I'm noticing, as my experience abroad continues, that each new experience seems to top the last. Which begs the question, how good can life really get? Last week was by far one of, if not the greatest of my life. Let me tell you all about it. Monday and Tuesday were typical. I went to Mutual on Monday and had a great time. Tuesday I hung out with Willow for the evening. We ate Frankfurters, she convinced me to register for a City-Bike, and then we ended up in a rather large grocery store near my house. I went home that night with some junk food for our trip the next morning. I got home, wrote some emails, packed and went to sleep. The next morning was the start of an awesome 5 day trip that would take me to the most beautiful places I had ever seen. Our first destination was the concentration camp Mauthausen. It was a humbling experience. I couldn't grasp the level of evil involved in such a place. How could hatred become so easy, so enjoyable?
Why are humans so despicable? My mind has spent a lot of time trying to figure out the process of justification. Do I have control over that process, or does it have control over me? I hope for my sake the former is true.
From Mauthausen we traveled to St. Florian, a monastary made famous by Anton Bruckner. I must say that it was just what I needed after seeing Mauthausen. The monastary was beautiful, and is still functioning today. We took a short tour, which ended in the Catacombs. The favorable acoustics prompted Cindy, our program director, to ask the group to sing a few hymns. A perfect compliment to the day's earlier activity. We renewed our spirits, and were ready to travel to our next destination. An hour and a
half later we arrived in Hallstatt, a picturesque town nestled between towering alps. It was dinner time, so the group ventured into the town for food. I tagged along with a smaller group. We ended up in a local place a few minutes away from the main road. We walked through the door and were greeted by several bar-regulars who were smoking and drinking. I ordered the Schnitzel...
which I rather enjoyed. Most fried things or pretty good. I also got a dessert, something I never do. After dinner we walked around Hallstatt. There isn't much of a nightlife in a town like that... in fact I don't recall seeing a single person on the streets. We did see, however, a few stray cats, and a couple of horses. Horses that were contained by an electrified fence... one that I had to test out... haha. It didn't look electrified! It was a very enjoyable evening. I got to know some of the coolest people in our group. The next morning we woke up bright and early. We had to beat the crowds that would eventually show up at Hallstatt's Salt mine. We took a tram up into the mountains, and then hiked for about 10 minutes to the Mine's enterance. They gave us jump suits to wear... mine was blue:) The mine wasn't particularly impressive. However, contained within the mine were two slides used by the miners to get places quicker. Both were very fun! After the mine we hiked, as a group, up to a Waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful!
I've never been in a forest so green... so lush... so completely perfect! On our way back it began to rain. We were all soaked by the time we got to town, so we rushed to a place where we could get warm. We ended up in a cafe right on Hallstatt lake. The view was beautiful! I ordered a hot chocolate, and a shredded pancake dish. Both were very good. I did notice something as I enjoyed my meal. When you come to Europe you'll notice things are not as sweet as they are in the states, however things are far more salty. Or maybe I just have a nack for finding salty things to eat:) After lunch we walked up to a church that contained a catacomb with painted skulls. Painted on each skull was the person's name, date they died, and a little design of the painter's choice. Very interesting... the graveyard isn't big enough for everyone who dies, so apparetly they have to dig people up for their space. 
We left Halstatt that evening. We took a short detour on our way to Salzburg to see a famous altar in St. Wolfgang. Its insured for 1.5 million Euros! We arrived in Salzburg late that night. We were all very tired, and after some short, random conversations, we all went to bed. The next morning we took a tour of the city. It was definitely not what I expected. I pictured Salzburg a lot larger, and a lot... dare I say, prettier:) It was a very nice place to spend a day. We got to see some of the places where the sound of music was filmed. I guess if you love that movie, then that would be exciting. I also got to see the birthplace of Mozart... which has been turned into an expensive, crappy museum. We were told not to bother going in. After the tour a group of us went to the oldest resturaunt in the world for lunch. It was founded in 809! Everything was rediculously expensive, so we ended up getting hot chocolate and soup... for 10 Euros! If i had wanted a meal I would have paid over 20 Euros. After lunch a group of us walked up to the castle and sat on its wall to enjoy the view. I'm a sucker for a good view. I can't get enough:) We left Salzburg that afternoon and headed to Hellbrunn. It was a day palace for the Archbishop Markus Sittikus.
