Sunday, September 19, 2010

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! 

1.   

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!

 

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

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!!!


Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Flight!

The Journey Begins
After a last minute stop at the pharmacy. The bagel and I were on the road (accompanied by my mother and brother). We drove from Erie on a beautiful sunny day. Getting into the airport was uneventful and security went quickly (thank god). I always feel guilty for no reason when I go through security. I never have anything to hide, but I feel like people’s suspicions are heightened with the idea that there might be a threat.
The bagel was safely stowed in my backpack and sampled the different seating options at the airports. The Buffalo airport sported the traditional blue covered metal seats. The airplane was on time and we actually left early! I took a Jet Blue flight (which I recommend if you can get a ticket). They are super reasonable AND the Captain comes and talks to you before the flight, so you know who you are entrusting your life to. He was pretty friendly, so I felt like I was in good hands. The ironic thing about the flight was an American Airlines employee was sitting next to me. He had his headphones on the whole time, so I know nothing about him other than what his uniform told me.
After getting hooked on a new USA TV show (due to the DirectTV that is available during their flight), I was off to an adventure through the John F. Kennedy International Airport.  This TV show was Covert affairs, I didn’t really know what was going on, but it was pretty entertaining, so I watched one and a half episodes. Baggage claim was great. I learned all the ways to not carry 3 bags and a backpack through the airport especially when getting onto a packed airtran, but I managed. I am not looking forward to the subway ride through Vienna to get to my hostel!
Flight
The flight was nice. The food was actually good and we even got a TOOTHBRUSH on the flight! I sat next to a man who lives in Syracuse, New York and is a psychiatrist. He was going to Bucherest to visit his mother.  We had normal polite conversation that you have on an airline, looking at the sky shopping magazine and deciding what movies to watch. I slept most of the way, which was awesome! I guess turbulence was pretty bad, but I never felt a thing. It was really cool to see the sun set and rise during the same flight. When you see the clouds light up from below it is just really cool. They look like mountains underneath you.
I think that the highlight of the dining service was the muffin we got about an hour before landing. The package said “me, myself, and my muffin. Mmmm” for some reason This doesn’t seem like the most appropriate statement to put on the side of a breakfast treat, but it made me laugh.
Heathrow.
Not a fan. They heard you back through security (again) and then you sit in this shopping concourse (where I am typing now) until they give you your gate number. Then you stressfully rush to where your gate is in hopes that they will still board you. It stresses me out, but at least I am trying to entertain myself!
In security I met some people just coming back from a safari in southern Africa. They were heading home to California. Good flight to them and off to Vienna for me and the bagel!
Amanda and Bagel.

Monday, August 16, 2010

The Beginning of the Bagel

Introduction:

Hello!!
My name is Amanda and I will be studying in Vienna this semester! I CANNOT wait! I go to school at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Bloomington is a wonderful place that I will miss very much! The heat, the people, the parties, the classes (yes I like those), This fall will be quite different than any other fall I have had. One of the local businesses that I will sorely miss in the Bloomington Bagel Company. This local bagel boiler tantalizes my tummy just about every other week and gave me the inspiration for this blog. They have a deal that if you take a picture on your travels with a one of their bagels and bring it in, they will give you a dozen bagels for free. I have procured one of these bagels and plan to travel with it throughout the semester. I wanted to bring my favorite, the asiago cheese, but decided that the plain would be a classic and more durable choice for the adventures that it would have!

Hopefully you will not mind reading about my adventures with the bagel. I thought that it would give a bit of a twist the average travel blog.

The storefront.
The Beginning:

Today was my last day in my Hometown of Erie, PA, so I figured that the bagel should have a preliminary picture overlooking the lake and the sunset! ( That is our convention center that is shaped like a boat!!)

The bagel at sunset. 

It will travel with me in a sealed ziploc bag with some silica packets to ensure it is a dry environment. (pictures to come)

I leave in the morning at 9:30 AM to travel from Buffalo to JFK to Heathrow to Vienna!

I hope to have some updates about my travels when I get settled in Vienna!

Auf wiedersehen,

Amanda and bagel