December in Wien

Punsch trinken mit mein Austrian Buddy!

The beginning of December brought the Christmas spirit front and center. The whole city was decked out in its finest decorations. Punsch stands and Christmas markets sprung up over night. The snow began to fall and didn't let up. It was perfect. I explored the Christmas markets and tried every kind of Punsch. Vienna with a blanket of snow is beautiful. I even went ice skating on an outdoor rink. Since the country is Catholic, advent calenders are everywhere throughout the city.

Things I have learned about Austrian Christmas. There is no Santa Claus. There is a Christkind (Christ child) who brings the children presents. Its a little child, still debated here whether a boy or a girl, who flies from house to house. Also, Christmas Eve is a much bigger deal than Christmas Day. Gifts are opened and the big family dinner occurs. Of course the night ends with the church service. There are also a lot of mini holidays before the 24th. One the 5th of December, children put out their shoes. Saint Nikolaus and his side kick, Krampus, come and visit the children. Krampus is a scary little man who comes from hell. He hits the bad children on the legs with a bundle of sticks. The really bad children are taken back to hell with him. The good children on the other hand get candy and presents in their shoes from Saint Nikolaus. Well, the Austrians really like this day. Many people dressed up as Krampus and jumped out at children on the street. I was laughing until someone jumped out at me and starting tapping me on the legs with sticks. I screamed so loud! Luckily I ran into Saint Nikolaus minutes later and he gave me chocolate.
 

Pretty Snow!

These past two weeks just flew by. I have been squeezing every last drop from Vienna. Classes wrapped up and then final exams came. I said goodbye to my children. They threw me a going away party. It was so cute. They all wrote me notes and hugged me goodbye. Before I knew it I was done. I completed my last college quarter. Weird. And scary. Many ups and downs this past week. Happy to be done and happy to see my family again. Happy to be going home and happy to have accomplished so much. At the same time I'm sad to be leaving. Sad to be saying goodbye to so many great friends. Sad to be ending a wonderful chapter of my life.
  
But I'm going to stick to the happy and the excited. Right now I'm on the train heading to western Austrian to meet my family. We are spending the holidays traveling through Austrian and Lower Germany. I'm so excited to see them and so them the country I have lived in for the past five months! This is not the end of the blog! Get excited to hear about the Wilson Family Shenanigans!


Schönbrunn at night



Me with Heilige Nickolaus



Thanksgiving Austrian Style

Wow time has flown by! I'm so sorry for not keeping this blog up to date. I just got so busy and time seemed to get away from me. But anyways, let's catch up on the past month. After getting home from my wonderful trip to Amsterdam and Paris, I started preparing for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday that most Austrians know absolutely nothing about. Well, my friend Hannah and I decided to educate them. We hosted a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving dinner for our Austrian friends.

We take our lists seriously

I am so proud of both of us. We chose the Saturday before Thanksgiving since many of us were traveling on the actual Thanksgiving weekend since our program gave us the long weekend off of class. So Hannah and I got together the week before our dinner to make lists. Lots and lots of lists! First we started by listing all the dishes we wanted to provide. We then listed the ingredients needed to make these dishes. Next came cooking times and pans. We were working with only one oven and a very limited pan supply. Austria does not do disposable pans so those were out of the question. We had to beg, borrow, and steal just to rummage up five. Then we listed our guests and sent out the invites. The next big step was tracking down all the ingredients. That was the biggest challenge of all.

Ta Da!  Pumpkin Pie!

First, the turkey. We invited 18 people to our dinner and so we wanted a fairly large turkey. Well, turkey is very difficult to find here. It is not a staple meat like it is back in America. And when we finally did track down a store that sold full turkeys, we realized we would need more than one. The largest turkey was more like an over sized chicken, about the size of a bowling ball. Normally two turkeys wouldn't be a problem, but with only one pan and one oven, we realized we would need to do some serious planning. The other ingredients were just as hard to find. No French fried onions or mushroom soup for the green bean casserole. Solution: I made my own mushroom soup and onions beforehand. No pumpkin for the pie. Solution: I bought a full pumpkin, steamed it for an hour, scooped out the cooked pumpkin, and then mashed it to make pumpkin pie...in a rectangle dish since pie tins are nonexistent here. No Graham crackers for pie crust. Solution: Hannah used shortbread cookies. No acorn squash or yams. Solution: Hannah substituted sweet potatoes and suße squash (still not sure what kind it was). The hardest thing to track down was actually pecans for the pecan pie. They're considered a specialty nut here and can only be bought at one store we found out. So, with our makeshift ingredients and lists, Hannah and I set to work.

