alinamarie06's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries

alinamarie06's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member alinamarie06 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/alinamarie06 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:22:42 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Vienna, week 2. — Vienna, Austria http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1216286460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1216286460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1216286460/tpod.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:22:42 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vienna, Austria

 This past weekend, Amber Lane and I just hung out in Vienna and relaxed.  We are pretty much traveled-out and burnt-out.  It was a great weekend though.  I've already told you about Friday. On Saturday, we slept in again, and then decided to try out the flea market in town.  It was a pretty neat experience. It was huge, and very full, and very hot.  At one end of the market, they were selling fresh foods, in the middle they were selling t-shirts and other items that are common in these type of markets.  At the other end of the market, it was basically like a huge yard sale.  All kinds of people had tables and blankets of random items that looked like they dug out of their garage that morning.  We didn't buy anything too exciting, but the experience was enough.   After we got so hot walking around in the market, we decided to try out the other public pool in town.  This one was supposed to be at the Schönbrunn Palace - sounded interesting.  We go back to the hotel, change, and head out.  When we finally get to our tram stop and walk out of the station, we look up at the formerly very blue and very bright sky....that is now overcast and gray.  And then it starts: the rain.  Ok, but it was only sprinkling, so we kept walking.  The weather didn't predict rain, so it can't last long, right? We get to the gate and pay our way to get into the pool - still hoping that the rain stops.  Thankfully after about ½ an hour it did, and was bright, sunny, and hot again.  It turned out to be a beautiful day.  We left the pool around dinner time, got some food and hung out at the hotel for the rest of the evening.  We've been so burnt out lately, that the hotel sounded really really nice.  Sunday, we didn't do much.  All I can remember is catching up on some homework, and somewhere around 4 naps.  It's been a weekend of recuperation. This week is full of classes, homework, and last minute things to do in Europe.  We went to get the famous chocolate cake here in Vienna: Sachertorte.  It was delicious.  I love cake.  Other than eating, sleeping, going to school, we aren't doing anything interesting over here.  Finals will be on Saturday, and we have some work to catch up on.  I'm also trying to make plans for coming home.  It's been a long 2 months over here, and I miss the good ol' USA.  The next few nights will be study time, so I probably won't post again until I'm in London.
]]> One week in Vienna down, one to go — Vienna, Austria http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215811080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215811080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215811080/tpod.html Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:45:39 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vienna, Austria

The first week in Vienna had its good parts and its bad parts.  School is as boring as ever, and we have 4 hours of it every day.  Craziness.  I'm starting to get a little burnt out with school.  I have been sitting and listening to people talk at me for way too long now.  We haven't done much for most of the week.  We've gone to school, done a little shopping, and just a little exploring now and then.As an update, Amber Lane has me running in the mornings with her.  She's crazy.  I have no idea why I agreed.  Also, Amber Bireley's birthday is on Saturday, but she left today to go to Prague.  Since we won't be there with her this weekend to celebrate her birthday, we had a early birthday with her last night.We went to the ittle restaurant on the corner that's always packed.  It's really good, and they have some good chocolate cake.  I got a fish dinner, and the ambers got a struedel and beef and potatoes.  I thought they were all good choices.  However, my fish showed up at my table with the head on it.  What?!?! Yes, the head was still attached to the fish, and the eyes were looking at me.  I always heard about that kind of stuff happening to other people and thought it was funny.  Its kind of gross when it happens to you, though.  I actually made Amber Lane cut off the head and hide it for me so I didn't have to look at it the whole time we were eating.  It was so gross.To follow that up, today was a great day too.  Amber Lane and I skipped classes since everyone else was (to go to Prague).  This was our first skip day of the whole trip, so we decided that it was absolutely necessary.  We spent most of the day by a public pool.  The pool experience is very different culturally, but amber and I kinda kept to ourselves and got a nice tan.  Amber actually got a nice burn.  After we decided we should get out of the sun, we headed for the shade.  Coincidentally, the sand volleyball court was in the shade.  We played around a little just between the two of us, and then joined a pick up game just to show the Europeans how to play some real ball.  It was tons of fun.  When the games were over, we were hungry and headed back to the hotel for some dinner. After dinner, Amber and I went to the English movie theater to watch Hancock.  It was just what we needed.  It has been so long since we've watched any movie or show in English - it was crazy.  We've been rationing seasons 1 & 2 of The Office, which I have saved on my computer, because its the only thing that we have.  It was a great movie, and it was a great relaxing day.  I sure beats sitting in uncomfortable wooden chairs and being talked at for 4 hours straight.  Getting some sleep tonight, and probably off to the pool again tomorrow. 
