Vienna

As the airplane cruised over Austria and descended upon Vienna, I knew we were gonna be in trouble. Everything was white. At first I thought it was the clouds, but then I realized that the whiteness was in fact snow. As my friend and I stepped off the plane, little flurries of snow swirled around us and settled on our clothing. It was cold. Very cold. I consider myself to have a bit of tolerance for cold after living on the east coast for a few years, so either I've lost it or Vienna was as cold as I thought it was.

It was dark by the time we settled in at the hostel and decided to explore the city a little. As we hit the city center I looked down one of the streets and saw beautiful Christmas lights. "We are going that way!" I declared as I turned on my heels and zoned in on the festivities. Turns out that one of Vienna's largest Christmas markets had just opened that weekend! I love Christmas markets. I haven't seen any in the US like the ones I've seen here in Copenhagen and Vienna. There are dozens of small huts selling all sorts of Christmassy goodies like ornaments, decorations, and little gifts. Then there are the huts that sell goodies of the edible variety. yummmmmm. There is every sort of pastry imaginable including small round donuts on a stick with warm apple slices in between and donuts where they actually fill it with what you want right in front of you. They also have Glogg which is mulled wine. I believe it's wine with rum in it, and warm with little berries at the bottom. At first it tastes funny, but it grows on you.

For the first day in Vienna we spent the morning walking about the main city. We started at the main opera house then wound our way through the city. There was a gorgeous cathedral that had these amazing windows that let the light just pour through. As beautiful as everything was, it was really really cold, as i mentioned before. Meaning that outdoor site seeing had to be broken up with frequent indoor activities. Luckily, one of the important aspect of the Viennese culture are their cafes. Cafes are everywhere. You can spend hours sitting in a cafe and sipping on a melange (essentially a cappachino) and nibbling on a piece of amazing cake. I must have had at least melange a day and I don't even want to discuss the cake aspect ;)

That evening we went to a museum displaying the art of this man, Hunderwasser. He had very interesting ideas about architecture. For instance, he envisioned neighborhoods where grass was on all the roofs of the homes and everything was eco friendly. He didn't seem to believe in straight lines so the floors were all rounded and dippy. He did believe in "tree tenants" which means you'd have a tree in your house that would grow outside your window to get light and air. He was essentially a hippie architect. On our last day we checked out an apartment building that he designed. It was pretty cool actually.

On the second day we went to an Austrian Palace. Even though at the point I've gone through several castles and palaces on my journey, i still always enjoy it. Everything is so beautiful and over the top. I did have a lot of fun going into the garden because it was something that would have been so beautiful had it been summer or spring, but was essentially dead and ugly while covered in white snow.

There are tons of museums in Vienna. It's another one of those perfect indoor activities to escape the bitter cold outside. Even though I'm not usually into modern art, we went to check out an exhibit called "True Romance." It was very strange. Some of the art was interesting and I liked. Other exhibits kinda freaked me out a little (like one montage of videos of movies from Hollywood with men beating women). One that I did find interesting was a reenactment of a couples conversations via chat on the Internet. Essentially actors were reading aloud their online written dialogue. It was interesting to see conversations acted out because it sounds so bizarre ("hello? Are you there? Why aren't you responding")

That night we went to hear a concert of Mozart and Strauss. There was also some dancing and opera singing. I've never really listened to much classical music, so it was nice to get the opportunity to hear live classical music in a place like Vienna, famous for Mozart. The concert was in a beautiful concert hall with gorgeous lights outside and an elegant interior.

On the final day in Vienna we went to its main museum. Museums are often hit or miss for me. Some I absolutely love and would go back again and again and others I'm kinda ambivalent about. This one fell into the category of love. Some of the exhibits were so unique (like one room dedicated to large and small cameos) but mostly i loved the set up of the museum. It was very private with small rooms and varied lighting. For instance there was this one room where you walked in, and your eyes had to adjust for a second because the lighting was so dim. Then you'd see everything come into focus and saw about 2 dozen busts, all near or below eye level. There was a spot light on each one. It was creepy but a strong way to present the busts.

There is so much more to talk about from Vienna, but for now I think I will end there. It was cold, but absolutely beautiful with its museums, cafes, and architecture. I had a wonderful time, and was saddened that it would be my last European city to visit for a long time.

On that note. I'll be home to SD in less than two weeks. I can't believe this adventure is almost over. But don't worry, I still have some more thoughts and reflections to post about ;)

Ireland

Again with the extreme delay in posting. Apologies.

