The Grand Finale

I am now currently back in the USA! So since I failed towards the end of the trip to update this blog due to terrible Wifi and a super busy schedule I'm going to do a final recap on Budapest, Vienna, and London! 

BUDAPEST

Our free weekend during the two weeks we had in Vienna we went to Budapest, Hungary!  After being home and considering the trip as a whole this is definitely a top contender for my favorite place we went.  It was just incredible and so much fun!  I had my first experience of staying in a Hostel, which actually turned out to be a really nice hostel so if you ever go to Budapest, stay in Wombats Hostel! 

This is the group of troopers that took on Budapest with me!

The bridge linking Buda and Pest together! 

 The beautiful Parliament building                                   On the bridge

Heroes Square

 

 The giant escalator to the Budapest underground

 The worlds best Doner Wrap!

Budapest all lite up at night, sorry my camera doesn't do night pics very well

 

FINAL WEEK IN VIENNA

 

For our final week in Vienna we had quite a lot to do including school work as well as getting in our final sight seeing in Vienna.  So as we all scrambled to get the paper done and study for our final exam we hit up some great sights.  The first major thing that I did this week was head to the Vienna Museum of Military History.  This was quite possibly one of the coolest museums I have ever been into and could have spent all day inside, but unfortunately they had to kick us out when they were closing.  This museum was very close to the very famous Belvedere museum so we headed there next to check it out.  Unfortunately this museum was also closed, but just seeing the outside of the museum was enough because it was so beautiful and huge.  (This is the museum which is home to many of Gustav Klimt's art pieces including the famous "The Kiss" painting).  Another major activity in Vienna we did this week was to go to the Schonbrunn Gardens.  Although we had already been to the Schonbrunn zoo ,we had not ventured any further so this day we went further to see all of the gardens and climb the hill to see the beautiful view of the gardens, the Schonbrunn palace and the rest of the city.  It was such a lovely afternoon.  That evening we attended an international food festival which was one of the coolest things I have done the entire time on this trip.  It was set up with at least twenty different food stands with food from all over the world including American, Japanese, Australian, Mexican and so many more.  It was like food heaven!  We then were able to enjoy our meal while celebrating Christmas in July with a screening of the Nutcracker performed by a Viennese ballet group.  So overall this was a very random night but definitely an awesome experience.  The rest of the week we just did some last minute souvenir shopping and hanging around Stephensplatz and stuff just soaking in the Viennese culture.  Our final bang as a class group was going to a vineyard in the Vienna countryside to enjoy an awesome traditional meal and each others company.  It was a perfect way to end the study abroad experience. 

 Belvedere

 

 

International Food Festival

Shelby, Me, Kimberly at the international food festival

Most of the girls in the Vineyard

Chilling in the Museum Quartier

Catherine, Me, Kimberly at the Schonbrunn Gardens

LONDON

 

Now that class was over it was time for Shelby and I to head to London to visit our friend Sarah Ellen who was studying abroad there.  I could not wait!!! After a very long and tiring traveling day we arrived in London and got all moved into our hostel!  The next day we had a day trip to go to Stone Henge. Oxford and Windsor Castle.  Our first stop was Stone Henge which was a place that I thought I would never in my life see making it a surreal experience.   Stone Henge was literally located in the middle of no where in the middle of a field surrounded by sheep, but was one of the coolest sights I have ever seen, because of the mystery and wonder surrounding the history of this place.  Unfortunately because we were with a tour group for the day we had to leave Stone Henge fairly quickly to be able to make it to our other stops for the day.  The next stop was Windsor Castle.  Upon arriving at the Castle our tour guides first thing he pointed out was the flag at the top which indicated that the Queen was actually in the castle while we were touring! AWESOME!  The castle was gorgeous on the inside definitely meeting my expectations for royalty!  After this we headed to Oxford to see the school.  Although the area around Oxford was absolutely packed it was really neat to be able to say that I have seen Oxford.  Once our tour group dropped us back off we decided to finish the day off with seeing a few more sights.  We hit up Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, and Covent Gardens.  Needless to say we were pooped after this so we decided it was time for bed.  The next day was another busy one so we started with going to Buckingham Palace.  Outside the Palace many of the news stations from all over the world were setting up to prepare for the Birth of the Royal Baby!  This was pretty cool to get to witness.  That afternoon we spent shopping in Harrods and Topshop which were both stores I had been dreaming about getting to go inside and shop in.  That evening we went on a Jack the Ripper tour which was very interesting.  Our tour guide was very into it which made it pretty awesome!  While we were on this tour we found out that Kate had had her baby, so we decided to head to Buckingham to join in the festivities as soon as out tour was over.  After what seemed like forever on the Tube we made it to Buckingham and joined in on the madness.  The masses had joined around the fence all trying to get a glimpse at the official bulletin announcing the royal babies birth, so like all good tourists we joined right in.  Thankfully the police had it well organized and it didn't take us as long as I thought it would for us to get to the front and see it.  After that we just hung around the area soaking it all in and watched all of the news reporters going crazy.  The next day was our last full day so I got up early to go to the Tower of London.  After this was over we literally stumbled upon the 41 gun salute to Prince George.  WE rounded out the day by seeing the Shakespeare's Globe Theater, The London Bridge, The Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral.  Surprisingly we were able to do and see everything we wanted to in London in just the short 3 full days we were there. 

