Serbia... and German Lessons

This past  weekend, I was lucky enough to venture to Novi Sad, Serbia. I went with Alma, Ian, Alma's friend Edna (who is Serbian) and her two children. The 6 of us left late Thursday night and after an exhausting 8 hour bus we arrived. Friday morning, we walked around the old fortress in town. This fortress is the sight for the famous Exit Music Festival, which unfortunately, we missed by a week. But, still we got a beautiful view of the city and the river. It was about 100 degrees, making it unbearable to be in sun during the afternoon, so the 6 of us, along with Edna's mom spent the afternoon relaxing in her air conditioned apartment. The 4 of us sat around and talked while the little ones played in the next room. 

Saturday, we took the kids to an indoor playground, which they loved, and then went window shopping. We were lucky enough to get some rain, so it wasn't so hot. I made great friends with Leon, Edna's oldest son who is 6. He can speak English, so we got along immediately, playing rock paper scissors countless times. This made Ian a little jealous I think, so he started to warm up to me a little. 

Saturday night was quite an adventure. Alma and I went out with Edna's friends from when she lived in Novi Sad. Oddly enough, Edna and I wound up wearing the same dress, so we spent the night trying to avoid standing next to each other. It was kind of funny. 

Sunday, we had another 8 hour bus ride, this time even more exhausting. You were allowed to smoke in the back of the bus, which made for an unpleasant ride once the air conditioning broke. But we all made it back. 

I've been in German lessons the last 3 weeks. They are okay. I'm learning the basics, and I've made a few friends, which is good. One guy, Robert, is actually from Colorado. Finally, a friend to see all of the sights with. 

Slowly, the summer is coming to an end. I can't believe I have less than 3 weeks left here. Some days it feels like I've only been here a few short days. I can't believe that I've become accustomed to a whole new way of life. Everything from the way you hold your fork to the people's over all attitude is different here. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, but now I much of the differences feel natural to me. I love Europe and it's been absolutely wonderful for me. I wonder how I've changed. What will stick with me? Will it be hard to adjust back to live in America? Will I notice differences in myself? I think I already have... 

Adventures OUTSIDE Vienna

The weekend of the 4th, I met my cousin Elizabeth and four of her friends in Brussels for the weekend. We stayed at the incredibly embellished hotel mozart. I have to admit, it was a little gaudy, but fun all the same. My favorite decoration were the posters of Barack Obama all over the walls. I swear he was on every wall. 

We stayed a two minute walk from La Grande Place, which meant we were in the heart of the city. Brussels is a beautiful and old city. The streets are made of cobblestones, many of them un-drivable. The architecture is absolutely beautiful. There are buildings in every style, ranging from Renaissance to more a more modern style. Such a beautiful city, just like Vienna. 

On Saturday, we went and visited the Anatonium, a huge metal sculpture of an iron molecule. It was built in the 1950s to represent Belgium in a science fair. It was impressive and HUGE. We didn't climb to the top, but supposedly you can see the whole city. Instead, we made (stupidly) decided to go to Mini Europe, aka the biggest tourist trap in all of Europe. They made miniture sculptures of all of the important European landmarks and tourist attractions. We visited every country in the EU... But you could see Big Ben from the Eiffel Tower and Italy from Holland... so it wasn't quite the same :) 

Of course we  had to sample some of the wonderful Belgian cuisine: Belgian Waffles topped with ice cream fruit and chocolate sauce, which they sell on the streets. They were absolutely delicious but extremely messy. 

We celebrated the Fourth of July with a group of American boys that we met in one of the more famous bars in Brussels called Delirium. They are known for there many flavors of beer, including apple, passion fruit, and pomegranate. Don't worry, I didn't sample all of them. 

I loved Brussels, if only I had more time... 

The next weekend I journeyed to Bosnia with Ian, Alma, and Braco. It was Braco's 25th high school reunion.  It's hard to describe the weekend. Mostly it was me sitting around listening to the Memic family chatter in Bosnian. I did have some delicious meals prepared by Braco's mom and then spent evenings walking around town hearing stories from Alma and Braco's childhood. (They've been together 20 years this fall, since Alma was 17.) It was interesting listening to all of they're stories and memories. I guess it gave me a little insight into who they were, helping me understand who they are now. 

Next weekend, I'm off to Serbia...