Momma, Lemsy, and Jenny Come to Europe!

Although I ventured to Vienna at the beginning of May with my group, my mother asked me to kindly return for the second leg of their trip. Since they were traveling all this way to see me, I guess I could travel all that way to see them. So then it was planned, Vienna Round Two.

The bus was fine until they dropped me off in Bruno, Czech Republic for an hour where most of that hour was spent figuring out if I was in the Czech or in Austria, I eventually recognized a familiar “Dobredan” (hello in Czech) and saw people using Crowns (Czech currency). I eventually made it to Vienna and navigated my way to the hotel that was in the boonies of Vienna. Our hotel was called the SCHLOSS WILHELMINENBERG. If that’s not a tongue twister I do not know what is. Originally a hunting palace dating back to 1781 throughout history it served many purposed, the most interesting to me was in 1945-1946 it served as an asylum for children and concentration camp victims in need of recovery. We spent the evening seeing the Hasburg Palace where there was a convention for neurologists. Walking through we found a little party that we stepped in, Mom and Jenny were rather interested while Lauren and I took a nice little taste tester of their hors d'oeuvres. My mom called me a crook, I figured they weren’t gunna eat it all anyways! We adventured through the streets of Stephensplatz and eventually stumbled upon an adorable Italian restaurant where we dined and enjoyed delicious food and wine.

The next day we had a busy agenda. Obviously this begun with a very early wakeup call, a nice big breakfast, then making ourselves sandwiches from the included breakfast meal. Pretty thrifty if you ask me! On the schedule was the Belvedere Palace, the Schönbrunn Palace, the Naschmarket, and the Grinzing Winery.

On my previous trip I did not enter the fantastic Belvedere so I was very happy to have done so this time around. Inside was an art exhibit featuring impressionist artists and my new favorite artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). My absolute favorite painting by him was titled Judith I, she is so interesting with her very realistic face and body but impressionistic surroundings. The palace had a huge entrance way where a sign read “SCREAM AS LOUD AS YOU CAN, NOW!” and once you did the lights flickered and the entire room made a breathing noise like it was inhabited by ghosts, really creepy but funny. Afterwards we headed over to the Schönbrunn Palace which literally took a 180 from when I went.

The grass was green, the Easter festival had begun, and the gardens were magnificent.

Once we finished we sat down for a cup of coffee and my mom and Jenny were persuaded to buy scarves from “Sharon Stone’s Choice,” a charming Greek man who Sharon Stone bought one scarf from and he thought he was an A-lister.

When I was last in Vienna I went to the Naschmarket on a Saturday at 7 am when they were just setting up the weekend market, full of the most random stuff from leather bags to dolls to antique cameras to fur. Unfortunately it was a Wednesday so only the open markets were open, but fret not for this was equally as fabulous.

The freshest fruits and vegetables and taste testers galore. Jenny said she had the best olive of her life there. Lauren and I bought a falafel ball for .20 euro dipped in hummus that was divine! Finally we were at the last stop on our agenda, the Grinzing Winery.

Unfortunately the winery was closed so we ventured over to a little authentic Viennese restaurant where things took an interesting turn. Jenny and my mother are both very health conscious people and never in my life would I imagine either of them sipping on brews, eating the mixed platter of potatoes, sausages, and every other type of meat. They also downed a bottle of red wine that left my mother rather tipsy if you ask me. The metro ride home was one of the funnier moments I’ve spent with my mother considering she was cackling like a hyena and crossing her legs so that she didn’t pee her pants from laughing too hard. The Spanish boys behind me asked, “Is that your mother? She is the coolest mom in the world!” then preceded to ask me what she was smoking because she was laughing that hard! When people say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree I suppose an evening like that is what they are referring to. Austria in the springtime sure is a Wein-er though!

The next morning was not easy for my mom, or any of us to be quite honest, but we checked out of the Wilhelminenberg, said goodbye to Wein, and got on the train to Praha. Once on the train, two buff Australian men asked my mom if she had a bottle opener, which she obviously did because she has everything, and it started out the hourly bothering of my mom and Jenny by the Aussies. Eventually they gave in and played a couple hands of poker.
Prague still is and always will be my favorite European city. It has undeniable charm and history that trumps anywhere and everywhere, and if you were to visit I can almost guarantee you would feel the same. Jenny fell in love the second she walked into Old Town Square. We went out to dinner with my one of my amazingly lovely best friends Robyn where we ate HUGE chicken, meat, and seafood skewers.

Jenny in front of John Lennon Wall

On Friday we went on a tour of the Jewish Quarter where we saw a Jewish memorial of over 90,000 individuals murdered in the Holocaust. Sometimes it’s very hard to be in Eastern Europe because of how reminiscent everything is to those horrible times. I want to block it out and pretend it doesn’t exist, but it is impossible nor do I feel it is right to forget. It angers me and makes me so terribly sad that something so horrible happened less than a century ago. On the tour we also visited Franz Kafka’s birthplace and his coffee shop. Jenny bought a copy of “The Metamorphosis” one of Kaftka’s most well known novels.

