Sorry it's been so long since I've updated my blog. It's been a crazy week. I can't believe that I only have 4 days left on this trip then I'm headed back to the good ol' USA. It has gone by fast and slow and it's definitely had its ups and downs.
Last week was our last few days to be in Vienna. We started the week with visiting the Military museum which probably would have been better with a better tour guide, but we've had super good luck with fantastic tour guides so we were bound to have a bad one. We also went to see the Hundertwasser Haus which is an apartment building that looks completely different than every thing else in the city. I'll post pictures later when I have better Internet. The next day we visited the Austrian Parliament and the United Nations. Then our last official site visiting day we went to Melk Abbey and Mauthausen.
Melk Abbey is a monastery in Melk that is huge and is also a secondary school but it's not the main site I want to talk about. Mauthausen is a concentration camp about two hours away from Vienna. In my academic journal I reflected on this site for 3 pages (compared to my usual paragraph) so I'll do my best to keep it short. 100,000 people died at this camp. But this one wasn't like Auschwitz which was intended for mass murders. It was a work camp where they worked the prisoners to death instead. They made the people mine stone and build their own cam then they began selling the stone to other cities. Even some of the curbs in Vienna were made from that stone. As we went through the camp with our guide I could imagine things that has gone on. I could picture people living there and working there so vividly that it was kinda scary. But this site definitely made our group solemn and we soaked a lot of information in. There were other groups there that were being loud and laughing and i couldn't understand how they could act like that knowing what happened at this place. But people can do what they want to do I suppose.
Saturday we all shopped and I bought a few souvenirs and I now have a complete outfit from Vienna. :) Then Sunday we toured the Opera House and did a little more homework then we were free. Our train left on Monday night to head to Rome so we had yore a bit of free time that weekend but it was well deserved.
Now I'm in Italy and I have a lot of writing to take catch up on so I will blog about Italy later. :)
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Say what?
Where to begin? These past few weeks have been crazy. I've been to more countries then I have ever been in my life. It's so easy to travel from country to country here, I love it. I love getting to see the different cultures, people, and cities. I couldn't be any more blessed to be on this trip. This past weekend I went to Prague and Munich. For those of you who don't know, Prague is a city, not a country. It's in the Czech Republic. I'll start with this part of the weekend.
We woke up at 4:30 on Saturday morning to catch our 5:50 train to Prague. We arrived there around 10 and we headed to our hotel. The owner's name is Jan (yawn) and he is seriously the nicest man I've ever met. Of course our hotel was Rick Steve's approved but we still weren't sure what to expect. When we arrived he greeted us by name and showed us our room. Then he asked us if we would join him for coffee, tea, and snacks downstairs after we got settled because he wanted to go over our travel plans with us. It turns out he told us all the hotspots to hit and what trams or metros to take. It was fantastic! He recommended a few places to eat and we were off. We ate lunch then headed to the river to swim, but it was freezing cold so we just laid out instead then headed back to the hotel to change and we may have napped for a little while. Around dinner time we headed into town and shopped then we say St. Charles Bridge at sunset then called it quits and went to bed. The next day we started with seeing the old part of town then had lunch and shopped a little more then we went to see the 'Castle.' It turns out that the entire community we were in was the castle, there wasn't an actual castle so that was rather disappointing. After the castle we had a nice dinner then headed to a concert at the museum where we literally sat on the steps of the inside. It was cool! The Czech Chamber Orchestra performed pieces by Dvorak, Mozart, Handel, and a lot of other famous composers. I really enjoyed it. Then we got some gelato and headed back to the hotel. By the way the name of the place is the Lida Guest House if any of you may be headed to Prague.