     

Outside of Windsor Castle

Stone Henge

Oxford

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben and the Eye

 Harrods

Buckingham Palace before the crowds

The official announcement of the birth of Prince George

Royal Baby Madness

Platform 9 3/4

Crown Jewels at the Tower of London

 London Bridge

  I would have to say this study abroad experience was one of the best things I have ever done in my life.  I could not thank my parents enough for allowing me to have this incredible opportunity.  I can definitely say I have made memories and friendships that will last a life time!  If you ever have the opportunity to study abroad do it, you will not regret it!  Thanks so much for reading my blog, you guys all rock!



Vienna

                   I am writing this blog after spending almost a week in the lovely Vienna.  This city is definitely more westernized than everywhere else we have been on this trip thus far, so it definitely feels much more homey.  On the other hand this city is much larger and harder for me to navigate than the others and throw in public transportation and my already nonexistent directional senses are completely gone.  I quickly learned my lesson when Catherine, Kimberly and I the first night in Vienna went out to go walking around without a map or anything.  We walked around for quite a while until we realized that we had no clue where we were or how to get back.  After about an hour of wandering aimlessly while trying to convince ourselves we knew where we were going we finally found our street!  Unfortunately the story does not end here.  We go up to a locked door with a similar arch way to the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and I put my key card up to the door at the same time that the door man form the inside buzzes us in.  At the time we did not know that my card was not what let us in.  Thinking we had just entered the academy from a different direction than we had originally we began to notice many younger teenagers roaming the hall.  After a good 15 min of wandering we realize we were not in the academy but that we were also locked in the building.  So embarrassingly enough we had to go up to the doorman and explain to him our situation, in which he was actually quite rude especially for being the one who buzzed us into the high school.  Eventually we got him to let us leave and turns out the DA was directly next door, rookie mistake. 

                The next day was an entire free day for us to spend in Vienna.  So we got up early and a huge group of us went to go out exploring downtown in Stephensplatz.   The architecture and churches of Vienna are breathtaking!  Once we got to the main square we were immediately able to see one of the most famous landmarks of Vienna, St. Stephens Church.   This is a massive Catholic Church that is one of the most intricately decorated buildings I have ever seen.  Later on in the week we were able to actually climb the staircase to the top of the church.  During this first visit to the church it was on a Sunday so we were able to watch a mass, although we could not understand the language, but we were able to enjoy the burning incense.  After this we got lunch and realized how spoiled we had been all throughout the Balkans with the prices of food.  So naturally as poor college kids we all pretty much got soup for our meals.  Then the wandering continued and we ended up on the backside of the national library with all the parks surrounding us.  At this point after walking around all day a few members of our group were tired so they headed back leaving Adam, Emerson, Farrell and I to continue on.  The first thing we wanted to do was try to see if we could go inside the library so we walked around to the front and our jaws literally dropped.  We had literally stumbled upon the Hoffburg grounds (not sure if this is the correct name for this area, but we’ll go with it).  The buildings were all massive and imperial looking it was incredible.  I can honestly say I have never seen a library that beautiful in my life before.  SO we decided to try to go in.  That’s when we discovered for pretty much everything in Vienna museums and libraries included you have to pay some serious euros to enter.  Not wanting to dish out that much money to see a library we went to the attached museums gift shop to ask to use the restroom.  They sent us up in an elevator to the bathroom and when we got out we were in the middle of the museum.  We at first couldn’t find the bathroom so we had to wander around for a bit to find it, and then we realized we couldn’t find the elevator again.  So we had to go through the museum to be able to find the exit.  Not a bad bathroom trip!  This museum was pretty awesome too it had an armory, a musical section and old archeology things.  Finally finding the exit we began the long walk back to the Diplomatic Academy to call it a day.  The next day class began again which lasted all morning but at least we had the afternoons free.  This week was pretty much consumed with trying to write our long paper that’s due next week, but we managed to still go out and tour a little bit.  The main things we did after class this week was a trip to the Schonbrunn grounds Tiergaten (also known as a zoo) and then to the Hundertwasser haus.  The Tiergaten is the oldest zoo in the world so that was pretty neat to get to do that, and I have to say I’m a sucker for cute animals and this zoo did not disappoint.  I mean they had orangutans playing with Legos, can’t beat that!  The Hundertwasser Haus was an apartment building that was designed by a Hundertwasser a famous abstract painter.  The apartment and the surrounding sidewalks were complete with bright colors and uneven grounds.  It was quite a spectacle to see.  And now currently a group of us are on route to Budapest for our long weekend!  So check back next week sometime for an update on my paper (hopefully) being done, how Budapest goes and the rest of our time in Vienna.  Wow I can’t believe this study abroad is almost over.