]]> Triberg to Austria - on the road again. — Salzburg, Austrian Alps, Austria http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215198900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215198900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215198900/tpod.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:17:38 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Salzburg, Austrian Alps, Austria

After our day in Triberg, we were tired and worn out.  It was super hard to wake up, but we did.  And we got ready for yet another court visit.  Today was supposed to be rainy, but almost everyone was either unaware or forgot, because none of us brought an umbrella. We got to the European Court of Human Rights and had the "pleasure" of having one of their judges speak to us.  I didn't pay attention to much, except that he was Anti-America, and Anti-Scalia.  That's two strikes, Mr. Human Rights Judge, you are on shaky ground.  Fortunately one of our students did not let him get away with his disapproving remarks about Scalia and challenged his every word.  Take that, Mr. Human Rights Judge.   After the session, we were having a free lunch at a really nice restaurant within walking distance to the court.  That is, walking distance if its <i>not pouring down raining.  Unfortunately, it was raining pretty good, and we got pretty wet by the time we made it to the restaurant.  We kept a smiling face and enjoyed the free lunch.  We got salad as our first course, then chicken and beef on a skewer with potatoes and a delicious strawberry and ice cream dessert.  It was awesome.  We shoved it all in and enjoyed every minute. After lunch, we were off to school for another 4 hours of classes.  I can't honestly tell you if I learned anything or not, but when class was over, I was exhausted.  We stopped at the store after class, and I got a bookbag (because my laptop case broke, so I need a way to carry my books and computer to school) and some snacks for the long bus trip the next day.  After that, we went back and packed up our stuff. Friday was a day of travel.  We had a 8 hour bus ride to Salzburg, Austria.  We had 2 rest stops, and a lot of driving.  It was a long and arduous bus ride, but we made it to one of the most beautiful places on earth.  We checked into our hotel and went exploring.  It was great, but we weren't up for much, so we just ate dinner at a little restaurant nearby.  We did nothing exciting, but had a relaxing day, and had a chance to recuperate before our big day on Saturday.  We had a lot of exploring to do.
]]> The drudgery continues — Vienna, Austria http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215456780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215456780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215456780/tpod.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:09:50 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vienna, Austria

The trip to Austria. Sunday morning we got up early to load the bus and get on the road to Vienna.  The trip was uneventful. Since we've been in Vienna, I haven't done much.  I have had some time to recuperate.  I still only have internet in the lobby of our hotel, and its slow because everyone is sitting there trying to use it.  The more people, the less productive.  I'm trying to do as much as I can regardless of the situation, though. We woke up Sunday morning to pack up and leave Salzburg early.  We rode the bus, and reached Vienna in early afternoon.  Another hotel, and another very small room.  The Ambers and I crammed our luggage into a room about the size of my bedroom back home, and got ready for another two weeks of close quarters.  I didn't do much for the rest of the day.  I got some food, explored the town a little, watched Sunday School on the internet, and went on a guided walking tour of the town.  After all of that and some time on the internet, I was down for the count. I got to sleep in!  I slept until almost 9:00am today.  We got some breakfast at the buffet at the hotel, and then got ready for school.  We had classes at the Vienna School of Law today....not very exciting.  It just looks like a regular college, and the classes for them aren't in session, so nothing special.  We just had four hours of classes that are no fun when you have plenty of things to do.  After class, we rode the train back to our hotel.  We dropped off our stuff and grabbed our laundry.  We stopped at McDonald's on the way to the laundry mat and got some dinner.  I crammed everything I possibly could into the washer, and paid 4.50 for 1 load of laundry - just to wash.  As we waited, I started on my cheeseburger (with mustard and pickle, yuck) and fries, and the Ambers ate theirs.  The laundry was spinning, we were chilling, and the bugs were enjoying their salad.  Wait, what?  Oh yes, the bugs.  There happened to be an entire dead bug in Amber's salad - about the size of a lightning bug, but of the form of a beetle or baby cockroach.  Yes.  Amber did not finish her salad, and I did not finish my meal.  I was never a fan of McDonald's, and certainly not the McDonald's in Vienna.   Three drying cycles and six euros later, we finally packed up our clean, but way to expensive to wash clothing and headed for home.  We unpacked, internet-ed, and relaxed.  Later on, Amber Lane and I decided we needed some real food and headed for a nearby diner.  We tried some classic Austrian food, and it was delicious.  It was even better because it was served with Austrian hospitality.   Now, my belly is full, and I'm tired.  Getting up tomorrow for another day of classes.
