It has been an incredibly hectic week and it's gone so quickly yet again! Christmas lights and decorations are starting to appear around Vienna, the Christmas markets are being set up and Gluehwein and Punsch is being sold around the city. I can't believe how quickly my time has gone here, it's my birthday next week and I remember thinking about it before I came and wondering whether I would have a party and who my friends would be, but it always seemed so far off. My birthday celebrations include a joint birthday party with a friend here and a birthday meal at Charlie P's. I'm really looking forward to it!
Last friday I headed to France to visit my best friend for five days. When I booked the flights, all I had in mind was getting the most of my time there but didn't really think about the practicalities of it all, which is why I found myself awake at 3.30 am on a friday morning, facing an expensive taxi journey and a 6 am flight from an airport which doesn't appear to open until 5.15 (who knew airports closed? I always thought they were eternally open...) That early morning feeling was eased by Air Berlin's complimentary orange juice, tea, sandwich and english newspaper but intensified slightly by its love of really terrible French-Canadian television and the fact that everyone on the plane, apart from me, seemed to know each other and felt the need to jabber away in impossible Austrian dialects. Having left my halls at 4.00 am I didn't arrive in Dijon until 12.00 pm which brought me to the conclusion that taking the train would have taken me only slightly longer and I probably wouldn't have had to put up with Mr Bean in german. This was all soon forgotten when I met up with Hannah and we started chatting and laughing as though we hadn't just spent 7 weeks apart.
Hannah's already blogged about what we did and it seems a little pointless to say it all again. I have to say for me, the highlights of the trip were definitely the wine tasting in Beaune, a town which looked impossibly French but was filled with American tourists, as well as just being able to catch up with and spend time with Hannah. The whole trip made me realise how much my German has improved as well, in France it was a struggle to get anything done and I found myself translating from German into French often and slipping German words into French sentences. I was also making a conscious effort not to speak too much French in case I would struggle with German when I got back, but it was fine and I slipped back into it very easily. The whole trip was so much fun; I love Dijon anyway but it was really cool to see it from an insider's perspective and it was nice to be able to get to know where Hannah is staying. I have to say though that I won't be able to eat mustard again for a while!
After getting back incredibly late on tuesday night, I have to say that wednesday was a bit of a loss. Thursday night was however the reception with the Mayor of Vienna at the Rathaus and everyone was really excited about it. Having gone into town to buy a demure, knee length skirt in order to stick to the 'formal' dress code, we arrived at the Rathaus and discovered that not everyone had received the email telling us that jeans were not to be worn, as a result, the level of formality ranged from jeans and tshirt to full on prom dress/black-tie. We were pleased to discover an abundance of complimentary wine and food - the mayor really knows how to party! Having had our fill of free wine and cake, and having decided that the pineapple in the centre of the fruit bowl really did need a new home and a name (Edmund)we headed home quite early, not entirely sure if the mayor was there at all, despite the rumours going around (I started them) that he got the pineapple banter with us.
So next week there's lots to look forward to, my birthday party being the highlight. I've also struggled to get back into work since being in France so I'm going to take the weekend to really get my head down and maybe take in the Sisi Museum. Plans are already being made for Christmas and Hogmanay which really makes me realise how close the end of the semester is, and therefore how close exams are. I'm trying not to panic too much though as this year is just as much about the erasmus experience as it is about exams and essay deadlines.
Until next week, Ciao!
