Schneekugel

This past week I went to the orignal factory where the snowglobe was invented. It is still in use today, and run by the grandson of the inventor. The factory was really neat to see, especially since it is one of the few working factories left in the city limits of Vienna today. We were told the history of the "schneekugel" and then given a tour of the factory to see snow globes actually being made. The man who gave us this tour was the grandson of Erwin Percy, Erwin Percy III. He told us how in 1900, his grandfather produced the first snowglobe here in Vienna, and invented it by accident. He was trying to find ways to improve the electric lightbulb, and eventually stumbled upon the snow globe.
After WWII, a business executive from America saw the snowgloves, and thought this would be perfect for the America market, so they started exporting snowglobes to America, and they quickly became popular.

The Wiener Schneekugel company still exports some snowgloves to America, but not very many anymore since Chinese companies now produced many more and for a cheaper price, but the Percy's still make gloves and do export them throughout the world. For special clients, they will make custom snowglobes, and they have done this for 3 US Presidents. We saw copies of the globes that had been made for some of our presidents. The first US President to recieve a globe was President Reagan, and his globe was of one of his ranches. The next was President Clinton, and his was made with pieces of the confetti that was thrown at his inauguration...and the thrid President, was President Obama. Mr. Percy said they were asked to make one for the Obama family by a Vienesse woman who was attending a white house party and wanted to give one to the youngest Obama daughter because she had begun collecting snowglobes. The globe is a Christmas one with the entire first family in it. The globe had been finished and ready to send off when Mr. Percy was called by the woman who had ordered it; the Obamas had gotten a dog, and she told him he had to open the globe and put the first dog in it to. He did and that was the globe that the Obamas recieved.

It was really neat to see the factory, and learn about the history of the snowglobe. In Vienna they say, even though nowadays other countries and companies produce bigger and more ornate snowglobes, the snowglobes in Vienna (the originals) snow the longest.

Glyptotek and Tivoli

Hej,

A few days ago, I visited one of the Copenhagen’s best museums. The museum is called Glyptotek, and it is located right next to the city hall, the museum building itself is remarkable. Last Sunday, it had a special exhibition of Claude Monet (one of my favorite ones). My friend and I made sure that we got to the museum early enough to get our free admission tickets, we were given a guided tour of the exhibition. I loved it very much; I also saw some other paintings by Picasso and Edgar Degas. I remember studying the famous Ballet Dancer’s paintings by Degas in my art class. It was a splendid experience to be able to see those extraordinary pieces of art myself. If any of you come to Copenhagen, I recommend going to this museum (it is free admission on Sundays) and they have some interesting French and Egyptian art.

Later that evening, I went to Tivoli, which is one of the top tourists attraction of Denmark. Tivoli is an amusement park and has a lot to offer to tourists, even if you are not the biggest fan of rides, I still recommend that you go there. They have the best restaurants and cafes in the park. There is also a lake and a beautiful garden. We went early in the evening and stayed there late at night. The garden and the lake were more beautiful at night. There was a huge pirate ship in the lake where people were dining at, there was also a live show going on in the open area. I had a fun time and plan on going back again.

As of today, I watched live broadcast of Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Unfortunately, fun time is gone for me, I have to get back to studying for my finals. This coming week is going to be the crazy ones since I have everything due in that week. The good news is that I am almost done after that week so I would have more time to relax and walk around the city without having to worry about my classes.

I would post more picture of my trips in a few days.

Lunch with the President

I cannot begin to express how much I have learned and grown from my internship in D.C. Even though the day to day toil of monotonous work can sometimes make me think dirty words, on the whole the job has proven to be a huge success. I have learned an immense amount about the U.S. government and how it REALLY works.

The Democrats and Republicans really do hate each other and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The language used around the Hill from both parties is wartime verbiage! I had seen debates on television and even watched floor debate on CSPAN but did not realize the extent to which allegiance to a political party is lethal. I wish that instead of focusing on party lines, more focus was placed on the policy at hand. In many countries such as the UK (I actually learned this from a tour group that I was leading through the capitol!), slander is not allowed in any shape or form within the political arena; and I think that this would be a significant step for our political system.

