2 flights, 1 bus ride, 1 boat ride, 2 beers, and 1 manicure later

That is right! I am in Ireland! I am so stoked to be here right now. Definitely a little nervous traveling by myself, but in the end I made it safe and sound. I am amazed at how much I missed English! I hear it and understand and and love it!! I think of this as my vacation, within a vacation!

The flights were not especially bad or anything, but I have decided that I want to go to western Austria and look at the Alps! It was a beautiful sight, flying over them. The bus ride was actually so easy to find and took my a block from my hostel. Finding the hostel was another problem... There are tons of hostels littered on the street, but I found it in the end.

The boat ride was just something to fill time and it was definitely a fun experience! I got to learn a lot about the city just from the river Liffey?? I think that is what it is called...
I obviously had to go get some beer... so I got food at well in the Temple Bar (area). Basically Temple Bar is an area of at least 20 or so bars and shops. I went to the Elephant Castle. They had some good burgers, really big too.

And then I was walking home and walked through a department store and they had manicures! I have been trying to find one in Vienna for awhile and haven't been able to... So i had to get them done because they were becoming horrible! It was my rest and relaxation! Definitely a good start to an excellent vacation! I will add pictures when I update this... Just wanted to let you know how my time was so far!

Poland: My brethren!

This past weekend I was able to travel to Poland. It was an amazing!

We began our journey on Friday morning, around 7:30 am. The train ride was especially fun. The group had some fun bonding times. We had to switch trains in Katowice and therefore had about an hour in town. I figured out that the exchange rate from Euro to Zloty(the polish currency) is 1:4. Amazing! I just walked around and found this nice fountain to take a picture next to.

Random fountain in Katowice by the train station.

We then got a little Podunk train…it had plastic seats that were not so comfy. We also had to scramble from one platform to the next because they changed our platform. It was an interesting time.

The train ride from Katowice to Krakow was around 2 hours and 30 minutes. Not too long.

Then trying to get all 15 of us, with all our baggage on the light rail was a great sight to see. Of course none of us stamped our tickets. I will get to that later.

Where the trumpeter plays from

We arrived at the hostel and put our luggage down and then proceeded to go out for a great city tour. We got to see the tower where the trumpeter of Krakow plays. We also went to an "authentic" Jewish restaurant. I happen to get some fish. Let's just say it was staring back at me!

I had no idea it would have a face. Kinda creeped me out...

The next day we went to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkeneau. It was quite an experience being in that place. It was filled with many different emotions. We stood in the places where many people were selected to either live and be worked to death, or to die in the gas chambers. It was definitely worth it in the end. One experience was especially haunting. The Nazi collected many things from the Jews when they were brought to Auschwitz: articles of clothing, shoes, baggage, combs, brushes, etc. One thing I was not expecting was the hair. There is a room filled with people's hair. The tour guide it could have been from up to 30,000 people. He explained that they took the hair and made cloth, kinda like a burlap. Just something that was interesting to actually see with my own eyes.

The collection of shoes that was left when the Nazi's left Auschwitz.

Auschwitz I

The memorial

The tracks inside of Auschwitz, to the left is where the selection process took place.

Women's sleeping space, each bunk would have 4 to 8 people sleeping on it.

We then returned to Krakow and had some delicious dinner, with the help of Dr. Simpson's friend. She led us to a traditional Polish restaurant. It was down in the basement, where none of us would have ever looked for a restaurant. Most delicious!

A traditional Polish drink, warm red wine with cinnamon and an orange.

The square all lit up at night.

The last day of my adventure included going to the castle that still stands in the city and going to the Jewish ghetto. And also the Schindler factory! Definitely a nice thing to see!

I was hanging my head out of the train... It was fun.

And that concluded my trip to Krakow. One last thing... We actually got a ticket for riding the light-rail without a ticket. They should have charged us each 108 Zloty (around 25 Euro) but they just charged us for two people, we had 7 people altogether. Lesson learned! The ticket only costs 2,80 Zloty. So if you ever in Europe... just buy a ticket.

Community

Today I found something. I found my sense of community. I have my community of “Americans” through my program, but back home had this extra sort of community. My religious community. And today I found it. I got up this morning, thinking that I would just go to church and that would be it. Boy was I wrong.

