8:20 pm
Hey everyone! Took me a while on the Innsbruck update - no internet at our hostel there. What a week we've had so far! We left on Sunday for Innsbruck, but little did we know... it would take us 12 hours to get there. 4 trains, 1 bus, and 2 cabs. Yikes. Turns out there was a strike within one of the German or Czech train companies - we never did quite figure that one out. We were barely able to figure out there was a strike at all. When we got to the Prague train station and reached our platform, the sign did not say Munich. Not good. When we asked the nearest worker, all he could say was "Munich, no! Munich no!" Helpful. We found another lady who kindly showed us to our coach, but failed to mention that the train was not going to go all the way to Munich. Again, helpful. Naturally, there are no announcements or mention of the fact that our train would not go to Munich. Luckily, we sat next to this really nice Czech woman and her son, who now live in the US. She told us about the strike, and that they were planning to take us to the border of the Czech Republic where we were to get on a bus to another train station. A few hours on that train and 2 hours on the bus later, we are at a tiny train station in the German countryside. Oh wait, there's still a strike and no train to Munich. We had to get on another train for 30 minutes, get off that train and on another, and finally reach Munich. Except we still had a problem. We were trying to get to Innsbruck. We had missed our connecting train by 2 hours, so we hopped on another one that was luckily leaving soon after we got to the train station. 12 hours later, hello Innsbruck. After one long day and weeks of travels, Innsbruck was the perfect place for us to be! A littler smaller and slower paced, we were able to explore the city at our leisure. Getting to see the beautiful Alps, the ice blue river full of glacier water, and the quaint architecture of the city, we definitely loved being there! We also got to see a bunch of people from both USC and UGA that are studying in Innsbruck! It was so nice to be around some familiar faces for a change! Our time in Innsbruck was a much needed break from the big cities we had been used to. Now, we are back in the city, and glad to be here! We've been on a bike tour around the city and to see the concentration camp Dachau - what an amazing experience! We're headed to Hofbrau House soon, and tomorrow to Neuschwenstein, the famous castle outside the city! Will upload pictures when I have a sec! See all of you in 5 short days! Love ya'll!
Corinne
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Prague!
6:00 pm
So... it's safe to say that I'm never leaving Prague. Ever. Sorry, Mom and Dad. It is, I think, the most beautiful city I've ever been to! We have had such a great time! When we got to the airport, we saw what the Czech language looked like - absolutely nothing like any language we've ever seen. Encouraging, right? Luckily, we found a nice cab driver who got us to our hostel - which is quite possibly the nicest hostel in Europe. After we got settled in, we decided to just walk around the city and get a feel for our surroundings. We quickly realized that Czech people are much friendlier than other Europeans, especially the French. How refreshing - Abby and I have been complaing this entire time that no one in Europe has any manners - guess they weren't raised in Macon, Georgia, though. We have been too afraid to try the native food - when we asked the front desk guys at our hostel what it was, they said dumplings and goulash. That was enough for us - like we did in France, we decided to stick with American-ish and Italian restaurants. Can't go wrong with pizza. On Friday we had quite the eventful day. We successfully navigated ourselves through the Metro and over to Prague Castle. We went inside the Lobkowicz Museum first, which was really cool. Our tickets came with free audio tours, so we actually knew what we were looking at. It was really cool to learn about Czech history, since it's usually not included in our history classes at home. After that, we went farther into the castle grounds. As as we were standing outside St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, and a few other buildings. we hear a lot of commotion behind us. We turn around only to see Michelle Obama walking out to a car!!! Naturally, we sprint over to her, and naturally, my camera wouldn't turn on. But we saw her. We literally stood there for a solid 5 minutes saying, "I can't believe we just saw Michelle. I can't believe it." It was so so cool! After recovering from our celebrity sighting, we went into the beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace where we got the most insanely gorgeous view of the city and took a million pictures, inside the Basillica of St. George, and read about the Story of Prague Castle. After that, we stopped at a little cafe that was placed on the side of the hill where the castle sits and got to look out onto the beautiful view of the city while we relaxed for a little while! It was awesome! We walked over to Charles Bridge, which gave another beautiful view of the city from the river. This place is unreal. The bridge was packed with street performers, artists, and people like us. Charles Bridge is very close to the Jewish Cemetery, so we decided to visit that, as well. They had a Holocaust Museum, several synagogues, and the cemetery. It was really cool! On Saturday, we had a more relaxed day and went to the Old Town Square, which is a historical part of the city. We got to walk around there all day and have lunch. Behind that area is where all the nice shopping is, so we stopped over there for a bit too! We are so sad to be leaving tomorrow - Prague is such a cool city with so much character! We are excited to see Innsbruck and celebrate the 4th quietly with ourselves! I will post pictures soon! Happy July to everyone - see you soon! Love ya'll!
