Prague

OK, picking up where I left off... apparently, train tickets booked through SNCF have to be printed out in France because other European countries don't recognize their receipts. I ended up having to buy a new ticket for two legs of the trip, which was frustrating, but at least we didn't lose any time, I guess. Sunday night Elyse and I were supposed to be in a sleeper car overnight, but then we ended up with regular tickets. There was hardly anyone on the train though, so we were excited about having this car to ourselves and both stretched out on a seat.

Right before we left the station, a Finnish guy burst into our compartment and begged us to let him sit with us ("Girls, please, I am so sorry to disturb you") because he'd been all over the train trying to find someone who spoke English and had had no luck. He was really furious about that...even though we were in Vienna...this guy was a complete nutcase, although harmless, I think. He kept trying to convince me to learn Finnish/visit Finland. I have his business card so he can show me around when I go. I finally told him that'd be my next trip because he just wouldn't let it go, and he wanted to give me his newspaper so that I'd have something to read once I learned Finnish. He also assured me at least 20 times that he was not a bad man, and I could go to sleep because I didn't need to worry...so naturally, the last thing I wanted to do then was sleep. He did a million other crazy things like standing outside the compartment once for 15 minutes with the door closed so that I could "rest." Elyse was asleep for most of this ordeal because she glared at him a few times when he came in and then he left her alone. She said I am too nice. Maybe so...

We were supposed to arrive at 7 or 8 in the morning, but since we had to switch trains, we got in at 3:30 am and took a cab to the hostel where we paid for a room even though we'd only have it for a few hours. It was worth it.
Savannah, Claire, and Matt were already there, so the next morning we moved into a room all together and set out.
On the way to Petrin Tower
If anyone who did the Maymester still reads this, don't these statues remind you of the figures onstage at the beginning of Death and the King's Horseman?
There's a tram up to Petrin Tower, but the walk is really pretty. Looking back toward the city.
Petrin Tower. You can climb steps up to the upper landing
View of the city. Charles Bridge over the Vltava
We saw so many churches here...too many to blog about really, even for me. Here's an awesome organ that I think is somewhere near Prague Castle
Stained glass by Mucha in St. Vitus Cathedral, which is a part of the Prague Castle. The castle was closed just for the three days we were there, of course, but the Cathedral was very cool. It had the most ridiculously long audio-guide I have ever used. I ended up having to fast-forward through a lot of it because we just didn't have time to hear it all, but one bizarre fact I caught is that when the Czechs were invading Milan, they roasted dough in the shape of babies in order to intimidate the enemy. Very effective scare tactic.
We also checked out St. George's Basilica and then Golden Lane, which is lined with tiny houses formerly belonging to alchemists that have now been turned into stores. Franz Kafka lived in the blue one, No. 22.
Afterward, we cut through Old Town Square at night. Claire forbade us to look at anything since we were coming back the next day, but these pictures are better than my daytime ones, I think.
Astronomical clock that springs to life when the hour changes. There was quite a crowd of tourists lined up to see it. I think this was the night I fell asleep by 9:00 because I've got nothing in my journal after the Square.
The next morning we walked around Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, before going back to Old Town Square to see Tyn Church and the changing of the clock.
Another shot of the river. We made sure this was the real Vltava
National Theater. It wasn't open and neither was the Opera, but there were lots of churches that were of course
Dancing Building, also known as the Fred and Ginger Building, since it's supposed to reflect Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing. very cool, I think
Yet another Gothic church
Flying Nun?
Wenceslas Square. There is a statue to the saint here, but it's mainly a commercial street
Late in the afternoon, we took a really cheap hour-long train ride out of the city to Kutna Hora to see the ossuary. This graveyard was such a popular place to be buried that a chapel was built to hold more corpses...and then someone started decorating the church with bones...
Chandelier. This part of the trip was really funny because Kutna Hora is a very small village, and walking from the tiny station to the ossuary as it was starting to get dark was kind of creepy anyway, and then we also had a strange Ukrainian named Yevgen in tow since he wanted to see the place made "from skulls" too.
There he is actually. His English was pretty limited, so we had some trouble conversing with him, but he took a picture of us, his "new friends" and asked for our skype names so that he can practice his English and teach us Russian...Someone, Claire, I think, said he looked like a Ukrainian version of Keanu Reeves, if you want a mental image

The church was closing as we got there, but then a French tour group arrived too, so we got to have a little more time inside, and join their tour. Yevgen really wanted to see the other churches in the town and couldn't understand why we were going back after having just seen one, but we were finally able to explain that we had to catch a train and everything else would be closed anyway. After the ossuary, it was back to the hostel so Savannah, Matt, and I could get our bags, and we left Claire and Elyse in Prague for another day.

