Friends, together for the first time in 2 years.
<3 lab
Thursday, March 31, 2011
a city i love
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| Magnolia tree, my favorite. In the 10th district of Paris, where I was staying at my friend's apartment. |
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| Chrissy gets the leopard print on the left, I get the hottt gold one, Fennski the British flag to your right, and the rest are up for grabs, ladies. |
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| classic. |
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| My favorite Parisian landmark. |
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| Place des Voges. Also the site of Victor Hugo's house. |
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| best way to end any day in Paris, with a walk along the Seine. |
Paris, je t'aime encore.
-lab
Monday, March 28, 2011
e-squared
the subject of this entry are two E words that are growing important to my every day life:
Economy and Environmental(ly friendly)
My lifestyle this year in Vienna has changed a lot, in what I consider to be good, healthy ways. The combination of running on a limited budget without a steady income flow (although that is about to change with my jobs) and having a less-filled schedule than at Wellesley have definitely had large roles in the transformation.Not only do I take more time with daily activities and chores than I would at home, but I have started placing more value on the simple changes in every day routines that drastically cut down on the environmental waste I create every day.
A few years back I read that decreasing your red meat intake is actually environmentally friendly, and this year I have made a conscious effort to do that, as I am being selective about my grocery shopping and what I spend money on in restaurants. This is also economical, because dishes with red meat in Austria tend to be more expensive. I haven't had the urge for a steak since, I dunno, summer, and I might just hold off until I get stateside and can dress it with A1 sauce. Steak isn't good without A1.
To touch on grocery shopping a bit more, I could say now that I purchase considerably less than I would if I were living at home for a summer, and that I have a better grasp of how much food I actually need. Since I live 5 minutes from 3 different grocery stores and only have 2 nice reusable shopping bags, I go to the store more often and buy only a little each time. It's annoying to walk even just 5 minutes with too much to carry. Since I only plan a few meals at a time, I find that I don't waste food, since I try to finish everything I buy within a few days.
also, trying to use everything in your cupboards helps make you think creatively about cooking. And I think creativity+cost efficiency=AWESOMER lifestyle. so.
It has also been a great thing to have Clara in my dorm, because we both love trying new ideas and recipes, and we're chill about pooling our resources. My roommate's moving into a single in a few days (she can't sleep at all with someone else awake and I go to bed later and get up earlier than her....so she'll finally be able to sleep well!) and Clara is going to move in with me. Then we'll have the same kitchen and probably start taking turns getting supplies and trying to keep to a low budget to save money for other things, like increasing her wardrobe (not mine). This is also great because it is so much easier to cook for two people, and still have some extra for lunch or snack the next day.
But what prompted the train of thought for this post in the first place is my being in Vichy for a week, and having flown with Ryanair, thus only able to bring a small carry-on of clothes and toiletries. I just hand-washed some shirts (quite necessary after a few swealtry days here) and realized how much money I could save in Vienna (and back at Wellesley) if I started doing hand-wash more often. I could find a nice environmentally friendly hand wash detergent and probably use the same bottle for a few months, saving the tumble wash for just my towels, sheets, and heavy clothes. A wash cycle costs 2 freaking euros, which adds up when you have a lot of clean clothes and like them clean. Thinking toward summer, it's also a fact that I'm going to have to start washing more often. I got my dad's sweat genes (which are pretty bad, as you'ld know if you ever played concerts with him in nursing homes in the winter).
The benefits of hand wash are actually astounding. I think I really like making things clean, from organizing my room weekly to doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen daily. I've always taken great pleasure in hand crafts like knitting and making jewelery, and I think simple (sometimes mundane) things like theserelax me and allow my mind to wander, while also being productive. So adding handwash every now and then isn't a huge deal. It's also extremely pleasant if you have a nice smelling detergent and a fun place to hang all the clothes after. Like all over the bathroom or strung up outside blowing in the wummer wind (michigan, of course). And I think this more gentle cleaning method will lengthen the life of my delicates, if not all my clothes in general. Which is also great, since I haven't changed clothes sizes in like 3 years.
To sum it up, I'm planning to buy strictly environmental almond-scented dish-washing soap (as in, the kind sitting on Florent's sink) when living this summer in France. It makes washing dishes feel like I'm in a steamy sauna with almond lingering in the air.
Watch out, you might find me doing dishes in my new green bikini next.
peace and love.
-lab
p.s. please comment below with any additonal e-squared related ideas, I would love to hear them!
Economy and Environmental(ly friendly)
My lifestyle this year in Vienna has changed a lot, in what I consider to be good, healthy ways. The combination of running on a limited budget without a steady income flow (although that is about to change with my jobs) and having a less-filled schedule than at Wellesley have definitely had large roles in the transformation.Not only do I take more time with daily activities and chores than I would at home, but I have started placing more value on the simple changes in every day routines that drastically cut down on the environmental waste I create every day.
A few years back I read that decreasing your red meat intake is actually environmentally friendly, and this year I have made a conscious effort to do that, as I am being selective about my grocery shopping and what I spend money on in restaurants. This is also economical, because dishes with red meat in Austria tend to be more expensive. I haven't had the urge for a steak since, I dunno, summer, and I might just hold off until I get stateside and can dress it with A1 sauce. Steak isn't good without A1.
To touch on grocery shopping a bit more, I could say now that I purchase considerably less than I would if I were living at home for a summer, and that I have a better grasp of how much food I actually need. Since I live 5 minutes from 3 different grocery stores and only have 2 nice reusable shopping bags, I go to the store more often and buy only a little each time. It's annoying to walk even just 5 minutes with too much to carry. Since I only plan a few meals at a time, I find that I don't waste food, since I try to finish everything I buy within a few days.
also, trying to use everything in your cupboards helps make you think creatively about cooking. And I think creativity+cost efficiency=AWESOMER lifestyle. so.
It has also been a great thing to have Clara in my dorm, because we both love trying new ideas and recipes, and we're chill about pooling our resources. My roommate's moving into a single in a few days (she can't sleep at all with someone else awake and I go to bed later and get up earlier than her....so she'll finally be able to sleep well!) and Clara is going to move in with me. Then we'll have the same kitchen and probably start taking turns getting supplies and trying to keep to a low budget to save money for other things, like increasing her wardrobe (not mine). This is also great because it is so much easier to cook for two people, and still have some extra for lunch or snack the next day.
But what prompted the train of thought for this post in the first place is my being in Vichy for a week, and having flown with Ryanair, thus only able to bring a small carry-on of clothes and toiletries. I just hand-washed some shirts (quite necessary after a few swealtry days here) and realized how much money I could save in Vienna (and back at Wellesley) if I started doing hand-wash more often. I could find a nice environmentally friendly hand wash detergent and probably use the same bottle for a few months, saving the tumble wash for just my towels, sheets, and heavy clothes. A wash cycle costs 2 freaking euros, which adds up when you have a lot of clean clothes and like them clean. Thinking toward summer, it's also a fact that I'm going to have to start washing more often. I got my dad's sweat genes (which are pretty bad, as you'ld know if you ever played concerts with him in nursing homes in the winter).
