Anticipate the Turn

Rules for skiing in the morning:
1. Don't fall off the tee-bar
2. Keep weight forward and down the hill
3. Stop frequently to enjoy the view
4. Anticipate turns
5. Take a lot of pictures
6. Stop frequently to talk about how much fun you're having

Rules for the afternoon:
1. Don't ski faster than you can see
2. Take five turns at a time
3. Take breaks for chocolate
4. Keep it under control
5. Have dance parties on the deck
6. Stop frequently to talk about how much fun you're having!


Today was a great day, despite the afternoon fog! Skiing in the Alps with my buds was epic! I can't wait for another day on the slopes (after a good night's sleep).

Anticipation for the Alps

Today consisted of a long drive through the beautiful snow dusted hills of the Austrian country side, and through the jagged alps. I slept a food portion of the ride, as per usual, and we watched a few episodes of planet earth on the bus, so it wasn't so bad. Tomorrow I will be skiing in the alps! After we collected our rental gear, we checked in at the restaurant, and had a lovely traditional meal. I am now all cozy in bed and ready for a good night of sleep before my adventure tomorrow!

Viele Liebe!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although away from home, I got to celebrate this thanksgiving with my parents, albeit a bit untraditionally. We had a delicious meal at a 14th century restaurant that was frequented by Beethoven, Mozart, and who knows whom else! After that we went to a ballet at the Vienna State Opera House. The ballet (Ballet Manon) had incredibly beautiful and melodic music. Absolutely gorgeous! And the primary ballerina had exquisite lines. It was lovely!

First day of Advent

I can't believe it, but today marks beginning of our 25 day countdown celebration until we leave. So today we start our advent/24 day celebration calendar. This is my first year being in charge of the advent calendar (normally that is my mom's job). It was pretty fun to make, and took a bit of ingenuity!

This evening we made our hand turkeys! Ich bin dankbar fuer ... meine Familie und meine Freunde. I am thankful for my family and friends. It's always fun to bring out the old childhood craft activities. 

Viele Fotos

 All bundled up in Rothenburg - what a sweet little medieval town!

So many varieties of Schneeballen!

On the Rhein - it looks an awful lot like the Columbia River Gorge. 

Black Forest Cake eaten in the black forest - so good!

And we arrive in Switzerland to the cutest room - and just my height! With the sweetest little pregnant cat I have ever met.

Liechtenstein castle in the background - completing my goal to visit every country that boarders Austria. 

Thanksgiving at Liebhartsgasse

Happy Thanksgiving from Liebharrsgasse! Last night we celebrated with our own traditional American meal, including turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, veggies, and fresh rolls. It was a magnificent feast! (And used almost every dish, pot, and pan we own!) Everybody was in charge of one or two dishes - which made our tiny kitchen pretty cozy - but the food turned out very well, and it was a great time spent together with my apartment family. We had Christmas music playing, and it continued to snow all day yesterday, so it really did feel like the beginning of the holiday season. We finished off the meal with my pumpkin pie (made with homemade pumpkin purée) which turned out very well, despite some of the improvisatory aspects of the pie.

I am so thankful for this opportunity that I have had, and that it isn't quite over.  :) I have met some wonderful people and made many fun memories.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Snow flurries in the morning!
Very very cold

Squash soup for dinner seems to be a ritual

Tomorrow is our thanksgiving dinner!
Hand turkeys
Preparing
Apartment family dinner night

How About 10?

1. Looking out my bedroom window to find a field of snow

2. Meeting the Guesthouse cat, who is very soft and a sweety, and expecting!

3. Snowflakes falling as we walked to breakfast

4. A delicious breakfast of breads, cheeses, jams, fresh orange juice, coffee, and coffee cake

5. Driving through the final country that borders Austria

6. Enjoying the culture of the Innsbruck Christmas Market

7. Drinking jungenpunsch and keeping the mug!

8. Caprese baguette sandwich for dinner

9. Wifi on the train

10. Home to Liebhartsgasse at last

Till I Think of the Bishop of Bingen in his Mouse-Tower on the Rhein

Between the dark and the daylight,

       When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day's occupations,

      That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me

      The patter of little feet,

The sound of a door that is opened,

      And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,

      Descending the broad hall stair,

Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,

      And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:

      Yet I know by their merry eyes

They are plotting and planning together

      To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,

      A sudden raid from the hall!

