Parisian Paradise.

Our overnight train from Nice arrived in Paris around 8am. Sleeping came more easily to us, considering how exhausting canyoning can be. Our first authentic French meal was spent at Cafe Le Petit Pont, located across from Notre Dame. I savored the most delicious cheese and vegetable omelette, along with my first real French baguette. The servers were more friendly than we anticipated, the service was exceptional, and the food was a terrific start to our Parisian experience. Afterwards, we walked straight to the heavily-populated square surrounding Notre Dame, before entering the famous cathedral for High Mass. Although the entirety of the service was in Latin, this did not phase me: I was in awe of my surroundings. The interior of the church exceeded my expectations. Well, maybe I had no expectations, but still beautiful. I only wish I could have understood the hymns and sermon, which would completely change the experience at large. After the conclusion of the service, we walked straight to the Quasi Moto, where we tried our first crepe! I decided on a chocolate/banana crepe, which was equally delicious as it was messy. Still, it was well worth the struggle to not completely cover my face in chocolate :) Afterwards, we bought tickets for the metro and ventured off to check into our hotel. I must stop here to say: I am genuinely proud of my navigational skills in and around the streets and metro stops of Paris. I've always credited myself with a TERRIBLE sense of direction, which is still applicable, but in Europe, I no longer have parents and chaperones to whom I can rely on to blindly lead me places. Mom and Dad, you would have been proud of your little girl! Our hotel was located 20+ minutes away from the central part of Paris, which was not bad, considering how much we paid for it. However, the "Hotel Belfort" is extremely outdated, which made our time there quite humorous.

After getting our belongings settled into the hotel, we ventured out in search of the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school (one of the sites I needed to visit for my research project on Julia Child's). After spending over 45 minutes unsuccessfully trying to find our way there, I was thoroughly frustrated and ready to give up. Finally, with the help of a kind Frenchman, we found it, but it was closed. Of course we forgot it was Sunday. Then, we took the metro straight to the Paris Opera House, ate another crepe (this time: strawberries and chocolate), ventured into another Catholic church, then took a nice walk along the River Seine, before enjoying another glorious French meal. The restaurant was located just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. I ordered a beef filet and French fries (of course). More expensive because of its location, but still well worth the money. Then, we had a "date" at the Eiffel Tower with some of our other Vienna family members who were also in Paris. We met under the immaculately-lit Tower and all embraced as if we had been separated for years, not days. It was quite precious how excited everyone was to talk and swap stories. We enjoyed the twenty minute light show of the Tower before buying tickets to get lifted up to the top for the grand finale! The view was absolutely spectacular (and COLD). Not all of my pictures turned out as planned, but I still managed to capture a few decent panoramic night-shots. Once we left the tower, we all had a late-night snack/dessert at a local cafe, before the different travel groups departed ways for the evening.

First day in Paris was a great one! Not only did the food exceed my expectations, but also the Eiffel Tower was larger and more glamorous than I had anticipated. Pictures of the Tower really do not capture its depth and texture. I never thought I would enjoy Paris as much as I did the first day, simply because I found it utterly too cliche to "fall in love with Paris." Well, the epidemic continues...

About to head to my wonderful bed in Vienna. Traveling really is exhausting. But, I will do my best to finish blogging tomorrow about the rest of our fall break 09 adventures in Paris and Spain!

fall breakin'

It's currently 10:33pm on October 31, and my group just arrived back in Vienna from our wonderful fall break adventures! Now, I must begin the glorious game of "blog catch-up" so here goes nothing...

We began our 10 day vacation with an overnight train to Milan en route to Nice, France. We paid for sleeping couchettes and Sarah and I were the brave souls who decided to be in a compartment with two other strangers. The rest of the girls and Brett were situated in another compartment. At first, no one was in our room. In fact, Sarah, Flener, and I were in the middle of a great conversation when all of the sudden, in walks a profusely sweating Nigerian priest. Once he arrived, we climbed up to our top bunks and attempted to sleep through the night. Sarah slept peacefully. I, however, was SCARED out of my mind. No, I'm not racist, but I woke up several times in the middle of the night to him staring at me. Still gives me chills, 9 days later. I ended up getting a few hours of sleep as I draped one of my sweaters over my face to avoid eye contact. He asked for my phone number and where we were traveling to over our "holiday" to which I calmly lied and said we were vacationing in Italy and that I didn't have a working phone. God is so good though. Throughout the night, several verses from Psalm 91 were on my heart. Read it if you aren't familiar with this Psalm. So powerful. Once we arrived in Milan on Friday morning, we took a train to Nice, France. The ride into France was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Once in Nice, we checked into our wonderful hostel Villa Saint Erupery, before venturing out into the city for some mid-afternoon exploration. We took a short train into Monte Carlo, known internationally as the "playground for the rich and famous," beaming with casinos, yachts, designer stores, and wealthy businessmen. Located on the French Riviera, Monte Carlo is just breath-taking. Once back in Nice, we walked into the downtown district in search of something to eat for dinner, but to no avail, despite the fact that it was only 8pm. Therefore, we headed back to our hostel (we had seen a sign earlier advertising chicken fajitas and rice for dinner) to enjoy some of the best fajitas I've ever eaten in my life. Not a joke. The rest of the night was spent at our hostel, where we met two really awesome guys from Australia (Sean and Cameron) and conversed with them til around 1am before heading to bed.

Saturday morning. After a restful night's sleep at our hostel, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hostel (cereal bar with a wide array of different cereal options....yes, I was in heaven) before heading out for a full day of CANYONING in France!! Decked out in wetsuits, helmets, and ropes, we enjoyed several hours of repelling, rock climbing, cliff jumping, diving, and swimming. Words just can not do justice to how fun, memorable, and adventurous this day was! How did we find out about canyoning? Our hostel had an advertisement for it at the front desk the day before when we checked in. We jumped on the opportunity and paid our 53 euro. Money well spent, no doubt. Yes, I had my clutzy moments, but overall, it was an experience I will cherish forever. We arrived back at the hostel around 5pm. Once back, we all had the opportunity to enjoy our first shower (since leaving Vienna). Then, we went to the Nice beach and enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the ocean. Dinner that night was spent at a local jazz club restaurant on the beach before we headed to the train station for our overnight to PARIS, which was spent inside a 6-person sleeper couchette. Hello, claustrophobia!!

