So Long, Farewell

It's hard to even process five months of living in Vienna. I’ve written this post so many times, but there just isn’t a perfect way to sum up everything that has happened. There’s so much. I know that I’ve changed, but I can’t really tell how much until I’m back home. But I want to at least try to reflect on what my time here has meant to me.

It’s clear to me that coming to Vienna this semester was exactly the right choice for me. Sure, there were challenges. My Southern self had to learn how to navigate the cold. I had to say goodbye to everyone I loved and start from scratch meeting people and making friends. But this was unmistakably the place where I was supposed to be. I learned so much, not only in my classes, but also about myself.

I learned what my view of the world looks like from the outside. I used to think Texas meant football and the Lone Star State. But to people here, Texas means guns and cowboys. So many people asked me if I owned a gun, it was hilarious. Sure, I’m still a tacky American who uses her credit card too much and likes bacon with breakfast, but I am more aware now that my brand of “normal” is just one of many.

General life skills should have been on my syllabus this semester as well. When I first showed up, no one could understand my colloquialisms. But now I've learned to communicate better with people from other cultures. The time I stood at the post office desk for a good three minutes trying to mime-ask how to use a stamp should count for three hours of cross-cultural communication class.

And I can take care of myself in the big city now. The number of times I’ve gotten off at the completely wrong Ubahn station has dramatically decreased since February. I can even read the signs so I don’t spend an hour confused because I took the wrong exit out of the station. And I am quite accustomed to the strange things that might happen while on the train. Like the cat who rode the train one day, or the woman carrying a live lemon tree. So I feel like I’ve got city life under control. Which gives me confidence that no matter where I end up in life, I'll be able to make it work.

In general I feel more confident than I have before. Moving to a foreign country presents a thousand tiny challenges every day in the beginning, but now that I have overcome those, I feel like I can take on the world.

The city of Vienna itself has also been my classroom. I've learned about architecture on its streets. I've gone back in time through the palaces and museums to experience its history. And most of all Vienna has taught me about what it means to take time to enjoy life. The culture here does not encourage hustle and bustle. If something is pleasant, you should savor it. Five months ago I would have never believed that I could sit in a coffee shop for two or three hours, just sipping a drink. I had this idea that if I wasn’t busy all of the time, then I would notice how far away my friends and family were and feel lonely. But that wasn’t the case. I calmed down, and finally learned how to relax. There were definitely many times when I missed family and friends, but constant motion wasn’t the best distraction.

 

Architecture with Otto Wagner

Museum of Vienna

Sipping in style

And while I am sitting here, thinking about all of the good times I’ve had, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of the awesome people who made it so. You were such good friends to me during my time here. I had so much fun hanging out with you and learned so much from you. I just hope we will see each other again.

Saying goodbye is always hard. There are just no words. But I know that Vienna, and the people here, have left their mark on me. I'm going back home a different person after everything I’ve done and learned on my study abroad journey. A little more relaxed, a little more confident, and with a whole new perspective on life. So, with many thanks left unsaid, it’s time to say Auf Wiedersehen.

Madrid: More Than My Dreams

For the first time in weeks I was actually busy. My parents had just left, I was in the middle of classes, and I had assignments due. It was the perfect time to take a holiday to Spain. Okay, so maybe the timing wasn’t perfect, but I managed to get everything done in time to leave. I left behind a rainy Vienna crowded with Eurosong tourists, and retreated to sunny Madrid.

I had written down a few highlights that I wanted to see in Madrid, but I was still unsure of what the city would be like. Would it be really hot? Would people be in the streets until three a.m.? Would it be grand and imperial or laid back? Turns out, whatever my expectations were, they were wrong. I could have never expected to love Madrid as much as I did.

