Rome II

The  last day was reserved for exploring the history of a grand Empire. The Colosseum has some fun background that I was unfamiliar with, my favourite being that before the warehouses underneath the arena were made, they could flood the entire thing and have ship battles. The Palantine Hill was perfect. The sun shone above the ruins as a slight breeze whispered past, and I was able to lazily meander the secluded paths in peace. Easy to forget you are in the heart of Rome with lime trees and gardens to walk through.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was more spectacular than the Italian parliament (or the Viennese beauty I pass by so many days). After visiting the Vatican and Colosseum, you might think that it is no longer easy to be overwhelmed by massive buildings. The scale is hard to fathom. Instead of posting any of my own pictures, I give you:

Yes, those little dots are soldiers. No, the full building is not shown in this image.

This experience was even more endearing, for the socializing I was able to do. On the observation level, I asked a gentleman where he had purchased the poppy adorning his collar (this being but a few days before Remembrance Day). He replied that he had purchased it in London. After he ate with his wife in the café, he gifted it to me, saying he would find another. My panini purchase had netted me a great meal, and also a Brazilian tablemate from the line. A lawyer on a language learning vacation, she was a delightful companion to wander more ruins and share stories with. (She saw Richard Gere at the Vatican apparently.)

Despite feeling immensely better than the day prior, the cold was yet settled in my lungs. I still wonder at the thoughts going through her head, and those around us, when upon entrance to a massive cathedral, my body was wracked with spasms and I was forced to run out of the church like an exorcised demon. She gave me a cough drop.

Back at the hostel, the American soldier shared his appreciation for Tim Hortons and showed some plastic currency he carried in his wallet. Excited to see the new bills, Canada!

Ciao!

Rome 1

Line up to enter St. Peter's Basilica

My first (and only?) trip alone, Rome. After attending my first classes, in the block course “Selected Topics in Gender Studies” and on the bus the next morning to Krakow, I realized I’d made a mistake. Creating a busy schedule resulted in some short-sightedness for the rest of the month. There was a week completely free with no plans! In Krakow, I chatted with one woman who had gone to Rome by herself and loved it. Another, Jenny, was in the same situation as I and we started planning, but she realized her finances would not allow booking a last minute (more expensive) flight to Italy. By the time Jenny shared that she was unable to go, I had already starting researching and fallen in love.

Really love the outfits

The Vatican may host a new pope, but John Paul II still rules

Travelling by yourself is, naturally, different than having a buddy. Even while visiting England, I had friends or family to see every day. Lacking a partner whose ears pop next to you on the plane is nothing when locals share their favourite pubs and stories with you. It forces you to take complete planning control for each step, and hopefully can teach you something about organization (which based on this dorm room, is a dream yet). Travelling by yourself while sick? Not recommended, but perhaps better than travelling with a partner that is not.

Rome has better water fountains than Vienna

The Yellow hostel in Rome is used to an international crowd of young guests. They greet you with a free drink on arrival, have a selection of maps and guides for the city, and even offer time for free on their iPads for Skype! Skyping home was actually such a gift, and gave some perspective (you are in Europe, buck up and enjoy it).

To start off with some opulence, the first day-trip was to the Vatican. I wandered St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning, and beat the massive queues that form as the day progresses. Without the press of the crowds, security is a lot more understanding of dawdlers in awe of the artwork and taking far too many pictures (broken cameras require much care and attention). The structure is massive, and it is easy to be absorbed by the marble statues and looming canvasses, particularly when an active service fills the Basilica with hymns.

This was not a short hallway.

The weirdest part of the experience was passing the beggars and immigrants selling knock off accessories on the street. There are only so many golden candlesticks and gem encrusted chalices you can pass before the poverty starts to rankle. I had a delicious aubergine pizza that is unlikely to ever be surpassed for lunch. It won’t be for a lack of trying though! Mmmm, definitely need to experiment more when I have an oven again.

Joining a guided tour for the Vatican Museums is a must. The place is massive, so seeing some highlights (the surprisingly small bunker/Sistine Chapel for example), while receiving a full explanation does make it more worthwhile. There were others traveling on their own, so we chatted and were able to take pictures for each other. After the tour ended, I continued exploring to take advantage of the crowd reduction to walk with ease down the marble halls. Where do I end up first? A postage museum. Maybe should have grabbed the map! There was still so much to see by the time they shut down for the evening.

After walking for the entirety of the previous day, I thought I would wake up after sleep feeling refreshed and ready to go. Nope! Little sleep (partiers), hacking cough, slight fever… Some days, you just need to plan to take it easy.

