The Mayan Ruins

Early rise today at 6:30AM to get to our tour at 7:30AM. Ssshh!

Today would be the Chichen Itza tour. Although early, we were excited to see the Mayan Ruins! Over 1,500 years old, the Chichen Itza is the largest of the archaeological cities of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula.

It was a long two-hour drive, but the sleep and rest were well worth it! On the way there, we stopped at Cenote Suytun, a giant, beautiful sink hole! The sink hole is believed to be holy to the ancient Rain God "Chac". Those who were thrown in the sinkhole and survived were to be seers. Although I didn't originally plan on jumping in, it looked like too much fun! I'm glad I took the plunge!

Cenote Suytun sinkhole. The water felt great!

Lunch was great as we watched a dancing performance and met some NYC girls. The Columbian woman sitting next to me tried the spicy sauce. NOT a good move as she had the same reaction as Steph did at Chocko's & Tere!

Note: Do NOT try the spicy sauce in Cancun. Your tongue will not forgive you.

Chichen Itza is considered the most impressive of all the Mayan ruins. The pyramid, "El Castillo," has 91 steps to the top! After a worldwide vote in 2007, El Castillo is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

In front of El Castillo at the Mayan Ruins

At the Mayan Ruins, we met five boys Houston boys. Houston did hold a special place as that's where I spent my 21st birthday! While listening to the lecture, we bonded because we were all under the understanding that it was spring break! So, we started getting creative with our photographs such as cartwheels in the ball court!

Cartwheeling in the ball court!

It was quite interesting to listen to the echos sound off the ruin's walls. When our guide whistled, the echo would bounce all around. We were also lucky enough to visit during the spring equinox! The spring equinox occurs when the sun lies directly over the equator. Equinox literally means "equal night" as the number of hours of night equals the exact number of hours of day. The Kulkulkan temple is the most popular spot to watch the equinox because the sun's shadows make a serpeant appear to slither up and down the steps of the pyramid.

The spring equinox! Can you see the serpeant?

There were so many people ready to watch the serpeant appear on the pyramid. With the many cameras, it was like we were back in Pisa!

The two hours back were spent sleeping again. We relaxed a bit before going out to Dady Rock and Dady O's. We bought the Dady 'O Party Adventure package that included dinner, admission, and all-inclusive at both clubs. The waiter would even consistently come back to our table bringing us anything we wanted. Total VIP status!

At Dady O's, we used another coupon and got a t-shirt! And while dancing, beads were thrown to the crowd (do I really need more beads after Mardi Gras? Haha). Steph and I were dancing and all of a sudden I heard, "USC!" I paused a bit because I didn't realize who it was at first, but then it hit me when I looked at all five of them; it was the Houston boys! Haha. They cleaned up so nice with their collared shirts from the baseball caps and workout shorts I originally met them in!

With some Houston boys

We spent the rest of the night talking to the H-town boys and bouncing between Dady Rock and Dady 'O. Time for home at 4AM. Thanks for the equinox, Chichen Itza!

Oh, Spring Break...

We "slept" in today until 10AM. That's a revitalizing four whole hours of sleep!

We went to grab the Purdue boys that took the Isla Mujeres cruise with us the day before. From a coupon ad, we headed off to Plaza La Isla to visit Diamonds International. There, they gave away free "diamond" bracelets (i.e. gold with one tiny little diamond on the dot of the "i"). I loved it nonetheless!

Happy with my new bracelet

The others decided that it would be a good idea to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking the bus - here we go! We did acquire some free coconut juice from some locals though. They found it hilarious watching us trying to break open the coconut.

Enjoying the free coconut juice

We headed to the Oasis Hotel, MTV's official hotel where they held a daily Beach Bash. It was an hour and a half walk, but I actually liked it! It helped that we could stop and take a little dip in the Caribbean Sea along the way.

