Amsterdam set me free

So it turns out posting consistently on this was harder than I expected. Finding time to chronicle all of the cool things I did, near death experiences I encountered, and the plethora of food I consumed was nearly impossible. So as I sit in my new dorm in London (which is beautiful btw), I'm going to throw together one last post about my time in Amsterdam and the best things I was lucky enough to experience.

1. Cheese
Holland is known for their cheese, or in dutch, kaas. I cannot even count the number of times we wandered into cheese shops, which are scattered literally EVERYWHERE and just sampled cheese for fun, without paying a cent. You can find these cheese shops in Dam Square with all the tourist shops and you can find them hidden in more residential areas. There is even a free cheese museum in Jordaan where you can learn how to make cheese and proceed to adorn yourself in Dutch clogs and aprons for a photo op. If you ever visit, taste some cheese.

2. Art
The Museumplein in Amsterdam is gorgeous. We've all seen that I Amsterdam sign, which is front of the very famous Rijksmuseum. The Rijks houses countless famous pieces including The Milkmaid, other Vermeers, and plenty of Rembrants. Two friends and I spent an hour wandering around on an audio tour. Not only was the art interesting, but the actual building was breathtaking. We had so much fun just wandering around and reading about the pieces and talking about how fun would it be to go on a date to a museum - you would always have something to talk about! The Van Gogh exhibit and the Stedelijk Modern Art Museum are in the same area. Unfortunatly I did not have time to make it to these two. i would have loved to see the Van Goghs, but the line was insanely long every time I went. I ended up buying a really cool oil painting copy of my favorite Van Gogh from a stand in the square so that's going to have to be enough for me.

3. Biking
In Amsterdam, there are 1.5 bikes for every 1 person. Biking is a way of life, and the locals are animals on their freakin bikes. They ride with no hands, sipping coffee, talking on cell phones, and weaving in and out of traffic. Us on the other hand ride at a snails pace, wait at red lights like losers, turn left when we're not supposed to, and almost get hit by cars. I literally almost got hit by a car, saw my life flash before my eyes, and listened to a man yell "hey fuck you and take care of yourself". A little bit of a conflicting statement but I assume something was lost in translation. Biking home from the bars is always a bit of blur. And one time I got hit by a bike when I was walking. But if you're in Amsterdam, you HAVE to bike. It's the fastest and cheapest way to get around and it is so FUN. Going out at night on your bike is always an adventure and it's also a great way to see the city. I felt like I freakin owned the world when I was on my bike, despite the fact that I literally sucked at it. But whatever.

4. Pie and Waffles 
Apple Pie at Winkel. That stuff is the best. The crust is literally the best I've ever had and the pieces are giagantic. Winkel is in Jordaan, near the Anne Frank House and you must must must go if you want to have a truly Dutch apple tart. I went three times while I was there and honestly I wish I was eating it right now. Waffles are also all the rage in Amsterdam. They're so sugary and you can find them anywhere. We would get them during our lunch break sometimes at this little juice bar in Dam Square called la fruteria

5. Anne Frank 
At first I wasn't really interested in seeing the Anne Frank House - I assumed there wouldn't be much to see and it seemed a bit cliche to me. However, a lot of my friends really wanted to go so I started thinking about it and decided while I'm here I might as well check it out. And I am so glad I went. Quotes from the diary are posted all over the museum and in the house, and you can a really eery feeling of what it must have been like to live there. The story of Anne Frank is one of the most fascinating in history if you ask me. Being able to look into the mind of a girl so young, living in a time so stricken with panic and disaster and hate, is so sad and so intriguing and so educational all at once. When I saw her room, still baring the postcards and pictures Anne hung on the walls, I was overcome with emotion - this is where a girl who so deeply understood the importance of freedom was forced to hide and suppress the person she was. It was really eye-opening and I highly suggest that if you have a chance, you visit.

6. Canals
We spent most of our afternoons wandering around the Jordaan neighborhood and sitting on the edge of the canals, yelling at people to let us on their boats. We would eat ice cream, or tan, or just talk and watch the boats and bikes go by. There's something about being near water that is so soothing to me - I'm instantly relaxed when I'm near it. Maybe that's why I was so at ease in Amsterdam. All I know is that I'm going to miss sitting at those canals more than anything in Amsterdam.

