Vienna, Austria

My friend Talin and I landed in Dubrovnik, Croatia yesterday and we are not sure if we will ever leave this place! I heard that Dubrovnik was the French Riviera of the Mediterranean and now I believe it! The temperature has been in the mid 70s so it's perfect beach weather. It's definitely warmer than it should be since it's usually in the low 60s this time of the year....we are not complaining. I will write more about Dubrovnik this week. Now, I'll just recap Austria...

I spent four days in Vienna prior to arriving in Dubrovnik. Vienna reminds me of Paris but I think it's better because the people are so much friendlier. Vienna is also the classical music capital of the world since Beethoven, Mozart, and Strauss all started their careers here. I went to a symphony the last night I was in Vienna and it was great to hear the music of these famous composers. It made me want to play music again. I used to play the piano and violin and I stopped when I got to high school. I don't plan to play the violin again but I definitely would like to pick up piano lessons when I get back. Brad and Brandy, Steve and Christy.....can you make sure a piano will be in your homes by the time I get back? I need to practice!!!

As you know, I love all the emails that I receive from everyone. I also like to share the common questions that people have. The biggest question that I've been getting lately is, "What do you like least about the trip?" Of course my honest response is, "I miss my friends and family." OH, I also miss Italian Beef. I really truly enjoy this whole experience but my only hang up would be the communication barrier. I have had no problems getting by because most people speak English. I also don't expect people to speak English the way we do (ie. slang) . However, I am a very expressive person and I love to communicate my joy and happiness and sometimes it's not that easy to convey this to foreigners. For example, in Italy I wanted to hug and kiss all the people that prepared my food. I LOVED it that much. I wanted to say this to the server, "This food is absolutely unbelievable. It is torcher knowing this food exists in the world and I can't have it everyday. How am I going to live like this? I will be miserable eating Italian food anywhere else. I'm already depressed thinking about it. I'd like to kiss the feet of the man that made this. " My server knew how to say the items on the menu in English but the minute I started to ooh and ahh about the food he just kept smiling. Again, I don't hold it against people because they shouldn't have to know English like we do. I just want to get my point across because I love passing on my passion and enthusiasm :) This experiene has definitely taught me a lot about being a creative communicator. Ex. I started blowing kisses to my food and making a heart with my fingers to convey my love for the Italian food. I'm sure the server thought I was a moron.

Speaking of language and communication.....I love WORDS. Certains words say it all. In Vienna I was taking to these two German guys Gunthar and Stan and we were rehashing bad dates and bad relationships. I mentioned a guy that I went on a few dates with and I referred to him as a douche bag. OK, I'm sure people reading this are now thinking about which guy this is and probably coming up with a long list of possibilites. Anyways, when I said douche bag, this guy Gunthar says, "He was like a soap, very clean?" Then I had to go into the definition and these guys didn't understand why douche bag sums up these qualities. I said it was a very appropriate term to use and this word just says it all....a cocky tool that thinks he's the hottest thing when he's really not. So, they tried to use the word in the proper context and it wasn't really working out. Our bartender was pretty slow with the service all night so they asked me, "He's a douche bag, no?" or we would walk by a homeless person on the street and they would say, "DOUCHE BAG!" and I would tell them no. Finally they put it together when we were at another bar and this American guy from NJ came over and sat next to us. He started talking about how he's this big shot consultant and he owns a condo in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Philly. This was all mentioned in the first 5 minutes of our conversation. He ended up sitting with us for over an hour and when he finally left Gunthar says, "He is really a douche bag, right?" I nodded in agreement and I was so proud they got it right. Then I started thinking, "I'm really pathetic. This is my U.S. cultural contribution? I can bring so much more valuable U.S. info to the table and this is what I come up with?" I may as well be white trash.

My last day in Vienna also marked the end of my first month traveling. Europe will almost be over in 2 weeks. It has gone by so fast and I'm getting sad thinking about saying goodbye to Europe. I will leave my last words about Europe in my final Europe blog. The next place I'm heading to is Southeast Asia. I originally had plans to go to Australia for 2 weeks after Asia but now I have changed my mind because I plan on going on an 11 day bike tour through Vietnam. This tour will cover 495 kilometers (I haven't converted into miles yet) on a bike and start from the north in Hanoi and go all the way south to Ho Chih Minh. I am really looking forward to this challenge because I want to say that I accomplished something while I've been on this trip. I definitely think the trip itself is already rewarding but I would like to add this physical challenge to my journey. I will keep you posted!!!