I Pity The Fool

I arrived in Vienna yesterday safe and sound, although not in the manner or timeframe that I had expected…believe it or not, our boat hit a log or something underwater about a half hour into the trip.  We had to wait there about an hour while they tried to fix it…then another boat came and towed us to the next town with a pier.  Unfortunately, our passports had already been stamped as having left Hungary, so this created a bit of a customs snafu…  We had to wait ON the boat for another hour or two while they were arranging a bus for us, and trust me it was hot in there…  Finally, a bus arrived, and we all rode it BACK into Budapest in order to get on the expressway to Bratislava (and ultimately Vienna, of course).  It certainly is interesting how different people react to stressors (and humidity).  Anyway, there wasn’t really much I could do about it!  It was just a
shame because for a such an expensive bus ride, it was hardly as scenic as the boat theoretically should have been…and ironically, since Orsi and I had taken a ferry ride last week, I don’t think the boat even passed any riverfront scenery that I hadn’t seen already!  Oh well…

So, I made friends with a Canadian and a guy from New Zealand (who was remarkably high-spirited and didn’t even mind being called a kiwi or asked where the hobbits live).  I arrived here in Vienna somewhat behind schedule, indulged in a very long shower, and treated myself to a rather pricey dinner.  I leave for Rome tomorrow.  In the time I’ve been here, I’ve actually been able to see rather a remarkable number of things!

O = outside, I = inside

• Stadtpark O&I
• MAK O
• Franziskanerkirche O
• Stephansdom O&I
• Graben
• Mozarthaus O
• Peterskirche O&I
• Kapuzinerkirche O & Kaisergruft I
• Neuer Markt
• Winterpalais des Prinzen Eugen O
• Augustinerkirche O&I
• Hoher Markt (with the clock figures at noon)
• Altes Rathaus courtyard
• Bürmische Hofkanslei O
• Maria Am Gestade O
• Judenplatz
• Am Hof
• Freyung
• Palais Ferstel O & passageway
• Schottenkirche O&I
• Burgtheater O
• Rathaus O
• Hofmobiliendepot Möbel Museum Wien O&I
• Sigmund Freud Musem O&I
• KunstHausWien O&I (albeit only the shop)
• Hundertwasserhaus O
• Majolikahaus & Medallion House O

I’m hoping that the Secession Pavilion will be lit up at night, since it’s dark now.  Then, a treat at a famous cafe if possible, a light dinner, and up at the crack of dawn to check out of the hotel and make my way to the airport.

To be honest, I’m glad.  This was the only solo part of my trip, and two nights are enough- it’s kinda lonely going out to eat by myself!  Totally different from when I treat myself to a restaurant back home and am happy to be alone and read, think, or whatever.  Anyway, tomorrow I head for Italy (as mentioned above) and will be there til I come home on Aug. 15.  I’m sure I’ll be able to post at least once before then, so keep your eyes peeled…

Hi again everyone (all four of you who read this…)!

I’m sending a salvo over from Budapest, where I’ve been cavorting since arriving here last Friday, after waiting hours and hours in the Istanbul airport.  Incidentally, having a clear view from my seat of the airport mechanics tinkering with one or two of the plane’s left-side engines didn’t entirely inspire confidence, but all’s well that ends well, I suppose.  Anyway, I am staying with my friend Orsi, who I hadn’t seen in over 12 years.  She was an exchange student at my high school when I was in 9th grade (and apparently has the photographic evidence to prove it…damn I had a long awkward phase…), and we kept in touch on and off since then.  It was so wonderful to arrive here and discover that we still have so much in common.  She’s at work today, which gives me the chance to catch up at an internet cafe before heading to a few museums this afternoon.