The Trevi Fountain is indeed, very nice. Whether or not it warrants the millions of tourists that visit every year is another question. Apparently there was a legal challenge from a charity that collects the coins tossed in every week against a man who regularly takes them out for himself. He has earned millions of Euros that way. The challenge failed, and he can still go in.

The Pantheon is an operational Catholic church. Someone booked it this Sunday for a service, so when I wandered over, it was not yet open to tourists. Despite being the beginning of November, it was warm enough under the sun to eat a gelato on the fountain steps in the piazza and people watch (there was also a fun band). When the service let up, you immediately feel the ancient world upon you. The Christians tried to modify it into a church, but Zeus would seem more at home than any cross. (Fun fact: the opening at the top allowing in light is just a hole. It was considered proof of the holiness of the structure that even if it rained outside, no water ever made it in. This was later attributed to the heat from all the candles evaporating the water before it could reach the floor. The electric lighting takes away some magic.)

Entrance to the Pantheon, does not convey scale

I followed up by viewing yet more theft from Egypt (this time in the form of a massive column), making me wonder if there are many sights actually left beyond the pyramids in the politically unstable country. The statue museum nearby was small and excellent, because the descriptions for the statues did a good job of explaining the background mythology. People and scenes are not converted into marble for nothing, meaning what was represented reflects what the culture valued strongly enough to be considered worth displaying.

The Spanish Steps are… steps. They are probably lovely, but my brain was not straight at the time. The tea shop directly next to the piazza’s claim to fame was too strong a temptation to ignore. I have difficulty passing a good tea shop when hale and hearty! A 10 Euro pot of tea (outrageously expensive and delicious) had magical restorative powers. After your body has recently decided to terminate the occupancy of your left lung, to the disturbance of nearby customers, the opportunity to sit and read Jane Austen (iPod, best travel companion) while sipping warm tea cannot be underrated.

After consulting the map, I decided to wander through other elegant and presumably famous piazzas on the way to a metro station. Going too far, as evidenced by extremely reasonable prices and locals haggling over socks, is the cue to head home. There was a welcoming American crew in the common room, but being the typhoid Mary in their midst is not nice.

Returned to room to find military types on leave. One was an American soldier who had done two tours in Iraq, and had come from working as a contractor in Afghanistan. He was sad to see the Canadians leaving. Interesting stories, to be sure. The Israeli above me had a nightmare that left her thrashing and screaming.

Home Base Vienna

 The past two weeks have flown by far too quickly. I return to Canada in a month, and that is far too soon. Now that I am settled into this flat, with a poinsettia on the desk and cards on the cork board, it feels like this exchange is just beginning. Hit the reset button! Four months starting now, right? It is time to explore Vienna further, given it feels like we have spent as much time out of the city as in it.

Part of the reason things have gone so quickly is I just completed back to back block courses. In the weekend break, we went as a group to the Christmas market at Rathaus and near the Hofburg. (-5 is not very cold, but when you wander outside for two hours, it begins to wear on you!) The city is all decorated now, and the lights in the evening are gorgeous. There are stalls with baking, with decorations and toys, with glühwein and punsch. They charge a deposit for the mugs, and do great business on them. Most of us kept them as they are quite pretty, featuring the city hall in winter. In front of a stand featuring snow globes and tree-ornaments, glitter covered the pavement (no snow yet). We joked that Ke$ha must prepare herself for concerts by just rolling on such ground.

Inside city hall were craft tables for kids. They could decorate cookies, make gift boxes, etc.

I plan to return, if only to sample these treats!

Actually bagel night

Thursday was the last day of my ethics class, so we celebrated with a glass at the glühwein stand ON CAMPUS (that will be there until the end of the year). I was invited to Haus Panorama to join Thanksgiving festivities. I think it was 1/3 American, 1/3 Canadian, and 1/3 crazy mixture from everywhere (we had under 20 people). Instead of hunting for a shop that could order turkeys, something like 6 fat chickens were cooked for the group. Amanda was adorable, as she decided that the table needed to be decorated, so ran outside to collect leaves and different foliage to create centre pieces. With the candles donated from different people on the floor, it was actually a classy affair for a normally sterile kitchen. Exchange takes you out of your comfort zone, in many different ways. One of the things I love is that you don't just meet people from different countries, you are put in a situation where you socialize with groups you would not otherwise associate. (As a self-professed geek, staying back can happen.) Two Vancouverites, Brianna and Amadon, have been on the top of the list for neatest people I have met on this trip. We probably never would have talked in a class together before, which is crazy! Hurrah self-learning?

