Sit on a Train for 12 Hours

You haven't traveled in Europe until you've taken a train somewhere. You REALLY haven't traveled Europe until you take a train ride for 12 hours. Well, 15 hours total.

Part of the IGE program includes a travel excursion to some unusual place in Europe. How unusual? Ever heard of Sarajevo, Bosnia? If you answered yes, you're probably thinking "That's where they held a winter Olympics in the 1980's" or "That's where the Arch-Duke of Austria was shot to start WWI" or "That's the city that was under siege in the 1990's" or "That's where Hillary Clinton was attacked by snipers... oh, wait."*

Anyway, IGE took the whole group on a trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia. More on the city later. This entry is focused on the train ride.

Take a 12 hour train ride. I know it sounds brutal, but it really isn't that bad. You have lots of time to catch up on sleep, talk to people, read, and listen to music. Besides, taking a train to Bosnia is an adventure in itself.

First of all, you get lots of Passport stamps. Yes, this does mean having to deal with the often less than friendly border control people, but it's totally worth it to get the stamps. Really... European passport stamps are pretty rare today because the EU allows you to go from country to country without giving you a stamp. So, if you're having a stamp withdraw, go to Bosnia. I think I got 4 each way.

Also, only on a train through Croatia and Bosnia just simply disconnect the last car and still let the back door work. This means that you can open the back door and have access to the tracks the train just traveled on. It's like being in a Wild West movie.

*IGE accepts all people, regardless of their political affiliation.

The Praterdom

Vienna has its own amusement park, home to the famous Praterstern. The amusement park is like an American amusement park, only you do not have to pay for an entrance fee. Instead, if you desire to go on a ride, you pay for each... roller coasters a la carte, so to speak. It is decorated in a way that resembles an old American amusement park from a different decade.

In the middle of the amusement park is a club called the Praterdom. It is a relatively new club that features different rooms. Each room has a different theme and plays different music.

Be a Tourist: go to the Praterdom. It is a very fun club right in the middle of Vienna's amusement park. It's a great way to kick off a weekend!

Go to Hiembar

Once the Austrian and European students start arriving for school, the Europahaus puts on a party every Wednesday in the basement of the dorm called Heimbar. Starting at about 9 or 10 PM, all the students in the entire building make their way downstairs and hang out together. At any given time, there are between 50-100 students all in the basement hanging out, dancing, and having a beer.

Go to Heimbar. Heimbar is a great way to meet new people in the Europahaus because you see people from everywhere. Additionally, they usually have some type of theme such as "Oktoberfest." And, it is a great thing to do mid-week because you don't have to go all the way into town.

Monday Night Football

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL???

We were. More specifically, we were ready for the Packers-Vickings Monday Night Football Game staring Brett Favre vs. Former Team.

Ok, this story gets a little better. First of all, I've always liked Brett Favre. In my book, he's my favorite quarterback after John Elway, and I have been rooting for him to win another Super Bowl for years. Before he retired the first time. And, while I like Green Bay, since I'm not really a Packers fan, I was mad when they wouldn't let him come back. I'm a players fan, so I follow players around. In other words, I root for Brett.

Lauren is from Wisconson, and has more state pride than anyone I've ever met. Not only does she like Miller and the Brew Crew, she loves the Green Bay Packers. And, apparently, now hates Brett Favre. He's a traitor who should have retired... I have trouble understanding this anger, but she was told me that in Wisconson life revolved around #4 and then he left to their rivals. I guess that would have been like if John Elway had gone to play for the Raiders after winning the Super Bowl for us in Colorado...

Brent is from Minnesota and is one of the biggest sports fans I've ever seen. He's excited for the Twins-Tigers play-in game tonight, always goes to Champions Sports Bar, and bought a hockey jersey when we went to the Vienna capitals game.

So, the three of all really wanted to watch this game. But, the problem is, Monday Night Football starts at 2:30 AM Vienna time. No sports bar is open that late in Vienna. Luckily, Dr. Kevin saved the day by letting us use his slingbox. The slingbox is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Basically, I was controlling Kevin's TV in Denver from my computer in Vienna. So, we set up my laptop in one of the lounges, and turned Kevin's TV on to ESPN for a while. Game on!

