So I made it to Munich. And through Austria to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Then to Zagreb, Croatia and even Trieste, Italy--each for a day. I wanted to post pictures, but USB cords etc. were too much work for these super slow, NOT free (false advertising!!) computers.
Anyway, we'd planned on going to Piran, to see the Adriatic Sea and enjoy an old Venetian city without actually going to Italy, until Emma suggested we actually go to Italy. Trieste is closer to Ljubljana but mixed information tried to prevent us from a fourth country in 10 days--fifth, if you count Austria, which was all in a train. (I guess this proximity is the reason Slovenia claims to be the place "where all of Europe meets." One map said Ljubljana was the capital of the EU, which is so not true.
The point is, first we read the train took ridiculously long time, then that the only bus was at 6:25 am. Eventually we learned it was easier to switch buses in Koper, 30 minutes or so outside Trieste but still in Slovenia. Then we missed our bus due to misinformation.
But we didn't give up! We held onto our illogical belief that if it was nice in Florence (we'd heard it was), it would be nice in all of Italy--because of the centrally mandated weather.
We expected disappointment, but it was significantly warmer in Trieste than in Slovenia. The Adriatic was beautiful (if hazy), the sun was warm and bright, and the gelato was delicious. Mmm three scoops on two visits to one shop. We also pondered the existence of centrally mandated pizza quality, and even I ate one. It was pretty tasty, despite all that tomato on it. (There wasn't that much...but for me it was a lot.)
It's kind of weird to connect central mandates with Italy, though, considering the whole city-state, not-unified-most-of-the-time thing. Also, Trieste was Triest (Deutsch), southern port of Habsburg Austria--not even Italy!
I think it's so funny that Captain von Trapp (Sound of Music!) was no longer in the navy in the thirties BECAUSE AUSTRIA HAD LOST ALL ITS COASTLINE. Maybe that's not actually hilarious. Whatever. It's one of the important things I learned while researching (not-researching) my history Hausarbeit.
I probably don't have enough readers for this to be enlightening...
Hello, World.
I just want to know—what books would you recommend for someone who is traveling to Slovenia, Kraków, Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Avignon (and all around Provence), Marseille, and Nice (and all along the Riviera)?
They could just be good books. Or books about one of these places. Or travel books in general. Basically I just want to read! At this point, I'll be looking out for titles in used book stores, because I won't have time in the next 24 hours to hunt down English books. Although Munich has a large bookstore, and I'll be there first.
I like fantasy, I like historical fiction, I like contemporary fiction. I like classics, I like trashy novels/chick lit (what an awful term), I like sci-fi. I like animals. I like young adult books. I even like Gossip Girl (the books).
Help!
I just want to know—what books would you recommend for someone who is traveling to Slovenia, Kraków, Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Avignon (and all around Provence), Marseille, and Nice (and all along the Riviera)?
They could just be good books. Or books about one of these places. Or travel books in general. Basically I just want to read! At this point, I'll be looking out for titles in used book stores, because I won't have time in the next 24 hours to hunt down English books. Although Munich has a large bookstore, and I'll be there first.
I like fantasy, I like historical fiction, I like contemporary fiction. I like classics, I like trashy novels/chick lit (what an awful term), I like sci-fi. I like animals. I like young adult books. I even like Gossip Girl (the books).
Help!
Kraków, you make my packing plans difficult.
After Slovenia and Kraków, Maraia and I are in Spain and southern France for a month. They won't be hot, but they also won't require wool sweaters, and wool coats would look downright stupid.
But I just read, about Kraków: "Bitter cold mixed with fog and snow dominates every day until March." We arrive in March!
March 1. 6:30 am. It might be a little bit like February.
I only want to bring two sweaters. One has become misshapen and irritating, and the other one... I can't pick which it should be!
I leave on Friday. Decisions must be made.
But I just read, about Kraków: "Bitter cold mixed with fog and snow dominates every day until March." We arrive in March!
March 1. 6:30 am. It might be a little bit like February.
I only want to bring two sweaters. One has become misshapen and irritating, and the other one... I can't pick which it should be!
I leave on Friday. Decisions must be made.
Color Crisis
This is what I was talking about.
My mom picked out the rain jacket when I was in seventh grade. She loves this color. Once she tried to get me to pick out glasses that were a more toned-down version, because, she told me, I was lucky enough to be able to pull it off. Instead I got tortoiseshell. (And they were Flexon, which meant I could bend the nose piece all the time, which was cool. Except by 'all the time,' I probably mean occasionally, since I can't see without them.) I thought the jacket was okay, if too large. She always made me buy gigantic things.
Then I bought the cardigan because it's a little fuzzy and it's a cardigan and I wore it all the time with my purple turtleneck OH and it matches a sundress from H&M that I left at home for the year. I also have some socks that are a light version of this color. My mom wouldn't let me bring them because I was packing too many socks. Then I made the pink, green, orange, and black necklace two summers ago. The green matches. And I have a bracelet to match.
