Sabbath in Wien

Today is Sunday. The English speaking ward was all the way across town, but it was NOT at 9am so it is the one we chose to go to. Getting ready for church was fun....we were going somewhere new. It took us an hour to get to church riding on the trains and walking. But we made it a few minutes early and got to enjoy listening to the prelude music. A lady from Ghana who has lived in Wien for 30 years introduced herself. I LOVE being a member of this church. She was INSTANTLY family. Her name (though I'm pretty sure I will misspell it) is Messi. I thought of Cody....hahaha

It was a lovely service with some great words. I loved the talk on VULNERABILITY. He referenced Brene Brown a lot. She is wonderful!

It was so fun to be with my two kiddos to go to church. Usually while in Wien I go alone. But not today. I had to document the experience.

WANDERLUST

Watching my students (and my children) as they fall into Wanderlust is priceless. It brings back SO many of my memories of the first time I did the same in this very city - WIEN! Most of the places I have already been to, and while I always learn a little more, I am enjoying watching the others as really get into it all.

Because I am behind...what is new? ... I will go back to the United Nations. It is just an AMAZING place. I've been through the same tour before, but it always is amazing to me just how much goes on there and how much good they do for the world in general.

Our next stop was BUDAPEST.....after some free time after the UN.

It’s hard to describe my thoughts and feelings but I will try. Leading a group is so much different than merely going to a place. I didn’t remember as much about Budapest as I do in Vienna, therefore I wasn’t as confident at navigating. But we made it. I spent a little time feeling bad that I hadn’t gotten different things. For instance, the group train tickets were non transferable and not changeable. We left Budapest earlier than a lot of students wanted to leave. I would have liked them to have the option of when to return. Some spent the money and stayed. Most are on the train heading back (I am writing this on the train). Staying a little longer would have been nice.

Then there was the hop on hop off bus. The one purchased through. the Institute was more expensive and did not run as often as others. We spent longer waiting for buses than I would have liked. Oh well, live and learn.

Lastly, when my kiddos aren’t happy, it is harder for me. I had to have a conversation with Spencer about how many people I’m trying to manage as well as please. I cant do it all and it disrupts my flow when he is triggered. We were walking across the bridge, just he and Kelsey and me at the time, and being able to explore and run and jump and climb cured his saltiness. Yay!!

He and Kelsey, but mostly him, are making videos of doing push-ups all throughout the trip at every place we are. It’s actually pretty cool. I’m enjoying seeing them enjoying everything so much.

Witnessing them and my students “wanderlust” forming is exquisite for me. I fell in love the first time I came - observing the same in them is wonderful.

(pic of my necklace)

BUDAPEST

After visiting the United Nations, I took the kids and the boys to register in Vienna. This was the first time I wasn’t taken there. After that Spencer, Kelsey, and I had gelato and went to Stephansdom. I left them there to shop for an hour and went to have lunch (hot dog) with Lisa. I dropped lisa off to wait for them and went for my last student who had to run home for his paper to register. That never happened and we all ended up on the train to Budapest...the first long train of the trip.

Getting off the train in Budapest I enjoyed the pent up anxious excitement of the group. I remembered the train station from my trip 7 years ago but nothing else. Thanks to the map on my phone, we finally made it. Kelsey wasn’t happy - it wasn’t the nicest area of town and the hotel, admittedly, left much to be desired. But - it was a bed. A futile attempt for somewhere to eat took us by a sex shop, not what I would have preferred my students, OR KIDS, to see. Life is much different outside our boundaries. We ended up hitting a small semi grocery store to pick up some things. Dinner was bread, ham, cheese, chips and quest, yogurt, and Kirsten provided some cookies. Sadly we couldn’t read and ended up with seltzer water! YUCK!!! Oh well

Friday in Budapest was nice. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. We finally made it to the bus and stopped to go to The House of Terror. It was the headquarters of the Nazi and Facist regime. I’ve studied the holocaust before, even to the museum in Jerusalem, but every time the same heavy, solemn, heavy heart feeling fills my entire being. To hear the accounts of the survivors - actual accounts - hurt my heart. Large tough men broke down sobbing. No words can suffice to describe the atrocities of that time. Two of the quotes that stood out most to me were

Form the survivors “We will forgive but we will not forget.”