Monday morning we were off to Munich bright and early. We got to the train station and it turns out we were taking a bus to Munich instead... When we talked to the desk at our train station they told us we didnt need any reservations, but the lady kept asking us for ours. Since we didn't have any she made us wait until everyone else boarded then made us pay for reservations and made us sit at the back. I was not a very happy camper but we survived. We arrived in Munich around 12:30 and ate lunch there then set out for our hotel. We found
It without too much of a problem and got settled then we headed out to the 1972 Olympic Park. It was pretty neat getting to see it. We weren't able to go in anything but it was still neat. Then we passed through the BMW museum, but I didn't think it was that great. So we headed into town for dinner and we shopped for souvenirs. We turned in pretty early because we were all exhausted. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at McDonalds next door (it's nothing like breakfast at home) there's like nothing fried it was great! Anyways after breakfast we stopped by the grocery store to buy food for a picnic for lunch and headed out to the English Gardens. It was beautiful and huge. It took us a little while to find it but we did. We had lunch and walked around a bit then it was time for us to head home to Vienna.
I had a great time this weekend. I'm excited to be back in Vienna, but I'm definitely ready to come home. I miss my family, Seth, and friends. But I have one more week here in Vienna then a week in Italy and I'll be home. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to study abroad and I'm loving it!
We woke up at 4:30 on Saturday morning to catch our 5:50 train to Prague. We arrived there around 10 and we headed to our hotel. The owner's name is Jan (yawn) and he is seriously the nicest man I've ever met. Of course our hotel was Rick Steve's approved but we still weren't sure what to expect. When we arrived he greeted us by name and showed us our room. Then he asked us if we would join him for coffee, tea, and snacks downstairs after we got settled because he wanted to go over our travel plans with us. It turns out he told us all the hotspots to hit and what trams or metros to take. It was fantastic! He recommended a few places to eat and we were off. We ate lunch then headed to the river to swim, but it was freezing cold so we just laid out instead then headed back to the hotel to change and we may have napped for a little while. Around dinner time we headed into town and shopped then we say St. Charles Bridge at sunset then called it quits and went to bed. The next day we started with seeing the old part of town then had lunch and shopped a little more then we went to see the 'Castle.' It turns out that the entire community we were in was the castle, there wasn't an actual castle so that was rather disappointing. After the castle we had a nice dinner then headed to a concert at the museum where we literally sat on the steps of the inside. It was cool! The Czech Chamber Orchestra performed pieces by Dvorak, Mozart, Handel, and a lot of other famous composers. I really enjoyed it. Then we got some gelato and headed back to the hotel. By the way the name of the place is the Lida Guest House if any of you may be headed to Prague.
Monday morning we were off to Munich bright and early. We got to the train station and it turns out we were taking a bus to Munich instead... When we talked to the desk at our train station they told us we didnt need any reservations, but the lady kept asking us for ours. Since we didn't have any she made us wait until everyone else boarded then made us pay for reservations and made us sit at the back. I was not a very happy camper but we survived. We arrived in Munich around 12:30 and ate lunch there then set out for our hotel. We found
It without too much of a problem and got settled then we headed out to the 1972 Olympic Park. It was pretty neat getting to see it. We weren't able to go in anything but it was still neat. Then we passed through the BMW museum, but I didn't think it was that great. So we headed into town for dinner and we shopped for souvenirs. We turned in pretty early because we were all exhausted. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at McDonalds next door (it's nothing like breakfast at home) there's like nothing fried it was great! Anyways after breakfast we stopped by the grocery store to buy food for a picnic for lunch and headed out to the English Gardens. It was beautiful and huge. It took us a little while to find it but we did. We had lunch and walked around a bit then it was time for us to head home to Vienna.
I had a great time this weekend. I'm excited to be back in Vienna, but I'm definitely ready to come home. I miss my family, Seth, and friends. But I have one more week here in Vienna then a week in Italy and I'll be home. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to study abroad and I'm loving it!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Geneva, Paris, Salzburg
Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. It's been a crazy weekend/week. I got back to Vienna on Tuesday from free travel to Geneva, Switzerland, Paris, and Salzburg, Austria. I'm gonna separate this blog into sections because it's probably going to be a long one...
