Wednesday, October 29, 2008.
The rest of my weekend went pretty much the same way the beginning part did. A whole lot of sleeping, and a whole lot of eating. When I went shopping, I got a really cute winter dress, but I have no shoes for it here, so Ill have to ask and see if Mommy can bring me some when she comes.
During Italian on Monday, our professor couldn't be here, so we had a substitute. He stood in front of the class for two hours and lectured on the image of women in Italian songs and poetry. You would think not so interesting, yes? Under normal circumstances, I would agree. However, what made this time not like the others is that I could understand almost ever word coming out of his mouth. Did I mention he was speaking in Italian? This was very exciting for me!
Monday afternoon I babysat, and when bringing Eugenia home from gym, a very nice couple that we befriended on the Vaparetto asked if she was my daughter. Seriously? Do I look old enough to have a seven and a half year old daughter? Please.
Last night we had our Halloween party. No one told me to pack in my 44 lbs a Halloween costume, so I just had to make due with what I had. So clearly flashdance made an appearance--80's, my favorite decade! I had to leave during the middle of it to walk to the train station to pick up my friend Ryan who is visiting in Venice. I think he is going to explore the city while I have class. Lucky duck. It should be interesting, though, because the water is SOOO HIGH. Sometimes the tides trap large amounts of water in the lagoon flooding Venice creating Acqua Alta (literally "tall/high water"). This is the first time we have had Acqua Alta since I have been here!
Mer and I are off to Zurich this weekend, and I am soooo very excited! We aren't leaving until Friday morning, but we are going to see the city, don't you worry!
Can't wait to see you all when I get back.
Love you!
xoxo
mckin
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
What a delightful weekend!!
Saturday, October 25, 2008.
Yall, this has been just the most wonderful weekend! We finished class on Thursday and I promptly fell asleep to a wonderful nap! I got up, ate dinner, and had BUNCH of skype dates! It was really great to get to catch up with people! (If I didnt call you, dont worry, I WILL!!!)
Then yesterday, I slept in until 10:30, got up ate, went to the grocery store and finished up some paperwork, came back, ate, went BACK to sleep, got up, ate (do you notice a pattern here.....). Last night was really fun, too. There are only 5 of us still here, so we cooked together, then had a little slumber party! One of my fave nights in Venice yet!
Today I slept in again, and am getting ready to go shopping! So my weekend in recap: eating, sleeping, shopping, slumber party-ing. Can you think of a more "McKinley" weekend than that?!?!? I DON'T THINK SO!!!
I am looking forward to catching up with Mer who is in Prague right now so that we can plan our trip to Switzerland for next weekend. We have a hostel, but no means of actually getting to the hostel... deeeetails.
Alrighty, off to shop! Love yall!
xoxo
mckin
Yall, this has been just the most wonderful weekend! We finished class on Thursday and I promptly fell asleep to a wonderful nap! I got up, ate dinner, and had BUNCH of skype dates! It was really great to get to catch up with people! (If I didnt call you, dont worry, I WILL!!!)
Then yesterday, I slept in until 10:30, got up ate, went to the grocery store and finished up some paperwork, came back, ate, went BACK to sleep, got up, ate (do you notice a pattern here.....). Last night was really fun, too. There are only 5 of us still here, so we cooked together, then had a little slumber party! One of my fave nights in Venice yet!
Today I slept in again, and am getting ready to go shopping! So my weekend in recap: eating, sleeping, shopping, slumber party-ing. Can you think of a more "McKinley" weekend than that?!?!? I DON'T THINK SO!!!
I am looking forward to catching up with Mer who is in Prague right now so that we can plan our trip to Switzerland for next weekend. We have a hostel, but no means of actually getting to the hostel... deeeetails.
Alrighty, off to shop! Love yall!
xoxo
mckin
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Midterms and such
Wednesday, October 22, 2008.
Sorry that I haven't updated in a while... I have been super super busy. Monday Daddy and Tracy were here and we had so much fun! They went to the Guggenheim and to St. Marks when I was in class, then we met up and walked around a little. Then we headed back to their super nice hotel, had some free snacks from the special snack room, and "went to dinner." I put that in quotes because Tracy and I ate so much in the snack room that we were full come dinner time. So we just had cappuccinos while Daddy had pasta. Then we came back here to study for my second midterm (I had my Italian one on Monday), this time alla Art History. 65 slides of pictures that we had to know the title, artist, date, and current location. FOUL. Long story short, I ended up staying up until 4:00 in the morning studying (y'all know how much I dislike studying, especially when it comes at the expense of something that I love... such as sleep...) 26 of the paintings were called "Madonna and Child" which you would think would make it EASIER, but NO. Anyway, I was already in a bad mood because I was really tired PLUS I had just had a teary goodbye with Daddy and Tracy.
So I stayed up studying, then got up at 7:00 to study MORE... The exam yesterday went OK I guess, well see. After classes, I babysat yesterday and it was SO FUN! Eugenia, the older daughter, and I talked in English about all sorts of things. It was so great. Then I came back here for dinner and a house party.
Today we had class as usual, then I met up with Marco, my fave Italian friend. We walked around, got some gelato, and talked. It was so wonderful! The weather was great and we talked in English and Italian. Mostly English though because his English is so much better than my Italian. It was really really fun! Tonight we have house dinner and have to watch an opera for music class.
I am staying in Venice this weekend and am So excited about it! I have a HUGE list of things to do, so I am glad that I will be able to stay here. I am still so behind on everything since our 10 day break so it will be nice to be able to do laundry, have some skype dates, get some travel plans in order...
Anyway, I am glad that Daddy and Tracy came! We had such a great time, but it made me miss all of yall back at home! I hope everyone is doing well!!!
Miss you all and love you lots!
xoxo
mckin
Sorry that I haven't updated in a while... I have been super super busy. Monday Daddy and Tracy were here and we had so much fun! They went to the Guggenheim and to St. Marks when I was in class, then we met up and walked around a little. Then we headed back to their super nice hotel, had some free snacks from the special snack room, and "went to dinner." I put that in quotes because Tracy and I ate so much in the snack room that we were full come dinner time. So we just had cappuccinos while Daddy had pasta. Then we came back here to study for my second midterm (I had my Italian one on Monday), this time alla Art History. 65 slides of pictures that we had to know the title, artist, date, and current location. FOUL. Long story short, I ended up staying up until 4:00 in the morning studying (y'all know how much I dislike studying, especially when it comes at the expense of something that I love... such as sleep...) 26 of the paintings were called "Madonna and Child" which you would think would make it EASIER, but NO. Anyway, I was already in a bad mood because I was really tired PLUS I had just had a teary goodbye with Daddy and Tracy.
So I stayed up studying, then got up at 7:00 to study MORE... The exam yesterday went OK I guess, well see. After classes, I babysat yesterday and it was SO FUN! Eugenia, the older daughter, and I talked in English about all sorts of things. It was so great. Then I came back here for dinner and a house party.
Today we had class as usual, then I met up with Marco, my fave Italian friend. We walked around, got some gelato, and talked. It was so wonderful! The weather was great and we talked in English and Italian. Mostly English though because his English is so much better than my Italian. It was really really fun! Tonight we have house dinner and have to watch an opera for music class.