Nice is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever experienced. I hope I can go back someday soon and take my husband, parents, friends, (or anyone who wants to go), so they can enjoy the magnificence of the French Riviera! Not sure if I had previously mentioned this, but when I say "we," I am referring to my fall break group consisting of : Allison, Amy, Brett, Cari, Ricki, and Sarah. More posts to come!!

pre-fall break!

I only have a few minutes to briefly blog about the past few days, leading up to now, 5pm. We leave for fall break in less than 2 hours!!!

Wednesday. German class was really entertaining this morning. Since we had a Humanities test today, most people were exhausted and drowsy from staying up way past their bed times to study. The test went well. Glad it's over! After completing class for the day, I went to the Billa for a quick sandwich, then across the street to the Muller (a local Ulta Beauty type store) to purchase some new perfume, toothpaste, makeup,  and my favorite purchase of the day: dental floss. I was able to skype call my parents for about 30 minutes today while they were getting ready for work, which made me happy. Then, Ricki and I went running and did abs at the Belvedere. The weather today was in the high-50's which is considerably warmer than it has been since we returned from Germany last weekend. After running, I had my first movie theater experience in Europe with Cari and Sarah. I found an English theater in Vienna located about 15 minutes away. For my research project (my topic is on Julia Child's and her influence on American cuisine), one of my "sites" to aid with my research was to see the recently released movie, "Julie and Julia." I did not know the plot  before, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I'd definitely recommend it! We came back to the hotel for dinner: chocolate granola cereal, and worked on our itinerary for fall break (aka--figuring out what we wanted to see in each place we go). I was able to talk to both Jessica and Taryn on skype tonight, which was WONDERFUL. Jessica is currently in Chicago on Mission Year, and I haven't been able to talk to her since she left (almost two months ago) because their group has been on a "technology fast." Although it is frustrating sometimes to talk to people on skype because our internet connection cuts in and out, I am still grateful to be able to communicate with my friends and family from back home :)

Today has flown by. Classes went well today. We got our German vocab quiz back, which according to our professor, over half the class failed. Thankfully, I was not in that group. I was hoping for an A, but got a B+. Oh well...definitely not going to complain about that when some people made 40-50%. CIVA was awesome today. We continued to discuss church architecture throughout the centuries, which is oddly appealing to me. Seeing the progression and digression of church interior and exterior structures and ornamentation is crazy! We even looked at some mega-churches in America and extremely modern churches in obscure places such as Beijing and Spain. Immediately after class, Jordan, Ricki, and I went running again together at the Belvedere (our favorite place to run). I'm so happy I'm not the only one here trying to stay in shape! I did some hill repeats and sprints, mostly because I know over fall break, we will not have the opportunity to run. The rest of our short afternoon has been spent packing up our room (we have to move out again, since we will be gone for 10 days), as well as packing for the upcoming fall break adventures that begin tonight! Although it's a hassle to move out, it motivates me to stay extremely organized.

So, not sure if any of the hostels we are staying in over fall break have wireless internet access. If they do, I will try to blog. If not, I will play catch-up just as I did when we returned from Italy. Here is our plan: tonight, we're taking an overnight train to Nice, France (if you aren't familar with this beautiful city, look it up...check out some pictures too), spending a day and a half there. Then, overnighting to PARIS. We will be in Paris from Sunday-Tuesday. Can't wait for that!! Then, on to SPAIN, mostly Madrid and Barcelona. I am so excited. It's a little nerve-wrecking, considering we will be on our own for 10 days. I will take lots of pictures and savor every awkward/scary/dangerous/exciting/unpredictable moment!!

Bonjour.

stress in Vienna?

I'm uncertain as to whether on not I included this in my previous blog from this past weekend, but I would like to say with pride: I neither showered nor changed clothes from Thursday-Sunday night. I expected I would at least shower once, but once we were actually in the situation, I decided to be as low-maintenance as possible. It was enjoyable and comfortable...I really didn't feel all that disgusting. Therefore, the shower I took on Sunday night upon returning to Vienna was AMAZING. We leave for fall break this upcoming Thursday, and I'm honestly planning on wearing the same clothes (may bring a few extra shirts) and showering only once for the entirety of the ten days. Sound disgusting? It's not near as bad as it sounds, considering how bitterly cold it is, which keeps sweating to a minimum, and baby powder has become one of my new best friends (put in my hair when it gets greasy).

Monday. I was surprisingly wide awake and attentive all during class today. We got our CIVA test back today. I got a B, which is fine with me, considering the content of the material we are learning. Hopefully, I  can retain a good grade in that class. If not, I've decided there's no reason for me to let that stress me out while I'm in EUROPE. I stayed at school after class with Sarah to do a Humanities essay and finish blogging about last weekend. Then, Ricki, Jordan, and I went running at the Belvedere. Running felt SO good. The weather wasn't too chilly today, which made it bearable. Then, back to the hotel for some pilates, then hung out with Brett, Cari, and Ricki for a little bit. Brett informed us that he is joining us on our fall break travels, which I'm really excited about. He was hoping to meet up with one of his good friends from high school in Seville, Spain, but plans fell through, so he's traveling with us (aka 6 girls). I can't wait! I studied for our German quiz for about an hour, before departing for Kat's birthday dinner at our favorite local Italian restaurant: Vapiano's. Cari and I split a delicious caesar salad and a penne pasta dish with garlic, pine nuts, and tomato sauce. Dinner was alot of fun. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with nearly everyone in our group. Sometimes I catch myself looking around, thinking, "What a great family we are." After dinner, we all returned back to the hotel to study for our German quiz. I took a study break for a little bit to call my wonderful big brother. SO good talking to him (like usual). I climbed in bed around 1130 for a wonderful full night's sleep.

