Never Ending

I made it back from Rome, safe and sound ALMOST without any glitches. My luggage was lost for 2 days and I'm sick. I finally got my luggage back today just to find out that my rain coat was taken out of my bag. Not a HUGE fan of the airport in Rome at the moment. 

The weather was beautiful, on the last day I was walking around in a tank top and sunglasses. It was so nice to have my sunshine back, my face even got a little tanner!

As of now pictures are being sorted and stories being written down and then I will get right on updating you all about the trip!

Img_0626

Img_0572

Something's Fishy about Rome

So Hannes and I have arrived safely in Rome! We went to dinner at a cute little Lokal called Il Cuore Napoli.

We had a delicious appetizer of smoked mozarella and ham and wait for it.... WAIT FOR IT....

I, Sarah Elizabeth Liebig on March 17, 2012 in Rome, Italy ordered something that will amaze my family...

 

Pasta...with...shrimp, prawn AND crab meat. Oh and I ate it all. I EVEN ate a bite of Hannes' swordfish. Yeah...this is going down in the books. 

 

It's bedtime for now though and tomorrow we're off to live like the Roman's do, except I have to say I told Hannes he couldn't wear is toga....

 

Bis Bald!

Reunited with the Sea

After 7 long months it finally happened..I was reunited with a big body of salty water. Sadly, it was too cold to go in, but the views were just enough to satisfy my need for the next few months before I can get myself in some beachy sunshine. 

Helllllllooooo Croatia!

Brendan, Katie and I split our week in Croatia into two parts: 

Zagreb (the country's capital) and Rijeka a city which lays on the Adriatic Sea about 4 hours west of Zagreb. Both were absolutely beautiful but I do have to say our one full day in Rijeka couldn't have been better. The day consisted of waking up early walking to the beach and lounging for awhile before walking up about a MILLION stairs to a castle. There we talked and talked while looking out over the cities, mountains and the water, of course. Then we ate lunch outside at a cafe at the top of the hill which was served to us in PERECT portion size. We descended the stairs and hopped on the bus to a tourist town Opatija which is called the Monte Carlo of Croatia. We explored the harbor, walked through a park and had coffee and cake while watching the sun go down. We got back to our room, watched the Simpsons and went out to a Belgian pub recommended by the owner of our accomodations. It was pretty yummy. The trip wouldn't have been complete without meeting a random group of people, so we did just that. While Brendan was in the bathroom a group of drunken sailors 2 from England and 1 from Texas offered to buy Katie and I beers. We politely declined but were quite entertained by them. "Andy" sang and danced "Windy City" around the pub and tried to convince us that Reno was in California. We slyly escaped giggling before making our way back to the water for a quick last look before bed. Perfect. 

 

(download)
Zagreb

(download)
The train ride to the coast

(download)
The beach in Rijeka

 

 

A Flash of Winter Weather

We actually got some snow for a few days and I took advantage of it and went sledding for the first time ever!

(download)
My snow boots actually came in handy this day. I've only been able to wear them about three times. Being the little California girl, the woman at the shoe store definitely worked her magic and somehow got me to buy shoes wtih spikes on the bottom so that I would have traction on the ice. In hindsight it was absolutely ridiculous it doesn't snow that much here, ever. Little did I know those little spikes would actually come in handy when I wents sledding! While we were climbing up the hill and everyone was slipping and sliding in their amateur boots, I was paving the way nice and secure. It was great. 

Before sledding, we needed a good breakfast, American pancakes anyone? We even had maple syrup.

(download)

After a long day of sledding, it was time to turn in and play some video games while hanging out with Hannes' cat, Pezzi. 

Imag0102

 

A few days later the sun was out and shining melting all of the snow away. Good thing we went when we did! 