Nominee for Best Supporting Role

Dinner was being served around five on Saturday. Hannah and I tried to prepare as many dishes as we could the day before so we only had the turkeys the day of. Friday was spent cooking something and then transferring it to another dish since there were limited oven safe pans. We baked two cheese cakes, a rectangular pumpkin pie, a rectangular pecan pie, a sweet potato squash dish, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes. And of course no Thanksgiving dinner prep is complete without the consumption of Glühwein during the process. Elizabeth doesn't really like Thanksgiving dinner and therefore has no experience cooking it. So she contributed by washing dishes, cleaning the apartment, and taking out the trash. Hannah and I never could have pulled it off without her supporting role.

Early morning prep

Saturday morning we got up early to prep and cook the turkeys. With a strict basting schedule in place, we finished up the other little things like the gravy, rolls, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. In the end it was a huge success. Our Austrian friends loved it and had a wonderful time. Before we ate we shared what we were thankful for. All the food tasted Delicious. We even included Thanksgiving entertainment by reenacting the first Thanksgiving. Elizabeth narrated, Hannah played the role of pilgrim and I took the role Indian. Instead of ending with the dinner though, the narrator decided to continue a few more years and the show ended with the pilgrims giving the Indians smallpox which killed them off. I had a wonderful death scene. Afterward, all I could think was 'we pulled it off'.

Half of the Party! The boys were late of course

The following week our program hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for us on Thanksgiving Day. It was fun to be with everyone. I also taught my children about Thanksgiving. I told them the story of the first Thanksgiving and explained why we have this holiday. I taught then the traditional foods and I even baked them pecan tarts. I ended the lesson with having them make a hand turkey. They were thrilled and they all wanted to show me their turkeys. It was so cute how excited they got.

Overall, spending Thanksgiving in Austria has made me appreciate my friends and family back home so much more. I never realized all the work that goes into preparing a full dinner. In the past I have be strictly a helper and not a planner. I appreciate this holiday that brings together friends and family.

Paris - The City of Love...and bread :)

We arrived in Paris at 6 in the morning after on and off sleep all night since midnight. Though we were tired we were really excited to be in Paris. The first thing we did was find our hotel to drop our luggage off. We couldn't officially check in until after 11, so we grabbed our cameras and went to watch the sunrise over the Eiffel Tower. We were already up, so why not? We set out and saw many pretty buildings and parks on the way. By the time we got to the Eiffel Tower, we were starving. We had to search a little bit for a place that was open so early but we finally found one. We had a delicious traditional French breakfast of croissants, bagette with jam, coffee and orange juice. It was wonderful and hit the spot. While eating we got to watch all the children walking to the nearby school. They were really cute.

We leisurely walked back to our hotel and explored the streets of Paris on the way. This took a few hours of constant walking and by the time we reached the hotel all our feet were killing us. They were still tired from the day before after exploring all of Amsterdam. Once back, we all showered and got ready for the day. By then it was early afternoon. We walked to the corner grocery store and bought some cheese, bread, and wine. We brought then back to our room and had a nice little picnic on the bed. Afterwards we walked to the Arc de Triumph. The police and army were out in force. There were protesters gathered waving the Soviet flag and some of the sidewalks were blocked off. It was only slightly unnerving. I just ignored it for the most part. I never felt unsafe at all. The Arc right now has a huge French flag hanging in the middle and it was beautiful when the wind hit it. From the Arc we walked back to the Eiffel Tower (going a different route) because the lighting was not good when we went in the morning. I'm going to use that as the reason and not the real one of we didn't look pretty enough for photos after being on a bus for 10 hours overnight.

 

 

at the top!



