The Break!!

It's called that because it eventually breaks you. I am sick right now, with a cold, and it's not that bad, but I'm leaving to go travelling again tomorrow. Bleeeeeeh. However, I did see some awesome places and have fun. Let's begin, shall we?

Thursday 14th 23:15- Forrest and I make our way to the train station. Dominique eventually meets us there as well. Forrest and I have an interesting time trying to see where the heck our train is leaving from. We get on a night train to Venice that actually stops in some other city before Venice and separates in half, and only half the train continues to Venice and the other half goes somewhere else. Hungary, I think. In any case, we three board a train, and meet our cabin-mates, two German ladies who are going to Venice to surprise a friend for her birthday. We put up our bed-things and I'm on the top. The two German ladies decide they're going to stay up and talk until about 3 in the morning, leaving the light on. I was a little annoyed. Eventually, however, they did go to sleep, and then the police came in to check our passports, and then the train people came in to check our ticket, and then it's 7:30 in the morning and time to face the day.

Friday 15th 08:30- Arrive in Venice! Huzzah! Next issue: finding our hotel. We have directions and a GPS. Do we find it? Nope. We finally enlisted the help of some guy off the street. We never would've found the hostel in any case, since the sign is in 12 point Times New Roman. Really sketchy-looking when we first walk in. We're not sure, but, well, we deal, and leave our stuff in a room and leave to wander around the city until we can check in.

We have lunch in some square cafe thing that's an Irish pub (they are everywhere), and Forrest and I realize that Spanish and Italian really don't help each other at all, because I try to order water, "tambien", which means too, and the waiter brings me a beer. I try to tell him I don't want beer and he starts yelling at me in Italian. Soooo I paid for a 5 euro beer I didn't drink. (It was really gross beer.)

In any case, we check into the hotel, and the rooms are actually quite nice, and not sketchy at all. Alex, the guy who owns the B&B, is so nice. We go wandering around Venice for the rest of that day.

Saturday 16th- We get up early and head to the train station, where we buy vapporetto passes, three day passes for 18 euro. I likes it. The vapporettos are easy and perfect. We go by vapporetto to San Marco, see the square, the Bascillica, and the Campanile (the belltower, the highest point in Venice). We head back to the hotel for some reason, and meet this awesome English (he makes a point of assuring us he is English, not British) dude named Nick. (He is now our friend on Facebook.) He was staying at the same hotel, and couldn't find it. We take him out with us, and help him get a vapporetto pass, and take him to San Marco, and then take him on our Night-Time Vaporetto Tour of Venice. It starts to rain. Boo. We tried to go to a nice restaurant, but it was overbooked, and so we ended up eating Chinese food instead. Haha.

Sunday 17th- More wandering around Venice in the rain. We went to the islands: Murano and Burano and then gave up because it was raining too grossly. I bought two presents for people, and then we split, and Forrest and Dom and I found the airport for Forrest and Dom and timed it and stuff. We had reservations that evening at the Nono Risotto, a fantastic Italian resturant, and I had really really really good pasta. Nom nom nom.

Monday 18th- Julia found us early in the morning. Boo early morning. We went to the graveyard island and I saw Stravinsky's grave and couldn't find Ezra Pound's grave. Ah, well. Then we went to the eastern part of the Island and wandered around in the green space and had really good pizza made in a stone oven for lunch, then returned to the hotel so Forrest could pack while we ladies went shopping. I bought a third gift. Forrest leaves. We get to bed early-ish, then get a call from Forrest, who's in the airport still, his flight cancelled because of riots in France and Spain. Ooooh, no. Poor guy. He spends the night in the airport.

Tuesday 19th-The four city day. Julia and I take a train from Venice to Milan, and find that Nick is on it too! Small world. The train station in Milan is fantastic in and of itself: mosaic floors, greek/roman statuary of the constellations everywhere, and a pigeon with a hurt foot. Poor little rat-with-wings. In any case, we three take the Metro to the Duomo, where we walk around for a bit. Nick leaves to catch his flight, and Julia and I find La Scala, and then catch a train to Bergamo, where our flight is leaving from. (If you're keeping score, today we went on: a vaporetto to the train station in Venice, a train to Milan, the Metro twice, another train to Bergamo, a bus to the airport in Bergamo, and then a plane to Ireland.) We land in Dublin! Huzzah! Land of the English-speakers. We find our hostel easily enough (luckily I'd thought to print out those directions, hmm, Miss-Oh-We-Don't-Need-Those?). Beeeeed.

Nick in front of the Duomo! It was so beautiful-- the Duomo. Very funny, peeps.
A better view of the cathedral.

I will sing here...one day... (La Scala!)

The double-layer train from Milan to Bergamo.

Wednesday 20th- Hi, Dublin! You are so fantastic! Lots of free stuff. We see some modern art in the exhibit hall in Parnell Square, the park there, statues on O'Connell Street, etc, etc, we take a free tour with Mark at New Europe (fantastic, absolutely amazing, I know so much Irish history now), and see the Charles Beatty Library. (Skip the Book of Kells and see the Beatty exhibit for free, and so much better than two damn pages.) We went around with this girl named Charlotte, from Melbourn, Australia. Fun. We split, and we were going to meet for dinner before a pub crawl, but Charlotte ditched us, so we had dinner, then pub crawl. No, we did not get shamefully drunk, but I did have a nice Blue Lagoon (it was blue! Blue!!!). Then we walked back in the chill to the hostel.

