IES Superlatives

Last night we had one of our final IES parties. We went to a bar called Travel Shack, which IES has used for a program party before as well...its a really fun place, and we all like going there. Last night was extra fun though because we had IES awards that we all voted on, kind of like funny senior superlatives..there were a few categories, and they were all a bit "teasey" but in good fun.
It was sort of sad to think that in a week, after I leave Vienna, I may never see some of these people again. It did remind me what a great semester this has been though, and I have gotten to meet a lot of really interesting people from all over the US, Europe, and Austraila.
I officially have less than a week left here, and that is blowing my mind! Finals start tomorrow, and I have a feeling this week is going to fly by.

Paris is not a cliche

Bonjour,

A few days ago, I felt as if I needed a break from intense studying so I went to Paris. I went there by myself and walked around the city center for hours. I must say, Paris is lot more beautiful than I expected. A long time ago, when I took a Facebook quiz, it said that the perfect place for me to live in the world, is Paris. I think I completely agree.

The city has a lot to offer for everybody, it does not matter what kind of person one is, one would always find something enjoyable. For me, it was the diversity of the city, calm and stylish lifestyle, cozy cafes, stunning shopping malls, beautiful scenery, and historical buildings that caught my attention. I stayed there for five days and had a blast. I avoided taking Metro once I was in the city and preferred walking which helped me explore the French streets and to see French people in action (otherwise, city is mainly full of tourists). I almost felt like one of them, taking a big loaf of bread in my hand everyday I would walk on the streets like a native (or so I thought). Here is the list of places that I went to:

1. Of course, the number one site was Eiffle tower for me. As soon as, I arrived in Paris and unloaded my stuff, I went straight to Eiffle tower. It was late at night and the tower was illuminated which made it look gorgeous. I recommend going at night and looking at the tower from a distance, its absolutely beautiful.

I was living a few blocks away from Sacre Coeur which is the highest point of Paris. I went there on my second last day and sat at the top for hours looking all over Paris and listening to the Spanish singers.

If you are in Paris, you can't really miss River Seine. Sitting on the river bank, people watching and snacking was one of my favorite things to do. I looked at the boats full of tourists, and I would observe the French teenagers partying near the river.

It would not make sense if I go to paris and not look at Mona Lisa, one of the most admired painting in the world. My second day in Paris, I woke early in the morning and headed straight to the Louvre museum which is the biggest museum I have been to. The museum holds different kinds of Arts and attracts million of tourists every year, it is one of the top attractions of Paris.

I also went to Disneyland, Lafayette Galleries (departmental store) and Arc de Triomphe. Obviously I stopped on every other clothing store and spend a lot of money on beautiful dresses and shoes. I also did some shopping in the touristy stores and bought things for my friends and family, almost everything I bought had Eiffle tower on it.

A trip to Disneyland was a MUST for me, I ended up meeting two girls who were interested in going there to so we took an early train to Disneyland, it is not in the city, I think the train ride was almost 30-45 minutes.
Disneyland's gardens were very pretty.
I know it is not the best picture but it caught my attention. The painting is in Museum Louvre.
It is one of the little parks that I discovered on my hunt of the city. The park had more native French people than tourists which was exciting, I chatted with a girl there who spoke English well enough.
I was so excited to finally see Mona Lisa.
Entrance to museum Louvre, I went there very early in the morning so it was not very crowded.
River Siene

The car was outside of Disneyland, I don't know what was it doing there but I thought I could pretend its mine for a minute.

Spain

It's been a crazy past week-I feel like everything around me is being fast forwarded, and I can barely keep up with it all.

I went to a mass recently at the Hofburg's church, called Augustinerkirche. It is known for it's masses, largely because of the music. They have an amazing orchestra, and choir. Each Sunday there is different music, sometimes there will be a Mozart mass, and sometimes a Schubert mass, but regardless of what composer it is, the music is always amazing. I got there early on Sunday because I wanted to be sure to get seats, and not get lost when I tried to go to the church for the first time. On the way to church my straßenbahn unexpectedly turned, and I lookd out the window and saw it was because the main street in Vienna, Kartner Ring, was closed for a parade. This has happenned before, so I just got off the straßenbahn and walked towards the church, which was about a 20 minute walk. Everyone was wearing red in the parade, and I later learned why. It was to celebrate the start of spring, in what many English speaking countries call "May Day". Originally, people, mostly men, would wear red carnation on this day-the SPÖ's (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreich or the Social Democratic Party of Austria) party color is also red...so a while back they made May 1st something like their party day, and the parades all on the street I saw were specifically for the SPÖ.

