Last night around 11, an Austrian friend of mine, Verena called. She was in town and wanted to stop by. I had assumed she was home for break and I welcomed the company. We talked for a while about a lot of things, one of them being studying abroad, going to a completely different country, not knowing anyone, and being alone.
I consider myself very lucky, having known Kerstin, a friend that studies nearby, and a few German families in Bavaria. However, that doesn't mean I didn't spend my fair share of time alone first semester, before I met my Austrian friends. It was difficult, but it is something everyone has to learn. You have to learn how to make yourself happy.
I've really grown as a person this year. I can be on my own, make my own decisions, and be happy just being me.
This year has been amazing in more ways then one---and hey, it's not over yet! 3 more months :) And I will enjoy them to the fullest.
-Molly
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Prague, Czech Republic
On Friday I made the long journey from Salzburg, Austria, to Prague, Czech Republic. It was an 8 hour trip that involved a bus, 3 trains, another bus, until I finally arrived at the train station in Prague. While waiting for my friends, all traveling from different places to get here, I sat at a cafe that looked like it came out of 1920s or 30s America. Flapper music playing, old tables and chairs, and a waitress that fit the bill, except that she liked to talk on her cell phone and ignore customers.
I felt like I stepped into an old painting. I ordered an iced chocolate and was asked to pay as soon as the drink was brought to me. Thanks to travel expert Rick Steves, I knew to watch out for people trying to give you back less changed then you were sup. to get. Sure enough, the woman short-changed me. I called her on it, she gave me more back and walked off in a huff. Damn saavy tourists-haha.
My friends arrived and we all headed to our youth hostel. For Americans that have never been to one, I suppose I should describe it like this: the accommodations are like at summer camp: 8 people to a room, bunk beds, and shared bathrooms. This particular hostel is just fine, and I actually have found the experience to be quite enjoyable. There is a common room here where you can watch movies or just hang out, and I enjoyed talking with a group of Canadians studying abroad in England. It's really a great way to meet like-minded students and save money.
Prague itself is beautiful-I'm not necessarily a big fan of gothic architecture, but somehow in Prague it just feels right. The churches are absolutely gorgeous- and I'm not just saying that. Having been in Europe for 10 months, I have been in more churches than I can count. And honestly, all of them start to look the same after a while. We walked around the city, looked at the castle here from the outside, and today, we did a walking tour. It was very interesting and I enjoyed learning more about the city. I went off on my own this afternoon and visited the communist museum, which was really interesting for me since I am interested in the Berlin Wall and all that jazz.
I am enjoying this, but I am exhausted. Traveling is exhausting. But I love it. I love visiting countries for the first time. It's really magical. The different sites and sounds. The people. I will be dead-ass broke when I get home, but I don't give a damn. I am young, unattached, and enjoying life. Where to next? Paris next week, and hopefully Budapest sometime in the near future. But for now I think I'm going to take a nap :-)
Love, Molly
I felt like I stepped into an old painting. I ordered an iced chocolate and was asked to pay as soon as the drink was brought to me. Thanks to travel expert Rick Steves, I knew to watch out for people trying to give you back less changed then you were sup. to get. Sure enough, the woman short-changed me. I called her on it, she gave me more back and walked off in a huff. Damn saavy tourists-haha.
My friends arrived and we all headed to our youth hostel. For Americans that have never been to one, I suppose I should describe it like this: the accommodations are like at summer camp: 8 people to a room, bunk beds, and shared bathrooms. This particular hostel is just fine, and I actually have found the experience to be quite enjoyable. There is a common room here where you can watch movies or just hang out, and I enjoyed talking with a group of Canadians studying abroad in England. It's really a great way to meet like-minded students and save money.