The river.

The Castle.


The Ha'penny Bridge.

Memorial of the Blight.

Thursday 21st- Late train to Limerick. Why did we go again? I have directions for the hotel, but they fizzle out, so we stopped in the Absolute hotel for directions, and we're walking along this sketchy stretch of road, so I finally ask an older couple out walking, and they fuss over us, and let us know that the hotel we were heading for is in the opposite direction and we were actually going out into open country, where there isn't anything. Sooo we got a taxi, and there is no way we could've walked to the hotel: it was through several roundabouts and stuff. Nooo.

Friday 22nd- We tried to take the bus to see the Castle in the morning; it never came. So we just laid in the room and watched TV. Then we went to Cork. Cork was awesome. We took the bus to the street right beside our hotel's, and found it pretty easily. Then we went out. Everything was closing, and it was only 5:30! So we went to one museum, and then found a Tesco's, bought some sandwich stuff, and spent the evening in the hotel room watching "Scrubs" and "Friends." No, I mean, we went out drinking and I got so drunk I had to be carried back to the room. Yes.

Saturday 23rd- We got up early and went walking to find the Gaol. It didn't open until later, so we walked around the University College of Cork campus-- beautiful, and saw an art exibit by students there. Modern art. Julia doesn't like art. Fie on her, I wanted to see it, and there was nothing else to do. Then we checked out of the hotel and caught a bus to Dublin. It took forever. I was really sick by this point, so it was terrible. We brought the rain from Cork, and it was terrible when we arrive in Dublin. We returned to the same hostel as before, went out and got some dinner, and hit the hay.

Sunday 24th- Going home day! Julia wanted to find a bookstore. None were open. She didn't want to go to any more museums, and there was nothing else to do, so we just went to the airport. There was a bookstore there, and she bought half the bookstore while I bought one: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was a great movie, and the book was fantastic as well. We flew into Memmingon, which is by Munich. We had to take yet another taxi from the airport to the train station, as the freaking bus wasn't coming for 2 hours-- which was ridiculous. We caught a train into Munich, and then from there into Salzburg. We met this grandma on the train to Salzburg, and we spoke with her in mostly-German for about 2 hours. It made my head hurt. Then we caught another taxi to the leherhaus because it was raining really hard and there were no buses running at 1 in the morning. Pooooop.

Monday 25th-Siiiiiick. Wash everything I own. Oh, look, it's snowing. Man, I don't want to go to Vienna tomorrow.

Tuesday 26th- Go to Vienna. Quick orientation walk that does nothing to help. Lot's o' meat for dinner, a ballet, "The Jewel of the New World." It was pretty awesome. Then, STARBUUUUUCKS!!! I got a Venti Mocha Frappachino, and it was a 9$ drink (after exchange rate), but I don't care. I needed my fix. Now I'm good.

Wednesday 27th- I think we went on a tour today. And the Noschmarkt. Naschmarkt? One of those. We decided to stay in tonight and watch "The Sword in the Stone" and part of "Robin Hood." The Disney versions. Haha, LAME.

Thursday 28th- Tour of the Operahouse! I sang in the audition room. It was echo-y. Then we went to the Austrian Nationalbank, where this dude put us all to sleep with this lecture, and then we took a tour of the museum there, and that was awesome. We also got books of all the other designs for the Euro. (Because they, of course, held a contest. Haha.) Then we went to the Documentation center of the Viennese Resistance. That was interesting. I recommend that. That evening, we saw "Rusalka." Yaaay!

Friday 29th- We went to Schonbrunn Palace and learned Sissy's secret (of how she was so skinny)-- she never ate food. Haha. Then we had free time for the whole rest of the day, so Memory and Melissa and I went back to the city center and had Sachertorte! It was okay; I mean, I wouldn't turn a slice of it down, but the cake part was just so-so, although the fudge-topping stuff was fantastic. Then we went to the train station and caught a (late, as in the train didn't arrive at the time it was supposed to) train back to Salzburg. Then I haunted my rooms for the rest of the time until now. It's NANOOOOO! So there's that. Now I've updated. The end.

ALSO

Meine Deutsch ist okay jetzt. Die Leute ich zu sprechen, sagen, "Oh, Ihr Deutsch ist sehr gut!" Und es ist nett dass ich spreche mit Leute. Auf Deutsch. Und dann, sage ich etwas dumm, und facepalm ich. (Hahaha.) Aber, jetzt ich weiss Vergangenheit und Future tenses, welche machen Gesprache spass. Huzzah! Wir werden unser test am Mittewoch haben, und die test werdet mündliche sein. Du glaubest ich bin bereit? Ich hasse adjective endings und Artikles sind noch terrible. Doch, ich glaude, werde ich gut machen. Ein bischen? Ich hoffe.

