Thanksgiving...in Vienna?

Sorry I'm a few days behind on my blog. The closer we are to going home, the more busy my days get! I'll pick up where I left off, which brings me to Thursday of last week (Thanksgiving). In German today, we reviewed for the exam and our professor helped us work through a pre-final. Then, we had our CIVA final (3 essays) to finish off our last full week of school for the semester! After a quick lunch at the Naschmarkt, I journeyed with 6 friends to the Hundertwasser Haus in Vienna, an apartment house in the 3rd district, featuring undulating floors, a roof covered with grass, and large trees growing from the inside of the rooms. This House is one of Vienna's most visited buildings and has become a part of Austria's cultural heritage. After some time here, Sarah and I split off from the rest and headed straight to the Sigmund Freud museum! For almost half a century, Freud lived and worked in this house. His office and private apartment are now a museum. Spending time inside this museum was such a wonderful experience, mostly because I often forget that Freud was in fact a normal human being, with genius ideas and theories. I often dehumanize people like him simply because his intelligence is far beyond my comprehension.

After a productive day of Vienna sight-seeing, a group of 10 of us "Wieners" went ice-skating at a local out door skating rink. It was so much fun! I don't think I've been ice-skating in at least 10 years, but I was able to pick up the basics more easily than I had anticipated. I suppose since I'm such a klutzy person I don't give myself much credit in such endeavors. We spent almost two hours at the rink before heading back to the hotel. Afterwards, I was able to call my family on Thanksgiving and talk for a little bit, which I had anticipated doing all day! Not being home this year for my favorite holiday was hard, but I wouldn't give up the last three months for anything. :) We had a Vienna family movie night in the Horton's, where we watched Elf and ate Christmas candies. Afterwards, I caught up on my blog and packed for the upcoming weekend in the Alps!

Have I mentioned recently how grateful I am for my loving, supportive, and beautiful group of family and friends who have always been such a encouragement to me?