Ireland was really beautiful and fun. It was the first trip that I wasn't really anticipating, and I think it's because I did it with a tour group, which I've never done before. I tend to buy a Lonely Planet and then start researching and planning everything that I want to see. It gets me excited about my trip. But since the tour group kinda plans everything out for you I didn't really do any research and just showed up. I'm still kinda debating if I enjoyed going as part of a tour group. On the pro side, everything is taken care of for you --> Transportation, hotels, sites, etc. You don't have to worry about much and its easy to meet people. But I thrive on exploring a place and felt I didn't have as much ability to really delve in as much as I would like. Plus you are grouped with people that might not share the same travel values as you (i.e. I like to avoid the label of tourist as much as possible, while some of the people in the group might as well have been wearing flashing yellow "BEWARE tourist" signs. My final conclusion is if you want to visit somewhere and have it easy, then go for the group, but if you want to get your hands a little dirty, plan it yourself.

Ok but now to the actual trip. The irony of the trip was that we had signed up for a pub crawl and i guess I assumed it would be a younger crowd. However, when we showed up it was just my friend and I, then two women in their late twenties, one woman in her early forties, and then senior citizens. I was more amused than annoyed :-P Plus to be honest I wasn't as interested in late party nights anyways (even though the small younger group of us did manage to check out the pubs all night).

We started in Galway, which is on the western side of Ireland. We went straight to the Cliffs of Mohr from the airport. It was so beautiful. I don't think I have the words to describe but I'll do my best. The cliffs dropped straight down into the ocean. The wind was so strong that I insisted on walking slightly hunched down for fear of blowing right off!!! All I could think was that Mom would NOT be happy if I managed to blow off the cliffs of Ireland. haha.

On the way to the hotel our bus got trapped in a traffic jam. See below. :-P

I really enjoyed the Pubs in Ireland. You see them everywhere in the US. There's an irish pub in every city. But the real thing is awesome. Irish music and Guinness. I love Guinness as well. Yay Guinness.

The second day involved much driving around the country side. It was so beautiful and it was one thing I definitely appreciated the tour for, because we were on these tiny roads that i could not have gotten to without renting a car. Everything was so breath taking.

The next day we drove to Dublin, which frankly just felt like any European city. Not that it wasn't unique in its own way, but Galway felt like IRELAND whereas Dublin was Europe. But there was still plenty to do. Over the two days were were there we went to the Jameson Distillery, Guinness Brewery, saw Trinity campus and the Book of Kells (12th century written gospels in beautiful writing with artwork), and just generally checked out the city. I also got to meet up with a friend of mine from Brown who is from Ireland originally. After being out of the states for so long is was nice to chat with someone who I've known for the past 6 years. Most of my interactions here in Copenhagen are with people I've met less than 4 months ago. It was nice to talk about old friends and things like running and college that people here don't know about.

I got back home and less than a week later was on a plane for Vienna...but that's a whole 'nother post. Coming soon. I promise.

Randomness

Tonight I am leaving for Ireland, so shall be away for the next five nights. I was originally planning on traveling in ireland during my solo adventures in the UK but realized right before I left that there was no way i could fit it in.

So here are some random thoughts to hold you over until i get back :-P

I am very upset about the writer's strike. The thought of losing Boston Legal and CSI for the rest of the year really upsets me. Not sure how I'm going to deal with this, I may need counseling. This news came to me shortly after I decided (for about the 10th time) that Boston Legal is one of the best shows on television. If you don't watch it you are missing out. I'm just throwing that out there.

It gets dark now around 4:30. This is very unfortunate. Being this far north definitely has some disadvantages. I am afraid to see what time it will be dark in December.

I am glad to hear that the Starbucks Red Cups are out already in the States. I feel a little better about jumping the gun for christmas.

This may be my most pointless post ever.

Random things i miss from the States (people and animals not included): Movies, Driving my car, the beach, the gym (knee is hurt again. boo.), control over a kitchen, cell phone, Starbucks, being able to afford to eat out.

All right, that's all for now. Pictures and Stories from Ireland to come!

Happy J-Dag!

One of the first things I learned about Copenhagen was that it had a very genuine christmas season. That may have been what sealed the deal for me to come here (Thought ironically it is the christmas season that has made me decide to come home a little earlier, more to come on that in a subsequent post).

So this season, I have been especially excited for Christmas. In two weeks Tivoli will be open for the Christmas season. In 2 1/2 weeks Santa is going to be parading through the city lighting up christmas trees. I'm quite excited.

Now how can one be excited for christmas when it is only November 5? I remember in the past I always will wait until after thanksgiving to get into the christmas spirit. I used to always race our last Cross Country meet the weekend of thanksgiving, and I would joke that as soon as I crossed the finish line I could start listening to christmas music (and i usually brought a xmas cd with me for the journey back home). My first hint of the holiday season has often been from Starbucks. They bust out the christmas cups and then you know its time. Have the red cups come out yet? No Starbucks in Copenhagen so I'm at a loss there.