The benefits of hand wash are actually astounding. I think I really like making things clean, from organizing my room weekly to doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen daily. I've always taken great pleasure in hand crafts like knitting and making jewelery, and I think simple (sometimes mundane) things like theserelax me and allow my mind to wander, while also being productive. So adding handwash every now and then isn't a huge deal. It's also extremely pleasant if you have a nice smelling detergent and a fun place to hang all the clothes after. Like all over the bathroom or strung up outside blowing in the wummer wind (michigan, of course). And I think this more gentle cleaning method will lengthen the life of my delicates, if not all my clothes in general. Which is also great, since I haven't changed clothes sizes in like 3 years.
To sum it up, I'm planning to buy strictly environmental almond-scented dish-washing soap (as in, the kind sitting on Florent's sink) when living this summer in France. It makes washing dishes feel like I'm in a steamy sauna with almond lingering in the air.
Watch out, you might find me doing dishes in my new green bikini next.
peace and love.
-lab
p.s. please comment below with any additonal e-squared related ideas, I would love to hear them!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
planes, trains, and automobiles
as i was en route to paris this past wednesday, i realized that my solo travels this past year abroad have all followed a distinct pattern. that is, in an attempt to be the cheapest possible (to fit in my student budget) i end up taking at least 3 different methods of transport for each trip.
let's start with my first trip, back in october. i was visiting my friend steffen in freiburg, germany. i took a flight from vienna to karlsruhe, a bus from the airport to the train station, and then a train to freiburg. i repeated this entire process to get back to vienna fafter my five days of sunshine and amazing south-german cuisine.
then, of course; the massive february break trip. started with a plane ride to london, then bus ride to oxford. i then took the bus back to london and caught a plane to dinard, france. i took trains with florent all over france and eventually departed with a train from paris to amsterdam. then came the most epic leg of all of my journeys ever. i forgot to book my travel to dublin and my hostel there while i was distracted by a million different things (travelling, skiing, flowers, coffee etc) in france, so i found myself booking everything mere days before i was supposed to be heading to the irish lands. with help from the housemates of my friend ravi (who i was staying with in delft, an hour away from amsterdam) i found a way to get to dublin that would cost me about 60 euros. I took a bus from rotterdam to london, in the middle of which we (bus and all) got on a ferry and crossed the sea. i then spent 10 hours exhausted and freezing cold in london before taking a second bus and ferry extravaganza to dublin. it was awesome.
now, i find myself in france again. i took a ryanair flight to get here, which was 25 euros a leg; but the catch is that ryanair does not fly from vienna. i had to take a bus to bratislava, catch my flight to paris, then take the bus from the airport to the city. after a day and two nights in the city of lights, i took a train down to vichy, where i'm crashing with my fav french man for a long weekend before heading back to the city and repeating the entire process to get home. the thing is, after everything, the transport is barely less expensive than just catching a flight from vienna, which round trip to paris was around 160 euros and would take much less time.
so for my next trip to france during easter break, i lay just be lazy and fly from vienna, we'll have to see.
i feel like after doing so much to get somewhere, you really decide how important the trip was and whether it was worth all of the trouble. so far, it has been worth every second of waiting, delays, and being hungry on cheapo flights without snacks.
btw vichy, france is a magical beautiful fairyland place surrounded by rolling countrysides and lots of cows. plus a beautiful river cutting through the city and lovely fresh air and wind. like vermont, only with even better yogurt and cheese and everyone speaks french.
love,
lucy
let's start with my first trip, back in october. i was visiting my friend steffen in freiburg, germany. i took a flight from vienna to karlsruhe, a bus from the airport to the train station, and then a train to freiburg. i repeated this entire process to get back to vienna fafter my five days of sunshine and amazing south-german cuisine.
then, of course; the massive february break trip. started with a plane ride to london, then bus ride to oxford. i then took the bus back to london and caught a plane to dinard, france. i took trains with florent all over france and eventually departed with a train from paris to amsterdam. then came the most epic leg of all of my journeys ever. i forgot to book my travel to dublin and my hostel there while i was distracted by a million different things (travelling, skiing, flowers, coffee etc) in france, so i found myself booking everything mere days before i was supposed to be heading to the irish lands. with help from the housemates of my friend ravi (who i was staying with in delft, an hour away from amsterdam) i found a way to get to dublin that would cost me about 60 euros. I took a bus from rotterdam to london, in the middle of which we (bus and all) got on a ferry and crossed the sea. i then spent 10 hours exhausted and freezing cold in london before taking a second bus and ferry extravaganza to dublin. it was awesome.
now, i find myself in france again. i took a ryanair flight to get here, which was 25 euros a leg; but the catch is that ryanair does not fly from vienna. i had to take a bus to bratislava, catch my flight to paris, then take the bus from the airport to the city. after a day and two nights in the city of lights, i took a train down to vichy, where i'm crashing with my fav french man for a long weekend before heading back to the city and repeating the entire process to get home. the thing is, after everything, the transport is barely less expensive than just catching a flight from vienna, which round trip to paris was around 160 euros and would take much less time.
so for my next trip to france during easter break, i lay just be lazy and fly from vienna, we'll have to see.
i feel like after doing so much to get somewhere, you really decide how important the trip was and whether it was worth all of the trouble. so far, it has been worth every second of waiting, delays, and being hungry on cheapo flights without snacks.
btw vichy, france is a magical beautiful fairyland place surrounded by rolling countrysides and lots of cows. plus a beautiful river cutting through the city and lovely fresh air and wind. like vermont, only with even better yogurt and cheese and everyone speaks french.
love,
lucy
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
the band
Remember how I wrote that Clara and I were going to be famous musicians? Well, add our friend Cagla to the list as well. Saturday night got pretty rowdy, as we jammed to Ashokan Farewell, and learned really sad, really beautiful Turkish songs. in the laundry room.
these could be our cd booklet pictures. yessss.
-lab
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| note: that is in fact a delicious cheesy biscuit on Clara's leg. |
-lab
Monday, March 21, 2011
gelato
oh well, imagine the church literally starting to the left of my shadow ;)
happy monday everyone. (only one more day of class, then i'm off to france for a week!)
angst
i think i woke up on the wrong side of the bed sunday.
i should have gone running or at least done my core exercises, but i didn't feel like it.
then i had to go to rehearsal and stand for two hours and it was boring.
neither the subway nor the tram felt like they would be fun to take home, so i walked home 35 minutes in the cold listening to sad music.
took some angsty photos along the way.