The president is not really in touch with Congress and doesn’t sit to tea with each of them weekly, or yearly, or ever for that matter. I was under the impression when I started this job that there was immense collaboration among the branches of government. I understand that the House has 435 members and the Senate 100, which makes for a lot of people and very strong-willed opinionated politicians at that, but I thought that there would at least be frequent communication whether it be via letter, phone call, or meeting. This is most definitely not the case, unless there is a top secret back lounge in the Congressman’s office that Obama teleports to.

The Congressman really is not a savant and instead just has really good staff members that “advise” him on how to vote. Don’t get me wrong, Congressman Gowdy is a very intelligent and sharp guy. I have only shared approximately 18 words with him since my start but from videos and office talk, I have gathered that he is. He was a former federal prosecutor and is very quick on his feet. This has benefited him greatly in committee hearings when he questions witnesses. He frequently abandons the questions that the legislative aide has tirelessly prepared and devoted days to but nevertheless, he gets the job done. The legislative aides in my office are the fuel behind the engine and the ones that I love the most. Two in particular have taught me so much about their issues and the legislative process, and for that I am very thankful. I was amazed to learn that they are the ones that get their hands dirty in the policies, take all the meetings, and actually draft the co-sponsorship forms. At the end of each week, their blood, sweat, and tears are packaged and wrapped nicely in a quaint box with a bow for the Congressman to open and enjoy.

Interns are there to answer the phones, sort the mail, and rub the boss’ feet if needed. Thankfully the latter hasn’t happened to me but I have performed some pretty interesting tasks for the office. Legislative correspondents may have quite possibly the hardest and worst job in history constantly writing to people that rant and rave, talk about what a crap job we are doing, and even resort to threats. Wouldn’t you think we would get nice uplifting congratulatory calls or letters? Speaking of calling and letters, I never REALLY thought people called their representative. Boy was I wrong. I am glad that people think that their voice is counted. After all, the people that call to voice their concern are the people that got Trey Gowdy elected. I am not glad, however, that now that I have been on the inside, I know that it is not truly accounted for. The constituent service system is pretty uniform across the Hill and concerns are logged via computer and a form letter is generated. Letters are rarely adjusted to take in additional concerns or opinions. This has bothered me from the very start and continues to be a daily struggle in my job. I have offered to write additional letters but always hit walls with this request. I understand the importance of not opening the floor for a full on argument with a constituent but to send such a generic response to a heartfelt letter has never struck me as “proper” correspondence. I hear that this is the tried and true tradition, but if I stayed to continue working on the Hill in Congress, I would like to push the envelope a little bit.

The legislative shop which consists of the legislative aides, correspondent, and interns is where all the magic happens. I absolutely love working with my co-workers and they are the reason I look forward to going to work every day. Believe it or not, it is not the sorting faxes and letters. I have gained so much from working with such an intelligent bunch and my relationships with many of them have even extended beyond the workplace. This will make it hard to leave and I am going to be very sad to say goodbye, because not only have I worked with these people in close (VERY close) quarters for four months, but they have become my friends.

My time in D.C. has been one in a lifetime and has clarified quite a few of my misconceptions. Even though I did not attend briefings with the Speaker, meet each and every Congress member, or dine with the president I still had an awe-inspiring experience, one that I will never forget.

Frohe Ostern!

My Easter Break is over, and today was the first day of classes after my trip to Croatia. Croatia was amazing. My roommate and I went to Hvar Island, and spent the entire week there. We stayed in a lovely hotel right on the water, and spent our days tanning and swimming. The actual ocean water was freezing (we jumped in to be sure--the tempature was about 15 degrees celsius) but our hotel luckily had a rooftop pool that was heated and filled with sea water, so it was close enough to the real thing. The weather was much warmer than the sea water. It was sunny and warm the entire time we were there.