The guy certainly had a sense of humor. The grounds have several "watergames" that were used to play pranks on his guests. We had a really fun tour guide, and despite having many opportunites to get wet, I managed to stay dry. After our tour of Hellbrunn, we traveled to our final destination of the trip, Dorfgastein. Another gorgeous country town surrounded by the alps. I stayed in a beautiful and comfortable vacation apartment. That night I hung out with the girls on the floor above us. We watched half of "The Mask of Zorro." The next morning proved to be one of my favorite days of the trip. We met, again, bright and early for yet another hike. My second hike in the alps! We ascended into the mountains by tram, up and over the clouds. It was breathtaking! There was snow on the ground, but not so much that it bothered me. We took the scenic route which gave us panoramic views of the mountains. We stopped halfway at a resturaunt and were served drinks and sandwiches... if you ever go, I recommend staying away from the cheese. It smelled and tasted very much like feet. I took the tram down the mountain, rather than hiking the entire way down. I spent the rest of the day relaxing. That night a group of us made
dinner, pasta and salad. It turned out pretty good for the ingredients we had to work with. The next morning was Sunday, and we all attended Dorgastein's annual Thanksgiving Mass. I've always wanted to go to Mass, and now I can say I attended Mass... in the Alps:) It was a lovely service, although I understood very little. The choir was quite enjoyable. After the service the locals, dressed in traditional clothing, had a Thanksgiving procession. It was very cool to see a local tradition
. That evening, the owner of our vacation apartments taught us a local game. Similar to horse shoes, one throws a hunk of metal at a white peg 30 meters away. The object is to get the closest to the white peg. It was very interesting. That night we made dinner again. This time we made beef soup. It was very delicious considering, once again, we had very little to work with. I stayed up late that night talking... not such a good idea. The next morning was our big hike... the hardest of the trip. The entire thing was incredibly steep. Michelle and I declared ourselves hiking buddies. We chanted each other on as we panted up the mountain. I thought I wasn't going to make it... I started feeling sick. We stopped at a bench to rest, and I clasped my hands together and prayed for help to reach our destination. After a rather large incline I threw up, and after that I felt great:) Prayers are answered no matter where you are. Our destination was Amoseralm, a small resturaunt-like house. We were served, what we were told would be, an all you can eat brunch filled with local specialties. Unfortunately after a hike like that, the breakfast failed to meet expectations. We were served eggs, some cake/biscuit stuff, hot chocolate, and of course the traditional bread, meat, and cheese(remember to stay away from the cheese). The hike down proved to be far more enjoyable. We stopped to feed a group of young cows. They were shy at first, but we won them over with... I suppose our patience:) We also came across some horses as well. We fed them apples 
from trees growing in their pen. Horses are so cool! I wish to someday own one. I got back to my apartment and showered. I considered hiking, or biking, or doing something involving movement. But after some thought I realized I had had enough excersize for the day. We left Dorfgastein by train Monday evening. It was bittersweet. The town was so beautiful, but I have to say I am happy to be back in Vienna... even if its raining. And I won't be in Vienna for long because we leave for Italy next week! I'm so excited! So... that was my week. I can't believe we packed so much in only 5 days. I've seen more in the past three weeks than I've seen my entire life.
So I guess summer is officially over in Vienna, and the cold season begins. I don't necessarily mind. I just hope it doesn't snow too much. Snow is OK in small quantities, but when you have it for 3 months, it tends to get on your nerves. I was happy when my host family told me it doesn't snow very much. So yesterday Ich habe Mitagessen mit meine Gastfamilie gehabt (lunch with my host family). It was really good. She served pumpkin soup, pot roast and potatos, then crepes for dessert. Later that night a group of us went to go see Swan Lake. It was fun... and cold... and windy. I made it through about 3/4 of it before I decided to call it quits. I'm really not a ballet person. I love the music, but I find the dancing a bit mundane. After a while it all starts to look similar. Monday evening I went to institute. They had dinner there for only 2 euros. It was sooo good! After dinner we had a very good lesson about the Soul (which was nicely translated by Brad, a member of our group).