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| this is on top of the parlament building. he's riding the chariot into the clouds, though. |
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| i think this is one of my favorite buildings in vienna |
Sunday, March 20, 2011
News Flash
Last night I played guitar for so long (I actually don't know how many hours Clara- violin - and I were playing music, at this point) that every single one of the pads on the five fingers of my left hand is aching. Even typing bugs them.
Also, Clara and I are probably going to be famous musicians/artists, so get your autographs now.
My hair is now so long that I can tie it in a knot (literally) and then use 5 or 6 bobby pins to secure the knot/bun on my head. This is awesome when I wash my hair and only want to make my bangs look nice and make the rest of my hair go away.
Only a few more days until I leave to be in Western Europe for a week. My suitcase is already packed; I am practicing the art of not packing a lot, since I'm flying ryanair. And the running shoes/sweatshirt still fit!
peace.
Also, Clara and I are probably going to be famous musicians/artists, so get your autographs now.
My hair is now so long that I can tie it in a knot (literally) and then use 5 or 6 bobby pins to secure the knot/bun on my head. This is awesome when I wash my hair and only want to make my bangs look nice and make the rest of my hair go away.
peace.
Friday, March 18, 2011
finally friday!
Today has been quite an exciting day....for well many reasons.
to start with, I will be in France visiting my wonderful boyfriend in exactly a week from right now. It has been a month since I've seen him. So the start of the one-week countdown is pretty awesome.
Secondly, I went to have a practice baby-sitting afternoon today with the family that was interested in hiring me, and it's SO ON. I applied for five babysitting/English practice jobs through the university of vienna student-job search website, and 3 out of the 5 wanted me....I'm going to do 2 of them. The family from today has 2 beautiful little girls, Helena age 6 and Alice (pronouced Al-ee-tsay) age 3, and I will pick them up from their respective schools 3 afternoons a week and hang out with them until the parents get home. These girls are AWESOME. They love going to the park, playing UNO, playing board games, tickling, and they love teaching me things in German and working on their English. The mom was home working today, and we had tea-time altogether with a cake and the grown-up ladies had coffee. (we both needed it!). This family's apartment is also beautiful, on the top floor of the building, and just three minutes down the street from me, so could this gig be any more of a dream?
I hope that they need me to babysit on the afternoon of my bithday in May, so that we can all go to the zoo together and get ice cream (I feel like having a 3-year-old and 6-year-old with me with cover up how excited I would be to be doing those things...on my 21st birthday!)
My other job is going to be hanging out with two little boys for a few hours once a week to practice their English. They lived for a few years in the States, but are now back in Austria for good. I'm going to meet them/have our first session on Monday. They better be cute, because the girls have raised my standards.
So after hanging out with two awesome, giggly little girls (who are by the way, the best of friends), I met up with a friend I haven't seen since January at our favorite dive, the Wiener Deewan, where it's a pakistani buffet-style menu. You just grab whatever you want, and then when you walk out, pay whatever you want. They always have my favorite dish, spinach and lamb stuff. I always pay 5 euro :)
On the way home I decided to stop at the closest thing Vienna's got to Kimballs: Zanoni, Zanoni, the best Italian gelato in Vienna. For 2,50 you get a huge cone with three flavors!!!! I went for poppy seed (they use it in desserts here...it's crushed up and wicked sweet, you'd never guess it, as an American used to only encountering poppy seeds on bagels or in old-fashioned novels set in an "oriental" land, or Tin-Tin books), chocolate, and hazelnut=the best way to celebrate scoring 2 jobs (the three flavors represent the 3 that I was offered....).
And now, it's raining and miserable outside still, but I have tea and warm blankets and lots of movies to watch and fingernails to paint. It may be Friday night, but there is no club or party exciting enough to possibly tempt me away from the warm, dry interior of my lovely dorm room.
to start with, I will be in France visiting my wonderful boyfriend in exactly a week from right now. It has been a month since I've seen him. So the start of the one-week countdown is pretty awesome.
Secondly, I went to have a practice baby-sitting afternoon today with the family that was interested in hiring me, and it's SO ON. I applied for five babysitting/English practice jobs through the university of vienna student-job search website, and 3 out of the 5 wanted me....I'm going to do 2 of them. The family from today has 2 beautiful little girls, Helena age 6 and Alice (pronouced Al-ee-tsay) age 3, and I will pick them up from their respective schools 3 afternoons a week and hang out with them until the parents get home. These girls are AWESOME. They love going to the park, playing UNO, playing board games, tickling, and they love teaching me things in German and working on their English. The mom was home working today, and we had tea-time altogether with a cake and the grown-up ladies had coffee. (we both needed it!). This family's apartment is also beautiful, on the top floor of the building, and just three minutes down the street from me, so could this gig be any more of a dream?
I hope that they need me to babysit on the afternoon of my bithday in May, so that we can all go to the zoo together and get ice cream (I feel like having a 3-year-old and 6-year-old with me with cover up how excited I would be to be doing those things...on my 21st birthday!)
My other job is going to be hanging out with two little boys for a few hours once a week to practice their English. They lived for a few years in the States, but are now back in Austria for good. I'm going to meet them/have our first session on Monday. They better be cute, because the girls have raised my standards.
So after hanging out with two awesome, giggly little girls (who are by the way, the best of friends), I met up with a friend I haven't seen since January at our favorite dive, the Wiener Deewan, where it's a pakistani buffet-style menu. You just grab whatever you want, and then when you walk out, pay whatever you want. They always have my favorite dish, spinach and lamb stuff. I always pay 5 euro :)
On the way home I decided to stop at the closest thing Vienna's got to Kimballs: Zanoni, Zanoni, the best Italian gelato in Vienna. For 2,50 you get a huge cone with three flavors!!!! I went for poppy seed (they use it in desserts here...it's crushed up and wicked sweet, you'd never guess it, as an American used to only encountering poppy seeds on bagels or in old-fashioned novels set in an "oriental" land, or Tin-Tin books), chocolate, and hazelnut=the best way to celebrate scoring 2 jobs (the three flavors represent the 3 that I was offered....).
And now, it's raining and miserable outside still, but I have tea and warm blankets and lots of movies to watch and fingernails to paint. It may be Friday night, but there is no club or party exciting enough to possibly tempt me away from the warm, dry interior of my lovely dorm room.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Youtube Extravaganza!
I just started full force editing my youtbue profile and adding movies. Turns out, it is like 17 THOUSAND times quicker to upload videos on youtube versus facebook.
here is my pretty youtube channel!
I'm playing so much guitar lately that I'm going to try to post new songs every few days or so. Monday I had no class (it was Dean's Day or something? I don't get all the Austrian holidays...) so I spent like 3 hours making a (so far) 6.5 page long document listing all of the songs I can play and those I want to add to repertoire, so I've got enough to learn to keep playing at this rate at least for a few months.
and, just because it is raining and cloudy for the first time in Vienna since I've been back from my Febuary travels:
NOW. Off to the National Austrian Library (the big huge fancy one by the Imperial Palace!) to do a ton of homework for tomorrow!! Yippeee--a rainy day means I'll actually get work done and not just lie outside in a parc!
