A Very Lucky Girl

The first thing we learned in Venice was that the train doesn't drop you off in the midst of all of those canals because DUH.  So after we wandered (our speciality) and figured it out, we hopped on a bus to take us to the picture-perfect location. I went to Vegas last summer, and though the Venetian is spectacular, the real thing is a million times more amazing. Venice was extra special to me because it was the beginning of the fulfillment of life-long dream to travel to Italy. We got there on a beautiful Sunday morning, just in time for an early lunch. I thought I ordered spaghetti, but some weird yellow-looking pasta came to me instead with bits of ham in it. It wasn't too great so I stole bites of the rest of the squad's pizzas. Especially the Parmesan shavings on top of Gibby's. When I first tasted one I solemnly vowed to seriously go to a grocery store in Italy and purchase Parmesan.  I think Venice was made specifically for the cadet squad. It's a place...

We went from Schloss to Schloss on this particular morning! After Schoenbrunn, we found our train to Salzburg and dropped our packs at the Salzburg station for safekeeping while we explored unencumbered. Through a very scientific decision called "which way should we go outside the train station," we randomly picked left and hit jackpot.  Schloss Mirabelle was only a few blocks down and her gardens were just as stunning as Schoenbrunn.  I couldn't tell you much about the history that you wouldn't learn from Wikipedia, considering most of the informational signs were in German.  After Schloss Mirabelle we found a tourist information point and got a map. Even with it, we still managed to get lost quite a few times. LDL had researched a funicular to one of the nearby peaks where we thought it might be fun to recreate the Sound of Music. I'd been practicing my yodeling.  Unfortunately, we discovered the funicular was closed during the month of April. Obviously...

On our way to Vienna I wracked my brain to remember the song I just KNEW mentioned the city. I had my aha! moment after we had checked into hostel Ruthensteiner, one which I highly recommend! My only complaint is that the light turned off on me in the bathroom EVERY TIME. But this didn't happen to LDL or Gibby so who knows what I was doing wrong.  Anyway, the song is "Vienna" by Billy Joel and we made our way through the streets alternately singing the tune. Our time in Vienna didn't start out so happy...and I blame the ATM machine for that. I arrived with only 10 euros left over from my February trip to Ireland so I knew I needed to withdraw more. I typed my usual information into the machine and waited for my money. It spit my card back at me, but no money. I was convinced the machine had eaten my euros and refused to leave it until I found out for sure. LDL let me use the data on her phone to check my bank balance and I learned for some reason the transaction ...

The first order of business in Prague was again a restroom to change clothes and an ATM to withdraw Czech Koruna. At this point we were going on two nights with no real sleep and approximately 48 hours without a shower. Thank god for deodorant and toothpaste, amiright? We found a little chain bakery that we later noticed all over the city called Paneria and immediately dubbed it the Czech version of Panera. We took advantage of their outlets and Wifi as we planned to attack Prague.  We learned from our Brazilian friends that they were heading to Prague the same day as us and they mentioned the hostel they were staying at. We were in the market for a place to sleep so we decided to Czech it out after we explored. No, I never stopped making Czech puns.  After consulting the paper map and the Google map we decided we had some semblance of direction and traipsed off under the weight of our god-awful packs.  The first thing we found was an open market filled with trin...

Our first order of business in Poland involved a swift change of clothes in the airport restrooms. From there I assumed my role as Keeper of the Map, train timetable wizard, hostel booker, and general OCD planner. You'd have to ask Laura and Kylie if it got annoying ;) I asked the information desk how to get to Auschwitz and she pointed behind me to a giant sign saying "Directions to Auschwitz." Oh. Poland 1 Taylor 0. We found an ATM and money-ed up for the country. I took out 250 zloty, the equivalent of 82 USD, and rejoiced at the prices of Poland.  The language barrier was immediately a struggle, but after some issue we found the correct bus to take us to the city center where we would catch a second bus to Oswiecim, where the concentration camp was located.  On our journey to the camp, I couldn't help but think of the others who had come before me on trains to the very same place. But they didn't come armed with maps and money. In fact, they didn'...

10 countries. 5 currencies. So many different languages. My head is still spinning and I may possibly need another nap before I write any more words.  It feels like I've been gone from Dundee for years, but at the same time the 23 days passed in the blink of an eye. Before I fully comprehended what was happening I was on a plane in Denmark heading to London and tomorrow I'll be on a bus to Dundee. The greater European adventure of my semester abroad is almost over. It seemed like it took ages to get here, seeing as I've been planning since November. But it finally came to fruition on a chilly night in early April when Laura, Kylie, and I ventured into the unknown.  It's hard to believe it's really me who went to all of those places and had so many amazing experiences. It feels as if I've woken up from an exotic dream where I watched someone else do everything I've always wanted to do. But no. It was me. I walked the dusty streets of Auschwitz and saw ...