Visiting the Oasis's beach was not a problem; however, to actually attend the party, one would need to pay $25. I was able to walk in okay, but Swastick was stopped. He yelled after me, "You need to pay!" and thus, the security guard stopped me as well. The cute guy next to me and I couldn't believe he ruined it! Haha. We somehow managed to be allowed in anyways and watched the rap contest. Looking around, I was surrounded by ALL guys! Sketchy!

MTV Spring Break Beach Bash

We swam in the ocean a bit and headed back on the bus to the Clipper Club. Options for the night:

-Ladies Night @ Basic Discotheque
-Ladies Night @ Bulldog's
-Caribbean Carnival Cruise with the Purdue boys

Carnival Cruise it was! At the tour, there was another group of Purdue boys! I spent the rest of the night talking to Monil and Aansh. Our emcee, Fernando, was VERY spring break as he just loved to yell obscenities. Haha. We went back to Isla Mujeres for dinner and the show. The show was actually quite boring, so Monil and I spent the night discussing how they should just let everyone go up on stage and dance!

Isla Mujeres audience

The sisters won the wet t-shirt contest - of course! Haha, still we just wanted to dance! The $66 wasn't really worth the cruise, but hey, it's one time at spring break!

Cruises, Sharks, Clubs, & Sunrises

Today we had an 8:30AM wake up call. Not too shabby as we received almost seven whole hours of sleep! We took the bus to our boat cruise with on the Lupita Trimaran catamaran.

Tip: Buses are great in the Hotel Zone! It's only 650pesos equivalent to approximately 50 US cents per ride!

The locals working in the tourism industry in Cancun love flirting with tourists as we soon learned! Most did seem to enjoy the work as well. When asked if the boat crew member loved living in Cancun, he simply pointed at the ocean and said, "Mama, look at my office!"

The crystal blue Caribbean Sea - no photoshop involved!

In the middle of the Caribbean, we went snorkeling! There were plenty of dory fish on the way to Isla Mujeres. We also passed by a dancing nudist boat to which our captain yelled, "Shake it, don't break it!"

Upon arriving at Isla Mujeres, we had the opportunity to hold a shark! Petting him was a bit scary though as the little guy liked to jump around!

Petting a nurse shark

After lunch at the Beach Club, we jumped back on the boat to head to Downtown Isla for some shopping! At Pier 7, one could buy a seashell and blow it like a trumpet. After several unsuccesful attempts, even the local who was teaching gave up on me!

Ironically, some other Purdue spring breakers on the boat happened to be staying in the same hotel as us (207 & 210)! We actually met up with them for dinner at Chocko's & Tere where the buttered shrimp was amazing. I was originally drawn to the restaurant because of the lobster dressed in a tuxedo out front. One could actually sign the lobster and the entire restaurant as well - good marketing!

Signing the lobster at Chocko's & Tere

Later that night, we went on the Party Hopper tour that we had purchased before the trip. The Party Hopper tour takes each attendee to three different, popular bars/clubs. All night, along with about a hundred others, hoppers are taken care of and treated like VIPs. Our agenda that night: Corona Bar, Senor Frogs, and The City where Sean Paul would be performing!

In our group, there were a bunch of Indiana folk (of course!) and we met Ariel (his real name is pronounced "God") and Sagi who we stayed with over the course of the night. Our guide, Carlos, was fantastic as he would come up to us and ask what we wanted to drink. Even when I didn't ask for anything, he would bring water! Fantastic!

Party Hopper Crew

We then headed on over to the famous Senor Frogs! We sat out by the patio just talking and then back inside to dance! At City, we were VIP as Party Hopper reserved not only a room, but a platform. City was the largest club I've been to, much larger than CocoBongo. The show was unpredictable as lights would come down from the ceiling and giant balloons fell. Sean Paul finally showed and performed.

Sean Paul performing!

The City Club - crazy!

We walked Steph back to the hotel at 2AM and Sagi and I stayed out by the lagoon until about 6:30AM watching the sunrise! It was so relaxing to watch the sunrise and listen to the birds chirp with silence all around. Good stuff!

