Again I have managed to get a bit behind on blogging but in an attempt to push off studying for exams I have found a bit of time (:
I have been looking forward to traveling to Vienna for several years now. My Aunt Jill and Uncle Brad have lived there for 20 years and have always encouraged my family and I to visit. I choose to take them up on that offer one week before they permanently moved back to the United States. My roommate Alex and I flew out to Bratislava, Slovakia on a Wednesday afternoon and headed off to a local pub to wait for my Aunt and my friend from home, Kendra to meet up with us. Alex and I found a quaint place with absolutely no English speakers and attempted to order 2 beers, olives, French fries and nachos. We received 2 beers, peanuts, melted cheese and potato chips in a bag.
After an exciting reunion with my aunt and Kendra we headed to Aunt Jill’s house in Vienna. The first night my friends and I were ecstatic to eat fabulous home cooked meals and have a comfy couch to sit and chat with my family over maybe a bit too much wine. It was so lovely to hear about their move back to America and exciting updates about my cousins, one who was just about to have her first baby and the other purchasing his first house! I also got a sense for where my cousins grew up and what their lives were like. We were able to hear some embarrassing stories and get an idea of what my cousins enjoyed doing growing up in Vienna. Sean, my cousin is an amazing artist and they had his works all around the house. Below is a picture of the Cooley bar (my aunt and uncles)
We woke up chipper the next morning well rested after sleeping in an actual bed with real pillows. We were happy to jump in the shower without a fear of a lack of hot water. My uncle made us a pot of coffee and breakfast; it was like being home from college, spoiled! After a slow moving morning my uncle drove us to Melk Abbey and showed us around a few small towns. Melk was a castle that was given to Benedictine monks and turned into a monastic school. They had an extensive manuscript collection and library that was extremely impressive. The Church within the monastery was absolutely incredible. Everything was massive and gold, including their immense art collection. My eyes could not focus on just one part. Melk was able to escape threats of destruction during the Napoleonic wars and was opened as a school once again after WWII and to this day is a school for over 900 girls and boys.
That night we played pool, had another brilliantly made dinner and wine. We were buzzing with excitement; Anne (my cousin, Aunt Jill’s daughter) was having a baby the next day. We had Skype set up and were ready for the baby!
The girls and I got up early and my aunt drove us into the city center of Vienna. We walked around and visited Stephen’s Dome and Karlskirche Church, then spent the rest of the day in the Belvedere Art Museum. The museum was incredible and held huge impressionism and realism collections. I am taking Art History here at University College Dublin and I have developed a special appreciation for Degas, Courbet, Monet, Manet, and Renoir, all of which were present.
That night we headed home for spicy chili with some of Sean’s friends at my Aunt and Uncle’s house. We received exciting news that baby Caroline was born, happy and healthy! We celebrated and congratulated the new grandma and grandpa! By the end of the night my friends and I concluded we were hitting the town with Sean’s friends. The only problem was that the train back to my aunt and uncles wouldn’t start up again until 5:00am so we ventured into downtown Vienna and had a wonderful time dancing and singing the night away until the crack of dawn. We caught the train and climbed into bed at 6:00am only to get up at 7:00am to head into Sopron, Hungary for the day. I acquired several souvenirs including Hungarian crystal glasses and framed artwork I purchased in Vienna. My Aunt showed us around Sopron and we got doner kebabs for lunch, which were absolutely amazing. Towards the end of the day we stopped in at a café for a glass of wine, we entered into a basement completely wood furnished. Barrels everywhere, very small and cozy. We ordered a pitcher of wine for all of 4 euros and the woman behind the counter ladled wine into a pitcher.
That night we went out for dinner at my Aunt and Uncle’s favorite restaurant and had such a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner. Overall Austria was such an incredibly beautiful country covered with vineyards and castles tucked into the mountains. My friends and I were in desperate need of a good shower and comfortable bed and appreciated overindulging with great food and conversation for the weekend. I am so glad I was able to see my family’s place but I am even more excited to have them home in America at this very second.