My baby sissy

On Saturday, we went to Karlstejn 40 minutes outside of Praha to see Charles' Karlstejn castle.

It was a very charming little town and I absolutely adore the countryside of Prague. Its so quaint and adorable. In the evening we went to Petrin Hill at sunset and sat down for some beer and cheese. Afterwards we walked to Prague Castle and saw the incredible view of the city from the top. We topped off our great day with a delicious dinner at Pravda. The ladies came to the JZP to see my little apartment and meet my Ukranian roommate before their early morning flight back to the states.

I was sad to see them go but we had a great time together. Next on the schedule is Budapest and Morocco for spring break. I leave on Wednesday!!

Bonjour Paris et Sensation White!!!

Dearest readers, allow me to preface this entry with an apology for my absence. I have been rather busy with my travels and academic workload, but nonetheless here I am now ready to indulge you in my adventures.

Monday of last week I received a facebook message from my friend Zach, the one I met up with in Barcelona, telling me he wanted to meet in Belgium for Sensation White. Sensation White is the world’s largest traveling party that fills arenas with 18,000 people clad in purely white clothing all gathering to dance from the hours of 10 pm to 6 am.

My cheapest traveling option was to fly into Paris and take a train to Belgium, and considering I had a friend, Chaitra, studying in Paris I figured I would take the opportunity to venture to the City of Love. The morning of my flight I got on the 30 minute metro ride only to be accompanied by hands down the smelliest man I have ever encountered. His hair was longer than mine with curls and dreads that cascaded down his back and his stench made me quiver at each breath I took. Literally I was pressed up so hard against the window inching away from his rankness as much as possible.

My flight was on Wizz Air, and let me tell you, this airlines surely trades convenience for prices. The flight was 30 dollars but you land in the boonies of France and have to take an hour and a half bus ride of which they drop you off at the opposite end of Paris from anything of recognition. Being absolutely alone, and being directionally challenged, I was set on arriving to Chaitra’s house without getting severely lost. My first stop was into a Paris pharmacy to find my beloved dry shampoo, which is a Paris brand, that was successfully purchased for $20 less than I would have at Sephora in the states. My next stop was to the metro. For some reason the Parisians thought it would be a good idea to only have one single ticket stand in the entire metro stop and the line took me over 24 minutes to get my ticket. After arriving in Chaitra’s adorable apartment I was ready to grub. We went to a nice little café outside of her place where I ordered some delectable French onion soup and a bottle of red vino. Our waiter was a strange one, kept rambling in angry French and looking over my shoulder at every bite I took. Worse than the creepo waiter was the old man with missing dentures staring, winking, and miming at me to leave my numero de telephone for him…very interesting lunch.

We went out that night to a club titled Le Cab, very swanky place indeed. Our entry was 20 euros which made my jaw drop considering I live in Praha where entry fees do not exist for women and neither does the fricken euro. After we left the club Chaitra prepared for me one of the top five best Caprese salads in her apartment that I have ever ingested. Good work Chaitra, for you are a chef extraordinaire! I woke up in the morning to meet my new friend Natalie and Emma to head over to Belgium for the party we had all been waiting for. Natalie just so happens to be my Megan Kateff, my good friend from high school's friend from University of Michigan, while Emma is MELANIE AUGUST, my best friend’s friend from Univeristy of Wisconsin. Small world. (Hope you liked the shout out and will stop bugging me for it Melbourne).

When we arrived in Brussels we had 10 minutes to get on our next train to Genk, Belgium. The line for the down escalator was packed and we didn’t miss the train so with the swoop of my arm I motioned the ladies to sprint down the up, I wish more than almost anything I had this moment captured on tape because it was hysterical! Picture this, three girls with tons of baggage running down the up while over 50 people are waiting in line for the down escalator staring and yelling at us. We laughed for about 20 straight minutes once we made our next train.

Upon entering the arena for Sensation White your jaw drops to the floor. The stadium is filled with people of all ages, please note when I say all ages I mean: ALL AGES. I was dancing with a couple that was about 55 years old for a good portion of the night and they were loving life! You actually are not allowed to enter the door unless you are wearing a white top and bottom, and this party would not have been nearly as cool without it. From the top was a sea of white, everyone dancing their asses off to crazy techno, house, and mash up music. I was in heaven!

Europeans LOVE the Black Eyed Peas, its some weird obsession that you cannot escape no matter which part of the continent you are in, so obviously they played mixes of Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling that had the whole crowd rocking out. It was also Zach’s 21^st birthday and it was a night to remember. If anyone has the opportunity to get over to a Sensation White I recommend it completely, one of the most fun nights of my life.

With two hours of sleep on the floor of a hotel room we headed back to Prague. The weather is still rather cold but with one midterm out of the way I am anxiously awaiting the visits from my cousin Alex Dalal from Berlin and my mommy and sissy from the States. J Life is good.

Here are some pictures of Sensation White:

CRAZY!!!!!

MADNESS!!!!

Walk, Walk, Walk in Barcelona!!