Feverishly Taking on Berlin

Back in January we went on a trip to Berlin for four days! I had, an interesting time to say the least. I was sick, of course and for 2 of the days I had a fever. I spent the 7 hour train ride sweating miserably in my cabin unable to sleep. I took Ibuprofen but the fever was relentless. When we got on the metro to go to the hotel I could barely stand let alone carry my bag up and down the stairs, nevertheless I was a trooper. I got to the hotel changed my clothes, drank some water and joined the group for the afternoon and evening activities. We went to the headquarters of the Nazi party resistance movement and took a tour, in German. I don't remember much of the tour since I was trying to focus on not falling over in the middle of the exhibit, all I wanted to do was fall asleep.

For dinner we found the Berlin Burrito Factory and got our much needed fix in 6 months. They were delicious, black beans, rice, hot sauce and all. We got back to the hotel and had pillow talk time with Kaila before passing out with the hope that my fever would break over night. It didn't. I woke up in the morning feeling better but still sick. We went on a walking tour of the city in the drizzly, cold weather. We got to go to the Reichstag (Parliament) and watch the members work and discuss the topic of minimum wage. It was around 12:30 and the fever was back. Awesome. I spent the next few hours completely uncomfortable, hot then cold and sweating either way. This is NOT how I wanted to spend my Berlin trip. We went to the Holocaust Memorial in the city which was incredible, I have some pictures that I will post. After we went to the Bundeskanzleramt for a tour of the chancellory. 

That night I was finally feeling better and went out for Thai food with Kaila, Rachel, Katie, Kat and Tricia. We had four hours of great conversation and wonderful bonding time. It was exactly what we all needed. 

On Saturday we went to the Schoenhauser Prison where they held "enemies of the State" in east Germany during the GDR. It was insane. It was very similar to the House of Terror in Budapest that I had seen with Raymmah and Vishnu but many of the the rooms were still intact. We saw the tourture and isolation rooms, the interrogation rooms and were able to bring it close to home when our tour guide who was about 26 told us that his mother was a prisoner in isolation while he was alive. We as young American students are able to easily distance ourselves from Germany's history as if it could not have affected us personally. Listening to his anecdote we were reminded that it could've been our mother, aunt, father, cousin that was in this facility or blacklisted by the government forced to flee the country. 

I had a similar feeling at the prison that I had when I was in Nuremberg back in August. It was suddently real, not just a story in our history textbooks from the distant past.

Walking through the city you can see the scars of both the war and the separation of East and West Berlin preserved by an engraved line in the ground representing where the wall stood just over 22 years ago. The presence of the wall and feelings toward the Berliners of the otherside still linger and from what I've learned and experienced this will be so for many years to come. In my Landeskunde class we learned that the number of "mixed marriages" in Berlin is incredibly low. When the term "mixed marriage" isused it refers to East and West Berliners. Twenty-two years later and the mixture of those people from the same country, from the same CITY living a mere 2 moinutes by foot away choose not to interact with one another or "mix" their genes with one another. 

We ended our Berlin touring with a trip to the Jewish museum. I appreciated this because it wasn't entirely focused on the Holocaust aspect but rather Jewish German history as a whole. The museum was beautiful and much of our tour was focused on the architecture of the museum and why things were the way they were. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time to go through the actual exhibit and for that reason I would love to return and get a little lost looking at the artifacts and reading the personal accounts. 

That night a group of us went out to a bar and further bonded our friendships that we hope to keep for the rest of our lives. The people in my program are incredible and I truly am blessed to have met a great number of them. It's hard to feel homesick and alone because we've formed such a support system and care so much for one another like we've known each other for years. 

Sunday morning we had another 7 hour train ride home. Everyone was tired but the ride was still filled with laughter and friendly conversation and remembering all of the funny stories from the past few days. 

Even though I was sick for half the trip (my fever returned Monday and again Wednesday) it was a great trip and I had a really good time. It was just enough introduction to the city to get an idea and feel familiar with many of the famous historical spots so that the next time I can really enjoy the present state of the city.

(download)

 

Busy Bee

Who knew that having time off of school would mean I would be so busy? My days have consisted of planning trips, forest walks, kitty snuggling and most important MOVING! 