7. Albert Hein  
I didn't make this list in any particular order, but if I had this should probably be number one. I could probably write a novel about the glory of Albert Hein, but I'll refrain. AH is the main grocery store in Amsterdam, and it's pretty much the best part about the entire city. First of all, they are EVERYWHERE. Secondly, everything in them is cheap. You can buy 3 liters of sparkling water for 58 cents! You can buy wine for 2 euros! But the best part about Albert Hein is the prepared food. They have so many salads that are all so yummy and they are all like 5 euros each. We would buy lunch and dinner from AH at least 4 times a week I would say. The fruit was always fresh and cheap and glorious. The salads made my heart sing. Their fresh squeezed juices rocked my world. Oooooh man I miss Albert Hein.

8. Chupitos 
Everyone in the world needs to go a shot bar. Why had I never been before?!?! This place literally only sold shots and they were all insane. For the ones I ordered, they lit the bar on fire and gave us marshmallows on a stick. You roast the marshmallow, take the shot, and chase with your charred beauty. They had over 50 shot concoctions and most of them involved fire. We probably ordered a few too many but we had sooo much fun dancing in the tiny cramped little corner.

9. Freedom 
While Albert Hein was good to me, the absolute best part of Amsterdam was the freedom. The Dutch people are so relaxed, comfortable with themselves, blunt, and free. The liberal social policies in the Netherlands give the people the oppurtunity to embrace themselves without any repercussions. While weed, drugs, and prostitution are at your finger tips, few Dutch people actually partake in those activities. The social policy turns risky behavior into a systematic business with regulations to protect those that do engage. When nothing is novelty, people aren't so tempted to taste the forbidden fruit. I have never felt so comfortable in my life. It took two weeks to adapt to my surroundings, but once I did, I was so at peace. I wasn't constantly worrying about what I looked like or if I was gaining weight or if I should talk to boys. I truly lived every moment that I had in Amsterdam without focusing on unimportant static complexities. And that is how life should be. And I owe Amsterdam for finally allowing me to realize that. For setting me free

Paris is always a good idea.. 6/13-6/15

Ah, Paris... the city of love, lights, and strikes apparently. I just got back from a weekend trip to Paris and had a nightmare of a trip back. Workers go on strike all the time in Paris so the flight was delayed 3 hours because there was no one to put the bags in the plane. While I am thrilled to be back in the land of practicality and efficiency, my weekend in Paris was pretty fabulous. 

6 other students and I had the opportunity to visit Paris with 2 study abroad advisors and a group of 100 other CIEE students from other locations. I have been to Paris once before, when I was about ten years old. The only thing I really remember about it was my dad pointing out all the people on motorcycles and telling me if I ever rode one that I would fall and my skin would burn off onto the asphalt. That morbid thought seemed to consume my mind for the rest of the trip (and my life.. still haven't been on a motorcycle). 

My friends and I walked around Paris for literally 7 hours on Friday. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the military school, the love lock bridge, bridges in general, and countless other monuments. Everything in Paris is so grand - all the buildings have black iron terraces and flowers overflowing everywhere. The architecture is incredible - I was in awe looking at Notre Dame. It's definitely one of the most impressive Gothic structures I've ever seen. It looks so different from other churches I've seen which I thought was interesting. When I see such intricate and insane churches it just blows my mind thinking about the work that went into creating the building and the details and the fact that people did it for the sake of religion. I've been thinking a lot about people's motives lately and to think that religion was so significant that it led to some of the most amazing art and architecture is so crazy and to me. 

We ate dinner at a fancy french cafe, scarfing down lentil salad, chicken, potatoes, loads of bread, and apple tarts. This was the first opportunity I had to get to know some of the people who came with me to Paris from Amsterdam. Our group in Amsterdam is about 40 students, so I had yet to really talk with some of them. It was really nice to step out of my comfort zone and get to know some people I wouldn't have had a chance to talk to otherwise. After dinner, we were all exhausted (and broke) so we went back to the hostel instead of going out. 

The next day we visited the Louvre - I've seen the Mona Lisa before but that was ten years ago. Turns out it's still a let down. My favorite part was the new Egyptian exhibit and the Code of Hammurabi. It took us about 30 minutes to find the latter, but I was adamant about seeing it. By the time we finally stumbled upon it, I had about a minute to snap a picture before we had to leave. It was my favorite thing I saw and everyone was making fun of me since it literally just looked like a slab of rock and we spent forever looking for it. Oh well - it's the first law ever and that's pretty freakin cool. And I have a pic. 

