Eurotripping: Family Edition

So since I have been away for what seems like forever I figured I would do a quick recap of what this trip has brought me. My Uncle Jim and Dad came into the airport April 3rd and we had an amazing reunion at the Schlossberg Hotel. Quite arguably the nicest hotel I have ever been to. Photos do not do it justice but it was honestly majestic. 

And that is just a picture of our living room. I did not let them rest but rather we decided to kick their jet-lag. Since it was a gorgeous day we went to a quaint little outdoor cafe and ate lunch. Then we went to the most epic part of Graz, the Schlossberg. Its basically just a clocktower on top of a big hill, but the people in Graz love it. it has amazing views of the city and on a gorgeous day its the place to be. After I ran them around all day we went to a great Italian restaurant where i could get chicken! To most Americans this isn't a big deal, but to study abroad students its basically gold. Due to the way chickens are raised here (not factory farmed) the prices are crazy. So on my meager student budget chicken is a luxury. We called it a night and got ready to explore Graz for one more day. The next day we hit up the Schloss Eggenberg, a beautiful old castle and also the armory where they keep ancient weaponry. All in all Graz was a success. The weather held out and my family loved the quaint charm.

Off to Vienna! On the first day we explored the Schonbrunn Palace. It was a palace for Austrian royalty but now they allow tours. As we got there I was excited to show them the easter market because there was some delicious food there last time we went. The tour was great but we were exhausted so we rested a bit before venturing into Stephansplatz for some traditional Austrian cuisine. They both had their first Austrian schnitzel and sacher torte, a must have dessert. The second day in Vienna we wandered around the city and went into St. Stephen's cathedral. It was a beautiful place but of course my dad couldn't help but want the bird's eye view from the top. So I confronted my fear of heights and took an elevator up to the top. In between moments of shaking with fear and fighting the onset of an anxiety attack I got to enjoy the beauty of Vienna from above. Even tho it was a bit drizzly it was still a great sight.

Then hit Switzerland, a country I have literally always wanted to go to. In my mind it was going to be all cheese, chocolate, and watches just dripping from the alps. Apparently thats not quite how it works, at least not in Zurich. As we got to our hotel I was slightly confused, why was this nice Marriot in the middle of something called a Techno park and where were the mountains..all I saw was a crane outside of my window. Well once I got over my issues with Zurich I really started to enjoy it. Yes things are expensive, never let someone trick you and tell you it isn't. Unless you are prepared to spend $45 on a pasta dish I suggest not travelling there. Even though I was not paying for anything (thanks Dad) I still cringed every time the bill came. As a cheap college student one of those bills could have fed me for weeks. But Zurich is a beautiful city, we were there over Easter and we found a quaint church in ENGLISH to go to and then had fondue for dinner. The look on my face in this picture is pure joy that cheese was the main staple of my meal. It was an amazing time. But we decided Zurich didnt need four days so we cut our trip in half and made our way to the alpine town Luzern.

Luzern is about an hour train ride from Zurich and as soon as we were on the train watching the mountains we knew we were in for real Switzerland. I could already envision myself frolicking in the Alps. Luckily when we got there the weather changed and turned out to be beautiful unmasking the glorious mountains. We didn't waste any time and as soon as we arrived we decided to go up Mount Pilatus. Imagine gondolas at Stowe...but that go up about 7000 feet. It was wild and once again i was confronting my crippling fear of heights. I would have to say that going up that mountain was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Close your eyes and imagine the alps....exactly as expected. 

Luzern is exactly the type of sleepy town that I had been looking for in Switzerland and I have to say that it stole my heart. The second day in Luzern turned out to be even more amazing, while trying to decide what to do we stumbled upon a boat cruise. This boat literally brings you right through the alps while cruising along gorgeous Lake Luzern. If I thought they day before was amazing I was in for a treat. It was a gorgeous day and it was one of those experiences that I never wanted to end. Being casual alpine travellers we decided to go down to the beach later that day and have a picnic at sunset. Eating delicious cheese, fruit, bread and wine from Switzerland capped our perfect love affair with Switzerland. 

