Catch Up!

So it has been awhile since I last left you a post. I just got back from Paris and Barcelona!!! I am actually going to try and back track though, so that you can see what I did in Vienna before the 10 day break.

Cooking our first dinner after going grocery shopping!

We went on an adventure to the grocery store. Everything was in German, but I think we succeeded! we made sauteed potatoes! mmm good!

The bagel at the Rathaus. This is the Parliament Building in Vienna and they play recorded concerts there all siummer long! It is free and such a fun time. If you are in Vienna in the summer please please go and use this resource!

So this may look gross, but its soo good. Kaiserschmarren. A big mushy pancake-y thing that you traditionally dip in plum preserves. It was a mistake by the emperor's chef and he served it anyway, with thoughts of being beheaded and then the king loved it! so it is called "King's Meal".

One of the cool things that the program set up for us was a BUS TOUR of the city. Cheesy I know but super helpful on  getting to know what the sights are like in the city. There are several shots that I think exemplify how great Vienna is! 

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These are my roommates (minus Erica, she was on a different bus). Elizabeth is on the left and Joncie is on the right. We are at the top of Kahlenberg. This is the best view of the city. It is in the Vienna Woods. It was chilly but beautiful!!

Sienna and the bagel and the Belvedere! This Palace was that of Prince Eugene. He was neither Austrian, nor a prince he but he defeated the Turks and got a ton of money and built this palace. (This is the guesthouse, btws)



Jay and I (and the bagel) Outside of the the Hundertwasserhaus. He was an architect who didn't think that buildings needed to do more than just exist. He wanted there to be harmony between nature and architecture, so the plants that were uprooted to build the house were planted on the roof! Its a state owned building, so the rent isn't excessive, but the waiting list is!

This is the Naschmarkt. Here you can get basically any type of fresh fruit, meat, cheese, or bread that you desire. They also have some restaurants that serve pretty top notch cuisine!

 

The Return of the Bagel!!!

                So I have been pretty terrible at updating and I have a ton to catch up on! So I think I will give you a tour of photos with some explanation and then continue with fun moments as I continue to blog! Thank you for your patience and sorry I haven’t been very good at keeping this up! 

Bagmanda in Mariazell.This is where we ate meals while we were at our hostel!

Mariazell is where we had our orientation. It felt like camp but it was great. Before we left we we congregated at the train station and then headed out to this beautiful country!

Jeremy with the bagel waiting for the bus!! 

Jay and I modeling the bagel at the rest stop on the way to Mariazell!

So, after this shot was taken I misplaced my camera (which is now safely in my backpack). The rest of the pictures are complements of Jeremy and Siena. Mariazell is about 3 hours south of Vienna. It is a beautiful town that is famous for its Mary. There are hundreds of Pilgrims who walk or bus up to Mariazell to pray to this Madonna to ask for her help! We went into the town on the second day that we were there. It is famous for schnapps, pilgrimages, gingerbread, and nativity scenes!  Part of the time was spent on a tour to the church where we saw the beautiful Madonna and the Gothic style church that is decorated with Baroque adornments. As Dr. O would say: "Like gingerbread icing!!!" We went to the Mariazell museum and learned about the tradition of Nativity scenes. They are the most amazing creations. seriously. This photo below me is only half of the actual scene!!!

The largest nativity is Mariazell (and possibly Austria!)

The rest of the weekend was filled with meetings, a pseudo camp atmosphere and general anxiousness to get to the apartment and really get started in on living in Austria!!!