We ate lunch outside on the steps and I almost go attacked by a demented white pigeon. This pigeon, I kid you not, was determined to get close to me. It wasn't afraid of humans and when my friends tried to shoo it away it just stepped closer to us. It backed me into a corner and then finally flew up onto a ledge and stared at us. We got up and sat on another section of steps. 20 minutes later, the bird showed up on a new ledge and came within a foot of my head. My new friends learned of my paralyzing bird fear rather quickly. 

That night, after attending a comedy show focused on Parisian versus American stereotypes, we went out for wine and crepes and then to a bar to watch Italy and England play in the World Cup. I met this (hammered) British guy who claimed that Philadelphia was the best city in the world and that he was going to move there in a year. "Fuck New York," he said, "It's all about Philadelphia. That place is the best. It's always sunny, cheesesteaks, south street". I thought he was messing with me and I asked him where he got a cheese steak, the which he responded with Jim's on South. I was ready to marry this dude on the spot. What the hell are the chances that someone from London thinks that Philly is the greatest city in the world????

On our final day in Paris we had free time. I had been planning to go to the Catacombs since the day I learned I'd be going to Paris. I wasn't sure if anyone would want to go with me so I was planning on going alone, but luckily I was able to convince my friend Tavia that seeing piles of bones would be a great way to spend a Sunday. To my surprise, a ton of other people seemed to have the same idea and the line was 2.5 hours long. We had a tight schedule to follow and had to be back at the hostel by 2:15 to catch a train to the airport, and we ended up being 15 minutes late, but it was totally worth it. Tavia and I met these two guys from Atlanta who were studying abroad in France - one in Paris and one in the south. They were super cool and we ended up hanging out with them throughout the whole line and into the Catacombs. The kid in Paris wants us to come back for Bastille Day LOL.

But back to the 6 million people buried beneath the city - it was INSANE. You descend on this narrow spiral staircase, 19 meters underground, and you're just faced with a labyrinth. Before you know it, you're staring at piles of artfully stacked bones and skulls, and you can TOUCH them. Hell, I could have taken one if I wanted. You wander around for 2 kilometers, and there are just more and more and more bones, along with creepy latin phrases carved into the stone, such as "To me, death is gain". The catacombs were creepy, though-provoking, and strangely beautiful. We had fun meeting new people and navigating the city on our own. It was by far my favorite thing we did in Paris.

And now I'm back for one last week in Amsterdam. I really want to go back to Paris sometime - there's so much to take in and see and taste and we just didn't have enough time. However, I am glad to be back. Paris is a beautiful and romantic place to visit. The building are grand, the art is famous, the food is delicate and delicious, but it's all a little overwhelming. In Amsterdam, I feel more at peace. From the canals, to the boats and the smaller scale, Amsterdam feels more like home to me than a city like Paris. And I need to make the most of it in our last week! I'm sad to be leaving, happy to be getting to London, but grateful that I have these next few days to really immerse myself in Amsterdam!

Dordrecht and Den Haag

Our class embarked on a 2 day trip to Dordrecht and Den Haag on June 4th. We went on a walking tour of the quaint Dordrecht. The city was so cute, despite the constant drizzle. We toured some nursing homes and spoke briefly about the aging population and the problems it's creating in health care systems across the world. The plan two day excursion was to visit sites in which we could learn about euthanasia and psychiatry in the Netherlands, so the first day included a hospital visit. We ended our walking tour at a restaurant that was staffed by people with mental handicaps and disabilities which I thought was a really cool and practical idea. Like I've said before, the Dutch are practical people and everything they do just seems to make sense. We had sandwiches and some of the best mushroom soup I've ever had.

We made our way to a big hospital and heard from a nurse, a doctor, and a counselor on the topic of euthanasia. Hearing personal stories from people who had actually administered euthanasia really opened my eyes. I understand why it's a controversial subject, but in the end I believe we all of autonomy over our own lives and if we want the option to end it, we should be able to make that choice. It gets tough when you have to consider that doctors are the ones who actually have to provide the drug. Doctors shouldn't be forced to take life, but we should have the right to ask for it to end? It gets confusing, but the way it's done here seems very... practical. 