IGE Secret: you can watch a rival Monday Night Football game in the middle of the night. You seem to appreciate doing things when it's a lot harder. That being said, watching this game was as intense and fun as watching the Super Bowl. Not only was the game itself really fun to watch, but it was fun being in a room with people rooting for both teams. We were yelling at each other, yelling at the computer, hollering, and probably being too loud for 2:30 AM. Add the Brett Favre Drama to the game, and it was great entertainment - especially when Brett still had it and Brett's Packer replacement Rogers, well, didn't.

Vikings won 30-23. Favre is still better than Rogers. And, we're all still friends. Brent made Lauren breakfast today.

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah, Brett!

Go Cake Testing

Kuchen und Kaffee is a great plan in Vienna. Seriously - if there are two things Vienna does right it's coffee and cake.

We haven't gone to the famous Sacher Hotel yet, but we did go to a little cafe on the Ring Strasse to have some cake.

Tip: go cake testing. No matter where you go, if they have cake, it will be good. Each cafe probably has at least 1/2 dozen different types of chocolate cake. The cafe we went to had several dozen types of chocolate cake. Try a slice, try two, try three, whatever. They are not so expensive in the little cafes, and really good. You'll be happy when you leave.

Go to Champions Sports Bar

I love the Super Manning Brothers. Jay Cutler may be a baby, but he's still fun to watch. I love watching the Chargers choke and the Raiders fans dress up. I still laugh every time something doesn't go Jon Gruden's way. John Elway is still the best quarterback ever, but Brett Favre is still a close second. If any of this means anything to you, you probably will miss the NFL as much as I do.

Luckily, Vienna has solved the NFL problem. Actually, more specifically, the Marriott in Vienna has solved the NFL problem - one of the many reasons they are my favorite hotel chain. In the lobby of the hotel is an American sports bar called Champions.

If you need a Peyton Manning Fix: go to Champions Sports Bar on Sunday to watch the NFL live. It's a pretty fun place to go. They have amazing burgers and nachos (they are a little pricey, but totally worth every Euro cent) and European beer - that's a better combo than an ESPN ad staring Eli and Peyton. They have TVs everywhere showing different sports, and many of them are dedicated the NFL game. The only catch (or incomplete pass) is they only show one game at a time, and it's usually the Patriots, Jets, or Bears games. I've seen the Chargers, Steelers, Giants, and the Colts a few times, but not as much as the other three. Occasionally, you'll see the other teams, but it's usually only if they're playing an East Coast team or if it's a rival game. In other words, you don't see the Broncos very often.

But, other than that, it's great. You're watching football live on either CBS of Fox. And, you can tell your daddy, uncles, and friends, "Just remember that when I'm watching the exact same football game as you, at the exact same time as you, on the exact same channel as you, I'm drinking better beer than you."

Find a Book... in English

Train rides can be long. Subway rides can be long. Sitting in your room can be long. Sometimes, you just need a book.

This past week, Skyler and I went around the city looking for books in English. Finding them is actually easier than you might think. There are several bookstores in Vienna that sell at least a few English books.

Tip: find a book to read. It is possible to do so in this city at a reasonable price. They usually charge the USD price in Euros, so you're just paying exchange rate... I know, this can be an "ouch." However, I have found some useful books:

1. British Harry Potter hardcover first editions for 11 Euros - one advantage to everyone not speaking English is you can find rare books for cheap

2. The Historian for 3 Euros - it's $20 USD

3. The new Dan Brown book... score.

Catch Up with Some Old Friends

One of the great things about the Deutschkurs (German Course) IGE has you take is it is run through an independent company. This means that other people take the German course, as well.

Last year, when I took the course, I met three Korean students who are in Vienna studying music. We became friends and hung out a few times after class last year.

Take time to catch up with some old friends. My friends from the Deutschkurs called me, and we all went out to dinner to catch up with each other. This is one of the great things about this city. People don't seem to forget you, and they are excited to see you. Also, it's a great city to make friends in while you're studying abroad.