(The view from out hotel window during the day and night)
The town of Hvar is very nice, it's small, and the people there were great. In the middle of our trip we spent on day sailing. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. We sailed around the Pakleni Archipelago, and even stopped on one of the islands for a drink. It was such a realxing day, and a beautiful way to see the Adriatic Sea, and some of the Dalmatian Islands.

I am glad to be back in Vienna though. The weather has been sehr schön! I made it back to Vienna in time for Easter Sunday, and to see the Easter Markets. Easter is a big deal here, and the Easter Markets last a couple weeks. They sell different things at the markets, but one common thing are ornaments and decorated egg ornaments for easter trees. I also got to see 2 friends from Wofford! So it was a nice end to spring break.

Coming up

I know you all are probably going crazy with my blog post overload. It has recently been assessment period and I have been working on papers. Unlike at Wofford, most classes here have two things due: an assessment (midterm) and a final. Honestly, it is kind of nerve racking. Anyway, that is why I have not been posting blogs until tonight. Also, I won't be able to post next week either because we are finally on Easter Break and I am headed to New Zealand in the morning! We are doing a tour of the South Island. We will be going to Christchurch, Greymouth, Fox Glacier, Wanaka, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Queenstown, Mount Cook, and Lake Tenkapo. I am super excited. I'll make sure to post beautiful pictures of New Zealand when I get back!

Cheers,
Allison

The Australian Coat of Arms

Above is an exhibit of the Australian Coat of Arms found in the Melbourne Museum. It features the kangaroo and the emu. I cannot tell you what the shield represents. However, I can tell you something about the animals. Besides being natives to Australia, they have one interesting thing in common. They cannot walk backwards. Therefore, using them in the Coat of Arms (which is everywhere) represents Australia moving forward and looking to the future. Kind of cool huh?

Cheers!

Netball

I recently attended my first ever netball game between the Melbourne Vixens and the Adlaid Thunderbirds. Netball is a game mainly geared towards girls and women. It is very similar to basketball except that there is no dribbling the ball, you can only go in specific areas of the court, and there is no backboard. The middle game is pretty fast paced with a lot of passing, but when the ball is finally given to a shooter it takes forever!! A shooter can take as long as they want to shoot and if a player from the other team is within 3 feet of them, the shooter gets to shoot again. The most exciting part of the game had to be the end. Because each basket is one point each, the scores are very close. Therefore, once it gets the last five minutes things get really crazy.

See the net without a backboard.

We won! Go Vixens!

One thing I did notice was that despite needing to have a great shooter, netball really relies on teamwork. Many basketball teams have one or two great players and they win the game. In netball, you all have to work together. Netball was an interesting experience, but I think basketball is more exciting!

Comedy Festival

Every year in late March and early April, Melbourne is host of the Comedy Festival. There are hundreds of comedy shows going on during this time. I decided to attend the One Man Lord of the Rings show with a few friends.


So, one man performed the major parts of all three trilogies while throwing in comic humor. It was fantastic! The guy did parts of the sound tracks and all the sound effects. I loved the part when the Fellowship was forming and when Lord Elrond named them "the Fellowship of the Rings," our comedian actually said "you shall be known as the name of the book." I don't know, I just cracked up!

Cheers from Melbourne!

Mamma and Daddy come to Freiburg!

18.04.2011-22.04.2011

My parents came to visit me in Freiburg, Germany! I absolutely loved spending time with them, receiving hugs and kisses, and eating extremely well. Our family knows how to travel right! This was mamma and daddy’s first visit to Germany. I was so happy that Freiburg boasted one of its earliest springs for their visit- the wisteria was in full bloom, the children dragged their boats in the street canals, and the Munster market was in full swing.

Happy to be with my Daddy!

Mom was in her element snapping pictures left and right and Dad was enjoying learning about the German wines.

Mamma was a shutterbug!

Daddy enjoying his spätburgunder rotwein.

I greeted mamma and daddy with hugs and kisses when they arrived at the Freiburg Haptbahnhof. We first walked around the Altstadte or “old city” part of Freiburg. Konvikstrasse (named for a convent) was lined with wisteria. It is a typical, small quaint street that does not allow chain stores.