      Next we were on to Roma! Since I am Italian, Italy is of course my favorite country. I love the food, the people and the history. But mainly the food. After a scary taxi ride from the airport (honestly the worst driving I have ever experience) We go into our hotel. We couldn't have asked for a better location, it was right across the street from the Trevi fountain, one of the best landmarks in Rome. We used that first night to get acquainted with the area and establish ourselves as regulars at a restaurant...literally we went there three times in two days. I got to meet up with my friends from UVM which was amazing, it always shocks me how small Europe is. The next day we got to hit all of the important Roman architecture and more importantly we toured the Vatican. Since becoming a die-hard Angels and Demons fan at approximately 14 years old I have been waiting to see the Vatican forever. We went on a three hour tour and still barely scratched the surface of all of the amazing history within the smallest country in the world. I am not Catholic but touring the Vatican was an amazing time. I can only imagine all of the secrets within those walls. The next day it poured so what did we decide to do? Oh walk around outside through the Roman forum and the Colosseum of course. Walking through history that old was honestly unbelievable. I couldn't fathom that thousands of years ago people were making beautiful art and goods, so far ahead of their time. I was so impressed with the Roman forum but by the time I got to the last pile of rocks and I was soaking wet it was due time to go. The next day I had to say goodbye to the family and I flew back to Austria while they flew back to the states.
 

This trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Spending time with my dad and my uncle, two people I love so much and experiencing the trip on a lifetime with them was incredible. The sights that we saw and the times we had together were priceless. (Although I am sure my Dad's wallet doesn't feel the same way) This has been the highlight of my life. Ich liebe Europa!

Studying?? More like "Traveling Abroad"

   As of tomorrow I have officially lived in Austria for two months. Although I am not really an Austrian, every day I feel less like a tourist and more like I am making a life in Austria. The time is literally flying by. On the first day that I was here I was counting down the days until my family came to visit for April break. Well in two days that dream will become a reality. I honestly can't believe that I get the chance to show my Dad Europe for the first time. I'm sure his kid in a candy shop attitude will be so gratifying. In two days I am about to set off on the journey of a lifetime, touring Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Can I really ask for anymore?
  I used to try to imagine what my life would be like abroad, and somehow everything is exceeding my expectations. My life is literally exactly what I want it to be. Although I have been the lamest blogger ever I have had an amazingly exciting last month. I went to Berlin which was an epic experience. The history, and atmosphere is incredible. I would suggest it to anyone. There I got the opportunity to set foot on some of the most influential places in recent European history. It was breathtaking.

I hit up Budapest with an amazing group of people. Stayed in the most questionable hostel ever...honestly I am lucky I didn't contract anything. I guess thats what happens when you stay at a place called the Grandio Party Hostel. Yet I had probably the most fun I have ever had in my life. I also got to experience a city I had never even thought to visit, and let me tell you it is highly underrated. 

Then I decided I needed a little Groovy UV reunion so I visited my friends for a weekend in Vienna! It is a beautiful city and it was only made better with good friends to show me around. Taking my study abroad life and meshing it with friends from home was an incredible experience. We are all here having life changing experiences and we got to share in the Erasmus magic :)

Oh, I also go to classes here...haha I can't say that its the biggest part of my experience though. I have had 7 days of classes so far. I am taking four classes and they are each one day a week, so I smartly scheduled 4 day weekends for myself. I am really enjoying the courses that I am taking because they are all about language. This is proving to be relevant to my Speech pathology interests and its interesting to see a different take on linguistic issues.
Studying in Austria is everything that I could ever wish for. It breaks my heart to know that when my Dad and Uncle leave this trip will officially be half over. Only more reason to get the most of everything. I just need to fill every day until July 2nd when I land back in Boston. I don't think that will be too much of a struggle! Well now it's time to start an incredible 3 week vacation, like I'm not on vacation already :)