I am staying in Venice this weekend and am So excited about it! I have a HUGE list of things to do, so I am glad that I will be able to stay here. I am still so behind on everything since our 10 day break so it will be nice to be able to do laundry, have some skype dates, get some travel plans in order...
Anyway, I am glad that Daddy and Tracy came! We had such a great time, but it made me miss all of yall back at home! I hope everyone is doing well!!!
Miss you all and love you lots!
xoxo
mckin
Sunday, October 19, 2008
This is me studying... can't you tell?
Sunday, October 19, 2008. Venice, just back from Florence!
SOOOO... This past weekend I went to Florence to meet up with Daddy and Tracy! I pretty much SPRINTED to the train station on Thursday because I was so excited. My train was uneventful, I finished watching my last Desperate Housewives episodes on my iPod (which was obviously necessary) instead of studying... whoops. I finally got off of the train to see Daddy and Tracy standing there in the train station waiting for me! I felt like such a grown up--I just met my parents in the train station in FLORENCE, ITALY!!! I'm a Big Girl now!!
We headed back to the hotel (VERY NICE, although Daddy didn't think it was too impressive, he just needed to remember that if it had a locked room and I didn't have to pay for sheets, it was already better than anywhere else I had stayed.) We checked in and then explored our city. Ironically enough, our street was called Elisabetta! PS I LOVE THAT NAME!! After a delightful dinner, we (after getting smidge lost...) got back to the hotel and called it a night.
Friday morning, we got up, walked all of 10 feet to the Duomo and accidentally got in the line to go up to the top of the dome. About half way up, Tracy decided that was enough for her and decended, but Daddy and I went to the TIPPY TOP! It was so cool and we had a WONDERFUL view! We finally got back down (after I befriended a lady from Alpharetta!!) and visited EVERY scarf/bag/jewelry store in Florence. It was great! Daddy was a little bored, but thats ok! We went in a few churches, and walked around A TON. We pretty much saw the city, but without going in to any of the museums etc. Then we went to a cafe where we got some internet (Daddy and Tracy didn't know if they actually had reservations for the hotel in Venice). After computer time, we went back to the hotel, showered, and found a GREAT little restaurant that was SO close to our hotel! I had the BEST pasta since I have been in Italy. It was a spinach and ricotta ravioli with walnut cream sauce. Sounds interesting, but it was DIVINE!! After dinner, we went back to the hotel, chatted for a while, then went to sleep.
Saturday morning, we had to get up early to go to the train station because Friday was a train strike and we didn't know how that would affect the next day of travel. Lucky that we did because the train's 2nd class was full, so we had to take 1st class, dang. I hate it when that happens. ;) Our train ride to Venice was uneventful if you don't count a couple making out right in front of me "eventful." We arrived in Venice and took the Vaparetto to the house. It was nice to have Daddy and Tracy there because I sometimes am jaded to the beauty of this city. Being their first time here, they were in AWE, which was so nice for me! I showed them around the house, then we headed to the Hilton where we HOPED they were staying.
The Hilton is on the Giudecca, which means it is across this little canal. The hotel has a free shuttle which is so nice! Anyway, we got to the hotel, checked in!, and got internet so we could check on the status of the Georgia/Vandy and Wake/Maryland games. Enough said about that.
After the game, we went to the Executive floor where we had i dolci! Mi piaccono! Then I hopped back on the shuttle boat to come back here! I ended up staying up until about 3 studying for my midterms tomorrow and Tuesday, and then got up early this morning to write this and 2 papers. Now I am just waiting for Daddy to skype me to tell me he is up and ready to meet up!
ALSO! David told me that Mer and Loff could stay here in the house when they come!! YESSSSS!!
Miss you all a lot lot lot.
xoxo
mckin
SOOOO... This past weekend I went to Florence to meet up with Daddy and Tracy! I pretty much SPRINTED to the train station on Thursday because I was so excited. My train was uneventful, I finished watching my last Desperate Housewives episodes on my iPod (which was obviously necessary) instead of studying... whoops. I finally got off of the train to see Daddy and Tracy standing there in the train station waiting for me! I felt like such a grown up--I just met my parents in the train station in FLORENCE, ITALY!!! I'm a Big Girl now!!
We headed back to the hotel (VERY NICE, although Daddy didn't think it was too impressive, he just needed to remember that if it had a locked room and I didn't have to pay for sheets, it was already better than anywhere else I had stayed.) We checked in and then explored our city. Ironically enough, our street was called Elisabetta! PS I LOVE THAT NAME!! After a delightful dinner, we (after getting smidge lost...) got back to the hotel and called it a night.
Friday morning, we got up, walked all of 10 feet to the Duomo and accidentally got in the line to go up to the top of the dome. About half way up, Tracy decided that was enough for her and decended, but Daddy and I went to the TIPPY TOP! It was so cool and we had a WONDERFUL view! We finally got back down (after I befriended a lady from Alpharetta!!) and visited EVERY scarf/bag/jewelry store in Florence. It was great! Daddy was a little bored, but thats ok! We went in a few churches, and walked around A TON. We pretty much saw the city, but without going in to any of the museums etc. Then we went to a cafe where we got some internet (Daddy and Tracy didn't know if they actually had reservations for the hotel in Venice). After computer time, we went back to the hotel, showered, and found a GREAT little restaurant that was SO close to our hotel! I had the BEST pasta since I have been in Italy. It was a spinach and ricotta ravioli with walnut cream sauce. Sounds interesting, but it was DIVINE!! After dinner, we went back to the hotel, chatted for a while, then went to sleep.
Saturday morning, we had to get up early to go to the train station because Friday was a train strike and we didn't know how that would affect the next day of travel. Lucky that we did because the train's 2nd class was full, so we had to take 1st class, dang. I hate it when that happens. ;) Our train ride to Venice was uneventful if you don't count a couple making out right in front of me "eventful." We arrived in Venice and took the Vaparetto to the house. It was nice to have Daddy and Tracy there because I sometimes am jaded to the beauty of this city. Being their first time here, they were in AWE, which was so nice for me! I showed them around the house, then we headed to the Hilton where we HOPED they were staying.
The Hilton is on the Giudecca, which means it is across this little canal. The hotel has a free shuttle which is so nice! Anyway, we got to the hotel, checked in!, and got internet so we could check on the status of the Georgia/Vandy and Wake/Maryland games. Enough said about that.
After the game, we went to the Executive floor where we had i dolci! Mi piaccono! Then I hopped back on the shuttle boat to come back here! I ended up staying up until about 3 studying for my midterms tomorrow and Tuesday, and then got up early this morning to write this and 2 papers. Now I am just waiting for Daddy to skype me to tell me he is up and ready to meet up!
ALSO! David told me that Mer and Loff could stay here in the house when they come!! YESSSSS!!
Miss you all a lot lot lot.
xoxo
mckin
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Same old same old....
Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Venezia.