I have wanted to come here for many years.  It is a little bit different than what I expected (not better or worse, just different) in its size, layout, etc., and to a certain extent, architectural styles.  One thing that has been nice for Orsi is the excuse to do touristy things (I enjoy this when people come to NY, as well).  For example, yesterday we strolled through Vidampark, which is a little bit like a Coney Island amusement park, without the beach of course.  And similar to Coney, I was afraid of most of the rides…  I was a little disappointed that we couldn’t find the "Soviet Mountain ride" mentioned as a landmark by my map, but it might not have been quite as exciting as I imagined anyway…  A pleasant surprise has been that the majority of quirky sights featured in a very amusing guidebook from 1991 (lent to me by someone back home) are still extant, such as "four buildings of strikingly inferior construction) on a scenic street, and the "flying nun" in the castle district.  You will just have to wait for the pictures…

We’ve had a couple of decent hikes up some big hills (or small mountains), which almost excuses the amount of treats I’ve been enjoying.  One of my guidebooks says that "no one ever loses weight on vacation in Hungary" and I’m inclined to believe it.  You may not recognize me when I get home!  Kidding (mostly)- so far I can still fit into all my clothes, so the situation is not dire.

Anyway, I’m sorry that this post hasn’t been that exciting, but I have been sitting at this computer for over an hour and am starting to feel that perhaps it’s not the best use of my afternoon. :)  Stay tuned for further adventures…

Oops, I almost forgot to explain my post’s title!  According to Let’s Go Europe: 2000, Budapest boasts the largest Burger King in the world.  I checked it out and I really couldn’t tell whether that is a fair claim, though it’s definitely big.  There are no shortage of McDonald’s locations either, though.  Prior to leaving the U.S., I was joking about what local specialties McD’s might feature here…I guess it’s not so funny when you explain it, but I got a chuckle out of it.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

That should mean, "Hi from Turkey!" if İ’ve gotten it right.  Also, İ apologize in advance for any weird characters that pop up ın here- İ’m on a Turkısh keyboard, whıch not only slows me down, but seems to freak out my regular e-mail service provıder as well.  İ’m havıng an amazıng experience here- Turkey has been phenomenal, fascinating, and surprising.  İ don’t even know where to begin.  At the moment, İ’m usıng a free computer (though İ paid 6 Turkish lire for the service before finding out İ didn’t need to!) in the basement conference area of our hotel in İstanbul, whıch is quıte a posh place.  Only one other hotel we’ve stayed in had internet access available, but in general İ’ve had limited time or someone (e.g., my dad) breathing down my neck to get a turn.  There’s so much to share and so little time to tell you!  One of the most important events, İ guess, was when we dıscovered upon our arrival last week in İzmir that we were the ONLY people signed up for the tour.  Something similar had happened in May to my grandma, but although İ’d congratulated her on her good luck at the time, it seemed a bit daunting now that it was happening to me!  İwas going to have to be sociable all day and not fight with my family for the next week and a half? Yikes!

That said, we have managed pretty well.  There was a slight tiff or two over mundane issues such as who keeps accidentally hitting whom with a backpack, who needs to borrow a converter for the electricity AGAİN, who took too long in the batroom, etc.  But overall, we’ve comported ourselves admirably, and İ daresay represented US citizens rather well.  İ have been mistaken for Spanish multiple times, but İ think that might be due to the profusion of Spanish tourists here (compared to relatively fewer Americans), rather than my keen Euro-flavored fashıon (ha) or penchant for tapas…

But İ am not even telling you any of the important stuff!  İ’ll skıp my review of Turkish bathrooms great and small (though İ’ve seen just about everything, from the Romans’ communal latrine at Ephesus, to the sultan’s personal commode at Topkapı Palace; from the most pristine, sparkling toılets with built-in bidet functioning, to the scariest holes in the ground near the animals’ section of İstanbul’s Egyptian Spice Market)…

İ have seen mountain and plains regions, driving all around the country (the western half, İ guess).  With the help of our de facto private guide (who has a doctorate in archaelogy), we explored ancient Greco-Roman ruins, examined Hittite relics, and visited early Christian cave monasteries.  Speaking of religion, we saw the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and memorial to Rumi, as well as an actual Sufi dance performance, the remains of a temple to Diana, and goodness knows what else.

İ swam in a natural hot spring that gets pumped directly into hotel rooms in İzmir, and visited incredible calcified stone formations at Pamukkale, another natural spring…although if İ wanted to see Russians in teeny weeny bikinis, İ could have stayed in New York (and who says İ was talking about the women?!).  And one of the most memorable things of all were the "fairy chimneys" of Cappadocıa.  They are, simply, breathtaking food for the imagination.