The climax of the night, however, was the game we played after. It wasn't particularly fun, but Br. Gill (he and his wife run the institute) made it thouroughly entertaining. Wednesday was certainly a night to remember. It was my first time attending a world class Opera production. I saw, along with Annalise and Alicia, Simon Boccanegra by Verdi. The story was a bit wack, but the singing and set design was spectacular! Thursday was my Birthday, and It was amazing. Alicia bought me a card, and had everyone in the group sign it... totally sweet:) and of course everyone had to sing to me. After all my classes, a group of us went for some Italian ice cream. It was delish... and huge for only 2 Euros. We ate our ice cream as we walked to the Volksoper... or should I say the Volkstheater. Yeah... we went the wrong way, and we had to book it to make it to the opera on time. It was really cool. We were able to get student tickets for only 10 Euros. We sat on the 10th row. Not bad... usually those tickets go for about 75 Euros. So the opera (Barber of Seville) was amazing! They set it in 1950s Spain. The Count was a mob boss, and Figaro was some kind of swindler. The set was extremely colorful, and the whole thing rotated. It was great! Friday however tops everything. We all went on a day trip to Melk. There we saw a Monastary which doubled as a summer palace for the Hapsburgs (a ruling dynasty of Vienna). After we toured the Monastary we went on a bike tour from Melk to Krems (about 40km). It was absolutely beautiful! The whole thing was like a movie. We rode along the Donau river through small villages and acres and acres of Vineyards. We also hiked up to the ruins of an old castle... it may have hurt at the time, but it was well worth it. The view was incredible! After our bike tour a group of us went to see a production of Nathan the Wise at the Burgtheater. I have to admit that I slept through most of it. I find that modern productions tend to be too artsy. Give me some entertainment! I don't go to the theater just for the acting:) And to top off this lovely week, yesterday I went to a Viennese Ball. Yes, that's right, a Ball! It was fantastic! It was held at the Vienna Concert House... three gorgeous rooms filled with live music. At about 1am, the live music was replaced with modern dance music. We ended up dancing for another 2 hours. Um... Yeah, so the Vienna public transportation system closes at midnight. We had to ask one of the workers at the concert hall how to get home. Unfortunately there are no night busses running to the area where I live. So... I went with Willow on a night bus that took us to Hutteldorf... close to where she lives. By then it was about 5am, and the trains had started up again. I took a train back to my stop (only one stop from Hutteldorf) and then from there I had to walk home... in the dark... without a map. I knew the direction I wanted to go, and I eventually ended up in the right place. So, I got home at 6:15am this morning. It was quite the adventure, but I think It was well worth it to say that I attended a Viennese Ball. It's been another busy week, and its not going to slow down anytime soon. Next week we are taking an extended trip to Salzburg and Dorfstein. We will be hiking in the Alps. I'm so excited! Bis dann:)
My journey was completed without incident. I traveled from Salt Lake City, to Chicago, to Dusseldorf, then finally to Vienna. Everything went like clockwork, so I guess I have to give props to BYU travel for making my first international trip as painless as possible. I arrived in Vienna greeted by my program's director, Professor Brewer. She helped me with my bags, and offered me some snacks. I felt so taken care of. We waited for the last group of students to arrive, then we hauled our luggage onto a shuttle. As we drove into the city I couldn't help but notice the massive amounts of Graffiti. It was like everyone had to make their mark on something. It kind of slapped me over the face a bit, because I realized that I had had a tourist's picture of what the city would look like. As if such a large city would somehow appear uninhabited. It was weird. After that initial shock, I began to realize the city's beauty. There is just so much to see.
The group of us were the last to arrive at the hotel. Everyone else had already left their rooms to go explore and eat lunch. I was tired. Of course I was not able to sleep on the plane. Even if I had been comfortable, I have never been able to fall asleep sitting up. So I laid down. The other guys staying in my room came back. We all did the introduction thing. Of course I didn't have much in common with any of them. When have I had anything in common with another guy? haha. Anyways, three of us took naps while the other two went to talk... about rock climbing... for like 3 hours. haha. I woke up ready for dinner. All 34 of us went to eat at an Italian restaurant. It was pretty good. I ordered a pizza with ham on it. That normally wouldn't be my first choice, but It was a safe choice at the time.
The next day was orientation. We met the directors of the AAIE, an
d took a short tour around our school. Markus (an administrator, and our tour guide) pointed out places that would be useful... the post office, a grocery store, etc. After orientation we had a short presentation on the public transit system. I must say that the whole thing was pretty intimidating. I've never taken a bus in my life... I've always either walked or driven. After our meeting our host families started arriving. My host brother, Georg, was one of the first to arrive. He spoke very good English, and was very tall... I'm guessing about 6'7" or something near there. He drove me to my new home in Vienna.
