A New Mexican/Iowan/Bulgarian Smoothie

After I posted my previous entry, my stay here in Vienna changed pace. I was still in the same chair I had been in for three hours when two young Americans, who had been cooking dinner in the microwave, accosted me. They knew, after listening in on my Skype conversation with my parents, that I was American, and the taller, blonde male invited me to their side of the lounge to have a drink. I was elated that I had experienced human interaction. So I accepted the offer and enjoyed a Screwdriver while learning about the lives of 4 individuals. We sat together until 1 AM; they were so kind as to invite me to walk around Vienna with me the next day and join them on a Pub Crawl in the evening. Nik and Justin are friends who attend school at the University of New Mexico. Justin spent his most recent semester studying in Spain while Nik is fluent in German thanks to his Deutsch Oma and Mutter.

Justin and Nik, respectively. Exploring the Volksgarten. They wore the same Levi's black jeans and white Hanes V-Neck tees.

Giselle...but she is NOT the reason I took a picutre of this billboard. I covet that bathing suit.

Calzedonia is cheap and amazingly fashionable.

I was in luck! Justin and Nik decided they wanted to go to a restaurant for lunch. This would be my first real sit-down meal in Vienna...I haven't wanted to go to a Cafe to eat alone. We went to a small street-side restaurant a sat at a table on the sidewalk. Our waiter spoke no English and the menu was mostly in German. This made me reminiscent of German 3/4!

Kaffee gefaellt mir. In Europe they give you tiny porcelain cups with portions that are probably not worth the price. But when in Wien...

Ich bestellte Gulaschsuppe! It was a lot like gumbo with a handful of potato chunks and slivers of meat. So delicious....

We spent a nice hour and a half talking over our food. Getting to know those two was refreshing and reminded me of college. They each have an appealing sense of humor. Justin spontaneously bursts out in song and I call him a walking Jukebox because he is a connoisseur of the most excellent music. Nik does wonderful impersonations. He spent most of our meal time imitating the voices of various individuals he has encountered on his European trip.

They decided ice cream was a necessary wrap-up for the sight-seeing portion of the day...

Pistaccio and...another flavor that looked irresistable. The latter had nuts in it- big chunks. This was a most delightful combination.

That evening Nik, Justin, John (the Austrian) and Malcolm took me to a cool bar where the Pub Crawl (bar-hopping event) was supposed to being. Not enough people showed up (there were 8 of us in there for a majority of the evening) so we just hung out there and listened to Amy Winehouse, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and some 80s rock. I had a good talk with the one bartender and met his partner in crime, who hails from Australia. It was a good, laid-back evening...so nice to get away from the Hostel and form friendships with strangers.

Thursday was CORPUS CHRISTI (Fronleichnam in Oesterreich) and all shops and most restaurants are closed. I woke for breakfast to see off Justin and Nik. We ate and sat in the courtyard beneath the late morning sun until they checked out. I climbed the endless stairs to my 3rd floor room only to be greeted by the worn-out hides of two men from Arizona, who were still lying in their beds at 6 P.M. in Vienna... What a bunch of bums. I got dressed and headed in the direction of the Augarten in hopes of reading and writing until evening set in. I made it half of the way there before it began to rain. Bummed, I turned in the other direction and trudged back to the hostel, sliding around on the slippery sidewalks. First, though, I had to pick up a Cafe Latte from Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up. I returned and plopped down in the lounge with my computer, where I was joined by the Iowan named Malcolm and Sara from Bulgaria. We sat together waiting out the weary rain. A man named Alex came to the lounge and began talking to us. He lives in Bohn, Germany and was once fluent in the language. I think his Deutsch is still superior. He was a very opinionated individual. The rest of the night was spent with John (the Austrian who has been in the Hostel for 3 weeks) and Malcolm, Sara, Alex and my other female roommate named Nina. She is a sweet, laid-back girl who is friendly and smiles often. She is looking for a flat.

Today Sara and Malcolm and I went to breakfast together. The Bulgarian and I decided to walk to the Augarten together today, and so we spent a good 4 hours wandering the streets of Vienna, getting to know each other. I am so glad to have met her. She is smart, outgoing, well-traveled, and she knows how to have a good time. I think she also possesses a strong sense of self, and she was helpful in decoding many alien German words for this humbled student. We returned to the Hostel around 2 because the wind was too nippy and drizzle had been falling periodically from the sky. Vienna's weather changes by the minute; some days it's so hot that I wish I would run around in a bathing suit, while days like today a jacket is necessary while the sun momentarily rests behind the clouds. Nina was reading in her bed when we returned, so Sara and I both climbed into our respective bunks and I fell asleep shortly after. Two hours later, I woke to three mens' voices. Turns out 3 Scottish men are our new roommates... I like this very much. There are also quite a few Australians and Canadians around right now. Hostels allow for endless international interaction, and I am so pleased to have discovered this location on my own.

Right now, John, Sara and Malcolm are sitting at the bar in the lounge munching on chips and discussing the American stereotype as perceived by Europeans...

This is a conversation I cannot miss.

I have officially been in Vienna for one whole week. Already I have made this Hostel my home and this city my playground.

More adventures are guaranteed to come.

: )

P.S. I have never loathed the discussion of politics more than I do right now.

John says I say profound things.