Corinne
So... it's safe to say that I'm never leaving Prague. Ever. Sorry, Mom and Dad. It is, I think, the most beautiful city I've ever been to! We have had such a great time! When we got to the airport, we saw what the Czech language looked like - absolutely nothing like any language we've ever seen. Encouraging, right? Luckily, we found a nice cab driver who got us to our hostel - which is quite possibly the nicest hostel in Europe. After we got settled in, we decided to just walk around the city and get a feel for our surroundings. We quickly realized that Czech people are much friendlier than other Europeans, especially the French. How refreshing - Abby and I have been complaing this entire time that no one in Europe has any manners - guess they weren't raised in Macon, Georgia, though. We have been too afraid to try the native food - when we asked the front desk guys at our hostel what it was, they said dumplings and goulash. That was enough for us - like we did in France, we decided to stick with American-ish and Italian restaurants. Can't go wrong with pizza. On Friday we had quite the eventful day. We successfully navigated ourselves through the Metro and over to Prague Castle. We went inside the Lobkowicz Museum first, which was really cool. Our tickets came with free audio tours, so we actually knew what we were looking at. It was really cool to learn about Czech history, since it's usually not included in our history classes at home. After that, we went farther into the castle grounds. As as we were standing outside St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, and a few other buildings. we hear a lot of commotion behind us. We turn around only to see Michelle Obama walking out to a car!!! Naturally, we sprint over to her, and naturally, my camera wouldn't turn on. But we saw her. We literally stood there for a solid 5 minutes saying, "I can't believe we just saw Michelle. I can't believe it." It was so so cool! After recovering from our celebrity sighting, we went into the beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace where we got the most insanely gorgeous view of the city and took a million pictures, inside the Basillica of St. George, and read about the Story of Prague Castle. After that, we stopped at a little cafe that was placed on the side of the hill where the castle sits and got to look out onto the beautiful view of the city while we relaxed for a little while! It was awesome! We walked over to Charles Bridge, which gave another beautiful view of the city from the river. This place is unreal. The bridge was packed with street performers, artists, and people like us. Charles Bridge is very close to the Jewish Cemetery, so we decided to visit that, as well. They had a Holocaust Museum, several synagogues, and the cemetery. It was really cool! On Saturday, we had a more relaxed day and went to the Old Town Square, which is a historical part of the city. We got to walk around there all day and have lunch. Behind that area is where all the nice shopping is, so we stopped over there for a bit too! We are so sad to be leaving tomorrow - Prague is such a cool city with so much character! We are excited to see Innsbruck and celebrate the 4th quietly with ourselves! I will post pictures soon! Happy July to everyone - see you soon! Love ya'll!
Corinne
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A Few Paris Pictures
The Pantheon in Paris
Garden of Luxemburg!
At the Garden of Luxemburg!
Montmarte overlooking Paris!
At Montmarte overlooking Paris!
Paris!
