Vienna- Day 3

Just another day in Vienna.

March 13^th was our last day in Vienna so we made the most of it. Brittany and I woke up early to see Alyssa before she had to head off to class all day on a Saturday, which was a bummer. After she was gone we packed for what seemed like the thousandth time and I researched how to get to our hostel in Budapest. We then went over to Diana’s room to drop our luggage off there before taking on Vienna.

Unfortunately Stacy had a new illness, this time the stomach flu, so she couldn’t spend the day with us. The five of us (Brittany, Laura, Stevie, Diana, and I) then headed over to meet Jen and her family friend Cynthia, who was going to show us around for the day. Cynthia showed us her apartment, which was a super cute studio apartment, and then we headed over to the Saturday market.

Our first stop in the market was a small restaurant for breakfast which had phenomenal fresh orange juice. Unfortunately every restaurant in Vienna has to either declare itself smoking or non-smoking and to get the most business most restaurants say they are smoking and this restaurant was no different.

After a nice breakfast we hit the market itself and it was my favorite activity in Austria. I loved looking at all the varieties of vegetables, breads, and olives they had and even got myself some garlic stuffed green olives for a snack (I'm sure my breath was fresh as a daisy). The various stands would also give you samples which was fun. I decided to get some dried fruit and the vendor said that I could make my own mix. I got so excited that I was in Vienna picking out a variety of dried fruit that I started giggling and jumping up and down in five year-old fashion and the vendor started laughing in joy too.

After the food section there was a flea market section that we browsed. I engaged in haggling again and got a ten euro scarf for five. They also had jewelry and antiques which were fun to look through. One has to be careful in the market because there are pickpockets. I am a fan of the ever stylish Swiss Army pouch that can be worn under clothes, although I usually just wear it like a messenger bag.

After our time at the market was finished we had to go back and get our luggage. I suggested that Diana come to Budapest with us and she did! We got our bags, met up with Stacy, and headed over to the bus station. For some reason I was very worried about getting to Budapest. Maybe it was the fatigue or the foreignness of Hungary but I thought we were going to miss our bus or not be able to find the hostel or the hostel would be gross, but in the end everything turned out. More on that in the next post.

Vienna- Day 2

Me and Laura at the Palace outside Vienna

It seems like we did the least in Vienna but we still saw a lot.

We woke up and hung out with Alyssa for a little while but unfortunately she had class during the day and had some homework to do. We met up with Laura and Stacy at the subway station and then took the subway over to Stephenplatz which is a giant cathedral that is like the center of town. We walked around for a little bit and then decided it was a good idea to have dessert for breakfast and stopping in Aida, which is a coffee place that had an amazing array of tortes and cakes. I opted for the schokobombe while Britt and Stacy got sacher torte. My father is a fantastic chef and makes both schokobombe and sacher torte at home and I have to say that I don’t have to travel all the way to Vienna for the best because I can have it in my own kitchen.

After our delicious desserts we shopped more. One of the big things about Austria is its ties to Mozart so every shop had Mozart this and Mozart that. Another novelty they had were items that said “No kangaroos in Austria.” I guess they are saying the people get confused between Austria and Australia, but Laura did not find that funny.

I wish I could have this every day of my life.

After getting our fill of browsing the shops we took the subway over to the palace outside of Vienna. Like a lot of the other palaces we saw it would have been more beautiful when things are in bloom but it was a nice sight nonetheless. Laura also had many new experiences at the palace which included making a snowball, seeing a squirrel, and touching frozen water. If she wants to see more squirrels she should really make a trip to the University of Illinois. Jen also met up with us at the palace and we took more group pictures. It was very windy there and after spending time walking the grounds we decided to head back into the city for a late lunch.

Stevie, Brittany, Laura, Stacy

After our food we decided to search for a place for dessert but we ran out of time and had to meet Alyssa before heading over to the opera. I had never seen opera before but what a better place to start than in Vienna. The show was Medea and we bought standing room tickets for only three euro. We found a place on the SL balcony and I had a trouble seeing the stage but it was still a great experience. Although the show was in German they had small screens in front of you with subtitles that you could switch from German to English. The show itself was interesting and even if I spoke German I don’t think I could follow it because a single word can stretch out for what seemed like minutes. There was also a man I couldn’t see while he was singing and thought he was a girl until he came into view. I don't know if that is impressive or creepy or both.

A Night at the Opera

After the first act the rest of my comrades were getting tired of standing after a day of sightseeing so we headed out of the opera to a late dinner. We met up with Jen at the café downstairs due to the fact she couldn’t get into the show because it was sold out. I felt so bad for her.

Stacy’s friend had told her that she must go to the restaurant Centimeter before leaving Vienna so that was our destination for dinner.  I really liked going there because it was a local dive and I like to soak in the atmosphere like the locals. Another great thing about dinner was it wasn’t just the Wolf Pack but a couple other girls that go to school in Vienna with Alyssa and Diana so we had a nice group to chat with. Like dinner every night we had a toast to Vienna, old friends, and new friends and then went around the table doing “pits and peaks” which I think the other Vienna girls enjoyed. As for food (I never forget a meal), Britt, Laura, and I got a sampler of finger foods which was basically deep fried everything. Alyssa and Diana got “mish mash” which was basically all sorts of various foods served together in a giant metal scoop. Talk about local dive food! I was sausage-like pieces with noodle-like pieces and maybe some bean-like things. Stevie got a bunch of apple donuts which she shared because the small size apparently serves at least eight people. The rest of the girls had schnitzel which is typical fair in Austria. I had such a good time at dinner talking with the other girls and hearing about their study abroad experience. It was also nice having a taste of home along with a hearty helping of Austria.

The whole Vienna gang at Centimeter

After dinner in a very smoky Centimeter we took the tram back to Alyssa’s dorm and hung out for a bit talking. We also met her roommate who major in the recorder. Yes, the musical instrument that you master in about a week during second grade. She was nice enough for letting us crash on her floor though. We also got to use Alyssa’s computer which was nice considering we had been using the ones with the funky keyboards ever since getting to Central Europe; the problem with Alyssa’s was that it didn’t have a “u” key because it had fallen off. It still worked fine for gchatting and emailing. After that it was time for another night on the floor.

Vienna- Night 1

Time to conquer another world capital!

After a very pleasant train ride we arrived in Vienna to have my frat brother Alyssa waiting for me with another Illini Diana. I was so happy to see them and they were sweet enough to write directions to Stacy and Laura’s hostel for them. Jen was going to stay in a hostel but instead reconnected with a family friend from the Yukon who is now living in Vienna.

Alyssa, Brittany, me- Brothers

Brittany and I headed with Alyssa back to her dorm and on the way stopped for a döner sandwich, which is like a kebab, at a cart. There is nothing better than food from a stand in the city and the sandwich was seriously good. We settled in to Alyssa’s place and caught up a bit before I had to go pick Stacy and Laura up from the subway station. Once they got there we headed over to another dorm room and hung out with some of the other U of I kids before heading to Alyssa’s favorite club, The Prater Dome. It was Lady’s Night and we had a great time. It also hit me for the first time while I was dancing and the DJ talked in German that I was having the most unbelievable week of my life doing things I never thought I would do.

We took a taxi back to the dorms around 2 and quickly fell asleep after having a busy last couple of days. Brittany and I both slept on the floor with a blanket and our towels stuffed in pillow cases for our heads. Talk about roughing it, but I couldn’t complain because I was having the best Spring Break ever (and now I can brag about how rough and tough I am).