¡Viva Madrid!

I’m currently sitting in the Madrid airport, and I have about two hours until my flight back to Vienna takes off. I had an incredible Thanksgiving weekend in Madrid, despite the lack of turkey and the cold weather. I arrived here late Thursday night, and went straight to Stephen’s apartment where we enjoyed a lovely holiday meal of chicken and tortellini. After dinner, I got to Skype with all of my family members who were tucking in a delicious feast at my house. Despite my sister’s claims that the turkey was dry, the stuffing was cold…etc., I was pretty jealous of all the food they got to eat. (And yes, to all of you who have made comments about the extensive descriptions of food on this blog, food pretty much is on my mind all the time.) I had my own place card set up in front of the computer, and everybody just rotated around the screen. It was so nice to see everyone, even though they were more concerned with what I had eaten than with what I was doing.

The next morning, Stephen took me on a long and extensive tour of Madrid. For breakfast though, he brought me to a pastelería where we had churros with chocolate. SO GOOD. We started at the Jardín Botánico, the botanical gardens, which were right outside the Prado museum. There were so many rose bushes, I wish I could have been there in the summer to see the flowers all in bloom. Next, we walked down the Paseo del Prado to the Plaza de las Cortes, the Congreso de Diputados, and the house of Lope de Vega, a famous Spanish writer. We walked to the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, next to which was a plaque that claimed the spot as the exact center of Spain. From Sol we walked to the Plaza Mayor, which was a big, enclosed square where there was a Christmas market being set up. After seeing the Christmas markets in Vienna though, I was not really impressed. For a snack, we stopped at the Mercado de San Miguel, where we ate some croquetas full of cheese and shrimp and a couple of tacos. We passed Sobrino de Botín on the way, which is the oldest restaurant in Madrid, and perhaps even the world. The rumor is that Francisco Goya worked there as a waiter. Our last stop was the Palacio Real, before we ate a delicious lunch of paella and more croquetas. It was only about 5pm then, so we went back to his apartment and took a siesta. When in Spain….right? I woke up at 8:30pm and the first thing out of my mouth was “We forgot to eat dinner!” Good thing we were in Spain though, and people don’t start eating dinner until very late. We went to a tapas restaurant for dinner, and after dinner we called it a night.

On Saturday, we took one of the high speed trains to Segovia, a town north of Madrid. We spent about five hours roaming the city, looking at the Roman aqueducts and taking a tour of the Alcazar. The entire town was beautiful, set on a cliff overlooking the plains. I couldn’t help but think about how the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains! We got back to the apartment at around 7pm, and after another siesta we went to a restaurant called Cornacopia, where we ate delicious duck and stuffed pasta. After dinner, we went to a bar which had been made to look like a cave. Their famous drink is leche de pantera, panther’s milk. When you order it, the drink comes out of a rock hanging down from the ceiling. Pretty cool, huh?

On Sunday, Stephen and I went to the Museo de Reina Sofia to see Guernica by Picasso, the Parque del Retiro, and the Prado. The Prado was amazing, I was able to see so many paintings that I had studied back in Art History. I think my Prado experience may have surpassed the Louvre. After all the sightseeing, we had a boring evening of writing papers and finishing up homework. We made dinner, and I got to see one of my friends from Tulane who is studying at the same university as Stephen. After that, I feel asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. This morning I got to have one more round of churros with chocolate, and now I’m sitting in a random spot in the airport watching the snow fall outside, waiting for my gate to be announced and hoping that my flight doesn’t get delayed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