But I am digressing and have not answered my own question. One can be excited for christmas this early because IT IS ALREADY HERE. All the grocery stores and knick knack stores have tons of christmas stuff out. Advertisements for Tivoli in Jul (christmas) are everywhere. And Last friday was a VERY important event for the Christmas season...the release of Tuborg's Christmas beer.

So we've established I"m a fan of Christmas. But I"m also a fan of good beer. An exciting evening for me is going to a bar and getting a good draught beer. I love Rock Bottom and Karl Strauss for their quality assortment of fine brews. I was recently just discussing my excitement to go to Rock Bottom because they always have a holiday beer in winter.

So I'm a fan of Christmas and a fan of good Beer. Imagine my excitement when I discover there is an entire evening in Copenhagen dedicated to the celebration of the release of Turborg's Christmas Beer. And this is no little celebration...For you, I will describe.

At 8:59 on Friday evening, all the bars are allowed to begin to distribute Tuborg's Christmas beer. I was at a student bar with some friends, anxiously awaiting, when the music from the speakers changed. All of a sudden, it was a bells playing Jingle bells and the crowd moved to the bar. Grinning students lined up like children excited for their first christmas present of the season. It was calm and exciting, no shoving, but polite waiting. The bartenders were wearing blue santa hats designed especially by Tuborg for the occasion. They gave out free pints of the christmas beer and the entire time Jingle Bells was playing (approx 30 mins). About an hour and a half later, the Turborg guys and girls came dressed up in the Tuborg christmas gear distributing bottles of the beer and Mistletoe Headbands. It was awesome.

So, for me Christmas is here. Next week I'm decorating my room and will start listening to my christmas music a week earlier than usual. And I'll probably have a Christmas beer while I decorate. :-D

Berlin

I am terribly behind in my posting, so today's post involves a slight bit of time travel. About a week and a half ago I traveled with a friend of mine to Berlin during our week off from classes. I really had no idea what to expect from Berlin, but let me just start off with the fact that it was fantastic! And this is despite being deathly ill my first day there (okay, i tend to exagerate a bit).

So far on my travels, I have never gotten sick and been forced to spend an entire day at the hostel. Unfortunately, my first day in Berlin broke that streak. The cold that had been surfacing the evening before was in full force, and it took all my energy to demand cold medicine and food from my travel buddy (even with a cold, my appetite will not be stifled ;) ). So the first day was essentially a bust, but the next two days were fantastic!

Day one involved a general walking tour of Berlin. It took about 4 hours and we covered so much! First thing of note is that most of Berlin was destroyed in WWII, so most buildings were rebuilt after that time. Any building pre-dating that time are sure to have shrapnel damage. It's amazing to me that a city had to completely rebuild itself. Another thing that struck me about Berlin was the emmense amount of history there. For instance, while studying the Berlin wall, we were also standing mere meters from the site of the gestapo and SS headquarters.

My interest in the history around WWII was definitely sparked by this trip. I want to learn more after visiting so many historical sites and memorials. Our second day we went on a Third Reich tour which focused on many of the sites from WWII. An interesting thing we touched on during both tours was the fact that Hitler's Bunker is barely marked, and currently is the site of a car park (*pause* I mean, parking lot). Our guide pointed out the dilema with how to deal with this site. If the bunker is destroyed, Germany is hiding its past. If it is turned into a museum of sorts it becomes a tourist attraction and Germany is exploiting its past. If it's turned into a memorial its controversial cause why should Hitler get a memorial. So no action is taken, and now you can park your car at the site where Hitler's dead body was dragged out from his bunker. Apparently a sign acknowledging the site was only put up recently in response to the accusation that Germany is ignoring its past.

On a completely different note, it was the festival of lights in Berlin when i was there. This meant that many of the buildings in Berlin were lit up in beautiful colors. It was fantastic to walk around at night.

We also managed to find one of those typical German Goth bars. It was pretty dead when we were there, but I did get to order a Twisted Sister and almost got kicked out by the bouncer (See below ;) )

Oh and B, I didn't get a chance to see Knut. I blame the lack of time due to illness. But I was in the same city as him so sent my warm wishes... :-P I could write so much more about the trip, but alas i think this belated entry is long enough so I will stop here for now. Suffice it to say the trip was fantastic and I was very sad to leave. Now I'm in Copenhagen for the next week and a half, so adventures at home will be sure to occur :-D

Fire in my heart

It appears I may have chosen the wrong semester to study abroad.

The fires continue to burn in San Diego. Newscasters claim these are the worst fires California has ever seen. Ramona, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Fallbrook, Chula Vista, Rancho Sante Fe, it almost seems that it would be easier to list the areas that aren't burning. And I don't know anything about the fires north of San Diego, but from what i hear, there are plenty up there as well.