Vienna 2; Us 0

Ok, at long last, some photos! These took absolutely forever to upload, but I can hopefully do Prague and Budapest today/tomorrow. So, Thursday before last, I took a train to Paris with Savannah, Elyse, Lindsay, Claire, and Matt. We got in around midnight, and since we had to check in for our flight by 6 am and the metro was about to close, the six of us took a very full cab straight to Charles de Gaulle. Our terminal was deserted except for a few other people doing the same thing. Savannah and Elyse sleeping.
The first thing I ate in Vienna--creamed spinach with an egg and potatoes, at a place recommended by the hostel staff after we checked in. Don't let the picture fool you; it was delicious.
Second thing I ate in Vienna--chocolate covered strawberries on a stick. I think this one speaks for itself.
Our hostel, which was really nice. I meant to take a picture of the lobby but forgot. Anyway, I'd recommend it if I remembered the name. Lindsay, Matt, and Claire unpacking
We happened across RomerMuseum on our way to a square where they used to hold medieval jousts. It was a tiny museum but kind of cool because the ruins are in the midst of so many other things that have been built on top of them. Pretty much all of Vienna is like that. Even though there are so many historic buildings, it still feels very modern.
We kept hearing carriages go by overhead while in the museum. They are everywhere in Vienna, just like dessert stands.
I'm not sure what building this, but it was pretty and so was the moon.
Singing bowls! in a market in the square we were looking for. I saw these several places too. Didn't buy one since our house already has two of them...
Aforementioned square and market
Very pretty Gothic church we passed by--Maria am Gestade. The really sweet lady working there was just about to close, but she let us in for a few minutes since "we'd come so far," and told us how this was one of the few Gothic churches in Vienna--most of them are Baroque--and it was really incredible that it had survived World Wars I and II since everything else around it had been destroyed. I didn't take any pictures inside since we were holding her up, but it was cool.
We were all pretty exhausted, so we took a tram that goes by a few of the big sights and hopped off to see the Danube. More about that later. Note to future travelers--there is no need to buy tickets for public transportation in Vienna. Aside from the metro we took from the airport, no one ever checked them during the three days we were there, and you can walk right through the turnstiles whether you've scanned a ticket or not.
One of many buildings with pretty painted facades
The next morning we hit the Floher Market, which is similar to the markets all over France (and Europe, it seems) as far as being outdoor and selling food, clothes, and antiques, except that the French markets are more bustling, I think. Everywhere we went the Viennese seemed so calm and quiet. They were really helpful though. Within our first few hours of being there, we had three people offer us directions in English as soon as we pulled out our maps. Also, the Austrian vendors really promote samples. This couple got flagged down and begged to come back and try something, and quite a few places had dishes with chocolate candy for the taking.
Unfortunately, we had just eaten breakfast and weren't hungry, but I bought a pastry anyway...when in Vienna...
Karlskirche, in the Museum Quarter
So many of the churches we saw in Vienna had those golden rods radiating from a from the altar. I'd never seen them before, but it's possible that's common and I just don't know anything about cathedrals.
The coolest part about this church though is that it's been under renovation for the past few years, and visitors can climb up the scaffolding all the way to the top of cupola!
There's an elevator that takes you about halfway up to a large platform, and then there are stairs to the top
Too close to get the whole ceiling in the picture
It was so cool to be right next to the frescoes. Heights usually don't bother me, but this was kind of unsettling, mostly because people were not heeding the sign that said 10 person maximum for the highest level, and the whole structure was swaying just a little bit.
Looking down...
After the church, we hit the tourist destination Cafe Central, where I had pumpkin soup, a cappuccino, and apple strudel.
The Hofburg--both of the palaces we saw in Vienna were awesome. Besides the Hall of Mirrors, I can't remember Versailles that well, but I was really, really impressed. I've forgotten so much about the Hapsburgs from high school history, so this visit was really interesting. There's a museum inside dedicated to Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) who was the wife of Franz Joseph I. I thought they were known for being uncharacteristically in love with each other as far as royal couples go, but apparently, she was really miserable at court and spent most of her time traveling. Although there's a lot of evidence that he was clearly very in love with her, no one is really sure how she felt about him. kind of sad
Next was St. Marx Cemetary. Here's Beethoven's gravestone. Other composers--Schubert, Brahms, Strauss...more I can't remember--are all here.
Mozart is buried in an unmarked pauper's grave, but this statue was erected next to the other composers in honor of him
Okay, so our first day in Vienna, we tried to go to Stephansdom, but the church was closed since there was some sort of conference for the clergy inside. While we were looking at our map trying to decide where to go next, we were approached by a guy dressed in traditional Viennese garb selling concert tickets. I figured we were just going to ignore him, but some people wanted to listen to Albert's (I scrutinized his name-tag trying to figure out if it was legit or not) spiel about the program, so we did. I was a little wary--when we were telling this story to Dad later, Savannah said she and I should have been standing next to each other because she also was unsure, although I'm ultimately glad neither of us was reasonable enough to talk everyone out of it--since we right outside a tourist hot spot and the "Vienna Imperial Orchestra" shouldn't need to send people out onto the streets to recruit audiences, but everyone else seemed gung-ho, and Albert was going to "make for us" a great deal, plus free champagne, and since it really wasn't that expensive, we decided to go. Oh, and there were other, older people who didn't seem the type to be easily swindled buying tickets. I figured we were either getting totally ripped off or not at all, and it seemed to be a real concert, so it never really crossed my mind that he might be just falsely advertising.