This is home, sweet home, for me in Tigergasse

Last night, we hosted a bagel night! Amadon and Jenny had come back to my flat after the Christmas markets, and we discussed that it would be nice to do an evening in with good food and company (so many exchange students just want to club). Jenny works at an awesome bagel shop back home, so made us delicious creations. Apparently the trick is to steam your bagel, melting the cheese and heating the innards, while allowing the bagel to retain its soft doughy consistency.  Props to Jenny for feeding us! As the night progressed, everyone taught each other card games from different countries (the German one was best). To teach poker, I made popcorn for the chips. Near the end, we front runners had a problem maintaining our lead as we were enjoying eating the food more than betting with it.

Krakow

I feel like this picture says a lot about Eastern Europe...

After planning out trips independently, it was time for another group trip. The couple of hours of waiting outside the Buddy Network office in September, while ultimately unnecessary (people dropped spots when their courses were finalized), set the tone for our way to Poland. Which is to say a lot of waiting for no productive purpose! Joanne is an experienced traveler, and I'm starting to learn the ropes myself, so while being spared the bookings and timetables was pleasant, not being in control was frustrating. The Buddy Network apparently chooses its student leaders by their willingness to party more than organizational experience!

Joanne, Lance, and I sampled Polish 'ketchup', eek! 

Krakow is an 8 hour bus ride away, or 9+ hours with breaks. I was exhausted from learning flunkyball from the Germans the evening prior, so tried to nap for most of the ride. #phail We stopped off at a Polish brewery on the way, and I could not have been more thankful to stretch my legs. I'd skipped all other brewery tours thus far, so this was actually my first of Europe. Yes, I still think beer is gross. Fortunately, the focus was more on the history than on the physical process (and thus nasty scents near the vats). If 3-D movies with fantastic sets and costume designers are the norm for these tours, I have clearly been missing out! They actually had a museum with steins from ages past decorated gloriously. Way to be Tyskie Browarium.

Lugging a body in daylight? You decide.

The hotel we were booked into was budget, but central, which makes life so much easier. With so many students on the trip, the room types varied randomly. I'd gone in early to book us (Joanne and I) into a two bed room. We actually shared a flat with five other girls. As it worked out, ours was the master bedroom with hilarious grandma decor. My suspicion is that they decorated the hotel by garage sale, given the random assortment of furniture. Still, the extra space was nice as my belongings have an unfortunate tendency to explode into messiness on trips. Plus, the kitchen was stocked with tea for me to sip while warming my heat in front of the space heater! The only down side is that the water heater got turned off after the first night. I think it was the fault of the one girl who spent half of the trip on Skype. For some reason, she decided to best place to call from was the kitchen, and probably unplugged the boiler (which we could not reset). This saved the apartment from a six-way fight for the shower the next morning (I'd rinsed off after the long bus ride in the evening), so was probably for the best. Breakfast was great, and I would have been sad to miss it like the club-bums who were too tired to get up.

Our first tour gave the basic history of the city, which was surprisingly richer than I'd realized. We started in the Jewish quarter (sadly this is really just a name now), the famous flame spewing dragon, past Wawel Castle, and into its massive cathedral. We lucked out, as a choir group visiting burst out in song just as our guide finished telling us about the beloved female-queen who made Polish rich. Hearing the hymns as we walked past the tombs of the great made the moment so much more impressive. The recent plane crash that killed so many Polish politicians apparently caused further controversy when the president and his wife were lain to rest in the vaults.

The tour ended in the main square, so we were free for the afternoon to wander. Joanne and I ended up joining a group of Americans in the hunt for food. Different restaurant representatives in the street made competing offers to try and bring our business to the restaurant. We choose the free soup over the free shots (hard decision there). The exchange rate is, like that of any Eastern European currency, favourable. It is nice to be able to enjoy a mulled wine with lunch for the price of a soda (if even) back home!

After a nap at the hostel, along with some cards playing in the common room with the girls, we followed a larger group to dinner. As it turned out, we went to a really nice restaurant (I felt under dressed) on the main market square. Have I mentioned my love for aubergine? I LOVE AUBERGINE. We went dancing for a short while afterwords, as the morning was free.