I finally made it down the street, and eventually to the church. I shockingly did not get lost, and was an hour early for mass. It was actually nice to be so early, because I got to hear the choir/orchestra practicing. They sang Hosana, and it was so amazing I had chills the entire time. All of the songs they sang before the mass, were entirely different than the ones for the actual mass service, so I got to hear two different sets of songs. The mass itself was wonderful, and I surprisingly understood a lot of what was being said because the Priest spoke much more slowly than normal Austrians in day to day conversations. It was a nice service, but rather long. We started mass at 11:15, and it was over 2 hours later...with the extra hour I had before the service, I spent 3 hours at church. It was nice though, so it did not feel so long.

The rest of the week flew by...I had teaching at my Austrian Volkschule, as I always do, and then I had to finish some papers, and other work early because I left for Spain on Thursday, and would get back Sunday evening.

I went to Alicante, Spain with a friend and it was wonderful! Spain was gorgeous. Our first full day there was Friday, and the weather was warm, but the 25mph winds, took away most of the predicted 75 degree weather, and made it feel much colder. We went to the beach, but the sand was going everywhere! I left the beach and had sand all over me, including in both ears. It was not a good time to be down there, so we mostly wandered around the town, and saw their Basicalla de Santa Maria.

The place we stayed was about a 5minute walk from the beach, and was perfectly located in the city center of Alicante. On Friday it was paella night, and they made paella and sangria on top of the terrace. My friend and I went to it, and had a great time. We met a lot of neat people there, from places like Poland, Ireland, and Holland...we even met 3 Americans from DC. The next day was a bit cloudy, but we still went to the beach for a bit, the water was freezing, so I didn't really swim, but there were some local teenagers doing all kids of flips, and other acreobatic things in the sand so we watched them for a while then had some sangria at one of the restuarants right on the beach. A little further down the beach there was a huge kite competition, and we watched professional kite fliers preform choreographed routines with kites. It was crazy to think someone could actually do all of this with a kite, and so much fun. There was music and it made the slightly cloudy day much more lively.

On Sunday the weather was perfect! We got up and check out, and went straight to the beach. A local radio station was playing music and we layed out until 3 when we had to go to the airport...it was the perfect last day!

We did not get back to Vienna until 1am, I was exhausted from the day, but I had to get to bed because I had teaching in the morning. I woke up at 7, and was a little sad because it would be my very last time going to Bishop-Faber-Platz. I have really enjoyed my time there and getting to known the teachers and students. I am really going to miss them all. When I was leaving for the day the students all gave me a book with their pictures and signatures saying thank you for teaching them. One class also made me a necklas. It was really sweet and a good way to end my time there.

I feel like so much has been going on this past week, but I really have not had time to digest it all. I had 4 papers due this week, a takehome test due today, a final on Friday, then the rest next week and only 11 days left in Vienna! It is crazy to think the semester is ending!! I have done so much here, but it feels like it has only been a week. I plan on pretending I am not going anywhere until I actually have to start packing. Until then, I am going to be working on my papers.

Tschüss!

Final weeks in Freiburg, Germany- my home away from home!

02.05.2011-08.05.2011

In less than two weeks, my European Union study abroad program in Freiburg, Germany will come to a close. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad- I’ve enjoyed my time here in Europe so much!

The Herz-Jesu Church and Blue Wiwili Bridge I walk across everyday to attend class

Since my time here in Freiburg is limited, I created a “bucket list” of things I must do before I leave. My list included a day trip to Titisee, another gelato from Portofino’s, making dinner for my friends, eating kuchen from Jennifer’s chocolaterie, shopping at the Munster Markt, dining again at Markt Halle international café, and more. I’ve accomplished so much on my list already!

This week we had our final classes and began exam preparation. My favorite ending, of all my classes, was my German class. We met in the Frierling beirgarten, of all places! We enjoyed each other’s company, “discussed” our exam questions, and sipped on the different house beers. I tried the Radler, a combination of lemonade and beer, which was very refreshing! Our German class was definitely educational in more ways than one!

A trip to Markt Halle international café was an easy (and inexpensive) way for me to visit Italy. I had wonderful basil pesto pasta! I later met up with a friend and checked another item off my list—gelato from Portofino’s. Portofino’s is my favorite eis café that serves more than 15 varieties of ice cream- hazelnut, dark chocolate, strawberry yogurt, eight o’ clock, mocha, coconut, and more. My favorite is hazelnut, but I have ventured to try other flavors!

