I caught my first train, which was 4+ hours to Nuernberg. Everything was fine until we waited at a stop for 15 minutes for another late train. At first, I didn't think anything of it...but we arrived about 17 minutes late in Nuernberg. So, I run to my next track at exactly 3:38, when the train is supposed to leave, only to find that it was already GONE! I wasn't the only one who missed this connection and everyone was pissed because WE waited for another late train but THIS train didn't wait for us.....Anyway, I go look up the next possible connections for me to get to Freiburg, and guess what? I had to wait 3 HOURS in Nuernberg for the next train. I was pissed. So I get some food and wait...wait...wait.... I was so bored I started reading HP7 again haha (I got pretty far on the rest of my trip, about 400 pages, and even though I JUST read it, it's surprisingly unboring!). The rest of my journey was without mishap, except that the later it got, the more rowdy the fellow passengers got. And I didn't get back to Freiburg until 1:30 am :(
I made my way back to the Guesthouse and proceeded to upload some pictures and watch Keinohrhasen. It was so much better this time without English subtitles- I laughed so much! That movie is great. I fell asleep really late, as it started raining, but I got to sleep in a little which was super nice. My bed is so comforatble here!!
The Guesthouse was a lonely and desolate place last night...I had to go in the Common Room for my internet because Nassim's was off and NO ONE was in the common room or on either balcony, even though the Night-Watch-Guy wasn't here. Then again, it was kind of late. It's not so bad today, but it's strange being back. Especially walking in the place last night...the smell was surprisingly familar- I didn't think it had made such an impression. It's sad, though, walking by people's room or looking at people's window who are no longer there. Luckily, Francesa, Alex, Sarah, and Star were around this morning so we could talk, catch up and hang out. Nassim is here, too, but I haven't seen him except when he waved out the window, shirtless, at us on the balcony (standard, haha). And Fernando is back! Which is nice. A few people that I didn't think would be staying have stayed (namely, Claire...though I'm not friends with her) and really there aren't any new people yet, I guess. Maude comes back tomorrow! Yayyy :)
Well, that's about it... Today is going to be a lazy day... It's almost 3:00 pm and I'm still in my pjs. I think I'll make lunch soon...I really want soup but I don't have any :( how sad! Also, I think I'll go back to my regular once-every-few-days update now that I won't be doing much haha.
Hope all are well!
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Anyway, yesterday was quite hectic. I woke up earlyish and took my time eating breakfast- all you can eat mini-baguettes with butter, meat, cheese, marmelade and honey, not to mention coffee and tea, for 3 Euro at the hostel....so worth it. So I took my sweet time and made my way to the Hauptbonhof. I didn't have any idea of my train schedule, because the internet worked so poorly in the hostel, so I got there hoping everything would be OK....and it was! My train was leaving in a half hour (at 10:55 AM) and I would get back at 10:18 pm... an 11 hour and 23 minute journey. So I caught my first train, which was 4+ hours to Nuernberg. Everything was fine until we waited at a stop for 15 minutes for another late train. At first, I didn't think anything of it...but we arrived about 17 minutes late in Nuernberg. So, I run to my next track at exactly 3:38, when the train is supposed to leave, only to find that it was already GONE! I wasn't the only one who missed this connection and everyone was pissed because WE waited for another late train but THIS train didn't wait for us.....Anyway, I go look up the next possible connections for me to get to Freiburg, and guess what? I had to wait 3 HOURS in Nuernberg for the next train. I was pissed. So I get some food and wait...wait...wait.... I was so bored I started reading HP7 again haha (I got pretty far on the rest of my trip, about 400 pages, and even though I JUST read it, it's surprisingly unboring!). The rest of my journey was without mishap, except that the later it got, the more rowdy the fellow passengers got. And I didn't get back to Freiburg until 1:30 am :(
I made my way back to the Guesthouse and proceeded to upload some pictures and watch Keinohrhasen. It was so much better this time without English subtitles- I laughed so much! That movie is great. I fell asleep really late, as it started raining, but I got to sleep in a little which was super nice. My bed is so comforatble here!!
The Guesthouse was a lonely and desolate place last night...I had to go in the Common Room for my internet because Nassim's was off and NO ONE was in the common room or on either balcony, even though the Night-Watch-Guy wasn't here. Then again, it was kind of late. It's not so bad today, but it's strange being back. Especially walking in the place last night...the smell was surprisingly familar- I didn't think it had made such an impression. It's sad, though, walking by people's room or looking at people's window who are no longer there. Luckily, Francesa, Alex, Sarah, and Star were around this morning so we could talk, catch up and hang out. Nassim is here, too, but I haven't seen him except when he waved out the window, shirtless, at us on the balcony (standard, haha). And Fernando is back! Which is nice. A few people that I didn't think would be staying have stayed (namely, Claire...though I'm not friends with her) and really there aren't any new people yet, I guess. Maude comes back tomorrow! Yayyy :)
Well, that's about it... Today is going to be a lazy day... It's almost 3:00 pm and I'm still in my pjs. I think I'll make lunch soon...I really want soup but I don't have any :( how sad! Also, I think I'll go back to my regular once-every-few-days update now that I won't be doing much haha.