We touched down in Barcelona after a long day of delays to be greeted by the warm Mediterranean breeze and my dear friend Mike Seidmon’s loving arms. Seidmon lived on our floor freshman year and we have been great friends since, he is currently “studying” in Barcelona. Our hostel was located about a two-minute walk from La Rambla, which is Barcelona’s big and lively avenue. The hostel was adorable, very well kept, nice sheets, our own private balcony overlooking the street, and a public terrace that was its finest feature!

I love hostel life. Brushing my teeth with girls from Holland, sitting out on our terrace and talking about everything with a couple from Ireland, and sharing a room with girls from Belgium the first night. When we arrived we went to an unbelievable dinner and sipped on some fantastic red vino, which by the way is such a cooler word that “wine.” Spread the word about vino. Anyways, afterwards we changed and went out to a club titled Bikini something or other. Didn’t get home till about 7 am.

The next day, Thursday, was a very exciting day because one of my favorite people ever, Zach Samaras, who is studying in Madrid, flew to meet us for the weekend!! After we checked him into the hostel we decided to walk, and walk we did. I am pretty sure that the three of us walked a total of 6 to 8 miles meandering the streets of Barcelona. We walked to the beach and met some crazy kids who were swimming in the freezing cold water. I went up to them and said, “Hey! What the heck are you doing in there? It’s flippin freezing!!” Their response, “we are from Canada.” That explains everything.

After the beach we stumbled upon La Boquaria, a massive and hectic open market, which had everything from baby lambs head (with eyeballs!!) to Haribo gummy candies of every kind to some of the freshest fruit I’ve ever seen.

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Supposedly this is the oldest market in all of Europe, we went at the end of the day and they were practically giving away their delicious smoothies, and I was very pleased to find myself some tasty pomegranates!! We also found an open antique market where I bought a pair of splendid vintage sunglasses for what I bargained down to 12 euro! We ate a great meal of Mexican food and mojitos with all of my IU friends, Robyn, Seidmon, Zach, Liza and I. It was quite the joyous reunion!! At night we walked back to the beach to star gaze.

We met our fourth roommate once we returned, a Brazilian man who was at least 34 that spoke Portuguese, a little Spanish, even less French, and about five words of English. This led to a rather interesting living situation with the man we named ‘Greg Ramirez.’ Greg led to some great laughs due to the complete language barrier and age difference.

Friday we attempted to rent bikes but after a big fail we decided, well Zach decided, to walk to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. If you have ever been to Barcelona you must know this is not something the average tourist walks to, far too far, but not for young Zach. This building has been in the process of completion for over 200 years.

We paid 13 euro each to walk inside this not even nearly finished, yet absolutely unbelievable, cathedral. After touring the inside we went to the Gaudi museum that taught us a lot about the man. All of his architecture is greatly inspired by nature and almost exactly matches up with the piece of nature he had intended to recreate. Very beautiful and inspiring. One of the most amazing portions of the museum was a collection of photographs of La Sagrada beginning in 1898 where the building was just beginning and the surrounding area is nothing but grass.Mind blowing!!

After that we convinced Zach to let us give our feet a break and took the metro to an area closer to our hostel and sat down for a bite to eat. Since we were on the Mediteranean and since I have an obsession with seafood I obviously ordered the Seafood Paella. Delicious! We walked around and saw the Arc de Triomf and decided to call it nap time. After nap-time we met up with Seidmon and went out clubbing. I have never felt like I was in an episode of the Entourage more. His crew was a group of 20 bros all wearing nearly the same blue button down shirt—top three open—all ready to have a major brofest. They reserved a “VIP” area for this special evening and with “bottle service” where girls bring out bottles of Absolut in skimpy outfits with sparklers, literally I felt like P. Diddy. The club had shows in between certain songs where dancers performed to Michael Jackson’s Thriller dressed like zombies on tables and stages, it was wild to say the least. We danced at this club until we realized it was about 5 am and our feet hurt.

Once we returned we quietly returned to our hostel room to find that Greg Ramirez was not back! What a party animal we had on our hands!! We hung out on our patio until we were completely exhausted and saw Greg stumbling into the room, clearly a little tipsy trying to communicate with us in a combination of Spanglifrench. Once the lights were turned off things got weirder, Greg on the top bunk began laughing hysterically to himself and muttering, “I do not speak English!” over and over and over again until Liza, Zach, and I were all three laughing hysterically along with him. It could have been an episode of a television show, definitely one of the funniest moments of my life.

Saturday morning was not a pretty one for Liza, girl was hungover! We met up with Seidmon and went to Spannibus, Spain’s largest cannabis convention. It was really funny, and Zach had been looking forward to it for quite some time. Afterwards we headed over to Park Guell. The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusbei Guell, whom the park was named after.

The park is located on a rocky hill that winds up forever until you reach the top and overlook the most spectacular view of Barcelona. The architecture of the Municpal Garden is truly fantastic with Gaudi’s colorful designs and curvy structures. Barcelona’s Gaudi designed buildings are one of a kind and give the city a life of its own. That evening we went out to dinner and ate some great gelato. My other friend from IU, David, met up with us for a little walk on the promenade, it was very nice to see him even though it was such a short while. It was a truly fantastic weekend with truly fantastic friends.