I finally left my WG in the French Quarter in Tuebingen. It just became too unbearable. I knew I made the right decision when I came home last week to find out one of my roommates had used the bottom end of my razor to clean HER hair out of the shower drain. Gross, no thank you. So, I silently packed my things, cleaned my room and moved to Hartmeyerstrasse on the other side of the city. I now live on the 6th floor and have a nice little view from my kitchen balcony. I live with 15 other people, which should be interesting, but the kitchen was cleaner than my old one and we have 4 showers and 6 toilets all of which were cleaner than my prior bathroom. Not bad. I met the Hausmeister who reminded me a lot of my Uncle Gary and I immediately felt welcome and that I had made the correct decision. Yay me! 

I'm so behind with posting pictures and they're just sitting on my computer waiting to be seen by all of you. The weather here is amazing, it's sunny but still a little nippy outside, I love it. It's been about 13 degrees Celcius the past few days and is supposed to get up to 18 next week. We had a pretty short winter, but it was one of the coldest in the past few years, and I survived without tears or frostbite.

I leave for Croatia Monday morning with my friends Katie and Brendan. We're flying into Zagreb then taking the train Tuesday to Rijeka on the coast for two days before we return to the city on Thursday and fly home on Friday. I've become quite excited, and the three of us are really missing the Ocean so getting a few days on the Adriatic Sea is going to be perfect, even if it is a little cold and rainy. 

After about a week at home I'm off to Rome for 6 days! Oh I'm so excited to see that wonderful city but I'm trying not to think about it yet because otherwise I might spend all of my time planning every little thing. One thing I have become since moving to Germany is a little more spontaneous, I know, it's crazy right? 

Now I'm going to work on uploading some pictures for all of you and then I think this beautiful southern Germany day calls for a hike or a bike ride! 

Everyone needs a smile in the Morning :]

Happy 1st of March!

Let's go to Budapest!

Vienna just wasn't our thing, so Wednesday night at about 10:45 PM we decided to take a bus to Budapest. The bus was 19 Euros each way and only 3 hours to our Easter European adventure. Yes please! We booked our hostel and went to bed, excitedly awaiting our next destination. 

We missed the first bus but it wasn't really a big deal, so we wandered around Vienna until 11:30 for the next one. Perfect. 

We got of the bus, realizing they don't use Euros in Budapest...oops. So we had to deal with the absolute ridiculous exchange rate at the train station. We had directions to the hostel and skeptically wandered our way through the station trying to figure out where we were considering we don't know Hungarian. We find the ticket counter, thankfully the man spoke English and showed us where to go. After two security checks we were able to find our hostel, in the rain. We stayed at Astoria City Hostel, a little strange but it turned out to be the best place we could've asked for! We checked in, made ourselves comfortable and set out to explore the city. 

Leave it to us to find the Mexican restaurant. Of course we HAD to eat there, and to both of our surpise it was delicious (and if the Raymmah who was borin in Tijuana said it was good...then it was good!). Forint's are quite complicated to figure out considering 1 Euro is about 320 Forint, so when your bill is 17000 Forint you may experience a small heartattack!

(download)

We ventured back to the hostel and met one of our dorm mates, from the the US! Her name is Anne Marie and she is from Chicago. The three of us wandered around Budapest at night, scarves and cameras in hand. 

 

 

The next morning, Raymmah and I just wanted to explore Budapest and make our own tour. We had to eat breakfast of course. As we were sitting at the kitchen table in our hostel we started talking to one of the guys, after quite a bit of back and forth we found out he was from Horb! Not just Horb though, Bildechingen...the little village that Kaila, Raymmah and Anne lived in. What a small world, most of Germany hasn't even heard of little old Horb. We continued talking and started a conversation with someone else at the table, Vishnu. He was from Davis, California and had just graduated from UCSD! Too weird. 