Its in the 13 district, known to be the nicest suburban area of Vienna. 
I absolutely love it! My host family is so nice, and have taken care of me from the moment I walked in the door. Georg walked me to the bus station.. about 5 minutes from the house. He also gave me two maps of Vienna (large and small), and the schedules for the buses that run from my stop. Even with all the help he gave me, I still felt nervous about venturing out on my own. It ended up being pretty easy. I take a bus to the underground station St. Ober Veit, which runs the underground line 4. I take that line to Karlzplatz and from there its a few minutes to the school. About a half an hour all together.
My room is very comfortable. I have plenty of space... are
you wondering where my bed is in the picture? Its actually up a ladder on top of the hallway ceiling. I've never had a loft-type bed before. I was pretty excited:) Although, I was more excited when my host family said they had the internet and would let me hook up my laptop. I wouldn't have to be cut off from the outside world!!
Thursday was our first day of class. I didn't have my class until 2:30, so I went into the city early to look around. I visited St. Stephans and St. Peters... both are absolutely beautiful. After class I went to the Albertina museum to see the Van Gogh exhibit. It was very interesting to see his earlier works, before he studied impressionism. To finish out my day, I went to the art history museum near my school. They have an eastern egyptian and oriental exhibit, along with a large collection of paintings and vintage musical instruments. It was a very fun day. Perhaps a bit too much, but I couldn't help myself.
Friday was our first trip as a group. We went to Bratislava, which is only an hour from Vienna. I had to wake up at 5am in order to be ready at the South train station by 7. It takes about a half hour to get into the city from my house, and an additional 20 minutes by street car to get the the train station. Bratislava was so fun!! We traveled with a tour guide (Vanna, very cute), who took us into the city center. She would stop every 5 minutes or so to talk about something with historical significance. I found it very interesting. I had no idea that Bratislava was so important. We ate lunch at a local pub. We were all encouraged to order Bratislava's native dish... which is essentially gnocchi. Basically a potato pasta,covered in sheep cheese and topped with bacon. It was pretty good! After lunch we were able to walk around. A small group of us walked up to the castle (under renovation). Despite not being able to go inside, the view was amazing!
Saturday was pretty chill. I had a short meeting with my Opera/Theater class to go over the syllabus, then a group of us went to the Danube and hung out for the rest of the day. Es war viel spass!!
And today... today has been very good. I had stake conference.
Despite not understanding a word that was said, I really enjoyed it. It was a real eye-opener to see the church functioning the same way it does in Utah.... but without the Utah attitude:) Later I'm planning to watch Swan Lake at the Rathaus (City Hall). They have a large screen set up on the side of the building. I guess there's been a film festival going on, or something. Anyway's... so that's been my week. Its been crazy long, and crazy busy. I'm enjoying every moment though. I have quite the 3 months to look forward to!!
I never thought something like this would happen to me. I'm finally leaving the country. I'm finally leaving Utah. It almost seems like a dream. Something I've always wanted, but never thought I'd accomplish. It's finally here! My plane will depart tomorrow morning. Am I freaking out?... Only to the point of a near panic attack (stress wise, that's not bad for me). Do I feel ready?... In a lot of ways I feel prepared, but in so many others I feel like I'm coming up short. Its OK though, underneath my general feeling of terror, I have all the other emotions that would accompany an event like this. I'm very exciting to experience a new way of life. I'm ready to let go of my reclusive Utahn life and branch out! Its about time, eh. This will be the first time that I've ever traveled on my own. The first time
I've lived away from home. I guess I'm trying to kill as many birds as I can with one stone. haha:)
I'll miss my family. Especially on holidays, and of course on my birthday. I'll be turning 21 in Vienna 9 days after I arrive. It'll be hard to experience this milestone in my life without my family and friends. Although I guess I'll be gaining a new family within my study abroad group.
OK... I will say farewell and good bye to everyone and everything in Utah, including myself. I'm leaving my insecurities behind and I'll be coming back a changed person. Vienna here I come!!