John Paul II in a salt carving

Last full day in Krakow! Back to city centre to pick up postcards, and some boots so that I don't look like such a bum all the time. Comfortable walking shoes are a treat to travel in, but Europeans are far more fashionable and tend to frown on ugly shoes? Yay boots for winter! A quick risotto lunch, and we were off to tour the salt mine. This mine has 300+ km of paths in it, which gives an idea of how they can fit a hotel and conference centre under the surface. I always knew salt was an important commodity (origin of the word salary being a clear indicator), but was given a better conversion. Our guide informed us that a kilogram of salt used to trade for a half kilogram of gold. Wow. There were tons of carvings and statues in the salt by the miners over the years, which were incredible given their lack of artistic training. The main chapel boasts a statue of John Paul II now that two 'miners' are permanently dedicated to the mine's art. My dinner underground, was surprisingly not very salty. Impressive feat given the air had a taste.

In the evening, we went to the Piano Rouge, a live music lounge with really quirky decorations. When the main dining area has curtained alcoves with sofas and mismatch of colours and patterns, you know something is going on!  This was definitely one of the stranger Halloweens I have had! The building was decorated, unlike the people.

The final day was a trip to Auschwitz. It was hard, but I am very glad to have visited. Lest we forget.

Eeeek!

I am finally into the Academic portion of this exchange. The next two weeks are block courses, which means the content is crazy packed and there is very little free time. (Hence my blogging, instead of studying for the final this Friday.) Today my first lecture was at 900, and my second lecture ended at 1830, which was particularly exhausting given we had a group meeting afterwards to prepare for our presentation tomorrow. I forgot, in the heat of the moment, that grocery stores close early in Austria.

"Margot, I've done a horrible thing."
"What have you done?"
"I went to McDonald's for a cheeseburger."

Fortunately my roommate shared her shame of her own hungry night, and we have bonded over our love/hate of fast food here. (We also burst out in song about not wanting to work; her verse was better because it was totally impromptu. I stole from Kiss.) Now to do laundry, write a few hundred words, and read a couple hundred pages.

0_o

This place called home

I realized that the only incentive to post for me is pictures taken languishing on the hardrive. Every day life in Vienna is pretty fabulous. Even without being able to study German while here (the beginner courses were offered on Mondays, so conflicted with other courses AND almost all travel), going about a regular day is easy. Most people have at least basic English, and fellow students have been fluent since a young age. Among the internationals, it is almost always English, because when you put Croatian, French, and Germans in a room together the most likely common language is mine!

It is weird to watch certain stereotypes blossom. The Germans are always early, the Spanish party way too late, the Texans are sexist, the Dutch are friendly and open... The reactions people have when they find out I am Canadian are always very positive. It puts you on your toes, realizing that people can judge an entire nation based on an experience with one individual. You want to be a good ambassador, but what does that mean? In Auschwitz, the warehouses storing the confiscated belongings of those who were gassed were called "Kanada Warehouses". Canada was considered a wealthy nation, a great one to live in, so the name stuck. However, as I learn more about other countries, I feel we are in so many ways backwards. Having Harper in power does not help the perspective!

Heathrow is my bane

It is hard to believe this trip is halfway finished! The constant movement between cities has lulled me into believing this is normal, forever, the way to be. I just got back from Krakow, and will likely head to Rome for a few days before checking out Budapest. Afterwards there will be a couple intensive weeks of courses and projects, but in the meanwhile, enjoying the lack of November snows!

I have finally visited England! After three unfortunate layovers in Heathrow, positive associations needed to be created with the Commonwealth’s centre. The UK, while dwarfed in size by the ever majestic Alberta, clearly requires an extensive stay to be explored properly. I do hope to return!

The first night I actually caught the train to Sheffield to meet my great-uncle Tony again. (Family is unsure if we ever shared company at a point when I was able to form coherent words.) I was never particularly close with my grandfather, so learning more of the family history from his brother was extremely rewarding. I even had a belated ‘Thanksgiving dinner’ at a carvery, the addition to the turkey and mashed potatoes being a Yorkshire pudding. He drove us through Derbyshire, which has some fantastic little towns between the fields and untamed greenery. It was odd at first to visit a virtual stranger, but getting to know Tony is going to count as one of the big highlights of this exchange for me. 

After relaxing in the country side, it was time to return to the bustle of a big city. A big, dirty city. Oh London, I hope all of the renovations and projects are completed in time for the Olympics! This sounds ridiculous, but having visited Prague and lived Vienna, London was on the underwhelming side for me. There were gorgeous buildings and rich histories to be sure, but perhaps the overly Western culture just seemed bland after foreign immersion? Fortunately, I was able to meet up with friends who made it so much more fun!

