Vienna, Austria (not Australia) waits for you! - and Venice

We are over halfway done with this incredible experience and I am still so shocked I am able to call what I am doing here in Europe "school".

This last couple of weeks have involved traveling to three different countries, 2 of which were for, again, "school". Spring break had followed our field trip adventures, so , it had undoubtedly been an eventful few days.

Our first destination was Vienna, Austria. I have found that expecting nothing special from a place you have little knowledge about before traveling to, always makes for a fantastic outcome. After arriving to Vienna we checked in to our hostel and not long after, Jan had guided us through the beautiful city to give us an idea of where we were and what we were going to see the very next day. Even just taking the brisk stroll that we did, the entire group was just gawking at how classy it felt there. Like, super classy vibes - "we don't have to worry about getting our purses stolen, they aren't even designer." - a comment that my friends and I joked about while seeing the men in
suits, the women in designer clothing, the horse carriages and extravagant buildings...then all of us - bus lagged in our Birkenstocks and flannels. It was the classiest place I had been to thus far... (other than the boat in Budapest). We had the evening to ourselves after the short tour, so we decided to grab some dinner and a beer - the usual. We relaxed that night as we knew the next day was going to be
a busy one - we needed our rest to learn stuff. To be good, scholarly, students. Also, the stores closed at 7 p.m. and shopping wasn't an option. Lol.

Day 2 in Vienna consisted of attending a museum together, then a museum of personal choice. The first museum was s one we had no knowledge of before entering..once we entered and Jan briefly explained the significance...we were all like kids in a candy store - wide eyed and basically in heaven. The Austrian royalty had been kicked out of their country for being too powerful and were forced to leave their belongings behind. There are no words to describe how surreal seeing the weapons, cloaks, jewels, etc., was.



We, then were free to attend the museum of choice. We could choose between art galleries and a natural museum. I had chosen the modern art gallery, and I was in for a treat. This place was a very bold place to be. It had 5 floors and each one of them had something that would
probably make the average person uncomfortable, or just confused. I had visited 3 floors in the time we had. The first floor had mostly paintings and drawings - mostly abstract. This was what I was expecting. However, the second and third floors included very graphic photographs that displayed violence and sexual conduct. I am very open and not affected by things like that, but I will say it was one of the weirder things I have seen in my life - hands down.

The rest of the weekend in Vienna was so relaxing. The city is not know for their night life, and as much I have loved going out in the most beautiful cities in Europe - I really enjoyed being able to relax and night time after long days of touring the city. Vienna had the best shopping I had seen in Europe thus far and us girls had taken advantage of that as we made sure to visit Louis Vuiton, Chanel, Michael Kors, you name it we were there - with no money to spend on anything but food, of course.

Back to the night life, in Budapest - Hannah, Lily and I had met the American boys who were on their spring break and studied in Vienna. They had mentioned to us that Vienna's night life is nothing rave about and that all of the student pretty much go to the same place. We had sort of forgotten about that, decided to check out the night life anyway, ended up in a bar where most of the college students had seemed to be, said "wouldn't it be funny if we saw the guys from our hostel here?" and five minutes later we found one of the guys that stayed there with us....what a small world!!!

Vienna had been so good to us, however we were all so ready to finally see ITALY! A long bus ride, yet again, but it was well, well worth it. Our stop was Venice, a place where I have nothing but good things about. This was one place where I knew would be beautiful and I knew I would not be disappointed. I have always dreamed of going to Italy, eating their pasta - drinking their wine and enjoying the view. I was so happy we got to do just that.

The field trip portion of Venice had included visiting cathedrals and learning about where the government had gathered as well as seeing castles - I will never get bored of the beautiful buildings we are able to see in Europe along with learning the history behind everything. The one thing I will never get over is the amount of time and effort the people had put into each place back then. they truly wanted to cover the Earth with places that were thought out and appreciated. Compared to the modern architecture in America, I love seeing the work of people many, many years ago.

