Alright...Barcelona, Spain...
I arrived in Reus, Spain, because Ryanair only flies to small airports, so after an 1 1/2hr bus ride into town. We made it to our hostel only to find out that the reception desk was a bar. We then understood why the name was Bar Hostel La Ramblas. The reception desk and bar had the same cash box and when I say cash box I mean they didn't even take credit cards. We stuck it out two nights in a disgusting room. We figured it was safe enough, but it fit every stereo type of what people describe hostels being like.
The next day it rained. Not just a little, but poured. We were told it would clear away by noon, so we went to the Picasso Museum. It was nice, but Picasso is a little weird for me. We went to an indoor market that had every kind of food imaginable. Then we ate at a little mom and pop shop. Lunch was excellent! A rice and seafood combination very similar to jumbo and Sangre (the local drink). Later we had a siesta. We found out about a little underground club that local people came and played Blues music open mic style. It was fantastic. Rebecca, some of the people that played the sax were incredible. I recorded one guy, don't let me forget to play it for you. We also met a local Spanish guy, his name was Victor. He had come to hear his brother play the guitar. He ended up showing us on a map some great places to go the next day. He literally gave us our own personal tour of Barcelona. It was fantastic! We got to see some of Gaudi's works, they are all hand crafted mosaics. Afterwords we headed to the beach...
Me and Christy set our bags, shoes and jackets in front of Ruby and Anne and went to take pictures by the beach. A man came up and Ruby and Anne bought coconuts from him. When we looked back my bag was gone. Now if you remember my description of our hostel, all my stuff was in that bag and when I say everything I mean everything. Thankfully we had switched hostels for the last night, because the new one had internet and Skype. I called home and began the process of figuring out what to do with no money and no form of ID in Barcelona. It was Friday evening and the embassy didn't open until Monday morning. So basically I was a refugee in Barcelona for 2 days. Dad was able to wire me some money, so that problem was solved and there wasn't anything I could do about my passport until the embassy opened back up. Lucky I had a friend/sorority sister studying in Barcelona for the semester and her host family was gracious enough to let me stay with them for 2 days until the embassy opened. So I had a place to stay, money and a game plan. The next step was filing a police report. After getting false directions and wandering the city for an hour me and Ruby found the police station at about 1am. I filled out the paper work and we were on our way with a report in about 30 min. I learned that being an American has its advantages. I was among 7 or 8 people that had also had things stolen and my files were recorded the fastest out of any ones. There was a man from the Netherlands that was there long before we arrived and was still waiting by the time we left.
A some what funny story: a woman was in there filing a report, because her cell phone had been taken out of her hand mid-conversation. We couldn't hear the whole story, but we saw the hand motions of her explaining talking on the phone then, poof, it was gone.
Staying the two extra days in Barcelona were nice, but really stressful not knowing for sure if I could get a temporary passport. I got to see what local life in Spain is like and see a few sites we had missed earlier. It would have been better if I had known the outcome of getting a new passport.
Monday morning I was at the embassy at 9am filed my paperwork with them and waited. I was there with at least 6 other people all getting new passports, because they had been stolen as well. Thinking about it now, its almost comical how many people are pick-pocketed in Barcelona. An insanely high number, truly sad...
I was able to get a passport! It looks fake and like a high schooler made it, but it has gotten me on 2 planes so far, so it is accepted.
Lessons in Barcelona:
1) Never have all forms of ID in one place.
2) Never have all credit cards/money in one place.
3) A copy of your passport is only good for 2 things:
a) When you need your passport number
b) The US embassy accepts it as a form of ID
*No one, let me repeat, NO ONE takes a copy of your id as a legal form of id. It is pointless except with the US embassy
4) When looking for a hostel make sure it has "security" lockers in the room. The Bar Hostel had lockers, they just didn't lock.
5) Never ever, ever set your bag down/let it out of your sight. Its crazy how careful we were being. I had even set it in front of my friends knowing they were watching it. I would have had to set it in Ruby's lap or had worn it into the ocean. I guess I should have risked getting my purse wet.
