Long Time No See

Yes…I am still here! Whoofff. Ya’ll cannot get rid of me that easily:) My, my it has been many a week since I’ve typed. This is all in good reason though: I have been CRAZY busy. To be quite honest, I think it has been a solid three weeks since my last post. I had all the best intentions to post weekly, but fun events such as weekend trips and binging on gummy bears with the gals seems to be taking my time these days. Over these last few weeks I have made traditional Austrian dishes, visited Prague and Vienna, attended a famous Opera, and traveled around with my lovely family. You know…people always say, “enjoy the time you are there because it goes really fast.” Although I have learned this lesson before, there is nothing comparable to the way the time flies on this adventure of mine. I am so blessed to be able to have this journey in my young adult life. So, friends, grab your cup of coffee, curl up with a blanket and get ready to be taken into the world of a twenty-year old European travel goo-roo.

Week of October 1st-6th:

Even with all the great intentions I had, I still just could not get this post out in time. I am so excited to share all my adventures with you all. This week was kicked off with a good ole’ Austrian cooking party. Our Deutsch professors had us over to their house and as a class we made Schnitzel, creamy pumpkin soup, and my favorite…Topfenstrudel! All was so delicious and we students made the food as music, laughter, and of course German speaking filled the room. I was so blessed to get to spend this time with my classmates and enjoy the presence of one another. Pictures of our delicious creations are shown below: trust me, these pictures don’t do the taste justice.

This week’s main adventure was our group excursion to Prague. This was the first group trip we had since our Tappenkarsee hike in the Alps. However, this adventure was a little less smelly and quite a bit classier. During our time in Prague we toured many different places and ate many different delicious meals. After a five-hour bus ride to our hostel, the girls settled into their rooms and then we went out for a classy dinner overlooking the city. Because it was so cold, I decided to get a “fancy” hot chocolate…after this I determined I actually prefer my dollar tree SwissMiss more:). But, it was an experience to drink the brownie batter goodness and my tummy was definitely satisfied. Our tables looked like tables for royalty, and it was quite fun being served like a princess for the night. For my evening meal I had a roasted beef with sweet cranberry sauce and potato dumplings…mmmmm what a good choice I made. We adventured around the city some more that night and of course did the famous Prague bar crawl!!! Totally worth the money:)

On Saturday and Sunday, we traveled as a group getting to see the old Jewish quarter and its cemetery. We also visited the Charles Bridge, the Infant Christ, Prague Castle, and the St. Vitus cathedral. On our way home, we also hit the Cesky Krumlov Castle that had a lovely bear moat in front. There were also many yummy food stops along the way and of course…I tried more hot chocolate! The food in Prague is cheap, and so is the wages the workers are paid. A typical working-class citizen is paid 600 Krona per month or $62.12 USD. This is insane to me, and was quite a new cultural experience.

When we had a quick two hours of free time, some girlfriends and I adventured around the city ourselves. This travel with the ladies was one of my most fond memories of this trip. I enjoyed being in their presence and giving my abs a little bit of a workout…something I seem to not be doing as frequently lately. On our adventure, we visited the John Lennon wall, a candy shop where we got GIANT gummy bears, and a statue on the bridge. It is an ancient tradition and myth that if you rub a certain statue on the Charles Bridge you will return to Prague one day. Yes, OF COURSE I touched it:) So, who wants to go back with me????

And of course I have a separate section for the most important thing that happened to me on this weekend excursion in Prague….ice cream in a rolled donut with Nutella and chocolate syrup. WOW! This is my dream come true. My two favorite sweets are of course donuts and ice cream…combine them…Abbey’s life wish has come true. I was one VERY happy camper that day and headed home with a happy heart and tummy!

October 7th – 13th:

This week went so fast it feels like it almost never happened. I was so excited for Saturday the 12th because my lovely family was coming to Salzburg and I was ECSTATIC! The week leading up to their arrival wasn’t too eventful adventure wise, but definitely was food wise. A good foodie friend of mine (also my running partner lol) and myself like to try every new thing we see in sight. This week we ate our weekly Kabab’s (of course…it was Kebab Monday), and we also ate an okay-ish burrito. I was really excited for the burrito, but not going to lie it was quite the letdown…this made homework in the library less fun later. Other adventures included having a late-night German class with my advanced class of five, as well as going to see a movie in the Salzburg theater! And, of course, I had Kebabs with my pal Val, but we had some stranger join us this time…Devin is featured in this post from our German 360 class. What a fun night finding out we “have airplanes in our tummies.” And that was a wrap on the week of classes and school.

Next stop, family time! On Saturday morning, the German 360 class and I had a pancake breakfast in my apartment. Guys, I had been craving pancakes since I got here as they are one of my favorite breakfast items! My mind was full of so many emotions this day because I was having the best time with my friends and was also so excited to spend the week with my family (ah ha and the free breakfast that was included at the hotel...hot chocolate every morning on demand??? Yes PLEASE!)

Aren't they too cute? When they arrived at the train station there were a few tears from us all. It was the excitement of knowing that both I and them were okay, and seeing that yes indeed I was LIVING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY for four months. The moment of seeing them come down the escalator is a moment I will cherish forever. During their time in Austria, we went to Eagles Nest (which was part of Hitler's large system of his personal buildings on the mountain), toured the Fortress in Salzburg, went to fun festivals in town, went for a sunset dinner at Stiegel, and a rooftop dinner. Of course we had Kebab's twice, and they adventured to Halstatt and the Hallein salt mines. I had so many fun memories with my family this week, and was glad I decided to put school on hold to spend time with them. I am very fortunate they got to visit, and wish they were here for more of this Study Abroad experience.