That night we stayed at a StayOkay Hostel, the same type of place we stayed at in Amsterdam for the first week. It was literally in the middle of no where and it looked like a summer sleep away camp in the middle of the USA. We sat at the hostel bar and played cards because there was literally nothing else to do. I woke up thinking I was in Montana or something as I looked out at the lake and log cabins. We left the hostel and spent the day in Den Haag, the government capital of the Netherlands. We toured the Hall of the Knights and some other government buildings and were then given a free day. We had no idea what to do so naturally we pretended one of my friends was getting married and we went into a tacky bridal boutique. As Cassie browsed through the dresses mumbling about her January wedding, Iman and I were trying to track down someone who worked there to let us into a dressing room. The woman clearly knew we were messing around when she told us we needed an appointment to try on dresses, despite the shop being completely empty. We sulked out, defeated and in need of pie. We saw people eating desserts in the window of a fancy department store so we went in and literally bought a whole strawberry cheesecake. We're clearly growing and maturing while abroad. 

We obviously got lost on the way back to our third StayOkay Hostel (they're all the rage in the Netherlands apparently) and it took us an hour to find it. I FINALLY got a hairdryer here so I made my hair look presentable for the first time since leaving the US. We went out that night and actually managed to find our way back to the hostel after, which I was super proud of. 

On our way back to Amsterdam on Friday we stopped at a psychiatric facility to learn about mental health care in the Netherlands. Mental illness is a lot less stigmatized here and people with mental disabilities are treated, for the most part, just as everyone else. Mental health care is also covered in the basic health care package here, and medication is prescribed significantly less often than in the US. Learning about the similarities and differences between here and home has been absolutely fascinating, although I still cannot decide what I think the ideal health care system would be. 

After leaving the psychiatric facility we went to the beach. And this beach literally looked like the Jersey Shore. I'm not even kidding - there was a boardwalk lined with restaurants, tacky arcades, beach shops, and ice cream parlors. It was the weirdest cultural experience - so similar and yet so different. We ate lunch and got ice cream and frolicked in the freezing ocean before finally packing it in and heading back to Amsterdam.

6/2-6/3

Even though Vienna was amazing, I had a major case of fomo while we were gone. We had only been in Amsterdam for a week before Anna and I packed it in and left the country. I was nervous that all of the girls we liked would have bonded while we were gone and that it would be super awkward when we got back. Luckily that was not the case at all. Our friends were super excited to hear about our weekend and they welcomed us back into the group. Unfortunately, we did miss out on a lot of the touristy things -. our friends visited the Van Gogh exhibits, a cheese room, the Heineken Experience, and did a canal tour while we were gone. Now Anna and I are gonna have to find some time to fit in those things. 

We've been learning about homebirth, child care, and euthanasia for the past two days. One thing I've realized from being here and from learning in the classroom is that the Dutch are extremely pragmatic. If they see a problem, they try to hit the nail on the head and fix it as swiftly and simply as possible. So - when it comes to euthanasia, if there are people who want to end the their suffering, the Dutch decide they might as well administer a safe way of doing so. Rates of people who are actually euthanized are surprisingly quite low in the Netherlands. I believe when you give people all their of options and nothing is novelty, outcomes are typically better. For example, abstinence is not even taught in health classes here. Sex is accepted as a normal part of life, and teens are taught about safe sex at an early age. The levels of teenage pregnancy are extremely low in the Netherlands, and I believe that's because they do not treat sex as a taboo. On Wednesday, we're taking a trip to two other cities, Dordrecht and Den Haag, to visit hospitals and learn more about euthanasia, and I am fascinated to hear more takes on the subject. 

Tonight, we wandered around the canals by our class and ate dinner and a little bar. The waitress literally hated us and kept giving us the evil eye. Americans get a really terrible rap and it kind of sucks because it turns us into a huge stereotype . I 'm the first to admit that Americans can be weird and annoying - but it does not mean we're all uncivilized and loud and obnoxious. It's been surprisingly hard to be taken seriously when you look young and you only speak English. We spent an hour trying to get the check and finally made ​​our way out. A few people wanted to go to a pub that night so I went home to shower while some other girls went to get wine and cheese. 

Since I was the only one who had not been out in Amsterdam yet, my friends decided to show me the Red Light District on our way to the bar. This is something I have come to have extremely mixed feelings about. Clearly, the Dutch are known for their liberal social policy and pragmatic outlook. Prostitution happens in every country, so why not legalize it, normalize it, and regulate it? Going into this trip, I supported the Dutch way. I've become a pretty adamant feminist in the past year, and I am all for female autonomy. If a woman wants to sell her body, shouldn't she be allowed to? If prostitution is inevitable, isn't it a good idea to regulate it? Make it less of a novelty? It turns out there are still serious problems with sex trafficking here, which I did not realize prior to starting class. 