It was at the Eiffel Tower that I realized how perfect Paris and I are for each other. There are soooo many songs about Paris and so many movie scenes that take place in Paris! I started with a few songs from Anastasia. This time we climbed the tower, and I mean climb. We took the stairs and paid 4 euros less (that's another crepe for my tummy :) ) than if we took the elevator. We climbed 669 steps to the second floor (the top was under construction). The view was amazing! We could see all of Paris. We got some great photos. From the Eiffel Tower we went to the Louvre. It's free for anyone under 26 after 6 pm. I saw the Mona Lisa and many other famous paintings. I think the building is just as amazing as the art it houses. One of my favorite exhibitions was Napoleon's apartments. It's a section of the palace that was keep original. It was very fancy (or overkill depending on who you're talking too) It only increased my opinion that Napoleon had an insecurity of some kind (short man complex? maybe?) The Louvre is HUGE and there was no way we could see all of it in 4 hours so we had to pick and choose. We saw all the important pieces though. At 10 o'clock we left the Louvre and headed back to our hotel. We were exhausted and went right to bed.

Louvre

 

Saturday we were up and going by 9 am. We had another French breakfast provided by our hotel. We started off the day visiting Moulin Rouge. I was disappointed to find out that there is actually no elephant as shown in the movie. After singing/recreating a few songs from the movie (unfortunately I was alone in this endeavor), we went down to Saint Michael's Fountain. Next came Notre Dame. It was beautiful inside and I had another movie with theme songs to keep me company: the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I may or may not have imagined myself as Esmeralda. Around the Notre Dame are tons of shops that we popped in and out of. Shopping of course requires a lot of energy and afterwards we needed to refuel so we shared a Croque Monsieur (local ham and cheese sandwich). Next came crepes with Nutella! They were delicious! I have never tasted a crepe so good. We walked the Seine and came across Lover's Bridge. This is a chain-link bridge where lovers have left padlocks on and then they throw the key into the water to symbolize their love. There are hundreds of locks on this bridge. Some are engraved with names and dates while others are tagged with a Sharpie and some are just blank. It was really cool to see.
 

Lover's Bridge



It Sparkles!

Keeping with are shopping theme we walked to Champs Élysee. A very long street just full of shops. There was even a Disney store :) We had another crepe for dinner. We decided to end our day at the Eiffel Tower since it is where we started our trip (it was our last night together). Plus, at night on the hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles! We made it just in time to see! It was beautiful! We turned in for the night after that. Michelle had a very early flight the next morning with Jordan and I not long behind.

Overall it was a fantastic trip! I realize that it didn't really matter where we went, the best part of it was that we were together. After basically living together for the last three years, the five month absence was our longest time apart. I'm so glad we were able to make this trip work. Amsterdam and Paris are gorgeous cities with so much to see and I explored them with two of my favorite people :) It was the adventure of a lifetime and I will never forget all the fun we had together. Thanks for the laughs girls! :)

Amsterdam - The City of (fill in the blank, for really anything works lol)

My journey to Amsterdam took me to London first for a short layover. The funniest thing though happened on the way...well, actually one is a strange coincidence and the other is an embarrassment but overall funny. It turned out that my Hostmutter was also traveling to London and we were on the same plane. She is a teacher and her school has the week off so she decided to take a trip to London. She told me she was heading to London a few weeks ago but I thought she was leaving Monday. I thought I was right when she didn't come home on Monday and Tuesday but it turns out she was just visiting Oma in Upper Austria. We got a laugh about it at the airport. It was an easy two hour flight to Gatwick. Now Gatwick is a HUGE airport and even though I was just transferring, I had to exit customs and then re-enter under my other ticket. Luckily this was a short process for I only had a little over an hour layover. It was weird hearing everyone speaking English after so many months of hearing German everywhere I go. When I bumped into someone I apologized first in German from habit and then in English. It was at the Gatwick Airport that I embarrassed myself.

So I had just gone through security and I was on my way to my gate. There were two moving sidewalks to get to the end of the terminal. I stepped on the right one only to end up tripping because it was moving against me. I forgot that I was in England where they drive (and walk it turns out) on the wrong side. (Alright, not wrong, just different to be fair) So I dropped my bags to try to catch myself and I managed to stay on my feet though not very gracefully. A nice man grabbed my elbow to help me. After I gained my balance he asked with a chuckle "American?". I thanked him for his help and laughed it off. I'm still amazed that I can be really graceful (oh alright, semi graceful) on a quarter inch of mental on ice but yet manage to be a complete klutz walking on a flat surface in tennis shoes. Oh well, I tested gravity and it's working just fine in case any of you were concerned.



Reunited at Last!



