Ich bin nach Wien gereist! (Part One)

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for this post

(btw, I just googled the meaning of "baited breath"

because, seriously, what a silly idiom!

"with great anticipation," fyi,

which is totally how you've been feeling.

I know it.)

But first,

as a side note,

I'm a guest blogger today

over at Chronicles of Neely

Go see!

I'll try to keep the writing brief,

and let the pictures do the talking.

But seriously,

as I've said a bazillion times at this point,

Vienna was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

So, not saying a lot would be difficult :)

Hence the "Part One"

So, the day started when my alarm went off at 4:45AM.

Yes, you read that right.

4:45 A.M.

I took the earliest train into Vienna - 6AM.

I was petrified of the train, mind you.

Walking around trying to figure out which car I belonged in

(they give you a 'class' but not a seat,

but some people reserve a seat,

so sometimes you have to move when

someone comes up and wants their seat!)

But I got on, and had a window seat (yay)

Slept some on the train.

(I was exhausted)

Got woken up to have my ticket be punched.

And then to marvel at all the snow

passing by outside my window,

while the sun was rising over the Hungarian countryside.

So, 2.5 hours later I arrived in Vienna.

Stepped off the train.

Froze.

(it was very, very cold)

And then made my way to the metro

and then to the center of the city:

Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Church)

and took a lot of pictures

(of gargoyles with frozen mouths, the church, and the horse drawn carriages around the place)

Then I decided to make my way down

Graben Strass

Looked at some pretty statues

some really expensive stores

(that I didn't stop to shop in!)

and went to a second church, Peterskirche.

Which was also beautiful,

the architecture in Europe is amazing.

Then I found my way down to the

Hofburg Palace - which is huge,

and home to a lot of museums and collections.

But I wanted to go there to see if I could see a tour

of the stables of the Spanish Riding School

and see the Lipizzaner Stallions.

But I did SO MUCH BETTER!

I stumbled upon being able to get

a.ticket.to.their.performance.

IN! VIENNA!

I cannot even begin to explain to you

how freaking amazing that opportunity was.

(sorry, mom, I know you're still jealous...)

Stay tuned for more of my adventures

In Vienna :)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I can't believe this is day 14/14!

(of the 12 days of Blogging Christmas, that is)

Tomorrow,

since I'll have nothing to post about,

I'll post about Vienna.

It was amazing,

let.me.tell.you.

Amazing.

Here's a sneak-peek:

Yep, it was That.Cold.But, also,that amazing :)

Oprah's Favorite Things

...that I wish could be mine.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person in the world

that does't watch Oprah, and doesn't feel like I'm missing out.

So, yes, I had to go look up online,

what Ms. Oprah has decided we should all want this Christmas.

I've come up with two things,

that would be absolutely amazing:

Volkswagon 2011 Beetle

So, Oprah loves her Beetle,

and now every person in the audience

gets a new one when they come out?

Maybe I should start stalking watching this show...

Do i get to pick what color it is?

'Cause I want this one:

Nikon D3100

I love taking pictures.

I love my Nikon D80.

But he needs a little brother,

don't you think?

For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear

[credit]

It's still snowing in Budapest.

The sidewalks are still ridiculously slippery.

And it's getting colder still.

But - I bought my train ticket to Vienna!

I'll [hopefully] be on the 6AM train and will be there by 9AM!

I'm thinking I'll stay until 6PM and get back to Budapest by 9PM.

That's a nice long day, right?

I'm going to see a DaVinci exhibit and then wander around

eat some amazing food,

buy things at the Christmas Markets,

and enjoy hearing German instead of Hungarian for a day :)

I cannot wait.

Expect an overload of photos sometime soon :)

Day 11: New Years Resolution(s)

Did you know that a good percentage of New Years Resolutions

go unfulfilled after January? (Yeah, I know, most of you do,

'cause you're brilliant like that). But it's why:

- Gyms over-advertise in January

(interesting fact: in NH, gyms have to offer

a month-by-month membership,

so they can't trick you into it in January)

- diet books get put up front in bookstores

- many, many other such things

[credit]

That being said,

New Years resolutions are hard!

Not because I lack commitment,

but, rather, life changes a lot in a year.

How am I to make a decision,

and "force" myself to keep it for

365 days?

Pfft, we're a crazy bunch!

So, my New Years Resolution

is to finish the

100 Pushups Program,

my thesis (on time),

and write more handwritten letters & cards to friends and family.

Those are do-able, right?

I sure hope so...

Happiest Girl In The World (no, really)

Normally I frown on posting twice in one day

(hello grad school guilty conscious)

But I am SO excited,

and simply cannot bear to not share!

I have travel plans!

for my last two weeks of Europe '10!

(Europe '11 will hopefully be full too!)

So, this is what I will be doing:

4 December 2010

Vienna, Austria

- Christmas Markets

- Christmas Lights

- Other assorted awesomeness

9-12 December 2010

ROMA, ITALIA

what you probably don't know is:

Rome is my favorite place in the world

hands. down.

I lived there Summer '06

and have been dying to get back ever since.

And, thanks to the parentals,

(as part of my Christmas present,

yes, it should have been on my list yesterday)

I get to see CHRISTMAS IN ROME

or, well, pre-Christmas!

But still,

you will find me:

- eating (pizza, pasta, gelatto, etc)

- Christmas Markets

- eating (pizza, pasta, gelatto, etc)

- Vatican/St. Peters

- Colosseum

- Other historical stuff

- eating (pizza, pasta, gelatto, etc)

I am SO SO SO Excited

really, I've been dancing around my room

and smiling like an idiot for a few hours now.

EEEEE!

(thanks again mom & dad!)

(all images from Google Image Search: Google, you rock!)