This morning, we had our German quiz. He required us to study 200+ vocab words and quizzed us on around 40. I felt pretty confident with it. Everyone's major problem is mastering the German way of spelling, since it's very different from English. Afterwards, we set out for our CIVA field trip, in which we travelled to 4 churches around the city of Vienna, exploring the different types of architectures and the ways sacred spaces are cultivated in different denominations. We first went to Stephansdom, then to the Donaucity Kirche in a very industrialized part of Vienna that we had never discovered before. This was my favorite church of the day by far: an extremely modern Catholic church, with an entirely wood-laden interior, full of circular windows encompassing the entire building which allows a large amount of natural light to flood the sanctuary. The interior of the church reminded me very much of a typical Jewish synagogue. Another reason I genuinely enjoyed our time there was because it was polar-opposite from the rest of the Catholic churches we've seen across Europe, free of elaborate ornamentation and gaudiness. Our next stop was at the International Baptist Church in Vienna, which made us all feel at home. This church, run by an American missionary couple, is comprised mostly of African-Americans and Asians, and the entirety of the service is in English. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to experience one of their Sunday services over the next few weeks. After departing the Baptist church, we had a few minutes for a quick lunch. Guess where we went? MCDONALDS. Yes, I know it's slightly embarrassing that we opted for this, considering our surroundings, but it was SO good. I don't ever eat McDonald's in America, but over here, it just tastes that much better. They even had waffle fries! Our last church stop of the day was to Wotruba Kirche, another Catholic church located an hour outside of downtown Vienna. Although we could not physically enter the church, I did not care one bit. The architecture is absolutely beautiful and completely different from anything I'd ever seen. Please google a picture of this place. I got really excited  because I felt like I was on the set of LOST (my favorite show...and the only one I care to watch). The building consists of 152 asymmetrically arranged concrete blocks. The church looks down from Vienna and into the Marchfield, a profusion of trees and shrubbery, a "fitting blend of nature's beauty and one man's vision of a temple to God in today's modern world." Inside the forest and shrubbery located down a dirt path from the church is a massive sundial inside the Sterngarten that reminded me of LOST even more. I was beaming with excitement, for sure. We arrived back in the city around 430pm, to return to a slightly overwhelming amount of work and studying. We have our third Humanities test tomorrow, which I have been preparing for since we returned from the church-hopping trip. I'm not too anxious about it; however, I am ready to be done with it so that we can only focus on preparing for fall break!! Our four-day school weeks are absolutely FLYING by. I seem to accomplish a great amount every day, which I love, since productivity has always been a close friend of mine, but time just seems to escape me 90% of the time. I miss you ALL. Sorry if my blogs are too lengthy, but I enjoy typing out my day-to-day life and experiences that come as a result of living in another country!

Neuschwanstein & Munich.

After departing from our highly sketchy hostel, we met up with Kathryn-Claire, Bethany, Laura, and Meredith at the train station to take a bus to the town host to the wonderful Neuschwanstein Castle. We decided on an early lunch at a local cafe, where I had a wonderful mixed green salad with grilled chicken. You're probably wondering why I even chose to mention this. It's simply because I've been deprived from fresh fruits and vegetables, making this salad quite a pleasure to eat. After eating, we bought tickets for the tour of the Castle, then hiked up a mountain (literally) and 40 minutes later, arrived at its base. The walk up was beautiful, as snow began to fall and blanket the forest/mountain scenery with a sheet of incandescent white. We took scenic mountain pictures, sipped on hot chocolate, and conversed for a bit before beginning the tour! Neuschwanstein is a 19th century Bavarian, the most famous of 3 royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria. This Castle is significant because it was the model used for creating the famous Castle seen in the Cinderella story. Although it would have been impossible to see the entirety of the Castle, the parts we saw were simply incredible. We saw a few caves inside, as well as the living room, kitchen, and several immaculately designed bedrooms. Over 7,000 tourists frequent this sight on a daily basis. I never thought I'd ever step foot inside of an actual CASTLE. Life is good :) We hiked back down the mountain, then headed to the train station for our next destination: Munich. Sarah and I had seats on the train ride next to a precious Australian couple. We conversed with them for the entirety of the train ride, discussing travel plans, careers, Australian culture, and America's future. Once in Munich, we enjoyed a late-night dinner at a local Italian restaurant, before checking in at our hostel for the night: "The Easy Palace." No, I'm not making this name up. Arranged more like a hotel, we found our stay at the lovely EP to be more relaxing, restful, and comforting than our previous night's stay in Fussen.

Sunday morning, after a tranquil night's sleep, we set out for a worship service at a local church of Christ in Munich that someone in America had recommended to Melissa that we attend (if ever in Munich). What a great decision! Designed similarly to a typical COC in America, we all felt very much at home upon arrival. Although the majority of the songs were in German, we could easily identify the tune. Some of the songs we sang include: People Need the Lord, Great is Thy Faithfulness, In Christ Alone (my favorite), All in All, and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. This was one of the most memorable parts of my weekend. I could not help tearing up during the worship part of the service. There is something remarkably beautiful to me when I hear other people/other languages praising the same God I serve. We met a few of the people from the church, and discovered they were started and are supported by Brentwood Hills COC in Nashville! I've genuinely missed attending services and the community aspect of church that is so prevalent in American-style churches. Mass just does not cut it for me.

After a quick lunch in the Westbahnhof train station, we took a free guided walking tour of the city of Munich. This was a very productive 3 hours, in which we were briefed on the history of the city, most notably in conjunction with WWII. We also learned about the rise of both the Socialist and Nazi Parties. Dachau, the first concentration camp, is situated just 10 miles from Munich. Some of the sights we saw on the tour include: Marienplatz and the City Town Hall, the Frauenkirche, the New Jewish Synagogue, the Hofbrauhaus, and the most expensive shopping district in all of Europe. After the completion of the tour, we enjoyed a quick lunch at the famous Hofbrauhaus, a famous brewery in Munich owned by the state government. We departed from Munich around 530pm, arriving back to our hotel around 1030pm because of a 30 minute train delay in Salzburg.

I could easily type for hours about all of our experiences this past weekend, but this is the most concise way I can allow you to live vicariously through me. Munich and Salzburg are both two wonderful cities that I crave spending at least 3 more days in, but since that's not possible, I feel satisfied with all that we had the opportunity to see! We did not have any compromising situations happen to us this weekend, and for that I am so grateful! I am being mentally and emotionally challenged more than I anticipated, but  I know God is creating in me a fervent desire to continue to grow and change. Pictures will be on Facebook in the next few days! Auf wiedersehen!

salzburg!