The first morning Gareth joined me for the first half of an entertaining walking tour. The guide was Australian, but she had learned odd stories of Buckingham palace and Trafalgar square all the same. It was funny to effectively have two guides, Gareth providing the local perspective while the guide shared the stories taught by the tour company. Gareth beat her to the punch discussing the various break ins that have occurred at Buckingham palace (look them up if you are unaware as I was), amazing! When she shared that the National Art Gallery was free of charge, I immediately left the group and wandered amongst the paintings (shelling out for an audio guide was a good call).

After work, Jason wandered from the House of Lords to meet me at the Square for dinner. I love how debating has introduced me to such amazing people! It is strange to realize how your social circle can provide so many opportunities, all because you joined the right club in high school. The constant immersion with incredible people also makes you strive to improve yourself. I felt like a bum in the jeans I’d switched into at the hostel (evenings are chillier…) standing next to Jason spiffed out in his suit. Afterwards we wandered past Big Ben and along the Thames, enjoying the cool evening air and London landmarks coming alight.

All of the sudden, tragedy struck! Jason recommended staging this photo with me inside the booth. Unfortunately, my attempt to pass the camera resulted in it crashing to the ground. Screen? Gone. Ability to alter any settings or turn off auto? Gone. My apologies that the photos posted on this blog are only going to be WORSE in quality than before. Yikes.

The failed test shot taken before the destruction

As a result of the evening’s mishap, I spent the morning wandering between electronic shops on Oxford Street. While upsetting at the time, it was nice to wander along a main shopping area with a purpose to save my wallet from the clothes (almost, only one small purchase). One shop was able to check the memory card, so confirmed that the camera could take photos even with the display down. I am still decided whether to replace my camera this trip, but the budget is getting tighter as time progresses.

Gareth and I met again at the National Gallery, but headed to tour the British Museum. Marbles and mummies, oh my! It is unfortunate we were not able to dedicate more time to the experience; there is an impressive array from countries all over the world. After a sampling, we booked it back to my hostel (backpack was there) before finding Jason again. We met with Angela and Siobahn at the Maple Leaf (where else?). Observing how another country perceives your own is in some ways unsettling (most ways fun). I had the saddest Caesar to date, without even celery, and a delicious fajita platter. The screens, normally devoted to hockey, were given over to cricket for the evening, which contrasted strangely to the bear enclosed in glass and Oilers memorabilia. (None from the Flames however, should remedy this on future travels.)

Décor and food is less interesting than the people, of course! Angela has an amazingly cool job, and I hope things continue to go well for her. That she was able to come to London on her own, get a degree and job to start out on a totally new life… I’m impressed. Siobahn seems to be following down a similar path, only time will tell. Angela and Graeme were wonderful hosts that evening, their couch is more comfortable than any hostel or dorm bed I have slept in thus far! It was interesting to hear their perspectives on the rioting, as they live close to where a significant amount of damage was done. Angela is a very positive person, and was able to see some beauty in humanity in the aftermath. I am probably garbling this story, but oh well… An elderly gentleman has maintained a dry-cleaning business on the main street for many years now. Rioters initially targeted locations that they could loot, but did not spare his business. The owner is not a wealthy man, and the smashed storefront left him in an awkward position. The community actually came together and collected donations on his behalf to fix it up!

In the morning we visited Borough Market for mulled wine and delicious curries. Heaven! It is too bad that Calgary’s Farmers Market cannot aspire to such an array of spicy dishes and raw ingredients. To be fair, not many Albertans are used to cooking up whole ducks, but it would be nice to have fruit not from California more often!

Jason and I both had the pleasure of navigating the tube upgrades on Saturday while attempting to meet Gareth on schedule. Whoops. An entire line was down! That seems like such madness to me, but then again, Edmonton only has one line total… The detour set us running as we had tickets for the Doctor Who Experience (and had set-up Gareth at the entrance waiting). As a huge dork, this was a fabulous show/museum/walk-through! The only downside is I want to watch the older series… television should wait until I am not in Europe.

 We hit up the Spoons (?) in the evening for a ‘typical British dinner’ and chatted away the hours before I caught the tube for Heathrow. The morning train on Sunday started late enough that spending the morning (did not arrive until past midnight) in the airport made sense. There were a surprising number of travellers in the same situation, so instead of sleeping I spent a significant portion of the evening chatting with an amazingly diverse group at the only open café. The last of my change went towards postage, and I was able to write a small stack of postcards before my brain completely lost all function in the early hour. They were actually very entertaining to write, as I used a pen shaped like a sonic screwdriver! Whoo nerd out.