Prague itself is beautiful-I'm not necessarily a big fan of gothic architecture, but somehow in Prague it just feels right. The churches are absolutely gorgeous- and I'm not just saying that. Having been in Europe for 10 months, I have been in more churches than I can count. And honestly, all of them start to look the same after a while. We walked around the city, looked at the castle here from the outside, and today, we did a walking tour. It was very interesting and I enjoyed learning more about the city. I went off on my own this afternoon and visited the communist museum, which was really interesting for me since I am interested in the Berlin Wall and all that jazz.
I am enjoying this, but I am exhausted. Traveling is exhausting. But I love it. I love visiting countries for the first time. It's really magical. The different sites and sounds. The people. I will be dead-ass broke when I get home, but I don't give a damn. I am young, unattached, and enjoying life. Where to next? Paris next week, and hopefully Budapest sometime in the near future. But for now I think I'm going to take a nap :-)
Love, Molly
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Rowlands go Germany Part 2
On Saturday we went on two tours: a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of Munich and a 4 1/2 tour of Dachau (a former concentration camp in the nearby city of Dachau). I was happy to show my parents the city and was sure tours would be the best option, but by the end, we were exhausted. We went straight from our second tour to the Deuke's, my German host family who graciously invited us to dinner. I was happy to introduce my real family to my makeshift German one. We had a delicious dinner, prepared by Susanne, that included asperagas salad, schnitzel with a delicious sauce, and ice cream and coffee for dessert. My father hit it off with Uwe--all he had to do was mention beer. Susanne gave my mother a tour of the house, and my mother admired the traditional style of the home. I got stuck playing badminton outside with the kids (kidding, I loved playing with them), and Meghan there too-haha.
On Sunday we got up at 9, and my mother acted like she was wondering for letting me "sleep in"-haha. We met with Christine and Ingo and their kids in the afternoon at the Hofbräuhaus. As is to be expected, the service was awful. German service is bad to begin with, but their lack of friendliness is even more apparent at such a touristy local. Despite our awful waiter, who managed to drop glasses 2x and make us wait what felt like hours for our waters, we still managed to have a pleasant afternoon in the hot sun. After lunch they helped us get our luggage to the train station, where we began our journey to Salzburg.
That evening we ate at Cappomio, the restaurant behind my Studentenwohnheim. I go there often-the waiter knows my order before I even open my mouth-and I was excited to share it with my family. On Monday it rained, so, in between classes, I took my family to the mall. I don't think they were very impressed-the stores are different and my shopaholic mother and sister weren't really interested in paying a lot of money (the exchange rate is awful: 1.44!)for clothes they have never heard of.
On Saturday we went on two tours: a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of Munich and a 4 1/2 tour of Dachau (a former concentration camp in the nearby city of Dachau). I was happy to show my parents the city and was sure tours would be the best option, but by the end, we were exhausted. We went straight from our second tour to the Deuke's, my German host family who graciously invited us to dinner. I was happy to introduce my real family to my makeshift German one. We had a delicious dinner, prepared by Susanne, that included asperagas salad, schnitzel with a delicious sauce, and ice cream and coffee for dessert. My father hit it off with Uwe--all he had to do was mention beer. Susanne gave my mother a tour of the house, and my mother admired the traditional style of the home. I got stuck playing badminton outside with the kids (kidding, I loved playing with them), and Meghan there too-haha.
On Sunday we got up at 9, and my mother acted like she was wondering for letting me "sleep in"-haha. We met with Christine and Ingo and their kids in the afternoon at the Hofbräuhaus. As is to be expected, the service was awful. German service is bad to begin with, but their lack of friendliness is even more apparent at such a touristy local. Despite our awful waiter, who managed to drop glasses 2x and make us wait what felt like hours for our waters, we still managed to have a pleasant afternoon in the hot sun. After lunch they helped us get our luggage to the train station, where we began our journey to Salzburg.
That evening we ate at Cappomio, the restaurant behind my Studentenwohnheim. I go there often-the waiter knows my order before I even open my mouth-and I was excited to share it with my family. On Monday it rained, so, in between classes, I took my family to the mall. I don't think they were very impressed-the stores are different and my shopaholic mother and sister weren't really interested in paying a lot of money (the exchange rate is awful: 1.44!)for clothes they have never heard of.