-lucy, after one too many cups of coffee. and tea and water. i think being too hydrated makes me INSANE.
here is my pretty youtube channel!
I'm playing so much guitar lately that I'm going to try to post new songs every few days or so. Monday I had no class (it was Dean's Day or something? I don't get all the Austrian holidays...) so I spent like 3 hours making a (so far) 6.5 page long document listing all of the songs I can play and those I want to add to repertoire, so I've got enough to learn to keep playing at this rate at least for a few months.
and, just because it is raining and cloudy for the first time in Vienna since I've been back from my Febuary travels:
-lucy, after one too many cups of coffee. and tea and water. i think being too hydrated makes me INSANE.
An evening of Schumann
A friend of mine from my musicology seminars organizes departmental concerts a few times a semester, and I missed the last in January, so she asked me like two months ago if I could sing for sure in the next one. Of course, I agreed. She ended up asking me a few weeks ago if I could play flute as well, when a trio dropped out.
I played Debussy's "Syrinx" and "Pièce pout flûte seuel" by Ibert, which some heard last year at my sophomore recital. I was worried about the memory of my camera, so I only asked me friend to film my song section. Unfortuntely, she only got two of the five songs from Schumann's "Frauenliebe und leben" Op. 42, but they're my favorite two (well, "Süßer Freund" is pretty amazing, and I had a lot of fun with it last night....). Here are the links if you were unable to come to the concert. Some were a continent and ocean away, some just had work, and others were just to busy being lame. ;)
"Seit ich ihn gesehen"
"Er, der herrlichste von allen"
-lab
I played Debussy's "Syrinx" and "Pièce pout flûte seuel" by Ibert, which some heard last year at my sophomore recital. I was worried about the memory of my camera, so I only asked me friend to film my song section. Unfortuntely, she only got two of the five songs from Schumann's "Frauenliebe und leben" Op. 42, but they're my favorite two (well, "Süßer Freund" is pretty amazing, and I had a lot of fun with it last night....). Here are the links if you were unable to come to the concert. Some were a continent and ocean away, some just had work, and others were just to busy being lame. ;)
"Seit ich ihn gesehen"
"Er, der herrlichste von allen"
-lab
Tupielove!!!
I FINALLY SKYPED WITH THE TUPELOS!!!!!
I can't believe this never happened last semester....all of the "Newpelos" introduced themselves (even though I already know all their names, and some last names, from stalking online....) and they sang "Accidentally in Love" for me. (which right, along with "Club Can't Handle this Baby" is my favorite).
The Tupelos are probably my number one reason to go back to Wellesley to finish my senior year...then comes you know, finishing my undergrad studies and getting my diploma. I can tell you right now, tupelos rehearsals, dinners, and retreats are going to get me through next year. Work-wise it is going to be ROUGH. I am going to have to take full course loads both semesters while practicing my butt off to be read for conservatory auditions in January and February. And after the relaxing year I've had here in Vienna, with really only a few hectically busy weeks....it is going to be exhausting.
But I generally do well with a bit too much on my plate, so I know it will be good. And really, just having the Tupelos back in my life (and me being back in there 7 days a week mwah ha ha ha) is going to be so GOOD. The black and red throbbing in my viens is dying to be back home with them.
-lab
(tupelos forever)
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Soup Series: Creamy Potatoe
I drank a lot of coffee today and for dinner found myself wanting to try something totally new.
I have never made soup, so I thought I would try. I didn't want to have to go buy anything (it's been one of those days....haven't left the dorm since my run this morning) and I figured, well, what do I have in my cupboards? A sack of potatoes.
So I made potato soup with Clara. I found a whicked easy recipe and the only thing I added was a bit of creamy cheese (the laughing cow kind, a Turkish friend from my floor gave it to me, while I was stirring forever and adding more and more milk!). This soup was so successful, I want to try a new soup every week (until it gets too hot outside for soup).
I have never made soup, so I thought I would try. I didn't want to have to go buy anything (it's been one of those days....haven't left the dorm since my run this morning) and I figured, well, what do I have in my cupboards? A sack of potatoes.
So I made potato soup with Clara. I found a whicked easy recipe and the only thing I added was a bit of creamy cheese (the laughing cow kind, a Turkish friend from my floor gave it to me, while I was stirring forever and adding more and more milk!). This soup was so successful, I want to try a new soup every week (until it gets too hot outside for soup).
Easy, Good Potato Soup:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups milk
1 1/3 cups mashed potatoes (the recipe called for instant, but we made our own, because, well we're in austria and they have good potatoes!)
Paprika
Cheese (optional, but advised)
First make the mashed potatoes, then set aside. Put all other ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to slow boil, then dump the mashed potatoes in and stir for an eternity until it gets to the desired creaminess. Expect to add more milk than the recipe calls for while stirring, it increases the creaminess. to be fancy, put a dash of paprika on each bowlful and some sprigs of parsley (the parsley was lacking from my version...next time). I also am going to double the onion next time, just because onion is delicious.
Coming up on The Soup Series: Homemade Tomato Soup, sometime next week
UPDATE!!! My Turkish friend just had me try her carrot soup, and THAT is going to be my soup-of-the-week next week!
UPDATE!!! My Turkish friend just had me try her carrot soup, and THAT is going to be my soup-of-the-week next week!
Harnoncourt stuns again
Last night the Wellesley ladies had a field trip to the Musikverein to hear Nicholas Harnoncourt conduct Handel's "La Resurrezione di Nostro Signor Gesù Cristo" (the Resurrection of Jesus Christ) with Concentus Musikus and five soloists.
This piece is an oratorio, and Handel's oratorios were generally musical settings of Old Testament stories. To me, an oratorio is like the child of a mass and an opera. It is constructed like a mass, with different movements from various soloists and choral sections and with a religious theme, but then the movements are in recit and aria form, and the soloists play specific characters. It's just not fully staged, no costumes or scenery. The five soloists each played a character, which included Lucifer (bass), John the Baptist (tenor), the angel (soprano), Mary Magdalena (soprano), and Mary Cleofe (alto). This oratorio takes place during the three days following Jesus' crucifixion and depicts a fight between the angels and the Devil, to let Jesus out of hell and back onto earth, and the mourning turned to rejoicing of those closest to Jesus. It is funky because it tells the story jumping between dialogue at hell's gates, and the conversations of the mourning women on earth. Harnoncourt actually took a moment before Part 1 and Part 2 to explain each of the settings so that the audience would understand the juxtaposition of hell vs earthly settings.
