Achtung Baby: November 2006

thanksgiving

it was almost 7 weeks late for leah and i, but we more than happy to help cook and consume some sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.

american history lesson included

attack of the paper turkey

we even watched a football game. final score: one pouty tiger and one happy fighting chicken

movies, starbucks, and papageien

most of the erasmus were unterwegs (berlin, budapest...) this weekend, so shawn, priscilla and yours truly decided to have a pyjama party. like any good slumber party we had oh-so-tasty (ie not-so-healthy) food, a movie marathon, fights for the best spot on the couch as well as about who sleeps where. morning and our train to nürnberg came and went, so we called katrina and hoped she wasn't mad for having to hang out at the train station another half hour. we were forced to take a regional bahn (everyone knows the regional express is a million times better) to the christmas market capital, but eventually made it there. anyways, while the others visited museums and parade grounds, i got some christmas shopping done. we treated our tastebuds to some starbucks and then it was back to bamberg. determined to try new things, our weekend was o.c.-free and included kneipen we had never been to, bockbier, random/awkward conversations, and a papagei or three.

i know they're putting smaller and possibly cooler cafes out of business, but no one makes a hazelnut latte like starbucks

i'm becoming a thief

more stolen goods. these are of our most recent self-portrait photo shoot. you don't want to know how many we took until all 5 of us were satisfied with they way we looked...

first attempt: the timer shot. the timer shot just didn't cut it

so we try the self portrait. my arms aren't long enough to get both the tall and short kids...

so molly gives it a go, but now shawn feels left out...

exhausted from all the hard work, we take a little break. but these 3 just can't get enough of themselves...

back to work. i stretch my arms as much as i can, make the tall kids crouch, the short ones stand on telephone books (ok, we didn't go that far)...looks like we're all inside the frame!

sometimes (on rare occasions) we let others take our picture. but that's just not as fun.

vienna

not about to let a feiertag go to waste, lieselot, priscilla, shawn and i made the most of the holiday and hopped a train for vienna. palaces a-plenty, many u-bahn rides, art, opera, our first dose of winter, shopping (for mitts, scarves, toques and winter coats), starbucks, cards, wiener schnitzel...too many pics for one post and my need to keep things organised = posts organised by day and/or activity. enjoy!

shawn's former exchange partner, jojo, kate & a very tired ang

we <3 winter

lending a helping hand

we got us some culture

spent thursday night at the opera. we stood for three hours as the story of rigoletto unfolded three stories below us.

schloss schönbrunn

friday morning started with a trip to schloss schönbrunn, the Habsburgs' 1440-room summer residence. being on a budget and wanting to see klimt more than baroque architecture, i opted to wander the gardens while the others took a tour. i found a puppet theatre, fountains, the zoo and an outdoor maze. i finally felt like it was autumn as i crunched my way through leaf-covered paths and was surrounded by trees whose leaves were changing colours. the sun was shining when i left and it stayed that way until i was just about back to the palace. then i was suddenly in the middle of a blizzard. seriously, i could hardly see two feet because of the snow!!! and this canuck was lovin' it. it all melted pretty much instantly, but what a sight it was while it lasted. *sigh* i'm ready for a real winter (i.e. snowbanks you can't see around, temperatures where you need to plug your car in at night, rivers you can skate away on etc) again.

the start of the blizzard

playing tourist

with maps in hand we wandered through the streets from landmark to landmark. my favourite outdoor sight was the gothic rathaus for two reasons: one because i love gothic architecture and two because the windows are converted into a giant advent calendar each year.

my favourite indoor sight: the klimt room at schloss belvedere. for those of you who have seen that awesome little klimt poster hanging in my room, well, i saw the real deal, plus many more. by far the most i've ever enjoyed an art museum.