♪♪ Christmas Time is Here ♪♪

Since Vienna has no Thanksgiving buffer between Halloween and Christmas, the city has been drowning in holiday spirit since November 13^th, the day the Christkindlmärkte officially opened. Christkindlmärkte are outdoor Christmas markets where you can find anything from cinnamon and clove ornaments to smoked meat. Possibilities are endless. I’ve come to consider myself a bit of a Christkindlmärkte expert, as I have now visited five: Schloss Schönbrunn, Schloss Belvedere, Karlskirche, the Rathaus, and another small one whose name currently escapes me. I love to visit the markets at night when everything is lit up and covered with twinkling lights. So far my main purchases at the Christkindlmärkte have been food, since it’s incredibly difficult to wander through all the stalls looking at ornaments and toys without a nice big mug of punsch or heiße Schokolade to warm your hands. While Glühwein, mulled red wine, is a must at the Christkindlmärkte, the drink stalls are becoming more and more creative with their punsch, which is a warm liquor and juice drink. I tried Apfel-Zimt punsch (apple cinnamon punch) once, and it was so delicious. They also have punches made of coconuts, chestnuts, oranges, mangoes, vanilla…there’s quite a variety. The hot chocolate will always remain my favorite though, with a big dollop of whipped cream on top. The traditional food at the Christkindlmärkte is scrumptious as well, though I’ve mostly only smelled it and eaten bits off my friends’ plates. Some of the foods they have to offer are fresh, warm waffles with your choice of powdered sugar, strawberry sauce, raspberry sauce or chocolate sauce on top; noodles drenched in gruyere cheese; more kinds of pretzels that you could possibly imagine (I had chocolate and nut); baked potatoes with all the trimmings; crepes; and – my favorite – donuts where you choose the filling. It’s pretty hard to go to a Christkindlmärkte without getting something to eat. I would have to say that the markets are probably one of my favorite parts of Vienna. The only problem with all of the markets and the city decked out in lights and decorations is that it makes me think Christmas is right around the corner, when in reality I’ve got a month to go until Christmas Eve. Until then, ♪♪I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…. ♪♪

Amsterdam and Athens!

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, so this is going to be a long post. Brace yourselves.

On November 5, I flew to Amsterdam and met Stephen. I had a connecting flight, so I didn’t get in until 5pm or so. My first flight started out perfect; they gave us each a huge bar of Milka chocolate! I was in heaven. But then the very large and very smelly man next to me proceeded to spill his coffee all over and inside my purse. No more perfect flight. When we arrived in Amsterdam it was pretty cold and it was raining, but as soon as we stepped out of Central Station and saw the beautiful canals all lit up, the bad weather didn’t matter at all. That night, we walked around the neighborhood our hostel was in – Leidseplein – which was full of people, restaurants, stores, coffee shops…oh yes, did I mention that the entire city smells of marijuana? Very different from Vienna! Our choices for food that night were Indian, Chinese, Greek, or Italian. I couldn’t understand why we didn’t see just a normal restaurant. We had dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant, on a street which was entirely made up of Indian restaurants. After dinner, we walked around the Red Light District. It was a Friday night, but – except for the prostitutes showcased in the windows – the whole area seemed somewhat like a boring version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I definitely prefer Bourbon to the Red Light District. My favorite part of the Red Light District ended up being the sleeping swans on the canal. They were so serene, just floating every which way. The next morning, we went on a canal cruise throughout the entire city and saw the Anne Frank house, Westerkerk, and City Hall, as well as a lot of houseboats and beautiful architecture. After the cruise, we went to the old Heineken brewery and took a tour. It was so much fun, especially the part where they taught us how to correctly drink beer and explained that foam is a good thing because it keeps the beer fresh. I never knew that! We walked A LOT that day, and we ended up once again in the Red Light District that night with a crazy waiter who was obviously high and developed a really strong crush on Stephen. We left the next morning, and I was disappointed that our trip had been so short. I wish I could have seen some other things, but a lot of museums and the Anne Frank house had closed early on that Saturday. I guess I’ll just have to go back! Preferably in the summer, when it’s warm and I can see all the tulips!