6) Sorority sisters are always there for you, no matter what
7) Know a few basic Spanish words before traveling to Spain.
8) I am not to cool for a money belt that I wear around my waist. I now have one!
This is a little hard to write and pushing the publish button is going to be harder, but I do feel like I have learned so much from this experience. I feel like this was almost a test. I keep saying I want to be a world traveler and this experience really tested that. A one point in time I was ready to call it quits and just give up, but now with this in hind sight I'm not sure I would change anything. I survived and I enjoyed the scenery on the detour. I feel like I can handle a lot more than before. I ended up doing a little more traveling by myself than I originally intended and I managed it all successfully.
One good thing that has come about is the change in my travel itinerary. I had originally planned to spend 2 days in Berlin and then 2 in Prague and then go back to Salzburg, however, with limited funds and my train ticket to Prague in the hands of someone else, that idea didn't work out. I'm now staying 4 days in Berlin and so far that is going to be a much better experience and I will go to Prague some other weekend. 4 days will not be long enough in Berlin.
Others need the computer at the hostel, so I will explain Paris and Berlin later.
Panorama
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Rome
Hello all!
I have a little bit of time to kill, so while I'm in Barcelona I'll tell you a little bit about Rome and once I'm out of Barcelona, I'll tell "the rest of the story"
Rome:
We (Kara, Jordan, Amy and me) left Salzburg, Austria at 8pm and went to Villach, Austria via train. In Villach we caught an overnight train to Rome, so when we woke up in the morning we were in Rome! or Roma in Italian. Once we found our hostel and but away our heavy bags we went exploring. We wondered around the town and stumbled into the biggest roundabout I have every seen. It's center was at least 75 feet across with a fountain in the middle. The next road we walked down ended with Roman ruins. A good acre or two of just old foundations and pillars and dwellings! As weird as it is, walking in the same place as the old Romans was awesome. To think that I walked in the exact same place they did takes your breath away for a second.
The first major monument we encountered was The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I wish I could put up a few pictures, when I'm back in Austria I will make a page with just pictures. This is a huge building that we climbed to the top of. From there we were able to catch our first glimpse of the Colleseum! It is by far one of the most inpressive structures I have ever seen. It is huge and to think it is still standing 2000 yrs later! Getting to actually touch it and go inside blew my mind. I did laugh a little as we were standing inside, thinking "Romans you may have persecuted Christians and brutally harmed them, but they only thing left to prove you still existed is a crumling building, but Jesus still lives and His followers are thriving more than ever!"
Another building that took me by suprise was the Pantheon. It is a circular building with a 9 meter whole in the top. It was built pre-AD and is an architectural wonder. The crazy part is its in the middle of a neighborhood. We walked down an alley with apartments and the next thing we knew there was a giant building! It was so out of place and didn't have near enough recognition. It was like the Roman citizens just ignored it was there and built the city around it.
The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are the largest remaining Roman ruins, supposedly built for the first time pre-AD. Some of the ruins are a little older, but most are before Christ. The Senate building is still standing for the most part and there is a church built a little later that is still fully intacted. Walking among the buildings and see where they lived, it can't be described, but it is shocking in a good way. It really makes you stop and think that you are small, but that you can make a difference. In a few years no one will know who I am personally, but it makes me think about what are the "ruins" in my life? The people that lived in those dwellings are not personally remembered, but there contribution to society is. The buildings that they created will live on forever and people will always remember that. So what am I "building" that will last longer than my lifetime?
Trevi Fountain: I didn't know what it was before I got to Rome, but it is a gorgeous fountain designed by DaVinci. The legend goes that if you toss 2 coins over your shoulder into the fountain you will return to Rome. I tossed some coins, so we will see if that comes true : )
We stubbled across the Spanish Steps on our first day, but didn't realize what they were until the third. They are huge and take your breath away when you climb them, literally, but the view really did take your breath away, because you could see the whole city and a few mountains in the distance. It was definitely worth the climb.