After a day of attempting to be productive and not quite succeeding, i stepped out for a run in the increasingly frigid Copenhagen air. I was cold, and my knee bugged me a bit, but it felt good to get out of the house and get the blood flowing. I arrived back to my room sweaty, breathing hard, but feeling more alive. As I hit the intenet explorer icon and the signonsandiego page loaded i paused. I had actually noticed earlier in the day reports of wild fires, but such a thing is not an uncommon occurance in So Cal, so I wasn't overly stressed about it. What was different this time were two numbers that caught my eye. 5 and 56. It was like a jumble of words floating in front of me that just couldn't come together until an explosion in my mind. Evacuations West of I-15 East of the I-5 and North of the 56 freeway. That's where I live.

Instant confusion. There aren't wild fires in my area. Ramona, yes. Poway, sure. Tons of neighborhoods that I have associated with the risk of wildfires. But Del Mar? Rancho Sante Fe? Solana Beach? It made no sense.

Confusion set aside. Act. Open Skype and call mom. It was early in the morning there and I don't think I had gotten the news of the evacuation area much later than she had. I could hear the worry and concern in her voice, but my mom is never one to fall into panic. "I'm getting important paper work together. What do you want me to grab for you if I have to evacuate." Oddly the shock of the question didn't set in until after I answered the question. "Peg." I said instaneously, no hesitation, first thing that had to be saved. Peg is my stuffed pegasus from disneyland that i got when I was about 5. He has been everywhere with me, and the decision not to bring him to copenhagen was more about logistics than him not being an important item. He actually may be one of my most important possessions. He's been a constant my whole life. Then, after about half a second "...and my jewelry box." Those were the first two things I thought of. I hung up on Skype to let my mom do her thing but still called back in periodic intervals. "mom, can you find my box of running medals from HS and my scrapbook" an hour later "Mom mom mom, all my high school photo albums are in my closet." I even requested my favorite purse in the whole world and my entire dvd collection. You know you have an amazing mom when she is willing to pack up about 100 dvds and box sets because you are in a panic about your precious collection.

Since about 4pm yesterday I have constantly had four windows open on my computer. Signonsandiego.com with its up to the minute blog updates, my email, a google map of the fire and evacuation zones, and the MSNBC live newscast via the web. Last night I was afraid to sleep, because I didn't want to wake up to hear all that had been damaged in the 8 hours that i slept. I set my alarm and woke up every two hours to check the news. Not that there was anything I could do, but i had to know what was going on. I've been in touch with many friends in SD...mostly people whose families are in San Diego. I feel a lot of us are in the same situations, sitting in our respective homes on the internet waiting to hear from loved ones if they are evacuating or in any danger.

I can't imagine losing one's home. It's not just about the possessions. People make their home into a safe haven. It's constantly changing as you and your family change. A home and all that it contains represents the course of your family over time. In the last 7 years I've lived in various places. I've lived with roommates, in dorms, in flats, and in an apartment all to myself. But my home with my mom has always been my true home. I always say my heart is in San Diego, and if that is the case then that house is its center. I think even when I have my own place in San Diego I will consider that house to be just as much my home as the place that I live in and call my own. That house with the yellow roses in the yard will never cease to be my home.

That's something you can never replace.

Apologies for MIA

I've been absent from this blog for about two weeks now, which I hope is an absence that I won't repeat. Shortly after my last blog I received sad news from home, and wasn't quite sure how to handle it. I didn't feel like I could write about my life in Copenhagen and my travels while competely ignoring a significant event from home. I left for Berlin for a week and got back a couple nights ago, and now feel I've had time to digest, can write, then continue with blogging.

Less than two weeks ago I heard from my mom that my grandfather had passed away. It was very hard being so far away. All of my family flew to michigan for the funeral, and had I been in the States there is no doubt that I would have been there as well. I felt very, very far away. I wish I could have been there to say goodbye, and to be with my parents and other family during this time. At first I was extremely down and sad, but now after talking with my mom and hearing about the service, I know that he was suffering and was ready to go. I hope he is peaceful now.

I called my grandfather 'Papa Ray' (and I am named after him --> Julie Ray) and I'm not really sure how that started. He was never grandpa or gramps, but Papa Ray. I didn't get to see him as much as I would have liked considering I grew up in San Diego and he lived in Michigan with most of the rest of my Dad's side of the family. But I do remember going out to visit the family on numerous occasions. I always remember him being happy and smiling. I remember his eyes and his laugh, how the two would work together when he was amused. I hadn't seen Papa Ray for quiet some time...the last time may have been the summer between Junior High and High School.

I'm not going to write much more. I think I just needed to acknowledge that something happened before i could go on here. It means something to me even if it's just something as insignificant and trivial as a blog entry. I write this as much for me to digest my experiences as to share them with you, my friends and family.

Thanks you for the memories, Papa Ray.
Love,
Julie Ray