Since returning from my 10 days of fabulous-ness, not much new has happened! I did decide on Monday that I was going to try to cut back to 2 days of babysitting instead of 3, because I only have 3 days in Venice a week anyway (because I travel Thursday through Sunday) and every one of those 3 days I am babysitting. Not only does this cut down on nap time--as in make it impossible to nap--but I have difficulty doing things like go to the grocery store, get train tickets, watch movies on my laptop... Also, we started up our converstaion partners from Ca'Foscari University here in Venice, and I really wanted to be a part of that. So now I am just going Mondays and Tuesdays to babysit.
That brings me to Tuesday when I MET my conversation partner. Our first meeting was on Tuesday as was a required opera for music class, so I am only babysitting Monday and Wednesday of this week, but starting next week will be Mondays and Tuesdays. Anyway, Kayla and I got paired up with Marco, who is just wonderful. We love him. His English is INFINITELY better than my Italian, but it is really fun to practice with him! He is very patient and understanding.
Then we went to the opera. It was nice, but I just don't love operas.
This morning is our sleep in morning, as in we dont have class until 11, so I got up "early" aka 9:00, and went to the train station to get my ticket to Florence for tomorrow so I can see my Daddy and Tracy!! On the way there, I encountered a protest... At first I thought it was a Gay Pride something or other, but I am not quite sure WHAT it was... Oh Venice...
Anyway, not much else new... I cant wait to show my Dad and Tracy around Venice!!
Miss you all very very much! Please email me!
xoxo
mckin
Since returning from my 10 days of fabulous-ness, not much new has happened! I did decide on Monday that I was going to try to cut back to 2 days of babysitting instead of 3, because I only have 3 days in Venice a week anyway (because I travel Thursday through Sunday) and every one of those 3 days I am babysitting. Not only does this cut down on nap time--as in make it impossible to nap--but I have difficulty doing things like go to the grocery store, get train tickets, watch movies on my laptop... Also, we started up our converstaion partners from Ca'Foscari University here in Venice, and I really wanted to be a part of that. So now I am just going Mondays and Tuesdays to babysit.
That brings me to Tuesday when I MET my conversation partner. Our first meeting was on Tuesday as was a required opera for music class, so I am only babysitting Monday and Wednesday of this week, but starting next week will be Mondays and Tuesdays. Anyway, Kayla and I got paired up with Marco, who is just wonderful. We love him. His English is INFINITELY better than my Italian, but it is really fun to practice with him! He is very patient and understanding.
Then we went to the opera. It was nice, but I just don't love operas.
This morning is our sleep in morning, as in we dont have class until 11, so I got up "early" aka 9:00, and went to the train station to get my ticket to Florence for tomorrow so I can see my Daddy and Tracy!! On the way there, I encountered a protest... At first I thought it was a Gay Pride something or other, but I am not quite sure WHAT it was... Oh Venice...
Anyway, not much else new... I cant wait to show my Dad and Tracy around Venice!!
Miss you all very very much! Please email me!
xoxo
mckin
Monday, October 13, 2008
My goodbye to Germany and Austria
Sunday, Oktober 12, 2008. My last day in Vienna.
Mer and I got up and exchanged names with our new hostel friends. Then we packed up and headed out. We went to this MANSION. I can only equate it with the Biltmore house, but even that comparison doesn't suffice. This house made the Builtmore house look like a SHACK. It was huge and had stunning gardens! We walked around there for a while, saw the fountain in the back and just explored there. We had to head back to the hostel so that I could get my stuff and get the 8 hour train back to Venice.
Mer and I parted ways at the Westbahnhof and I was a mess. It took all of my strength to keep it together on the tram that took me to Sudbanhof from where my train was leaving. I got to the station in time to grab a quick snack and hop on. I was in a compartment with 2 women from Georgia. I am not sure what language they were speaking, but apparently my humor about also being from Georgia was lost in translation. We attempted to communicate, but they knew ZERO English words, and I don't even KNOW what language they spoke, so I clearly couldn't talk to them.
About five and a half hours in is where the train ride gets interesting. I had napped, read, watched Desperate Housewives on my iPod until it was dead, and was now looking out the window when Adraino joined our compartment. Adriano is about 35 years old and Italian. I love talking to Italians and practicing, so we start chatting away. His questions to me are a little different than mine to him. For example, I ask him where he is from, what he was doing on his trip, how he likes Italy. He asks me if I am married, how old I am, and if I like Italian men. Hmmm....
At one point, these two Georgian women, Adriano, and I were discussing the politics of the US, but all three speaking different languages... haha. Just imagine. I, as a general rule, don't discuss politics, but this conversation was like no other!!
So we chat for a while until he is about to get off when he leans in close to me and asks if I would get off with him so that he could kiss me. WHAT?!?!? I am sorry, how did we go from discussing Italy and politics to him wanting me to get off the train with him?!?! I spent the next 20 minutes trying to justify to a man whom I JUST met why I didn't feel comfortable getting off the train with him so he could kiss me. He got a little upset, and I was a little scared, especially becuase the two women next to me didn't understand ANYTHING and could therefore be of NO assistance. He got off, though, and I just said CIAO and went back to my book. I HATED the book I was reading, but I was so thankful to be able to escape from this man's craziness.
I got back to Venice safely, hopped on the Vaparetto, and got back home! I uploaded my pictures, skyped with the fam (and Mer!), and went to sleep.
Final thoughts about my trip: I was so nervous about this trip. I had to plan everything for myself and was even traveling by myself for much of it. And yet, I LOVED EVERY minute! I was sceptical about Germany, but am now IN LOVE with it! I find myself back in Italy and thinking of all the new German phrases I have learned. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Germany. Austria was BEAUTIFUL, and getting to travel with Meredith was beyond amazing. I felt so independant on this trip. Being with Mer, though, made me miss home a little, just because that is something that we have in common. Also, being able to hang out with someone that I actually KNOW (better than 2 months worth..) was just so nice. We had some amazing chats and I am SO thankful that I got to travel with her! What an AMAZING 10 days!
Miss you all.
SOOO MUCH LOVE!
xoxo
PS- Daddy and Tracy are on their way here to Italy RIGHT NOW!!!! I cannot wait to see them this weekend!!!!
Mer and I got up and exchanged names with our new hostel friends. Then we packed up and headed out. We went to this MANSION. I can only equate it with the Biltmore house, but even that comparison doesn't suffice. This house made the Builtmore house look like a SHACK. It was huge and had stunning gardens! We walked around there for a while, saw the fountain in the back and just explored there. We had to head back to the hostel so that I could get my stuff and get the 8 hour train back to Venice.
Mer and I parted ways at the Westbahnhof and I was a mess. It took all of my strength to keep it together on the tram that took me to Sudbanhof from where my train was leaving. I got to the station in time to grab a quick snack and hop on. I was in a compartment with 2 women from Georgia. I am not sure what language they were speaking, but apparently my humor about also being from Georgia was lost in translation. We attempted to communicate, but they knew ZERO English words, and I don't even KNOW what language they spoke, so I clearly couldn't talk to them.
About five and a half hours in is where the train ride gets interesting. I had napped, read, watched Desperate Housewives on my iPod until it was dead, and was now looking out the window when Adraino joined our compartment. Adriano is about 35 years old and Italian. I love talking to Italians and practicing, so we start chatting away. His questions to me are a little different than mine to him. For example, I ask him where he is from, what he was doing on his trip, how he likes Italy. He asks me if I am married, how old I am, and if I like Italian men. Hmmm....