The Vatican City: I wanted to save this one for last, because I think this site had the most impact. Going into the Basilica was worth seeing and when we were there there was a church service going on and we got to hear it in Latin and some songs as well. The beauty of the church is everything that had been described and more, but the Sistine Chapel was exceedingly more breathtaking. Me, Jordan and Kara analyzed the paintings in the Sistine Chapel for almost an hour. To think of the passion that went into painting the ceiling is incredible. Michelangelo is talented. He created images that look 3D, but are not. They have a sense of being alive and real. It is amazing how much more I enjoyed being in there compared to being in the Basilica. Michelangelo portrayed God in a way I have never experienced before. I wish I could have stayed in there all day!
Lessons in Rome:
1) Walk to the sites and take the metro back. You want to see what the city has to offer, but once you have seen it you are a long ways away from your hostel and thank goodness for a metro pass.
2) Buy a Romapass. For 23 euros you get a metro pass for 3 days and free entry into 2 museums and discounted entry after that.
3) Everything is closed except restaurants on Monday. If you want to go to a museum go on any other day.
4) Eat Gelato, but find some place cheap. Tip: If it is served in metal bins and the banana flavor is gray and not yellow it is homemade. This makes a difference, because it tastes better.
5) Drink the wine. Its cheap and tastes good.
6) Eat the pizza. Nothing like it in America.
7) There are mafia men and they are easily spotted. We played can you pick out the mafia man...and yes you can. It was fun!
Side note: We saw an anti-racism protest. There was a parade with people marching and carrying signs that went through the city and ended up at a stage where they talked about ending racism. Part of the roads were blocked off, because the police wanted to control the flow of the parade. It was interesting to see police men in full out swat clothes to make sure a demenstration didn't get out of hand. It was interesting to see, because I've heard of such a thing, but never actually seen it.
I don't think I ever really want to go back, but Rome was worth the trip and I'm glad I got to see it. It was fun to hang out and see an old city!
I have a little bit of time to kill, so while I'm in Barcelona I'll tell you a little bit about Rome and once I'm out of Barcelona, I'll tell "the rest of the story"
Rome:
We (Kara, Jordan, Amy and me) left Salzburg, Austria at 8pm and went to Villach, Austria via train. In Villach we caught an overnight train to Rome, so when we woke up in the morning we were in Rome! or Roma in Italian. Once we found our hostel and but away our heavy bags we went exploring. We wondered around the town and stumbled into the biggest roundabout I have every seen. It's center was at least 75 feet across with a fountain in the middle. The next road we walked down ended with Roman ruins. A good acre or two of just old foundations and pillars and dwellings! As weird as it is, walking in the same place as the old Romans was awesome. To think that I walked in the exact same place they did takes your breath away for a second.
The first major monument we encountered was The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I wish I could put up a few pictures, when I'm back in Austria I will make a page with just pictures. This is a huge building that we climbed to the top of. From there we were able to catch our first glimpse of the Colleseum! It is by far one of the most inpressive structures I have ever seen. It is huge and to think it is still standing 2000 yrs later! Getting to actually touch it and go inside blew my mind. I did laugh a little as we were standing inside, thinking "Romans you may have persecuted Christians and brutally harmed them, but they only thing left to prove you still existed is a crumling building, but Jesus still lives and His followers are thriving more than ever!"
Another building that took me by suprise was the Pantheon. It is a circular building with a 9 meter whole in the top. It was built pre-AD and is an architectural wonder. The crazy part is its in the middle of a neighborhood. We walked down an alley with apartments and the next thing we knew there was a giant building! It was so out of place and didn't have near enough recognition. It was like the Roman citizens just ignored it was there and built the city around it.
The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are the largest remaining Roman ruins, supposedly built for the first time pre-AD. Some of the ruins are a little older, but most are before Christ. The Senate building is still standing for the most part and there is a church built a little later that is still fully intacted. Walking among the buildings and see where they lived, it can't be described, but it is shocking in a good way. It really makes you stop and think that you are small, but that you can make a difference. In a few years no one will know who I am personally, but it makes me think about what are the "ruins" in my life? The people that lived in those dwellings are not personally remembered, but there contribution to society is. The buildings that they created will live on forever and people will always remember that. So what am I "building" that will last longer than my lifetime?