(If you want one, I know where you can get them. Necklaces too, and lots of other resin jewelry of different colors.)
What else? There's a shirt under the cardigan. This summer, new Nalgenes that supposedly don't cause birth defects came out, and red? blue? Too normal. This was the third option. (Although I miss my bright pink one that always smelled like bleach near the end.)
There's the mascara (obviously the mascara is black or black-brown or something, but I picked it because it was a cool case...) and the nail polish! The nail polish! Then my mom made me fingerless mitts to wear when my fingers were cold and mailed them to me in Germany, two years after she'd promised them to me. Oh, and I have beautiful glass earrings that you can barely see in this picture that my mom also made.
Whatever, right? It's a color that I like, but I obviously don't wear it all at the same time. The problem is that the RAIN JACKET and the NALGENE and then the NEW, BEAUTIFUL CAMERA CASE I BOUGHT YESTERDAY all match. And are definitely going traveling.
I had intended on bringing my cardigan. But I don't think I could handle it. And although the nail polish and its slight gold sheen is a perfect match for the camera case...well, it'll be too cold for sandals.
My mom picked out the rain jacket when I was in seventh grade. She loves this color. Once she tried to get me to pick out glasses that were a more toned-down version, because, she told me, I was lucky enough to be able to pull it off. Instead I got tortoiseshell. (And they were Flexon, which meant I could bend the nose piece all the time, which was cool. Except by 'all the time,' I probably mean occasionally, since I can't see without them.) I thought the jacket was okay, if too large. She always made me buy gigantic things.Then I bought the cardigan because it's a little fuzzy and it's a cardigan and I wore it all the time with my purple turtleneck OH and it matches a sundress from H&M that I left at home for the year. I also have some socks that are a light version of this color. My mom wouldn't let me bring them because I was packing too many socks. Then I made the pink, green, orange, and black necklace two summers ago. The green matches. And I have a bracelet to match.
(If you want one, I know where you can get them. Necklaces too, and lots of other resin jewelry of different colors.)What else? There's a shirt under the cardigan. This summer, new Nalgenes that supposedly don't cause birth defects came out, and red? blue? Too normal. This was the third option. (Although I miss my bright pink one that always smelled like bleach near the end.)
There's the mascara (obviously the mascara is black or black-brown or something, but I picked it because it was a cool case...) and the nail polish! The nail polish! Then my mom made me fingerless mitts to wear when my fingers were cold and mailed them to me in Germany, two years after she'd promised them to me. Oh, and I have beautiful glass earrings that you can barely see in this picture that my mom also made.
Whatever, right? It's a color that I like, but I obviously don't wear it all at the same time. The problem is that the RAIN JACKET and the NALGENE and then the NEW, BEAUTIFUL CAMERA CASE I BOUGHT YESTERDAY all match. And are definitely going traveling.
I had intended on bringing my cardigan. But I don't think I could handle it. And although the nail polish and its slight gold sheen is a perfect match for the camera case...well, it'll be too cold for sandals.
Hausarbeit = Term Paper
= Sleep-Deprived
Hello, World—I just wanted to say that I am not dead and have successfully completed my first German Hausarbeit! And by 'successfully,' I mean 'completed.' I probably won't know how successful I was until April when I come back from SIX WEEKS of traveling, and by then I won't care.
Oh wait. I don't care too much now, either. That it's done is what is important.
Next up: the color crisis I expect to experience during the Epic Trip. Gute Nacht!
Oh wait. I don't care too much now, either. That it's done is what is important.
Next up: the color crisis I expect to experience during the Epic Trip. Gute Nacht!
A Piece of Advice
Let's say you need to take at least three classes, and would really rather only take three. You know one that you definitely want, but then there are three others, and they all sound interesting and worthwhile in different ways, and you've been going to each of them so you can figure out which one to take.
But you can't decide! So you take all of them.
Maybe this is a good decision if you are fascinated by all three and almost everyone is enthusiastic about the subjects and the reading is exciting and you feel like you're getting a lot out of all of them.
However, if you can't decide which one you feel most ambivalent about, THIS IS A BAD SIGN. Drop one, regardless of which. Because in the end, you will have to do the end-of-semester work for all three, as well as for the class you knew wanted to take.
I suggest dropping whichever requires the most writing.
But you can't decide! So you take all of them.
Maybe this is a good decision if you are fascinated by all three and almost everyone is enthusiastic about the subjects and the reading is exciting and you feel like you're getting a lot out of all of them.
However, if you can't decide which one you feel most ambivalent about, THIS IS A BAD SIGN. Drop one, regardless of which. Because in the end, you will have to do the end-of-semester work for all three, as well as for the class you knew wanted to take.
I suggest dropping whichever requires the most writing.
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