On Tuesday my friend Tina kindly volunteered to drive us to Vienna, where we toured Schönbrunn palace, former home of Queen Sissi. In the afternoon we walked around the city and subsequently enjoyed apple strudel and cafe lattes at a local cafe.
On Wednesday I had class all day, so my parents and sister went shopping and we met up at 4pm. We met up with the family whose children I babysit for. Together we went to Steinterasse, a restaurant on the roof of a hotel on my street. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the view of the city.
On Thursday I had class in the morning, and in the afternoon my family and I went on the Sound of Music Tour. It's a fun tour that takes you to the locations where the movie was filmed, but also gives you information about Salzburg in general. It's also a great way for tourists to see the beautiful Austrian countryside. That evening we ate at the Stiegel brewery in Salzburg. All of us enjoyed the food-even my picky little sister, Meghan ;) Dad drank a few more German beers, and that was that.
On Friday we headed back to Munich so that my family could take the plane back on Saturday. It didn't go as smoothly as we expected. Our train wasn't able to take us directly to Munich as planned. We had to change trains a couple of times, and our second train was delayed, so we sat around at the train station eating McDonald's (I've never felt so American in my life). We met a Hungarian guy who was about 18, and he and Meghan started joking around. We made it to Munich much later than expected, but still went downtown to Munich and ate dinner. We spent the night at the Novotel near the airport, and the next morning I brought my family to the airport. We had to get up at 5:30, and I actually did!!!!
After saying goodbye to them I didn't feel like going back to Salzburg, so I went to visit Susanne and Uwe, my honorary parents for the year. I spent the day with their kids-we went on a bike ride together and then played games. I enjoyed it a lot-I love those kids to death. Later in the afternoon we all sat outside and ate cake and drank latte macchiatos. Yummy :) For dinner we grilled out. I drank 1 glass of wine and was totally drunk-my German got better and I started speaking faster-that always happens. At dinner I had 3 more glasses of wine and was in a great mood. The next morning I headed back to Salzburg, where I spent the day at Cappomio cafe. Brittany and Chuck, two kids from my Salzburg program, came to visit me at the cafe. Was a nice day.
That's all for now,
Molly
On Sunday we got up at 9, and my mother acted like she was wondering for letting me "sleep in"-haha. We met with Christine and Ingo and their kids in the afternoon at the Hofbräuhaus. As is to be expected, the service was awful. German service is bad to begin with, but their lack of friendliness is even more apparent at such a touristy local. Despite our awful waiter, who managed to drop glasses 2x and make us wait what felt like hours for our waters, we still managed to have a pleasant afternoon in the hot sun. After lunch they helped us get our luggage to the train station, where we began our journey to Salzburg.
That evening we ate at Cappomio, the restaurant behind my Studentenwohnheim. I go there often-the waiter knows my order before I even open my mouth-and I was excited to share it with my family. On Monday it rained, so, in between classes, I took my family to the mall. I don't think they were very impressed-the stores are different and my shopaholic mother and sister weren't really interested in paying a lot of money (the exchange rate is awful: 1.44!)for clothes they have never heard of.
On Saturday we went on two tours: a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of Munich and a 4 1/2 tour of Dachau (a former concentration camp in the nearby city of Dachau). I was happy to show my parents the city and was sure tours would be the best option, but by the end, we were exhausted. We went straight from our second tour to the Deuke's, my German host family who graciously invited us to dinner. I was happy to introduce my real family to my makeshift German one. We had a delicious dinner, prepared by Susanne, that included asperagas salad, schnitzel with a delicious sauce, and ice cream and coffee for dessert. My father hit it off with Uwe--all he had to do was mention beer. Susanne gave my mother a tour of the house, and my mother admired the traditional style of the home. I got stuck playing badminton outside with the kids (kidding, I loved playing with them), and Meghan there too-haha.