This was my third time seeing Concentus Musikus perform, and really, each performance has just taken my breath away. First the Bach b-Minor Mass, then Monteverdi's Marienvespers, and now Handel's Resurrection. I feel like each piece has changed the way I view music, and the goals I have as a studying singer. I won't be satisfied until I have opportunities to sing my favorite roles of each of these pieces, and that is going to be a very hard dream to grasp.
btw, Christine Schäfer was the angel (wearing a heinous dress), Roberta Invernizzi was Mary Magdelena (AMAZING voice, but moved her head weirdly when she was trying to act sad), Wiebke Lehmkuhl sang Mary Cleofe (nothing special), Toby Spence sang John the Baptist (cute Brit, huge pipes), and last BUT NOT LEAST, Luca Pisaroni sang Lucifer!!!!!!!! He's like the new hot THANG at the Vienna opera right now.....and now I know why. Not only is he HOT, he has an amazing voice. He made a very, very scary Devil, take it from me!
sigh, such amazing musical experiences!
This was my third time seeing Concentus Musikus perform, and really, each performance has just taken my breath away. First the Bach b-Minor Mass, then Monteverdi's Marienvespers, and now Handel's Resurrection. I feel like each piece has changed the way I view music, and the goals I have as a studying singer. I won't be satisfied until I have opportunities to sing my favorite roles of each of these pieces, and that is going to be a very hard dream to grasp.
sigh, such amazing musical experiences!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Game
It's 9:15 AM.
My roommate Johanna and I have been talking about finding a gym (and going to it) for more than a week, but we couldn't find anything that was a good price for it's value. She finally bought a yoga mat and went running yesterday outside, then did exercises with her mat. I was thus, encouraged, to go running and do the same. I do love yoga.
This morning I woke up at 7 AM ( I think my body can no longer sleep for more than 7 hours a night because it is so excited about living) and by 8:15 I still hadn't fallen back asleep, so eventually I got up and put on running stuff.
8:45 I was out the door (took a good long stretch since I've been sick) and as soon as I hit the street I started making up a game. I had no idea where I wanted to go, so I just started out in the first direction I saw. After this, everything would be decided by fate.
The Rules
1. I am like a particle moving in those laws of physics: I keep going in the same direction at the same velocity, unless if outside forces make me change. Thus, if I get to a stoplight I have to turn in order to keep moving.
2. If I get toa crossing without lights and the car stops for me, I keep running and flash him a peace sign. If they don't stop, I have to turn in the easiest available direction and frown at them.
3. If it gets too boring, I j-walk. After looking both ways.
now for the fun rules:
4. Eveytime I pass a chuch I have to stop in front of it and do 5 push-ups. At the second, I have to do 10, third 15, and so on. Once I get home, I have to do the total with another 5.
5. Everytime someone passes me and catches me mouthing the words to a song, I have to flash them a big smile. No one smiled back today, but hopefully people will be more happy tomorrow morning (it was pretty early for the Viennese....there's a reason all of the breakfast places are FULL exactly when the clock strikes 11 AM)
6. Most importantly, always be ready for adventure. This is a city full of people and adventure, always be on the lookout.
* rule 7. When running by really pretty places and I get happy, I have to stop and spin around, and then try to run straight ahead again really dizzy. (added, 12.3.11)
*rule 8. Whenever I pass those cylindrical things with concert posters on them along the sides of the walkways, I have to lap it at least once. More if I'm feeling crazy. (added today, 13.3.11)
I feel better now about the HUGE ice cream I ate yesterday after riding the subway without buying a ticket (a much better use of a few euros....).
if you have more ideas for fun rules, comment! (mostly the goal is for me to not think about how much my body is protesting to the exercise)
-lab
My roommate Johanna and I have been talking about finding a gym (and going to it) for more than a week, but we couldn't find anything that was a good price for it's value. She finally bought a yoga mat and went running yesterday outside, then did exercises with her mat. I was thus, encouraged, to go running and do the same. I do love yoga.
This morning I woke up at 7 AM ( I think my body can no longer sleep for more than 7 hours a night because it is so excited about living) and by 8:15 I still hadn't fallen back asleep, so eventually I got up and put on running stuff.
8:45 I was out the door (took a good long stretch since I've been sick) and as soon as I hit the street I started making up a game. I had no idea where I wanted to go, so I just started out in the first direction I saw. After this, everything would be decided by fate.
The Rules
1. I am like a particle moving in those laws of physics: I keep going in the same direction at the same velocity, unless if outside forces make me change. Thus, if I get to a stoplight I have to turn in order to keep moving.
2. If I get toa crossing without lights and the car stops for me, I keep running and flash him a peace sign. If they don't stop, I have to turn in the easiest available direction and frown at them.
3. If it gets too boring, I j-walk. After looking both ways.
now for the fun rules:
4. Eveytime I pass a chuch I have to stop in front of it and do 5 push-ups. At the second, I have to do 10, third 15, and so on. Once I get home, I have to do the total with another 5.
5. Everytime someone passes me and catches me mouthing the words to a song, I have to flash them a big smile. No one smiled back today, but hopefully people will be more happy tomorrow morning (it was pretty early for the Viennese....there's a reason all of the breakfast places are FULL exactly when the clock strikes 11 AM)
6. Most importantly, always be ready for adventure. This is a city full of people and adventure, always be on the lookout.
* rule 7. When running by really pretty places and I get happy, I have to stop and spin around, and then try to run straight ahead again really dizzy. (added, 12.3.11)
*rule 8. Whenever I pass those cylindrical things with concert posters on them along the sides of the walkways, I have to lap it at least once. More if I'm feeling crazy. (added today, 13.3.11)
I feel better now about the HUGE ice cream I ate yesterday after riding the subway without buying a ticket (a much better use of a few euros....).
if you have more ideas for fun rules, comment! (mostly the goal is for me to not think about how much my body is protesting to the exercise)
-lab
Friday, March 11, 2011
11.3.11
Friday (today) afternoon---was heading to Cafe Phil to write 5 pages, but veered off course (literally half-way to the cafe) to go walk along the Pratersten Hauptallée and sit for a while on the soccer field and write. A very good decision.
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| the grandpa in this bicycle-ridin group is wearing a three piece suit. LOVE IT. |
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| All three in this family are wearing snowboarding-esque outfits. There are no good mountains for miles around. It was warm enough for me to take off my jacket and sit on it. I was confused, but they were mostly just adorable. |
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| sunset from my tree |
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| as I left I noticed this grandchild and grandma |
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| I saw this pair when I was first entering the park, and hours later they were still roller-blading. so so so cute. (they were in perfect sync) |
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| on my way home |
-lab
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Introducing
Clara Buchholtz
She is a new Wellesley student here in Vienna, fresh off the boat on February 1st. In a few weeks, my roommate gets her single (there's a long hierarchical wait-list system, I don't get it), and Clara is going to move in with me.
Together, we will try to take over the world. (one plate of mozzaralla and tomatoes at a time)
love,
lab
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
On an average Wednesday
I find myself wondering about how lucky I am to have the life I find myself leading.
