I know it's going to be hard on Mom and Dad, so my thoughts are with them especially. I believe in my limited experience with death I've always dealt with it a bit differently than most, but it's a constant reminder of our own mortality. There's no way of knowing when your time will be, so it's important to get the most out of the smallest events every day and enjoy the clip you're allowed. Having Holly around form of helped me to appreciate that class of mentality, and she really did give a lot into all our lives. A dog can get so excited over the smallest things, and she turned otherwise mundane moments into events for all of us (coming back from school or work, going to Wawa to pick up a coffee, just walking down the street for 10 minutes, etc. etc.). It hasn't really hit me yet, but it always make of takes time for any form of end to actually hit home for me. It's a very simple yet beautiful quote from Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption that really sums it all up: "You either get busy livin', or get busy dyin'" Hols definitely enjoyed her time with the family.she was full of life right up until the end. I don't know what I'm going to do without her getting tired of me being gone and waking me up every day by 10 when I'm back home. I don't know if there's a "doggy heaven" out there, but I hope she's finally running free chasing down all the squirrels she wants somewhere. Miss you Bubby.
Well, before I got the awful news from back home, I had a great weekend with Petey in Vienna. It was such a stinking hassle to get there and back, but Vienna is an awesome city. Austria is one of the few places that I can definitively say I take descent from, so it was back to mah roots (just kidding, but while I get out like a sore thumb in Italy, I could definitely go for an Austrian. It's funny, Pete has blond hair so everyone there assumes he truly is Austrian). I believe before I get into Vienna, though, I should complete a bit about our new Italian friend here, Umberto. I met him and his roommates about 2 weeks ago (on the street at around 3 AM), but he ran into some trouble with the landlord of our apartment building, so we let him remain with us for a bit until he could get some money together and get a place to stay. I might get in a slight inconvenience for even writing that, but frankly I don't care.I'd do it all over again. He speaks a small English, but not much, so for about 4 or 5 hours each day, I'd be speaking but in Italian.I improved more in that time than I break in any one class I've had in Italian, and I learned a lot more relevant phrases and words (in the line I had here, before I dropped, we scarcely talked about art and history.not much going on there if you want to try to make a conversation in actual life). At first, I was a little apprehensive, but he turned out to be a big kid. The cultural differences were sometime hilarious (especially the differences in clothes), but at the end of the day he was still just a 21 year old kid but like the rest of us. Being around Umberto made me really see what a great experience this semester is.I would never have been so accepting of the differences in culture, even a month ago, but now that I'm here, I can find that my overall perspective is constantly growing. I ended up making a big ally in the end, too. He left here yesterday to go back to his hometown down South, and has really had a run of bad luck, but hopefully he can get an apartment back here in Bologna in a couple of weeks. Otherwise, I'll be relegated back to speaking Italian only when asking for directions or ordering food for the most part.
Anyway, back to the Vienna trip. My train left at about 11:45 on Thursday, and didn't get in until about 8:30 on Friday morning. The blue train was really cramped (6 people in a tiny compartment), but it was too kind of cool. The lady sitting across from me brought her dog, which may sound annoying at first, but I was fine with it just in case someone tried to get into our compartment while we were sleeping to get our stuff. I didn't get much sleep, just an hour here or there, but here's a word of advice. If you ever get a night train in Europe, when it gets really late crank up the Pink Floyd on your ipod.I curse every single one of their songs is secretly about WWII, and when you're in a house like Austria.I was creeped out, but in the 'Halloween is fun' kind of way. It was the perfect soundtrack for the trip. Anyway, I managed to get about 4, maybe 5 hours of sleep on the train, and before I knew it I was in Vienna.