On Sunday we got up at 9, and my mother acted like she was wondering for letting me "sleep in"-haha. We met with Christine and Ingo and their kids in the afternoon at the Hofbräuhaus. As is to be expected, the service was awful. German service is bad to begin with, but their lack of friendliness is even more apparent at such a touristy local. Despite our awful waiter, who managed to drop glasses 2x and make us wait what felt like hours for our waters, we still managed to have a pleasant afternoon in the hot sun. After lunch they helped us get our luggage to the train station, where we began our journey to Salzburg.
That evening we ate at Cappomio, the restaurant behind my Studentenwohnheim. I go there often-the waiter knows my order before I even open my mouth-and I was excited to share it with my family. On Monday it rained, so, in between classes, I took my family to the mall. I don't think they were very impressed-the stores are different and my shopaholic mother and sister weren't really interested in paying a lot of money (the exchange rate is awful: 1.44!)for clothes they have never heard of.
On Tuesday my friend Tina kindly volunteered to drive us to Vienna, where we toured Schönbrunn palace, former home of Queen Sissi. In the afternoon we walked around the city and subsequently enjoyed apple strudel and cafe lattes at a local cafe.
On Wednesday I had class all day, so my parents and sister went shopping and we met up at 4pm. We met up with the family whose children I babysit for. Together we went to Steinterasse, a restaurant on the roof of a hotel on my street. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the view of the city.
On Thursday I had class in the morning, and in the afternoon my family and I went on the Sound of Music Tour. It's a fun tour that takes you to the locations where the movie was filmed, but also gives you information about Salzburg in general. It's also a great way for tourists to see the beautiful Austrian countryside. That evening we ate at the Stiegel brewery in Salzburg. All of us enjoyed the food-even my picky little sister, Meghan ;) Dad drank a few more German beers, and that was that.
On Friday we headed back to Munich so that my family could take the plane back on Saturday. It didn't go as smoothly as we expected. Our train wasn't able to take us directly to Munich as planned. We had to change trains a couple of times, and our second train was delayed, so we sat around at the train station eating McDonald's (I've never felt so American in my life). We met a Hungarian guy who was about 18, and he and Meghan started joking around. We made it to Munich much later than expected, but still went downtown to Munich and ate dinner. We spent the night at the Novotel near the airport, and the next morning I brought my family to the airport. We had to get up at 5:30, and I actually did!!!!
After saying goodbye to them I didn't feel like going back to Salzburg, so I went to visit Susanne and Uwe, my honorary parents for the year. I spent the day with their kids-we went on a bike ride together and then played games. I enjoyed it a lot-I love those kids to death. Later in the afternoon we all sat outside and ate cake and drank latte macchiatos. Yummy :) For dinner we grilled out. I drank 1 glass of wine and was totally drunk-my German got better and I started speaking faster-that always happens. At dinner I had 3 more glasses of wine and was in a great mood. The next morning I headed back to Salzburg, where I spent the day at Cappomio cafe. Brittany and Chuck, two kids from my Salzburg program, came to visit me at the cafe. Was a nice day.
That's all for now,
Molly
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Hello, Goodbye
The thing about living far away from home is that you somehow trick yourself into believing that you really are fine without the people you love. When it comes down to just a few days before their upcoming visit, you realize how much you have really missed them.
This was the case for me about a week and a half ago as I waited in anticipation for 2 families that I love very much to arrive: The Hagenlochs, and my own family. On Wednesday, March 31st, I took a 5 hour train ride from Salzburg, Austria, to Nürtingen, Germany. Karin, Anke's sister, picked me up and I slept over. Or perhaps I should't refer to it as a sleepover-there was little sleep involved. Maybe 2 hours total: 15 mins here, 15 mins there. And then I woke up, and it was the day I had been waiting for: to go with them and surprise the Hagenlochs at the airport.
