A Week of Food, Art and Traveling

Hi Everyone!

I apologize for my lack of posts lately, busy with finals and traveling and it got away from me. But this last Saturday I arrived in Geneva after a week of traveling.

I left Vienna after finishing up with school work on Sunday afternoon, and found a night train to Milan, Italy. A girlfriend from high school, Kristen, and her fiance live north of there in Gallarate. So she met me at the train station and took me north to her apartment in the city. We spent the afternoon making crepes, cafe and carbonara (an Italian specialty with pasta, eggs, ham and cheese). The two of us drank wine and caught up on the balcony overlooking the town church most of the afternoon and afterward explored her city a little bit.

(View off the balcony)

That evening was her fiance Matt's brithday, and in the Italian tradition, he took us all out to dinner at a proper Italian restaurant called Gufo Nero. We had all the food we could eat with plates such as donkey and veins. We talked with his Italian friend Salvatore about the differences between the North and South of Italy and I learned a lot about the culture in Italy over wine and drinks.

(My wonderful hosts for the week out to dinner :)

The next day my friend my school, Megan, met us in Milan so we picked her up and went to a small town on a Lake Maggiore called Arona. We walked around and ate gellato on the shoreline and drank cafe macchiatos.

(Arona, Italy)

That night we went out to dinner at a small pizzeria in Gallarate. It was amazing pizza with everyone having their own pizza!

(Matt, Me and Kristen out for drinks)

The next day Megan, Kristen and I traveled in to Milan for the day. We visited the Brera Gallery with old Italian masters. Not necessarily my kind of art but still fun to visit and look around a bit.


(Milano Duomo)

We walked from there through the Galleria towards the Duomo. Megan and I went inside the Duomo and viewed the massive cathedral. It always amazes me walking inside European Cathedrals and their wealth and size.

I lit a candle and said a prayer for my grandpa that passed away a few months ago and for my grandma that is now alone.


That evening Matt took Megan and I out to dinner in Verese, Italy for a dinner of risotto and gnocchi. It was in an underground restaurant that looked like an old wine cellar. Sooo good!!


As you can see my vacation had a reoccurring theme of food this week!!

The next day Megan and I traveled to Lyon, France for two nights. We arrived late on Thurday evening and didn't do much.

(Lyon is the city of two rivers. Outside our first stop on our art tour, La Sucriere)

Lucky us, there was a Biennale in the city for about two months and we timed it just right! I've always wanted to visit a city hosting a Biennale and so we hit all the hot spots!

(Me inside the exhibition by Portuguese artist Pedro Cabrita Reis called The Sleepers)

(View of the city center in Lyon, Statue of Louis the XIV)

It was a little like a treasure hunt around the city as many of the exhibitions were in abandoned buildings and warehouses around the city. We saw some amazing art and a lot of different parts of the city. It was one of my favorite days in Europe so far!!

( a produce vendor in Lyon)

That night we went out to dinner at a restaurant by the chef Paul Bocuse. We had escargot and I had fish. The creme brulee was the most amazing desert I've ever had!!! The dinner was full of delicious food and good conversation :)

The next day we headed to GENEVA! Our new home. The week was relaxing and wonderful, now back to work!

xoxo,
Amy

Mozart, Cesky and OKTOBERFEST!

Last week the girls and I had a ladies night out to the symphony! The building was beautiful and they played Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (the only one I recognized). The concert was interrupted by cellphones twice and the crowd and the flute player was pretty angry. Good to know even Europeans aren't perfect either! We finished the night with sacher torte and wine at the original home of the dessert. I love ladies night in Vienna :)

Megan, Me, Chrysty and Dena



I have a video as well but will have to add that later on..

This past weekend I finally got to travel! With all this schoolwork it has been extremely busy. But I can say that I did survive midterms last week, barely.

The school organized a trip for all of the globals to go on to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic on Saturday. We all headed out in the morning taking a train to Linz and then a bus up to Cesky. The ride up was so nice, the countryside reminded me of home. It followed a small river with campsites and canoers closer to Cesky.

We got there and took a short walking tour with our guide, Stan. He was adorable and hilarious. It was the best tour ever! The city was filled with people because it was the day of the patron saint of the Czech Republic this weekend. (the reason the pope was in Prague)


There were food and craft vendors everywhere! And a large stage with dancers in traditional outfits singing and dancing. It was the perfect weekend to visit.


That evening we went out to dinner at a traditional Medieval restaurant. They served us wine in goblets and the food was amazing. Duck, rabbit, ham and chicken! Definitely one of my favorite meals thus far!


