Re-Entry

My goodness, how the time has flown!  I wanted to save this last blog post as a reflection, final thoughts, and summation of my experience in Europe.  I studied away during J term two years ago at Holden Village (an old mining town way up in the cascades), and I know that there are some short term impacts and long term impacts that take some time to come emerge following re entry into regular life.  Basically, I can offer my immediate reflections now, but ask me a year from now how this trip has changed the way that I think, or my goals, and I will be able to give you a more comprehensive answer. For now, here we go.  

The major impacts of this trip are 1) I am inspired to continue to play, listen to, and learn about music and its history after seeing first hand so many spectacular concerts and historic places. 2) I am inspired to learn more about the structure of the European countries and how their political, economical, and social models function, 3) I am inspired to, at a minimum, become bi-lingual.

If I had to boil down the trip even further to one lesson or takeaway, I would say that this trip provided me with a monumental experience for comparison.  As I mentioned in my first blog posts, even though the societies of America and Germany Austria, and the Czech Republic are all developed and modern, this was the first experience for me to notice all of the minute and not so minute differences between my life growing up, and my life for the last month.  College has been a time for me to learn to think critically about everything, and spending a month in Europe gave me ample time to compare all of my experiences in America to a different culture and society.  Everything from the difference in the light switches (they are squares, see below) to the incredible transit system (also below), to the absence of plastic zip lock bags, and the way that almost all the cars are diesel, are not trucks but actually cars, and have manual transmissions.  Basically, every moment was engaging and provided something to think about, and something to reflect upon.

Experiential learning, and immersion are the best way to learn, and I encountered that firsthand.  There is not substitute for the feeling of complete incompetence when all you want is some food, but you can read nothing on the menu, and speak little more than "please" and "thank you" and the numbers 1-20.  There is no substitute to seeing and visiting a castle that has housed royalty, seen battles, and withstood thousands of years of time.  This trip has truly been life changing, and I cant wait to continue learning and exploring the world.  This was the end of our trip, but this the event that has inspired my curiosity to learn new languages, and explore the world (and check out those free masters programs in Germany).  Ready or not, here I come!

Looking Forward

When I got back to Seattle, walked out of the airport and looked around, I realized that nothing was going to be the same. This trip has not only been the trip of a lifetime but it has also changed that way I look at my life and my surroundings. Being in the "PLU Bubble" it has been hard for me recently to push my mindset outside of Tacoma and Parkland. Traveling to Europe, especially Vienna, really opened my mind up to new possibilities. I not only have a new appreciation for the music and culture around me but also for my dreams and passions. There is so much out there that  I have not discovered and that honestly, blows my mind. It is crazy to think that there is the same quality of music that we saw in a month literally happening all the time. There isn't a concert that the Berlin or Vienna Phil play that isn't incredible. There is so much to listen to! And countless opportunities to dive in to the history of the music and backgrounds of composers and artists and this past month we barely scratched the surface. I will never forget the experiences on this trip, the countless inside jokes with friend, moments in music that took my breath away or the awe of standing at the top of a tower and overlooking an entire city. This trip has definitely motivated me to dive in to my passions and music and that is something I will not take for granted.

Ice Skating in Vienna

Our final days in Vienna were very relaxing and fun! We went to Musikhaus Doblinger and I bought the score to my favorite symphony, Dvorak Symphony No. 9 From the New World! 

Then we went to a cafe (per recommendation by Sarah Martin) and got chocolate magic, which was by far the most magical piece of cake I have ever had in my life! 

Then we went ice skating! I am so glad that I made such wonderful friends on this trip! It was an amazing experience to share this trip with my friends! When we were ice skating there was a moment when I just stopped and looked around me at the buildings and people and just sighed because right then, everything was perfect. I felt like I was in a movie! I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world! 

Ice Skating in Wien

Before leaving for this trip, we tossed around the idea of traveling to Budapest on the final day. When that day finally came, the majority of us decided on having a relaxing day in Wien instead of spending 5 extra hours of travel the day before our 11-12 hour flight home. To start the day off right, we turned off the alarms and slept in. After a breakfast at the hostel we spent 2 hours at the Central Café. In Europe, it's very traditional to spend multiple hours at a Café and read multi newspapers, or come with a few friends and have in depth discussions about each other's lives. We used this time to reflect on the entire trip. We also discussed how life is going to be different from here on out. For me personally, I have been inspired to live a greener lifestyle that is more sustainable. Europe has taught me that man kind has the ability to take care of the planet and make it a better place for generations to come.