On Saturday, after I completed two exams, I treated myself to more sweets. Have you noticed that I have a sweet tooth? I’ve been eyeing the chocolaterie Jennifer’s since my first days in Freiburg, Germany. A friend and I ordered our kuchen “to go” and went to Augustinerplatz to enjoy our dessert and people watch.

Over cake (I had a a delicious chocolate mousse and wild berry cake), we discussed our time in Germany and love for the country. The two of us agreed that we both prefer the European life-style, especially the German life-style that is more balanced between work and life and centers around family.

The number of people in Germany, who appreciate the outdoors, taking the opportunity to ride their bikes to work, the market, and the grocery store, amazed us. We also love watching the children tag along with their parents. It seems that everywhere you go is a family affair!

Later that evening, we attended the St. Georgen weintage, a wine festival in a suburb of Freiburg, Germany. We were in for a treat!

Vineyards of St. Georgen

St. Georgen weintage offered many local Freiburger wines (red, rose, and white), crepes, grilled steaks and ribs, bratwurst, beer, and more.

Food stands scattered the narrow streets of St. Gerogen and bands played in different sections. First, I had the Freiburger Spatbrugunder rotwein, paired with a juicy steak. It was the BEST steak I have had and well worth the 4-month wait. The festival was very popular! So many people turned out for the event, which got more crowded as the night went on.

I loved “prosting” to each wine we tried and dancing to the American songs, like Sweet Home Alabama. It was fun to hear Sweet Home Alabama sung in a thick German accent!

All of us who went had a phenomenal time. I kept my small wine glass as a souvenir from the event!

Sunday afternoon, we spent a relaxing time in the sun at Burgerhaus Seepark. So many people had the same idea we did!

We threw a blanket on the ground and soaked up the sun. Some people around us were laying out in their bathing suits and others were barbecuing. A walk around the lake with my friends was pretty entertaining. I’ve been to the park many a time, but never knew there was a nude section. My steps quickened as we walked by!

That night I made dinner for a group of six- pork marinated with soy sauce, garlic, and ginger, green beans, brown rice with beef consume, and vanilla ice-cream with fresh peaches and amaretto. Yum, yum! It was great fun too!

Tomorrow I am going to Titisee (and working in exam review)!

It's Summer time in Denmark

Written page of Quran in the early 8th century.
Persian art

Danish modern art

Hi,

I had to work on four papers and prepare for a final this past week so I did not get a chance to do touristy things around the city. I locked up myself in my room and studies the whole time. It was not that bad because I had a few hours to spare every now and then in which I went to a few places.

The David Collection: One of my favorite museums in Denmark, this museum does not get a lot of tourist attention because its located way back in the old city. One of my friends visited it earlier and absolutely loved it so I had to go too. I visited it today and took a lot of pictures. The museum has European 18th century art, Danish early modern art and most importantly significant pieces of Islamic art. The collection is housed in the building once occupied by the museum's founder, C. L David.

Islamic collection of the museum comes from Middle-East, Spain and India and covers the period from as early as 7th century to late 19th century. The collection mainly consisted of miniature painting, textiles and calligraphy. I brushed up my Persian and Arabic skills by reading the actual texts. It was a unique experience because I never came across a historically old Islamic art before.

Unfortunately, my camera has been acting up so even though I thought that I had uploaded all the pictures to my computer, I can't find them anywhere. I am still trying to find out what actually happened with them.

But yes, its summer in Copenhagen, there are tourists everywhere which makes the city more exciting. I took advantage of the nice weather and arranged a picnic with few of my friends yesterday. It turned out to be a lot of fun, we enjoyed people watching while snacking on Danish pastries and dried fruits.

There is only a week and half left in my semester, my time in Copenhagen is coming to end soon. I have tried not to think about it too much but before I leave, I am taking a trip to Paris. Since, I am going by myself, it might be helpful to learn a few French words (just because I heard you are better off if you know the language). So stay tuned for a good story on Paris trip, in the meanwhile enjoy my some cool Tivoli pictures.

Inspired by Chines architecture, this is stage for singers and performers in Tivoli.
I could not stop myself from taking a picture here.

Tivoli at night.
With a lot of crazy rides and the beautiful boats, this park is full of fun stuff.

