Some Italy, Some Austria, Some...Slovakia?

I love traveling. Traveling as a poor college student, however, is something that I can certainly live with out.  In fact, I am praying to the heavens that after this year, the words “hostel” and “Ryan Air” will vanish forever from my vocabulary.  

In order to hustle the super-low fares that Ryan Air offers, one must zigzag all across the universe before arriving at the final destination.  Case in point, we live in Florence.  We flew out of Milan.  If you’re unfamiliar with Italian geography, allow me to fill you in--Florence and Milan are separated by a 2 hour train ride... on the fast train.  

Thus, we made a few pitstops along the way.  Why not, right? Adair and I explored Verona, Italy--the setting of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”  Verona is a quaint, little town, accessible via a perfect, little footbridge. 

We explored the main piazze during our two-hour-long-leg-stretching-period.  Juliet’s residence... not too impressive.  For some reason, it was much shorter than I had imagined it.  In my eyes, Romeo, you’re no longer such a stud--Who can’t scale a wall and jump to the courtyard from a balcony 2 feet above the ground? C’mon, man. 

Just chilling with Juliet

The courtyard is otherwise filled with romantic graffiti and love letters, left behind since the dawn of time.  Apparently, people do in fact leave love letters to Juliet.  In fact, I found a letter that was left there decades ago and never found... I then hunted down the letter-writer (a sweet, elderly woman) and managed to fall in love with her dashing, young grandson, while in the meantime reuniting the letter-writer with her long, lost love. TIME-OUT. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that those things only happen to characters like Amanda Seyfried’s in “Letters to Juliet” and not to this girl... Sad face.  Still worth the visit though... you never know.

"Letters to Juliet"

After another epic train ride--yup, at this point, we’re still trying to get to our point of departure--we arrived in Milan where Adair and I spent the evening window-shopping on Via Montenapoleone, the home of Milan’s famed fashion district.  We awed at the window displays at Fendi and Louis Vuitton; we cried at our inability to make a purchase.  My 21st birthday is coming up--family, friends, wealthy and good-hearted strangers--I am in love with these blue, sparkly heels. They’re quite modest and would make for a fairly practical purchase, if you ask me. 

And so the travels continue... after departing from Milan we arrived in Bratislava.  No, I do not mean Vienna; I mean Bratislava. Upon arrival, we made many a ridiculous joke about landing in Bulgaria, Botswana, essentially any geographical name beginning with a “B.” All the while, none of us realized how idiotic we actually were for not knowing that Bratislava is, in fact, the capital of Slovakia.  (And to think that I was once the queen of geography and map-making.  Gosh I hope my knowledge of the countries and capitals did not reach its peak in seventh grade. Depressing.)  

Eventually, however, we did reach Vienna:  home to sweet Austrian people, Mozart, long stretches of ostentatious architecture, Swarovski crystal super-stores, and--most importantly--strudel.  We were greeted with (I do not joke) a parade.  Yes, a motley crew of Viennese, equipped with instruments, and decked from head-to-toe in lederhosen and plumed hats, welcomed us to their fair city.  It was honestly too-perfect.   

The rest of our day was spent in the Haus der Musik.  What’s that? Only the greatest museum ever. Yes, the three of us essentially digressed ten years a piece the moment we walked through the door of this interactive museum--filled with hands-on music games and lessons about famous composers.  Pretty entertaining and highly recommended.  I even got to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic!  

We began our next day in Vienna with a hearty, Viennese breakfast at a swanky, little cafe frequented by the likes of Sigmund Freud.  Vienna, you know how to make a mean breakfast.  Other things you know how to make well: Strudel.  We stopped in a bakery cafe later in the day for a taste... a little cherry strudel blanketed in a coat of creamy, vanilla sauce? Please and thank you.   

We needed all of the energy we could muster in order to explore all the rest that Vienna has to offer.  For example, we spent hours strolling around the ring, Vienna’s central boulevard filled with its government buildings, churches, and monuments.  Hofburg, the imperial palace, is quite a sight to see--especially in its current state, dusted beneath a light flurry of January snowfall. Too pretty.  We even got to gaze on as ice skaters circled the rink, directly in front of one of the gorgeous churches.  Sadly, the famous, white, Lipizzaner horses were nowhere to be seen... apparently, they’re far too busy touring South Carolina for some unknown reason.  Guys, if you lived in Vienna, why would you ever leave?  Anyhow, we also peaked inside the marvelous theater in the city center and explored the Belvedere palace--just a little somethin-somethin Prince Eugene used as his summer residence... no biggie.

All the while, the three of us found the German language incredibly entertaining.  The signs, the metro stops, the street names... all made for an amusing, little game of pronunciation.  A street named GasGasse--Really, Austria?

At this point, I think Vienna may be topping the charts.  It’s absolutely gorgeous and if you haven’t been yet, I’d add it to the bucket-list.  Points for people. Points for museums.  Points for pastries. Points for public transportation. Points for architecture. Sadly, Vienna, you are undoubtedly losing points for this frightening sign. Not okay: