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! 

Strasbourg, France

After the bonfire, we went to Rachel's apartment for a few hours of sleep and the headed off to Strasbourg, France.  Packed the car full of people and were off! It was my first time to France and I loved it. It was an adorable city full of food and adorable children in béret (it is not just a stereotype) speaking French.  It was lovely to be surrounded by French speakers for the weekend (German isn't the prettiest language to surround yourself with).

...and we definitely had enough chocolate to get through a few days...

We found our hotel slightly outside the city and figured out how to get into the city via public transportation.  Strasbourg is a great walking city and that is what we did.  Our Saturday consisted of eating, walking, and shopping.  We all had hopes of finding some winter clothing cheaper than we could find it in Switzerland.  I found an adorable dress...it is a perfect summer dress! I am destined to be cold for the winter!

We continued to eat our way through the day.  There were delicious paninis, coffees, croissants, pizza, crepes, and pastries!  There was also a "hot chocolate" which was actually just a cup of melting chocolate...can you say delicious? Every pastry and candy shop was gorgeous and smelled amazing. We stopped too often to admire their beauty and usually ended up walking out with some tasty treat. 

We did get to see the Cathedral, which is probably my favorite one that I have seen since arriving in Europe. We also saw the beginning of Saturday night Mass and were able to hear the choir for a bit. 

Saturday Night Mass

We continued to wonder the city and had dinner and a couple of drinks and then headed back to our hotel for an early night...or so we thought! 

Our favorite spot! Adorable buildings and glorious cafes!

We ended up missing our bus back to the hotel (by about 5 hours) so we walked.  Luckily, we had all paid attention to random things along the bus ride and made it back to our hotel! Upon arrival, one of the room key was not working and no one at reception.  This meant that 5 of us crammed into one room, four into the bed. Needless to say, it was not the most comfortable night of sleeping. No one returned the call until two and half hours later! They then opened the door but we were too sleepy and unaware of what he was doing so we stayed in our current sleeping positions for the remainder of the night. We will hopefully be getting a check for the room we didn't touch! 

Sunday was lovely! We woke up and heading into the city for our crepe and baguette! All of which were delicious! I then forced the crew to go check out the EU Parliament. Which was a really cool building.

I am standing in front of the "Heart of Europe"

As much of the "inside" as you can see

Then we were off to the Chocolate Museum and the Gingerbread Museum....post to come

Going Solo in Italy

After trying to plan a trip with a few people to Italy, our dates didn't work out so well so I made it a solo trip. It was great to plan a trip without worrying about what other people were going to want to do or where to do. It was all about what I was feeling at the time.  My trip was without a doubt the "Eat" aspect of Eat, Pray, Love. I am not sure how Elizabeth ever convinced herself to leave Italy!

I had 6 days off while the G and P were, respectively, in Paris and attending a day camp all week. It was a little odd to be leaving the family just as there was a new member entering the home but I was stoked to get out! 

I started off Tuesday morning with a train ride to Milan, a train station I am already familiar with, then to Florence. I left Zurich around 9am and arrived in my hostel at 3pm. After agonizing over where to stay and what rating were more important than others, I was happy that I picked a good one. I had internet access, so I could email my very worried father! It was clean and luckily all of the ladies staying in my room were traveling alone.  That meant they want to wander the streets of Florence with others as well.  

I spent the afternoon alone walking around. Got gelato nearly immediately, followed by a delicious slice of pizza.  Looking back on my trip, I am pretty sure all I did was walk and eat. Everything I ate/drank was amazing! Pizza, coffee, wine, ravioli, lasagna, sandwiches, pastries!! I am salivating just thinking about it!!!

 Unfortunately, probably more eating than walking! I found Florence to be so different then what I expected. Everyone...EVERYONE love Florence. My friends who have studied abroad there, friends/family who have traveled there, etc. No one said a bad thing about it. I did love the city. I thought it was small but big enough. There was plenty of culture, food, and beauty.

I went to the museum where The David is housed. It was pretty amazing! The rest of the museum was lacking a bit but they can do that because they have The David.  I somehow missed any of the signs that said you couldn't take pictures inside, so here is a picture of you of the big man in Florence! I was quickly yelled at and put my camera away but here is the one and only David!

Anyway, I walked around the Central Market where they have hordes of leather, scarves, and food to sell you. I was pleasantly surprised how non-pushy the sales people were.  Best of all, I loved that the sun was out and you could feel it!  I think my favorite place I ate at was this small restaurant my Australian friend and I found one night after watching the sun set over the city! 

So we walked into this restaurant because it was nearly full and it was getting late! It was amazing food and an amazing environment. It seemed like a very locals place, which is where you find the best of everything! We were sat by this Italian man in is 70s who was by far the coolest man ever. He made us laugh so much without trying. He was to the point and ready to tell you just about anything that he was thinking. He worked fast and hard to get people in and out while still allowing them to enjoy their time.  Everyone loved him but he didn't seem to care or notice.  The food was also amazing. The ravolis melting in my mouth and the wine and bread were everything they should be! It was exactly what I think Italy should be like! I would return to Florence solely to eat there one more time! 

I also found a coffee brand named Pascucci and of course took a picture and returned the next day to have a coffee there! 

I also found a store called "Luisa" (my middle name)..

I had seen a "Michelle" hotel when I first got there but didn't take a picture because I didn't think it was that special! I wish I had because then I would have pictures of all my names in Italy! So fun! 

This trip was not without its frustrations. There were moments when I wanted to scream and cry as I tried to find a certain place. I am definitely directionally challenged, but no matter how many times I walked to the same place I was bound to get lost or end up on the wrong street and have no idea how it happened.  I was getting the hang of it by Friday but Florence has streets that go in circles or change names or disappear.  There are dead ends and blockades everywhere. There are also a million small alleyways that look like alley ways, but are just the size of the average street in Florence.  

Friday I went to Tuscany (Chianti) for a bike tour with lunch and a wine and oil tasting included. This was the most difficult day of traveling alone because people tend to do things like that with friends. I was definitely the outsider for awhile. In the day's group there was a group of professors from Sweden and then a million girls (and one guy) from the States who were studying abroad in Florence.  

I was a little timid at first and eventually met some of the nicer calmer girls once we arrived in Tuscany.  (I had spent the bus right listening to Swedish and then these Americans talk about boys and a very crazy drunken night out in Florence.) It was truly a beautiful day though. We started at a castle where we learned about wine and oil making. It was really interesting to hear about how olive oil is made and the different types of olives it can come to. It was delicious! The castle was beautiful! It looked over the hills of Tuscany. There several moments where me and another girl just looked at each other and thought "How is this my life?!?"

Keith the tour guide. He was a pretty awesome Irishman

Then we started our bike ride! It was wonderful. We rode about 15k throughout the day. We had an enormous lunch and then continued to bike. It was such a great day! Our bikes all had names - I was lucky enough to get Barry White. 

It was great to travel alone. I met people I would have met otherwise.  It also is such an empowering experience to travel completely by yourself. I had been warned about Italian men and how aggressive they can be. Pickpocketing is a common crime as well, especially compared to Switzerland. I am not one to get nervous about traveling so these things were just good to be aware of.  I didn't feel unsafe at any moment which was great! It was a learning experience.  

If you made it through that props! I don't think I would have! Cinque Terre to come soon =)