Vishnu joined Raymmah and I on our Budapest escapades. We went to the Market Hall and got lost in all the vendors. Then we went to the "House of Terror" which was a museum dedicated to the victims of the two terrorist regimes that ruled Hungary in the 20th Century. The museum is located in the original headquarters of the Regimes and some of the rooms contains the actual furniture and papework from that time. With primary source videos, one is really able to connect with the survivors of this regime. In the basement, you are able to see the torture chambers and prison cells that were in use during the dictatorships, it was incredibly difficult to walk through. I found myself quite a few times just standing and staring at various parts of the exhibit really trying to take it all in. At the end of the exhibit they had a display of victims, their names, pictures and when they were killed. I felt that was very honorary and appropriate. As you exit the exhibit you walk through one more display, that is of the victimizers. This to me was incredibly shocking. They had pictures, names, birth and death dates of all the people who took part in these terrorist acts and worked within the regimes. What struck me was that the majority of these people are still alive. These regimes were very recent and the museum just opened in 2002, and here are all of their names and pictures. This museum was probably one of the best put together exhibits I have ever seen. I highly recommend going if you are ever in Budapest. 

After that humbling experience we got lost a bit before finding a lovely Hungarian restaurant called Menza. The atmosphere was good and a great pick up after the museum. I had some paprika chicken and spaetzle, Raymmah the gulash and Vishnu something with a rabbit. We tried each other's dishes and I personally think mine was the best, but I'm a little biased. At the table next to us, we met a guy from  New Zealand who lives in Vienna and plays and instrument (I think the cello) in an orchestra and his friend from Argentina. Again with the small world. 

After lunch we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags before our  bus ride back to Vienna. After finally getting back at about 10PM it was time to go to the airport. Raymmah and I spend the night in the airport before our flight the next morning at 9 am. It is not something I would recommend. 

I had a wonderful week in Vienna and Budapest, it was just what I needed to get motivated for the last few weeks of school, but I was ready to be at home. 

(download)

 

Keeping it Classy: Blind Booking Vienna Part 2

A continuation of my Vienna trip with Raymmah....

(download)

(download)

An hour of searching, 6 hotels, and 13 Euros later we had...

The BEST Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna

(download)

Perfect way to compliment the perfect day..."Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor" (Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor") at the Wien Volksoper.

(download)

Left over schnitzel in our room.

 

Img_0275

Just letting our Schwäbisch side show...bread and wurst for breakfast. 

(download)
Img_0287
Img_0288
I heard Vienna had the best coffee...I was so excited!

This was about my 3rd try at finding this coffee...half a cup, with water in it, 3 Euros: the ABSOLUTE worst cup of coffee I've ever had. 

 

See ya later Vienna...we're off to Budapest. 

Creativity or Desperation?

For those who  know me, you should all know about my need for coffee in the morning. I can do without it, but it takes me extra long to warm up to people. This semester I haven't been drinking coffee in the morning because I don't have a coffee machine. Well, one girl in my apartment does, but I don't think I'm allowed to use it, and it doesn't look like it's EVER been cleaned, and it doesn't look that new. So, I'm a little afraid of it.

 

Today I woke up early to clean the kitchen and do my laundry since I'm leaving for the weekend. I had a pounding headache and from past experiences I know the only thing that will make me feel better is a cup of coffee, but I can't use the coffee machine. 

I stood in front of my cupboard just staring, trying to figure out how I was going to make my coffee... 

I turned the water heater on and continued to stare. I then proceeded to take out my coffee filters and my coffee...and I put the ground beans in the filter and decided the only way I was going to get my fix was to make it like tea. So i let my recycled paper filter soak in the hot water in my Ritter Sport travel mug. It soaked for a good 20 minutes, while I cleaned the kitchen. I finally got tired of waiting and removed the filter and began to sip on my very weak, hot cup of coffee. 

And what do you know, it did the trick. Perfect compliment to my tomato-egg scramble with salsa and toast :] 

Oh and for the record...I think I might just go buy a coffee maker, I don't think I could drink that regularly...