Hope all are well!
Until next time...
Cheers,
Alaina
Friday, July 31, 2009
Don't pass out with your shoes on
Dresden- Day 2
So, as I was lying in bed last night, drifting off to sleep, I think to myself: “My, this corner of the Neustadt is quite noisy.” And I was lulled to sleep by the sweet sounds of heavy metal from the bar below and the laughter and chatter of those drinking at said bar. Then, as with yesterday when the Neustadt/hostel kept outdoing itself, I was awoken between, I’d say, 2-3 AM by CCR’s greatest hits blasting from somewhere outside our window and a drunk girl yelling along with the lyrics. And this lasted for about 20 minutes. Hahaha. Since I like classic rock, this didn’t bother me too much, but I find it quite hilarious. And that was only a Thursday night- I dread to think what tonight is going to be like! Also, I’m not 100% sure it was CCR, but it was classic rock and I knew all of the songs, so it’s possible. I was trying to figure out who it was as I was listening, but I couldn’t get it, and CCR came to me in my sleep, so I’m thinking it was, in fact, them.
Anyway, I awake this morning and, boy, was it a slow-rise. Number one, my bed was super comfortable. Number two, I was (and am…) quite tired from all of the traveling. I peeled myself out of bed and got ready for the adventure of today. I took the tram back to the Altstadt area (I bought a day-ticket) and immediately went for the Frauenkirche. This is the famous church of Dresden that was burnt down in World War II, kept as ruins in the GDR as a reminder of the horrors of war (plus they had no $$$ to rebuild) and then rebuilt quite quickly once Germany reunited. Now, I must say, I find this church hideously tacky. It outdoes any other church I’ve ever seen- the inside looks like a wedding cake exploded everywhere. Baby blue and pink are, seemingly, the only two colors they used, and everything is adorned in gold. Blech. Pictures weren’t allowed in the place, and I would have tried to snap one, but there were guards everywhere. Anyway, I had to get out of there STAT. So I went to have to some breakfast at a nice little restaurant near the Kreuzkirche, apparently (as my map told me) a good antidote to the Frauenkirche. Low and behold, they were right!
The Kreuzkirche is gorgeous. It’s going to have to take spot #3 for most beautiful church in Europe. It’s simple and the inside looks like it’s all simply plain stone. The altar is simple and smaller, but very nice. I got a picture of this place (even though I wasn’t supposed to) since there weren’t any guards around. I went to the top of the tower here (for a ¼ of the price of the Frauenkirche) and enjoyed a nice view of Dresden.
From there, I walked around the Altmarkt a little bit and did some window-shopping, which was nice and relaxing, but it was really hot… Then I made my way to the Fuerstenzug, which is the world’s largest picture made out of porcelain. It’s on the side of the Residenzschloss (which is being renovated) and it’s pretty neat! All of the old baroque sites are kind of piled on top of each other, so it was hard for me to find my way around and figure out what was what. But I eventually found the Zwinger, which is pretty much a fairground complex that has now been turned into museums. There is a glockenspiel with porcelain bells (the famous Meissner porcelain comes from here) and it’s very pretty.
I then decided I should take in some art at the “Alte Meisters” gallery in the Zwinger. I should not have decided this. I sort of talked myself into it because it’s something that you’re “not supposed to miss” but it’s really not my kind of art. Although, I did get to see a special exhibition of Carl Gustav Carus, whom I had never heard of but was pals with my man Caspar David Friedrich, and it’s quite obvious. As I was looking at one of Carus’ paintings, I thought “Geez, this looks like Friedrich did it” and low-and-behold, once I turn the corner, there was a little info piece about how Friedrich heavily influenced Carus. Anyway, Carus is pretty good. I really like Romantic art- most pieces are of landscapes or cityscapes and people just happen to be in the picture but are hardly ever looking at the viewer. It creates an interesting effect. Also, I got to see Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, which is the gallery’s most famous piece. It’s the one that has those cute, little super-famous cherubs at the bottom, ya know? Anyway, after I saw that, I booked it outta there because I couldn’t take the art anymore. Sadly, the “Neue Meister” gallery, the one I would have enjoyed much more, is undergoing renovations after the 2002 Dresden the flood, which destroyed a lot of the building and works (not to mention a lot of other places and houses in Dresden).