The free time we had in Venice was also extremely important because I finally got to eat the best pasta in the world!! We had eaten at fancy restaurants - thinking that it was going to be the best of the best but Lily had a friend back home that messaged her and recommended a place that we were planning on eating, my friend ( a few hours later) had messaged me and recommended the same exact place! Dal Moros. A hole in the wall place with to go pasta. We had finished our day of touring the city and decided to go and find this hidden pasta place to see what the hype was about. I dont have a picture but I got Cacio a pep pasta with gnocchi potato noodles and man was it the best meal of my life. Us girls sat by the grand canal, ate the best pasta we had ever had in Europe, and talked about life. It was honestly perfect.
It was so good we went back again the next morning.

The rest of our free time also included a gondola ride (which was stunning and so cool) as well as just wandering the city. That's our favorite thing to do - wandering. We love stumbling upon places that we would never have thought to see.

breathtaking views of Venice, Italy 

Our spring break had started in Venice and we were not ready to leave. The weather was warm and the boats rather than cars everywhere made for such a fun and foreign environment. leaving Venice was difficult but Spring break for a week was not something I was complaining
about!

Adventures on Spring break are coming soon!! (Rome and Barcelona!)

Until next time, Cau!

Auschwitz-Birkenau: Agonizing to See, Impossible to Understand

This week's blog will be conveyed in a much more serious tone as I will be writing about the field trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, The Holocaust's largest and most famous Nazi concentration camps - where thousands of innocent lives were lost.

As we got up bright and early for our trip to Poland this Saturday morning, we were all still so blind in terms of how impactful and emotional this day was going to be.

Throughout the bus ride to Poland, the memories of my first Holocaust class came to mind. I vividly remember my fifth grade self being very distraught at the end of class that very day. It's undoubtedly an extremely shocking subject, to say the least. It is unfathomable and confusing as to why/how something like this could have not only actually happened in the first place- but very few generations ago.

Upon arrival, the atmosphere was hushed and the cliques in our group had vanished as each of us were directed by our tour guide to our first stop - Auschwitz 1. Our tour guide's name was JoAnna - she was intelligent, had terrific English and has been giving tours around the concentration camp for years, yet the distress in her voice while explaining the horrific events that had occured in the very place we were standing, less than 100 years ago, seemed the utmost sincere. The day was gloomy - clouds and light rain accompanied us for the afternoon as we walked with our headsets listening to JoAnna's descriptions of the sites we were seeing.

AUSCHWITZ 1:

As we entered Auschwitz 1., the place where the first prisoners were sent when founded in 1940, we walked right under the entrance sign that read "Arbeit Macht Frei" - Work Will Set You Free. The feeling was eerie as we step foot on the very boarders of the camp that separated the innocent prisoners from a life of discomfort or a life of absolute freedom. It was hard to imagine, as us students have grown up in a generation of people who encourage acceptance. Our day was just getting started.

As we walked through the camp, our guide explained to us that the Nazi's would force the musician prisoners to for an orchestra and play music while the rest of the prisoners marched in a specific fashion to make it easier to count - because they wanted to make sure they had the exact same number of prisoners. She emphasized how the victims in the camps were so weak and starved - yet they still had to find the strength to march to their barracks so the Nazis could make sure not even one prison escaped. The first 5 minutes was already the most eye-opening experience of my life.

  We made our way through each building, the first with photos and tables of documents written by the Nazi's. The first photos we had seen were of the Hungarian Jews. These photos were taken of the victims as they got off the train rides, as they hugged their families before being separated, etc. The worst part about witnessing these blown up pictures on the walls of the buildings was that these families actually thought they were being sent to work for a better life. They had no clue they were entering camps where their death were already planned long before arrival.

 General description of the inmates. 1.1 million were murdered in this camp alone.

There were many table of documents written by the Nazis. It shows how intentional each and every death was. It shows how the individuals that died were real people and suddenly dehumanized and it was all recorded on purpose. Its repulsive.

 Birkenau 1944 - Jews Brought From Hungary

Arrival of the Jews from Hungary. 

 The photos I found the most moving at this point of the day were those of the Lilly Jacob Album. An 18 year old Lilly, a Hungarian Jew survivor of Auschwitz had found a deserted album in the SS barracks the day she was liberated. She found in the album pictures of her and her family. I do not have the photos, I am assuming because photos were not allowed - however they can be found on the internet -

The next part of the day was certainly the most haunting and powerful part of the day: The Belongings.