Istanbul, Turkey- a city straddling the past and future

23.04.2011-01.05.2011

This past week I traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, visiting both the European and Asian sectors. Turkey and its accession to the European Union has been a hot topic in many of my classes and current European news. Less than 10% of the country flanks Europe, but the country is strategically important for developing relationships with Middle Eastern countries. The main issue is that the country is far from “European.” The country’s complex, layered past, where the East meets the West, is absolutely fascinating! Istanbul is so intriguing because it is the most eastern part of the West and the most western part of the East. The fast-growing city of Istanbul with 17 million inhabitants is divided into the “Old District” and “New District.” Foreigners and tourists, like me, are drawn to the Old District for the Grand Bazaar, Underground Cistern, Hagia Sohpia, Blue Mosque and more. The Turks are drawn to the New District with is international influence. Mosques crowded one another in the Old District and were fewer and far between in the New District. The call to prayer blaring from the minarets in the Old District clashed with the upbeat, loud American music played in the New District. The people also dressed differently. In the Old District, the women dressed more modestly with headscarves, long coats, and dark clothing. But, in the New District, you’d find more women in hip, trendy, and tight-fitting clothes. The people seemed reluctant to leave behind their identity, although the city is moving westward.

After arriving to the Asian side of Istanbul, we took a shuttle to our hotel in the Old District. Our accommodations at Sultan’s Eye were comfortable and a little above average. It was though, pretty tacky with bold colors of gold, green, navy blue, and red covering the fabric walls, plush comforters, and painted ceiling. The breakfast room was even worse with silver glittery walls (really, there was silver glitter on the walls) contrasting with traditional, painted titles. The hotel décor clashed more harshly than the Old and New Districts of Istanbul!

The next morning, we set out to explore the historic core of Istanbul. During its long history, Istanbul was the capital of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire, and Ottoman Empire. We visited the Hagia Sophia, dating back to 537.

It was Constantinople 's Great Church that was later turned into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. In Islam, portrayals of human are prohibited, so many of the converted churches covered the images with plaster.

The mosques were decorated with calligraphy and floral and geometric designs displayed on titles. Hagia Sophia's Nave can fit Paris' Notre Dame within its dome.

It’s so grand and magnificent!

Next we visited the Divan Yulu and the Golden Milestone that was the main transportation artery in the Byzantine times, as well as the Underground Cistern. I wasn’t sure what to expect with an underground reservoir that dates back to the 6^th century; it was a little underwhelming.

The coolest part about it was the large fat fish swimming in the bottom and the fact that the Cistern was the setting for James Bond’s movie From Russia with Love.

The Blue Mosque, on the other hand, was gorgeous!

The dome is modeled after the Hagia Sophia’s and is called the Blue Mosque for the rich blue that dominates the title work inside.

The architectural details and the large scale of the mosque overwhelmed me. Because everything we saw was so grand, the long lines into the sites were not a bad wait!

The Hippodrome, built in the 4^th century was Constantinople’s pace for chariot races. It is next to the courtyard of the Blue Mosque, but has long been in ruins. In the Hippodrome, you now see the Egyptian Obelisk, Column of Constantine, Column of the Serpent, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum and the German Fountain.

Our second day was just was as exciting! We visited the Grand Bazaar, Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, New Mosque, Pet and Plant Market, and the Spice Market. The Grand Bazaar was the first shopping mall ever built. During the Byzantine times, it was the site of a bustling market and is now a commercial hub for everyone. You can wind your way through the Grand Bazaar in over 4,000 shops. Scarves, tiles, Burberry knockoffs, and jewelry dominate the stores.

I saved much of my shopping for gifts for the Grand Bazaar. The best part was getting to use my bargaining skills—thank you mamma for teaching me! In the Grand Bazaar, the Turks would take any currency- US dollars, Euros, and more. The New Turkish Lira is constant, but history of an unstable currency is reason for shopkeepers and businessmen to barter and exchange in other currencies. So, I usually paid with hard cash to get the best deals. I emerged with 4 scarves, 11 bracelets, and 4 necklaces. Next, we visited the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent. It was very tranquil.

There are no bright tiles like the Blue Mosque. Then, we made our way to the Pet and Plant Market, next to the Spice Market. It had everything you’d want to buy… and more. This market sold dog collars, cat food, tulips bulbs, ducks, turtles, and anything else you can think of that fits in the pet and plat category. I was definitely surprised by the leeches that were in a big plastic container!

It was very different and exciting to see! Inside the bustling Spice Market, you could find spice shops, natural sponges, beans, dried vegetables, dried fruits, sweets, and Turkish delights!