Switzerland: We took a night train to Geneva, and that was probably one of the worst nights of sleep I've ever gotten in my life. We were all cramped into the room with our seats laid out like beds and I felt like a sardine. We got to Geneva and it took us around an hour to get to our hotel. But the lady at the visitor's desk was very friendly and she even gave us free maps! When we got to our hotel, we were there early but luckily our rooms were ready. The receptionist was super helpful about telling us how to get around and helping us get ready for the morning to leave AND she gave us a travel card for the day that gave us free transportation. Hello saving money! We freshened up and headed into town. We ate at a really fancy pizza restaurant, and the lady made fun of us, but we didn't care because we were starving. After that we started walking toward the lake and stopped to buy a few souvenirs. Then we took a boat across the lake and shopped in the Old town and just admired the city. We went to bed early because our train left at 6 the next morning so we wanted a good nights sleep.
Paris: We arrived in Paris around 9 and headed straight to our hostel so we could drop our stuff off and such. We bought some carnets at the main station so we could use the Metro (subway) and we headed out. We finally found our hostel, which is WAY on the south side of town. Let's just say it was a very sketchy side of town. We got there and we couldn't check into our room because it wasn't ready, so we were going to leave our stuff, but anyone could get in the luggage room so we decided just to carry it with us. I paid for the room and we headed out to explore Paris. Our plan was to try and accomplish everything in Paris the first day, then head to Versailles the next. So we started with Notre Dame. It was a beautiful church, but it was Sunday so they were having Mass. There were hundreds of people there to tour the church, and they let them through during mass. I felt terrible taking pictures and parading around while they were trying to worship. I really think they should close it during mass since it's free to get in anyway, but oh well. After the church we had lunch around the corner and it was amazing. Then we did a little souvenir shopping and headed to the Louvre.
The Louvre was pretty neat. I got to see the glass pyramids, the Mona Lisa (had to go through a mosh pit to get there), Venus, and the Winged Victory. It was nice because we had our handy dandy Rick Steve's guide and we hit the highlights of the museum and made it out in an hour. It was fantastic, plus we didn't have to journal so that saved us some time. ;) After the Louvre it was off to the Arc de Triomphe. We got to see one of the craziest round a bouts ever there, and we went underground to try and get under it, but we ended up on the other side of the road... As we were taking more pictures someone looked up and gasped and we all looked and it was the Eiffel Tower. I got so excited. We decided that we were going to walk there so we headed off.
It was about a 20 minute walk from where we were but it was totally worth it. Every time there was a break in the buildings we could see a little more of the Tower so it was a great way to go see it. It was like oh here's a little, and a little more. It was better than getting off a subway and boom there it is! But it was everything I ever imagined. I didn't get to climb to the top because we had all of our stuff with us and we decided seeing it was enough plus it was a pretty long line. So we headed out to find a cafe nearby to celebrate Miranda's birthday. It was amazing by the way! Needless to say, I really enjoyed the food in Paris. After dinner we bought a few more souvenirs then headed back to our hostel.
Paris Day 2: We slept in this morning because we were crazy tired from carrying our stuff all day. So when we got ready we headed out to a cafe to find wi-fi and breakfast to plan our day. We decided that we didn't want to go to Versailles cause we were exhausted and we started our day to late. So instead we headed out to the Parisian Flea Market. I bought my mom's present here then we headed out to lunch at the LaFayette Galleries. After lunch we went shopping then we headed toward our train station to head out to Salzburg. We ran into The Dvoraks there and realized the other group in Paris, the Dvoraks, and our group were all on the same train to head home, only we made a pitstop in Salzburg.
Salzburg: This time on the train we had a couchet so we had beds to sleep in and it was a fantastic night of sleep for me. :) We arrived in Salzburg around 9 and we booked it to the (drumroll please....) Sound of Music Tour!! :) I've never walked so fast in my life, but we made it with time to spare. The awesome part was that we were on a bus so we didn't have to carry our stuff! Anyways so the tour... The whole thing was basically a tour of the history of Salzburg based around the Sound of Music. We got to see the garden where they sand "Do-Re-Mi," and the mountains that they walked along. We also go to see the house that they used for the back of the house, and the actual back of the house. We stood across from the back of the house so we could see where they were in the boat and all that fun stuff. Then we also got to see the church where Julie Andrews married the Captain too. So it was freaking awesome. Then we headed back to Vienna and it was nice to be back some place familiar.