So with the entry ticket to the art gallery, I got “free” into the Ruestkammer, which is August the Strong armory. This was super neat! I got to see tons of old swords, guns and armor. And even though I had no idea what any of it meant, it was fun to walk around and pretend that I lived in medieval times haha.
From there, I explored the Zwinger a little more and found the “Nymphenbad,” where in the old days, people had to sneak of to in order to kiss and stuff. It was actually quite pretty. Then, I walked to the “Bruehlsche Terrasse,” also known as the “Balcony of Europe,” which is situated between the Elbe and all of the Baroque sites. Quite nice.
Then I took the tram back to the hostel as I was getting hungry and had to use the bathroom. I decided that I would eat at the famous currywurst place in Neustadt. I found it easily and was very satisfied! They have this homemade, signature “peanut sauce” that they put on their wurst- yum yum! The place reminded me of BTB in Ann Arbor, as it was a small, little dive place but very cozy J. And to make things even better they were playing Asher Roth’s “I love College” and it reminded me of all the wondrous nights in 1225 (shout-out, heyy!). Of course, I then had to end my day with an ice cream from Café Komisch- this time I got strawberry twisted with vanilla! Good choice! I enjoyed it once more in the Alaunpark, which was as always, full of people. Again, I wish I had come here with friends so that were could grill and hit around a shuttlecock, as so many groups of locals do.
Tomorrow, I’m going to eat breakfast at the hostel, which they have for 3 Euro and make my way to my to the train. Another long day of trains ahead of me!
All in all, Dresden has been a satisfying trip. I’m glad I stayed in the Neustadt, because it’s much less full of tourists and has locals everywhere. Thank goodness for the “local” map that I got at the hostel- otherwise, I wouldn’t have done any of the things I did in the Neustadt! I’m glad I got to see the historic and beautiful sites of Dresden. There were some paintings in the “Alte Meister” gallery of Dresden in it’s heyday, while August the Strong ruled (he built up the city to what it was post WWII and without him it’d still be a little village), and I think Dresden would have been extremely fascinating in his time, but alas it is 2009 and therefore, I am enjoying my modern experiences in the trendy Neustadt J. I really would love to come back here again with friends and do some of the “local” things that I didn’t get to do.
I was going to reflect on my trip in general now, but I think I’ll save that for when I get back to Freiburg. I really miss that place… even though I know it’s going to be so weird going back there and none of my friends will be there. Hopefully SOMEONE will be around the guesthouse, otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do with myself…
Anyway, until next time…which will be from Freiburg!
Cheers,
Alaina
So, as I was lying in bed last night, drifting off to sleep, I think to myself: “My, this corner of the Neustadt is quite noisy.” And I was lulled to sleep by the sweet sounds of heavy metal from the bar below and the laughter and chatter of those drinking at said bar. Then, as with yesterday when the Neustadt/hostel kept outdoing itself, I was awoken between, I’d say, 2-3 AM by CCR’s greatest hits blasting from somewhere outside our window and a drunk girl yelling along with the lyrics. And this lasted for about 20 minutes. Hahaha. Since I like classic rock, this didn’t bother me too much, but I find it quite hilarious. And that was only a Thursday night- I dread to think what tonight is going to be like! Also, I’m not 100% sure it was CCR, but it was classic rock and I knew all of the songs, so it’s possible. I was trying to figure out who it was as I was listening, but I couldn’t get it, and CCR came to me in my sleep, so I’m thinking it was, in fact, them.
Anyway, I awake this morning and, boy, was it a slow-rise. Number one, my bed was super comfortable. Number two, I was (and am…) quite tired from all of the traveling. I peeled myself out of bed and got ready for the adventure of today. I took the tram back to the Altstadt area (I bought a day-ticket) and immediately went for the Frauenkirche. This is the famous church of Dresden that was burnt down in World War II, kept as ruins in the GDR as a reminder of the horrors of war (plus they had no $$$ to rebuild) and then rebuilt quite quickly once Germany reunited. Now, I must say, I find this church hideously tacky. It outdoes any other church I’ve ever seen- the inside looks like a wedding cake exploded everywhere. Baby blue and pink are, seemingly, the only two colors they used, and everything is adorned in gold. Blech. Pictures weren’t allowed in the place, and I would have tried to snap one, but there were guards everywhere. Anyway, I had to get out of there STAT. So I went to have to some breakfast at a nice little restaurant near the Kreuzkirche, apparently (as my map told me) a good antidote to the Frauenkirche. Low and behold, they were right!