Friday:I was messing around with my luggage, and Pete came out of nowhere at the syllabus and gave me a huge whack on the back. I knew now that we were almost to build a ridiculous weekend. It was great being in Vienna, because it was a mini-version of the culture shock that I experienced when I first got to Italy. I had just gotten comfortable in Italy, and there I was in a totally new place, with a very different culture than I had experienced. Like I said in my journal, there's something vaguely familiar about Vienna, and I would compare it to a much bigger Washington, DC. It's curious how your perspective changes. After being in Bologna, I felt like I was in a new city, but Pete wanted to show me all the "old buildings." Vienna has about 1.8 million people, almost a quarter of Austria's population, so they have a really large public transport system. I got a ticket for the weekend for 13 euros, and I could use any form of transportation to go anywhere in that window of time. It was weird being in a place where I didn't have any book on the language.Pete tried to teach me but I can't even remember how to say hello in German (I think it's just Italian overload or something). I will say this for Petey, though. For merely speaking German for the coupling of months that he's been in Austria, he is pretty darn near to being as good in German as I am at Italian, if not better. Pete had class until 12, so I just hung out about his apartment, which is really new and clean, basically the enemy of mine in Bologna. Also, his bed looks like something from the Mariott, but I got a prison cot and a blanket, go figure. I was starting to have doubts about whether I picked the right program or not. When he got back, we went low into the city and saw all the famous touristy things. As you know by now, my favorite thing to do in a new city is get the highest office and advance it. The first thing we did was go to Stephen's Dome, which is a really cool Gothic era church, and by law is the tallest point in the city (something they've actually honored for 600 years.take a lesson Philly). The symbol of Austria is built right into the roof, and it's got these huge spires. It was completely different than any Italian church I've seen, but it was probably my favorite building I've seen. I wasn't too terribly impressed by the famous Operahouse, however. I don't know what it was about it, but it but looked like a regular building to me. Pete told me that originally the Viennese didn't wish it either, and ridiculed the architect until he killed himself. I must be part Austrian. We toured the Hofburg palace, which was a disgusting display of riches. The Habsurgs were in part for a long time, but I'm honestly shocked that the people didn't revolt. They managed to build up their wealth by avoiding wars and excelling in diplomacy, so they must have been smooth talkers. The entire bottom tier of the museum was devoted to the gold and silver plates, platters, and silverware they used for their banquets. It was insane how much money they must have poured into that, but plainly they honestly believed that they were appointed by God to rule. We walked around the imperial apartments also. It's crazy there, because the President of Austria is located in the palace, so we were actually allowed inside the same structure as tourists. Austria is a neutral country right now, so I mean that kind of makes sense. After the Hofburg, we went to stick out the University of Wien (that's what Vienna calls itself: Wien.the jokes were too easily so I didn't yet make them all weekend). We likewise saw the parliament building, and the Rathaus (which is the hilariously-named city hall building). Rathaus reminds me of the main building at Georgetown, except bigger, if that can cause you an idea. Pete took me up to this palace called Belvedere, where you could get a big idea of the entire city. Belvedere was passing faithful to.you guessed it.a Viennese microbrewery. Happy hour started at 2 (don't worry Mom we went in at around 3:45). I had the greatest beer of my life.it was a liter of wheat beer (the mug was the size of my entire head almost), and since it was happy hour it but cost me 3 euros. I give the number of the brewery, but it was just insane. Austrians get their beer seriously. We went to another microbrewery after walking round the metropolis for a bit for another beer, and I got a half dunkel-half helles at this point called 1516, where they had VICTORY BEER on tap. Let me repeat that, Victory beer from Downingtown, PA. Here I am just trying to convince kids in Carlisle to drink Sly Fox, and I go across the world to get something made in my own hometown. Talk around a slap in the face. That night, we went out to a couple of Irish bars, which were really a nice break from the whole club scene here in Bologna.
Saturday:
I had been trying to get in contact with Uncle Dennis, who is working with the embassy in Vienna right now, all day on Friday, and he gave us his address, which Pete promptly accidentally deleted, and told us to see him at his house at 1 on Saturday for a BBQ. When we woke up, I think Uncle Dennis' phone was turned off, and we only half remembered his address, but I decided we should try to get there anyway since it would have been a sin for me to be in Vienna and not have seen him or Aunt Marlene. Anyway, we eventually found it (it's about 45 minutes from Pete's apartment), and Uncle Dennis and Aunt Marlene proceeded to withdraw us up with the best meal I've had since I got to Europe of steak, antipasti, and actual vegetables (I was honestly starting to think I was getting scurvey up to that point). UD made designed his own grill when he was living in El Salvador.I'm not going to go away details and stop his destiny to make millions off of it, but it involves making your own coals and getting a nice wood flavor in the meat. I was expecting to give in and say hello for about an hour and maybe make a dog or something, but we ended up staying for 5 hours listening to Uncle Dennis' stories and him telling me almost all the crimes my dad committed and got off with in college (just kidding). He did give us the classic line that he told PJ and my dad told me before I went to college.I'll probably tell my kid the same thing. "Remember one thing pal, there's nothing you could do, see, or even think about doing that I haven't already done. Always remember, I love only what you're up to." Great freaking line to scare the bejesus out of your offspring. I had a big time seeing the Nices, they really went above and beyond anything I expected, as you'll understand later. Petey and I went back with full stomachs. We went out that night to Dick Mack's again (Irish pub) and met up with Pete's German buddy that the coach set him up with. She was 25 years old, and we eventually met up with her 35 year old friend, but he had played football and turned out to be the man. We ended up at this order that was mixed between young kids going out and old divorcees, I call at least. I believe it was kind of like a cougar bar, except there were no cougars and all the old and new people were sticking together. It was really bizarre, but it was yet a fun night.