Go to Oktoberfest!

Everyone who likes beer at all should probably go Oktoberfest in Munich at some point in their life. And, when you study abroad in Vienna, it's pretty easy to do so. While I didn't attend this year, I went last year and several of the students in our group went this year.

You can catch an early morning train out of Vienna, show up in Munich at about 11 AM, hang out at the festival all day, and then either spend the night or catch a late train back to Vienna.

Oktoberfest is one of the only things in that I have experienced that lives up to the hype. It is a ton of fun to sing German folk songs to a live band, drink really good beer, eat a pretzel that is literally bigger than your face, and meet people from around the world.

This year's group did something kind of unique and bought costumes. They went to thrift stores and bought Austrian/German style clothing. It was very fun to see them all dressed up.

You should definitely go to Oktoberfest. But, if you do, there are ground rules...

However, please follow Kevin's Top 10 Rules to Oktoberfest Happiness. Seriously, they are words to live by:

Kevin's Top 10 Oktoberfest Keys to Happiness

10. Embrace bavaria, lederhosen and all.
9. Avoid the Curry Wurst - no seriously - nothing good ever came of the mixture of beer and Curry Wurst.
8. Just say no to Candied Almonds - you'll thank me later
7. Roller coasters should be ridden upon arrival or not all - again nothing good ever came of the mixture of beer and roller coasters.
6. The beer maids will never cut you off - they will call the Polizei to haul your ass away long before they stop serving you.
5. Learn the songs and sing along - nothing like it in the world.
4. Bring cash - Bavarians don't drink beer on credit.
3. Just say yes to the very very large yummy pretzels. Consume with abandon.
2. Those really are ONE LITER beers... Those really are ONE LITER beers...
1. No more than ONE LITER an hour if you are over 150 pounds and ONE LITER every TWO hours if you are less than 150 pounds. Think of it like the beer version of a speed limit.

Tour Parliament

Dr. Werner Michler, our literature professor, is probably one of the most well-read people I've ever met. Not only is he an expert in Central European literature, but he also knows every English speaking author we like.

Anyway, part of his class consists of learning how the Austrian government has worked throughout history. He thinks it is essential to understanding some of the context for Central European literature. So, for class one day, he decided to take the group on a guided tour through Austrian Parliament on the Ring Strasse.

Thing 48 to Do While Studying in Vienna: take a tour of the parliament building. It is definitely worth seeing. Throughout the building, different sculptures of Roman and Greek Gods decorate the hallways. They all represent different governmental ideals such as wisdom.

One of the halls is called the "Marble Room" and it is a room made completely out of marble. There are giant red marble columns that weigh 16 tons each.




Additionally, you also get a good look at the Former House of Representatives Chamber. It was the first chamber built for the new House of Representatives by the Emperor. The room is very historic, and it is not used very often today because it lacks modern computer plug-ins. However, there was a time when it was a very busy room. Our tour guide told us that the original representatives spoke about 14 different languages, and the people who spoke German were at an advantage. In order to combat this, politicians would bring in musical instruments and play very loudly so representatives couldn't hear each other. I get that this city really likes and appreciates music, but this might have even crossed the Viennese level of tolerance...

Visit the Hofburg Theatre

The Hofburg Theatre is one of the most beautiful buildings on the Ring Strasse. It is located across from the Rathaus.

Take a second to pause and really look at the buildings. One of the things I noticed about being back this second time in Vienna was I never really stopped to closely examine all the buildints in Vienna. It would be a mistake to not spend the time to look at things because so much detail and thought goes into each building. There are words, symbols, statues, and pieces of art all over the buildings that you'd miss if you just glanced at them but are in plain sight if you take a second to stop.

The Hofburg Theatre is one of those buildings. I used to think it was kind of plain and only mildly interesting. However, I came to realize that there are lots of interesting things on it. The outside is decorated with statues of famous play writers including Shakepseare and Goethe. Additionally, there are beautiful statues on the top of it. It is actually quite a unique looking theatre.