Our adventurous weekend began early on Friday morning at 540am. The 623 train to Salzburg that we thought was leaving from our local train station was in fact leaving from a station further away. Because of this, we literally ran through U-bahn stops and across the train station to make it on time! Eventful wake-up call for sure. (By the way, when I say "we," I am referring to the following people I travelled with this weekend: Melissa and Jaren Swann, Sarah, Cari, and Ricki). We all dosed in and out of sleep on the train ride and woke up to SNOW-capped mountains in Austria!! Our main objective in Salzburg: The Sound of Music Tour! We had a wonderful and amicable English tour gude who graciously showed us particular scenes from the movie strewn around the beautiful and quaint city of Salzburg! Such sites include: the gazebo where "16 Going on 17" is sung, view of the von Trapp house and lake, the gardens where Do-Ray-Me is sung, the church where the wedding between Maria and Captain von Trapp is filmed (from the conclusion of the movie), the tree-line where the kids hung and sang (forgot what song...forgive me), The Abbey and castle, and the scenic overlook that is found in the beginning of the movie. The tour was absolutely spectacular! Because we had watched the movie the night before we departed Vienna, everything was fresh on my mind, which made the tour that much enjoyable. Salzburg surprised me with its beauty and tranquility. I wish I could spend a whole weekend perusing through the beautiful part of God's creation. After the conclusion of the tour, we walked into the city in search of lunch. We arrived at a hole-in-the-wall type cafe, where I ordered a delicious bowl of warm, hearty chili and toast. We purchased a few cups of overly thick and rich Italian hot chocolate before departing for the train station to our next destination: Munich, which is by far the nicest, cleanest, and most spectacular station I've yet to see.

We transferred from Munich to Fussen, which was our final destination for the day. However, we got off the train to realize we had gone far past Fussen (accidentally) and were thus an hour away from our hostel. We had to wait for 45 minutes in a sketch train station, where we saw 3 undercover cops and a drunken bar fight break out. Quite interesting entertainment at 11pm to say the least. Instead of arriving in Fussen at 10pm, we found ourselves walking to our Fussen hostel at midnight. Our hostel was a short walk from the train station; we had two separate rooms: one containing a set of bunkbeds, and the other with a set of bunkbeds and a queen size mattress. Don't get too excited...it wasn't as nice as I depicted, but that's all part of the experience, right? We all went straight to bed because we were absolutely drained. However, in the middle of the night, Jaren and Sarah both woke up to several girls wailing/screaming/shouting/chanting/ etc. They both believe it sounded like someone was getting raped. Although we are not completely sure what the real story was, the next morning we saw two puddles of throw up sitting right outside our door. We have NO idea what was going on, but Sarah is traumatized to say the least. I'm honestly surprised I didn't wake up in the middle of the night to all the chaos that was happening right outside our door...I guess I really was exhausted. With this being our first official hostel experience, we were all a little on edge as to the nature of the rest of our hostels.

It's currently 750am here in Vienna. I will continue the blog later about the rest of our weekend adventures. God kept up safe and protected, and that is all that truly matters!

where did the week go?

German class on Wednesday was difficult and rather confusing. We are beginning to learn the different cases for German nouns...all the grammar nonsense we learned in high school language classes has to be applied again. The entire 4 hours of classes today was draining. Quick lunch back at the hotel around 1230, then meeting with Mrs. Swann to discuss our travel plans for the weekend. At first, Cari, Sarah, Ricki, and I were planning to travel with the Swanns to Cologne, Germany, where her family is from. Unfortunately, her family and the friends she has connections with in Cologne are all busy/out of town this weekend. Therefore, we revised our plans, so here is our itinerary: depart Friday morning around 6am for Salzburg and then head straight for the 4 hour SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR. I'm excited about that!! Then, train to Neuschwanstein, Germany where the famous castle is. After that, we will then head for Munich and spend the night there and all day Sunday, before heading back to Vienna. It's 1am here and I have to be ready to leave in less than 5 hours. I don't see myself going to bed anytime soon either, but that's okay...I can sleep in 2 months when I'm back in America...right? Exciting weekend ahead. So, back to Wednesday. After the weekend-planning was resolved, we went to the Albertina Museum, which is currently host to an incredible Impressionism exhibit. I had the privilege of viewing originals by Degas, Monet, Cezanne, and Signac, to name a few. I realized while walking through the museum how much I love the Impressionism movement, mostly because of the artists use of light/pastel colors, as well as the defined brush strokes. The heightened sense of abstraction in most Impressionistic works appeals to me as well. After leaving the museum, we walked to La Favorita and ordered tomato soup and breadsticks (best warm meal I've had in a while), then headed to the Horton's room for symposium discussion about what we are studying in CIVA, followed by a group-wide devo. Afterwards, 8 of us made our way over to Cafe Hawelka in Stephansplatz to enjoy warm hot chocolate/coffee and a delicious plum-filled pastry dessert called buchteln. There's something about late night coffeehouse conversation that evokes in me an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment.


Today...yes it's ALREADY Thursday...has been a good, productive day! After German class, we met for Humanities at the Kunstistorches museum to observe some Baroque artists and their paintings, including several original pieces by Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt. After the completion of class for the week, Sarah, Amy, and I headed straight to the Hofburg Palace in search of the Prunksaal, the Austrian National Library. The collection of books and novels is overwhelming, containing over 7.4 million items! We paid 4.50 euro to walk through the library, but it was money well spent. Even the ceiling of the library is immaculate, covered in brightly-colored frescoes. After, we got sandwiches from the closest Billa, then set out in search of some new winter coats. Speaking of coats, the weather today was ridiculous! We experienced our first day of Viennese snow flurries! Yes, it's October. I honestly can't imagine how bitterly cold it will be here in Austria over the next few weeks. Sarah and I were both successful in our coat-buying endeavors. In fact, I bought two long peacoats that I plan to get good use out of over the next two months! She and I stopped by the train station to book our group's tickets for fall break, then headed back to the hotel for some pilates action. Then, we ate dinner and watched The Sound of Music with Ricki, in preparation for the tour tomorrow in Salzburg. I'm more excited now than ever since the story/soundtrack is fresh on my mind!!

I will update on Sunday night (Monday afternoon at the lateset) about our adventures from our weekend in Salzburg/Germany! Love to all.

back to reality?

Monday came wayyyy too fast. I feel as if I've been out of school for several months, considering how much we just experienced during our 9 day trip to Italy. I had a consistent migraine for the entirety of class today...yes 4 straight hours. Not such a great feeling. CIVA was interesting and stimulating today, as we compared/contrasted 4 different artists renditions of "David." We also discussed the Mannerist and Baroque periods of art. Maybe class was more stimulating because we were conversing about artists we had just been privileged to see in person throughout Italy! After class, several of us went to the local Billa to purchase groceries for the next few days. After returning from the trip, I decided my diet needed drastic help. I refuse to come back to America looking like I just competed in a 3 month long hot dog eating contest. Therefore, I stocked up on some fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads. It's VERY much easy in Europe to let yourself go, refuse to exercise, and eat as much wiener schnitzel as you can before making yourself sick.