]]> The Black Forest — Triberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215032580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215032580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215032580/tpod.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:05:47 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Triberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

We were up early for classes today, nothing exciting there. After classes, we returned to our hotel, changed for our trip, tried to find some dinner (to no avail) and headed to the train station. It was travel day!   We got to the train station, and got a ticket for Triberg, Germany with a layover in Offenburg.  It was only about 17 euros round trip for all three of us - pretty cheap train tickets. So that was a great start to what became a great day.  We grabbed some food at the train station and headed for Triberg.   We arrived at the small town of Triberg, which was one of the most beautiful places yet.  We were told ahead of time that one of the largest waterfalls in Europe was in the town of Triberg, so we headed for that.  We only had two things on our list: Black Forest Cake and the Waterfall.  It was getting kind of late and we were noticing that a lot of stores were closed.  We passed a bakery and the door was still open so we walked in.  The woman was mopping the floor, and closing the store, but she still allowed us to come in.  She was so excited that we were there, and when she heard that we wanted Black Forest cake, she was happy to help out.  She pulled us behind the counter and started taking out lots of cakes and pies to show us all of the wonderful masterpieces that she has created.  When she first handed me the cake, I didn't know what was going on but we soon realized that she was setting up a wonderful photo op.  The desserts looked delicious and the little café was adorable.  It was the perfect place to be.  We decided not to all get a piece of black forest cake, but to sample some of the others, so we got three pieces and passed them around.  The woman tried to make our experience there as best as possible.  She herded us to the tables on the porch in the back, grabs a flower to put on our table, brings out 3 glass of free water.  (Note: this is the first time we have gotten any free water anywhere in Europe).  Also, she gets a bag for us to take along with three smaller pastries to enjoy later at no extra charge.  When we go to pay, I asked her what some of the candies were in the case because I was so intrigued with how good they looked.  I would have bought some to take along too.  Rather than just explaining them, she starts picking out some of the candy and handed each of us one to try, again free.  She was so excited for us to try them, and so we did and were on our way.  It was an awesome experience.  Off to the Black Forest and the Wasserfall (German for waterfall). The whole walk to the waterfall was uphill, and when we got to the entrance, it was just stairs and uphill ramps from there.  It was a lot of walking, and not a lot of time to take it easy. We didn't want it to get dark, and we had to make sure we caught the train back to Offenburg so that we got the last train back to Strasbourg, and caught up with the trams before they closed at midnight.  In order to do this comfortably, we planned on catching the 9:15 train to Offenburg, and then the 11:00 train to Strasbourg.  That would give us plenty of time for the layover and to make sure that everything went well.  However, our plans don't always go the way they are supposed to... We stopped at the snack shop at the bottom of mountain to get some food before we headed home.  All of us inhaled some black forest ham soup and shared another piece of black forest cake.  It was delicious.  Then, we hurried back to the train station to get there a little before 9:00.  We had plenty of time to catch our train.  That is, if our train would have come. We waited at a deserted train station for what seemed like forever, and kept checking the train times to make sure we were right.  We asked some locals, and they confirmed that a train should have come, but it never did.  The station was closed by this time, so there was no one official to ask.  So we just sat, and waited.  Hopefully, the 10:20 train would come.  Even if it did, it wasn't scheduled to arrive in Offenburg until 11:00, a mere 4 minutes before our other train was scheduled to leave.  So we waited, and waited. It got dark, and some sketchy teenagers from the town started arriving in the parking lot behind the train station.  Apparently, it was the hang out spot for Triberg.  We just hoped that our train would come soon.  And it did, 4 minutes late. We rushed on the train, and sat wishing that it would go fast.  If we missed our next train, we were stuck in Offenberg for the night and we had a court visit in the morning.  Besides trying to find a way back, we really didn't want to spend the night in another town.  Instead, we stood by the doors of the train willing it to go faster and faster.  The train arrived in the station only about 3 minutes late, and we were off at a full sprint.  We checked the nearest board for what "bin" our train departs from as fast as we could and then proceeded to plow over every man, woman, and child to get to our train.   