The Kreuzkirche is gorgeous. It’s going to have to take spot #3 for most beautiful church in Europe. It’s simple and the inside looks like it’s all simply plain stone. The altar is simple and smaller, but very nice. I got a picture of this place (even though I wasn’t supposed to) since there weren’t any guards around. I went to the top of the tower here (for a ¼ of the price of the Frauenkirche) and enjoyed a nice view of Dresden.
From there, I walked around the Altmarkt a little bit and did some window-shopping, which was nice and relaxing, but it was really hot… Then I made my way to the Fuerstenzug, which is the world’s largest picture made out of porcelain. It’s on the side of the Residenzschloss (which is being renovated) and it’s pretty neat! All of the old baroque sites are kind of piled on top of each other, so it was hard for me to find my way around and figure out what was what. But I eventually found the Zwinger, which is pretty much a fairground complex that has now been turned into museums. There is a glockenspiel with porcelain bells (the famous Meissner porcelain comes from here) and it’s very pretty.
I then decided I should take in some art at the “Alte Meisters” gallery in the Zwinger. I should not have decided this. I sort of talked myself into it because it’s something that you’re “not supposed to miss” but it’s really not my kind of art. Although, I did get to see a special exhibition of Carl Gustav Carus, whom I had never heard of but was pals with my man Caspar David Friedrich, and it’s quite obvious. As I was looking at one of Carus’ paintings, I thought “Geez, this looks like Friedrich did it” and low-and-behold, once I turn the corner, there was a little info piece about how Friedrich heavily influenced Carus. Anyway, Carus is pretty good. I really like Romantic art- most pieces are of landscapes or cityscapes and people just happen to be in the picture but are hardly ever looking at the viewer. It creates an interesting effect. Also, I got to see Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, which is the gallery’s most famous piece. It’s the one that has those cute, little super-famous cherubs at the bottom, ya know? Anyway, after I saw that, I booked it outta there because I couldn’t take the art anymore. Sadly, the “Neue Meister” gallery, the one I would have enjoyed much more, is undergoing renovations after the 2002 Dresden the flood, which destroyed a lot of the building and works (not to mention a lot of other places and houses in Dresden).
So with the entry ticket to the art gallery, I got “free” into the Ruestkammer, which is August the Strong armory. This was super neat! I got to see tons of old swords, guns and armor. And even though I had no idea what any of it meant, it was fun to walk around and pretend that I lived in medieval times haha.
From there, I explored the Zwinger a little more and found the “Nymphenbad,” where in the old days, people had to sneak of to in order to kiss and stuff. It was actually quite pretty. Then, I walked to the “Bruehlsche Terrasse,” also known as the “Balcony of Europe,” which is situated between the Elbe and all of the Baroque sites. Quite nice.
Then I took the tram back to the hostel as I was getting hungry and had to use the bathroom. I decided that I would eat at the famous currywurst place in Neustadt. I found it easily and was very satisfied! They have this homemade, signature “peanut sauce” that they put on their wurst- yum yum! The place reminded me of BTB in Ann Arbor, as it was a small, little dive place but very cozy J. And to make things even better they were playing Asher Roth’s “I love College” and it reminded me of all the wondrous nights in 1225 (shout-out, heyy!). Of course, I then had to end my day with an ice cream from Café Komisch- this time I got strawberry twisted with vanilla! Good choice! I enjoyed it once more in the Alaunpark, which was as always, full of people. Again, I wish I had come here with friends so that were could grill and hit around a shuttlecock, as so many groups of locals do.
Tomorrow, I’m going to eat breakfast at the hostel, which they have for 3 Euro and make my way to my to the train. Another long day of trains ahead of me!
All in all, Dresden has been a satisfying trip. I’m glad I stayed in the Neustadt, because it’s much less full of tourists and has locals everywhere. Thank goodness for the “local” map that I got at the hostel- otherwise, I wouldn’t have done any of the things I did in the Neustadt! I’m glad I got to see the historic and beautiful sites of Dresden. There were some paintings in the “Alte Meister” gallery of Dresden in it’s heyday, while August the Strong ruled (he built up the city to what it was post WWII and without him it’d still be a little village), and I think Dresden would have been extremely fascinating in his time, but alas it is 2009 and therefore, I am enjoying my modern experiences in the trendy Neustadt J. I really would love to come back here again with friends and do some of the “local” things that I didn’t get to do.
I was going to reflect on my trip in general now, but I think I’ll save that for when I get back to Freiburg. I really miss that place… even though I know it’s going to be so weird going back there and none of my friends will be there. Hopefully SOMEONE will be around the guesthouse, otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do with myself…
Anyway, until next time…which will be from Freiburg!
Cheers,
Alaina
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