Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas from Budapest! 

I love and miss you all! 

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Vienna - Now or Never

The second we got off the train in Vienna, it had the big city feel that Salzburg did not.  It also came with a bone-chilling cold which was absent in Salzburg.  After unsuccessfully looking for the "center" of the city, we heading back to the hostel.  We quickly discovered how many things we wanted to see and do in the city so the morning started after finally finding the city!


We walked around the St. Stephan's Church and the Hofburg buildings.  Then off to the Museum Quartier.  We saw a few exhibits, one of which was called Power Up - Female Pop Art. The list of artists that were displayed is below and I would recommended looking up some of their pieces.  It was an awesome exhibit filled with art that is often passed over.



We followed that with the Modern Art Museum which had an exposition of Hyper-Life Art.  I liked a lot of these pieces as well.  I feel like you cannot come to Europe and fall in love with the art world.  It seems like there are constantly quality exhibitions in every museum in every city.  

The State Opera House

After our Viennese cuisine we headed to the Opera for the evening (classy, I know).  We saw L'elisir D'amore at the State Opera House.  It is a beautiful building and the orchestra and singers were fantastic.  The Austrian man sitting next to me was very helpful in pointing out who among the singers were the best.  At the end of the day we definitely felt cultured

Chicken Schniztel and wine




The Opera House 

Wednesday we went to the Schloss Schonbrunn castle and the Butterfly House, and then we separated for the afternoon.  I wandered around the Jewish Quarter, a few Christmas Markets, the Parliament building, and the Rathaus.  It was quite lovely, but the cold got the best of me and I headed back to the hostel a little early to get into my warm covers and take a quick nap. I justified this because I know that there in still a laundry list of things I want to do in Vienna and must return again soon! 

Schloss Schönbrunn


Christmas Market Fun

Rathaus


Today, we walked to the Nachtmarkt which is a big market that is around all year with fresh meat, fruit, cheese,  and delicious goodies!  I got to type this in the hostel listening to a woman play Christmas music on piano next to me.  It was helpful for getting that Christmas feeling! Our next stop is Budapest for the holidays! 

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Sound of Music and so much more

I just spent a wonderful few days in Salzburg, Austria.  Some of you may recall that your beloved childhood film The Sound of Music was based on the Austrian Von Trapp Family.


Some of the film is filmed in Salzburg and much of the film is false (for instance the hills you see on the cover are in Germany).  Our eccentric tour guide it very clear that Hollywood took the basic story and made it "more interesting" but completely altering the events outside of the fact that they were Austrian and they escaped from the Nazi's.  I will spare you the rest of the details that prove the story we all know and love false (but you can read about it on the Wikipedia link above if you wish).

As for me, I was ecstatic to see the places that one of my favorite childhood movies was filmed! We sang on the bus as we drove around Salzburg and through the mountains! Although it was winter, so much of the scenery looks very different you may recognize just a few of the pictures!

The Tour Bus =) 

I am skipping down the lane where
Julie Andrews skipped to her new life with 
the von Trapp's!

16 going on 17! among other scenes

This is the lake where the kids fall in.
Unfortunately, winter has made it into an
ice skating rink.

The Church where they get married!


Outside of the tour, Andrew and I explored Salzburg. It is a stunning city surrounded by beautiful mountains, which were covered in snow.  We explored a fortress, the royal houses, and listened to a short Mozart concert in St. Stephen's Church.

Notice that I only had to wear a fleece for
the day! Best day ever! (and I am sad
to report that I have quickly returned to 
full winter jacket since that glorious day..)


This woman performed three of Mozart's
pieces without any music. It was unbelievable!

We also took a cable car up to the top of the Untersburg mountain, which is the natural border of Austria and Germany.  It was about 1,300 meters to the top.  Andrew and I were among four people who were not equipped to snow or ski down.  It was unbelievably cold when we reached the top and I lasted about a five minute walk around the top before heading inside to warm up with a delicious Stiglz lemon beer while watching the sun set over the snow covered Alps.


A view of Salzburg from above



Lemon Stiegl - Salzburg brewed beer

We ended our Salzburg adventure with a trip to the Stiegl brewery for a beer tasting.  It is home to the largest beer museum in Europe, which was surprising large, scary at times, and overall uninteresting.  We followed that with lunch and a beer tasting in their restaurant.  Then we were off to Vienna for more Austrian adventures!