And speaking of food, every day is a culinary delight.  Monday was the first time in my life that İ celebrated my birthday outside of New York (well, New York state, anyway), and we had lunch at a restaurant called Kebabistan (!) where they serve a delicious dessert called ekmek kadayıfı.  But why reserve it for a once-a-year birthday cake?  İ ate some again today. =)

Anyway, my dad is going to lose it if İ don’t let him get on this computer, so İ will sign off for now.  İncidentally, İ have lots of pics, but will most likely not upload them til İ get home (all these links are to others’ pıcs).

Friday, İ leave for Budapest.  Poor me, eh?

Stay tuned…!

Well, it’s not "goodbye," just "see you later."  Tomorrow I leave for my mini-Grand Tour.  The first stop is Turkey, because what’s more patriotic than heading for a Muslim country on July 4? ;)  I’ll be there for 10 days, then flying to Hungary for another 10 days.  I’m visiting my friend Orsi, who I have not seen since she was an exchange student at my high school 12 years ago!  After that, I’ll be traveling by ferry from Budapest to Vienna, and I’ll stay there for just two nights.  This is actually the only part of my trip where I’ll be solo.  Then on July 26, I fly from Vienna to Rome.  I’ll be in Italy until I come home to NYC on August 15, hopefully jetsetting around Naples and other southern places new to me (plus a brief sojourn to Sicily, where my cousins live).

In short, I’ll be gone for most of the summer.  The past few days have been sort of a whirlwind of leave-taking, not least of which from my job, aka the internship from hell.  That’s right folks- no more GodzillaBoss!  I didn’t even say goodbye.  With any luck, I can disappear from there like Kaiser Sozet…although I’m planning on briefly resurfacing up at the hospital after I return, to file a certain complaint with the HR department…  When cleaning out my office, I did resist the urge to take one of those expensive noise machines (therapists use these so that people in the hallway can’t hear what your patient is saying on the other side of the door).  I may have liberated a certain set of computer speakers, though…  Take Stuff From Work!

On an incredible note, I also seem to have acquired another case of bronchitis.  This was another situation where I don’t realize I’m sick until I’m REALLY sick.  I had a sore throat as early as a week ago Saturday…my first thought was of course, "Must see a doctor!"  My second thought was, "Hang on, I really don’t want to be such a hypochondriac.  Not everyone goes to the doctor every time they get a sniffle.  I can take care of this myself."  Several days later, my cough attracted several lovesick seals and a mortician, and I decided to take action.  Amusingly, the mechanations of getting an emergency/last-minute doctor’s appointment required me to skip what would have been my last day of off-site clinical work.  Even my lungs want to stick it to the man.  Anyway, I managed to get in to see my ENT (that’s ear/nose/throat doctor, or otolaryngologist…not a large, mumbling tree-herder) Thursday morning.  He chastised me for the fact that I’m about to do everything I shouldn’t (namely, take several plane trips in areas with questionable medical availability), and prescribed me an antibiotic that has apparently been recalled.  Fortunately, the pharmacy got ahold of him and he prescribed something else.  Mind you, I can’t drink until at least Friday (this put a bit of a damper on the post-internship celebrating), should stay out of the sun, and if I don’t take each capsule with food I could get violently ill.  An inauspicious start to a vacation, admittedly, but I’m determined to soldier on.

By the time I get back, I’ll have traveled longer than ever before.  I’ve been away from home for longer periods of time (like in college), but I wasn’t on the move the whole time. Also, I have never stayed with someone or been dependent on someone for more than a week or so.  It’s a little new and weird for me!  But anyway, I’m sure that it’ll work out.

I will have sporadic access to e-mail while I’m gone, so feel free to write me (though it may take me a little time to get back to you).  I’ll try to post a bit if possible, though considering Friendster’s spotty service here in NYC, I don’t hold out too much hope (or patience) for coaxing it along in an internet cafe in Eastern Europe.  Still, I will save up the pictures, amusing anecdotes, and death-defying feats for your eventual reading pleasure.

Have a great summer!