We were told the next room we entered we could not take any photos. Not knowing why, we followed anyway - expecting another room of photographs. Our tour guide had guiding us into a room which we saw, behind glass, the two tons of hair the Nazis shaved from the heads of women and little girls before entering the gas chambers. I became very emotional, I looked around to see every girl in our group with the same reaction. Our heads hung low and tears fell from our faces as we held our hair, mourning the loss of the innocent lives that were taken and the dehumanization the prisoners had to face before execution. The deaths were slow and each life was innocent - it really started to kick in after seeing the hair, and the braids, and the realness of it all. (photos can be found on auschwitz.org)

We followed the guide through numerous rooms which we were allowed to photograph containing the belongings of the prisoners. I will never forget stepping foot in these rooms, seeing for myself what many of the victims of this atrocity would recognize if they were here with us, today.


These photos are displayed in random order of the sequence we saw the glass displays -

Spectalces of the prisoners before as they were confiscated of their belongings before becoming prisoners. 

This was also very heartbreaking, a shoes is the first thing someone notices about your appearance and they usually express a persons personality in some way. This display of shoes was filled on both sides of the room we were walking through. It was truly heartbreaking..

Artificial legs and crutches of the elderly and disable, soon sent to the chambers upon arrival.

To see things like these breaks my heart. It carries the history of the lives the prisoners once had before Auschwitz. 

Children's belongings. There is no other way to describe it than sickening. 

Excuse the glare of the window, but this was also one of the most devastating displays. These people were told to pack their suitcases, write their names on them and that the journey for them to work to have better lives was being organized by authorities. They were excited while packing these suitcases. Seeing the names on them was traumatic.

Our trip through Auschwitz 1 included seeing a few of the barracks, the living conditions, and the cells where many victims starved to had starved to death, and lastly through some gas chambers. This part was obviously tough to see for everyone.

The rocks were what was used for the gas chambers. They were cheap and effective. The first picture is the glass display of the cans used to kill thousands of people. 

Indescribably excruciating to see.

AUSCHWITZ 2. - BIRKENAU

We took a bus to Birkenau, about 6 kilometers outside of Auschwitz 1. Birkenau is the largest section of Auschwitz, where the majority of the prisoners were killed. This was where the trains took the families and split them up. They were put the men in one line, to take straight to work. The women, children, disabled, and elderly were int he other line - and were immediately sent straight to the gas chambers to be killed - as they were useless to the Nazis.

 Men who were sentenced to be shot were to strip their clothes because it made them more vulnerable and easier to kill is masses. 

 The rail road tracks the prisoners came in on.

 The trains the prisoners came in on. One hundred + people in on little box with no food or water for days. 

The camp.

The barracks. These were filled with straw. They didn't have enough for everyone, They brought in double what the barracks held and (the women mostly) had to sleep on lice infested straw. One survivor said they could smell the women coming from a long ways away, literally, because the living conditions were so poor, while another said they would see the women come out of the barracks with coats of lice. They were shoulder to shoulder in these barracks, starving to death with a diet of soup, bread made of flour and saw dust to save ingredients, and herbal drinks while working 10+ hours a day. 

The stories our guide taught us were disturbing yet, so real. It was an unforgettable day and I will hold a place in my heart for the victims of the Holocaust forever. The experience was eye-opening and showed that realness of how much worse life could really be. As the Honeylocust may be an extreme, it was one that lasted for years and 1.1 million individuals with years of life ahead of them had to be robbed of their human rights and I will always remember the agony I felt walking through Auschwitz - and the incomparable events the victims had to face. 

To my family: We will be leaving for Vienna and Venice tomorrow morning and following our trips will be spring break. It will be a couple of weeks before I post next. I love you!

Budapest is the Budabest #budablessed

Am I allowed to hashtag in my blog title? YOLO

Ahoj, friends!

I went to Hungary this weekend and it was one of the most amusing experiences of my life so, I'm just going to dive right in.

This weekend was a free one and the majority of us Nebraskis had the same idea; to travel to Budapest, Hungary.

(Now, let me just stop and say, I can't be the only one who hadn't really heard much of Budapest before coming to Europe until the song "Budapest" by George Ezra became a hit on the radio last summer. Am I the only one? Okay, probably.)