At one point, these two Georgian women, Adriano, and I were discussing the politics of the US, but all three speaking different languages... haha. Just imagine. I, as a general rule, don't discuss politics, but this conversation was like no other!!
So we chat for a while until he is about to get off when he leans in close to me and asks if I would get off with him so that he could kiss me. WHAT?!?!? I am sorry, how did we go from discussing Italy and politics to him wanting me to get off the train with him?!?! I spent the next 20 minutes trying to justify to a man whom I JUST met why I didn't feel comfortable getting off the train with him so he could kiss me. He got a little upset, and I was a little scared, especially becuase the two women next to me didn't understand ANYTHING and could therefore be of NO assistance. He got off, though, and I just said CIAO and went back to my book. I HATED the book I was reading, but I was so thankful to be able to escape from this man's craziness.
I got back to Venice safely, hopped on the Vaparetto, and got back home! I uploaded my pictures, skyped with the fam (and Mer!), and went to sleep.
Final thoughts about my trip: I was so nervous about this trip. I had to plan everything for myself and was even traveling by myself for much of it. And yet, I LOVED EVERY minute! I was sceptical about Germany, but am now IN LOVE with it! I find myself back in Italy and thinking of all the new German phrases I have learned. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Germany. Austria was BEAUTIFUL, and getting to travel with Meredith was beyond amazing. I felt so independant on this trip. Being with Mer, though, made me miss home a little, just because that is something that we have in common. Also, being able to hang out with someone that I actually KNOW (better than 2 months worth..) was just so nice. We had some amazing chats and I am SO thankful that I got to travel with her! What an AMAZING 10 days!
Miss you all.
SOOO MUCH LOVE!
xoxo
PS- Daddy and Tracy are on their way here to Italy RIGHT NOW!!!! I cannot wait to see them this weekend!!!!
Operation: Flow House.
Saturday, Oktober 11, 2008. Wien.
We "slept in," as in slept until about 9:30, grabbed some coffee and a croissant on the way to the train station and began our mission for the day. To find the Flow House. Let me take this opportunity to let my tour guide self tell you about the Flow House. Wake owns 3 houses, one in Venice (obviously), one in London, and one in Vienna. Seeing that I live in one of these houses, I thought it would be cool to visit another one. I talked to a few of the girls who live there and they were just starting their 10 day break, so I knew they wouldn't be there, but we still wanted to see it. We found the address online and asked our hostel people how to get there. The Wombat Hostel, by the way, is FABULOUS and the people there are SOO helpful. They gave us directions and we started on our way. We got a little turned around, however, because the directions they gave us were driving directions, and we were walking. But it actually turned out really well because Mer and I loved getting to figure it out via map on our own! We got there with almost NO trouble, and we had so much fun sovling our little puzzle!
When we got there, we rang the bell and the Wake professor there answered the door. She wasnt supposed to let us in, but she did ;). We got to walk around and see the place. I guess I am probably partial, but I like our house better.... It was very beautiful though different from ours. We left there in time for yet another picnic lunch (noticing a theme here?) After lunch, we saw a man in a motorized couch chair (yes, you read that correctly) who was setting up a petition to legalize heroin. Mer translated this dissertation that he taped to the ground which essentially blamed the US for both world wars, 9/11, and all of the drug problems of the world. His solution to this, logically, was to legalize heroin. As we were leaving that scene, we found some street perfomers that were SOOO COOL!!!!! Then we visited a few more of the sights we had not yet seen, shopped around, then headed back for the hotel.
Mer and I had a little internet time and swapped pictures. Then Ryan called and said he was coming back that night and wanted to see if we wanted to meet up. YES!! We met Ryan at Westbahnhof and went to this bar 1516 for a late dinner. We even got to see football highlights on the bar TV! Apparently we left the bar about 2 minutes too late because we missed the last train back to our station. So then we had to take the night bus. Not a problem...IF you know where the night bus is. We asked a bunch of people and eventually found it. There were still TONS of people out, so I am not sure what Vienna Public Transportation is thinking closing up shop so early. On the night bus, we got CONTROLLED AGAIN!!!! Seriously? We had tickets, but apparently that is SO rare. I am just lucky like that I guess. Back to the hostel safely.
In case you cant tell, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE VIENNA!!!
We "slept in," as in slept until about 9:30, grabbed some coffee and a croissant on the way to the train station and began our mission for the day. To find the Flow House. Let me take this opportunity to let my tour guide self tell you about the Flow House. Wake owns 3 houses, one in Venice (obviously), one in London, and one in Vienna. Seeing that I live in one of these houses, I thought it would be cool to visit another one. I talked to a few of the girls who live there and they were just starting their 10 day break, so I knew they wouldn't be there, but we still wanted to see it. We found the address online and asked our hostel people how to get there. The Wombat Hostel, by the way, is FABULOUS and the people there are SOO helpful. They gave us directions and we started on our way. We got a little turned around, however, because the directions they gave us were driving directions, and we were walking. But it actually turned out really well because Mer and I loved getting to figure it out via map on our own! We got there with almost NO trouble, and we had so much fun sovling our little puzzle!
When we got there, we rang the bell and the Wake professor there answered the door. She wasnt supposed to let us in, but she did ;). We got to walk around and see the place. I guess I am probably partial, but I like our house better.... It was very beautiful though different from ours. We left there in time for yet another picnic lunch (noticing a theme here?) After lunch, we saw a man in a motorized couch chair (yes, you read that correctly) who was setting up a petition to legalize heroin. Mer translated this dissertation that he taped to the ground which essentially blamed the US for both world wars, 9/11, and all of the drug problems of the world. His solution to this, logically, was to legalize heroin. As we were leaving that scene, we found some street perfomers that were SOOO COOL!!!!! Then we visited a few more of the sights we had not yet seen, shopped around, then headed back for the hotel.
Mer and I had a little internet time and swapped pictures. Then Ryan called and said he was coming back that night and wanted to see if we wanted to meet up. YES!! We met Ryan at Westbahnhof and went to this bar 1516 for a late dinner. We even got to see football highlights on the bar TV! Apparently we left the bar about 2 minutes too late because we missed the last train back to our station. So then we had to take the night bus. Not a problem...IF you know where the night bus is. We asked a bunch of people and eventually found it. There were still TONS of people out, so I am not sure what Vienna Public Transportation is thinking closing up shop so early. On the night bus, we got CONTROLLED AGAIN!!!! Seriously? We had tickets, but apparently that is SO rare. I am just lucky like that I guess. Back to the hostel safely.
In case you cant tell, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE VIENNA!!!
At last, reunited with Mer: Vienna Day 1
Friday, Oktober 10, 2008. Vienna Austria.
After successfully getting up at 4:30 and making it to my train on time, I finally arrived in Vienna. Meredith was waiting for me on the train platform and I couldnt have been more excited to see her. 36 hours is a long time, especially when you are by yourself for those 36 hours. We had talked with Ryan (who studies in Vienna) the night before, so we were meeting up with him too. He took us to breakfast at this great little cafe--where we accidentally almost left without paying...oops--and we had great breakfast wraps! Mer and I HAD to drop off our stuff because our backs were dying, so after we said bye to Ryan who was heading out of town later that day, we went back to the hostel to drop off our stuff.