(Ich habe mit nur ein kleiner Hilfe von Google translate geschrieben, lol. Oder etwas.)

Finally Updating

Sorry for the long wait.

Rewind a long way back. The week starting with Monday the 2oth. Note to self (and all that I'm saying): stay away from Irish pubs. The bartenders are unnecessarily helpful. Tuesday was miserable because of the helpful Irishmen, and we went to Hellbrunn.

Hellbrunn is the summer palace of the Archbishops. It is awesome. We took a tour of the fountains, and let me just say that you should visit Hellbrunn on a nice day because you will get wet.

Case in point.

Awkward statue.

That weekend I did nothing, I think. I think I did nothing. I can't remember. Oh-- on Sunday I sang in High Mass at the Dom. We did the Mozart Credomesse. I'd never seen the music before. I got the music an hour before Mass, at which time I sight read through most of it once before heading to the choir loft in the rear of the cathedral, at which time I sight read through the entire thing a second time with orchestra.

Needless to say, all I was hoping for was to come in at the right time and be somewhere in the correct chord.

Also, I think that was the weekend of the Midterm. I worked for at least 12 hours on that thing. Got a B. Effing class.

The week of Monday the 27th. Umm. We went to this Agricultural School and talked with a class and toured the grounds. It was fantastic. Sara, a girl in our group, is interning there after the break. She was so excited, and I am excited for her. There were horses, and cows, and piggies, and ducks and geese and chickens and a Scene rooster (he wasn't emo, just Scene, according to Memory), and a dog that was rather mean to the animals but still adorable. We tried apple Schnapps (wheeeeeew was that strong) and I bought half a loaf of still-warm-from-the-oven bread for about 1,50. Nom nom nom.

That was the week of the Salzburg College 40 year reunion. On Thursday the 30th, there was a kick-off thing at the Augustinerbrau (the beer brewery of the monks), and I went and met with Laura McRainey (from my school) and won Mozartkugeln. Friday, there was a wonderful lunch at the College (I ate too much), after which was an address thing at the Residence by the Governor of Salzburg (the state, and she was awesome), and the founder of Salzburg College, and all these people. The Residence was beautiful.

The Gov.

This staircase just begged for picture-taking time. This is my Vogue pose.


Dominique being dramatic. Again. Haha.

Forrest's "Inception" pose. Although I still think he looks like an Undertaker.

Eventually, we dragged ourselves away from the Amazing Staircase of Wonders.

I was supposed to go out to the Salzkammargut (again) with the Alums, but I decided to sleep in instead.

This past week we went on Tuesday to the Freilichtmuseum. It is the Open Air Museum. They have all these old farm houses and gradens the way they would've been, and although the day started off rainy and gross, it wasn't too bad at the museum. There was a nice bus ride there, too.

House!

Hey, we have one of those!

Aaaaaaand we went on this train. Haha, so easily amused.

Memory and I went on Thursday to the public library and got library cards and books! I was so excited. I got the score for Berg's opera "Lulu" plus the DVD of it, and then the second Bridget Jones book and "The Eyre Affair" (in English!). I nearly died. I swear. The books are due today, but I don't think there's a drop-box, sooooo...

Friday we walked the Monk's Mountain. It's literally right behind the college. And it was awesome. I don't know how I missed this before. I'm walking up there like every day, I swear. Umm, pictures will be forthcoming.

Also that Friday, there was rehearsal for the concert we had last night. We sang Mozart's Messa in c with orchestra and 4 fantastic soloists. I almost cried when I heard the soprano because I was like "I'll never sound that goood waaaaaah." Amazing. Really. The chorus? Less than so. Singing melismas in a place as live as the Dom isn't very good. It's a mass of sound. Hi, Ligeti.

In any case, after rehearsal on Friday, Memory and I went to our newest favorite place, the Afro Cafe. I had orange iced tea, a wrap with tomatoes and feta and gruner salat and gurkins (which are cucumbers, not pickles, I learned), and then I had hot tea and we shared waffles for dessert. We wrote a haiku about Hitler's Harelip, which I will now give you:

"Hitler's Got a Harelip"

Hitler's dark harelip:

Dirty cockroach on a wall.

Would you like a drink?

Hahaha. What fun.

Saturday night (after the concert) Dominique, Forrest, and Julia (newly moved into the lehrerhaus) had a movie night. We watched "The Bourne Identity." It was a lot of fun. Especially with my commentary. Everyone's favorite line was: "That was evil......I like it." Hahaha.

Aaaaand today I am being lazy. "Doing homework." Bettina, my awesome amazing roommate, had to go home for her neice's church-thing-confirmation-majig. All alone. So I'm writing this. And another song. And "doing homework."

Coming up this week is the start of our independent travel period. I won't be posting my plans here because I don't want any crazy stalkers, but you will hear about it as I do it because I think I'm taking my laptop. I'm travelling for 4 days with Forrest and Dominique, and for 6 days with Julia. I'm seeing two countries (and at one point three cities on one day, haha), and I am so excited about it. Hopefully I'll get back to you before I return home for good, haha, at the rate I've been updating.