Anyway, moving on - Budapest, Hungary. I always come to the conclusion that google images has the most accurate display of what a place is going to be like. This week I realized that my logic is actually logical only 50% of the time. I experienced the google images and along with the exact opposite during the first 24 hours of arriving. But, it is, without a doubt,a weekend I will never forget. Or regret.

DAY 1: The Culture Shock - Changing the pest to the best.

The start of the weekend always begins by just getting there. Us Americans have become experts at getting to the right platforms and boarding the trains on time. Realistically speaking, half of us have actually become experts at getting to the platforms and boarding the trains on time, the second half have become experts at following the first half. My first train ride was the best day of my life. Just kidding, but I had fun. Now, I feel we have become accustomed to taking the trams and riding on the trains. It's bitter sweet. Bitter - because I wish I was as thrilled to sit on a train for hours as I was last week. Sweet - because I feel like I know the drill. And it always feels cooler to know the drill. Looking like a lost tourist at all hours of the day can really bum a girl out!

Upon arrival, I could feel the culture shock already. Everyone of us had gazed out of the window for minutes almost gasping at honestly the most graffiti I have ever seen in one place. Now, if you have ever been to Europe, you can say that huge, clean, breathtaking cities with extravagant buildings have a fair amount of graffiti. However, Budapest is the most painted town, I personally have ever seen. (yet). This is a culture shock, why? Because you rely google images and post cards on Pinterest to explain the depth of a very large European city.

As it was a free weekend, us Americans had split up into smaller groups to finally rush to our hostels. "Aubz, why were you rushed?", you may ask. Well all I can say is - We were super Hungary. ha. .... haha.

After our long walk to our hostel carrying our heavy luggage, our first impression of Budapest was not exactly the most positive of first-impressions. It was inevitable, as we had our first adventure in Europe had been to Prague and Dresden before this - staying in touristy locations. Not to mention, we were hangry Americans lugging our luggage around for what seemed to be a solid 30 minutes. This was one of those moments where we felt like nothing more than a group of lost tourists (in the slums of Budapest).

FINALLY we made it to our hostel. We knew we were in for a treat as we didn't research the reviews of the place we were staying until hours before arrival (typical), so 13 of us lost puppies sauntered into our graffiti'd living quarters for the next 3 days. Let me just give you a mental picture of what this party hostel had in store:

A very large outdoor patio surrounded by graffti'd doors, balconies, hammocks, you name it.

A bar for a reception desk.

A plethora of chairs and tables within leafless trees.

... and don't you fret  - the trees weren't empty and sad! No...not in a party hostel!? They were obviously accompanied by hundreds of old tennis shoes and certain items of clothing I will not mention.

There was loud music playing.

And were were greeted by the managers of the hostel (there were probably 10). These people were Australian and all came out at different times- all Russel Brand look-a-likes in tight metallic leggings, barefeet, long hair, black painted nails, no shirts and open jackets on, etc. As we sat there in shock of what was about to happen. We were all scared for our lives, to say the least. This was not a place for everyone - which is why not all 13 of us stayed. But those of us who did, til this day, do not regret it for even a second. (As surprising as it may seem)

 The outside of our hostel feat. the home-girl Jessiekreck

 This was just a small portion of what the entrance is. Scary at first, so worth it in the end.

As we checked in and got out keys, we were escorted up to our room - which Lily, Hannah and I would share with 7 other strangers. As if it could get any more sketchy? I know, but this is how that hostel life works. And it could not have been any more perfect as we walked into a room of 3 AMERICAN college guys who were studying abroad in Vienna. Us girls could not have been more overjoyed to being sharing and experiencing this crazy hostel with none other than peers from the same country in who were Europe doing the same thing. It was a major relief, to say the least. This night could only go up.

With our optimistic outlook, Lily, Hannah and I prepared for the pub crawl our hostel was hosting that Friday night. A party hostel hosting a party every night? HOW CRAZY. We took off with the large group of people staying in the Grandio Party Hostel as well and got the chance to meet many students in study abroad exchange programs and originally from several countries that night, as we all marched to the pubs together. By the end of this party, us girls were so ecstatic we decided to make the best of things. Plus, the first pub sold chips and guac....how does one complain after meeting cool peeps and devouring chips and guac?