            Last Friday, I flew to Athens. I must say, Olympic Air might just be my favorite airline. Even though my flight was less than two hours, I was served an entire meal and they offered me something to drink about ten times. After waiting in the airport for Stephen, we took a train to the city and walked to our hostel. Since it was pouring rain, I was pretty excited that the hostel website hadn’t lied and the hostel was indeed about a five minute walk from the station and center of the city. The only downside of this hostel was the dirty pet shop across the street, where Stephen and I debated saving one of the sad puppies that were going for only 35 Euros. We ultimately decided it wasn’t the best idea. For dinner we went to a traditional Greek restaurant that (according to TripAdvisor) is popular among the locals. It was so good. We ate calamari, lamb, baked feta, and yogurt with fresh fruit. The wine, retsina, was delicious, too. After dinner, we walked to the Plaka neighborhood and went to Brettos. Brettos is a beautiful old distillery that makes its own ouzo, as well as over 50 different kinds of liquor. I had pomegranate liquor, and it tasted just like juice. As we were leaving Brettos, we made the mistake of petting some of the dogs outside. As a result, they decided to follow us home. I was glad for the company; being flanked by two huge dogs in dark, unknown neighborhoods usually deters people from mugging or pick-pocketing you (so I’ve heard). After the dogs (there were three now, we made another friend along the way) attacked a strange man who passed by us, we decided it was time to turn a couple corners and lose them. We made it safely back to the hostel, even though we didn’t have the dogs for the last few blocks. The next morning we had fresh spanakopita for breakfast and walked to the Acropolis. The weather was amazing; I was able to get away with shorts and a tank top. I think I might even have gotten a little tan! The walk up to the top of the Acropolis was a bit of a hike, but it was worth it. Aside from the views of Athens, I got to see the Parthenon and the remains of all the other ancient buildings. I can’t believe how well preserved they are. On the walk down the south slope of the Acropolis, we saw even more remains, like the Theatre of Dionysos. I had my handy dandy guide book with me, which made everything even more interesting because I could read the history which went along with it. We then walked to the Roman Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Ancient Agora. Everything is pretty close together, which makes it easy to do in one day. For lunch, we took the train to the Port of Piraeus, which is the major port of Athens and is where all the cruise ships come in. From there we walked to Zea Marina, which was a smaller port full of huge yachts. We had lunch at a restaurant right on the water. I tried mousaka, which is baked eggplant and mincemeat, and it was really delicious. Since the weather was only getting better, we walked along the water towards Mikrolimano, another port and beach. When we returned to Athens in the afternoon, we wandered through the Plaka and did some Christmas shopping. We ate dinner outdoors at a restaurant right in the middle of the Plaka while people-(and dog-) watching. After dinner we walked around the Plaka for a bit and then went to a bar. It was only about 8pm by then, and we were so tired. Stephen made me stay out until 10pm though, and to pass the time he tried to explain the current state of the U.S. economy to me and the whole deal with the dollar, Euro, and the Yen. Needless to say, it was pretty easy to fall asleep that night. The next morning we ate fresh fruit and pastries from a stand right at the base of the Acropolis, and did some more shopping. Then we walked up to the top of Filopappou Hill, and on the hike up we saw the Hill of the Nymphs and the prison of Socrates. At the top of the hill, you could see everything. The water, the mountains, the city…it was incredible. After we walked down and grabbed a quick lunch of gyros, we made our way back to the airport. Athens was definitely my favorite trip so far. I still have Madrid and Rome to go though, so we’ll see!

            This Monday I took a tour of Schönbrunn Palace. I’d been to the palace and the gardens once before, but this was the first time I’ve been inside. It was really cool, very large and very Baroque. The Christmas markets are beginning to open up around Vienna. They look so beautiful at night, all lit up with Christmas lights. I plan on going to a few this afternoon; hopefully I’ll get some good pictures (and presents!). Tonight, for the very first time, I made an actual dinner. Are you ready for this? First, inspired by the recent Athens trip, I baked some feta in the oven with olive oil and oregano. Next, I cooked pork, carrots, shallots, and some other peculiar looking root vegetables in a pot with olive oil and white wine. It was DELICIOUS. It’s not that I can’t cook…it’s just that I’m pretty lazy…I must say though, I was pretty pleased with my dinner. And now I have a lot of olive oil and oregano to use, so who knows what else I’ll cook!

            Stay tuned!

Fall in Vienna!

So my parents came for two days, and then left me in order to visit their friend’s hotel in Velden, Austria. Thankfully though, they returned on Friday and we went to Figlmüller, the famous Wiener Schnitzel restaurant. The Schnitzels were huge, they extended off the plate, but they were really thin, too. My mom and I split one, while my dad ate an entire one himself. He was pretty grumpy though, since we found out right when we got to the restaurant that they don’t serve beer. After the restaurant, we went to see L'elisir d'amore  at the Wiener Staatsoper. It was a really funny opera, with great music, and though our seats had a pretty limited view I think we all enjoyed ourselves. (Except for when audience clapped so long after one song, the main character had to sing an encore. Right in the middle of the opera, he sang the same song he had just sung. We started to get a little tired of the opera at that point…) The next day, after my German midterm, we visited the Naschmarkt, the popular open air market, and I introduced my parents and the Curran’s to Sturm, my favorite drink. Later that night, we went Heurige-hopping in the wine village of Nussdorf. Heurigen are wine taverns, and you basically sit at huge wooden tables drinking wine, until you feel the urge to walk up to the counter and purchase some meat, bread, or cheese.  Everything was so delicious, especially the Sturm.