My flight to Amsterdam went off without a hitch. We taxied on the runway for about 15 minutes. I was antsy the entire time because I wanted to see my friends so bad! We haven't seen each other since May and this is the longest time we've been apart. All our flights got in within about a half hour of each other so the plan was for Jordan (the first in) to meet me at my gate and then both of us go to Michelle's. Well, this didn't happen like we had thought. Gates in the Amsterdam airport are long tunnels that only those with tickets to the departing flights can get to. There is no arrivals board to see when and where flights are coming in. We all had cell phone numbers though in case of emergency. So I realized once I walked off my plane that Jordan couldn't get to me so I walked down the tunnel hoping she'd be at the end of it. She was and I was so excited to see her that I set of the alarms running through the security booth. Then we both set off to find Michelle. We were told at information where her flight was coming in so we waited at the end of that hall. Turns out her flight was early so they changed gates last minute. We got a text from her saying to meet in the arrivals hall entrance. When I saw her, I ran to her as well. Only this time I included a very vocal and happy "EEEEEEE" (most of you are familiar with this sound). Needless to say it was a very happy reunion!  



From the airport we took a train into Amsterdam Central and from there found our hostel. It was a good hostel. Small but with clean beds. The stairs though were soooo steep! It was more like climbing a latter than stairs. After checking in we went looking for dinner and drinks. We had A LOT of catching up to do and we talked late into the night while exploring the canals of Amsterdam. (These past two weekends I have sure gotten my fill of canals) Next morning we got up and going. We went to Anne Frank's House first. This was the location of the Secret Annex. It was very eerie and a little spooky. The rooms definitely had stories to tell. It was a very interesting museum and I learned a lot about Anne's life, the people living in the Annex, and the lives of those helping the Franks. One the walls are quotes from Anne's diary about the room. Some were a description and others were a little story of something that happened in that room. I read Anne Frank's Diary in eighth grade but this museum made me want to read it again now that I'm older.

My next pair of ice skates :)

From Anne Frank's House we went to Dam Square. There were too many pigeons there for comfort. Then we embraced the culture of Amsterdam and went into the Sex Museum. It was actually really interesting and very funny at times. It walked you through the whole history of sex in different cultures. It included the Cancan Girls of Paris and the belly dancers of India. Even the Tango was considered as an act of sex in a way. Next we did some shopping.  I found my next pair of ice skates...not sure how structurally sound they are, but I'm willing to give them a try.  Being the dorks we are, we got matching scarfs in different colors listing all the places in Amsterdam. Then we took pictures with said scarfs of course :) We saw the Museumplein and the Noordmarkt. I started to walk into what I thought was a coffee shop, when Jordan pulled me back informing me that in Amsterdam, cafés sell coffee while coffee shops sold marijuana. I didn't understand the reason for a code name, but whatever. I was saved the embarrassment of trying to order a latté.

We were walking through Dam Square and all of the sudden found ourselves in the Red Light District. It was a very smooth transition from residential cute Dutch houses to...not residential. It was actually kind of sad and I felt sorry for the girls in the windows. I felt weird looking in the windows and it was a very uncomfortable walk down the street. I also found myself judging the people going into these shops. I was disgusted with the live shows and the idea of what went on in those shops. We quickly tried to find a main street to get out of the Red Light District since we didn't want to walk down one of the small alleys. We all breathed a little easier once we found the way out.  



Amsterdam at night



Instead of actually eating lunch we got mini snacks throughout the day. Amsterdam has amazing french fries and the most delicious waffles covered in chocolate. We were all happy with our choices. When our feet needed a break, we sat at a café and tried the local beer. We explored the city to the fullest and then found a place for dinner. We had a 10 pm bus to catch leaving to Paris so we had a nice relaxing dinner to conclude our time in Amsterdam. We took the overnight bus to Paris and arrived bright and early. From the city of sex to the city of love, according to Jordan. Michelle though really feels like we did this trip backwards since love is always suppose to come before sex.  