Instructions given to the guards “Do not just guard them but also hate them”

To have these experiences so recent - that is crazy! During my moms lifetime. The father of our tour guide in Vienna was part of the Resistance. World War II was not that long ago. And Budapest’s lasted longer. After the Nazis fell, the USSR took over. So really they’ve had less than 30 years to rebuild and establish their own identity.

But it IS a beautiful city! Lunch was cheap and by Heroes Square. From here we found that our buses were SLOW. We got off to see the Jewish Quarter and ended up waiting FOREVER to get on the next bus. We decided to just stay on it. I hated not being able to get off at the Citadel and overlook the city. Oh well!

This is when it got a little tough. Spencer wanted to do his running, climbing, jumping and Sage wasn’t feeling well. Lisa stayed with Sage and Kirsten and used the bathroom and got a hoodie for our boat ride at 8:10. I took Spencer and Kelsey across the bridge and we hiked to the statue overlooking the city.

 

Instead of catching a bus, we walked to the famous Shoes on the Danube - a memorial to the Jews shot on the bank of the Danube river and let them fall into the river. It’s stirring and solemn. The kids shoes get me every time.

Then we hustled back to Boat Dock 8A for a night cruise down the Danube. It didn’t disappoint-tho it wasn’t too dark at first. Great pics for sure! Lisa took the girls and took a taxi home. Spencer, Kelsey, and I walked home. It was fun. We stopped and got some gyros (me a pita and Kelsey a wrap) and the Hungarian schnitzel for Spencer. We had a great walk home talking about things we’ve learned and how Budapest and Vienna are different than what we are used to in America. It was fun to listen to them - smoking is bad but that is the ONLY thing America is better at health wise than Europe. They were both impressed with the stop lights - how they go green yellow red and red yellow green. Spencer realized how important it is to know how read. How true - from getting the right water to knowing what food is and MANY other things. 

 

Great time in Budapest - could have stayed longer, but this was a good time. This evening we will see Belvedere Palace and hopefully have dinner with out Vienna tour guide, Elisabeth.

Looking forward to it.

Belvedere was magnificent....dinner with Elizabeth was perfect!

What a GREAT day!!!

OH my ACHING feet

I have walked a million steps...well, maybe NOT a million, but it sure SEEMS so! I actually had over 12,000 by 2pm and ending the day with around 20,000 or more. My phone just died, so I don't know exactly, but it is a LOT. I can tell by my aching swollen feet.

But today was spectacular. After a drizzly rainy chilly day yesterday, today's sunshine was magnificent. Having Spencer and Kelsey added to my happiness. Then I met Elizabeth, our Historical City Tour Guide. SHE was perfect. She was a little older and was so perfect with the students. She and Lisa and I may have dinner on Saturday and just visit! She told us so many wonderful experiences and tid bits!

While I'd love to share them all, it is getting late, and we have another long day today (heading to Budapest)

Albetina was about the same as the first time I went. Some neat pieces, but Art just doesn't do it for me. I like the kind of art I like....but expressionism and all the whacky stuff doesn't do it for me. Neither do naked women nor Picasso...he was a nut job. I can't figure out ANY of his works, nor do I care to. Some pieces in the museum were neat...and the tour of their residence was a highlight...times were SOOO different then. People may have to wait 3 days to get a meeting with Maria Christina. WHAT??? The tour guide said she just may not have wanted to visit with them. Crazy life of rich people in power.

After Albertina, we just tooled around. Went to Zanoni and Zanoni to get some gelato with a few of the students, then to the Rathaus to check it out. I think it is my favorite building. And the tents selling Austrian goods was there as well....too much beer, but that is the culture.

We found our way home...and to the grocery store. Tomorrow is another grand adventure.

Falling in Love again and again

Truth be told...I was a bit more nervous this time around when planning and coming to Vienna. True, I LOVE Vienna. But would it disappoint with a new group, new experiences? It KIND of reminded me of having baby #2...HOW could I possibly love this next one as much as the first? But I do...and the same thing is happening in Vienna.

I found myself SO at home on the UBahn, with the food, walking around the city. I didn't take as many pics...but it WAS raining for MOST of the day.

