Sorry that I am just getting this out. I am about two weeks behind. As Christina said I am now in Ireland WWOOFing on a lovely but intense organic famliy farm, but before that I went to Vienna to meet a friend. This was written when I was there but due to lack of time in Vienna and lack of internet on the farm I am just now posting it.
Dearest sister
After a long travel day I arrived in Vienna. There Larissa, a friend from Thailand was waiting for me at the airport. She took me to get a typical drink gespritzer or white wine spritzer. It was just what I
needed after the last two days of non stop traveling. The next day was filled with walking around and seeing the city. We went to Stephansdom cathedral at the center of the city, past the Natural History and Art museums, Hofburg, and then picked up dinner at Naschmarket. That night we went to the ballet to see Don Quixote. I wish I was not so jet lagged but either way I loved it and want to go again as soon as possible. It was a wonderful day and not nearly as cold as I thought it was going to be. The thing that was strange was the absence of: people spitting on the street, horns honking constantly, people staring at you, and the cheap prices. I feel that I had reverse culture shock. It only lasted a day or maybe even just an afternoon but it was odd to feel so out of place in a place so similar to home. The market for instance was so clean and
neat. Everyone waiting there turn to order and not making a mad rush for the counter. No old woman yelling at you in a strange language or kids pointing at you. I loved both India and China but those our some of the things I will not miss.
Vienna is a lovely city filled with culture and history. I have to say that I was embarrassingly ignorant to the history of the city and the country before I got here. Larissa my friend and extremely good tour
guide helped me out and basically gave me a walking tour the first day. It also made me ashamed at how little I know about Corinth or Miami. I definitely could not have given such detailed information about either city.
She has to work so during the week I am on my own to figure out what to do. I went to Schonbrunn palace one day. It was beautiful like everything in Vienna and another day I went to the art history museum. It was really funny but on the audio guide for the art museum they would always start saying something like "this is the largest gold hord found in..." and I would think that the next part was going to be Europe or Austria but they would finish with "in the hills outside Vienna or the small island of so and so." It was so anticlimatic. Like they were trying to trick me into thinking that it was important. Even with that it was still a great museum filled with great works by Titian, Caravaggio, and lots of others.
I decided that since she was letting me stay in her apartment that I would cook dinner for her. So every night I make dinner and go to the grocery store. I have to say that shopping in a country where you can not read the labels and you need certain ingredients is a pain. I have made great friends with the only English
speaking worker at the local grocery store. I feel that maybe we have just been lucky but every country we have been to has had the nicest people. There are so many good people in the world and I think without them we would have been lost.
This weekend Larissa and I went to the outskirts of the city to have a traditional meal. Let me just say that I still have not found a country where I do not LOVE THE FOOD. We had Wiener schnitzel, a thin
piece of pork breaded and fried served with ketchup and/or marmalade, Tiroler Köndel (not sure on the name, she ordered), a cast iron dish of spinach dumplings and ham, and a plate of cold salads all washed downwith Gespritzer. I have to say it was amazingly good and I left nothing on any plate. Just talking about it is making me hungry. I am sorry I don't have that many pictures but you know how I am with pictures. I promise to take more starting today.
Laura
 |
| Leaving China |
Dearest sister
After a long travel day I arrived in Vienna. There Larissa, a friend from Thailand was waiting for me at the airport. She took me to get a typical drink gespritzer or white wine spritzer. It was just what I
needed after the last two days of non stop traveling. The next day was filled with walking around and seeing the city. We went to Stephansdom cathedral at the center of the city, past the Natural History and Art museums, Hofburg, and then picked up dinner at Naschmarket. That night we went to the ballet to see Don Quixote. I wish I was not so jet lagged but either way I loved it and want to go again as soon as possible. It was a wonderful day and not nearly as cold as I thought it was going to be. The thing that was strange was the absence of: people spitting on the street, horns honking constantly, people staring at you, and the cheap prices. I feel that I had reverse culture shock. It only lasted a day or maybe even just an afternoon but it was odd to feel so out of place in a place so similar to home. The market for instance was so clean and
neat. Everyone waiting there turn to order and not making a mad rush for the counter. No old woman yelling at you in a strange language or kids pointing at you. I loved both India and China but those our some of the things I will not miss.
 |
| Outside the Hofburg |
Vienna is a lovely city filled with culture and history. I have to say that I was embarrassingly ignorant to the history of the city and the country before I got here. Larissa my friend and extremely good tour
guide helped me out and basically gave me a walking tour the first day. It also made me ashamed at how little I know about Corinth or Miami. I definitely could not have given such detailed information about either city.
She has to work so during the week I am on my own to figure out what to do. I went to Schonbrunn palace one day. It was beautiful like everything in Vienna and another day I went to the art history museum. It was really funny but on the audio guide for the art museum they would always start saying something like "this is the largest gold hord found in..." and I would think that the next part was going to be Europe or Austria but they would finish with "in the hills outside Vienna or the small island of so and so." It was so anticlimatic. Like they were trying to trick me into thinking that it was important. Even with that it was still a great museum filled with great works by Titian, Caravaggio, and lots of others.
 |
| Horrible picture of my at Schonbrunn palace |
I decided that since she was letting me stay in her apartment that I would cook dinner for her. So every night I make dinner and go to the grocery store. I have to say that shopping in a country where you can not read the labels and you need certain ingredients is a pain. I have made great friends with the only English
speaking worker at the local grocery store. I feel that maybe we have just been lucky but every country we have been to has had the nicest people. There are so many good people in the world and I think without them we would have been lost.
This weekend Larissa and I went to the outskirts of the city to have a traditional meal. Let me just say that I still have not found a country where I do not LOVE THE FOOD. We had Wiener schnitzel, a thin
piece of pork breaded and fried served with ketchup and/or marmalade, Tiroler Köndel (not sure on the name, she ordered), a cast iron dish of spinach dumplings and ham, and a plate of cold salads all washed downwith Gespritzer. I have to say it was amazingly good and I left nothing on any plate. Just talking about it is making me hungry. I am sorry I don't have that many pictures but you know how I am with pictures. I promise to take more starting today.
 |
| Larissa and I after a few glasses of wine |
Laura
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