Verona - Where Copping a Feel from Juliet brings Luck ;)

Gardens

The train ride to Verona was only about an hour. We stayed in the nicest Bed and Breakfast right next to the entrance to Old Town. That afternoon we walked all around the Old Town of Verona. Our first stop was Giardino Giusti which was a beautiful garden dating back to the Roman Empire. It was so green and lush with fountains and hedge mazes. It is situated on a hill so at the top we had amazing views over the city. We completed the hedge maze. I got to the center first. Well, first without cheating. Elizabeth and Katie decided to create a few doors of their own. Once in the center, Elizabeth announced that she felt like Cedric Diggory from the fourth Harry Potter book. This led to a Harry Potter inspired photo shoot in the center of the hedge maze. We're pretty cool like that :)

After the gardens we visited some famous dead Italian's tombs and then Juliet's House from Romeo and Juliet. The arched entrance to the courtyard of Juliet's is covered in love messages. It was really cool and sweet to see. There was the balcony from the famous scene and a golden statue of Juliet. The legend is that touching Juliet's right boob will bring good luck in love. It's really funny because Juliet's right boob is really worn down while here left is perky and new. Of course we all wanted luck in love so I admit to copping a feel...or two. You can never have too much luck when it comes to love! We then saw the Lamberti Tower and some more old churches. That night we ate dinner at a great pizza place. It was tasty. Later we found this cool nautical bar where we stopped for some girly cocktails.

 

Graffiti at Juliet's



Here's to Luck!



We were spoiled at breakfast the next morning. The owner made us fresh cappuccinos. There was a variety of pastries and cereal and eggs and meats and cheeses and fresh fruit. It was delicious. Our train back to Vienna was a night train leaving at 10:50 and getting into Vienna the next morning at 8 am. The owner was really nice and allowed us to leave our bags until we left for our train. Unfortunately it was raining, but we didn't let that stop us. We were prepared with umbrellas. We set out that morning to the Castelvecchio Museum. This is an old castle and bridge from the Romans. It was all red brick; very different from the stone castles back in Austria. Next we saw the Roman Amphitheatre. Though not nearly as big as the one in Rome, it was still very impressive. We got quite the workout hiking up and down the seats. We also saw the Roman Theatre Ruins. There is something very beautiful about crumbling walls covered in moss. Right next to the Roman Amphitheatre is the Palazzo Della Gran Guardia. This is a palace that use to house the King of Verona. A very grand building. A little walk away was the Palazzo Della Ragione which is a grand plaza. Market vendors are set all around and we decided it was the perfect time for a little snack. Everyone needs an afternoon cannoli break of course.

Castelvicchio

Roman Amphitheatre

The rain got worse as the day wore on. Since we had seen all of the main sights that we wanted to see, we thought the best way to stay out of the rain was by doing some shopping. One street in Verona was just designer store after store. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel. Way out of my price range but fun to look never the less. After our fantasy shopping, we found some outlets and little boutiques more our style. It found the cutest and warmest pair of boots. They're really fuzzy inside. They make my toes really happy :) We had a late relaxing dinner and then swung by our B&B for our bags.

The Italian Lumberjack

This was my second time on an overnight train, my first time being in China five years ago. We had quite the adventure on the train. It was us three girls in a sleeping car with an older Slovakian man. This guy was interesting to say the least. He had way too short and too tight boxer shorts on with a way too tight and too short T-shirt. He also blasted this Turkish horn music so loud that we could all sing along. Also, he snored soooooo loud! Even with our Ipods on full volume we could still hear him. The snores went on all night, so we got sporadic sleep. We all stayed in a good mood though because we bonded over our misery and laughed it off. His stop was a few before ours in lower Austria so we had about the last hour of the trip to ourselves. We took full advantage of it too. We had bought a bottle of champagne in Verona before we left in order to toast our last morning together with mimosas. So we popped the bottle and celebrated an excellent trip to Italy. Unfortunately I have to go back to class this afternoon, but next weekend I'll be in Amsterdam and Paris with my best friends from DU, so I guess I can handle a few classes until then.

Venice - The City of Canals or just one giant maze

Grand Canal

Well, I have completed midterms so I think I need a little vacation for the long weekend. I don't know, how about Italy? Alright, Italy it is! My last midterm was on Wednesday evening, so even before the sun was up on Thursday, I was on a train to Venice. I'm traveling with two girlfriends, Katie and Elizabeth. We have two days in Venice and then two days in Verona. I was so excited for I have never been to Italy before and I made it to Venice before it sinks! The train was about 6 hours. Long, but not terrible. It also was through the most gorgeous countryside and mountains. The leaves are changing colors right now and some of the hill sides are all blazing with golden leaves. We were in Venice shortly after noon. Venice is the prettiest island. Canals are everywhere! You have to always watch where you're going because you might just dead end into a canal. The streets are so narrow and tiny. There are no cars, just boats. It was kind of scary walking through the streets, especially at night. The buildings are so tall all around you and the streets are very tiny. You never know what is around the corner. Also, the streets randomly dead end at times. We took a water taxi to hour hotel. We found it cheaper to stay in a hotel instead of a hostel in Venice. We had the perfect location right by the Rialto bridge in the center of the island.     