We checked in but couldn't get into the room yet, so we got a map, and decided to venture out into the city for a while. We saw SO MANY beautiful places in Vienna. (PLEASE SEE MY PICTURES! They are up now!) We grabbed some brie, bread, and jam from a grocery store and sat down by a water fountain and had the most delightful picnic! We went to the opera house because we wanted to get tickets to that nights ballet. Usually students get standing room tickets for 3 euro, but we splurged for 5 more euro and got a box seat! We walked around until about 4:00 where we both just crashed and decided that for the rest of the day to be the slightest bit productive, we would have to nap. So we did.
When we woke up, one of our hostel-mates was there. We got to talking with her and guess what we discovered?!?! SHE IS A TRI DELT TOO!! haha, go figure! (there is a picture to document, don't even worry). Anyway, we got up, got dressed, and headed over to the opera. We packed another picnic that we ate on the steps of the Albertina Museum (where Mer found a guy who lives SO close to her house at home!) and then went to the ballet.
We couldn't see much because we were at a bad angle, but it was still such a cool experience. The building itself was AMAZING and HEY, I was at a ballet in an opera house in Vienna!! We went home from there, but not quite to bed. Once we got back, we went down to the lounge/bar area of the hostel to hang out and make some friends. And a "friend" we made... More like this Persian guy from Iran wanted to take Mer salsa dancing and she woudln't go and he got hostile. Luckily our other new friend Andrew from Philadephia rescued us. We finally escaped from there to shower and hop in bed for another day of Vienna.
After successfully getting up at 4:30 and making it to my train on time, I finally arrived in Vienna. Meredith was waiting for me on the train platform and I couldnt have been more excited to see her. 36 hours is a long time, especially when you are by yourself for those 36 hours. We had talked with Ryan (who studies in Vienna) the night before, so we were meeting up with him too. He took us to breakfast at this great little cafe--where we accidentally almost left without paying...oops--and we had great breakfast wraps! Mer and I HAD to drop off our stuff because our backs were dying, so after we said bye to Ryan who was heading out of town later that day, we went back to the hostel to drop off our stuff.
We checked in but couldn't get into the room yet, so we got a map, and decided to venture out into the city for a while. We saw SO MANY beautiful places in Vienna. (PLEASE SEE MY PICTURES! They are up now!) We grabbed some brie, bread, and jam from a grocery store and sat down by a water fountain and had the most delightful picnic! We went to the opera house because we wanted to get tickets to that nights ballet. Usually students get standing room tickets for 3 euro, but we splurged for 5 more euro and got a box seat! We walked around until about 4:00 where we both just crashed and decided that for the rest of the day to be the slightest bit productive, we would have to nap. So we did.
When we woke up, one of our hostel-mates was there. We got to talking with her and guess what we discovered?!?! SHE IS A TRI DELT TOO!! haha, go figure! (there is a picture to document, don't even worry). Anyway, we got up, got dressed, and headed over to the opera. We packed another picnic that we ate on the steps of the Albertina Museum (where Mer found a guy who lives SO close to her house at home!) and then went to the ballet.
We couldn't see much because we were at a bad angle, but it was still such a cool experience. The building itself was AMAZING and HEY, I was at a ballet in an opera house in Vienna!! We went home from there, but not quite to bed. Once we got back, we went down to the lounge/bar area of the hostel to hang out and make some friends. And a "friend" we made... More like this Persian guy from Iran wanted to take Mer salsa dancing and she woudln't go and he got hostile. Luckily our other new friend Andrew from Philadephia rescued us. We finally escaped from there to shower and hop in bed for another day of Vienna.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Hills are indeed Alive!
Wednesday & Thursday , Oktober 8 &9 , 2008. Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg was GREAT!!!! I was very nervous about going because I was traveling alone for the first time in my life... I was not so much worried about my safety as much as worried about who I was going to eat with, who I would talk to, etc. Mer so very kindly walked me to the train and waited with me until it got there. I boarded and was on my way! My train went directly to Salzburg without me having to change trains which was nice, but I did have to move CARS because the train split up mid trip. NBD.
When I got to Salzburg, I pulled out my itenerary which had EVERYTHING I needed for the trip in it and looked for my directions. They said follow signs for the city center, pass under a bridge etc. No problem, right? WRONG. I forgot that the signs for "city center" that I would be looking for would be IN GERMAN and I no longer had my trusty German translater, one Meredith Edrington. I made some educated guesses and convinced myself that I was correct, and luckily ended up in the right place! I checked in behind 2 Canadian girls and ended up in the same room as them. Once up in the room, we started chatting and we went to dinner together! It was nice to have someone to eat with, especially because I had been nervous about who I would eat with!
I came back, grabbed my book, and headed for the eating area to read a little. A girl from Australia ("Straaal-ya") joined me, then a guy from Australia, a guy from Canada, and 2 more Australian girls. We sat around talking, but then I retired for the night knowing that I was getting up the next day for the SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!!!
I got up early Thursday morning, grabbed some breakfast, and waited for the tour to pick me up. (door to door service!! nice!!!) We went and met the bus where I made my friend Emily. She is 4 years old and from Australia. Her favorite movie is the Sound of Music and she loves her vacation to Europe because she got to leave her brothers at home. She was ADORABLE!! We visited all of the sights (that we could) from the movie including the "curtain clothes in the trees" scene, the tipped over canoe scene, the church where Maria got married, etc. It was WONDERFUL! We listened to the soundtrack while driving from place to place. It was just wonderful!!! After the tour, we ended up at the gardens where the "Do Re Mi" scene was filmed and I ran into two of the guys I met the night before from the hostel. We walked around together, found a castle, explored. Again, it was nice to have friends to talk to and walk around with! They even spoke English! SWEEEET!!
We went back to the hostel where we watched the end of the Sound of Music--the perfect ending to the day! I got on the computer then showered and hopped in bed (I was leaving the next morning on a train at 6 am, so getting up at 4:30 to pack and walk to the station! eek). I COULD NOT WAIT to meet back up with Mer. Did I mention that I just LOVE HER?!?!? :)
--Its late here, Ill finish telling you about Vienna tomorrow!
Salzburg was GREAT!!!! I was very nervous about going because I was traveling alone for the first time in my life... I was not so much worried about my safety as much as worried about who I was going to eat with, who I would talk to, etc. Mer so very kindly walked me to the train and waited with me until it got there. I boarded and was on my way! My train went directly to Salzburg without me having to change trains which was nice, but I did have to move CARS because the train split up mid trip. NBD.
When I got to Salzburg, I pulled out my itenerary which had EVERYTHING I needed for the trip in it and looked for my directions. They said follow signs for the city center, pass under a bridge etc. No problem, right? WRONG. I forgot that the signs for "city center" that I would be looking for would be IN GERMAN and I no longer had my trusty German translater, one Meredith Edrington. I made some educated guesses and convinced myself that I was correct, and luckily ended up in the right place! I checked in behind 2 Canadian girls and ended up in the same room as them. Once up in the room, we started chatting and we went to dinner together! It was nice to have someone to eat with, especially because I had been nervous about who I would eat with!