I bought some pomegranate tea for my sister. The Spice Market was overwhelming with the number of people crowded in the small alleyways. We were fast to get out! All of the shopping had worn me out!

The next day was easy breezy with a day cruise along the Bosporus Strait into Asia! Cruising the Bosporus allowed us to see the massive size of Istanbul and was a convenient way of seeing some of its best landmarks. The 19-mile Bosporus Strait connects to the Black Sea. Along the way, we viewed the Dolmabahce Palace complex, Ortakoy Mosque, the Esma Sultan Yalisi mansion, Bosporus Bridge, and Rumeli Fortress, just to name a few!

We had a spectacular day of great weather and tried to keep as warm as we could during the cruise!

It was nice that they sold Turkish coffee, tea, and yogurt! We docked at the Asian fishing village of Anadolu Kavagi.

There, we ate fresh mackerel sandwiches and climbed up to the Yoros Castle to view the Black Sea.

You can’t ask for a better day!

Wednesday’s visit the Topkapi Palace, Harem, Istanbul Archeological Museum and Gulhane Park was… out of the ordinary! The Harem of the Topkapi Palace is the residence of the wives, "favorites," and concubines of the sultan.

The tile work, mostly Iznik, was impressive! The gorgeous mother of pearl, ivory, and tortoise shell inlaid cabinets and doors also stunned me.

We saw them later in the Islamic and Turkish Arts Museum. The Topkapi Palace was impressive, especially the 86-carat diamond exhibited in the Treasury. But, it was hard to take some of the Holy relics seriously, since there were beard hairs of the prophet exhibited. The Palace was also extremely crowded, so we grabbed a doner (one of many we ate) for lunch and went to the Archeological museum. I tried to entertain myself at the Archeological Museum. Broken statues that are pieced together are not really “my thing,” so I stood behind the statues to give them a head, an arm or two arms, and other body parts.

I hate to admit that I was a little bored and even took a catnap during a video played in the movie room. Gulhane Park was more exciting with the thousands of tulips that lined the walkway.

I loved every minute!

The Chora Church Museum on Thursday was hands-down one of the most incredible places on the trip. It was worth riding the crowded public bus out there!

The museum is underrated and modest in size. It has some of the best Byzantine mosaics preserved from the 14^th century. This church was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman times and the mosaics were covered with plaster. Today, you can still see the biblical mosaics, depicting St. Peter holding the keys to heaven, the ancestors of Mary, the genealogy of Christ, the multiplication of loaves, and more.

There are more than 40 biblical scenes depicted in the narthex and nave. I was so impressed by the works! We also incorporated the old city walls into our tour that day and climbed the walls to overlook the city.

Afterwards, we visited the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum. We saw many carpets, Islamic calligraphy, and pieces inlaid with pearl, ivory, and tortoise shell.

After admiring all the beautiful tile work in the mosques, museums, and Topkapi Palace, I splurged and bought two Iznik tiles, one for myself and one for my sister. The 85% quartz Iznik tiles have been made the same way, since the 13^th century.

The tiles are hand painted and triple glazed. It takes about 70 days for a master to complete one tile. I bought my titles at the same store where Oprah and Bill Clinton bought their pieces. I still bargained!

On our last day, we visited the New District of Istanbul, including Istiklal Street and the Military Museum. We made our way from the Sirkeci Train Station that was part of the Orient Express, over the Galata Bridge, and up to the Galata Tower. The fishermen dotting the Galatta Bridge catch mostly mackerel or anchovies.

The sandwiches with mackerel are so good! The walk along Istiklal Street reminded me of Europe. The street buildings have an art nouveau flare and exhibit more western items, including the only NBA store located outside the United States.

There were even Catholic and Protestant churches off the street that held services in English. With a population that is over 98% Muslim, the New District is the place where Western-oriented minorities settled. The Military museum was more than I expected—it was much bigger. I’m also not that interested in Military Museums, so I took another nap. It was a nice break! Our last meal in Istanbul was wonderful- we dined a nicer restaurant (thankfully not another doner stand), the Medusa. The dessert was my favorite- dried sweet apricot stuffed with heltiva, sweet figs stuffed with walnuts, raspberry sauce, and Turkish ice-cream. Dessert was accompanied by apple tea, a Turkish favorite!

Fattening ourselves and lying on the plush cushion pillows, I reminisced about our Istanbul experience. It was truly an amazing opportunity to visit! Istanbul is an intriguing place of the future that has much to offer.