Rialto bridge



 

That afternoon we walked all around the island. We saw the plaza where bull fighting use to occur. We saw the opera house and the theatre house. We did some shopping. I have a new real Italian leather purse that I am super excited about :) It was frustrating trying to take pictures of all the buildings since it's impossible to get the whole building in. There is no way to back up since all the buildings are practically on top of one another. We had dinner that night along side the Grand Canal by the Rialto Bridge. I had delicious stuffed pasta. It was the house specialty. Later that night we went to some wine bars. Now, Italian men are very forward. They are not at all shy about approaching a girl and kissing her like they were the best of friends. It was a little frightening the first time it happened to me. All of the sudden my hand was grabbed and kissed and then so to was my cheek. Flattering, but a little creepy at the same time. Katie had the worst of it since she is the fairest of blonde's. Every guy came up to her and asked where she was from while we were walking on the streets. Elizabeth decided to be smart and just answer "Heaven" and keep walking. It was funny.   





View of Venice from the top of the Bell Tower

Our hotel provided a very nice breakfast in the mornings. Being the thrifty college students that we are, we all brought a purse to breakfast with us and stored some rolls and fruit for lunch later. That way we only had to buy one meal a day, and gelato snacks of course. Friday morning we made our way down to the only official square in Venice, San Marco Plaza. We saw some beautiful churches and museums on the way. Many men were out selling gondola rides. We were stopped by one who looked real legit in a stripped shirt and straw hat. He said he'd give us a deal of 90 euros for a half hour gondola ride. Now Elizabeth is a shrewd bargainer and so we decided to accept his offer once she had talked him down to 60. So we had a wonderful gondola ride through the canals of Venice. We also got an extra 15 minutes free of charge. So in other words, we worked the system. It was so cool having a guided gondola tour of Venice. We decided all that was missing was someone to serenade us. We saw Mozart's Venice home and many other important people of Venice's homes. Once we made it to San Marco Plaza, we went up to the top of the bell tower. It was a gorgeous clear day and from the top you can see the Alps, the mainland of Italy, and even Croatia. It was amazing and beautiful. The funny thing is that from that high up, you can't see all of the canals. Venice looks like a normal city with only the roof tops visible. It was so cool.



Venice at night

After San Marco Plaza we went to the Jewish Ghetto. This was the first ghetto in Europe. It was real easy to block it off since it was it's own little island. All the bridges were blocked and the canals as well. It was a super small area and there were a few plaques as a memorial. Afterwards we found this really cool carnival mask shop. We spent about an hour trying on all these different masks and taking pictures. Some were really crazy with tons of feathers and glitter. In the end we each bought a mask as a little souvenir. Dinner that night was some more wonderful pasta and excellent wine. I finally had some of the best tiramisu that I have ever had! It's my favorite and it was so good! That night we wandered a bit until we found a good wine bar. It was a fun night :) The next morning we did the same thing with breakfast and lunch. Our train for Verona left at 10:45, so we had a relaxing morning walking around Venice saying goodbye to the beautiful canals and pretty houses. What I will not miss is all the litter on the streets and the cigarrette buds everywhere. 
 

Mauthausen Concentration Camp

Mauthausen Entrance

Today I visited the Mauthausen Concentration Camp and Memorial. A professor from the center organized it and so us students received a private tour. It was a very interesting experience and very hard to describe, but I will do my best to try. The day was overcast, blocking out the sun. It definitely added to the ambiance of the place. It was very cold and the wind cut right through my wool coat. I can't even imagine how cold it would be with only one thin layer. Mauthausen was the send camp built and the first in Austria in 1938. Originally it was a camp for political criminals and the like. It was built around a quarry and the idea was to work the prisoner in the quarry and float the stones down to Graz as building material. This actually never happened. Since the camp grew so quickly, all the stones were used to expand. Our guide tried to express to us how hard it is to define the camp as a Death Camp or Work Camp or Concentration Camp because at one point it was all those things. In the beginning, no Jews were held at Mauthausen. Only political criminals, war prisoners, and those who opposed the Nazis were sent there. Later, as the war progressed and the final plan was put into action, Mauthausen added gas chambers and crematoriums. They did not see the traffic that the ones in Auschwitz did, but they were used. Before they were completed, the guards marched the prisoners of the cliffs of the quarry. There are accounts of prisoners removing more dead bodies from the quarry than stones in a days work. 