The next morning we took a bus to the Wachau region in Austria, and then took a cruise up the Danube River to Melk Abbey. Melk Abbey is a very old Austrian Benedictine Monastery with a very impressive library. They used to have a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed with a movable-type printing press, but they sold it to Harvard in the 90s to pay for renovations. The monastery was really beautiful, and of course I fell in love with the huge libraries full of books. It looked just like the scene in Beauty and the Beast when the Beast gives Bell the huge castle library as a present. A girl can dream, right? The trip was a lot of fun, and when we got back my parents and I got a quick dinner and then they came to see my apartment. The next morning they left, and I was super sad, because that meant no more delicious dinners for me. Kidding! I’m going to miss them so much, but I’ll see them in about 6 weeks.

The week after my parents left was midterms week, and I studied a LOT. Unfortunately, nothing I studied seemed to be on the test…hmm. I wasn’t the only student who encountered this problem, though. To sum it up, midterms week allowed me to master the art of BS.

I spent a large part of last weekend working on a paper for my Female Austrian Literature class, but on Sunday (Halloween) I visited Schönbrunn Palace, which is about a 20 minute subway ride from where I live. The weather last weekend was beautiful, it finally felt like fall (instead of the dead of winter, like usual.) According to my trusty source, Wikipedia, Schönbrunn Palace was once the summer residence of the Hapsburg monarchs. Behind the palace is a huge garden, and even though the flowers weren’t in bloom, all of the changing colors of the leaves made it an incredible sight. I walked through the gardens, past the Neptune Fountain, and up the hill to the Gloriette, which is a beautiful structure Maria Theresa commissioned to be made out of otherwise useless stone. Ironically, the structure itself seems to be useless. It houses a small café, but after climbing up the hill all I wanted to do was look out at the view over Vienna. It was so beautiful. I can’t believe I only have 6 more weeks here!

After Schönbrunn Palace, I walked around the Prater amusement park with friends. We didn’t go on any rides, but it was interesting to see the Wiener Riesenrad (Viennese Ferris wheel), which is one of the earliest Ferris wheels ever built. Good luck ever getting me on that. After our long day of sightseeing, we went back to our apartments to get ready for Halloween. A few weeks earlier I had asked my mom to bring me some sort of Halloween costume, so she brought me a pair of mouse ears that I had worn in 6^th grade. In case any one is interested, my head has grown since then. My friend Ashley dressed up as a cat, so we had a bit of a tandem costume going on, and we got way too into the growling and squeaking. I was smart enough to incorporate a fur vest (which my mom says I will never wear again, but I’m totally going to prove her wrong) into my costume, so the chilly night air was no issue. My friends and I, plus about a billion other students from IES, went to a party where an IES staff member was performing with his hip-hop group. It was quite an experience. I can honestly say that I will probably never, ever listen to German rap in the crowded basement of a Chinese restaurant ever again. These are the experiences I relish.

On Monday, Ashley and I decided to wander around outside of our district. Everything was a bit bare since it was All Soul’s Day, a Catholic holiday Vienna strictly observes, and everything is closed on Viennese holidays. A few restaurants were open, and we had lunch at a little pizzeria. Our pizza had turkey, lots of garlic, and a fried egg on it. It sounds weird, I know, but it was actually really delicious. I had to fill up on lunch because I had very little food in my apartment, and since grocery stores are closed on Sundays AND holidays, I wasn’t going to be able to get food until Tuesday. I’ve realized that I’m not really a fan of these Viennese holidays, except for the one which will occur on December 8th. According to one of my professors, (who didn’t even know what the holiday was) December 8^th is the holiday where schools and offices are closed but all the stores remain open so people can shop for Christmas presents. Oh, how I love the overindulged people of Vienna!

This past week has gone by pretty fast, and tomorrow morning I’m flying to Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I don’t leave until after my German class, and my German teacher just decided we’re going to have a quiz tomorrow. So now I’ve got to go study my pronouns, as well as pack for the cold and rainy weather Weather.com is predicting for Amsterdam. Ciao!