Berlusalzvienich

So this is definitely my last entry, as I plan to head over to the airport in about 12 hours! A lot has happened in the last week or so, but internet access is not so easy in the little Bavarian towns of Schwand and Mantel!

I started my stay in Bavaria in Munich, though I can hardly say I've experienced the city. As it was Sunday, absolutely everything was closed. My experience was limited to a really fantastic dinner with two friends I made at my hostel.

Familie Witt picked me up from Weiden the next day, and I spent only one night with them; I think we all wished it could have been more! It was so nice to spend time with some really wonderful people. And of course, I didn't complain about having my own room and some privacy in the shower! We spent my first afternoon swimming and eating and watching a movie. The next day, Steffi and I were about to leave to do some shopping in Weiden, when óne of the cows went into labor! I got to watch the birth of a little calf. It was really amazing. The best part is that because it happened while I was visiting, the Witts have named her Clair and promised not to sell her! Now I just have to come back and visit.

The next two days I spent with the Bocks in Mantel, where I received only the finest in German cooking. I know my whole family will be jealous to hear that on my first night, I had Sauerbraten! We spent the one full day we had in Eger (in Czech, Cheb), which has a really beautiful market square. Herr Bock explained that ten or twenty years ago, all the buildings were grey and drab. Now it is all bright colors. The Bocks also took me to see two churches, which were really beautiful as well.

Nothing surpasses Bavaria in beauty and charm, but the dialect is almost as difficult as Schweizer Deutsch! Though I couldn't understand a lot of what was said in 'Bayerisch,' I'm afraid I might have developed a bit of their accent.

Now I am back in Berlin, and so happy to be here. I only wish I had my apartment back, instead of my bed in this hostel! Today I am going to try to have some last minute experiences that I will miss in the States. There is no place like Berlin...

I am home safe and sound from my trek into Bratislava yesterday, which was a great (though exhausting) success. As Vienna and Bratislava are the two closest capital cities in the world, it was really easy and cheap for me to take the train in and back. I walked everywhere, though I could have used the public transportation, which is actually very efficient. The city definitely has some run-down areas, and a lot of the streets and buildings have fallen into disrepair. But overall, it is very large, very safe, and very beautiful. Some of the buildings are abandoned and falling apart, but they are in the middle of otherwise well-kept cobblestone alleys and are still beautiful. It is a very interesting effect.

I found the language barrier to be a difficulty right away. In strong contrast to everywhere I've been so far, English was not a back-up option. In fact, I mostly used my German, and usually had to resort to hand gestures.

I definitely should have planned ahead more, but I did not realize just how much there is to see. So I spent most of my day walking around and shopping. But I did have time to see the famous castle at the outskirts of the city and the historical museum within. There are also many beautiful churches, and I stopped in a couple. Of all things however, I wish I had seen some palaces. They are supposed to be incredible. I was very happy to discover though, that I could recognize the communist art and architecture remaining in the city and the reasons for the details of the designs. Thank you, Dr. Pabsch!

Overall, it was a really interesting day, and I would love to go back and stay in Bratislava so that I could get a better picture of the place. It is not, however, as inexpensive as one might imagine. Though the dollar is worth about 24 SK, everything is priced accordingly. Out of curiosity, I checked the menu at a McDonald's, and a meal there is 125 SK. Some things are certainly cheaper though, and I would imagine rent or accomodation to be modest, as long as your income is coming from outside of the country.

I'm not sure the last time I wrote about Vienna, but I think maybe I've failed to write much at all! My time has flown here, which I think speaks volumes for the city. I have been to an art gallery, the music museum, cafes and kiosks, a palace, a concert, and a park. Today is my last day, and I'm going to try to get the most out of my tired feet and catch the last few sites.

I am really looking forward to my last week of travels, as it includes visits with German friends and a day or two in what feels like my Heimat...Berlin. But to conclude this entry, I've compiled a list of Dos and Don'ts that I've learned about travelling...

1. DON'T go shopping.
2. DO stretch.
3. DON'T expect to live off of nuts and chocolate.
4. DON'T go shopping.
5. DO bring earplugs.
6. DON'T expect people to be considerate.
7. DO be considerate.
8. DON'T go shopping.
9. DON'T sit in a smoking cabin on the train. They exist.
10. DON'T go shopping.

Sometimes it is hard to stick to the rules. Bis nächsten Samstag!

I have had "Vienna" stuck in my head since I got here.

So far I love Vienna almost as much as Berlin! Yesterday I met up with my friends who go to school here, and they graciously spent their afternoon showing me the main sites. It is absolutely beautiful, and it's nice to have an insider's perspective. They took me to the Rathaus, where they show operas in the evening and have an outdoor food court and bar strip. It was really interesting, but quite cold and rainy. I seem to be travelling with the bad weather.

