Coming Full Circle

The sunset tonight in London. I took this at the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Well, tonight is my last night in Europe studying abroad.  I have had the time of my life, and I only wish that everyone could have the experience of living in a foreign country once in their lives, even though it can sometimes be challenging.  The rewards definitely outweigh any struggles I had to overcome.
Since I've been somewhat bad about writing the last few weeks, here is a quick wrap-up of my last few weeks in Vienna and visiting Krakow, and then the last few days (which, frankly, have been a whirlwind) in Frankfurt, Poitiers, Paris, and London.

I went to Krakow, Poland with some of the best people that I met studying abroad.  If you had asked me in August if I thought I would get to Poland in my time abroad, I would have said, "That would be cool I guess, but I seriously doubt it."  Sort of like how if you had asked me in August if I would get to Slovenia, I would have said, "Where?"  Sure enough, a week before our Dead Week before finals, we were on a train to Krakow.  That first day we went to Auschwitz concentration camp.  I agree with the people from IES who went there on the planned trip in September while I was in Slovenia and Italy with my group--it is something everyone should do in their lifetime if they can.  I was most strongly affected by the room devoted to the history and effects of the war on Poland and by the rooms with hallways lined with photograph/mugshots of the victims, but everyone in my group was impacted by something different.  It was important to me to learn how intensely Poland was devastated by World War Two. Poland was at war at every imaginable level--psychological, political, religious, economical, philosophical--everything was impacted. We visited on a cold, bitter December afternoon, and I could only try to imagine what it must have been like, even being so close to the history. 

The gate to Auschwitz with a rose someone placed through the wires.  The inscription above the gate reads, "Freedom through Work." Photo credit Yi Gong.

After returning to Krakow, we experienced culture shock because we happened upon the first mall we had been to since being home.  Especially going from Auschwitz (for crying out loud!), to "Blizzard Blitz Sales! All Gift Wrap 50% off!" it was a strange contrast.  Life goes on though and is going on. We learn from the past and we try to make something of it for the future.  I gained a better understanding of Poland's national story, which I will carry with me forever now.

Julian, Sophia, Yi, Peter and me on a butterfly bridge in Krakow

Jewish cemetery and world-famous pilgrimage point to see 16th century rabbi and writer Moses Isserles.  Photo credit Yi Gong.

Teapots at the Krakow Christmas market.  Photo credit Yi Gong.

The next day we went into the city of Krakow, which was a lot of fun.  We had this bread thing that was SO GOOD. Like pizza and bruschetta, but huge and amazingly tasty.  Nom.  We went on a tour that emphasized some Jewish history in Krakow and saw the old Jewish Quarter as well as the Jewish cemetery and Schindler's factory (the story that inspired the movie, Schindler's List). We then had a nice dinner near the downtown and explored the Christmas market!  And, as I had hoped, I got to hear the trumpet player who's fanfare cuts out in the middle.  The reason for this is that the trumpet player who sounded the warning of invading Turks in the Tower was shot through the throat with an arrow in the middle of it, therefore the city of Krakow pays tribute to this incident every hour.

When we got back that week, we had our last concert of the year.  I played some Strauss, Bach, Martin, Humperdink (for the Hansel and Gretel orchestral excerpt) and Shostakovitch.  Afterwards there were trombone players doing spontaneous Christmas carols and then a group singing carols and just sitting around and having a nice time.  Then we had a goodbye party at a bar and they showed a video that a couple of the students put together with pictures from the semester.  Then it was pretty much finals week and just wrapping up things I still needed to do and see in Vienna.  Sophia coordinated a meeting with a music conservatory student in Vienna, so I tagged along and got to hear what it is like to study music in Vienna in grad school.  I also went to the Natural History Museum with Peter and learned a lot about dinos and how ecosystems work.  My favorite part of the exhibit though was that there was a series of fossils in a glass case in sequence, like a shell-type fossil, a centipede-type fossile, etc. etc...and then there was a chunky black, early 90s complete-with-antenna Nokia Cell phone mounted next to the fossils!!!  I lol'd.

Sophia and Julian also had their joint piano recital on Monday, so I got to hear them play (it was great!) and then we went out to dinner at an Heuriger because it was ALSO Yi's 21st birthday.  It was SUCH a cool place--you walk down two flights of woods and then stone, cobbly stairs to what was a cellar as early as 1100.  I got schnitzel and beer because I knew it was probably going to be one of my last traditional Austrian meals.  At least until I make it for the fam at home, but it won't be as good until I become a Schnitzel Pro.

The last night that almost all of us were in Vienna together, we went out to dinner on Kartnerstrasse at the restaurant where Annarita and I befriended the waiter Berat aka Barry.  We then hopped over to Westbahnhof and checked out this cool pub.  Then I stayed up all night packing.  Then I said good bye to my roommates.  When Annarita left, and it was just me in the apartment, I got for the second time in my life that eerie feeling I got when I left my family at the airport in San Francisco--that strange realization that you are completely alone for the first time. I offset this feeling though temporarily because I had already made plans to get coffee with Yi and Peter since they hadn't left yet.  We went to Demal, the fancy tea house in Vienna.  Then we drank Red Bulls (they are an Austrian product, btw) while walking down Kartnerstrasse like a bunch of riffraff teenagers breaking the open can rule (which, btw, is NOT Austrian and does not exist in Austria). I then spent the next 24 hours cleaning the apartment and packing.

I arrived in Frankfurt Sunday night, then left early Monday morning to arrive in Poitiers, France Monday afternoon.  I met Scotty and he showed me around Poitiers.  It was so cool to see the Wild Bemis in his natural habitat, speaking a tongue he seems to know by both instinct and adaptation.  We were also invited to dinner by two of his friends.  Their mom prepared chili that rivalled my family's chili, and usually I love my family's chili more than anything else.  We then watched Beauty and the Beast II (it's a Christmas one).

Poitiers, France

The next morning I was up at 6 and I left Poitiers at 7, getting me to Paris by 8:30.  What a joy it was to have the whole day in Paris!  I walked around the Latin Quarter, imagining studying at the Sorbonne, walking through the medieval gardens of the Cluny Museum, peeking into the Bibliotheque Genevieve and a smaller cathedral that a Parisian recommended I visit, and walking through the Louvre courtyards--it was a complete pleasure that day, and I met a lot of nice Parisians and French, randomly enough!  I ended my time in Paris by meeting up with the Ellefsens again at a cafe!  I am so glad I got to meet them during my brief stay with Scotty!

Dangit. My converter isn't working and my computer is about to die. Nooooo!  I'll have to end this early and send this off to the Internet.  However, I think maybe a picture will say it all.  This is me today, on the top of St. Paul Cathedral's dome, ending where I began in London.  This has been the trip of a lifetime, and I hope I'm all the better from it.