I lucked out with the location of my hostel. It was right in the middle of the Barrio de las Letras. I couldn’t have been more centrally located. Pretty much anywhere I wanted to go in the city I could walk. And if I felt like it was a little too far, there was a metro stop only two blocks away. I bought ten metro tickets when I arrived, but ended up not even using them all. That’s how walkable the city was. And everywhere I walked was full of charming discoveries. Beautiful balconied buildings, cute little shops, and painted street signs lined every street. Not to mention the grand, imperial architecture throughout the city. 

Plaza Mayor

The Palace

One of the amazing places just a few minutes’ walk away from where I was staying was the Parque de El Retiro, a massive park. It took me three days to see all of it. Even so, I’m pretty sure there are still spots I didn’t see. It’s like if you took six or seven big gardens and then just built them all right next to each other. One area has fancy trees that are pruned into shapes like a Dr. Seuss book. Another is all trees and bushes with a bunch of feral cats running around. There is a big, artificial pond full of paddleboats with a giant statue. The whole park is littered with statues and fountains around every turn.

 Alfonso XII monument

The most famous attraction in the park is the Palacio de Cristal, or Crystal Palace. It was built as a green house, but is now just a really cool glass building for art exhibits. While I was there, they had a giant tent made of Turkish textiles. It added a lot of color to the space. 

On my last day, I finally found the most interesting statue in the park. It is called the Fuente del Ángel Caído, or Fountain of the Fallen Angel. In addition to being a dramatic statue, it also happens to stand at exactly 666 meters above sea level. Spooky. 

But I didn’t spend my whole trip to Madrid in the park, although I was there often. Sunday morning was El Rastro flea market. I love flea markets, so I got up early to go see what was for sale. This was a first class flea market. They had all kinds of clothing and trinkets, spanning many blocks. Lots of booths were selling stuff at a great discount. Plus there were a few artesian type booths with higher quality, special items. Not many antiques were for sale, but there was also a distinct lack of junk. It was a clean, friendly market.

 I bought a hat!

In stark contrast with the friendly, cheap El Rastro market, was Madrid’s biggest shopping street, Gran Via. Full of towering buildings, it reminded me a lot of Fifth Avenue in New York. Just like Fifth Avenue, my shopping here was all of the window variety. Strolling along, I felt like a million bucks surrounded by the fancy buildings. 

But there were other shopping areas to wander to as well. Like the hipster Malasaña barrio right nearby. This is where I ended up after randomly deciding to turn left A wide variety of cute, fun stores took me all the way up to the Tribunal metro station. If you like to shop, Madrid has you covered from every angle. 

While all of that outdoor meandering was quite enjoyable, one indoor attraction managed to pull me away from the sunshine: the Prado Museum. It has an utterly massive collection of art. After six hours in the museum, I had to give up on seeing everything and go eat.  It was an art marathon.

Entrance for students was free, so I decided to buy an audio guide. It helped me make sense of everything, and was definitely a good investment. I learned so much. There were many masterpieces of Spanish and international art inside. So many that it felt like every room had some kind of world-renowned painting. One of the masterpieces that I recognized was The Garden of EarthlyDelights by Hieronymus Bosch. It is amazing to see in real life.

 They also had a huge collection of the work of Franciscode Goya. He is Spain’s most famous painter, and his work covers a huge range. He created many portraits of the royal family, as well as designs for tapestries. But he also had a “black period” near the end of his life, where he painted ever-darker scenes of witchcraft and war. The collection was fascinating to see and hear about.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the Prado Museum. I can see why it is one of the jewels of Madrid.

And of course I have to mention the food. I had absolutely no idea what Spanish food would be like. Turns out, it is delicious. Every single meal I had seemed like a simple dish. Like Jamón, Spain’s version of prosciutto ham. Or tortilla, an egg and potato dish. But they were elevated from something simple to something amazing.  And everything comes in smallish portions, like tapas and Bocadillo sandwiches. That way I could eat often and well. The best way to eat, in my opinion. I will save you from a long list of the mouthwatering delights. For having no expectations, Spanish food blew me away.