By three doors left unguarded

      They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret

      O'er the arms and back of my chair;

If I try to escape, they surround me;

      They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,

      Their arms about me entwine,

Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen

      In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,

      Because you have scaled the wall,

Such an old mustache as I am

      Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,

      And will not let you depart,

But put you down into the dungeon

      In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,

      Yes, forever and a day,

Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,

      And moulder in dust away!

After breakfast this morning, we drove along the Rhein to Bingen. There we visited the Hildegard Von Bingen museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of the life, writings, and works of Hildegard. Hildegard is one of few recognizable women composers from the 12th century. At age eight she was tithed by her family to the church, and she was clearly a gifted child. 

Throughout her lifetime, Hildegard started two convents and headed their brother monastery. She also traveled frequently and wrote about theology, the sciences, and composed music for the daily mass services. She even developed her own language which is only partially detected to this day! Living to be 82, a long time for her era and a sickly kid, she was extremely influential withe her writings and her political standpoint. What an incredible woman! 

We also saw the famous Mouse Tower on the Rhein, where the bishop was locked away in the 12th century for supporting the pope. Mostly the tower is sentimental to me because of its mention in my favorite poem, The Children's Hour, by H.W. Longfellow. 

Lunch was a treat at a hunting lodge just outside of Baden Baden. The good was exceptional, and included a fun little game of charades when figuring out what dishes were. 

Driving along through the Black Forest on our way to Switzerland, we encountered snow! My first up-close snow of the season! We stopped in a small mountain town called Triberg - apparently the coo-coo clock capital of the world - for a little pastry and coffee snack. I had to try the Black Forrest Cake, and I was not disappointed! 

Hang with me folks, we're nearing the end! 

All along our travels the boarders have been very subtle. We haven't had to stop at any point to show out passports when crossing between these Central European countries. The same does not hold true for Switzerland. Although there weren't any unnecessary hoops (we just had to buy a tool road pass) the system was disastrous! As soon as we crossed the boarder, we saw that cars were just pulling off in a clump to the side, then running (because it was cold and rainy) to the little booths to do whatever they needed to do. What a mess! Ah well, we made it out of their and on out way before too long. 

We arrived at our guesthouse several hours after dark, but just before the rain turned back to snow. It is really just two spare bedrooms, a toilet room, and a washroom in the downstairs of a woman's house. It sure is cute though! 

Rothenburg and the Rhein Valley

This morning, after breakfast at the hostel, we walked around the town of Rothenburg again and explored the city wall a bit. Before heading out of town, we had to try the traditional Schneeballen. Schneeballen are a Rothenburgian specialty: a round pastry, original made by loosely rolling up the trimmings of pie crust, deep frying the ball, and then dusting with cinnamon and sugar. Now every bakery in Rothenburg sells them, and there is a bakery about every 3 buildings, so we couldn't leave without trying them! I really enjoyed the little pastry!

From Rothenburg we drove to Frankfurt to pick my mom up at the airport! Then continued our adventure in a generally north direction once we reached the Rhein River. We were all surprised how much this valley looks like the Columbia River Gorge, it's no wonder they named Bingen, White Salmon after their home town of Bingen am Rhein.

The highlight of the drive was the numerous castles. Castles were built along the Rhein to protect toll booths, and appear around every bend! They are all large and grand and sticking out from the hillside. Some are privately owned still, some have gone to ruins, and others have new purposes, such as a hostel we explored this evening here in Bacharach (which included a short hike and a pasture of goats!).