Trevi Fountain: I didn't know what it was before I got to Rome, but it is a gorgeous fountain designed by DaVinci. The legend goes that if you toss 2 coins over your shoulder into the fountain you will return to Rome. I tossed some coins, so we will see if that comes true : )
We stubbled across the Spanish Steps on our first day, but didn't realize what they were until the third. They are huge and take your breath away when you climb them, literally, but the view really did take your breath away, because you could see the whole city and a few mountains in the distance. It was definitely worth the climb.
The Vatican City: I wanted to save this one for last, because I think this site had the most impact. Going into the Basilica was worth seeing and when we were there there was a church service going on and we got to hear it in Latin and some songs as well. The beauty of the church is everything that had been described and more, but the Sistine Chapel was exceedingly more breathtaking. Me, Jordan and Kara analyzed the paintings in the Sistine Chapel for almost an hour. To think of the passion that went into painting the ceiling is incredible. Michelangelo is talented. He created images that look 3D, but are not. They have a sense of being alive and real. It is amazing how much more I enjoyed being in there compared to being in the Basilica. Michelangelo portrayed God in a way I have never experienced before. I wish I could have stayed in there all day!
Lessons in Rome:
1) Walk to the sites and take the metro back. You want to see what the city has to offer, but once you have seen it you are a long ways away from your hostel and thank goodness for a metro pass.
2) Buy a Romapass. For 23 euros you get a metro pass for 3 days and free entry into 2 museums and discounted entry after that.
3) Everything is closed except restaurants on Monday. If you want to go to a museum go on any other day.
4) Eat Gelato, but find some place cheap. Tip: If it is served in metal bins and the banana flavor is gray and not yellow it is homemade. This makes a difference, because it tastes better.
5) Drink the wine. Its cheap and tastes good.
6) Eat the pizza. Nothing like it in America.
7) There are mafia men and they are easily spotted. We played can you pick out the mafia man...and yes you can. It was fun!
Side note: We saw an anti-racism protest. There was a parade with people marching and carrying signs that went through the city and ended up at a stage where they talked about ending racism. Part of the roads were blocked off, because the police wanted to control the flow of the parade. It was interesting to see police men in full out swat clothes to make sure a demenstration didn't get out of hand. It was interesting to see, because I've heard of such a thing, but never actually seen it.
I don't think I ever really want to go back, but Rome was worth the trip and I'm glad I got to see it. It was fun to hang out and see an old city!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Vienna
This is Shoenbrunn. It was the summer residence of the Habsburgs. I would consider it the Austrian version of Versailles in France. The palace was just as extravagant and beautiful inside and out. The gardens where my favorite part. There were flowers of every color and they were all in full bloom. The gardens where acres big. I walked around them for a solid hour and a half and didn't even get to see it all. If I get a chance to go back I would just walk in the gardens for hours. I also got to see the winter house Hofburg and the Ringstrasse. It was designed by Franz Josef to be a ring of buildings to show the status of Vienna. Each of the buildings in designed by a different architect and have a different style.
I even stayed in a hostel by myself for the first time. I will begin a list of things you should know while staying in a hostel:
1) bring a lock, there are lockers in the room to leave your stuff in while you are gone
2) hostels have luggage rooms, so you can leave your heavy backpack in this room while you walk around Vienna all morning and then check in at 3 and put your bag in your room
3) claiming your bed means more than just putting the sheets on them, you must also put a personal belonging there as well, i.e. sweatshirt, book...
This is me and Ben with Herbert Mikisch of Vienna.
We are related...
Rachael-> Victor-> Freda-> Mary Mikisch-> Franz Josef Mikisch
Franz had 7 brothers and sisters one of those brothers (Josef) is Herbert's great grandfather.