We went out that evening to a traveler's bar and took absynthe shots. There were two birthdays that day so we HAD to celebrate! To take the shots you have a spoon of sugar that you light on fire and then stir in the bright green shot. The birthday girls had a memorable night!


The next morning we got up and had breakfast at the street vendors again and sampled almost everything. The fresh food was sooooo good. I believe I've had more sausages since being in Europe than ever before.


Two of my girlfriends and I then walked around the city and explored some of the shops. We made it up to the top of the castle to check out the view overlooking the city. The view was breathtaking. (Check out the video at the bottom!)


We left Cesky and headed towards MUNICH!
My girlfriends and I left the group and hopped on another train to meet the twins' friend Vince. He met us in Munich and showed us around Octoberfest! He was an awesome guide. We found a beer tent and drank liters of beer out of huge glass mugs. Vince was explaining all of the German songs to us and showing us the dances that everyone else there knew. There were people from all over the world there. We became friends with a group of Italians and Germans, even though they didn't speak much English. Language barriers seem to always fade with alcohol. :) I was able to cross that off my list of things to do before I die this! But I'm definitely going back someday as well!!

These are cookies that all girls wear around their neck, Vince says you will be in a lot of trouble if you don't buy your girlfriend one.

Dena, Megan, Vince and me

My friend Megan and I rode the train back in the morning and sat with two Australian boys and talked with them during our four hour ride back. They were fun and helped pass the time. Sharing traveling stories about Asia and showing us pictures. I love the interesting people you meet while traveling!

Just got back to Vienna and beginning to prepare for finals. Wish me luck!

xoxo,
Amy

Sturm!

Last week my friends and I ventured up to the North of Vienna to the wineries. It was very quaint and beautiful. We ate dinner from the small kitchen inside and listened to the accordion player throughout the night.


The deli style restaurant in the winery.



We tasted the house sturm, which is the freshest batch of wine that only comes out this time of year. (It's more fruity and a little thicker.)


My favorite part of the night was when a young Austrian boy was leaving with his family and stopped by our table and handed me a Buckeye! I wasn't sure what he said or why he handed it to just me, but it was so cute!

My roommate Marina and I.

xoxo,
Amy

Getting Lost in Vienna

The other morning I woke up with an itch to get out of my apartment and began looking at my guide book of Vienna and decided to explore on my own. I made a few notes before heading out and jumped on the UBon towards Schonbrunn. After two train changes and a few pages of my book, I made it to the correct stop and hopped off with the rest of the crowd. I turned the

corner and walked into the plaza of a gorgeous palace that was once the home of Maria Theresa and Napoleon. The color of the buildings was striking in its bright yellow, a favorite of Maria Theresa.

I wandered through the gardens and took pictures of the archways of foliage and ponds filled with water lilies. I walked through these gardens and found myself on the other side of the palace and looking down a huge garden that was perfectly manicured. They put SLU’s campus to shame…

This is also where the Michael Jackson tribute concert was supposed to take place, but I just found out yesterday it was canceled.

At the end of the gardens was the Neptune Fountain leading up to a BIG hill, which I climbed and ended up looking over the palace and a view of Vienna.

After walking through the gardens and finding my way out, I ended up in a small neighborhood. I had to ask for directions which is not easy given I don't speak German. But I found my way to the bus stop and then back to the UBon and finally back into the city. It's always a good feeling to navigate your way through being lost.

My next stop was Karlsplatz back in the center of the city. Here the Ubon station was designed by the architect Otto Wagner.

I sat for awhile under a big tree and read some more of my book on International Organizations before taking off again. I wandered down a street and came across the Greek Embassy and a beautiful neighborhood park. And right when I was feeling like I should figure out where I was, I ran into the Belvedere Palace. Another gorgeous castle in the middle of the city. I know now I need to go back because that is where Gustav Klimt's famous painting "The Kiss" is.

After all of my walking around I needed a break so I met my friend Dena for some tea at a coffee shop, where we ran into a very talkative professor from Webster. He suggestion some other good coffee shops and places to study.

I finished the night by walking through the city

and taking pictures all the monuments

at night with some new friends.

It was an amazing day.

xoxo,

Amy

I love Art and Vienna

Vienna is a gorgeous city. Since I've been here, I have taken some time away from studying to explore a little bit. Here are some pictures! (Per Barb's request...)







Last weekend I went to the Leopold Museum with my roommate and another classmate. The main attraction there is Egon Schiele and a few Klimt pieces. Klimt is probably better known as the famous Austrian artist, but Schiele's work is amazing. He was a student of Klimt's. The museum also had a great collection of German Abstract Expressionism. They aren't always the most light-hearted collection of works to see on a Saturday afternoon, but it was still interesting to see... The museum is located in the Museums Quarter so you are able to get views of the other museums from the top floor of the Leopold.