Probably every day something happens to me that makes me stop and thank God for creating me as me, and making my life the way it is, with every minute detail and intricate, perfect timing, but especially today, I found myself at least 3 different times sitting on the street car going in different directions thinking, damn, life is. so. good.
I was riding around the ringstraße to the university to meet up with my friend Sebastien this evening to rehearse for the musicology department's opening concert next week. We're performing songs from Schumann's "Frauenliebe und Leben" and I was listening to the songs on my ipod to practice diction/memorization. Suddenly my heart lurched and I realized that I was not only practicing music that makes my heart go crazy and soar, but practicing it on public transportation on a beautiful sunny day in a city where the composer and subject of his composition walked, breathed, and performed.
and loved.
the city whose collection of ancient musical instruments has the piano that was their wedding present.
the city whose architecture is older than the entire history of my nation.
and as I noted to myself to roll my r's a bit more and hit an "f" a bit harder in order to start the high phrase in a better place, I felt overwhelmingly full. Not just of good emotions, but of crap and wonderful both mixed together in a swirling tunnel (like pre-mixed peanut butter and jelly) that is real, marrow-sucking, dripping life.
A few hours later I got off the streetcar at my stop, and I realized what it is.
It's as if light, tiny flecks of golden glitter have flickered onto every aspect of my life. Even the ugly parts I try to ignore have their fair share. Every now and then, light hits the glitter at just the right angle so that I notice it, and the beauty overwhelms me. And then it's gone and I forget that it was even there.
I don't know who or what put this glitter into my life. Could be music, love, or the hand of God Himself. Or I'm just drinking too much coffee.
Probably every day something happens to me that makes me stop and thank God for creating me as me, and making my life the way it is, with every minute detail and intricate, perfect timing, but especially today, I found myself at least 3 different times sitting on the street car going in different directions thinking, damn, life is. so. good.
I was riding around the ringstraße to the university to meet up with my friend Sebastien this evening to rehearse for the musicology department's opening concert next week. We're performing songs from Schumann's "Frauenliebe und Leben" and I was listening to the songs on my ipod to practice diction/memorization. Suddenly my heart lurched and I realized that I was not only practicing music that makes my heart go crazy and soar, but practicing it on public transportation on a beautiful sunny day in a city where the composer and subject of his composition walked, breathed, and performed.
and loved.
the city whose collection of ancient musical instruments has the piano that was their wedding present.
the city whose architecture is older than the entire history of my nation.
and as I noted to myself to roll my r's a bit more and hit an "f" a bit harder in order to start the high phrase in a better place, I felt overwhelmingly full. Not just of good emotions, but of crap and wonderful both mixed together in a swirling tunnel (like pre-mixed peanut butter and jelly) that is real, marrow-sucking, dripping life.
A few hours later I got off the streetcar at my stop, and I realized what it is.
It's as if light, tiny flecks of golden glitter have flickered onto every aspect of my life. Even the ugly parts I try to ignore have their fair share. Every now and then, light hits the glitter at just the right angle so that I notice it, and the beauty overwhelms me. And then it's gone and I forget that it was even there.
I don't know who or what put this glitter into my life. Could be music, love, or the hand of God Himself. Or I'm just drinking too much coffee.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Second Semester GO
It's the second day of class (even though the semester officially began more than a week ago) and I am READY FOR IT. (when i was little i always was the weird kid who loved school and was excited for the new things i would learn, new teachers i would get to know....not much as changed in 20 years)
I'm taking 11 or maybe 12 classes, and still have to finish writing 2 20-page research papers. Well, all the research and outlining is done, I even have already given presentations on both topics. Just need to sit myself in a library and write. well, and shut my internet off. The deadlines for these papers are like "oh, sometime by the end of April", so you can see why my motivation might not be what it usually is when attacking a paper back at Wellesley.
The breakdown:
3 German literature lectures (can decide at the end whether I want to sit the exams
-Walther von der Vogelweide
-Neue Gedichtzyklen
-alte Lyrik, neu gelesen (klingt interessant!)
The five of us Wellesley ladies are doing a literature class with our director as well, on Austrian Lit
, but with more discussion and writing small papers each week
Austrian history from 1918-present with the same professor as last semester (when I did 1526-1918 and nailed the exam)
Intro to Art history and iconography
A class in the romantics department on Victor Huge (and the lecture is in French!!)
A class in the theology department about missionary/evangelizing churches in Vienna (from the American influence, should be interesting what they say...). We'll be visiting some churches too.
A seminar on the Bach B-minor Mass. so excited.
Two other lectures in the musicology department: one on recent, modern music by female composers, and the other on the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.
the wildcard is an excursion art history course that focuses on architecture, I'm on the waitlist.
This may sound like a lot, especially to Wellesley girls who are used to 4 classes being enough of a workload (and 5 too much!), but each class only meets once a week. A few of them are "block" classes, which means they only meet 3-5 times PER SEMESTER.
so.
I still feel like I have too much time on my hands and will end up playing guitar every day in parks.
geeeeeeeek love.
p.s. this is my 100th post. go me!
I'm taking 11 or maybe 12 classes, and still have to finish writing 2 20-page research papers. Well, all the research and outlining is done, I even have already given presentations on both topics. Just need to sit myself in a library and write. well, and shut my internet off. The deadlines for these papers are like "oh, sometime by the end of April", so you can see why my motivation might not be what it usually is when attacking a paper back at Wellesley.
The breakdown:
3 German literature lectures (can decide at the end whether I want to sit the exams
-Walther von der Vogelweide
-Neue Gedichtzyklen
-alte Lyrik, neu gelesen (klingt interessant!)
The five of us Wellesley ladies are doing a literature class with our director as well, on Austrian Lit
, but with more discussion and writing small papers each week
Austrian history from 1918-present with the same professor as last semester (when I did 1526-1918 and nailed the exam)
Intro to Art history and iconography
A class in the romantics department on Victor Huge (and the lecture is in French!!)
A class in the theology department about missionary/evangelizing churches in Vienna (from the American influence, should be interesting what they say...). We'll be visiting some churches too.
A seminar on the Bach B-minor Mass. so excited.
Two other lectures in the musicology department: one on recent, modern music by female composers, and the other on the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.
the wildcard is an excursion art history course that focuses on architecture, I'm on the waitlist.
This may sound like a lot, especially to Wellesley girls who are used to 4 classes being enough of a workload (and 5 too much!), but each class only meets once a week. A few of them are "block" classes, which means they only meet 3-5 times PER SEMESTER.
so.
I still feel like I have too much time on my hands and will end up playing guitar every day in parks.
geeeeeeeek love.
p.s. this is my 100th post. go me!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Der Blaue Reiter
Wellesley ladies went to the Blaue Reiter exhibit at the Albertina Museum this past Thursday.