I now get why so many people go to Madrid on holiday. Who can resist the sunshine in the parks, the fabulous shopping streets that wind through the city, the great food, and the world-class art? I thought four days in Madrid would be long enough to see the city. I was wrong. There was so much left to see and do. I guess I will just have to count down the days until I can return.  

Taking Time to Be a Tourist

A few weeks ago, my parents came to visit me here in Vienna. They were here a week, which gave me my first real chance to drop everything and just tour Vienna. Before I had tried to see a site here or there, but was also going about daily life. Now I could marathon them all.

We had so much fun exploring the city!  I was their personal tour guide for the week, and we took the “E for everything tour”. That meant I got to see a few places that were still totally new to me. It’s fun to experience the places I’ve been before with my parents, but it was extra fun to try a few new things.

For as long as I have been in Vienna I have been meaning to go to the Belvedere. Eventually, I just decided to save it for my parents’ trip because I hadn’t gotten out there yet. We saw both the Upper and Lower Belvedere. They were built as a palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1723. The Upper Belvedere didn’t stay that way for long, however. Pretty soon it was turned into the imperial painting gallery. It is still an art museum today. 

Visiting the galleries at the Upper Belvedere was pretty awe-inspiring.  Hanging art on stark white walls just isn’t the same as displaying it in a palace. And the palace is so intricate and beautiful inside. Some of the rooms are more plain, but there are quite a few showpiece rooms still left. Check out the marble hall, for example.

One of my favorite moments was when you first enter, there is this white, marble entrance hall with these magnificent, elaborate columns and in the middle was an inflatable Hulk by Jeff Koons. It was a bright pop of color in contrast with the hall. 

Copyright: Belvedere Wien No pictures allowed

  The collection of artwork inside was very nice. It covered quite a long time period, from medieval art all the way to impressionism and the Viennese Secession. The main event, of course, is their collection of works by Gustav Klimt. This included the famous “Kiss” painting, along with many other works. My mother is very into art and art history, so it was especially fun getting her take on many of the paintings featured. 

Seeing the galleries of the Upper Belvedere was great. The Lower Belvedere was cool too. There was an exhibition on the Vienna Congress of 1814 and some more fancy rooms. What made our trip out to the Belvedere more special, however, were the fabulous gardens. Everything that you could wish for in a baroque garden was there: decorative floral arrangements, fanciful fountains, and tree-lined walking paths. All framed by the two gorgeous Belvedere palaces. What a nice place for an afternoon stroll. 

While my parents were here I also wanted to make sure to take them to one of Vienna’s famous concert cafes. And there was one in particular that I had not visited yet, the famous Café Central. It opened in 1876, and has seen its fair share of celebrity guests, including Sigmund Freud, a popular figure in twentieth century Viennese cafes. We went one evening to hear the live piano music. Nothing tops sitting in a beautiful café listening to live music and sipping coffee. And Café Central was certainly beautiful inside.

 Another major bucket list item for all visitors to Vienna that I had not accomplished yet was seeing the Lipizzaner stallions at the Spanish Riding School. Due to time constraints, we decided it would be best to go to the morning exercises. Pictures weren’t allowed, as they might disturb the horses. So you will just have to trust me that this was the fanciest horse arena that I’ve ever seen. There were statues and stucco on the ceiling and red velvet. Nothing like a rodeo in Texas.

The stallions were impressive as well. We watched them being trained. They were so graceful and precise. There is a special stance that they have to maintain as they do different runs and gallops. It was really remarkable and fascinating. You can see the promo clip here. Many people didn’t stay for the whole two-hour show, but we definitely did. They played “Viennese music” from Mozart, Strauss, etc. the whole time. Of course the end was the Radetzky March. We couldn’t clap because of the horses, so we all golf clapped along. 

Showing my parents around definitely helped me cross lots of things off of my bucket list. I only have three weeks left in Vienna now. Where does the time go!? But I was a bit homesick. So, seeing my parents was a real treat. These new highlights were just the cherry on top.