This morning I went to see St. Stefan's Cathedral. It is so imposing and beautiful, but as I was underdressed for the continuing cold, I hurried into a cafe. I was really lucky to find such a great place. It is local and well priced, and the food was excellent. I got the traditional Wiener Frühstück: Melange coffee with a cookie, orange juice, a soft-boiled egg, a croissant, a roll, ham, cheese, butter, and jelly. Mmm...I plan to go back there for at least one more meal while I am here!

Then I went to the Haus der Musik, which I remembering hearing about from my history teacher in high school! It's a really fantastic museum. It's so well done, and kept me very interested from start to finish. A lot of it focuses on the Viennese composers, but most of the exhibit is actually about sound and is sort of an interactive exploration of it.

There is a lot more that I want to see while I am here, but I like that it is a place where I just like being. Besides the sites, it is fun to ride the subway and just walk around and look at the amazing architecture. The shopping isn't bad either, but with a lot of self-control, I'm trying to limit it to window shopping. Will try to write again soon, but I expect to be quite busy here! As they say in the south, Wiederschauen!

For those of you who understand German, please don't be worried by my title! I am quite alright. Here is the story...

Yesterday I went to the Hellbrunn Palace. There is so much to see within the grounds...including a zoo and the palace itself. But I first saw the trick water fountains. It was really fun and interesting, but there are fountains waiting to hit you around every corner and through every doorway. We were in a building with stone floors, and just as I was thinking how dangerously slippery they were due to the water, I rushed through a doorway in an attempt to avoid the fountains. When my foot hit the stones on the other side, it immediately flew out from underneath me. Today I am very sore.

After touring the palace, I went to the zoo, but was disappointed with the way it was kept and how sad and lethargic all the animals were. I slipped out through a side and found myself in a gravel parking lot. As I turned to get my bearings, I put my foot down in a pothole...full of murky water...in flip flops.

Not to be brought down by such little things though, I really enjoyed the rest of the day, climbing to the best lookout place over the city. I also met a really nice Canadian girl, and we finally watched The Sound of Music together last night. It was so amazing to see it again and recognize so much of the setting. When the Von Trapp family sings for the last time, they are actually in the Felsenreitschule, which I saw on my tour of the performance halls the day before yesterday!

I can hardly remember everything I've seen here so far, but my favorite experience was definitely the Marionette Theater. Though the opera lost a certain dimension by being played from a recording, it gained another through the marionettes. Sometimes I forgot we weren't looking at real people. Their movements are really graceful, and they added some humor that I think would otherwise have been lacking.

I am off to Vienna soon. It should be very exciting. I know two students there that I met while in Berlin, and they've promised to give me an insider's view of the city. They are very generous. I am also hoping to spend a day in Bratislava (don't worry, Mom and Dad!), because it is only 60 km away. I have heard that it is no more dangerous than any other big city, and it is certainly a great opportunity to add another culture to my experiences. Tschau!

for some reason, the shift key on this computer doesnt work, so as much as it pains me to do so, i will write this entry with no capital letters and no apostrophes, as they also require the shift key here. boy, i cant wait to get home to my own computer.

i think the best thing for me to do at this point is to give you all a quick summary of my last few days. i have done so much, that ive got to just breeze through it all.

on my last day in luzern, i spent the day at the richard wagner museum...in his former residence...and at the museum of natural history...they had a really fantastic insect exhibit...i thought of my brother. i also went to see mr. bean macht ferien, which was a fantastic choice, because i was exposed to some german, but the movie was entirely understandable even if i hadnt understood it. when i left the hostel, they gave me a toblerone bar because i had stayed so long. but for as nice as the hostel was, i was glad to get out of luzern and into a bigger city.

my stay at the salzburg hostel has been both positive and negative. the free breakfast in the morning...with lots of brötchen and butter...is great, and the rooms are very comfortable. but the noise is simply incredible. im not sure what kind of chaperones are letting their children literally run through the hallways screaming at 11 at night.

i love salzburg though. yesterday i just blew through sight after sight. i saw the fortress, the marionette museum, the cathedral and its archeological exhibition, the palace art gallery, the wax museum, and mozarts birthplace. i have so much more on my plate for today and tomorrow, but i am most excited for the marionette theater tonight. they will be performing die zauberflöte.

yesterday i went on the sound of music tour...and of course, thought of my dad. it was really fun and interesting, and i cant wait to see the movie again so i can identify everything ive seen now...which included the gazebo where liesl and the postboy fell in love. the tour guide was also a lot of fun. she warned the girls not to fall in love with good-looking men, because they are mean. she said that christopher plummer called the littlest girl fat and carried a double over the mountain at the end of the movie.

hope everyone had a happy fourth of july and happy birthday to my mom tomorrow. viel liebe.