I will let the pictures speak for how amazing this exhibit was. I love Kandinsky, it was positively a dream seeing his work in real life, and that of Franz Marc too. (I only managed to get a few pics before the museum security told me I couldn't take pictures...woops. I mean, come on, I wasn't using flash)
I will let the pictures speak for how amazing this exhibit was. I love Kandinsky, it was positively a dream seeing his work in real life, and that of Franz Marc too. (I only managed to get a few pics before the museum security told me I couldn't take pictures...woops. I mean, come on, I wasn't using flash)
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| Paul Klee |
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| Kandinsky |
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| Kandinsky |
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| Kandinsky |
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| Franz Marc |
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| Franc Marc |
Bohemian Life
Now that I'm back in Vienna, I'm coming to terms with the unavoidable consequences of travelling for a month...I'm flat broke. It'll be ok, I'm organizing lovely baby-sitting gigs and giving guitar lessons, so I'll be able to stay on my feet and not go hungry, or more importantly, thirsty, but I still have to be careful about what I spend my money on in the next month or so as I try to save a bit and cut back. and pay back some friends of mine...haha.
I also might try some street-performing once I polish up my guitar repertoire, but I might be chased off the streets by the police, since I think you need a permit to perform in Vienna....I'll just act dumb and speak French if they chase me.
So---I was walking around today and realized how the changes that have slowly developed into being my every day lifestyle make me feel like an utter Bohemian. And it only makes matters better that I am living very close to the region that was formerly referred to as "Bohemia".
Here are the major things that go on in my bohemian life, in a few categories.
the free joys in bohemian life:
-walking around in the sunshine listening to music
-friendship, spending time with people I adore in parks and city monuments
-reading books (from the library)
-sketching and doodling
-writing and thinking
-making music, learning new music
-combining friends+music=even more enjoyable
-going to the museums i have a year pass for
-window shopping
-hitting up paddy o'brien's for the free cider mon-fri 8-10 pm
lovely, cheap activities of the bohemian life:
-exploring the innumerable variations of pasta recipes
-cooking with friends, thus splitting the cost
-adding cheese and sautéed onions to anything to make it taste good
-writing long letters (buy the stamps) to send to old friends
-standing room tickets for the opera and concerts
-spending an entire afternoon in my favorite cafe, ordering only one espresso (1,80 euro)
if you have any other suggestions (free or cheap) please leave comments!
I also might try some street-performing once I polish up my guitar repertoire, but I might be chased off the streets by the police, since I think you need a permit to perform in Vienna....I'll just act dumb and speak French if they chase me.
So---I was walking around today and realized how the changes that have slowly developed into being my every day lifestyle make me feel like an utter Bohemian. And it only makes matters better that I am living very close to the region that was formerly referred to as "Bohemia".
Here are the major things that go on in my bohemian life, in a few categories.
the free joys in bohemian life:
-walking around in the sunshine listening to music
-friendship, spending time with people I adore in parks and city monuments
-reading books (from the library)
-sketching and doodling
-writing and thinking
-making music, learning new music
-combining friends+music=even more enjoyable
-going to the museums i have a year pass for
-window shopping
-hitting up paddy o'brien's for the free cider mon-fri 8-10 pm
lovely, cheap activities of the bohemian life:
-exploring the innumerable variations of pasta recipes
-cooking with friends, thus splitting the cost
-adding cheese and sautéed onions to anything to make it taste good
-writing long letters (buy the stamps) to send to old friends
-standing room tickets for the opera and concerts
-spending an entire afternoon in my favorite cafe, ordering only one espresso (1,80 euro)
if you have any other suggestions (free or cheap) please leave comments!
A Night to Remember
I will preface this post by saying that the night I am about to describe is one of the most memorable evenings from my 3.5 weeks of traveling. and possibly even from my entire time so far in europe.
It was my last night in Dublin, my last night of traveling before heading home to Vienna and the start of the new semester. Melissa, my partner in crime in Dublin, left Monday afternoon, but my flight was Tuesday. I spent the afternoon walking around enjoying the sunshine and the bustle of the Irish and tourists in the beautiful city, and then went to grab a bite to eat around 6. My plan was to get some good, cheap Irish fare and then spend a few hours chilling in the Temple Bar, enjoying a final Guinness and whichever band happened to be playing.
The restaurant that the cute kid working at my hostel suggested looked great, but would leave me with possibly not enough money for a guiness (which was the most important part of the evening plan), so I found a little pub that looked good enough. I ordered Guiness beef stew with mashed potatoes and it HIT THE SPOT. And right as I was finishing, a cute German couple sat down at the table next to me. I knew after 2 seconds that they were German, not Austrian. When the waitress came to take their order, they had a bunch of questions about the menu, and she had difficulty translating for them, so I jumped in, and we ended up talking for a long time. I gave them a list of things to see in Dublin, the boyfriend even pulled out his map for exact locations. I left the pub smiling, it had been a long time since i last spoke German.
When I arrived at the Temple Bar, a guy was singing and playing guitar. He was fantastic. I ordered what I thought would be my final Guinness of the trip, and sat down and enjoyed the music for a solid 2 hours. The people next to me were the only other ones in the pub besides myself who would sometimes sing along, and when I got up to leave after my beer was drained, they were like, what?!? you're leaving already?!?
Needless to say, I ended up taking my jacket off, pulling a stool up to their table, and before I knew it, the husband had brought me another Guinness. It was a middle-aged couple from Chicago and an Australian girl of around my age. We all got to talking, and it turned out that they had been wondering about me the whole time, since I was sitting alone but seemed to have such a good time by myself. They even thought that maybe I was the singer's girlfriend, since I would look right at him and sing. (haha)
The Australian girl was also travelling by herself and we really hit it off, and then I find out that the wife's parents are Austrian, and she did a ton of travelling. Then a few more pints appear in front of me, and sometime later the German couple from dinner show up, and we have turned into the rowdiest group in the pub. When the singer finishes his set, he exits with us clapping and shaking his hand.
The new band starts, and they are a more traditional Irish band, with guitar, violin, singers, and fluting. They play an upbeat one and I start doing some pretend Irish dancing (right up front of course, where everyone can see me), and a few songs later, they dedicate a song to me and I get french girls and Irish guys dancing with me. It's my German friend's birthday (his girlfriend informs me) so I get the band to make an announcement for him, and there's vigourous applause.
A few songs later, a man sitting behind us goes up to the band, and they say he has an important question to ask. We find the woman he was sitting with, and he asks her if she'll marry him. The bar goes WILD, and Laura and I grab the woman and help her through the crowd to her man. They hug and the crowd isn't satisfied until we get a ton of kissing and pictures of them.
I am DYING of happiness at this point.
I left the bar sometime later, because I had a skype date to keep and my suitcase to repack before flying out the next day, but I left with my heart so full and my head spinning from an overdose of happiness.
An epic finish to an epic month of travels.