When I walked into the Red Light District, I did not expect to have such a strong reaction. I felt SO weird when I saw the nearly naked girls in the windows. I felt even weirder when I saw a man casually strolling out of one of the girls rooms. And I felt angry and disgusted when I saw men banging on the windows and talking to the women while their friends stood a few feet away bent over laughing. Seeing the women objectified like that made ​​me want to cry, scream, and punch things. How can these men be so disgusting, I thought to myself. But wait, the woman is choosing this. But is she? It's all really confusing and I honestly do not know how I feel about it. We're doing a unit on prostitution in class soon, and I cannot wait to learn more. 

I do not have any pictures from the Red Light because that just felt fucked up, but here are some pictures I've taken on my way to and from class!

My Weekend in WIen: 5/30-6/1

*Warning: this post is going to be loooong and detailed and possibly boring, but I want to document every detail!*

Anna and I planned to catch a train at 7:31 at a train station that was only 9 minutes away. We left at 7:00, assuming we had plenty of time. Continuing with the theme of this trip and my life in general, we got lost. We ran into the train station at 7:30, shoved our way past people to get to the platform, and saw the train. Relieved, we strolled up to the train doors, pressed the button to open the doors, and all of a sudden it zoomed away. Well shit. Luckily, the train stations here have an information box where you can press a button, talk to an attendant, and they can help you figure out which train to take and which platform to go to.

After our snafu in the morning, everything else seemed to go relatively smoothly. We still got to the airport with plenty of time, grabbed breakfast, and flew to Vienna. I’ve never been before, but Vienna is one of my Dad’s favorite cities. I also had a friend growing up who was half Viennese, so I’ve always had an urge to visit. Anna is one of my best friends from school, and she’s lived in Europe for nearly her entire life. He dad is Austrian and her mom is American, so she has a really cool world view and has been exposed to a lot of different lifestyles. Having her as a tour guide in Vienna was something I was super excited about. I’ve also never been to a residential neighborhood in a European city because my family and I would typically stay downtown. I’ve always wondered what houses and yards and neighborhoods actually look like in Europe.

Anna’s house is absolutely beautiful, and her neighborhood is really cool. In Vienna, trams run throughout the city and into the ‘suburbs’ so transportation into the city is really easy to come by. The tramline was the main thing that was different in her neighborhood than in mine. We showered off our morning and made our way into the city center via metro. When we arrived, there was a huge parade going on. An Austrian marching band was playing in the main square, called Stephansplatz in front of Vienna’s famous cathedral Stephansdom. Tons of stands were set up selling wine and food and other goods and it reminded me of the Christmas markets I’ve seen in Berlin and New York, except it was springtime. Anna was excited because she totally forgot that Kirt Fest was that day. Kirt Fest is basically the same as the Christmas markets, just celebrating spring instead of winter. She told me everything we were seeing was very ‘Austrian’. We got some wine and then made some of the marching band boys take a picture with me.

We explored the cathedral, which was beautiful. My two favorite things to see in other countries are churches and dungeons so I was thrilled as we strolled through some other churches as well. I may be the most unreligious person you’ll ever come across, but there is something so fascinating, creepy, and beautiful about churches. Later, she took me to the national library, a rose garden, and the stunning Hofburg Palace. The weather was perfect and the city was gorgeous. We stopped by a famous Austrian dessert boutique, Demel, and tried to get the waitresses to pay attention to us. We look like children so we get ignored half the time. We finally sampled some cakes and hot chocolates and continued to shop and wander around Wien.

That night, we went out with some of Anna’s new Austrian friends that she literally met the weekend before. We played some really fun drinking games that I plan to introduce in the USA and we hit some bars that Anna frequented in high school. We made it back early according to European standards and were in bed by 2:30.

Anna’s brothers and their friend made us a feast for breakfast after we were somehow roped into picking up flowers for their prom. We got all of our stuff together for Life Ball and Anna’s mom drove us to the salon for hair and makeup. In Vienna, balls are huge social events. Ball season is in the winter, and there are countless balls that all sorts of people go to, but every spring only one big ball is held, and that’s the Life Ball. As an American, I didn’t really grasp the concept of what a ball actually was. Anna has constantly tried to explain them to me, but we don’t really have anything comparable in the US. Life Ball actually seems most similar to the Met Gala – every year there is a different theme and people dress up to such an extent that you would call the outfits’ costumes. This year, the theme was Garten der Luste, or Garden of Earthly Delights. Everyone is supposed to dress up in some sort of garb that fits the theme. People go all out for this – celebrities make appearances, hair and make up is supposed to be insane, and a lot of people forgo clothes all together, opting for body paint or flowers to cover themselves. Life Ball is a huge fundraiser for HIV/AIDS research; it’s a hugely important event for the LGBT community and it’s a chance we everyone to celebrate freedom and equality while raising money to fight a disease that targets inequality.