The restaurants along the street are superb, especially Wolfshohle, where we ate that night. Wolfshohle is apparently one of two Freiburg Italian restaurants that does not serve pizza. My parents and I found it to be cosmopolitan cuisine. We wined and dined on carrot, beef, and onion aspic, shitake mushrooms with couscous in a pastry shell on foamed parmesan cheese, monkfish with orange filled ravioli, and passion fruit sorbet infused with raspberry mousse.

My dinner from Wolfshohle, monkfish with orange filled ravioli

Our first meal together was by far the best meal I have throughout my entire study abroad experience.

I showed my parents Burgerhaus Seepark, where I like to run and enjoy the outdoors. They enjoyed the people watching! So many people were sprawled out in the grass, enjoying a picnic, cooking on the barbecue, or playing musical instruments.

Another place I made sure to take mamma and daddy was the Schlossberg viewing tower. It was quite a hike up to the top! Thank goodness the view of Freiburg is worth the hike, although Daddy may think differently.

To be fair, Mamma was the only one who climbed the Schlossberg viewing tower

I could trace my walk to and from the IES center from Schlossberg

Mamma’s favorite part of Freiburg is the market at the Munster platz (she went back several times to take pictures and go shopping). The market is open Monday through Saturday, but is busiest on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The market is designed to sell local produce to the left of the cathedral, flowers and herbs in front of the cathedral doors, and imported produce and trinkets to the right of the cathedral. We bought several gifts for family and friends, including ceramic vases, an olive wood wine holder, black forest honey, fig vinegar, lavender, and more.

An assortment of vinegars, including asparagus, fig, apple, and rose vinegars

It is spring when white asparagus or spargel is in season! Restaurants will dedicate an entire menu to spargel. We loved the spargelsuppe!

We were even able to buy the famous kasekuchen or cheesecake that Freiburgers wait in line for every time the baker is at the market.

The famous kasekuchen- worth the calories

Of course, we also ate bratwurst from a local stand!

Eating bratwurst in the Munster platz

On the school day when I had most of my classes, Mamma and Daddy took a day trip to Colmar, France. Spring had arrived in Colmar and the Spring Festival was in full swing. The pictures Mamma and Daddy took were incredible! I was happy they were able to visit and enjoy themselves in the Alsace Lorraine region of France.

It was very comforting to have part of home visiting my “home away from home.”

Happy to be together!

Freiburg, in all its beauty, helped us move at a slower pace where we could appreciate our surroundings, relax, and enjoy each other. I loved their visit!

A Day Trip to Sweden

Yes, you read it right; I went to Sweden for a day. If you live in Copenhagen, you would realize that it is not very astonishing. Several of my friends go to Sweden early in the morning and return home late night. The closest Swedish city from Copenhagen is Malmo, which is a thirty-minute train ride from center of Copenhagen. Denmark border’s Sweden, Germany and Norway. Just because there is a lot of water surrounding Denmark, a popular choice of travel between the countries is to take a ferry. I went to Helsingborg, Sweden, which is a small beautiful coastal city of Sweden. From the Danish city Helsingor, you could actually see this old beautiful city. It is hilly, has the first pedestrian street of Sweden “Kullagatan” and has a medieval fortress, Karnan.

Yesterday, I took a train from center of Copenhagen to Helsingor, which has a magnificent castle. Kronborg castle was used for inspiration of “Elsinore” in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This beautiful castle is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Denmark. Located right next to the coastline, this place is the famous fishing spot for people of Helsingor. Since, it was sunny and warm yesterday, I sat on the rocks on the coast, walked on sand, and talked to people of Helsingor. They were used to having a lot of tourists in the area. I talked with an old man who was sitting right next to me, he was very curious in knowing about my impression of Denmark, we had a good conversation.

After spending two hours in the castle and the beautiful coastline, I decided to take the ferry towards Helsingborg, Sweden. It was indeed the cheapest trip to another country for me because I paid 50 DKK ($10) for round trip of ferry. In the ferry, I sat in the sun looking at Sweden while snacking on my favorite pastry (that I got from a small bakery in Helsingor, it was way cheaper than Copenhagen bakeries).