One doesn't.


DAY 2: I'm so Fancy!

Us 3 girls (or shall I say 3 amigos) woke up (not saying what time), got dressed and got some brunch at a little cafe before starting our day. We had a map and some recommendations from a hostel worker of where we should go and what we should see. Luckily, the girls and I were on the same page. We wanted to wander. - which is exactly what we did.

We vaguely followed the map we were given and eventually came across the breathtaking views of Budapest. This is what I had been waiting for. Our day consisted of sitting by the river with the lovely view of white boats and sublime castles, doing nothing but taking it all in - soaking up the sun and having good conversation for hours. We topped the afternoon off with getting ice cream cones and dressing up in H&M.

 Pictures taken by the one and the only, Kassidy McConville. Nothing but smiles.

As we got back to our hostel we made plans to dress up, get dinner, and do a wine tasting on a boat! Sounds classy, huh? I can say, with no hesitation, that this Saturday night in Budapest was the classiest night of my life. I actually felt super posh.

We spruced up and wandered around town to get some food in our bellies. This wine tasting included 7 glasses of wine and we weren't about to arrive with empty stomachs. We frolicked around town and stumbled into a traditional Hungarian restaurant with good wine and a mini violin orchestra. We had to laugh because we aren't at all as fancy as we were living. But again, a night with good people and good conversation.

My dried tomato risotto with a glass of Pinot to start the night off right. So chic. Lol.

Wine tasting time! We made our appearance on the boat and it had exceeded my expectations. This boat reminded me of the Parent Trap. (Anyone who has experienced an at least semi-normal childhood knows what I am talking about.) But for those of you who don't...

The Parent Trap. Them, their wine and and a snazzy boat. Stay tuned for the much better view I got to see :-)....

 

We had assigned seating inside of the boat and coincidentally were sat with a group of our friends on this same trip. The night included good laughs and photographs. And incredible wine. And phenomenal views. I couldn't have been happier.

Me loving wine in Budapest.

Me loving wine in Budapest with these rad people.

DAY 3: Baths, Baths, and More Baths.

We woke up from a long night of LOVING LIFE to make our way to take some baths. Sounds, quite frankly, a little weird - but it was recommended by several people so we thought "What the heck?"

We got in our bathing suits and cover ups, got our towels and walked for 40 minutes to the baths. It was so nice out, we looked like we were going to the beach but we were ready to relax. I don't have any pictures of this day because we locked our phones in the lockers but this place was so relaxing. There was a beautiful building filled with 18+ mineral baths along with saunas and a Vick's vapor rub steam room (which was so refreshing). Our side there was a lap pool and two more very large pools, heated at different temperatures - one being a little warmer than lukewarm and the other being that of a gigantic outdoor hot tub. We chose to sit outside as it was bright and sunny We enjoyed and kicked back the rest of our day there before having to leave for Olomouc bright and early the next morning.

After the baths, it was a night for some pasta. We didn't eat anything all morning or afternoon and we all love pasta. We all needed pasta, really. We found a cute little place called Pasta Bella and had some of the best pasta we have had in Europe thus far. An Europe has some BOMB pasta. How many times can I say pasta in a paragraph?

~We then ended the beautiful Sunday night with ice cream cones from around the corner in front of the view we had the night before~ What an ideal way to finish an ideal trip to Budapest.

Mama's Pasta was the name. It was shells and garlic, butter and cream sauces with basil and Parmesan cheese. Last one to get her plate, first one to finish sounds about right.

My conclusion of the weekend - I love to wander around the cities of Europe with no care in the world. The people that ran the hostel turned out to be some of the coolest people I have ever met in my life - the real free-spirits of this planet. Our experience living in this party place made for the some of most hilarious memories I have experienced thus far. I love to be able to live like and meet locals and make my unique mark on the world - it is what my dream has been and the reason I chose to come to Europe. Getting to do that and experiencing the finer things and life as well is icing on the cake.  All I can say is, I am so lucky to have this opportunity! ~

I can't wait for next week to share with you my next adventure! 

Cau!