Vienna is also well known as the city of music and home to Mozart. On my list yet to do is to see and OPERA here! I'll let you know how it goes :)

A few nights ago my girlfriend, Dena, and I went out to explore together. We walked around and looked for a place to eat. We found a small outside cafe with the most amazing food. It was the best meal I've has so far in Europe! We finished with the Viennese desert, sacher torte. Sooo good!


Until next time...

xoxo,
Amy

Ban Ki-moon

So I survived the first week of classes at Wester last week. One of the classes is called Professional Seminars where we visit different government organizations, NGO's, non-profits and others in each city we are studying in. (This was part of the reason why I was so interested in this program.) On the agenda for this term is OPEC, UNODC, IAEA to name a few. I had heard mixed reviews from our first professor Karin. Austrian women are notoriously known for being very serious and less than warm. Must be an Eastern European thing... After sweating through three hours of lecture, I have missed air conditioning greatly, she invited the entire class to a celebration at the United Nations the next morning, which we all obviously enthusiastically agreed to.

(V.I.C. building in the background)

The next morning we all showed up to the UN, about 5 blocks from my apartment building, dressed in the appropriate business attire. I still wasn't sure what we were invited to but assumed something important when I saw the red carpet entrance and news cameras positioned by the entrance. Our Austrian professor, a former diplomat at the UN who knew half the people there, didn't seem to concerned with helping us find our way. However, we ran into the president of Webster Vienna and another professor who kindly showed us around and where to take our seats.

(Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General)

It was the 30th anniversary of the V.I.C., the Vienna International Centre. There were four speakers, the mayor of Vienna, the Austrian Foreign Minister, Ban Ki-Moon UN Secretary General and finally the Austrian President. Ban Ki-moon is in his first year at Sec. General and was once a diplomat here in Vienna. He told us he had left half of his heart in Vienna, where the president kindly told him he was taking good care of. Such cute government officials :) The program ended with a performance by a group called Voices of Peace. All were from different countries and religions.

(Curtsy with the Austrian Secret Service in the background... )

The morning ended with a reception in the UN rotunda for drinks. There is wine everywhere in Europe no matter the time or occasion. :)

The experience was amazing. Afterward, one of the Webster professors told us she lives in Austria and has never seen the president in person before. I feel very lucky to have gotten to see something like this!

xoxo,

Amy

Pancakes for Dinner and SLOVAKIA

August 23, 2008

After being officially scared to death from Webster professors at orientation with stories of flunking out of the program from alcoholism and death by scooters in Thailand, they took us out to dinner at a cute little restaurant in Leiden. It was a small Dutch restaurant off the city square with PANCAKES for dinner, a custom in Holland. (I can get used to this culture.) I chose the apples and cinnamon pancake and it was delicious. We got some tips from professors about places to visit and what to do in each city we are going to be in. So now I know that the operas are cheaper in Budapest than Vienna and where to find music venues under the U6 Ubon stop. Much needed advice :)


Bright and early the next day my cohort was supposed to fly to Vienna. So around 6:30 in the morning we all stumbled in to the Amsterdam airport looking for a 9:30 flight to Vienna that was not listed. After some research, we discovered that Fly Europe was having landing disputes with Vienna so we were re-routed to Bratislava, SLOVAKIA. Our new flight didn't leave till noon so we got to know each other a little bit more over an intense game of Rumy. We even invited an Italian futbol coach to play a hand with us. So we made our flight and showed up in dreary Bratislava, hoping to find a Webster van waiting for us to take us to a weiner schnitzl and a bed. No such luck. We missed the bus to Vienna and sat outside of the airport for about an hour waiting for another. Finally we made it to the Vienna airport where we were successfully picked up and delivered to our new homes.


(One plus of the re-routing was to see acres and acres of gorgeous sunflower fields in Slovakia... Who knew?!)

And the first stop was obviously Weiner Schnitzl Land! MMMmmm... Delicious!


And after settling in to our apartments, a few new friends and I walked around the neighborhood to try and find a bar for a drink to welcome our new city. We found a tiny bar with old Austrians singing karaoke. Welcome to Austria! One drink and called it a night after the mess of a day, consisting of three countries and three airports!

I almost forgot, that night they had fireworks on the Danube River, 2 blocks from our house, a very nice welcome from Vienna :)


More to come..

xoxo,
Amy