Mauthausen Concentration Camp



Quarry



Death Stairs

It was beautifully tragic. I felt bad at times thinking how beautiful the landscapes was especially down at the quarry. The leaves were changing color and the land was just so still. The steps leading down to the quarry were called the Death Stairs. Every prisoner was put through a kind of test when they first got to the camp. For two weeks they had to carry 50-100 lbs stones up these stairs everyday from sun up to sun down. This process was used to whittle out the weak. Many did not survive the first two weeks. We were walked through the camp and were shown how it grew over the years. At first the barracks were clean and tidy. The prisoners had mattresses and sheets. There were closets to hang their clothes in and table and chairs. Later, as more and more prisoners came, the barracks became crowded and filthy.

As for the structure and control of the camp, I hate to say it but the Nazis were very smart. They created a hierarchy amongst the prisoners and labeled them with symbols. Most of the time, prisoners policed other prisoners. The Nazis guards themselves rarely stepped through the gates into the camp where the barracks were. There was no need because they had complete psychological control. The path from the quarry to the camp walked right through the center of the guards quarters. According to the recounts, this was the most terrifying walk that the prisoners had to make twice a day since they never knew when the guards would be having "target practice" as they called it. Nobody was safe.

Some common myths and misconceptions were cleared up during our tour. Like the fact that the Nazis guards were never forced to work at these camps. It was very easy for them to say no and change jobs and locations. All the guards had the option to leave. Most enjoyed the position for it allowed them to bring their families with them. Yes, the children of the guards grew up around this camp. Once, the commander of the camp gifted his son 13 prisoners to kill for his 13th birthday. Another misconception is that the people in nearby towns and farms had no idea what was going on. Everyone knew. It was impossible not to know. Mauthausen is situated on a hill above the town. It is a large fortress that is purposely visible from all directions. Also, the train station was in the middle of the town. The prisoners were marched from the train station 5 kilometers through town and up the hill to the camp. Many didn't make it to the camp. Mauthausen was the last camp to be liberated in 1944 by the Americans.

Jewish Memorial

Today, the camp is a memorial site as well. Each country was encouraged to erect a memorial of some sort. The problem now is politics. Some countries who have a monument no longer exist so the question is who cares for the memorial? Is it Austria's job or the job of the individual countries. And what happens when borders shift and the countries cease to exist? Answers to these questions are still trying to be found.

It was a very sobering experience to say the least. I learned a lot and I know the experience will stick with me for the rest of my life. I'm glad that I went with a professor and had a private tour. I got inside recounts of camp life and our guide really tried to show us how the camp changed in six short years. Also, being with other students instead of on my own helped me to process all the information. I think I would have become overwelmed if left to my own. Luckily, next week I'm on to some happier travels.

Busy Busy Busy = Fun Fun Fun

These past few weeks have been so busy!  All my classes had field trips and everyday was packed with activities.  First, my music class took a trip to Mozart's apartment.  He had many while living in Vienna but this is the only location that has been kept as a museum.  It is in the first district and was his most expensive apartment.  While there, I learned all about Mozart and the success he had in Vienna.  I now want to watch Amadeus.

In my teaching internship, we went to Dialogue in the Dark.  I mentioned this before during the Night of Museums.  It is a really cool experience.  What happens is a visually impaired person guides you through different environments in the dark.  And I mean DARK!  There is no light and your eyes never adjust.  Not even night vision goggles work inside this place.  I was taught how to use a white cane and the proper ways to move in order to protect myself.  When we first stepped into the exhibit, it was made to feel and sound like a forest.  The ground was crunchy and I could feel trees all along the path.  Now, I was kind of scared, which I know is completely unreasonable.  I just happen to have a very active imagination.  But all I could think about was the movie Descent which is about humans who evolved to live in the dark and use sonar echolocation and they eat people who wander into their cave.  Again, I know that is was silly, but I couldn't help it.  When we went into the "city", we had to cross a street.  I was not completely successful and ran into a car.  Then we went into a store and got to feel all these different items on the counter.  We ended the tour in a bar and all shared a drink.  I was nervous about putting my drink down because I'd never find it again once I did.  It was an amazing experience and I feel like I gained more patience and understanding from it.  In class, I taught the children the parts of the body and then I taught them the Hokey Pokey!  They had never heard of it, which is simply tragic!