It was my last night in Dublin, my last night of traveling before heading home to Vienna and the start of the new semester. Melissa, my partner in crime in Dublin, left Monday afternoon, but my flight was Tuesday. I spent the afternoon walking around enjoying the sunshine and the bustle of the Irish and tourists in the beautiful city, and then went to grab a bite to eat around 6. My plan was to get some good, cheap Irish fare and then spend a few hours chilling in the Temple Bar, enjoying a final Guinness and whichever band happened to be playing.
The restaurant that the cute kid working at my hostel suggested looked great, but would leave me with possibly not enough money for a guiness (which was the most important part of the evening plan), so I found a little pub that looked good enough. I ordered Guiness beef stew with mashed potatoes and it HIT THE SPOT. And right as I was finishing, a cute German couple sat down at the table next to me. I knew after 2 seconds that they were German, not Austrian. When the waitress came to take their order, they had a bunch of questions about the menu, and she had difficulty translating for them, so I jumped in, and we ended up talking for a long time. I gave them a list of things to see in Dublin, the boyfriend even pulled out his map for exact locations. I left the pub smiling, it had been a long time since i last spoke German.
When I arrived at the Temple Bar, a guy was singing and playing guitar. He was fantastic. I ordered what I thought would be my final Guinness of the trip, and sat down and enjoyed the music for a solid 2 hours. The people next to me were the only other ones in the pub besides myself who would sometimes sing along, and when I got up to leave after my beer was drained, they were like, what?!? you're leaving already?!?
Needless to say, I ended up taking my jacket off, pulling a stool up to their table, and before I knew it, the husband had brought me another Guinness. It was a middle-aged couple from Chicago and an Australian girl of around my age. We all got to talking, and it turned out that they had been wondering about me the whole time, since I was sitting alone but seemed to have such a good time by myself. They even thought that maybe I was the singer's girlfriend, since I would look right at him and sing. (haha)
The Australian girl was also travelling by herself and we really hit it off, and then I find out that the wife's parents are Austrian, and she did a ton of travelling. Then a few more pints appear in front of me, and sometime later the German couple from dinner show up, and we have turned into the rowdiest group in the pub. When the singer finishes his set, he exits with us clapping and shaking his hand.
The new band starts, and they are a more traditional Irish band, with guitar, violin, singers, and fluting. They play an upbeat one and I start doing some pretend Irish dancing (right up front of course, where everyone can see me), and a few songs later, they dedicate a song to me and I get french girls and Irish guys dancing with me. It's my German friend's birthday (his girlfriend informs me) so I get the band to make an announcement for him, and there's vigourous applause.
A few songs later, a man sitting behind us goes up to the band, and they say he has an important question to ask. We find the woman he was sitting with, and he asks her if she'll marry him. The bar goes WILD, and Laura and I grab the woman and help her through the crowd to her man. They hug and the crowd isn't satisfied until we get a ton of kissing and pictures of them.
I am DYING of happiness at this point.
I left the bar sometime later, because I had a skype date to keep and my suitcase to repack before flying out the next day, but I left with my heart so full and my head spinning from an overdose of happiness.
An epic finish to an epic month of travels.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A Travel Guru's Guide
With more than three weeks of travel through Europe and the UK under my belt, I feel like I have learned a lot. some things about myself, and also just about travel in general. Next time I embark on a journey of this caliber, I will look like a pro fo sho.
Here is my top ten list of the lessons I learned, and my tips to other study-abroaders looking to spend a vacation in a lot of places:
10. Pack snacks! (this one is a life lesson as well, intended for daily use....)
9. If you start a trip sick, you will probably only get worse before you get better. With a good attitude and breaks/rests planned into your day, the trip can still be a lot of fun.
8. You will meet cool, nice people traveling, and you will meet sketchy creepers. But give everyone a chance, and then make your decision on which category they fall into (quickly).
7. Treat catching a train more like catching a flight. i.e. have plenty of time to get there and to wait. It sucks running with a big suitcase, a backpack, and a guitar.
6. Ask the locals for cool places to eat. this always works out in your favor, because, hey, they don't like paying high touristy prices either!
5. Never be afraid to try to talk your way out of something. Doesn't hurt to be a cute girl either (this is the reason why I always look good when I have to travel...in case I need the edge...definitely worked for my free flight to London).
4. Fully research the facilities of a hostel/hotel. That helps avoid unnecessary payments, like for renting a towel and converter (also forgot the UK/Ireland use that 3-prong plug).
3. Carry some kind of pain releif med, such as ibuprofen. You never know when a travel headache can strike. In the winter, carry dayquil/nyquil (especially in countries where you can't read the language).
2. Have at least $100 cash as travel money, strictly for travel purposes. You never know when technology will fail you, or they don't actually accept your Austrian card (bitches). and big shout out to my awesome family for being there in the nick of time.
1. Buy a backpacking backpack and never again use a suitcase (especially a rather large one) when embarking on a trip involving much short travel, and through paris (the city of obnoxious metro stairs).
so that's my top ten, hope you young daring travellers take heed of them.
more ridiculous stories to come, the best of Dublin is yet to be posted!!!
love love :)
Here is my top ten list of the lessons I learned, and my tips to other study-abroaders looking to spend a vacation in a lot of places:
10. Pack snacks! (this one is a life lesson as well, intended for daily use....)
9. If you start a trip sick, you will probably only get worse before you get better. With a good attitude and breaks/rests planned into your day, the trip can still be a lot of fun.
8. You will meet cool, nice people traveling, and you will meet sketchy creepers. But give everyone a chance, and then make your decision on which category they fall into (quickly).
7. Treat catching a train more like catching a flight. i.e. have plenty of time to get there and to wait. It sucks running with a big suitcase, a backpack, and a guitar.
6. Ask the locals for cool places to eat. this always works out in your favor, because, hey, they don't like paying high touristy prices either!
5. Never be afraid to try to talk your way out of something. Doesn't hurt to be a cute girl either (this is the reason why I always look good when I have to travel...in case I need the edge...definitely worked for my free flight to London).
4. Fully research the facilities of a hostel/hotel. That helps avoid unnecessary payments, like for renting a towel and converter (also forgot the UK/Ireland use that 3-prong plug).
3. Carry some kind of pain releif med, such as ibuprofen. You never know when a travel headache can strike. In the winter, carry dayquil/nyquil (especially in countries where you can't read the language).
2. Have at least $100 cash as travel money, strictly for travel purposes. You never know when technology will fail you, or they don't actually accept your Austrian card (bitches). and big shout out to my awesome family for being there in the nick of time.
1. Buy a backpacking backpack and never again use a suitcase (especially a rather large one) when embarking on a trip involving much short travel, and through paris (the city of obnoxious metro stairs).
so that's my top ten, hope you young daring travellers take heed of them.
more ridiculous stories to come, the best of Dublin is yet to be posted!!!
love love :)
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