To further our amazing day, a large group of us went ice skating. This was no ordinary ice skating rink however. There were three big ovals that were connected by a series of trails. This was my first time going ice skating and oh my goodness it was fantastic. Annalise thankfully stuck by me in the beginning while I was trying to figure it all out because she has had a lot of past experience with ice skating. Claire and I were cracking up because how much we were struggling but we both got the hang of it! It was fun to skate up behind members of the group and take action photos of them. We were all so encouraging to each other and I honestly can't imagine having a better time. We could've saw Budapest but we ended up having the most fun and relaxing day of the entire trip, and so I'm confident that we made the right choice. It was so nice to cherish all of these amazing friendships that have been truly cemented over this past month. I cannot stress how incredible this trip has been and how I am forever changed in a positive way. I'm very thankful that I was able to share this experience with my friends.

Praha

This was the city I was looking forward to the most. This is where Smetena and Dvorak lived and wrote many of their pieces. The most famous one of course is The Moldau by Smetena. What I Iove is that you heard this piece everywhere in the city. It was a humbling feeling hearing the piece where it was conposed.

Prague cherishes its history which is a lot different from the United States. Granted most buildings in Prague are from the 1500's and America isn't even that old. All the streets are cobblestone and there are giant stone towers that overlook the city. St. Charles stretches over the Moldau and is a massive 600 meters long. It is bordered with statues of saints that date back to the 18th century even though the actually bridge was built in the 15th century. From the bridge you can see Old Town Square which is home to the famous Astronomical Clock. To the other side you can see the famous castle which is the largest castle still in use today. Atop the castle is the St. Vitus Cathedral which was by far the most astounding thing I've seen on the trip thus far. We got there in the morning so the light came pouring in through the stained glass. I have visited a few cathedrals but none have ever had stained glass as vivid as this.

Another beautiful moment in Prague was all of the snowfall we received. Walking on St. Charles bridge while looking at all of the snow roof tops felt like a dream. So many huge historical moments have happened here and it was a true blessing to be able to see it in person.

Coming Home

I have to say, it was a pretty hilarious situation coming back. On the way in to Frankfurt, at the start of the trip, going through customs took minutes. All you had to do was go up to the agent, give them your passport, and tell them where you were going. That's it! Admittance to Germany. Coming back, wow that was that fun. First, the passport check was "over-capacity". Now, I had never flown outside of the U.S. before, so I really had no idea what to expect from the passport check area. Imagine my surprise when we exited the hallway (LIKE HALF AN HOUR LATER) to a sea of frustrated travelers, all funneling into the declaration area between two pieces of nylon webbing. A perfect monument to american efficiency. After entering the gauntlet, we snaked through the sweaty line for what seemed like an eternity. At the end of the line, you wait until a computer station is available to declare your "articles" and take your mugshot or whatever. After this, you get herded yet again to some other destination. I actually didn't get to experience this because I  got "randomly selected" to go through additional screening! Oh boy!

Coming home was a sharp reminder of what I'll be missing from this trip. The undesirable "feel" that everything just sort of fits together doesn't exist back over here, really. We don't have the incredibly efficient rail systems, that make sense even if you don't read the language. Nor do we have the awesome waiters that leave you to your meal and let you enjoy it, rather than badger you with "service" every five minutes, then shove you out the door as soon as you finish your meal. We don't even have rotary trumpets for God's sake!

The thing that I'll miss the most, however, will be all the fun I had exploring these countries with my friends. It's an experience I'll never forget in my lifetime. Thank you all for such an amazing trip.

Art History Museum

The Art History Museum houses some extremely old artifacts, some from nearly five thousand years ago. Like most museums around this area, it's original purpose was to house art pieces from the Habsburg family. It has many outstanding original paintings, as well as artifacts from ancient Egyptian, Grecian, and other cultures.

The amount of precious materials in the artifact and sculpture sections is incredible. I can't even imagine the price for just the raw material! I've never seen so many tools and navigation instruments build out of solid gold, or sculptures out of silver. There was one hall just of ivory sculptures!

"The inscription on this oliphant mentions Count Albrecht III of Habsburg, who in 1199 presented the horn filled with relics to the Abbey of Muri in Switzerland. It remains unclear whether the inscribed text dates from the Middle Ages or was added around 1700, when the horn was presented to Emperor Leopold I as a sign of the object's original connection with his ancestor"

A "Prayer-Nut", from around 1500. The "nut" is made out of box wood, and is incredibly small, probably around 2-2 1/2 inches in diameter. Very intricately carved

Map with compass

Gold navigation instruments