In my psych class, we went to the Freud Museum.  Freud lived most of his life in Vienna and conducted most of his work here.  The museum is located in his old apartment where his practice was held and also where is family lived.  Now, I do recognize that Freud "invented" psycho analysis as we know it and that he contributed greatly to the field, but I honestly don't believe a lot of his theories.  Learning more about his life and how he shunned those who didn't believe in his theories makes him comparable to a child throwing a tantrum.  I find class interesting, but I like biology better. 

On Thursday, class took place in the armory of the Hofburg Palace.  We learned all about the history of knights by following the progression of weapons and armor and warfare.  I always enjoy class when it doesn't take place in a classroom.  Friday after class some friends and I went to an English movie theater to see Social Network.  It was really interesting.  After the movie, I made sweet and sour pork for the first time and it was quite tasty.  It was a quiet night staying in and watching movies since me and some friends had to be up in the morning for a Saturday field.  All of Saturday was spent explore palaces and cathedrals and castles.


Saturday was spent on a class field trip into Niederösterreich to Monastery Klosterneuburg, Klosterneuburg Palace and Castle Kreuzenstein. Klosterneuburg Palace is a country palace and monastery that was founded by Maria Theresa Father Karl (Charles) VI. Originally his favorite hunting lodge, he wanted to build a palace in the Spanish style. Unfortunately he didn't live long enough to see it finished (poor planning on his part I think). Maria Theresa did not like the palace (she preferred Schönbrunn) and so when her father died she stopped the construction. It is only one fourth of the size it was meant to be. The monastery is literally right next door to the palace. There's not enough room in between the buildings for an ant! The Church was founded by King Leopold III and his wife Agnes. The legend is that during the wedding of Leopold to Agnes, her wedding veil flew off with the wind. Leopold declared that wherever the veil landed, he would build a monastery. Leopold founded many churches during his reign. The bones of he and Agnes are in the crypt under the church. They only are taken out on their saint's day once a year. 



Castle Kreuzenstein

Castle Kreuzenstein

Castle Kreuzenstein is a castle from the 12th century.  It is still privately owned and is rented out for parties and to use a film location.  It is the castle where the Three Musketeers was shot.  It was so pretty with the tree in the courtyard changing colors.  To end the trip, we stopped at a local Heurigen (like a country pub/restaurant) to "discuss" our tour over a glass of this year's wine. It was a good day with the perfect balance of education and fun!



Dürnstein Castle Ruins

Sunday was also spent in the countryside around Vienna. I went on the IES sponsored trip to the Wachau region. This area is known for it's apricots and wine. We started the day at the Melk Monastery. This place is huge and gorgeous. Today, it is a working monastery as well as a private school. The Royals used to stop for the night at this monastery while traveling. Maria Antoinette stayed for one night on her way to France to be married. In honor of her arrival, the monastery commissioned an opera just for her...and her 500 attendants that where also housed at the monastery. After the monastery, we explored the town of Dürnstein. It was gorgeous! On the top of the mountain is the castle ruins that held Richard the Lionheart prisoner until his ransom was paid. Richard made the mistake of insulting an Austrian King during the crusades and then was ballsy enough to travel through his land to get home. He tried to disguise himself and his party as minstrels but for some reason the group of over 100 with fancy carriages and good quality clothing could not fool the king. So he kidnapped him and refused to give him back to England until a ransom was paid. To this day, it is still the largest sum ever paid for a ransom. The money was used to build the walls around Vienna, so at least we know it went to a good cause. It was quite a hike up to the castle, but the views in the end were totally worth it. You could see the entire valley with the Daneu snaking through. Vineyards and golden trees lined the countryside. Next we explored the town of Krems and visited the wine museum there. We then received a private tour of a local winery. We were even taken into the cellar where the wine was in the process of fermenting and did barrel tasting. It was a lot of fun. We ate a wonderful dinner there that our hosts prepared. This included endless bottles of their wine! As soon as a bottle was empty they'd replace it with another. Let's just say the bus ride home was very pleasant :)


Melk Monastary

  

Top of the Ruins




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