So on this trip I had lunch outside Notre Dame, dinner around the corner from the Eiffel Tower, and apple strudel outside the church from the Sound of Music. It was a fantastic weekend. This week was easy, just class and visiting sites, and planning for my free travel this weekend. I'm headed out to Prague, Czech Republic, and Munich Germany this weekend so more updates will be coming soon.
Sorry it's such a long one!
Switzerland: We took a night train to Geneva, and that was probably one of the worst nights of sleep I've ever gotten in my life. We were all cramped into the room with our seats laid out like beds and I felt like a sardine. We got to Geneva and it took us around an hour to get to our hotel. But the lady at the visitor's desk was very friendly and she even gave us free maps! When we got to our hotel, we were there early but luckily our rooms were ready. The receptionist was super helpful about telling us how to get around and helping us get ready for the morning to leave AND she gave us a travel card for the day that gave us free transportation. Hello saving money! We freshened up and headed into town. We ate at a really fancy pizza restaurant, and the lady made fun of us, but we didn't care because we were starving. After that we started walking toward the lake and stopped to buy a few souvenirs. Then we took a boat across the lake and shopped in the Old town and just admired the city. We went to bed early because our train left at 6 the next morning so we wanted a good nights sleep.
Paris: We arrived in Paris around 9 and headed straight to our hostel so we could drop our stuff off and such. We bought some carnets at the main station so we could use the Metro (subway) and we headed out. We finally found our hostel, which is WAY on the south side of town. Let's just say it was a very sketchy side of town. We got there and we couldn't check into our room because it wasn't ready, so we were going to leave our stuff, but anyone could get in the luggage room so we decided just to carry it with us. I paid for the room and we headed out to explore Paris. Our plan was to try and accomplish everything in Paris the first day, then head to Versailles the next. So we started with Notre Dame. It was a beautiful church, but it was Sunday so they were having Mass. There were hundreds of people there to tour the church, and they let them through during mass. I felt terrible taking pictures and parading around while they were trying to worship. I really think they should close it during mass since it's free to get in anyway, but oh well. After the church we had lunch around the corner and it was amazing. Then we did a little souvenir shopping and headed to the Louvre.
The Louvre was pretty neat. I got to see the glass pyramids, the Mona Lisa (had to go through a mosh pit to get there), Venus, and the Winged Victory. It was nice because we had our handy dandy Rick Steve's guide and we hit the highlights of the museum and made it out in an hour. It was fantastic, plus we didn't have to journal so that saved us some time. ;) After the Louvre it was off to the Arc de Triomphe. We got to see one of the craziest round a bouts ever there, and we went underground to try and get under it, but we ended up on the other side of the road... As we were taking more pictures someone looked up and gasped and we all looked and it was the Eiffel Tower. I got so excited. We decided that we were going to walk there so we headed off.
It was about a 20 minute walk from where we were but it was totally worth it. Every time there was a break in the buildings we could see a little more of the Tower so it was a great way to go see it. It was like oh here's a little, and a little more. It was better than getting off a subway and boom there it is! But it was everything I ever imagined. I didn't get to climb to the top because we had all of our stuff with us and we decided seeing it was enough plus it was a pretty long line. So we headed out to find a cafe nearby to celebrate Miranda's birthday. It was amazing by the way! Needless to say, I really enjoyed the food in Paris. After dinner we bought a few more souvenirs then headed back to our hostel.