I searched for English masses this morning. I went to a German one, and it was fine. Just fine. It couldn’t connect to what they were saying. I had no idea. Figuring I could get more out of an English mass, I searched and I found one. I went to St. Francis of Assisi. Mass was great. I have never felt more welcomed. The priest walked around before the mass and said hello to every face he didn’t recognize. After the mass, he even told the congregation to talk to someone they didn’t recognize and build community. It was nice because obviously many of the people at the church were foreigners. All of us were displaced from where we originally came from.

Right after mass the woman next to me, Amanda, began to talk to me. She is from Scotland and has been living in Vienna for 6 ½ years. She told me about the parish, and how they just “rent” out St. Francis for masses. They even have religious education. I met quite a few Americans, so older and some my age, who were studying in Vienna.  I felt at home. My sense of community is now restored. It is nice meeting new people as well. I will continue to go there and be able to actually get something out of the mass.

Another sense of home that I have found today is… Starbucks: my new study place away from home. I just need the distractions taken away, so why not go to a place where you know no one. Usually they have Internet, but not today. This is probably for the best. Supposed to be reading some dense material about the Hapsburg monarchy that ruled Austria and Hungary until 1918. 

Gute Appetit

My first experience cooking.... really! I have been here for 4 weeks and usually eat dinner with Maria ans Otto (my host parents). Maria makes excellent food!
I made spaghetti with red sauce (all store bought) with some steamed brocoli, carrot, and zucchini. I also made some garlic bread and sausage. Just getting all the ingredients was itself a learning experience. I looked up all the ingredients in German just to make sure I got the right stuff. Getting the vegetables was easy enough and the bread. I went to the supermarket for the rest. First off, there is a tube for garlic. I was ready to buy some garlic in a jar and get some salt, but this thing is a tube of garlic spread. Makes it easier on me. Then figuring out what was in each jar of tomato sauce was a little difficult. In the end though, I just picked one that I think has basil in it.
The dinner was most delicious as well. I over cooked the garlic bread because I had to crisp it on the stove top. The oven is currently out of commission. I think the best thing of the night: Wine. It turned from a dinner party to Wine Wednesday and some amazing, weird conversations were had. Overall it was a success and I will definitely be having a repeat in the near future!

Finding Peace within the Buzz

Yes... I am becoming philosophical. Lately I have been finding myself getting out more. I am seeking this serenity or peace that I could find in Corvallis. City living is strange to me. If I leave my windows open all night, I hear the hum of cars pass all night long. I also have a very bright light shining through the opening. Both keep me up all night long. At home, I would listen to the patter of rain at night and enjoy the cool breeze. Just strange and different.

A little lake in the park, where many a dog can be seen enjoying it.

On one such findings, happening yesterday, I found an amazing park. By amazing, I mean, it was strewn with hundreds of people: some playing football or volleyball or soccer or even frisbee, some with their kids playing on the slide, some with their dogs, or some even just enjoying the sun on their blanket. It reminded me of spring in Corvallis. Everyone appreciates the break in the rain and enjoys the great outdoors. I found my peace here. It was an amazing feeling, being able to walk through the park without once realizing I was still in Vienna. It had woods, it had fields, it had lakes (or small ponds). It had it all. This one park took care of many of my worries and made me feel like I was back home. I even found a Frisbee golf course. I tried to follow it but became lost. It is difficult to know where you are supposed to throw from, but finding the baskets wasn't too difficult. Maybe one time I will go out and play. It would be interesting.

The basket is surrounded by forest... where is the next tee off??

P.S. If you people actually reading this have questions or want to ask me anything.... Just ask! I like comments too. :D

Munich

My first adventure outside of Vienna was to… Munich. I could not have asked for a better first place! I travelled there by train. The overnight train to be exact, but in no way was it a full night. It is a 5 to 6 hour train ride. We travelled in style too. We got a 2^nd class ticket which included a lovely seat with seat people in a cabin. The cabin was freezing too! After awhile though some people departed and we ended up getting to lay down for three hours. We arrived at 6:15 am and had some time to kill. We checked in to the hotel, got some food, and just wandered.

The fun began at Oktoberfest. The crowds were crazy! There was sooo much energy within the tent. A lot of Americans too! I had an overall great experience.

The next day we explored Munich. We took a hop-on-hop-off one. Got to see a lot of stuff that I had no idea existed. We walked around the place for 2 hours as well. Wondered the garden. Got lots of souvenirs! And now I am another overnight train…. With a very drunk person. The joys of public transportation! I am gonna try to sleep and wake up back in Vienna!