The largest beer "samples" I have ever had!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Two Lessons about Snow

I am currently experiencing my second winter ever so I am learning things about snow that most people know already but I figured I would share.

1. I know there are different types of snow (when I tried to build a snowman last year, it failed miserably..it just wasn't the right kind), but I didn't know it could look so fuzzy.  We have been getting snow almost everyday for the last couple of weeks but Tuesday's snow was the prettiest snow I have ever seen. It was amazingly fluffy looking.


2. The snowflakes we make as children, well, they actually look like snowflakes. I have gotten through all of my snow experiences in my life, I have never seen such perfect snowflakes. I was in genuinely amazed with ever flake that landed on me!




Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Andrew and the Capital

My friend Andrew from college arrived on Saturday around noon and it has been absolutely glorious to see him and bring him into my Swiss life! It is so great to be reminded of how true friendships don't change or feel awkward no matter how long it has been since you have seen each other. A year and half after seeing Andrew and we haven't skipped a beat since we met up at the airport!





We wandered around Zurich on Saturday and then he got to meet some of my friends that night. Sunday we took a day trip to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. As usual, it is always nice to get out of Zurich to explore a new place.  I enjoyed Bern a lot! It is another gorgeous and old Swiss city.  We went to the Kunsthaus Museum which I genuinely enjoyed.  There was a great mix of genres of art.  Bern translates to bear so they have four bears that live in an enclosure by the river.






It is still weird to not be home for the holidays. As much as I am surrounded by Christmas, it doesn't feel like Christmas because I am so far away from everything I am used to.  I got my family's gifts in the mail the other day and opened them while Skyping with my parents last night. I have also begun listening to Christmas music on overload to make up for the lack of baking and decorating! I am super excited for my out of the ordinary epic Christmas adventure!




Monday, December 13, 2010

Age is relative...

I feel old.  It is all relative and have no issues with aging, but I feel old. It is an odd feeling.  However, it is hilarious when you spend most of your time with little kids because I have started to realize why the generations before  say things like "you have no idea how easy you have it.." or "when I was your age..."

We all know know about the "When I was your age I had to walk 2 miles in the snow to get to insert any location here.." The thing is that some line like this will always exist.  On the car ride from Paris Papa B realized that I was closer in age to his children than I am to him, yet I think our childhoods are more similar than mine is to his kids.

So the reason I bring this is up is G is studying the "olden days."  Now, she is focusing on the Victorian Age (or at least that is what we have gathered from her random stories). She says things like: "In the olden days they had to light a fire and keep it going all day to cook their food and stay warm."  This is true. And, yes, I, too, consider this the the olden days.  Then she follows that by: "Did you know in the olden days they didn't have computers?" Now, this is not something I consider the olden days. I didn't have a computer in my house until I was in the 6th grade or something like that.

P asked what a typewriter was at dinner the other day. I used one growing up. We had VHS (which they don't know about) and tapes (this kids know how to work an iPod better than a CD player).  When we went on road trips, my parents had to entertain us in some way. On the ride to and from Paris, P and G were watching movies (something I was able to do in some of my friends' cars but it was a rarity).  I did have a Sega Genesis (awesome I know) and we had a games systems etc, but I remember having tapes and the radio for long car rides growing up...not something P and G will ever understand. Papa B, on the other hand, and I definitely reminisced about growing up in the world with minimal and comparatively underdeveloped technology.

I always knew this day would come.  The fact that I was born in the 1980s makes P and G think I am extremely old (and they tell me).  It is interesting when the people you hang out with the most were born in the 2000s and it is absolutely crazy to see how in about half a generation the technological world is so incredibly different.

As a product of the 90s, I have been enjoying the blog Things Kids from the 90s Realize that one of my aupair friends stumbled upon! I hope you are able to enjoy it (and learn super random and mind-blowing facts) about the things we all loved in the 90s! Enjoy!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

I am falling in love..

I am falling in love with Baby Gaga.  She is my buddy. She listens. I know how to calm her down. She is simple. She is starting to smile and copy you facial expressions. (Disclaimer: Most of the time when she is smiling she is actually just trying to fart...but it is just adorable!)  She is responsive.  She is slowly stealing my heart.

