Seeing the World: Daily Life in Konstanz, Germany & Adventures in Vienna, Austria

*from May 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I definitely have some catching up to do! Then after this, I for real need to study some heat transfer. I just got on the train a few minutes ago--I'm waiting for my train to leave the station in Zurich and am on my way to PARIS! :)

April 23: I arrived safely in Konstanz, got off the train, and heard someone call my name. It was one of my friends--he & another friend were on the same train as me from Zurich! We walked back to the apartment together. They had just come back from Venice.

I did laundry...I was able to operate the washer and dryer, but when I got my clothes out of the dryer, they were still wet/damp...I broke out the rope for clothesline and hung it up in my room. It worked surprisingly well!--aside from having to duck under it.

Drying my clothes...very slowly. :P

[Just left the station!] I also cooked dinner--spaghetti (finished the tomato paste) with salami and green pepper. It was not the best thing I have made, but it was edible.

Edible Meal

While I was cooking, I could hear video game sounds coming from my roommate's room and could hear him and a friend yelling "nein!" haha. I said hi to his friend, and they eventually left the apartment...and I heard him come back at like 5am.

April 24: I had classes today: fluids, machine design (got out 30 minutes early), heat transfer (started 30 minutes late), had lunch in the mensa, and then machine design. I went to the Welcome Party for the mechanical engineering department, foreign students, and Helping Hand. [Side note: do not wait 10 days to update journal!] I talked with professors/staff and students. They had food (sausages) and beverages for everyone--including a keg of beer that was warm on the outside, but dispensed cold beer.

Sausage & Pilsner

April 25: Fluids, Germany within Europe, lunch in mensa, heat transfer. After class I went to Aldi with some friends.

April 26: Fluids, fluids lab, lunch in room, finished packing, talked with my mom, ate dinner, and then went to the train station to start my journey to Vienna, Austria. Konstanz-->Zurich. Zurich-->Vienna. I was on the night train, and I didn't have a reservation. I went on the train, checked the sign to make sure that the seat I was about to take wasn't reserved, was about to sit down, and then a lady told me that there were no free seats...Not wanting to argue/discuss the matter further, I just went to another "cabin." Luckily, I found a seat. Overnight, I sat across from a guy & there were also 2 ladies there, who made beds out of the seats. I slept on and off...so not very well.

April 27: I arrived in Vienna around 7:30am. My mom's best friend from college was waiting for me at the station. She got my a transportation ticket and we went to her family's apartment. I got settled in, took a shower, and ate breakfast--eggs, bread, cheese, tea, salami. [I am currently in Paris!--at my brother's friend's apartment] She and I went out sight-seeing. We went to/saw (not necessarily in order): St. Stephen (big cathedral), a book store (where she bought me a tour book of Vienna), eis (a.k.a ice cream--I got stracciatella), churches--St. Michael, St. Peter, Capuchin, Roman ruins, Parliament building, City Hall, museums, parks--Volksgarten & Stadtpark, lunch at Akakiko (where I had sushi for the 1st time in Europe!), and the opera house. Then I went to the crypt by myself. When I was done, I couldn't find her. I tried calling the house (to get her cell phone number), but it didn't go through because I didn't have enough credit on my phone. i asked the guy at the ticket counter if he knew where she went...he got out of the ticket booth, shook my hand & said that it was nice to meet me...honestly, it kind of creeped me out. He didn't understand what I was saying, so I went back outside, checked the church, looked up and down the street. A couple minutes later, she came back--turns out she was talking with a friend at a nearby cafe. We got eis (I chose mango & strawberry) before heading back to the house and having dinner--schnitzel & rice.