And surprise them I did. I hid around the corner in a little bakery, waiting eagerly for them to come and find me. 4 year old Ana came out first. Karin directed her around the corner and she ran up to hug me. I wasn't sure she'd remember me-it had been 9 months and she hadn't expected my appearance at the airport. You're Molly! she said. I needn't have worried. I hugged the other and we all went back to Schlaitdorf together. I spent all of about 6 hours with them, but it was nice all the same.
That evening I took the train to Munich and arrived at the Deuke's at about midnight. I slept very little and awoke at about 5:30am. I was so excited to head to Munich airport and pick up my parents, whom I hadn't seen in 9 months. For once in my life, I arrived early to something: I got to the airport with an hour to spare and eventually found the correct arrival gate. I sat down and tried to read my Growing Pains book, but was unable to do so as I kept looking up at the arrival screen. I jumped up as soon as I saw that their plane had landed and eagerly waited in front of the arrival gate. I saw my mother first--she waived with enthusiasm and I smile and waived back. My whole family followed. Eventually they came through the gate and I was finally able to greet them after not having seen them for so long.
I really had missed them, and it was clear that my mother had missed me, having teared up as she hugged me. We have a special bond that can never be broken. After the formalities we found our way to the S-bahn and took it to our hotel. From the S-bahn there was a long walk with our luggage, but we made it to the hotel. My family was exhausted and we ended up taking it easy. We ate at a cute restaurant nearby and then I walked around while my family took a nap. In the evening mom and I went out to get food--she chose some turkish food for her and dad to try-while eating it Meghan woke up and came in, thinking it was the next day and that they were eating that for breakfast. That made for a good laugh. We explained to her that it was still the same day-just a very long, long, day.
To be continued.
Love, Molly
This was the case for me about a week and a half ago as I waited in anticipation for 2 families that I love very much to arrive: The Hagenlochs, and my own family. On Wednesday, March 31st, I took a 5 hour train ride from Salzburg, Austria, to Nürtingen, Germany. Karin, Anke's sister, picked me up and I slept over. Or perhaps I should't refer to it as a sleepover-there was little sleep involved. Maybe 2 hours total: 15 mins here, 15 mins there. And then I woke up, and it was the day I had been waiting for: to go with them and surprise the Hagenlochs at the airport.
And surprise them I did. I hid around the corner in a little bakery, waiting eagerly for them to come and find me. 4 year old Ana came out first. Karin directed her around the corner and she ran up to hug me. I wasn't sure she'd remember me-it had been 9 months and she hadn't expected my appearance at the airport. You're Molly! she said. I needn't have worried. I hugged the other and we all went back to Schlaitdorf together. I spent all of about 6 hours with them, but it was nice all the same.
That evening I took the train to Munich and arrived at the Deuke's at about midnight. I slept very little and awoke at about 5:30am. I was so excited to head to Munich airport and pick up my parents, whom I hadn't seen in 9 months. For once in my life, I arrived early to something: I got to the airport with an hour to spare and eventually found the correct arrival gate. I sat down and tried to read my Growing Pains book, but was unable to do so as I kept looking up at the arrival screen. I jumped up as soon as I saw that their plane had landed and eagerly waited in front of the arrival gate. I saw my mother first--she waived with enthusiasm and I smile and waived back. My whole family followed. Eventually they came through the gate and I was finally able to greet them after not having seen them for so long.
I really had missed them, and it was clear that my mother had missed me, having teared up as she hugged me. We have a special bond that can never be broken. After the formalities we found our way to the S-bahn and took it to our hotel. From the S-bahn there was a long walk with our luggage, but we made it to the hotel. My family was exhausted and we ended up taking it easy. We ate at a cute restaurant nearby and then I walked around while my family took a nap. In the evening mom and I went out to get food--she chose some turkish food for her and dad to try-while eating it Meghan woke up and came in, thinking it was the next day and that they were eating that for breakfast. That made for a good laugh. We explained to her that it was still the same day-just a very long, long, day.
To be continued.
Love, Molly
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