 

Happy Saturday!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE as a bird

The past couple of, well months, I've kind of fallen off the earth. There's been a lot happening and I wish I could just think my blog posts and they would update themselves because it's so hard to just sit down and write about everything. First, I have more pictures of Vienna and of my trip to Budapest with Raymmah. I also have just a few pictures of Berlin from when I went with my program, but first I will revel in my freedom.

As of yesterday at 8:45 pm I officially completed my first semester abroad. I can't believe I've been here for half of a year already, AHH it's Februrary! The past few weeks was busy with papers and projects, not so much studying but the stress was there anyone. Just the word "final" makes a college student cringe. Then you throw the fact in that they are in another language and all reasoning instantly vanishes.

My celebration last night consisted of lounging on Kaila's couch glass of white wine in hand catching up on the past month of our lives. It was so strange not seeing her for so long but, finals does that to people. My first day of freedom, I wanted to be productive, but it didn't happen. I woke up at 7:30 and Skyped Allie for almost 3 hours, took a shower, when to electrotherapy for my neck and back, then spent most of the day in the office talking to Jan. Since I've been home I did some laundry cooked a delicious dinner and failed at cleaning my room, what else is new? Now, I am sitting on my bed, listening to the new Ingrid Michaelson album, Human Again (amazing... I definitely recommend it!), and trying to remember all of the stories I wanted to tell you all at one point! 

There has been something tugging at me the past few days. I went to the gym on Tuesday to release some of the finals frustration. As I was on the elliptical reading "Eat Pray Love" (because I am a 21 year old going through a mid-life crisis while studying abroad), I turned my head to the right and saw a man doing the strangest thing, painting. This man was painting the wall, in the gym and i was about 7 feet away from him. So I look around to assess the situation and realize two things; one, there is absolutely NO window open and two, not one person is phased by this. WHY WOULD YOU PAINT A GYM DURING OPERATING HOURS AND KEEP THE WINDOWS CLOSED? I understand that it was -13 C outside and snowing, but they could've put up a sign or something saying "DEAR MEMBERS THERE WILL BE TOXIC FUMES INSIDE, WE ARE REPAINTING THE CARDIO AREA". So after a quick 30 minutes, trying not to inhale very much in order to only inhale the smallest amount of pain fumes, I left. Then, yesterday, the gym situation grew even more bothersome! I go to my elliptical and notice that all of the cardio machines are now on a plywood platform. Odd. I see Painter Paul and notice that he has some friends, about 6. It took me a few minutes to come to a conclusion as to what these young men with gauged ears and tattooed arms were doing, but not to worry it all came together with the sound of a small electric saw. They were putting in hardwood floor, on the platform, directly in front of my elliptical. We all know how resourceful Germans can be, and these workers just reinforced that knowledge, they didn't use a hammer, instead a piece of wood with the equivalent of "hammer wood" engraved on it. Clever. About every 20 seconds they were "hammering" the pieces of flooring together. Once again, no sign and the window was still CLOSED!

This is something I've yet to encounter in my lifetime, I'm used to some sort of disclaimer, but when I told Hannes and Jan about it they looked at me like it was the most normal thing ever. I'm sorry, but no. Just, no. 

 

On a happy note, it has FINALLY starting snowing and the Neckar is completely frozen! AHHH! One of the Hospitantins for my speaking course said she though it's been 30 years since that happened. Apparently winter didn't get the memo to come in November. It's actually quite nice though since I have no definite reason to go outside since I don't have class for 2 months! I like watching it from the inside, all I need now is some hot cocoa and a cat. Also, on Sunday I'm going sledding in the Alps! AHH I'm so excited! 

I will post the pictures soon, and hopefully take some over the next few days! I will also keep you all updated on the renovations of the gym, so strange. For now, it's time to spend some time on Food Gawker! and get some sleep :]

Also, you should all check out this video! Some girls made it for our cultural communications project...thanks Anne, Amy and Kelsi! Shit American Students Say While Studying Abroad In Germany

 

Hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Goooooood Night!