After lunch, Kat, Sarah, Cari, Ricki, and I journeyed over to the local laundrymat situated 15 minutes from our home. We arrived in Vienna on September 3, and this day marked my FIRST trip to a laundry center. I'm pretty impressed and surprised at myself, actually. Don't get me wrong, I've had to hand-wash several necessities over the past month, but made a goal with myself that I would try to do laundry only as much as necessary. I think I can live here three months and only wash laundry three times. I believe I'm becoming lower maintenance with each passing day, and I hope that feeling doesn't fade once back in America. Besides, doing laundry over here can get pricey. We each paid around 7 euro (which is close to $10) to wash/dry all our clothes.

After purchasing stamps at the local post office, we returned to the hotel to begin working on homework and our sketchbook journals for Humanities. Our teachers required us to take notes/sketch throughout our time in Italy, which seems unnecessary, but I genuinely enjoyed that challenge because it forced me to concentrate even more than I already had been. We had our pilates session for a good 40 minutes afterwards which was invigorating considering the only exercise we could claim the past 9 days was trekking through all the cities in Italy. Later, I had a delicious peanut butter sandwich in the hotel for dinner, completed a few blogs, edited some pictures, then joyfully got in bed before 10pm.

It's currently Tuesday, and I already feel like time is FLYING by. We leave again Thursday. From this point on, the next two months will go by WAY too fast, considering we will be travelling every Thursday-Sunday, as well as a 10 day fall break. Class was good today. Sometimes our German teacher can be frustrating because he is extremely scatter-brained, and I feel like the majority of what we are learning is not practical knowledge. CIVA was stimulating again today. We ACTUALLY used our Bibles today as part of class discussion, which I loved. We had a great conversation about Catholicism and their use of icons/idols in their worship, and compared our practices as modern Protestants. Even though we don't claim to use images in our services, we do in a sense. For instance, many churches use soothing/meditative music throughout the service to evoke a sense of heightened emotionality and conviction. Also, many churches have adopted the practice of using powerpoints with rather goofy, misplaced images of pastoral scenes, sheep, Jesus on the cross, etc. to also create an environment of sentimentality. It's very interesting and rather hypocritical how many modern day Christians ridicule Catholic practices, when in fact we are falling in their footsteps.

Sorry for that rambling...after class, we went back to the train station to get some more detailed information for our train schedules over fall break. We ate a quick lunch at the hotel, then I was able to skype call my wonderful parents and talk to them for a half hour before they prepared for the work day. I miss you both!! If you are reading this and don't know my parents, to say you are missing out is an understatement. We proceeded to continue planning for fall break throughout the afternoon. The train schedules got messy when we realized Nice, France does not have many train destinations to pick from. I had the idea to check for cheap flights on ryanair.com and fortunately we found a flight from Barcelona back to Vienna for the day we needed, AND it will only cost 42 euro! This way, we will be taking 2 fewer overnight trains, which allows for more time in our destination cities! After fall break planning, I uploaded my pictures from Italy onto Facebook (check them out if you haven't). Then, off to the martial arts center for our daily dose of pilates with the rest of the girls. Afterwards, my fall break group came back to the hotel to proceed to book our single airline flight from Barcelona, as well as the hostels we will be staying at during our trip. I'm very much excited about all the sights/new experiences awaiting us!  After,  I went to Ricki and Rachel's room to watch the Sound of Music for a few minutes. Now, I'm about to skype with some good friends from home before heading to bed for the night! I don't have enough hours in the day....ah!

Oh, Siena.

Saturday was a great day! Early wake up call so that we could catch our train to the wonderful town of Siena, located just two hours outside of Florence. We had a guided tour for several hours to get oriented into the city. We began at St. Dominico, a cathedral housing relics of St. Catherine, the patron saint of Siena/Italy at large. She is known for receiving the stigmata and writing the Bible in the vernacular. Our guide gave us a brief history of the town of Siena and the background of the power struggles with Florence. Interestingly, Siena was also avidly hospitable to Catholic pilgrims. We walked through several historical districts before arriving at the immaculately decorated Cathedral of Siena. This church is in the Romanesque style, containing a brick interior and a marble exterior. This is considered the "zebra cathedral" because of the black and white striped columns contained throughout the entirety of the Cathedral. After the tour, we had a few free hours inside the city. I had a delicious tuna panini for lunch, before stopping at a side fruit market for our fill of apples and pears. Of course the rain followed us into Siena, so Ricki, Cari, Sarah, and I made a quick detour into a local cafe to purchase the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever tasted. Yes, it was as thick as Hershey's chocolate syrup, if not even thicker, but wow. It was great. We departed for Florence and took the train back in to enjoy our last night in Italy :( The remainder of our hours were spent inside the street markets, where I made my first Italian leather purchases. Cari and I got separated from the rest of the group so we wandered into a few shops, most notably a perfume store where I'm almost positive I smelled at least 50 different brands of women's perfume. We met back up with the entire group for our last family dinner in Italy, which was by far the best I had on the trip. 4 courses:  mixed green salad,  penne pasta, grilled chicken, and a creme pastry. What could be better?  Our waiter was a true Italian who sung to us Opera style every time he distributed food. After a satisfying last supper in Italy, we returned to the hotel for a restful night's sleep.

Sunday=LONG. We had to get up around 7am to depart for the train station to head HOME. We took a 1 1/2 hour train to Venice, then transferred onto a charter bus for four hours which brought us into Austria. Then, another train ride (4 hours) back into Wien. The majority of the long journey back was spent conversing with some of my "family" members and trying to nap on and off. I got a slight case of motion sickness on the train ride back to Vienna, but I survived. We arrived back at the hotel around 8pm and spent the rest of the night unpacking and catching up on my blog which I neglected for 9 days. My 9 days in Italy were some of the best, most memorable times of my life. I saw more history and art than most people dream of in an entire lifetime. Being surrounded by 30+ people for 9 straight days was not always easy or extremely pleasant, but God is teaching me more about patience, long suffering, and perseverance than I thought possible. The beauty and history contained inside Italy is simply astounding. I am so grateful for our opportunity to explore unknown parts of God's marvelous creation. In a few weekends, some of us are going back to Italy to spend time in Venice and Cinque Terre. Can't wait! Hope you've enjoyed your quick trip in Italy by reading my blog. I could talk about it all day, but once again, words and pictures just don't do justice.

...and it keeps getting better.