6:15 pm
Bonjour everyone! I finally arrived in Paris around 9:30 on Saturday night and couldn't have been happier! As I was checking into my hostel, Abby walked in the door, thank goodness! It was so nice to see a familiar face! Luckily, I didn't have very much trouble getting myself through the Rome or Paris airports, but it was still nice to finally get here and see Abby. Saturday night we went to dinner at a place near my hostel - turns out French food isn't the best - there's lots of duck and seafood with the eyeballs still attached. No thanks. So Abby said they usually resort to Italian food... I can't complain about that! Sunday, we went to a fun district in Paris and shopped around and she showed me some of her favorite places to go. On Monday while Abby was in class, I borrowed Abby's map and found my way to the Pantheon in Paris - very cool! I also brought my book and went to the Garden of Lumexburg and wandered around for a while and read for a bit in the garden! Strangely enough, I had a man approach me while I was reading and tell me that I had the most beautiful toes he had seen in many many years. Toes, yes. How strange. That's the French for you, I guess. I was very proud of myself - instead of taking the Metro to meet Abby for lunch, I used a map and navigated myself to her dorm on foot... guess I'm not so directionally challenged, after all. Monday afternoon, we went to one of the most famous tea houses in Paris called Laduree - it was absolutely delicious! I had my first macaroon... huge success. I'd have to say that chocolate was my favorite, no surprise there, but my second favorite was Abby's recommendation, the orange blossom. Tuesday, I explored my area of Paris while Abby was in class, and then met at another of her favorite restaurants for lunch. Today, we had the lovely task of shipping suitcases home - which takes about an arm and a leg to do - we even had to fill out a piece of paperwork on just our shoes that we were shipping home. Ridiculous. We had sandwiches from one of her favorite places to eat lunch, and then spent our afternoon at Montmarte - where Mom, Dad, MB, and Maggie - the 3 of us had our portraits done when we came to Paris a few years ago! It was a really cool area and had the beautiful Basillica of the Sacred Heart and a great view of the city! Tomorrow, we leave for Prague on a 9:50 flight, so it will be an early night for us tonight! Meeting Abby at 7:00 am for the airport... yuck. I will update on Prague when I can - again, not sure of my internet situation in each city. Cross your fingers! Only 13 days until we return to the States - can't believe it! Love ya'll!
Corinne
Bonjour everyone! I finally arrived in Paris around 9:30 on Saturday night and couldn't have been happier! As I was checking into my hostel, Abby walked in the door, thank goodness! It was so nice to see a familiar face! Luckily, I didn't have very much trouble getting myself through the Rome or Paris airports, but it was still nice to finally get here and see Abby. Saturday night we went to dinner at a place near my hostel - turns out French food isn't the best - there's lots of duck and seafood with the eyeballs still attached. No thanks. So Abby said they usually resort to Italian food... I can't complain about that! Sunday, we went to a fun district in Paris and shopped around and she showed me some of her favorite places to go. On Monday while Abby was in class, I borrowed Abby's map and found my way to the Pantheon in Paris - very cool! I also brought my book and went to the Garden of Lumexburg and wandered around for a while and read for a bit in the garden! Strangely enough, I had a man approach me while I was reading and tell me that I had the most beautiful toes he had seen in many many years. Toes, yes. How strange. That's the French for you, I guess. I was very proud of myself - instead of taking the Metro to meet Abby for lunch, I used a map and navigated myself to her dorm on foot... guess I'm not so directionally challenged, after all. Monday afternoon, we went to one of the most famous tea houses in Paris called Laduree - it was absolutely delicious! I had my first macaroon... huge success. I'd have to say that chocolate was my favorite, no surprise there, but my second favorite was Abby's recommendation, the orange blossom. Tuesday, I explored my area of Paris while Abby was in class, and then met at another of her favorite restaurants for lunch. Today, we had the lovely task of shipping suitcases home - which takes about an arm and a leg to do - we even had to fill out a piece of paperwork on just our shoes that we were shipping home. Ridiculous. We had sandwiches from one of her favorite places to eat lunch, and then spent our afternoon at Montmarte - where Mom, Dad, MB, and Maggie - the 3 of us had our portraits done when we came to Paris a few years ago! It was a really cool area and had the beautiful Basillica of the Sacred Heart and a great view of the city! Tomorrow, we leave for Prague on a 9:50 flight, so it will be an early night for us tonight! Meeting Abby at 7:00 am for the airport... yuck. I will update on Prague when I can - again, not sure of my internet situation in each city. Cross your fingers! Only 13 days until we return to the States - can't believe it! Love ya'll!