Paris Day 2: We slept in this morning because we were crazy tired from carrying our stuff all day. So when we got ready we headed out to a cafe to find wi-fi and breakfast to plan our day. We decided that we didn't want to go to Versailles cause we were exhausted and we started our day to late. So instead we headed out to the Parisian Flea Market. I bought my mom's present here then we headed out to lunch at the LaFayette Galleries. After lunch we went shopping then we headed toward our train station to head out to Salzburg. We ran into The Dvoraks there and realized the other group in Paris, the Dvoraks, and our group were all on the same train to head home, only we made a pitstop in Salzburg.
Salzburg: This time on the train we had a couchet so we had beds to sleep in and it was a fantastic night of sleep for me. :) We arrived in Salzburg around 9 and we booked it to the (drumroll please....) Sound of Music Tour!! :) I've never walked so fast in my life, but we made it with time to spare. The awesome part was that we were on a bus so we didn't have to carry our stuff! Anyways so the tour... The whole thing was basically a tour of the history of Salzburg based around the Sound of Music. We got to see the garden where they sand "Do-Re-Mi," and the mountains that they walked along. We also go to see the house that they used for the back of the house, and the actual back of the house. We stood across from the back of the house so we could see where they were in the boat and all that fun stuff. Then we also got to see the church where Julie Andrews married the Captain too. So it was freaking awesome. Then we headed back to Vienna and it was nice to be back some place familiar.
So on this trip I had lunch outside Notre Dame, dinner around the corner from the Eiffel Tower, and apple strudel outside the church from the Sound of Music. It was a fantastic weekend. This week was easy, just class and visiting sites, and planning for my free travel this weekend. I'm headed out to Prague, Czech Republic, and Munich Germany this weekend so more updates will be coming soon.
Sorry it's such a long one!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Free Travel!
It's crazy to think that the last time I posted was on Sunday. I don't feel like it's been that long. This week has been a crazy one. We've been to about 5 or 6 churches this week, and I can't keep one straight from the other. I've seen Baroque, Renaissance, Ricoco, and just about anything else you name and I'm just ready from a break for a little while. Wednesday we had to go to three (yes, three) different gardens around the area. Each of them were beautiful in their own special way. The first one is a park that I love. It's very family oriented, lots of trees, and it reminds me a little of Hafer at home. The second one was BEAUTIFUL (there will be pictures on Facebook soon). It's a flower garden with flowers literally everyone. The third park was gorgeous when I walked in. It has a statue of Mozart with flowers in the shape of a huge treble clef in front of him, but the rest of the park wasn't too great. So I'm sure in the next few weeks I will be visiting those parks and gardens again just to get some alone time and to get a break from the crazy life.
On Wednesday we also got to go to Schonbrunn palace, which was freaking awesome. I've never been to a palace before so that was a first. They have a billion rooms and each one was decorated differently, it was amazing. And to think, this was just the Habsburg's summer home... I couldn't imagine having it for any home. We got to explore the gardens all around, and the maze. Then we came to the hike up to the Gloriette. Let me tell you, that was quite a trek... Here's a pic...
Yes, I climbed all the way up there. But it was totally worth it. I paid 2 euro and 20 eurocents to get to the top of the gate too, but boy it was worth it. I could see all, literally all of Vienna from up there. See...
Oh and there's the back of the palace too. Pretty awesome huh? Yesterday we did some random stuff then we went to a free concert at the palace. Last year there was 100,000 people there, and I'm sure there were that many, if not more there last night. It was crazy, but it was awesome. Today we visited the cemetery here. Doesn't sound too fun at first, but Beethoven, Strauss, Brahms, and a few other famous composers are buried here so it was pretty cool. And since we got back around 2:30, I've been getting stuff ready for free travel this weekend. We're headed to Geneva, Switzerland tonight, then Sunday we're going to Paris and Versailles, then on Tuesday we're heading home but making a pitstop in Salzburg for the Sound of Music tour! :) Super excited! Please pray for safe travels for all the groups traveling this weekend. I'll do my best to update you when I get back, if not while I'm there. Peace out!
Yes, I climbed all the way up there. But it was totally worth it. I paid 2 euro and 20 eurocents to get to the top of the gate too, but boy it was worth it. I could see all, literally all of Vienna from up there. See...