I think it was a good day. We registered .... long walk in the rain, but necessary. Maria, one of the grad students that works at AAIE, is fantastic. She walked us there...what a fun girl. Then she took us on a little points of interest tour of the city, leaving us at the Naschmarkt. I want hummus...but the workers were MUCH more pushy than before as I remember. We had a KeineKlasser (sausage type dog with cheese on a wonderful hard roll type bun). It was good. Then we found Baklava...not as good as mom's, but still good.

Our FIRST class....the basics out of the way. Then we sent the students on a Scavenger Hunt. I think it turned out really well. I think I will do it a LITTLE differently next year, but it was a great way to get them out seeing things and adventuring AND using public transportation so they are more comfortable. It did take longer than I thought it would, but it was a good adventure. We changed the end....and they made some transfers on the trains and met us at Hauptbahnhoff to meet Kelsey and Spencer and Krista. I was pretty excited to see them....they were exhausted and a bit snarky. We went to get food...and that happied them up.

Vapiano's is a great Italian place. After dinner we just went home. We let the students have a FREE NIGHT to do whatever they chose. Some chose chill, others chose to just go home. Tomorrow is a new day...the Historical City Tour and Albertina! Looking forward to it.

Pictures to come!

Going to Austria ... AGAIN!

Even before I had gone to Vienna (Wien) LAST year (2017) I had already begun making plans for this year! And I've been PLANNING it for the entire year.

It's hard to believe that we leave in just a few days. My kids are FINALLY excited....and I get to take 15 wonderful students and Lisa Ray with me this time too. And yes, I'm already planning for 2019.

Anyhow....this year will be great! On Thursday we are having a Sound of Music get together. I wish we would have done that last year. It will be fun to watch with them and then be in the exact location the movie was filmed. Oh, I AM excited!!

I am following a few Austria Instagram sites....and I LOVE the pics I see. Here are just a couple. SOON we will SEE these IN PERSON. Won't that be great!! I love to expose students to the city I fell in love with so long ago. I enjoy watching them fall into wanderlust as well. And to see them all change with the culture. I do have the best job in the world!

Rathaus

Stephansdom

4 days and counting!!!!

To Vienna with LOVE

This is a city I fell in love with the first time I came. My friend had tried to share her love of the city with me many years ago. Although her passion was nearly tangible and I fully believed her, I was completely unprepared for the sensation of falling in love that came.

And now I want those I have brought on Study Abroad to fall in love too. I think they are beginning....especially now that they have had a little sleep :)

Today (I'm actually writing this Saturday night), was so much fun! Part of the reason, I believe, is because we didn't have to be to the Institute until noon. That gave the students the morning to explore and/or sleep a little more.

We met and got some fun discussion going about what has been going on so far....a couple girls had an interesting time the first night with their host families. Some also had some FUN experiences to share about exploring! Mary shared a GREAT story about the 4 of them trying to order pepperoni pizza from Armenian guys that knew MANY languages, none of which were English. They ended up getting a long pepper on their pizza....and laughed their way through it. It was fun to watch them making great memories in a country I love.

Equally as wonderful for me is the time I spend reading their blogs. I know it is hard to blog DAILY (obviously since I am writing this the day AFTER), but I know it is important since we will be doing fun life changing beautiful things EVERY DAY ... soon they will all begin to run together.

Thursday night I was EXHAUSTED, to say the least. I decided to NOT make any decisions since I was NOT sitting well with life.....being up 34+ hours will do that to me. But I realized that our schedule was pretty full and they will have NO time to just wander and explore and see the beauties that surround them. Hermann said something I loved .... "get lost and maybe you'll find a treasure you will remember forever on one of the back streets of the city." I agree!!!

Thus, after discussions of their thoughts and what they were feeling about their experience thus far, we discussed our Sat/Sun plans. I had them PACKED....but wanted them to have FREE time. So we discussed it....and came up with STAYING to the plan (sort of). And a couple of them decided to stay in Vienna to explore the museums and art galleries.

So....today through my eyes: GO!!!

Our discussion ended with enough time to let them go get something to eat before our Historical City Tour --- which was AWESOME, by the way! Although I had seen ALL of what he showed us before, hearing the stories was fantastic!!!