We also ate some good eats, and scarfed down some ice cream along the Salzach river:)

One of my most favorite parts of this weekend was the time I got to spend with my sister. Though she is a pain in the butt, and steals my clothes while I am away, I missed her dearly and it was such a treat to get to be in her company!

Vienna:

With the snap of my fingers my family was heading back to Minnesota, and I was on a bus to Vienna. Vienna was such an incredible experience full of lots of fun memories. Friday in Vienna included many fun adventures with friends. As a group, we toured the Schönnbrunn Palace where Habsburg Maria Theresa lived. Side note: in our seminar class abroad we are studying the Habsburgs and their reign in European history, so this was a fun spot for us to visit. We walked around the garden grounds...and took some amazing pictures there as well (featuring my beautiful poses below). My roomie loved Vienna and the palace tour and you can see her reaction to this amazing place below:)

Friday also included a trip to the National Library of Austria. I was soooo excited for this stop because my love for reading is unexplainable. Of course, my favorite series, Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, was not in the library, but it was still a pretty cool place to check out:) That day we also toured St. Stephens Cathedral (where some of the Habsburgs hearts are buried), and went to a traditional Viennese coffee house (I ordered hot chocolate of course.)

Finally, my friend Val and I went to a Marionette show. Wait what? I went to Marionnette show? That’s right kiddo’s, I made it to Wolgang Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. I read this opera in my German 212 class last semester and seeing the puppet show was AMAZING! There was about fifteen people in the theater and it was incredible being taken into this world for a little bit. I know what most of you are thinking..."isn’t that a little creepy?” No, it was not odd in the slightest form, and was actually quite astonishing what these Puppetiers could do. The puppets on the stage looked like actual human actors and the show was truly amazing. I am very glad my friend Val and I went because that is something I have been wanting to do since I arrived in Europe.

It was already Saturday, and my time in Vienna had already been a blast, but I was most excited for the Opera we would see that fine Saturday evening. Early in the day our group toured the Albrecht Dürer art museum, and a group of us went to the National History Museum. There was a HUGE variety of rocks at the History Museum, even rocks that had hair growing out of them. There were also dinosaurs and ice age replicas. A group of five girls and I bought tickets to the Planetarium. Unfortunately, the seats in this theater were incredibly comfortable…and yes…I ended up paying five euros to take a nap. Well worth the money I would say:)

And finally, at 3:00pm it was time to get ready to see The Barber of Seville. The ladies and I had so much fun getting together to do hair and make-up. It felt like prom all over again, and it felt so good to be present with all of them singing old Hannah Montana jams in the hostel room. This was the first time anyone had gotten VERY dressed up in our group so walking down to the lobby and seeing the boys in their suits took our breath away…and I think it did the same for them too:)

We later went out together and had a lovely dinner in a cozy room with wine and elegant food. Smiles were all so present that evening and giggles from the wine made for a friendly conversation with all. My, this was one of my most favorite nights I think I have had here so far. There is just something so special about getting to see all these friends I have made get dressed up, come together for a great dinner, have AMAZING conversations, and love being in the presence of each other.

Sorry to be cheesy, but I am so grateful for this program in so many ways. Everyone here truly cares for one another, and I have made some authentic friendships from this experience. I know that if I ever need anything, anyone on this trip is there to help me. I am so grateful for this study abroad experience and each person that God has placed in my path. How truly blessed I am!

I cannot believe I only have six weeks left in this incredible place! It feels like time has flown so fast and I am so happy I get the opportunity to call Salzburg home. Although I talk about all the greatness this journey has been, I forget to mention the emotional hardships it sometimes brings as well. I miss a lot of cultural things in America, and I really miss being able to speak English regularly. I also miss my college friends and family back home. Being abroad is not always easy and has it’s ups and downs, but it is always worth it. If you are a student reading this and thinking about studying abroad, PLEASE DO IT! This experience has helped shape who I am as a person as well as who I want to become. I have grown so much and cannot wait to continually keep finding myself throughout this journey.

Peep the running friend and I with our pal Jake creepin' in the background!

Well folks, there you have it, another three weeks crammed into one fifteen-minute blog. I hope you enjoy looking at these pictures and reading about these adventures as much as I love living them out. And, once again, I have learned many lessons these past few weeks. So, without further a-do, here they are:

1) Czech food is really cheap and really good

2) Goulash in the Czech republic don’t taste like Mama’s noodles with spaghetti sauce and meat at home

3) Once you have ridden the public bus so many times, you actually memorize every single word the lady is saying over the loud speaker…IN GERMAN

4) Kebab’s seem to be cheap, but when you buy seven a week they hit that credit card hard

5) Marionette shows are SO DANG COOL

6) Just when you think you’ve figured out Salzburg, you find a new way to get lost

7) There are only so many meals you can make on a stove top

8) Your tummy does start to shrink when you aren’t chowing on chocolate chip cookies and watching Netflix on the couch

9) Vanilla jogurt here actually means…Vanilla BUTTERMILK. No wonder it tasted so good for the last two months?

10) Yes, Maggie’s cabinet door is still broken. And yes, she forgets every-time she opens it. And yes, it falls and she catches it and laughs hysterically for the next five minutes!

11) The concept of time seems to be irrelevant here. Maggie and I don’t crawl into bed until 1:00am? What happened to being early birds?

12) The people in the lounge can hear you when you sing Mama Mia in the shower:/

13) You’d think that when you make toast every-day you would get better at getting it to the perfect crisp…no you just get better at burning it

14) Pigeons will find every way to invade your personal space…it’s like they get this sick sense you really don’t like them????

Thank you all for reading about the past few weeks of my adventures in Europe. We are halfway through this journey together and cannot wait to share the rest of my shenanigans with you! Next week I am traveling to London and Ireland with Maggie and Megan for our Mid-Term break. I will put up a separate post for each destination:)

With Love Always,

Abbey Jean