I can’t even begin to put the Life Ball into words – there was a four hour opening in which we saw opera singers, dancers, Christina Perri, Ricky Martin, Marcia Cross, Bill Clinton, and a Vogue fashion show. I was in awe – and in pain. My feet were about to give out and leave me in a heap on the floor. I kept standing on one foot to give the other a break. But in all seriousness, the costumes, the music, the performances, the artistry, City Hall – it was all gorgeous and breathtaking. At 11, the guests are ushered into City Hall. Those with VIP tickets go to a grand ballroom and are served a plated meal, and all other guests are allowed to roam to a from the bazillions of rooms set up with DJs. We danced and wandered until 2 am and then headed out to a club. Anna and her friend Val took me to one of their favorite clubs and we ran into her brothers there, celebrating after prom. Needless to say, their after prom was worlds away from the one I experienced in a janky Ocean City hotel with communal bathrooms and rats.

We stayed at the club until 5:30 and when we left it was literally daylight. I was in shock. My American body is typically home by 2 or 3. We slept until noon the next day and Anna’s parents took us to a traditional Viennese restaurant where we sipped mimosas and ate boiled beef and bone marrow – and it was really good! As we sat in the airport waiting to go back to Amsterdam I remember thinking that this weekend was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will likely never have again. Who on earth ever thinks they’re going to get invited to a ball in Austria over the summer? I was lucky enough not only to have the opportunity to go to the ball but to experience Vienna from a local’s perspective, and I’ll never forget it!

5/29/2014

All of my roommates like to journal, Which is making it really easy to find time to post here!  It's such a good way to record all the things I do and the way I'm thinking or feeling at the time, and I'll be bootable to get to the blog and remember this whenever I want!  Our first lecture today was pretty interesting ad went by super fast.  , we have class everyday from 10-12, a break for lunch until 1, and then an outing or guest speaker until 3. We learned about the history of health care and public health in the Netherlands starting from the Middle Ages.  The Dutch were some of the first to treat health as a human right and made ​​extreme and important steps with water, sanitation and hygiene during the enlightenment.  In recent history, the Netherlands is what we call a welfare state, meaning the country Provides health care to all of its citizens.  There was a reform in 2006, but even more recently, the Dutch are facing problems That all countries are dealing with:. rising costs and aging populations  The King is asking for people to stop Relying on the state and to start Relying on the individual when it comes to health care, Potentially All All which could change the entire system.  'm so excited to learn about the differences between this and the NHS, and then compare it to what we deal with in America.

During the second half of the day, we took two trains to a town called Leiden where we took a tour of a medical science museum.  The whole thing was a bit random, but we did get to see the first high-powered microscope and the first EKG.  We took the train back to the east side of Amsterdam with our professor.  Anna and I are going to Vienna tomorrow, so we asked her to help us figure out a way to take the train to the airport in the morning.  While we were jotting down train times, the group walked back to the hostel as we tried to purchase our tickets.  When we started to head back, we Realized we had absolutely no idea where we were going.  , we ended up in the town over, went into a restaurant to ask for directions, and finally found our way back.  We just laughed at the whole thing, appreciated the fact that we managed to survive without iPhones, and took pictures with giant rocking chairs and a seesaw we found on the road. We quickly changed when we made it back to the hostel, only to walk back to the same train station we were just lost at, and hop on a tram to meet Anna's parents for dinner. We were super proud that we figured out how to navigate our way to the center city. When we got to the hotel, we sat at the bar next to these belligerently drunken Germans who kept toasting Anna's dad to 'producing us' and yelling "Here's to puberty!" It was creepy and hilarious and then the guy bought us all champagne. 

Tomorrow we're going to Vienna for Life Ball, a huge AIDS fundraiser held annually.  I have no idea what to expect, but the theme is "A Garden of Earthly Delights" sooo I'm sure it will be fascinating.  Can not wait!