Today (Friday), our day began with one of the most anti-climatic experiences yet: the Casa Buonarroti, a house converted into a museum located in Florence dedicated to the great Michelangelo. We had originally been told this was once Michelangelo's house, but that is not true at all. Because of this, the tour was slightly less interesting and dull. That's okay...not everything in Italy has to be spectacular, right? Our next stop was to the Bargello National Museum, housing masterpieces by Michelangelo, including Bacchus, as well as Donatello's depiction of "David" that we like to refer to as "Gayvid."The museum was considerably overwhelming considering the lack of time we had to enjoy our surroundings. I thoroughly enjoyed observing several renown artists versions of "David," as they all portray him at a different age/maturity level and body type. Next, we had free time for lunch and opted to buy a 5 euro container of fruit (since we've been on carb overload). Rain began to pour down on the city of Florence as we wove our way in and out of small shops. Then, onto the magnificent Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the Western world. This is one of the most frequented tourist attractions in the city of Florence. Some of the best artists in the entire history of art are housed in this Gallery, including Giotto, Cimabue, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Durer, Caravaggio, and Gentileschi. Yeahhhh, it was quite ridiculous. Completely and utterly overwhelming. Our teachers had a few works they required us to see and some people (sadly) decided to leave after completing the assignment. However, because I was in art heaven, Sarah and I stayed for at least 2 hours exploring all the exhibits. Unfortunately, I still feel like I didn't fully experience this immaculate gallery. I can't even imagine what I will feel when I go to the Louvre in Paris. Ahh. Some of my favorite paintings of the day: Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," Da Vinci's "The Adoration of the Magi," and Botticelli's, "The Allegory of Spring."

After a rushed departure from the museum, Cari, Sarah, and I headed directly to the train station. We were given the rest of the day free in Florence to do as we chose. Because we were not wanting to waste the day shopping, we decided to go to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower! The train ride took about an hour and as soon as we arrived Pisa, we were met with a torrential downpour. Instead of simply buying a bus ticket for one euro to take us directly to the Tower, we opted to purchase umbrellas and walk. BAD decision, but honestly I don't regret it at all because it was such a hilarious experience. By the time we got to the Tower, which was nearly an hour's walk, we were like wet puppies. Quite the Kodak moment. Soaking wet and cold, we met up with Ricki and Kat at a pizzeria for dinner... (they had chosen to leave the Uffizi earlier in order to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa in better daylight). We had a delicious meal of vegetable soup, margherita pizza, and indescribably rich hot chocolate. Who can say they ate dinner right by the Leaning Tower of Pisa...how cool is that? We took the metro bus back to the train station around 9pm. I'm pretty positive our bus driver was slightly intoxicated. He was making terribly sharp turns and almost ran over a few pedestrians. I was terrified. We were on the train for about 30 minutes and noticed we had stopped for an abnormally long time at a particular train station. Thus, we were informed the train was experiencing a "blackout" (still not sure what that means) and we were delayed 45 minutes. In the meantime, I met a linen-clad young man named Elijah from Gainesville, Florida who is independently free-traveling in Europe for 2 months. He is a semi-professional photographer who formerly worked for the agricultural department at the University of Florida. It was awesome meeting/conversing with him and sharing experiences/tips on where to go, must-see's, etc. We arrived back at the hotel around 1030 and hung out with everyone in the lobby for a while before heading to bed for the night.

salerno.pompeii.florence.

Daniel graciously allowed us to have free time in Rome on Wednesday at our disposal. Because of this, many of us decided to take a day-trip to Pompeii to see the Roman ruins. We took the train from Rome to Naples, then to Salerno. Upon arrival in the latter, Daniel realized the train station had given us tickets for the wrong route. Because of this confusion, we had an hour to kill in the small Italian town of Salerno. Little did we realize, this would be one of the most picturesque, enjoyable hours of the entire Italy trip. Why? Salerno is located on the Tyrrhenian Sea. I've never seen water so clear and extensive. Pictures just can not do justice. After killing some time exploring Salerno, we boarded another train to take us directly into Pompeii. This city was destroyed and buried as a result of the volcanio eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79. Spanning across 165 acres, Pompeii is at least 3x the size I was expecting. Our precious tourguide showed us many of the former Roman markets contained in the city as well as an ancient Roman brothel, which weirded me out! We left for Pompeii early in the morning on Wednesday, expecting to arrive around 10am. Instead, the entire trip there took over 6 hours because of the train confusion. The train ride back into Rome was slightly dreadful. I started feeling sick and my sinuses were acting up. Most people slept, but I was way too uncomfortable. We arrived back into Rome and had a group dinner at a local restaurant run by 4 nuns. The food was French-inspired and better than I expected. At the conclusion of dinner, all the nuns gathered around the restaurant to recite their Ave Maria, a traditional Catholic song asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary. After dinner, Kat and I took a cab back to the hotel because I was not feeling well at all and knew I needed the best medicine would be a bed.  We had to spend 13 euro for the ride, but it was definitely worth the money.

Thursday, we began our journey to Florence. The train ride was only a few hours and as soon as we arrived, Daniel allowed us a few hours of free time for lunch inside the city. I, however, opted to rest at the hotel because I still wasn't feeling 100%. I had to meet up with the group at the Duomo, located inside the city's main plaza. This was a 20 minute walk from our hotel, but I didn't get lost once. Aren't you proud, Mom?! Our first historical excursion in Florence was to the Galleria dell Accademia, most famous for housing Michelangelo's massive sculpture of "David." Our tour guide was overflowing with information, which was slightly overwhelming at the time, but now I'm grateful for it. "David" was quite intriguing to see. He is 18 feet tall and his hands and head are extremely disproportional. Regardless, I found him beautiful. Michelangelo's depiction is unlike many others because he portrays him before the actual fight with Goliath. Our time at the Galleria seemed rushed and I wish I could have stayed for several hours, but we had a strict agenda in order to see all that we had planned to. We next saw the first Medici palace and the Medici chapels, followed by the Belltower and the ornately decorated Cathedral of Florence. We had a few free hours inside Florence, which was spent inside the street markets. Let's just say: LEATHER GALORE. I'm not a huge leather wearer/buyer, but it was still interesting to weed through. We met back up for dinner then straight back to the hotel to get in bed early since we had to get up at 530am that morning.

Overload.