After a twenty-minute ferry ride, I was in Helsingborg. I walked on the tourist’s streets, went to a lot of stores (even though I did not have any Swedish Kroner with me, they were willing to accept Danish Kroner), and sat on the top of the old fortress overlooking the town.

I was able to take a picture of Mariner’s Goddess, which looked like German victory column to me. This seafaring monument was built by Carl Milles and it can be seen from different parts of the city. The monument is illuminated at night.

After surfing for four hours in this small town, I ate at a beautiful cozy restaurant right next to Karnan and in the center of the city.

I was quite happy on my way back to Copenhagen, I was really tired so went straight to sleep. (Almost) Everything is closed in Copenhagen today because of the Easter holidays but I would be going to Tivoli tomorrow. I plan to enjoy this weekend before I start with the craziness of my final exams.

Adjo (Swedish Bye)

Helsingborg, Sweden
Kronborg Castle

Inside of my beautiful ferry named "Hamlet"
Karan, old fortress of Helsingborg
Mariner's Goddess
Coastline in Helsingor

Travel, Travel and Travel

Oh my God, it is really crazy how much people can travel in the spring break. I guess it is different because we are now in Europe, there are so many places to go, nobody wants to miss out anything. A good friend of mine is going to ten different countries in two weeks of our spring break (I wonder how that works..). But if you are in Europe and you have a lot of time to travel, I would recommend getting a Euro-pass. You can get a pass specific to the regions you would be traveling in, and you can take the train to all the places you want to go, it is a lot more cheaper (also a good deal if you don't want to deal with airport security all the time).

Copenhagen is beautiful as always, days are getting longer and longer. But starting from today, I have exactly one month left in Denmark which is a bit sad, really. As I mentioned before, Denmark' world-famous park, Tivoli, has opened this week. It is time for me to pay a visit to this wonderful place. I can already see a lot of touristy buses going around the city, and people taking pictures intensely, which does mean that tourists have arrived in Copenhagen (Not that there were not many before, but it was so cold that no body dared to go out for sightseeing).

I am planning a trip to Paris, but it would not be until late May. The only problem is I would have to travel by myself (since none of my friends would be free in May). Not to mention the preparations for final exams and final papers, I am quiet busy at the moment. Hopefully, I would do well.

Here are a couple of pictures from my last trip around Copenhagen.

Rosenburg Castle

Danish Parliament

Dreisam River Bike Ride

11.04.2011-17.04.2011

I love Freiburg, Germany! It’s been a wonderful city to live in for the past few months. Freiburg is close to several airports for international travel, has a wonderful rail system, and is beautifully located in the Black Forest. The people are very friendly, honest, and helpful. All this week I spent my time in Freiburg to get a feel for what I would show my parents when they come to visit. I am excited to show off the city I’ve lived in! I look forward to trying new restaurants, eating gelato from Portofino’s, climbing the Schlossberg that overlooks the city, and roaming through the city center streets. Since spring is here, everything is in bloom and the city is even more enchanting! Most people have been taking advantage of the weather, taking long walks, grilling along the Dreisam River, or eating at the outdoor cafés.

This Saturday, I also took advantage of the gorgeous weather. I went on a 40+km bike ride along the Dreisam River and had a fantastic time!

The kilometer markers along the Dreisam River let us know how far we had gone so we could count down to 0km…. and then count up.

Along our bike ride we saw swans, several herons, and sheep!

Not to mention the open, grassy pastures, rolling mountains, blooming trees, and small towns. There were so many beautiful scenes to take in!

We enjoyed a nice long picnic when we met the halfway point or 0km marker.

It was wonderful to relax, enjoy each other’s company, and soak in the sun. After we returned our bikes to the rental in town, we treated ourselves to gelato. It was the best way to start and end a Saturday, even though we were sore! I slept so well that night and am fully rested for my visitors who come later today!