We burst through the train doors huffing and puffing, just happy that we made it, only to realize that every passenger on the train was looking at us like we were very strange.  Oh well, we made the train.  So we took our seats, and then sat there for another 4 or 5 minutes before the train left.  Yes, we could have been spared the embarrassment of running through the station.  Stupid European trains - they are always late. Nonetheless, we were home free. Or at least we thought.  We stop at a few stops along the way, and we are almost to Strasbourg when an announcement goes over the intercom that this is the last stop and that everyone must get off.  A little confused, we watch as everyone disembarks the train.  Wait, this train was supposed to go to Strasbourg!  What is going on???  A bunch of other people are waiting outside of the train waiting to get on, and the conductor turns them away too.  They ask us: "Is this the train to Strasbourg?"  Well, we thought it was!  Luckily, Amber speaks fluent German and so she spoke to the conductor for us.  Apparently, we were supposed to catch a bus to Strasbourg outside the train station.  It was going to leave any minute. Here we go.  Trying to keep up with the rest of the crowd going to Strasbourg, and not wanting to miss the bus, we were running once again.  We found the bus, and boarded.  It took us right to the train station.  Awesome, it was still 11:45, so we can catch a tram back to our hotel.  Or so we thought.  We go inside to the tram stop, and find out that it has been closed.  Long story made short, we took a taxi home and split the cost, but we arrived home safely.  It was a long day of running, beautiful scenery, and disappointing public transportation.  However, it was one of the best days yet. 
]]> Salzburg — Grodig, Austrian Alps, Austria http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215288900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215288900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1215288900/tpod.html Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:20:46 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Grodig, Austrian Alps, Austria

 Today was one of the best days in Europe yet.  We had no class, and no responsibilities - so we could travel on our own in Salzburg, Austria.  It was awesome.  After breakfast, and a quick planning session between the Triple A's for our day, we headed to our first destination.  Mountain #1: we took a cable car up the mountain.  It was a little scary to look down, and pretty far up.  However, once we got up there, it was pretty spectacular.  We took lots of picturesque photos between the three of us.  I got to play in the snow a little, and even climb on the rocks a little.  I wish I would have known about the rest of our day ahead, because I may have climbed a little less.  Nonetheless, I was on top of a Mountain in the Alps, and it was awesome We had so much to do today, so we had to leave the mountain eventually.  Thankfully, before we headed up the mountain, we bought a Salzburg Card that gave up admission to all of the major tourist spots in the city.  It was only 24 euro and we definitely got our money's worth.  We were off to town. We first tried to find lunch.  It's harder than you think.  We finally walked by a little stand on the side of the road, and decided to check it out.  It was a little sketchy, and I think we can all say that we wish we wouldn't have eaten there.  The food was ok, but our service was kind of weird.  There were only two customers there at the time, and both were completely drunk at around 1 in the afternoon.  Then, the cook/hostess/waitress shows up looking like a new age hippy with messy black hair held back in a headband which was worn like a sweatband...  If the skull and cross bones flag decorating the "dining room" didn't give us a clue, we should have left when amber noticed some drug paraphernalia lying on the window sill.  Nice.  Amber swears that she was a witch.  But don't fear - we suspected the bread she gave us and didn't eat it so that there was no modern-day-Hanzel-and-Gretel episode.  We ate what we could and got out of there as fast as possible.   We walked around for a little bit, and soon found some kind of festival going on down some of the streets in town.  There wasn't much exciting there except food and music, but unfortunately we had already eaten...stupid us. However, we kept walking, and got to the home of Mozart.  We did a quick tour of the house, which was a little disappointing.  We all agreed that we were glad that we didn't pay the full admission fee to get in. So we moved on. Our next mission: find the castle.  We had a map and signs, but somehow this task was a little harder than it seemed.  Apparently there was more than one castle, and the castle we were looking for was not the castle that we found.  Long story short, we walked about two miles on rough terrain, and 1.2 kilometers of just stairs.  I am not exaggerating. We apparently started out going the wrong way and hiked up a bunch of stairs and through some woods before we realized and headed back.  Then we started for another uphill route with sets of stairs - one right after the other.  