I wasn't supposed to spend a whole lot of time with her but because of issues with the nursery she was going to go to when Mama C goes back to work, we might get (ya, that's right..I GET to spend more time with her..I don't know who I am anymore!) to spend more time together.  

I think it is a combination of often wanting to strangle the other two for not listening and turning me into the world's biggest nag and the fact that she is starting to have a bit more of a personality.  Whatever it is, it scares me a little that she is stealing is winning me over with her adorableness!

On a completely unrelated note, Andrew comes tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! I am soooo excited to see him since it has actually been a year and half!!! Only 7 more days until I get to go on an amazing holiday!!!! 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

One-Third Done

There is a time period after you move somewhere that it is new an exciting.  You are exploring a new place (and by exploring..I mean constantly getting lost).  When I arrived in Zurich, it was surreal and extremely overwhelming.  I was actually left to fend for myself and was living with a stranger for the first week.  I was jet-lagged and disoriented.  I actually remember thinking that I would never get a grip on this city, between the buses, trams, trains, and walking.

Four months later, it is no longer this exciting new place, but it has become my everyday life. I actually live in Switzerland.  I have a pretty regular schedule.  I have made a great group of friends who I adore (awww...).  I have explored a few countries and most importantly, I have figured out the city.  I know how to get places and can occasionally even give people directions.  I have cafes and bars that I love and I am still constantly discovering new places to go.

While I feel like I understand Zurich, I have isolated myself in an international bubble.  I am still trying to find the culture.  My family isn't Swiss and I don't have any Swiss friends. I am a little embarrassed to say that I have barely spoken to any Swiss people.  This was the opposite of what I thought would happen.  This isn't just my experience either, nearly all of my friends or people I have met seem to interact with the seemingly mysterious (or indifferent) Swiss people.  Maybe this will change in the next 8 months, but it doesn't seem likely.

(insert your own transitional sentence here...)


We are in the middle of the holiday season. The lights are up around the city, the Christmas Markets have arrived, and we even have a tree decorated in crystals!

It is glorious!

However, this is also bitter sweet.  I am so incredibly lucky and grateful for everything I have done and will get to do while I am here, but it doesn't make being away from family and friends for the holidays any easier.

The sweet part is what I am doing over Christmas and New Year's Eve.  I am so lucky to have a great group to travel to Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Germany with! It is going to be a holiday break for the books! I am sooo lucky to have a friend from college coming to visit and spend the next 3 weeks with me, in addition to a couple of other aupairs!

So while it is going to be a different kind of Christmas, I am so excited for it! I am amazed that I have reached my four month mark! Time is flying by and there is still so much to do before August rolls around.

Monday, December 6, 2010

J'ai laissé mon cœur à Paris

So I don't actually know how to say this in French but Google (love) translated my title for me! It says "I left my heart in Paris." I will need to go back as often as possible until I can find it!

I am going to skip the complaining about the trip because whenever I say my complaints out loud, well, it just sounds silly (as my Dad reminded me yesterday). My life is not difficult; work brought me to Paris. (This is going to be my new life mantra..)

It snowed in Paris this weekend and quite hard. Mama C was shocked. It apparently rarely snows in the city and very rarely as hard as it was snowing. Lucky me, the snow followed me to Paris!

On Saturday evening, I was allowed out for the night to explore on my own.  The skies had cleared so I started walking. I had done a bit of research on places to go and things to see but really I just wanted to walk. I started at Notre Dame, which was gorgeous. I arrived just in time to see the beginning of Saturday night Mass (sorry Mom, I didn't stay). It was indeed a gorgeous church.





Joan of Arc 

"St. Joan of Arc (1421-1431) Born in Lomaine, burned
alive in Rouen as a heretic and a witch. The decision
to rehabilitate her reputation was made in this Cathedral. 
I thought this was an interesting fact! One of the few women we ever hear about in religious history!


Then I continued to weave through the streets of Paris. I didn't exactly know where I wanted to go end up but I stopped and got some Vin Chaud (hot wine) which has popped up as a (not so) tasty treat around Europe. It was disgusting and I did the unthinkable and threw away a glass of wine.