Why are humans so despicable? My mind has spent a lot of time trying to figure out the process of justification. Do I have control over that process, or does it have control over me? I hope for my sake the former is true.
half later we arrived in Hallstatt, a picturesque town nestled between towering alps. It was dinner time, so the group ventured into the town for food. I tagged along with a smaller group. We ended up in a local place a few minutes away from the main road. We walked through the door and were greeted by several bar-regulars who were smoking and drinking. I ordered the Schnitzel... which I rather enjoyed. Most fried things or pretty good. I also got a dessert, something I never do. After dinner we walked around Hallstatt. There isn't much of a nightlife in a town like that... in fact I don't recall seeing a single person on the streets. We did see, however, a few stray cats, and a couple of horses. Horses that were contained by an electrified fence... one that I had to test out... haha. It didn't look electrified! It was a very enjoyable evening. I got to know some of the coolest people in our group. The next morning we woke up bright and early. We had to beat the crowds that would eventually show up at Hallstatt's Salt mine. We took a tram up into the mountains, and then hiked for about 10 minutes to the Mine's enterance. They gave us jump suits to wear... mine was blue:) The mine wasn't particularly impressive. However, contained within the mine were two slides used by the miners to get places quicker. Both were very fun! After the mine we hiked, as a group, up to a Waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful!
I've never been in a forest so green... so lush... so completely perfect! On our way back it began to rain. We were all soaked by the time we got to town, so we rushed to a place where we could get warm. We ended up in a cafe right on Hallstatt lake. The view was beautiful! I ordered a hot chocolate, and a shredded pancake dish. Both were very good. I did notice something as I enjoyed my meal. When you come to Europe you'll notice things are not as sweet as they are in the states, however things are far more salty. Or maybe I just have a nack for finding salty things to eat:) After lunch we walked up to a church that contained a catacomb with painted skulls. Painted on each skull was the person's name, date they died, and a little design of the painter's choice. Very interesting... the graveyard isn't big enough for everyone who dies, so apparetly they have to dig people up for their space. 
The guy certainly had a sense of humor. The grounds have several "watergames" that were used to play pranks on his guests. We had a really fun tour guide, and despite having many opportunites to get wet, I managed to stay dry. After our tour of Hellbrunn, we traveled to our final destination of the trip, Dorfgastein. Another gorgeous country town surrounded by the alps. I stayed in a beautiful and comfortable vacation apartment. That night I hung out with the girls on the floor above us. We watched half of "The Mask of Zorro." The next morning proved to be one of my favorite days of the trip. We met, again, bright and early for yet another hike. My second hike in the alps! We ascended into the mountains by tram, up and over the clouds. It was breathtaking! There was snow on the ground, but not so much that it bothered me. We took the scenic route which gave us panoramic views of the mountains. We stopped halfway at a resturaunt and were served drinks and sandwiches... if you ever go, I recommend staying away from the cheese. It smelled and tasted very much like feet. I took the tram down the mountain, rather than hiking the entire way down. I spent the rest of the day relaxing. That night a group of us made
. That evening, the owner of our vacation apartments taught us a local game. Similar to horse shoes, one throws a hunk of metal at a white peg 30 meters away. The object is to get the closest to the white peg. It was very interesting. That night we made dinner again. This time we made beef soup. It was very delicious considering, once again, we had very little to work with. I stayed up late that night talking... not such a good idea. The next morning was our big hike... the hardest of the trip. The entire thing was incredibly steep. Michelle and I declared ourselves hiking buddies. We chanted each other on as we panted up the mountain. I thought I wasn't going to make it... I started feeling sick. We stopped at a bench to rest, and I clasped my hands together and prayed for help to reach our destination. After a rather large incline I threw up, and after that I felt great:) Prayers are answered no matter where you are. Our destination was Amoseralm, a small resturaunt-like house. We were served, what we were told would be, an all you can eat brunch filled with local specialties. Unfortunately after a hike like that, the breakfast failed to meet expectations. We were served eggs, some cake/biscuit stuff, hot chocolate, and of course the traditional bread, meat, and cheese(remember to stay away from the cheese). The hike down proved to be far more enjoyable. We stopped to feed a group of young cows. They were shy at first, but we won them over with... I suppose our patience:) We also came across some horses as well. We fed them apples 
from trees growing in their pen. Horses are so cool! I wish to someday own one. I got back to my apartment and showered. I considered hiking, or biking, or doing something involving movement. But after some thought I realized I had had enough excersize for the day. We left Dorfgastein by train Monday evening. It was bittersweet. The town was so beautiful, but I have to say I am happy to be back in Vienna... even if its raining. And I won't be in Vienna for long because we leave for Italy next week! I'm so excited! So... that was my week. I can't believe we packed so much in only 5 days. I've seen more in the past three weeks than I've seen my entire life.