Also sorry there are no pictures for this blog, I’m currently in Budapest and don’t have my camera cord

Kosovo

Last week was spent entirely in Pristina, Kosovo which for us on this study abroad staying in a place for more than a few nights is a rare occurrence.  This week was a nice "breather" from the rest of the trip getting to relax more because there were less touristy things to do while in Pristina.  While we were jam packed with various briefings from different missions in Kosovo, most of my free time this week was spent enjoying long meals and coffee with other members of our group.  We also had two day trips this week with one to visit our TA's hometown in Macedonia and meet his family and the other to Mitrovica in northern  Kosovo.

Highlights of the Week:

Day trip to Tetovo, Macedonia

  After a longer than expected bus ride (due to some unpleasant border patrols) we made it up into the moutains of Tetovo to enjoy a feast at Sharri's Restaurant.  This restaurant had one of the most beautiful views looking out over the entire city.  It also had a garden in the back with chickens and peacocks adding to the view.  Not only was the view great from this place, but the food was by far the best meal I've ever had!  We're talking starting off with bread the length of an arm, roasted peppers with cheese, three types of salad, and cheese all just for the appetizer.  Then I got a mushroom sauce beeftek (aka a steak, but if you say steak here you get chicken, confusing I know) with vegetables.  Sorry Mom but this steak was the best steak I have ever eaten.  After clearly over stuffing ourselves we took a walk around the garden to look at the peacocks and chickens while they cleared our table for yes more food, dessert.  The dessert ended up being a sugar cookie soaked in sugar water, delicious!  So basically the moral of this story is if you are ever in Tetovot, Macedonia or really anywhere by there go to Sharri's you will not regret it!

Since Sharri's was in the mountains they gave us all blankets to keep warm



View from dinner at Sharris

Our TA Bessir's Highschool

 

First mosque I've ever been inside!

 

Now back to Pristina:

Old Empty Orthodox Church

Library

At the front entrance of the Library

Statue of Bill Clinton on Bill Clinton Blvd.

Dress store located next to Bill Clinton statue

NEWBORN sign built after Kosovo gained independence in 2008

4th of July Concert

4th of July Fireworks

 

Not sure if you can tell but from the previous pictures most of the people of Kosovo love Americans, so it was a great place to be able to celebrate the 4th of July!  We got to attend a concert with many Kosovar pop stars singing a mix of popular American and Kosovar songs, while constantly being told "Happy Birthday."  This concert was topped off with a fireworks display and the entire crowd cheering.  So although I wish I was home to celebrate Independence Day in the good old US of A I'd have to say Pristina, Kosovo was a phenomenal second best option!

Our second day trip was to Mitrovica, Kosovo.  This is the city in Kosovo with the most tension and possible conflict flare ups.  We had several meetings with International Organizations stationed here and unfortunately due to precautions were not allowed to go on the other side of the bridge.  In the picture above it shows the roadblock that was built to separate the northern and southern Kosovo.  While it does not seem that impressive seeing as though one can easily walk around or over the roadblock its symbolism carries the impressive nature. 

Yes, they love SpongeBob in Pristina too!

Just one of many uplifting graffiti's displayed throughout the city!

 

So if you're reading this it means you are more than likely keeping up with my blog, so firstly thank you and secondly stay tuned because a Vienna and Budapest post will be up in the near future!

MOSTAR

Once again it is my last night to enjoy in a city that I wish I could have stayed longer in.  Currently I am in Mostar, BiH and unfortunately this will not only be my last night in Mostar but also Bosnia Herzegovina.  As apprehensive as I was about coming to Mostar due to the ethnic tension and segregation that's visible in the city, it quickly turned to one of my personal favorite cities I have ever been to.  The beauty of the city is absolutely breathtaking.  The picture below is what I am currently staring out to while writing this blog from the porch of our hotel.  Definitely going to miss this!

While  here we literally were jam packed with briefings keeping us occupied for most of the two full days we were here.  And to be honest to more I learn about all of the issues going on in the Balkans the more confused and complicated the situation seems.  Many people have lost hope that anything can be done about the situation here, but there are still some with hope.  These people with hope are so refreshing to hear and help to re-install my faith that something can be done to make things better!  But, while not learning about International Organizations in Mostar we were able to venture out and explore the city.  The main attraction of the city is the Stari Most bridge which has been rebuilt since it was destroyed in the war during the 1990s.  We were lucky enough to get to witness a bridge diver jump off the bridge carrying on the tradition of bridge jumping.

Bridge Jumper

On both sides of this bridge there are many shops with scarves and copper trinkets similar to Sarajevo's Old Town.  With all these beautiful things being sold I spent most of my free time wondering these streets just window shopping.  The other main attraction we saw was the Gymnasium which the main school of Mostar is in.  This school is referred to as "2 schools 1 roof" in which the Croats and the Bosniacks both attend but are entirely separated.  This basically encompasses the entire current situation in Bosnia.  Surprisingly this building is also  home to the United World College promoting diversity, another glimmer of hope in this city. 

 

While Bosnia has been an absolutely enriching experience I am excited for a new country to spend the next week in!  Kosovo here we come!

 

Yikes! (all the dots are mines)

view from the Spanish Court of the Gymnasium

on the Stari Most bridge