Pretty cool!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Palfinger and die Hochzeit des Figaro
Check out the website (by clicking on the title)! We visited this company on Thursday and I got to control one of the cranes drive a remote control forklift and go 47 meters up in a crane. It was pretty much toys for big kids! That evening we went to die Hochzeit des Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). It was my first opera. It was performed in Italian with German subtitles. I loved it! I didn't always know what was going on, but I could read a lot of the blot and they acted out the rest.
I'm in Vienna right now on a German laptop and the keys are slightly different. The z and y are switched and some of the symbols are different, so it is taking me twice as long to type this, because I have to look at where some of the keys are. y and z are the worst. zou would think i'd get it bz now : )
I'm in Vienna right now on a German laptop and the keys are slightly different. The z and y are switched and some of the symbols are different, so it is taking me twice as long to type this, because I have to look at where some of the keys are. y and z are the worst. zou would think i'd get it bz now : )
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Church and Bible Study
Sunday I went to Calvary Chapel. It is a tiny church on the raise and was an absolutely amazing experience! It was held in the basement of a hostel and there were about 20 of us. Everyone was so friendly and came up and said hi. We sang worship songs in English, but the sermon was in English and German. It was cool, because I heard the English sentence and then I knew what to expect in German and I could understand a lot of what was being said. Overall, a very good experience.
This evening I went to a Bible Study. Again really small, but the people were friendly and just so excited to meet someone new. God is definitely moving in Austria and it is cool to get to be a part of it even for just a few months. I can't wait to see what is to come!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Oktoberfest
I went to Oktoberfest over the weekend!
It was actually a lot of fun during the day. It was like a state fair times about 100. The main focus was definitely beer, but there were booths selling food and all kinds of rides. The beer "tents" were actually buildings that they construct specifically for Oktoberfest. You have to make a reservation well in advanced to get in one. Some of the guys we went with waited outside for over an hour to try and be one of the lucky ones that get in without a reservation, but they had no luck. For the rest of the people there were beer gardens outside with big tables. I went with Kara, Amy and Hannah and that is where we found ourselves for most of the morning. We arrive about noon and spent the afternoon talking with people from France, New Zealand, Scotland, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. We were at the Lowenbrau "tent" or the Lions Brew. It was fun just talking with everyone. We got traditional Bratwurst and Sauerkraut for dinner and walked around for the rest of the evening and headed back to Salzburg.
The craziest part of the experience was wearing my dirndl. When I had it on no one believed I was from America. They were all convinced that I was German and people wanted to take pictures with us! I knew enough German and the conversation was short enough that I convinced a lady that I was Austrian.
My German has definitely improved enough that I can do basic things in German and no one reverts to English with me. It is nice. I feel like I'm fitting in more.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Quick update
Wed: I went exploring. There is a place called Media Markt that would be our equivalent to a Best Buy. It had all kinds of electronics and home appliances. I wandered around for a while and then tried to leave. Except the store didn't want me to leave with out purchasing something. It took me about 10 min to figure out how to get past the register without the lady thinking I was stealing something. It was quite the experience. Right next door was a store called Hofer. I would almost call it a Big Lots for food except about a fraction of the size. Everything was slightly discounted and I bought a bottle of wine for 2.50 euros and it wasn't even the cheapest one. I haven't tried it yet, but I will let you know if it is good!
Thurs: I wreck my bike! I was still able to ride it home, but both my knees are black and blue. In hind sight it was probably really funny to see, but at the time my pride was slightly damaged. I tried to go over a curb and the curb rejected my attempt. I've decided you have to hit them head on, you can't side swipe a curb and expect to go over it. : ) I will defeat the curb next time.
I've also started planning my two week break. Our last class on Friday is lunch : ) at 12. The first part of my break is still a little up in the air. I have the option to go around Austria or go to Rome. Both of which I would really like to do. Wed I fly out of Salzburg and end up in Barcelona for a few days, then to Paris, then Berlin, then Prague. I spend about 2 days in each. Not a lot of time, but I can't wait to see them!
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