Oh and there's the back of the palace too. Pretty awesome huh? Yesterday we did some random stuff then we went to a free concert at the palace. Last year there was 100,000 people there, and I'm sure there were that many, if not more there last night. It was crazy, but it was awesome. Today we visited the cemetery here. Doesn't sound too fun at first, but Beethoven, Strauss, Brahms, and a few other famous composers are buried here so it was pretty cool. And since we got back around 2:30, I've been getting stuff ready for free travel this weekend. We're headed to Geneva, Switzerland tonight, then Sunday we're going to Paris and Versailles, then on Tuesday we're heading home but making a pitstop in Salzburg for the Sound of Music tour! :) Super excited! Please pray for safe travels for all the groups traveling this weekend. I'll do my best to update you when I get back, if not while I'm there. Peace out!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Austrian Church
Let's see... Where to begin. Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day. We had a free day here in Vienna and we could do whatever we wanted. Just about everyone decided we were going to a flea market/farmer's market first thing in the morning because Mendy had told us about it. I went because my mon wants me to get her old tins from here so me being the good daughter I am went out for an adventure. We left the Hotel around 10 (that's sleeping in for us now) and headed to the market. It was a rainy day, so that wasn't too fun, bout the market was still going. So we all split up and started looking around. It definitely wasn't like a flea market in the states, it was more of a huge garage sale. Most people had a ton of old clothes and shoes, and some vendors had little knick knacks like flea markets at home. So as we went up and down the aisles I saw license plates. (If you don't know this already I collect license plates) so I got really excited, but much to my surprise all the license plates except for one were from Canada or the States. I was mind-boggled. But the lady did have one license plate that I think is from Vienna, which I'm just going to say it is cause you'll never know :) after that we walked around and I got a few more things but I didn't find exactly what I was looking for which means I get to go to more flea markets! Yay!
After the flea market we headed toward the university here but we met a group of our people in the subway and they told us it was closed, so we're going later this week. After that we headed to H&M and Forever21 to do some shopping. I bought a couple of shirts and a hat then we came back to the Deutchmeister to relax and do some homework.
Today was a whole new adventure. We left for church this morning around 915 and got there right at 10. And by church I mean we met with the missionary families here and their members, which our group is about the size of their 'congregation' for lack of a better term, in their office building that used to be a bakery. Usually they meet in house churches but on the first Sunday of every month they come together to worship and this month we were able to join them. I can honestly say that I've never been more comfortable in a church. They did the service bilingually so every prayer, scripture reading, and song was in German and English. Every song we sang except for one, we sing on a regular basis at home. It was so uplifting to be able to praise God with them. Yes I sang in German, and I didn't know exactly what I was saying, but God did and that's all that matters. Once the service was over they asked us to stay seated for a little while longer just so we could sing together and i could tell how excited the locals were to hear us sing. After that they hosted a cook out for us and fed us well and we were able to mingle with the families and play with the kids. (that was my favorite!) After lunch we went on a prayer walk throughout the community then headed back home.
I really am enjoying my time here, and I apologize for not posting very many pictures yet. I'm busy with homework, class, taking pictures, and planning free travel that it isn't on the top of my list. So I'll try to post some every now and then but for now, just enjoy my blogs and know that you'll for sure see them when I come home. :) love you all!!
After the flea market we headed toward the university here but we met a group of our people in the subway and they told us it was closed, so we're going later this week. After that we headed to H&M and Forever21 to do some shopping. I bought a couple of shirts and a hat then we came back to the Deutchmeister to relax and do some homework.
