back from wien!

So I'm back from Wien and on my laptop, so I have much better internet and a normal keyboard! Wien was a lot of fun. Today we went to the St. Stephens church and toured the catacombs, which was really crazy, there were bones from people from the bubonic plague, at the time the people in the city were so scared they just dropped bodies down a huge pit under the city. They also still bury high ranking priests down there and there are different urns with actual human organs from different famous royalty, sealed in alcohol..it was very interesting. We also walked up the South Tower of the church and it had something like 363 steps, which doesn't sound like much but it's very narrow, winding and steep!! It was a pretty good view from the top though. At the end they were having mass so it was cool to think they are still using this beautiful and very gothic/creepy looking church today.

Otherwise in Wien we visited the Hofburg and Schoenbrunn Palaces. I have been to the Schoenbrunn before and it's just as beautiful as last time! The Hofburg was nice too. It's always amazing to imagine people living in such immaculate places.

I have also had a chance to try some traditional Austrian food. Basically Austrian food all seems to be rich, meaty, and salty. I got Kaesespitze which is like a very heavy cheese gnocchi with bacon in it..I ate a lot of it and then didn't have dinner because I was so full! We had "torte" or cake as well, which Vienna is famous for. And I also had Huhneschnitzel which is basically breaded chicken, I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Wienerschnitzel which is the same thing with pork, but it's a very traditional Austrian meal. It's also considered weird here if you don't get beer with a meal. It's such a big part of their culture here. I got a soda instead of beer at the restaurant we went to for lunch yesterday, and the waiter literally thought it was weird.

The trains here are also super convenient, and really scenic. Coming back from Vienna we had a really pretty view of the Austrian countryside. The people in Salzburg I have found are much friendlier than the ones in Vienna. Vienna is pretty but it made me appreciate Salzburg, because it's smaller and more manageable city! I still don't know where I'm going but soon I think I'll know it very well!

Anyway, it has been a lot of fun but I'm glad we're headed to our actual Studentheim tomorrow so I can stop living out of a suitcase and actually settle into my dorm! All of the girls are planning a trip to Ikea to get a comforter, hair straightener, and other little room necessities. Tonight I think we're going to Internationales Kollege, another dorm here, to visit Jack and TC, the other two people in our group for the New England program.

Well, I'm going to go get ready to hang out with some friends, but I miss everyone! Check for updates soon!