Corinne
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Last Day
9:30 am
Wow. I can't even begin to describe the experience that I've had here and the people I've met. Margaret and I have been a wreck for 2 straight days having to say bye to our new "family." I don't know how these past 5 weeks got away from me so quickly. I can honestly say that this trip has been hands down the best experience I've ever had in my life. Yesterday Joe was the first person to leave, and I kept looking at him with tears in my eyes saying, "How did this happen? How did we get so close, so fast, and how is it already over?" My four best friends, Margaret, Joe, Jonathan, and Steve are four of the best, most genuine people I've ever met, and it absolutely amazes me how well we meshed so quickly and easily. I have been literally sick to my stomach as I say bye to each of them, Margaret being the last. Good news is, I'm going to hop on a plane to Paris late this afternoon and finally get to see Abby! It will be so nice to spend time with someone from home, a nice comfort. I will be in Paris until June 30, then we will travel to Prague, Innsbuck, Munich, and Amsterdam - 3 days in each city. I know my travels through Europe will only add to this incredible experience I've had. Mom and Dad - I can't thank you enough for letting me have this time here, because it has been 100% amazing. I don't know what our internet situation will be in each city, so I will update my blog whenever I have the chance! I miss everyone so much and can't wait to see you on July 12th when I return to the lovely state of Georgia! PS - Mom and Dad - remember the rules... Chick-fil-a immediately upon my return. Not an option. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Talk soon! Love to everyone!
Wow. I can't even begin to describe the experience that I've had here and the people I've met. Margaret and I have been a wreck for 2 straight days having to say bye to our new "family." I don't know how these past 5 weeks got away from me so quickly. I can honestly say that this trip has been hands down the best experience I've ever had in my life. Yesterday Joe was the first person to leave, and I kept looking at him with tears in my eyes saying, "How did this happen? How did we get so close, so fast, and how is it already over?" My four best friends, Margaret, Joe, Jonathan, and Steve are four of the best, most genuine people I've ever met, and it absolutely amazes me how well we meshed so quickly and easily. I have been literally sick to my stomach as I say bye to each of them, Margaret being the last. Good news is, I'm going to hop on a plane to Paris late this afternoon and finally get to see Abby! It will be so nice to spend time with someone from home, a nice comfort. I will be in Paris until June 30, then we will travel to Prague, Innsbuck, Munich, and Amsterdam - 3 days in each city. I know my travels through Europe will only add to this incredible experience I've had. Mom and Dad - I can't thank you enough for letting me have this time here, because it has been 100% amazing. I don't know what our internet situation will be in each city, so I will update my blog whenever I have the chance! I miss everyone so much and can't wait to see you on July 12th when I return to the lovely state of Georgia! PS - Mom and Dad - remember the rules... Chick-fil-a immediately upon my return. Not an option. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Talk soon! Love to everyone!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Pictures from lately
Fountain that was used to bring in water from the countryside - overlooking Rome
Vatican Museum!
Vatican Museum!
My favorite painting at the Vatican Museum - the Wall of Philosohpy by Raphael
Vatican Museum
Wall of Theology by Raphael at the Vatican Museum
At the Coliseum - Steve, me and Joe
Coliseum sideways
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel
4:15
So today I got a lot of Roman things accomplished. I got lost. Twice. I took the wrong bus. Twice. And I explored the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. First of all, imagine me literally sprinting down the street in my Sistine Chapel-appropriate long pants and covered shoulders outfit, trying to navigate to the Vatican from streets where I've never been and not be late for my class. And it's about 8:15 in the morning. I'd been up since 6:30. As we like to say, "no bene" or "not good." But I made it. Breathless and unhappy. But let me tell you, it was totally worth it. The giant Vatican Museum was full of incredible ceilings, sculptures, and paintings in literally every direction you look. Thankfully, I've been learning about some of the art that's in the Museum, so I was able to better appreciate what I was looking at. As cheesy as this may be, it really does make a huge difference to know details about the art instead of just admiring the colors and shapes without any of the meaning behind it. Some of my favorite things I saw in the Museum was the Wall of Philosophy painted by Raphael for Pope Julius II - we discussed it for an extended period of time in class, and I know why. It's an incredible painting to see, especially in person. While I obviously didn't know about a lot of the things I saw, just because of the things I've learned from my teacher in this one class, I was at least able to recognize some details. When we were standing in the Julius II's