I came back, grabbed my book, and headed for the eating area to read a little. A girl from Australia ("Straaal-ya") joined me, then a guy from Australia, a guy from Canada, and 2 more Australian girls. We sat around talking, but then I retired for the night knowing that I was getting up the next day for the SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!!!
I got up early Thursday morning, grabbed some breakfast, and waited for the tour to pick me up. (door to door service!! nice!!!) We went and met the bus where I made my friend Emily. She is 4 years old and from Australia. Her favorite movie is the Sound of Music and she loves her vacation to Europe because she got to leave her brothers at home. She was ADORABLE!! We visited all of the sights (that we could) from the movie including the "curtain clothes in the trees" scene, the tipped over canoe scene, the church where Maria got married, etc. It was WONDERFUL! We listened to the soundtrack while driving from place to place. It was just wonderful!!! After the tour, we ended up at the gardens where the "Do Re Mi" scene was filmed and I ran into two of the guys I met the night before from the hostel. We walked around together, found a castle, explored. Again, it was nice to have friends to talk to and walk around with! They even spoke English! SWEEEET!!
We went back to the hostel where we watched the end of the Sound of Music--the perfect ending to the day! I got on the computer then showered and hopped in bed (I was leaving the next morning on a train at 6 am, so getting up at 4:30 to pack and walk to the station! eek). I COULD NOT WAIT to meet back up with Mer. Did I mention that I just LOVE HER?!?!? :)
--Its late here, Ill finish telling you about Vienna tomorrow!
Good News and Bad News: the Transition from Berlin to Salzburg
Sunday, October 12, 2008. Back in VENICE!
Good news: I have decided to break up the past week into days to make the posts less daunting.
Bad news: I cannot seem to find my planner, so I will be trying to recall everything from my memory....
Tuesday, Oktober 7, 2008 Berlin
Tuesday night with Mer was one of the highlights of the week, if not my semester thus far. We got some chocolate and wine, and after we made a serious dent in THAT, we cuddled up in her bed and fell asleep. It was just delightful. We did eventually wake up in the night sweating profusely and got into our respective beds, but we DID fall asleep cuddling. I got a good nights sleep which was GREAT because I was getting up early to leave for Salzburg!
Good news: I have decided to break up the past week into days to make the posts less daunting.
Bad news: I cannot seem to find my planner, so I will be trying to recall everything from my memory....
Tuesday, Oktober 7, 2008 Berlin
Tuesday night with Mer was one of the highlights of the week, if not my semester thus far. We got some chocolate and wine, and after we made a serious dent in THAT, we cuddled up in her bed and fell asleep. It was just delightful. We did eventually wake up in the night sweating profusely and got into our respective beds, but we DID fall asleep cuddling. I got a good nights sleep which was GREAT because I was getting up early to leave for Salzburg!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Loving Germany!
Tuesday, Oktober 7, 2008. Berlin, Germany!
Let me just start out by sharing my initial thoughts and feelings towards Germany. I had no motivation whatsoever to come visit here. I didn't love the food, certainly don't love the history, don't know the people, so really...Mer was pretty much my only reason for continuing my visit to this country (beyond Oktobefest, of course!) However, since coming here, I have found myself ENTHRALLED with its history! Yes, you read that right, McKinley is interested in the history of something! Let me tell you why!
Monday morning, we went to Mer's school which conveniently enough is right by where the free bike tour of Berlin meets! Scratch that, let me start with an even more interesting story. Mer has never gotten "controlled" which is when German train officials demand to see your tickets. So it would clearly be when I was with her that they would try that on her. They demanded my ticket and passport (which I didnt have with me at the time). I was so scared because he was essentially yelling at me in German, which I don't understand. Super. We survived that with a warning "It was a small misunderstanding" and got on with our day. We got to the IES building and it was misting. When I got to the tour (right after I got 30 minutes of internet when I started my other post) the tour guide told me that the tour would not run, but that I could instead go on a walking tour. Yeah, right. I'll be sure to do that. Luckily 24 more people promptly showed up and the tour was on!! We got to visit:
Mer and I went to lunch at the Doner Kabab place (a whole in the wall, essentially...) and ate like queens. Then we went to the Berliner Dom (a STUNNING church) and walked around. We went up to the balcony to take pictures and ended up hanging out there for a while which was so nice, we even got to actually PRAY in a church--go figure. Mer had class again that night from 6-8, so I came back to her center and emailed and skyped. After her class, we came back home to cuddle and shower. GOOD DAY!!!
This morning, we got up. Meredith dropped me off at Checkpoint Charlie so that I could visit the museum. It had lots of survivor stories about how people smuggled themselves in hollowed out surfboards etc. It was very interesting. Then, I, BY MYSELF, traversed the city (with VERY specific instructions from Mer, but nonetheless...) to the Holocaust Museum. En route, I did a little shopping and am now the proud owner of a new black knee-length coat!! AAAND its super soft!! At the museum, I got to walk through and read all sorts of stories again. Again, I could not even believe how interested I was in the history! Mer was excited too, because she is OBSESSED with all things German. I then met up with Mer at the train station so we could go to Alexanderplatz where there is a mall and other cool things to see. We walked around, took some pictures, then returned to her neighborhood to the TURKISH MARKET!! Again with the market, Eli, you would have DIED!!! It was so cool!! I bought some rasins, banana chips, chashews, apples, a scarf... it was great!!! Did I mention that I love Germany?!?!? Now we are back at Mer's house sharing some delightful food and even better company. Tomorrow my train leaves at 9:00, so its going to be an early morning, but I have had such a wonderful time! Life is good!
Having a ball!!
xoxo
QUOTE OF BERLIN: "Are we going to DRIVE all the way to Berlin, or are we actually going to take off?!?!" -Meredith Edrington, love of my live, upon being in a plane driving on the runway for longer than usual.
PS I didn't bring my computer, so I can't share pictures yet, sorry. But they will be up later, don't you even worry!
Let me just start out by sharing my initial thoughts and feelings towards Germany. I had no motivation whatsoever to come visit here. I didn't love the food, certainly don't love the history, don't know the people, so really...Mer was pretty much my only reason for continuing my visit to this country (beyond Oktobefest, of course!) However, since coming here, I have found myself ENTHRALLED with its history! Yes, you read that right, McKinley is interested in the history of something! Let me tell you why!