I didn't think I would make it, but we kept going because we thought that the Castle was coming up soon.  Basically we hiked to the top of a mountain in the Alps by just taking stairs.  We were tired, out of breath, and drenched with sweat by the time we got there.  It was gross, but we got a work out.  When we got there, we had a nice view, but the castle wasn't really a castle, so it was a little disappointing.  So we left right away to find the real castle.   Ironically, you could take a funicular to the top where the real castle was.  For those of you who have no idea what that is (like me, before this trip), its basically a cable car that is on tracks on a mountain.  So we rode that up to the real castle and walked around.  Unfortunately, when we got to the castle, we needed to take more stairs to get to the important rooms upstairs.  If there is one rule that we learned today, its that Austria is a beautiful country, but you better be in good shape if you want to vacation here.  We survived, and even enjoyed the scenery while we were at it.  We looked around, took some great pictures, and decided to head back down.   At the bottom of the hill, we opted for some dinner.  The main reason we chose this place was because of the dessert that it offered.  It looked like a big elephant ear topped with powdered sugar.  It was awesome.  Amber (who speaks german) told us that part of the name means Farmer. Since she didn't tell us what the rest of it means, we just assumed that it meant ear, and they were Farmer's Ears as opposed to Elephant's.  I guess its more humane for the elephants that way.  Whatever it was, it was awesome, and the entire meal was great.  We got free water!! This was only the second place in our entire stay in Europe where the waiter gave us free glasses of water, and without us even asking.  The other time was in Triberg.  Apparently, the German-speaking countries know how to serve a meal.   After dinner, we walked around a little bit of the town.  We happened upon a convent at the bottom of the hill.  Unbeknownst to me, we just happened to walk into the same convent that was used to film the Sound of Music.  It was the scene where the Von Trapp family hid from the Nazis.  It was very cool to be able to see that in person.  It looked a lot different than in the movie, but it was definitely recognizable. For the rest of the night, we just shopped, walked, and took a bus back to our hotel in Grödig, just outside Salzburg.  After we rested our legs a little bit, Amber, Amber, Nicole and I took a walk by the river.  Again, Austria is beautiful.  The river was a little grey, and not very healthy looking, but we had a nice walk nonetheless. Tomorrow we get up early and head for Vienna.  Back to classes. 
]]> Busy Week — Luxembourg, Luxembourg http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214600940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214600940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214600940/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:45:57 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

The busiest week yet.  I hardly had time to sleep, let alone blog.  I apologize for not keeping up.  I know you all are eagerly waiting to hear about what I'm doing as I trek across Europe.  Oh, btw, Amber and I are having a competition on who gets the most hits to our blog.  Team, I'll be honest with you, you're way behind.  I'll accept full responsibility for not posting as many blogs, but from now on you are officially on notice.  You have a lot of catching up to do.  So here was my week: The Hague.  It was by far the best place on the program so far.  It was a beautiful city.  We started out the trip with a walking tour. We had a great tour guide that kept us laughing the whole time.  We also found a great hamburger place where they sold excellent food and for very cheap.  We loved it and tried to return several times.  Our school days consisted of visiting the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court, and the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia.  While we were at the ICTY, my criminal law professor who has since left school to work as a prosecutor at the ICTY came to give our group a short lecture.  It was great to see him again, and also happened to give the best lecture all day.  Each of the courts were interesting, but we were obviously exhausted.  I kept myself occupied during the hours of lecture each day by counting how many people were asleep.  You know it gets bad when even the Duke falls asleep in the front row.  Too many hours of speakers.  We were starving by the time we were free to go on Sunday.  We tried to find a place to eat some dinner, but our burger place was closed, and so was what seemed like everything else.  We walked into an Indian restaurant, and weren't impressed.  Luckily a woman waiting for her food spoke English and we asked if she knew of any other food places that were open.  The only other option within walking distance was Chinese.  Hmm....Chinese or Indian.  I don't like either, so we opted for Chinese.  I will tell you that I hate Chinese food, but I loved that meal.  It was the best Chinese place ever.  Both Ambers agreed.  I ordered some kind of fried vegetables that had chicken, beef, shrimp, and crab in it.  