Tonight we walked through Bacharach and enjoyed the old town. It constantly amazes me how kid some of these buildings and walls are. I can't begin to comprehend how old many of these structures are! Incredible!

The land is also fascinating. The farmers have built terraces into the hillsides for planting, but there are also vineyards that go down a hill so steep, I'm not sure how one would go about harvesting. It also amazes me that a region on the opposite side of the world could look so similar to my home region.

Anyway, enough rambling! Servus!

Willkommen in Deutschland!

Nach dem Deutschkurs ich bin mit meinem Vater nach Rothenburg gefahren. After my Deutschkurs today, my dad and I drove north-west toward Germany, to Rothenburg, od. Tabor, which is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Germany. I slept a good portion of the way, which seems to be habit when I am riding in a motor vehicle. The drive was nice though, and included a few stops for fresh air and to enjoy the sun.

When we arrived in Rothenburg, we were surprised to find that the correct entrance to the town was through what looked like a castle entrance. The city wall is still standing!

After checking in at the Jungenherberge (hostel), and making our beds, we wandered through the town, exploring the various streets and alleys, and listened to an organ player practice from outside a huge gothic church. The town was pretty quiet tonight, I guess the cold and dark night was keeping people inside. After a while it got the better of us as well, and we found a hotel restaurant to enjoy some hot pumpkin soup and creme brûlée!

Tomorrow we pick up my mom in Frankfort, and continue our Germany adventure. Bis morgen.

Cookies to Solve Problems

I think I've created a reputation for myself that when nothing seems to be going right, I bake. Then I always feel better. That's not to say that today was a bad day. It certainly was not. My art class had our excursion to the Prince Eugene of Savoy's summer home, the Belvedere, and had a look around the art collection in the Upper Belvedere (his guest/party palace). I saw the famous "Kiss" by Gustavo Klimt, as well as many of his other works, and a variety of different Austrian artists' works as well. The entire palace is actually a baroque master piece in its own right.

The trouble came when I could barely keep my eyes open and focus my attention in my music history class. I think the air in there is drugged! Then an off hand remark got me a little ... irritated. Let's just say it was a baking sort of night!

So a couple walnut chocolate chip cookies later, it is time for me to go to bed! Gute nacht!

Austria vs. USA

Today I went to the USA vs. Austria men's soccer game! Austria won 1-0, but I considered myself a winner either way. I had a great time cheering for everyone, belting our national anthem to the entertainment of the Austrians in front of us, and being generally sporty. A good time was had all around. 

Being Seasonal

My day started with a productive morning that included grocery shopping, a trip to the post office, and accomplishing homework!

This evening I visited my first Christmas Market at the Rathaus Platz! The plaza is lit up with gorgeous lights and bustling with people visiting the different 'huttes.' There are different Christmas markets all over the city, but we chose this one specifically for the grand light display. For dinner I got a delicious bread bowl of pumpkin soup! Nom nom!

We have our last mid-semester German exam tomorrow, so the evening ended with a German homework party. The freshly baked pumpkin cookies made it a little bit better. 

What can I say? I got carried away...

Looking off toward Italy

I love the contrast of the red rooftops against the blue sky and ocean.

The peninsula to the right and harbor to the left.

Good morning and good pastries!

Morning on Tartini Square

Me and Tartini himself!

I love the graspe vines growing on this home in the artist area of Piran.

View of Piran from the old town wall, much of which remains standing.

Me and the Papa

Which way to Wien?

Enjoying the wonderful weather! No coat!

A Gothic Venitian home on Tartini square.

We stopped to watch a bit of a sailboat race.

Enjoying the boats and local action in the harbor.

What a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean!

Another good meal, and I got to use my German with our waitress.

It was a fun atmosphere, and whimsically decorated. What are those suitcases doing on the ceiling?

Just thought this was a funny way of distributing pringles.

Nighttime in Piran.

Think of a funny joke! The view from Bled Castle onto Lake Bled and the Alps.

 

I love the architecture and red vines in this courtyard!

Looking back at the castle from the castle wall.