Monday morning, we went to Mer's school which conveniently enough is right by where the free bike tour of Berlin meets! Scratch that, let me start with an even more interesting story. Mer has never gotten "controlled" which is when German train officials demand to see your tickets. So it would clearly be when I was with her that they would try that on her. They demanded my ticket and passport (which I didnt have with me at the time). I was so scared because he was essentially yelling at me in German, which I don't understand. Super. We survived that with a warning "It was a small misunderstanding" and got on with our day. We got to the IES building and it was misting. When I got to the tour (right after I got 30 minutes of internet when I started my other post) the tour guide told me that the tour would not run, but that I could instead go on a walking tour. Yeah, right. I'll be sure to do that. Luckily 24 more people promptly showed up and the tour was on!! We got to visit:
- The Brandenburg Gate
- The Reichstag
- The Holocaust Memorial
- Museum Island
- SS Headquarters
- Gendarmenmarkt
- Above Hitler's Bunker
- Checkpoint Charlie
Mer and I went to lunch at the Doner Kabab place (a whole in the wall, essentially...) and ate like queens. Then we went to the Berliner Dom (a STUNNING church) and walked around. We went up to the balcony to take pictures and ended up hanging out there for a while which was so nice, we even got to actually PRAY in a church--go figure. Mer had class again that night from 6-8, so I came back to her center and emailed and skyped. After her class, we came back home to cuddle and shower. GOOD DAY!!!
This morning, we got up. Meredith dropped me off at Checkpoint Charlie so that I could visit the museum. It had lots of survivor stories about how people smuggled themselves in hollowed out surfboards etc. It was very interesting. Then, I, BY MYSELF, traversed the city (with VERY specific instructions from Mer, but nonetheless...) to the Holocaust Museum. En route, I did a little shopping and am now the proud owner of a new black knee-length coat!! AAAND its super soft!! At the museum, I got to walk through and read all sorts of stories again. Again, I could not even believe how interested I was in the history! Mer was excited too, because she is OBSESSED with all things German. I then met up with Mer at the train station so we could go to Alexanderplatz where there is a mall and other cool things to see. We walked around, took some pictures, then returned to her neighborhood to the TURKISH MARKET!! Again with the market, Eli, you would have DIED!!! It was so cool!! I bought some rasins, banana chips, chashews, apples, a scarf... it was great!!! Did I mention that I love Germany?!?!? Now we are back at Mer's house sharing some delightful food and even better company. Tomorrow my train leaves at 9:00, so its going to be an early morning, but I have had such a wonderful time! Life is good!
Having a ball!!
xoxo
QUOTE OF BERLIN: "Are we going to DRIVE all the way to Berlin, or are we actually going to take off?!?!" -Meredith Edrington, love of my live, upon being in a plane driving on the runway for longer than usual.
PS I didn't bring my computer, so I can't share pictures yet, sorry. But they will be up later, don't you even worry!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ich spreche kein Deutsch.
Monday, Oktober 6, 2008 BERLIN, GERMANY!!! (for the first time, something other than Greece or VENICE!)
I don't have much time to write this post, because I am going on a bike tour of Berlin in just a few minutes, but I wanted everyone to know that I had a GREAT time in Munich!! I promise to post the details a little bit later if I don't get them in on this post (as in a few hours when I get back from the bike tour and Meredith is in her 6-8 class. Typing on this computer is quite difficult actually because the z and y are mixed up. Plus the shift key is shorter so I end up with "i" instead of "I" a lot... oh well.... Plus there is no spell check like there is on my computer, so I am really very sorry.
Thursday night slash Friday morning: Kayla, Megan, Ana and I set out on our overnight adventure. I was very nervous because the Munich plans were pretty much my responsibility and I was feeling a lot of pressure that everyone have fun and met up etc. But once we got on the train, it was fine. Kayla and I ended up in a compartment with one other guy (sketchball that he was). He pulled down this little bed thing above the chairs, so Kayla and I got to spread out on our chairs and have a delightful nights sleep! kinda... We got to the train station around 6,00 am and spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out which train to take to this OTHER train station to meet up with Mer. After waiting for a while, we found her and headed to the hotel. This is where I was SUPER nervous because we were trying to get 7 people into a 2 person room (an expensive hotel is much more managable 7 ways than 2. Don't judge) Despite being questioned about our excessive baggage and extra people, we (didn't lie simply) EVADED questions.
We then decided to go visit Dachau, the concentration camp in Dachau (slightly outside Munich). I am so glad that I went, but it was a very sobering and sad experience. We saw the places where thousands and thousands of people slept and died. Meredith was with us and she had visited twice before (she is also is essentially fluent in German and lived in Munich one summer...) so she was our unofficial tour guide. Like I said, I am glad I went and would have been disappointed if I didn't, but it was so depressing there. The rain didnt help.
We walked around a bunch and saw some really cool things like Marianplatz (sorry, Mer, if I misspelled that...). In the train station there, we ran into Paige Harryman, one of my classmates at Wake and sorority sisters!!!!! IN ALL OF MUNICH, we WOULD be in the same train station.... haha We also happened upon a Oktoberfest tent where we had a little snack. It was SOO cool!!!! We grabbed pretzels and waited to meet up with Katie and Ryan, other wake friends staying with us in our hotel. We met up with them and explored Munich. This is when I learned my one and only German phrase (thus the title...)
We found dinner at this PRECIOUS little restaurant for dinner. They had some authentic food (apparently, thats what I was told...) After dinner, we walked around a little and headed back to the hotel where we were going to squish 6 people into 2 twin beds and a teeeeeny bit of floor. super. The girls slept on the bed (there were 3 of us) and the boys (well, at that point, only Ryan) slept on the floor. The boys were so gentlemanly about the whole thing and it was actually pretty fun! (well, I can say that having slept on the bed...) It was like a big sleepover! The other two more boys (Matt and Joe) came in late. Wow. Day one down.
Saturday: The boys who got in late got up at 6 am to get into the tents, but we just decided that we were going to "sleep in" until 9 and head on out. So we did (minus sleeping through our alarm...whoops...). We stopped by a German bakery and I had the most DELICIOUS croissant and this bar that was a mix between mixed-nut brittle and granola... it was divine. Oh yeah, and a cappuccino. Then we headed over to Oktoberfest. We found out that Joe and Matt couldn't make it in, so clearly we HAD to get in to show them up. Afterall, they had been there for 4 hours already and didnt make it in. Don't even worry. We walked right up, and walked right in. No problemo. I think that they want to let in more girls (to bring the boys, and thus more beer, and more money...) so they were willing to let us in. It was INSANE. Singing breaking out all the time, and just general craziness. Friday was German's equivalent of the Fourth of July, so they were feeling very patriotic that weekend. People would just start singing, there was a BAND in the middle of the tent (I am not kidding...). When I say tent, you might be thinking like a camping tent, well that is what I was thinking, but no, this is like a building. A huge building filled with German beer. Oh Germany, I do love you. We didn't have reservations, so we had to table hop as we kept getting kicked out, but we eventually befriended our friends Max, Alex, and American-do-rag-guy (I forgot his name...oops). We stayed there for the next few hours (minus a quick walk around the rides etc with Kayla. We were also sitting right next to the exit (guarded by the security guard) but we befriended him also and with a little persuasion he let Zach, Jaimie, and Karen in the side door!! One point for us.
When we FINALLY left the tent and decided to head to dinner in the direction of our hotel, we ran into another Wake group!! We also purposely met up with some other Wake students. We headed to dinner at this wonderful little restaurant where I had a delicious baked potato with chicken and cheese!! :) After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for showers and an early night! LOVE THOSE!