library, I even had a woman come up and ask me a question about the Wall of Theology. And I answered her. Correctly. Hey Mom and Dad, looks like I am good at this whole school thing, huh? The Sistine Chapel goes without saying, but it was absolutely beautiful. We learned about each scene on the ceiling, the painting of The Last Judgement, and a few scenes about Jesus and Moses that appear on the walls. While there were quite possibly one million people in there and about 50 large tour groups, we were able to enjoy the art for a while and see in person what we've been discussing for weeks. My friend, Megan, and I were talking about our favorite scene on the ceiling, the scene where Adam and Eve are being sent away from the garden by God, and one of the professional "shh-ers" as we like to call them, came and "shh-ed" us because you're not supposed to talk. Oops? Anyway, it's fair to say that it was a amazing experience that I'll never forget. I'm not finished yet though. So I go to leave, and a girl in my class tells me to take bus 23 back to our area of town. I should've realized it was a bad idea when I didn't really recognize any of the stop names at the bus stop, but I did it anyway. And I rode that bus in the complete wrong direction for an hour until it circled back to the Vatican. That was fun. I decided to ditch the bus idea and just walk. In my pants. In Rome. In June. Hot doesn't begin to describe it. Needless to say, I was speed walking so I could get back that much sooner, and was a hot mess when I met Margaret for lunch. No bene once again. It also led me to a giant nap and a large bottle of water. Thank goodness for free water refills all over the city of Rome due to an endless supply of free fountains! I'm now off to finish studying for my Italian test tonight, but I will post the few pictures that I took today soon - my camera died halfway through. Of course. Anyway, ciao for now! Love ya'll!
Corinne
So today I got a lot of Roman things accomplished. I got lost. Twice. I took the wrong bus. Twice. And I explored the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. First of all, imagine me literally sprinting down the street in my Sistine Chapel-appropriate long pants and covered shoulders outfit, trying to navigate to the Vatican from streets where I've never been and not be late for my class. And it's about 8:15 in the morning. I'd been up since 6:30. As we like to say, "no bene" or "not good." But I made it. Breathless and unhappy. But let me tell you, it was totally worth it. The giant Vatican Museum was full of incredible ceilings, sculptures, and paintings in literally every direction you look. Thankfully, I've been learning about some of the art that's in the Museum, so I was able to better appreciate what I was looking at. As cheesy as this may be, it really does make a huge difference to know details about the art instead of just admiring the colors and shapes without any of the meaning behind it. Some of my favorite things I saw in the Museum was the Wall of Philosophy painted by Raphael for Pope Julius II - we discussed it for an extended period of time in class, and I know why. It's an incredible painting to see, especially in person. While I obviously didn't know about a lot of the things I saw, just because of the things I've learned from my teacher in this one class, I was at least able to recognize some details. When we were standing in the Julius II's library, I even had a woman come up and ask me a question about the Wall of Theology. And I answered her. Correctly. Hey Mom and Dad, looks like I am good at this whole school thing, huh? The Sistine Chapel goes without saying, but it was absolutely beautiful. We learned about each scene on the ceiling, the painting of The Last Judgement, and a few scenes about Jesus and Moses that appear on the walls. While there were quite possibly one million people in there and about 50 large tour groups, we were able to enjoy the art for a while and see in person what we've been discussing for weeks. My friend, Megan, and I were talking about our favorite scene on the ceiling, the scene where Adam and Eve are being sent away from the garden by God, and one of the professional "shh-ers" as we like to call them, came and "shh-ed" us because you're not supposed to talk. Oops? Anyway, it's fair to say that it was a amazing experience that I'll never forget. I'm not finished yet though. So I go to leave, and a girl in my class tells me to take bus 23 back to our area of town. I should've realized it was a bad idea when I didn't really recognize any of the stop names at the bus stop, but I did it anyway. And I rode that bus in the complete wrong direction for an hour until it circled back to the Vatican. That was fun. I decided to ditch the bus idea and just walk. In my pants. In Rome. In June. Hot doesn't begin to describe it. Needless to say, I was speed walking so I could get back that much sooner, and was a hot mess when I met Margaret for lunch. No bene once again. It also led me to a giant nap and a large bottle of water. Thank goodness for free water refills all over the city of Rome due to an endless supply of free fountains! I'm now off to finish studying for my Italian test tonight, but I will post the few pictures that I took today soon - my camera died halfway through. Of course. Anyway, ciao for now! Love ya'll!
Corinne
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