Today was a whole new adventure. We left for church this morning around 915 and got there right at 10. And by church I mean we met with the missionary families here and their members, which our group is about the size of their 'congregation' for lack of a better term, in their office building that used to be a bakery. Usually they meet in house churches but on the first Sunday of every month they come together to worship and this month we were able to join them. I can honestly say that I've never been more comfortable in a church. They did the service bilingually so every prayer, scripture reading, and song was in German and English. Every song we sang except for one, we sing on a regular basis at home. It was so uplifting to be able to praise God with them. Yes I sang in German, and I didn't know exactly what I was saying, but God did and that's all that matters. Once the service was over they asked us to stay seated for a little while longer just so we could sing together and i could tell how excited the locals were to hear us sing. After that they hosted a cook out for us and fed us well and we were able to mingle with the families and play with the kids. (that was my favorite!) After lunch we went on a prayer walk throughout the community then headed back home.
I really am enjoying my time here, and I apologize for not posting very many pictures yet. I'm busy with homework, class, taking pictures, and planning free travel that it isn't on the top of my list. So I'll try to post some every now and then but for now, just enjoy my blogs and know that you'll for sure see them when I come home. :) love you all!!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Culture Shock in Vienna
In case you couldn't tell, that last post was me being smacked in the face by culture shock. It's rough I'm not going to lie, but it's starting to get better.
I got so caught up in coming on Study Abroad and getting to come to Europe for six weeks that I forgot to mentally prepare myself. I didn't even thing that I was about to jump head first into a culture that I knew nothing about, I don't speak the language, and the only people I know are those in my group.
That takes some mental preparation that I didn't do, so once l got here it hit me pretty hard. I could feel my patience running thin, much like everyone else's. But I think I'm starting to get over the worst part. I keep telling myself that I'm only going to be here for six weeks, and I need to enjoy my time while I'm here, and not be in a bad mood all the time.
I'm missing home a lot too, but skyping my parents and some friends has definitely helped.
Today we went to Stephensdom which is a church from 1147. It was beautiful. I'll post pictures on Facebook soon. Then after we toured it when had to go find two more churches and an old city wall on our own. We found one church pretty easily and we got to see a huge mosaic of The Last Supper painting and it was really neat. I have a picture of that too. Then we couldn't find the other church that was close by so we went to find the city wall instead. It was pretty neat it just looked like some rocks stuck together. But it's from I think 1200. It's part of the wall that surrounded Stephensdom back in the day so that was neat. Then we went to another church that was kinda plain on the outside but really pretty on the inside. It's different going to all these catholic churches with decorations. I'm used to our boring Church of Christ churches that are all one neutral color with maybe a few decorations on the stage by the pulpit. So it's quite different.
Now I'm just hanging out doing this and journalling waiting to go to dinner with everyone. So enjoy the post and I'll post again in a few days :)
I got so caught up in coming on Study Abroad and getting to come to Europe for six weeks that I forgot to mentally prepare myself. I didn't even thing that I was about to jump head first into a culture that I knew nothing about, I don't speak the language, and the only people I know are those in my group.
That takes some mental preparation that I didn't do, so once l got here it hit me pretty hard. I could feel my patience running thin, much like everyone else's. But I think I'm starting to get over the worst part. I keep telling myself that I'm only going to be here for six weeks, and I need to enjoy my time while I'm here, and not be in a bad mood all the time.
I'm missing home a lot too, but skyping my parents and some friends has definitely helped.
Today we went to Stephensdom which is a church from 1147. It was beautiful. I'll post pictures on Facebook soon. Then after we toured it when had to go find two more churches and an old city wall on our own. We found one church pretty easily and we got to see a huge mosaic of The Last Supper painting and it was really neat. I have a picture of that too. Then we couldn't find the other church that was close by so we went to find the city wall instead. It was pretty neat it just looked like some rocks stuck together. But it's from I think 1200. It's part of the wall that surrounded Stephensdom back in the day so that was neat. Then we went to another church that was kinda plain on the outside but really pretty on the inside. It's different going to all these catholic churches with decorations. I'm used to our boring Church of Christ churches that are all one neutral color with maybe a few decorations on the stage by the pulpit. So it's quite different.
Now I'm just hanging out doing this and journalling waiting to go to dinner with everyone. So enjoy the post and I'll post again in a few days :)
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