Two of my favorite stories were from Stephansplatz. ONE was an O5 on the building. It was nondescript. In fact, it was behind something, as if not a real iconic emblem of the cathedral. But to me, not only because 5 is my favorite number, but because of the significance, it meant a lot and quickly became one of my favorite points of the day. You see, during WWII Nazi Germany invaded Austria. A resistance was formed but it obviously had to be secretive. So they put O5 on places where they would meet. The O was for Austria (spelled Österreich in German). Because the O with the two dots above is pronounce ooo.....and usually is spelled with oe they put the #5 since 'e' is the fifth letter of the alphabet. I took a pic and told them #5 was my favorite number...the tour guide, Christian, joked about being a member of the resistance. Yup....I'd have to agree. I suppose I would have been, or at least like to at least THINK I would have been.

I was soooo pleased to see that the students LOVED the inside of Stephansplatz....because I DO TOO!!!

The last piece of Stephansplatz I hadn't seen before were the breadsticks.....they were measuring sticks. Bakers had to measure their bread against these measurements and if they weren't long enough they were punished, harshly. What a cool story!!! (NOT that I approve of the consequences)

What a fun tour! Christian was wonderful....a little soft spoken, but a good tourguide.
One last part of the tour I was also not aware of on my last trip was the oldest road, dating back to Roman times.....the road today is still in the same spot, cutting through the middle of the city. But the old stones were pretty cool. It is amazing to me to think about how OLD things are....how MANY people, chariots, carriages, etc traversed over those rocks. What was life like back then? And the main road through the city ran directly next to the Hofburg Palace, where the Emperor or King lived and reigned the country. How cool is that! Things are SOOO different in Austria.

The girls all dispersed after the tour to do their own thing. I had planned to just walk around with Anita, wandering and exploring. However, the girls wanted us to hang with them...so we did and had a GREAT time. Some went to Stephansplatz to climb the tower, others didn't. We got some gelato...wandering til we found some. Then we all went to Rathaus. In the morning, Anita and I left early to do some exploring. We happened through there and their was a festival going on....cool food, Austrian gift tents. When we went back, it had turned into the Beer Festival. Oh great.....they mentioned it a couple times that I would bring them to it. They all know I do not drink!

But we had a great time...I found a gift for Spencer and they all found little gifts for friends and family  too. It was a good time. I once heard that you can tell how good something is going by the proximity of group members. The closer they are, the better things are going.  I think it is safe to say things are going pretty well. True, it is a selfie stick so we HAVE to be close, but I am soooo impressed with these young ladies. Most of them knew each other prior to coming, but it is so fun to watch them interact and get to know each other in a different place with different responsibilities. Reading their blogs shows me their personalities and their real selves. They are wonderful women and I feel privileged to have them here with me in the city that I LOVE!

A few of us went to dinner....just walked down a road, stopped at the first place (too pricey) and they hit the second one....PERFECT! Each meal was awesome. We keep commenting that we are eating our way across Austria. There may be more truth in that statement than jest!!!

And I would be COMPLETELY remiss if I didn't mention our lunch....no, I'm not USUALLY a food picture type of gal, but these two meals? They were awesome! This polish sausage type hot dog was delish!!! Anita even said she needed to eat another one before we leave....even for breakfast!

And would you believe it if I said we ended our day with the Das Original?? It is the famous chocolate cake (more of a torte). It was ok, but not my favorite....at least I can say I have had it (another NEW for me this time around)

And so...another LATE night, but a day well spent. By the time I got home, I was exhausted! My feet hurt (I even wore my chacos instead of my birkenstocks), my back hurt, and I was SOOOOO tired. But I had to get Saturdays adventure all straightened out before I could lay down and finally SLEEP. We walked in the door ---- after walking into a pitch black entrance to the building, up two flights of stairs (thank goodness for flashlights on our phones), and put the key in the lock....only to find it wouldn't open. We tried for a good 15 minutes. Well....it may have only been 5, but it FELT like FOREVER! I finally texted the owner and even sent a video of us trying. We ended up having to pull the door toward us and THEN it would open. We thought we had it ALL figured out....I couldn't even get out this morning...what a GREAT adventure!! (I left to go get some food....found some beautiful strawberries and this feta and spinach pita-ish thing. Not really a pita, but the spinach and feta was grilled INTO the pita like dough. It was DELICIOUS....add some hummus and I was in heaven!!!

Got the adventure all worked out....and dropped into bed around 1:30 ish! It didn't take me LONG at all to fall fast asleep!