The blurry photo above is the set-up inside what we assume is a high school although we were really not sure because all of the architecture in Vienna is so pretty that it seemed a bit more historic. There were ping pong tables outside though, whatever that means. As soon as we walked in, we knew this was not going to be at all what we were expecting, but it was so grossly different from what Albert had promised us that it was really hilarious. There was one member from the Vienna philharmonic--a violinist--there (we were under the impression there'd be many members), and when the super campy host asked who spoke German, only about a dozen or so people raised their hands. There was definitely no "gold, silver, and bronze" seating--we were supposed to be getting a deal on some bronze tickets, since Albert told us the gold was too close to the stage we'd be uncomfortable having to look up--and the photos in his brochure of the performance hall had so been photo-shopped. Nevertheless, the professional violinist was great, and the amateurs he was performing with were pretty good, plus they were so excited to be there that they were fun to watch. They played lots of well-known pieces, including one I've been trying to learn in voice for a while, and the vocalists were impressive. Only the dancers were really a let-down. Well, and the host who made some of the worst jokes I've heard in a long time.

During intermission, we went downstairs to the "lobby"/hallway that had been set up with little tables and a make-shift bar to get our champagne (hey, everybody else had coupons too!). We had already decided that this was totally worth the money just because it was so funny, and then I started looking at a book they had left out for people to write comments. Most of them were really, really positive (quite a few people--most of them Asian, all foreign, I am sure--gave a standing ovation after the show), a few of them were really negative, and then there was one that said something like "Great music. But beware the salesperson Albert. He is a con man who will sell you half-price tickets that do not exist!"
So, we were really laughing by the time we got back on the metro to go home, and then Savannah, who was designated navigator for the trip, was looking at the map and realized that the night before we hadn't actually seen the Danube. We had seen a small canal that connects to the Danube. We stayed on the metro a few more stops to get a view of the actual river, and then called it a night, deciding we didn't want to risk being tricked again by Vienna.
Our last day in the city we went to the Schonbrunn Palace, which I somehow forgot to upload a picture of. If you want to look it up, there's a shadow of yellow named after the custom-made color of the exterior paint. Again, the palace was really cool. The Schonbrunn was Maria Theresia's summer residence.
We walked through the gardens and did the small maze. Lindsay and Savannah needed a bit of instruction, so we directed them from the platform in the center.
This one's slightly out of order, but here's a picture of The Kiss by Klimt, which is all over accessories all over Vienna. Seriously. There's a Klimt collection at the Belevedere, which we went to see after the Schonbrunn.
View from the Gloriette at the far end. There's a photo of the back of the Schonbrunn at least.
Gardens between Upper and Lower Belvedere. We unfortunately only had time to do the Upper. There were several works we've studied in my art history class there too (David, Courbet, Daumier), so those were cool to see.
Upper Belvedere