Sunday was our last day in Munich. People were leaving at all different times, so we all kinda did our own things. Mer and I were not flying out until 8:30 pm (or 20:30 if you want to go Euro with me). This means another whole day to sight see!! We went to the English Gardens and walked around , saw the Chinese tower, had coffee with one of Mer's Munich friends, visited the Olympic grounds from the 1972 Munich Olympics (close to my heart having visited the Atlanta Centennial Park only about a thousand times)!! Around 4:30 or so, we decided that we had seen everything we wanted to see and headed towards the airport to relieve some of our stress about flying from Munich to Berlin. Our flight was uneventful except that Berlin lovingly greeted us with GROSS rain. Boo. We decided to taxi-it home because in the rain with my bag it would take about a hour and a half and it would just be miserable.
We arrived (on the FIFTH floor mind you) to Mer's house and it is WONDERFUL! It is a cozy apartment with her host mom and host brother. I have a little palate on the floor, but in reality, Mer and I spend a lot of time cuddling on her bed... We went RIGHT to sleep.
Munich, I LOVED YOU. But I am moving on. Sorry. Here I am, Berlin!!!
I don't have much time to write this post, because I am going on a bike tour of Berlin in just a few minutes, but I wanted everyone to know that I had a GREAT time in Munich!! I promise to post the details a little bit later if I don't get them in on this post (as in a few hours when I get back from the bike tour and Meredith is in her 6-8 class. Typing on this computer is quite difficult actually because the z and y are mixed up. Plus the shift key is shorter so I end up with "i" instead of "I" a lot... oh well.... Plus there is no spell check like there is on my computer, so I am really very sorry.
Thursday night
We then decided to go visit Dachau, the concentration camp in Dachau (slightly outside Munich). I am so glad that I went, but it was a very sobering and sad experience. We saw the places where thousands and thousands of people slept and died. Meredith was with us and she had visited twice before (she is also is essentially fluent in German and lived in Munich one summer...) so she was our unofficial tour guide. Like I said, I am glad I went and would have been disappointed if I didn't, but it was so depressing there. The rain didnt help.
We walked around a bunch and saw some really cool things like Marianplatz (sorry, Mer, if I misspelled that...). In the train station there, we ran into Paige Harryman, one of my classmates at Wake and sorority sisters!!!!! IN ALL OF MUNICH, we WOULD be in the same train station.... haha We also happened upon a Oktoberfest tent where we had a little snack. It was SOO cool!!!! We grabbed pretzels and waited to meet up with Katie and Ryan, other wake friends staying with us in our hotel. We met up with them and explored Munich. This is when I learned my one and only German phrase (thus the title...)
We found dinner at this PRECIOUS little restaurant for dinner. They had some authentic food (apparently, thats what I was told...) After dinner, we walked around a little and headed back to the hotel where we were going to squish 6 people into 2 twin beds and a teeeeeny bit of floor. super. The girls slept on the bed (there were 3 of us) and the boys (well, at that point, only Ryan) slept on the floor. The boys were so gentlemanly about the whole thing and it was actually pretty fun! (well, I can say that having slept on the bed...) It was like a big sleepover! The other two more boys (Matt and Joe) came in late. Wow. Day one down.
Saturday:
When we FINALLY left the tent and decided to head to dinner in the direction of our hotel, we ran into another Wake group!! We also purposely met up with some other Wake students. We headed to dinner at this wonderful little restaurant where I had a delicious baked potato with chicken and cheese!! :) After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for showers and an early night! LOVE THOSE!
Sunday was our last day in Munich. People were leaving at all different times, so we all kinda did our own things. Mer and I were not flying out until 8:30 pm (or 20:30 if you want to go Euro with me). This means another whole day to sight see!! We went to the English Gardens and walked around , saw the Chinese tower, had coffee with one of Mer's Munich friends, visited the Olympic grounds from the 1972 Munich Olympics (close to my heart having visited the Atlanta Centennial Park only about a thousand times)!! Around 4:30 or so, we decided that we had seen everything we wanted to see and headed towards the airport to relieve some of our stress about flying from Munich to Berlin. Our flight was uneventful except that Berlin lovingly greeted us with GROSS rain. Boo. We decided to taxi-it home because in the rain with my bag it would take about a hour and a half and it would just be miserable.
We arrived (on the FIFTH floor mind you) to Mer's house and it is WONDERFUL! It is a cozy apartment with her host mom and host brother. I have a little palate on the floor, but in reality, Mer and I spend a lot of time cuddling on her bed... We went RIGHT to sleep.
Munich, I LOVED YOU. But I am moving on. Sorry. Here I am, Berlin!!!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Germany and Austria HERE I COME!!!!
Thursdsay, October 2, 2008. Venice, but soon to be Munich!!
Today marks the end of the first round of MIDTERMS!!! YESSS!! And you know that feeling you get when you finish a test or a big project--that fewf relief you feel? Well I dont have it. I am embarking on a 10 day journey of Germany and Austria speaking all of 3 German words and having next to no idea about what I am doing. Sweet.
My midterms went OK, I guess. But the good news is that it is over. For now. Until I return for my Italian and Art History midterms. But until then, I will be visiting Oktoberfest, Mer in Berlin, the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and who knows what in Vienna!! I am not sure if I will have internet access, but I am being optimistic and bringing my computer, so well see!!! Be thinking of me nervously traveling!!
In any case, Ana, Megan, Kayla and I leave for our overnight train to Munich tonight, and are meeting up with the gang tomorrow morning. I think we might be going to Dachau for the morning and then coming back to sight see. Not sure exactly what our plans are yet... Ill try to keep you posted!
Miss yall!
xoxo
mckin
Today marks the end of the first round of MIDTERMS!!! YESSS!! And you know that feeling you get when you finish a test or a big project--that fewf relief you feel? Well I dont have it. I am embarking on a 10 day journey of Germany and Austria speaking all of 3 German words and having next to no idea about what I am doing. Sweet.
My midterms went OK, I guess. But the good news is that it is over. For now. Until I return for my Italian and Art History midterms. But until then, I will be visiting Oktoberfest, Mer in Berlin, the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and who knows what in Vienna!! I am not sure if I will have internet access, but I am being optimistic and bringing my computer, so well see!!! Be thinking of me nervously traveling!!
In any case, Ana, Megan, Kayla and I leave for our overnight train to Munich tonight, and are meeting up with the gang tomorrow morning. I think we might be going to Dachau for the morning and then coming back to sight see. Not sure exactly what our plans are yet... Ill try to keep you posted!
Miss yall!
xoxo
mckin
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
MIDTERMS=bane of my existence .
Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
I wish I had something interesting to update you on (other than the fact that I leave tomorrow for the most exciting 10 days thus far!!!). Midterms. Gross. Enough said.
I am hoping to take my laptop to Germany and Austria with me so I can keep you updated. In the mean time, be thinking of me sitting at a desk miserably taking midterms.
Bleh.
I wish I had something interesting to update you on (other than the fact that I leave tomorrow for the most exciting 10 days thus far!!!). Midterms. Gross. Enough said.
I am hoping to take my laptop to Germany and Austria with me so I can keep you updated. In the mean time, be thinking of me sitting at a desk miserably taking midterms.
Bleh.
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