Monday=FULL day.  We began in Vatican City at the museum, home to a wide array of historic art, including sculptures, frescoes, tapestries, and modern Christian art. Works in the museum include: compositions by Caravaggio, Da Vinci, Fra Angelico, and Raphael, and of course the famous Sistine Chapel. Our wonderful tour guide, Roberta, guided us throughout the museum and explained the significance of much of the artifacts. One of my favorite sightings of the tour was seeing Laocoon and His Sons. If you are not familiar with this magnificently constructed sculpture, PLEASE look it up. It’s incredible. The tapestries inside one of the halls were massive and several hundred feet long. My second favorite sighting from the VC museum was Raphael’s well-known painting entitled “School of Athens.” Seeing the Sistine Chapel in person was unreal. I strained my neck just gazing up at the ceiling. I was so impressed by Michelangelo’s depiction of “The Last Judgment.” Thinking that I stood in the same room he stood in order to paint the Sistine Chapel almost brought tears to my eyes. Yes, the majority of his paintings have been recently restored to more vivid color, yet it’s still spectacular to see in 2009, nearly 400 years later. After exiting the VC museum, we arrived inside St. Peter’s Square, located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. This area is typically where the Pope makes speeches/announcements (often weekly).

Next, we were guided inside the famous St. Peter’s Basilica, located still within Vatican City. This church has the largest interior of any other Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people! This Roman basilica is immaculate and overpowering. Michelangelo’s depiction of Pieta is housed to the right of the foyer, which was wonderful to finally see in person! We split off for lunch break; some of us got ripped off for a not-so delicious cheese pizza, so we drowned our sorrows away by buying a few scoops of gelato (naturally). We shopped around for a little bit before meeting back up inside St. Peter’s Square. Our next stop of the day: the Roman Catacombs, underground burial places where Roman Christians used to meet in for church worship, as well as bury their dead. Although eerie and (quite frankly) terrifying, the tour of the catacombs was still highly interesting. I’m not sure how far underground we were, but thinking about being hidden there is not a pleasant thought. Up to 500 ancient Roman Christians were once buried in these historic catacombs. The rest of the day was ours to enjoy inside the city of Rome! We stopped for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. I ordered my first authentic dish of lasagna, which was not nearly as delicious as my mother’s (if I’m being honest)! We ventured back over to the Pantheon for a little bit before trying to find the metro bus line that would take us back to our hotel. We were unsuccessful in our endeavors for over an hour because we were given misleading directions. Although frustrating at the time, I can not complain about getting lost in Rome.

Tuesday, we arrived well rested at the Galleria Borghese, a famous art museum in Rome, housing a large compilation of Caravaggio’s works. The exhibit currently in the gallery is a collaborative collection of Caravaggio and Francis Bacon. Both incredible artists with polar opposite styles. I love this quote from Bacon: “A person’s appearance is intimately connected with his interior identity.” Bernini’s “David” is also housed inside this museum. What a striking structure. Although this museum was packed full of famous artists/artworks, my favorite to see in person was “Judith Beheading Holofrenes.” Can you tell I’m on art overload?! After nearly two (short) hours at the Galleria, we walked to Rome and arrived at San Pietro, a basilica in Rome, most well known for housing Michelangelo’s magnificent statue of Moses, as well as the chains of St. Peter during his imprisonment. I’m not completely sure if I believe the chains to be authentic or not, but seeing them was still interesting. I had lunch at “Michelangelo’s Pizza” with Kat, Ricki, Erin, and Matt. We then walked to the famous Trajan Market. We contemplated paying for a guided tour but decided against it. . I ventured out with 6 others to see more historic sights in Roma (instead of opting to shop), most notably the Pope’s Castle, where the view of the city was indescribably beautiful. We made the wise decision to stay up on the lookout roof while the sun went down, as Andy read Psalm 48. Read it and pretend you are on top of the castle, looking directly at St. Peter’s Basilica (as we were); it was so powerful! After this memorable experience, we had a delicious (late) dinner inside the city, in which Sarah and I split a pizza and a dish of cannelloni with crabmeat. Although not my favorite meal, I do enjoy trying new dishes so I did not care if it wasn’t my favorite meal of the trip. CIAO for now.

Beginnings of Italia.

Sorry I broke my promise and did not blog from Italy. We ended up not having any Internet access for the past 9 days, so I’m about to play a MAJOR game of catch up on my blog. I have seen and experienced more than I could ever imagine in the past 9 days, so I will start from where I left off…..you ready?!

Saturday morning, I woke up earlier than everyone else and was able to skype call with Megan for a little bit. I was SO happy about that, as usual! The remainder of the day was spent typing a quick blog, running at the Belvedere, abs, pilates, packing for ITALY, showering, and moving out of our hotel rooms (and storing our bags in one large room for the 9 days, in order to not have to pay for our hotel rooms while being out of the country).  I made a quick trip to a local H+M to get a few solid colored shirts, and OF COURSE when I was in the dressing room, the shirt I was wearing ripped down the whole left side..literally. Quite hilarious to say the least. We met back up with the group around 6pm to walk to the West Sudbanhof, the closest train station. We left Vienna at approximately 730pm and ventured out on our first overnight train experience, in a European sleeping couchette. The compartments had 4 beds each (bunk-bed style). Although it was rather cramped, I enjoyed it. No, it was not the best sleep of my life, but the environment was clean and comfortable. We arrived in Rome at 10am the next morning for our first official day of sightseeing!

Our first historic stop in Italy: The Baths of Caracalla, public baths in Rome built between 212-216 AD. The complex covers over 33 acres. I had no previous knowledge of these widely-used baths. I was in awe at how well preserved the complex still is to this day. The Baths were frequented daily by thousands of Romans for bathing and leisurely swimming. I definitely wish America would adopt this concept! Next, we arrived at the incredible Roman Colosseum (originally the Flavian Amphitheatre), the largest amphitheater ever built during the Roman Empire. This construction is certainly one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. Capable of seating up to 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. Let me just say, pictures DO NOT do this site justice. I honestly could have spent at least 5 hours in this sight alone. Just looking out over the ampitheatre and realizing all the momentous battles that took place thousands of years ago is enough to take your breath away.