I continued to walk and look at the shops and every building I walked by made me fall in love with the city even more. It had a lively personality and the diversity was extremely apparent. It reminded me New York City in a lot of ways, only everyone speaks French, and the buildings are notably historical instead of tall!

This is one of the main government buildings. 


This is possibly a fact I should know or at least researched before departing to Paris but I didn't know where the Eiffel Tower was.  I also felt too silly asking. I figured it is tall and must be visible throughout the city. I will just stumble upon it! I was wrong. I eventually asked for a visitor's map at the metro and had of course been walking the wrong way!

I turned around and started the trek. Since it was a lovely 2-3 degress out (35 F) I figured I would walk there. I mean how far away could it really be...

About 2 hours later, I was getting closer. So close I could see more than the top of it! I got so excited I stopped and ate dinner! Now, I loved this city a lot, but sitting at a restaurant alone in Paris, is not a pleasant experience. I recommend grabbing to go because people stare with so much sadness when you sit alone. It is the most romantic city in the world for a reason, I guess.

Then I made it to the Eiffel Tower. There are so many things around the world that we see pictures of growing up and when you see the real thing it is a let down in a weird way. This was not one of them for me. I loved it! I thought it was absolutely gorgeous.



Sorry, I really LOVED it!

Just as I was leaving, I was thinking, I did think it sparkled more..and before my eyes it did! It was absolutely gorgeous! 

My Dad is completely right..my life is just not difficult..frustrating and exhausting perhaps, but not difficult! 

I woke up early on Sunday morning to catch free day at the Musee d'Orsay.  It is much more manageable with the time that I had free before we left. I loved this museum. The archeticture itself made it amazing not to mention the amazing artists who have their work on display.  Now a large portion of the Van Gogh and Monet collection is at some other museum somewhere in the world.  They had everything mixed up a bit which was really interesting. They combined much of their Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art (this makes me sound oh so smart..right?) since they were missing portions of each. 

I really did enjoy them being mixed together. It did make it interesting to wander through that section of the museum.  There was also a bit of the beginning of photography which I also really enjoyed. It was a great way to spend my Sunday morning! 

I then headed to Angelina's for some African hot chocolate, which absolutely amazing, and a lemon tart (that I just finished eating) and my 20th croissant (I am only being a little sarcastic).  

The museum with an awesome elephant and the line that I fortunately did not have to wait in.

This visit to Paris will be one of many in my lifetime. It has become my latest inspiration to continue to learn the language, which I can only guess will make my Parisian experience even better!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Chocolate Disappointment and Gingerbread Heaven

During our drive to Strasbourg, we spotted a Chocolate Museum sign and on our way out we headed there! Eight Euros later we entered, what we thought, would be a great museum filled with chocolate. We started with a movie that was narrated but, who else, but chocolate himself! Chocolate shared with us how he was discovered and how he is made for us all to devour with love...it was really just weird!

We entered the museum which was filled with extremely creepy moving figures and a sad lack of chocolate...




The highlight of the museum was the end when a woman explained how she makes the hollowed chocolate figures... one of the great mystery's of life has now been solved in my life!

Our gift when we left was not chocolate from the musuem but instead, yes you guessed it, Swiss chocolate..

We then made our way to the Gingerbread House museum...a little disappointed and unsure of whether is one would be worth it..and oh boy! It sure was!



 When we drove up we saw a huge line of people and were handed delicious tastes of gingerbread and free tickets! Things were looking good!



The flyer we found in our hotel told us that:

The Gingerman takes you on a voyage of discovery through the world of Gingerbread covering more than 800 sqm. 
Let yourself be guided on a fun interactive trail, which will delight your 5 senses. Visitors will find themselves in a variety of animated areas, where they will be able to find out more about the origins of Gingerbread, the secrets of how it is made, but but also immersed in the gormet world where the 5 senses are aroused. 
How amazing does that sound? It was so great! We were led by the Gingerbread man through is house (as the flyer said we would be). We ate gingerbread from his walls (which we really weren't supposed to do and read the history of gingerbread.  I don't recall most of this history but I do now know that there is a rich cross-country history in Europe.





That is Nicole actually breaking off a piece of the wall for us to eat.

It was the perfect way to end our relaxing weekend in Strasbourg.