Stephansdom. All of my pictures inside are terrible, sorry. We went back on our third day in Vienna (we did see Albert outside from a distance, but we were pressed for time so we didn't approach him and ask why he hadn't showed up to drink champagne with us during intermission as promised), and saw the church and catacombs. The tour guide alternated between German and English, and I would love to know who taught him English because he had the craziest mix of accents I've ever heard. Matt was actually really good at imitating him. The catacombs were pretty creepy. Apparently, when an urn starts to leak (the entrails of the Hapsburgs are housed there, although the hearts are elsewhere, I think? I should look this up), the best solution is to just put it inside a larger urn and seal that one. gross. Also, fyi, there is wireless in the catacombs. Lindsay was able to update her facebook status via Blackberry to say how scary it was.
After Stephansdom, we went back to the hostel. Matt, Claire, and Savannah grabbed their bags and ran to catch a train to Prague. Elyse and I had a few more hours there before our night train to Prague (as did Lindsay since she was flying to Switzerland to visit a friend), so we killed a little time in the hostel, talking to the bartender. Here's a picture of some sturm I had. It's a partially fermented wine from Vienna that really just tasted like white grape juice, but it was good. There was a sign warning customers that it was stronger than you'd think and telling them not to drink more than two glasses. I can't figure out if that was a joke or not because one glass didn't seem strong at all.

I talked to an Australian girl in the hostel that night who's in her second gap year, which she's spent traveling all over the world with a friend, except for a few months when they ran out of money and had to go home to work for a while. They did four cities in Spain in four days, although they usually spend two days in a city. It was so crazy to hear how many places she'd been. I'm sure that's an incredible experience, although I can't imagine traveling that way for so long. I think I wouldn't be able to appreciate what I was seeing anymore, no matter how awesome it was. She said that started to happen to her about month 6. I wonder how long I'd last...

And then there were four

Robert arrived today, so there are four us here now--I don't think Kevin's around often enough to count. Thus far, we've only exchanged waves and "bonjours," but he seems nice.

I promise I am going to post about break soon, but I'm currently trying to decide which classes to take next semester, and it's taking a little longer than expected. Ever since I found out that the Women's and Gender Studies department cross-counts a lot of courses from other departments, including many that I have wanted to take anyway, I've been wondering if I should try to add another major or at least a minor in that since I will have completed most of my French and theatre majors by the time I get back, and I want to concentrate my left-over courses somehow...

It's just a thought. I've never taken any WGS courses, so it's possible I wouldn't like them, although I doubt it, and it's also possible that all my course catalogue scrutinizing is in vain because the scheduling might not work out. I've considered trying to pick up another language, but I wouldn't be able to finish a minor before graduating, so I don't know what to do. Suggestions are welcome (Dad, I am still leaving room for Econ 100).

anyway, if I am not helping Pélopidas with an exposition for the play from morning til night tomorrow--which I may be, aside from a break for class--I'll post pictures tomorrow. If not, this weekend for sure.

Marseille

Ok, back from break, and so much to write about, but first a little bit about the week before...