The meat was delicious.  I'm talking really good.  This is very ironic, because so far, we found great Mexican in Italy and Great Chinese in the Netherlands.   However, my favorite part of the Netherlands was when we walked to the beach. It was about a 20-30 minute walk from our hotel, but it was definitely worth it.  It was beautiful.  I got to see the waves crashing and walk in the sand.  Most of the stores were closed, because they have weird hours of operation in Europe, but it was fun nonetheless.  We stayed pretty late, but not until sunset because it's after 10 until the sun sets in the Hague, and we had class in the morning.  But it set on our way back to the hotel.  The next day we had class and were off to Brussels. We only spent one day in Brussels, but we packed in as much as we could.  It was Amber Lane's birthday, so as soon as we got there the Ambers and I went to dinner to celebrate.  Of course we picked an appropriate restaurant for Europe: Chi chi's.  Ok, obviously, it wasn't the best restaurant, but Amber and I just got so excited when we saw it that we had to go.  It's been years since I had fried ice cream.  After dinner, we had another group walking tour (surprise).  That was long and arduous as usual, but I did see two pee-ing statues: one a boy, and one a girl.  They have a weird sense of humor over here.  Afterward, a group of us went to the square in the middle of town because there were supposed to be fireworks.  We got there and sat for awhile to hang out, and nothing was happening.  We get told a little later that fireworks only happen on the weekends.  Ooops.  It was fun anyway.  Not ready to turn in for the night, we hung out a little bit more and then returned to the hotel.  We had to be up early for another day in suits.  This time the EU Commission.  After getting a few hours of lecture from some important guys from the EU, we were off again.  This time we were on our way to Luxembourg. It was not that easy though.  When the bus finally arrived, all of the students hadn't.  Apparently some had wondered off for food, or to see the "violent" demonstration down the street that we were supposed to stay away from.  So we waited on the bus for Brandon and Nick to return for about half an hour.  The bus was about to leave several times leaving them behind, but a few of us didn't feel right about it.  Luckily for Brandon and Nick, they had a lot of friends.  A few of us went down to the administration and tried to persuade them not to leave them behind.  We didn't have an important meeting to attend to and we didn't know if they could have gotten hurt or not.  Right as some students were volunteering to stay behind in case they showed up, Brandon and Nick came running down the street.  They went to find food, and apparently got lost.  That was obviously a great excuse after I had just convinced the Duke that they were fatally wounded.  Oh well, we were off to Luxembourg. But wait, that's assuming that our bus could actually maneuver through the roads.  We got to a cross roads and had to take a right.  There was no way we could have made the turn.  Long story short, everyone on the street (except the driving of a conveniently placed BMW) was out watching our bus pull back and forth trying to make the turn.  A traffic cop arrived.  Cars were backed up both ways for blocks, and only 1 BMW and a garage door were injured.  But we made it (and left a note on the car...ooops.)   We made it about 2 blocks when a construction truck is pulled on the side of the road, blocking the passage way.  We have no way to get through.  So our bus pulls up behind, conveniently blocking the traffic going the other direction also.  Some cars decide to drive around using the sidewalk.  Others obey the law and wait.  The truck owner/driver is no where around.  Eventually, and ironically, the owner of another BMW who is caught in the traffic going the other direction gets out of his car.  Our driver has since gotten out of the bus to assess the situation and smoke a cigarette.  It's been a long day for him.  Mr. BMW would not have this.  He had somewhere to go.  As I am sitting on the second floor of the bus, I watch the situation unfold before me.  The bus driver is walking on the sidewalk along the road.  Mr. BMW gets out of the car and walks around.  Eventually he walks up to our bus, reaches in the window, and starts beeping our horn.  But he doesn't just beep the horn, he lays on the horn.  Hilarious.  Needless to say, the truck driver soon arrives and the roadway is clear.   On to Luxembourg, for real this time. Ok, so I've been here a few days now.  I've gone to the European Court of Justice, listened to lectures by a Judge, a legal secretary, and the equivalent of clerks in the court.  Each of them very interesting.  We also had the opportunity to sit in on a court case dealing with what was basically a Spanish anti-trust law and contracts for a service station.  The attorneys were speaking Spanish and the judges were speaking French.  All of us, including the judges, were wearing head phones tuned to the channel of our language.  There was almost two dozen interpreters in the glass booths around the court room interpreting in about a dozen different languages.  It was crazy, but very cool.  