Sunday:
When we woke up, Pete really wanted to go out the Habsburg summer home, so that's what we did. It made the Hofburg palace seem like it was the size of my own house. Ridiculous. There was a huge arch that was about a 20 minute climb up a hill in the stake that was built solely for aesthetic purposes. Pete said its been called the Versailles of the East, and I consider him. There was likewise a zoo, and we saw this big Rhino just chillin. I could be wrong, but I think it was the first rhino I've ever seen, so there you go. We headed back toward his house, and went to this really cool coffee shop. It was one of my favorite places that I've been in Europe. It was old and smokey, and reminded me of the corner food joints you see in Philly and Delco. It was great. You can put a coffee and sit around for hours, and the coffee shops there kind of serving as the peoples' living rooms.definitely a great place for the transfer of ideas. We were both tired, so we did halt for about an hour and a half, and I updated my personal journal, looking like a true Wiener. If I lived in Vienna, I'd be in that exact coffee shop almost every single day. I really wanted to try a wienershnitzel and apple strudel before I left, so Pete and I splurged and went to one of the more famous restaurants in town. There were a ton of tourists, but like I always say.I don't care, I am one. For some reason, there was just a crazy amount of Italians in Vienna last weekend, even though Pete said that was the 1st time he's ever noticed any Italians. It was just to leave Bologna and yet be around my people. Anyway, the shnitzel was the shnitz, and I had literally the best potato salad I've ever tasted in my life. Seriously, I was freaking out. It was, dare I say, outrageous. All those jokers making the PA dutch stuff back home need to make a flight to Vienna and take notes. I had found out before that I required to commit a security check to the FDIC for my internship, and Uncle Dennis had graciously offered to let me stay at his family for the night on Sunday and so go into work with him on Monday to get my fingerprints taken at the embassy, or else I would have had to go to the consulate in Florence this week in Italy. Thank God I just happened to be in Vienna that weekend, and that Uncle Dennis was willing to aid me out, or else I don't know that my internship would be happening this summer. I got to his family around 10, filled out some forms, and got to sleep.
Monday:
My dying day in Vienna. The fingerprints turned out to be a bigger hassle than Uncle Dennis had originally expected, I think, since nobody was approximately the king and it took a while for my fingers to take on the machine, but he was a good sport about it. He showed me around the embassy, which was cool. I couldn't even get into the state in a car, I had to get out and get a separate security check. I was happy to contain that, though.I want our officials to be safe overseas. I got to go out the building that he runs too, which is about 10 minutes away, and almost jammed the elevator which would have been a big way to show UD how much I appreciated what he was doing for me. Eventually, I ended up getting my fingerprints done by an Austrian member of the US secret service, who had pictures up of him and AHNAWLD in his office, which was great. I thanked Uncle Dennis for everything he and Aunt Marlene had done for me, and met Pete down at Stephen's Dome at about 3. My condition was passing at 7, so we decided to get one final beer at another microbrewery (I got a dunkel.which was the second or 3rd greatest beer I've always had (ahh what does it matter, I drank my top 5 beers of all time this weekend alone.gotta love them German speaking breweries). Then, we went to the naschmarkt.which is like an outdoor version of the Reading Terminal Market except maybe possibly better. It was AWESOME, although I kept hyping up Bologna's market district to Petey (I've been hyping up Bologna's food for months to get him to do visit.I hope when he realizes I've been lying he doesn't get too upset). I got a pork knuckle, which is the upper part of a pig's leg that they fry. It's like a giant turkey leg on steroids. I vowed I would eat a dog too, and I did against my better judgment. They actually get a roll, cut a hole in the middle, pour the mustard (schenf? I think that's their son for it) in the middle, and give you a foot-long hotdog, which is basically a monster sausage there. Epic history of deliciousness.I was even capable to end it even though I was so full from the pork knuckle. Afterwards, it was time to hop on the train. I met a couple of nice people who wanted to know all about Us and my thoughts on 9/11, and before I knew it, I was second in Bologna.
Dad, you get to go to Vienna, if but for the potato salad. It was great.not my favorite place so far because Venice just mocks anybody who is foolish enough to be anywhere else, but it's right up there. Just a wholly different tone than Italy. Speaking of Italian flavor, though, I've got a hot date in the Italy's capitol tonight, so I better get moving. Updates from Rome next week hopefully.
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