In close proximity to the Colosseum are two well-known structures: The Arch of Titus and The Arch of Constantine. Although not quite as aesthetically impressive, but still important lies the Roman Forum, the central area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed, as well as the center of the Roman Empire. Although many of the columns and buildings are not fully intact, the remains are still impressive, considering how much time has passed since its origins. After the Forum, we headed directly to the Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome. The dome of the Pantheon is overwhelmingly large in diameter (142 feet)! I never thought while studying the Pantheon senior year of high school in Humanities class that I’d get to witness this magnificent sight. The interior is beautiful and ornately decorated. After some time inside, we enjoyed our first Italian lunch and gelato experience in Rome, then arrived back at our hotel in the outskirts of Rome to rest and shower before heading back out for our 4 COURSE Italian dinner. After dinner, most of us were mentally and physically exhausted so we had planned on heading back to the hotel, until we heard the Black Eyed Peas song, “Boom Boom Pow” playing live, thus we decided to follow the beat. We discovered the song was being played inside a famous plaza in Rome, where an Italian RAVE was just starting. This is by far one of the best memories of the trip. Most of us ran to the front and joined in on the dancing. After nearly 45 minutes of dancing, being goofy, etc, we were drenched in sweat and decided it was best to return to the hotel. Words just do not describe how hilarious and fun this experience was for all of us. It’s the little, unexpected/unplanned adventures that are making my time here in Europe so memorable. Thus concludes our first full day in Italia!!

PS- I tried to upload some pictures, but it's not working so just refer to my facebook to see all the sights, etc!

pre-italy.

After our CIVA test on Thursday, we had a relaxing few hours at the hotel. Most people took naps. I decided against that and instead ventured outside to journal and read. We studied German for a little bit mid-afternoon (quiz on Friday), then went to pilates at the gym next to our hotel. Ricki and I ran for a few miles after pilates, which felt SO good. Then, we headed to the H+M in Stephanplatz to purchase the purse I had seen last week but decided to wait to actually buy it. We returned to the hotel and had our weekly devotional/real talk in the Horton's room. I was feeling apathetic about going up there because I had plenty of other things to accomplish. However, I am so happy I decided to go. Several girls read verses that all had a common theme: PEACE. I have days here sometimes where I don't feel peaceful or filled with the peace of Christ. It was so encouraging to discuss our feelings and realize that God is in control of our lives, and we are all here for a reason. After the devo, I went downstairs to the lobby to study German more, then was able to skype a few people from home!!


Friday, our day began with our first German "quiz" which was more along the lines of a test. I felt pretty good about the whole thing. Hopefully, I did really well! For Humanities class today, we learned some basic Italian phrases and talked about the itinerary for our 9 day trip to Florence, Rome, and Siena! Back to the hotel for lunch, then Ricki, Erin, and I went to the Hofburg district and to Mariahilferstrasse to accomplish a few Vienna visits and check out some stores, one of which was a home decor store that we spent a good hour and a half in. It made me excited to think about decorating my own home in the near future! We had dinner again at Vapiano, then came back to the hotel for a meeting with the whole group. After the meeting, most people watched "Life is Beautiful," but instead I decided to call some people from back home. I got to talk to Rachel, Patrick, Megan, and Matthew. So good talking to all of them! I am truly blessed to have such caring people in my life! Sorry this blog is extra short, but I have to start packing for Italy. We have to completely move out of our hotel rooms and store our luggage in the Horton's room. It's a big hassle, but at least we're saving money by doing it!


CIAO. I will be blogging every few days from Italy from Erin's laptop. We're taking the overnight train tonight to Rome. Great 9 days ahead!

Such Great Heights.

Tuesday:

Sarah, Cari, and I started our Tuesday morning off early by getting to school around 715ish to practice some singing before classes began. I already feel like my vocal are improving, which is definitely something I need (TRUST me). Classes seemed longgggggggg today. We stopped at the Billa to get some groceries for lunch before heading back to the hotel. I studied outside for a bit. Then, Charli, Jordan, and I talked to Herr Stephan for a while. He is the manager of the Hotel we are living at, and he gave us some great suggestions of the good restaurants to try out around Vienna. Afterwards, Ricki and I ran at the Belvedere then went straight to the newly built martial arts studio next to our hotel to meet up with the rest of the girls for pilates class. The owners of the studio are graciously letting us take over the downstairs aerobic room twice a week (for an hour) so that we can have a large enough space to all do pilates together! We got back to the hotel around 6ish and proceeded to work on fall break…aka searching through hostels, train timetables, etc. After an hour or so of strategic planning (trust me, we’re not near done yet...our professors and former students of this program did not inform us of how much time and planning goes into preparing for fall break), we took Herr Stephan’s advice to heart and 12 of us girls set out for one of the Italian restaurants he recommended, called Vapiano. SO good. Probably my favorite restaurant here. They have an overwhelming amount of options for pastas/pizzas. Vapiano is very modern and it reminded me of Shogun because they prepare the food in front of you. The food was very well priced as well. Sarah and I split a wheat pasta dish and a barbeque chicken pizza for 7 euro each. We got back to the hotel around 9ish. The rest of the night was spent studying. Ridiculous, right?

Wednesday:

Sarah and I went to school early again today to have our daily singing session. We sang a few Hillsongs and worked on enunciation. I love starting my day off singing, because if nothing else, it’s a good way to wake up! After German, our Humanities class went back to the Kunsthistoriches museum to explore the Renaissance exhibit. I had the privilege of seeing some original works by Raphael and Durer. Professor Mandy Horton always assigns us a worksheet of questions that we have to fill out on our own before leaving the museum for the day.  We stayed there til around 1230, then came back for lunch.  Then, off to Professor Horton’s art class that she had invited me to for today because they were studying photography. We talked about strong pictorial compositions for awhile by observing works from several well-known photographers. Then, she invited us to show any pictures we had taken personally. She was very encouraging to me and wants me to work on capturing more images of people. I tend to stick to architecture and landscapes because that’s what I find most appealing, but I want to improve on the portrait aspect of photography. Afterwards, Erin and I made our way over to the Mariahilfer Strasse district, a large shopping district located 10+ minutes away. We stopped at a hole-in-the-wall type café for delicious hot peppermint tea and hot chocolate. She and I stayed and talked for over an hour before heading back to the hotel. Then, I went with Kat, Cari, and Meghan to Café Frauenhuber to continue studying for our first Christianity in Visual Arts test. We met a young guy named Martin at the café. He’s a local and we talked a lot about the differences in his culture and what we’re used to in America. ‘Twas fun.

It’s now 1pm on Thursday. We just finished our first CIVA test. I don’t feel all that great about it. 5-essay test. I’m usually too hard on myself after I finish a test, but I know Professor Rocky Horton is not a lenient grader, and I just don’t want my gpa to suffer because of his class. CIVA is supposed to be our Bible class while we are in Europe. To me, it’s more of an art history class with Christian connotations. We’ve yet to open our Bibles for that class. Oh well. I pray God gives me strength and continued encouragement.