They had to interpret both French and Spanish into their native tongue.  I was very impressed at their language skills. After our long day at the court, we had class.  I used my first day of skipping today.  It was just too long of a day.  Instead I took about a 4 hour nap while everyone was gone.  The Ambers came back from class and tried to get me to go to dinner and shopping, but I had none of that and went right back to sleep.  Eventually I woke up and caught up with some others to get dinner with them.  After dinner, we all walked over to the square where a huge screen tv and stage was set up to watch the soccer game.  There was a little bit of entertainment during the half time, but not very appropriate.  However, the game was awesome.  The square was standing room only.  There were hundreds of fans with huge flags and face painting.  It was great.  We weren't even cheering on Luxembourg.  Most people were cheering for Spain.  I'm not really sure why, but I went along with it.  It seemed like the right thing to do.  I guess because of the cold war and everything.  In the end, Spain beat Russia 3-0.  Spain will now play Germany in the finals on Sunday.  After the game, we stopped for ice cream sundaes at McDonald's and went back to the hotel.  Up early again for class. Today we had four hours of class.  It was brutal, but with the help of spider solitaire, I made it through.  After class, Josh, the Ambers and I went on a little walk for lunch, to shop, and to check out tickets at the train station.  Amber Lane could only shop for a little bit before heading back for one of her classes (she has a different schedule), so that left me, Josh, and Amber B.  My only goals were to get ice cream and fruit at a delicious-looking sidewalk stand, and to find sunglasses.  I completed neither mission.  Also, Josh could not find a cheap duffel bag - his #1 mission.  Amber, however, did get her train tickets to Metz, France.  I don't have the energy to go along, so I'll be staying at the hotel this weekend.  We came back to the hotel, stayed for about an hour and then went out again (with Amber Lane again joining us) for dinner.  This time, we had Subway.  It was delicious, and they gave us a discount for being students.  So we got a cheap meal that filled us up, and we even got to refill our drinks.  God Bless America.  You don't know how much you take for granted until you go to foreign countries and get charged for everything.   In the end, it was an uneventful day because I tried to keep it that way.  Most people have left for a weekend trip by now.  Not me. This weekend, I will try to get everyone updated this weekend, and post all the pictures that you've been waiting for.  I'm looking forward to sleeping in.
]]> Strasbourg and Internet at McD's — Strasbourg, Alsace, France http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214938920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214938920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214938920/tpod.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:16:06 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Strasbourg, Alsace, France

Ok, I made it safely to Strasbourg.  I didn't update my blog this weekend like I wanted to.  I also didn't fill out an application that I wanted to finish, or get as much sleep as I possibly could.  Saturday I did get to sleep in and relax.  I went shopping for a little, but didn't accomplish anything too big.  On Sunday, I woke up in time for breakfast, and then walked around the city a little bit to see all of the beautiful parks and scenery (It was gorgeous), but was back in time to watch service on the internet.  I miss my church so much!  I can't wait to come back.  Sunday night was the Euro Cup finals.  Spain was playing Germany and the game was playing on a big screen in the square in luxembourg.  The whole town crowded into the square in front of the big screen dressed in the flags and colors of their team of choice to cheer on the game.  It was packed. The crowd was about split on the teams, but I was cheering for Germany because of the nice German lady that helped me to my hostel on my first night in Europe.  I remember her distinctly telling me to cheer for Germany during the Euro Cup.  So, I cheered.  Spain eventually won 1-0, and it was a good game.Monday, we woke up early to eat breakfast and pack our stuff on the bus.  We had a few hours of class and then headed to France.  It took almost all day to get to Strasbourg because of a traffic jam and because of our lunch stops, but we got to our small and ill equipped rooms at the Ibis hotel. The hotel rooms are <i>tiny, along with the towels they provide for us.  We are here until Friday without any internet.  Consequently, I am sitting in the McDonald's a few blocks down the road drinking iced tea and eating a McFlurry just so I can use their internet.  Imagine that: free internet. God Bless America. I had a long day today in a classroom without air conditioning, and walking tour around Strasbourg (to see the token church of the city and <i>petit France)  and then sitting in a McDonalds without air conditioning.  I'm off to go home to bed and then getting up for another day of school.  Hopefully, the ambers and I get to go to The Black Forest tomorrow. 