Last Tuesday Mme Hamouda took our class to Marseille (about a twenty-five minute bus ride away) to visit the Maghreb immigrant quarter. Marseille is kind of a grungy city as far as I can tell from my time there (and according to basically everyone I've ever talked to about it...), and there isn't much to see, but this part of it at least was interesting.
Our first stop was this stand Mme Hamouda must love because she made a beeline for it. I had one of these pancake-like things with vegetables. It was gigantic and weighed a ton. There were also meat pastries and potato cakes.
We went in a few shops that were full of spices and dried fruits, as well as incense to inspire just about everything--love, tranquillity, etc--which Mme Hamouda thought was hilarious. Every time she saw a new one, she'd call it out to us across the tiny store.
Honey straight from the comb! Apparently, we were allowed to taste everything right out of the bins, but I somehow missed that memo.
Fortunately, Mme Hamouda always bought something for us to try.
Here's a dried kumquat. I think that was the first time I've ever seen one. Definitely the first time I've ever eaten one. very citrus-y.
Totally out of place WWF towel hanging in the souk (marketplace)...
More spices...everything we've been reading always talks about the colors and the smells of the Maghreb countries as a huge part of the "myth of the Orient," so I think Mme Hamouda really wanted us to see that. Plus, she was able to do a lot of shopping over the course of the trip.
Then we walked around outside the marketplace for a while...Mme Hamouda showed us the former prostitutes' quarter, where her daughter lived briefly when the area opened up to immigrants, although she eventually moved because she felt too unsafe there at night. Since then, it's apparently progressed even more (here's a shot of one of several art galleries along the street--there I am in the reflection), although I think I'd still be uncomfortable living alone there.
So many posters plastered everywhere. I took a bunch of pictures since we have to turn in some sort of creative response about the visit. I'm considering doing a collage, but those often end up being frustrating for me because I'm too organized, so we'll see. If it turns out well, I'll post a picture of it.
Moving on to the Islamic book store, which had really pretty leather-bound books. There were also a lot of children's books and paperbacks with titles like "A Woman's Duties" and "Mixed Marriage," etc.
This unassuming tea shop is supposedly the most well-known in southern France for its Tunisian pastries
So, of course, we went, and Mme Hamouda bought an assortment for us to try. There were a few baklava-like ones and some that were similar to powdered doughnuts and others that were unlike anything else I've ever had.
Plus really delicious mint tea. I think this was my fourth, and not at all last, cup of the day since I was still sick then.

I had really wanted to visit Morocco or Tunisia while in France this semester, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, so it was cool we at least got to do this, even though it's of course not the same. It was neat to see a distinctly different neighborhood within a city because you really can tell a difference as soon as you turn off one street and onto another.

On Wednesday, we went back to Marseille to get a medical exam that's a new requirement (they changed the law in June or July) for 3 month student visas. We were going as a group after class, but I had stupidly left my passport and papers at home because I thought we were leaving later. Long story, but basically, I had less than 30 minutes to run from the center back to Bellegarde (a fifteen minute walk each way) back to the bus stop, which is another ten or fifteen minutes from the center, in the pouring rain, wearing rainboots, of course, and I am not a runner, but I somehow managed to get there with time to spare. It was crazy enough that's it's still worth noting in my blog over a week later. When I showed up at the bus stop looking like a drowned rat, Mme Scott couldn't believe it and asked if that was my exercise for the month.

So then, we went to OFII (I don't remember exactly what this stands for), and considering how my doctor's visits usually go, this one was pretty uneventful, probably because there was no bloodwork. We got chest X-rays (they gave them to us to take home too, so I guess I've got that as a souvenir if it'll fit in my suitcase), and the gowns we had to wear were completely transparent. I asked Renaud if that was typical, and he said he'd never seen one like that before. Mme Scott told us to keep them so we can throw a party and wear them. She is so crazy.

Also, I didn't need the copy of my birth certificate translated into French that I had Dad overnight to me. The doctor just took my word for it that I'm up-to-date on all of my vaccines, and when he was supposed to be listening to my heartbeat, he just kept giving me advice about being an actress. The French are all about encouraging people to pursue their artistic dreams, at least, the French people I keep encountering. It's great.

Thursday was spent finishing my Contemporary France paper about marriage between French people and foreigners. Apparently, one in five marriages involves a foreigner! whoa. I guess Mom's concern that I'd fall in love with a Frenchman and never want to come home was justified, although this hasn't happened yet, if anyone was wondering.

I'll post about Vienna soon--currently working on internship paper which is due Tuesday, but it was a really good trip, and I've got some great pictures.