]]> Holland!!!! — The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214077320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214077320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1214077320/tpod.html Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:02:04 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Ok, so I just wrote this really long blog for everyone to read and was almost finished, but then somehow my internet page closed (I probably accidently closed the browser without seeing what I did) and I lost everything.  So you no longer get to read my interesting stories and witty humor.  I wish I had the energy to retype everything for you, but I just don't.  At this point, I'm exhausted and ready for bed.We had finals yesterday for 6 hours, all hadnwritten, all extremely exhausting.  When we finally finished and then we finished the day with a celebration ice cream, a celebration lunch (where we ate everything left in our kitchen so that we didn't waste anything), and then we had a celebration nap, and got up for a celebration dinner.  The dinner was at a really nice villa outside of Florence, where Mark Twain apparently stayed at one point in his life.  It was a gorgeous house and beautiful grounds.  We ate outside under a tent, something around 8 courses.  We were so full by the time we finished.  The Duke was so proud of us, and so excited that all of his students were together.  It was hilarious.  A great dinner overall.  Except that the bugs ate us alive as we were outside all night, and it took awhile to get home. Our last course wasn't served until around midnight, and we had a flight around 7 the next morning.  By the time everyone got taxis or rides home, it was almost 1 or 2 in the morning.  I still had packing to do, so I was up late.  Our baggage requirements for our flight was 1 bag under 44 lbs.  There was no way I was going to take 3 bags of luggage and fit it into 2 and still keep my checked luggage under 44 lbs.  At least, that's what I thought, but I sure did get close.  I actually packed my smallest piece of luggage as tight as possible, and layed it inside my biggest luggage and then packed stuff around that. I took all of my heaviest things: books, jeans, sweatshirts etc. and packed it into my medium luggage piece and took the risk of trying to get that past the staff and use it as a carryon.  In the end, I got all my stuff checked and in my carry on with no extra cost.  I was about 10 lbs over but the guy I went to was nice and let me through.  Thank goodness.So we are now in the Hague in Holland.  It's beautiful here.  It is about 10 times better than Italy.  Everyone is so nice, and its cheaper, but beautiful.  It is a lot more like home here.  There are trees and grass the city is just gorgeous.  The hotel has real internet and its free in the lobby.  I am so excited about this program.  I will keep you updated because I am predicting that it will be awesome.
]]> Last Week of Classes — Florence, Italy http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1213858920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1213858920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinamarie06/1/1213858920/tpod.html Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:14:33 -0400 European Study Abroad - a.k.a. avoiding a summer job

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Florence, Italy

This is our last week of classes and final exams are coming up fast.  Today is our last day of classes before we take our exams tomorrow.  We have three handwritten exams in a row, each two hours long.  Yesterday, was somewhat uneventful.  We slept in late until it was time for class, endured through hours of boring classes and returned home around 5:30.  I went to dinner with Amber, Becca and a bunch of the Dickinson group at a nice Italian restaurant that is close to the Mexican place where we ate before.  Apparently, its a good area for restaurants.  It was a delicious dinner, and though expensive, it was still relatively cheap in comparison to most of the other restaurants in Florence.  On our way home, the whole group stopped for gelato (ice cream) and I got a scoop of snickers and a scoop of chocolate mousse.  I was sooo full, but I found room somewhere.  As we were walking home, Becca, Amber and I decided that we wanted to ride the carousel in the one palaza that we pass on the way home.  The rest of the group continued walking home, while we took a ride.  Of course, it was only as fun as you can make it, but we wanted to enjoy one of our last nights in Florence.  As we walked home, we stopped at the Irish pub that is down the street from our hotel to watch the soccer game that was playing. Our one professor is from Sweden and Sweden was playing Russia to stay in the EuroCup tournament.  We showed up for a few extra brownie points, but to no avail because Sweden lost 2-0.  Today and tomorrow will be mostly composed of studying and preparing for the exam.  Not much fun, but we have a big going-away dinner friday night, and leave early morning on Saturday for the Netherlands for the next program. 
]]>