Cancun Spring Break, Woo!

5AM wake up call for Cancun. SPRING BREAK, woo! Ironically, it was St. Patrick's Day as well.

The airport experience was usual as we had to get our passports checked and verified; I tend to always have to get an extra security check. Looking around, we were apparently going to Cancun with a bunch of families and senior citizens. Woohoo!

Alaska Airlines got us to CUN airport half an hour early and yes, the timeshares were already trying to sell to us! Since we booked our airline tickets and our hotel through Expedia, Best Day took care of our shuttle. They were VERY helpful and we were glad to have them.

The Hotel Cancun Clipper Club had a cute pool with a bridge and overlooks the lagoon. A beach would have been nice, but we were within walking distance, so it was all good!

At MeXtreme, we had some mango daiquiris and fish tacos. Our waiter, Sergio, loved us!

Happy to finally be in Cancun!

After the flight, it was nice to have a little nap time by the lagoon - so relaxing! Our Best Day representative had an appointment to meet us to help with booking activities. Luckily, our representative convinced Stephanie to go out to CocoBongo! Sweet!

Relaxing in paradise

Before heading out, Steph took another nap and I layed out by the hammock journaling. Love it! It was soon time to head off to CoCoBongo! The hotel location was fantastic as we could just walk anywhere on the strip.

CocoBongo is consistently ranked as Cancun's #1 nightspot! With capacity for 1,800 people, the club is always packed as it not only serves as a disco but a show as well! Security was strict as they took away my eyedrops. Once inside, the show started right at 11PM. The show itself was fantastic as Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Beyonce impersonators all made appearances. With the acrobatic-Cirque-du-Soleil-style performance, it very much resembled the Moulin Rouge!

Frank Sinatra performance

The acrobats in action!

In the middle of the club was a quad bar we danced on all night. It served as a good safety zone since boys weren't allowed on. Good music and everyone had a great time singing along and watching the performances. Woohoo!

The excitement known as CocoBongo!

Habitat for Humanity: Giving Back to New Orleans

6:15AM wakeup call for Habitat for Humanity! If one truly wants to experience New Orleans, one needs to understand the after effects of Hurricane Katrina. Albeit the fact that it is impossible to empathize with the tragedy experienced, the attempt must be made. Thus, for us, the best way to try to understand would be to participate in the rebuilding of the city.

Chad and Susy came with us to Musician's Village. This area was created after the Hurricane to bring musicians back to Nola. The idea was created by natives Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis to make sure music, the heart of New Orleans, would be kept alive. Thus, displaced musicians and their families can live in this area that will serve as a place for teaching and preserving music.

Musician's Village; rebuilding New Orleans

The area was flooded over five fee high, so as one can imagine, the foundations were extremely tall! The four of us worked with Angie, an 18-year-old Americorps member who decided to spend a gap year helping others. Amazing!

As the foundation serves as the most important part of any construction, we double checked to make sure nails laid where they were supposed to. Second, we actually went under the foundation to push up and fix any nails that weren't attached to boards. It was hard work and somehow each time I struggled would be the same time that the cute Volunteer Coordinator would see me!

The foundation raised high enough to avoid the past tragedy

We had lunch at Poppa's Seafood; it was only $1.25 for a burger! Sweet!

After lunch, we built three huge walls. The boys took just half a dozen hits to nail in the wood - too bad it took me over twenty times! Ahaha.

Yeah, Habitat for Humanity!

At the end of the day, the taxi never came. We had our personal taxi and called the company, but neither came through. Luckily, we found a sweet old woman who offered us a ride! As it was a far ride over the freeway, we gave her $20 as a thank you. She didn't want to take it, but I responded as we ran out, "Oh, but we're already out of the car, bye!" Southern hospitality!

I took a quick walk down Magazine Street before leaving for the airport. Conclusion: I love Nola!

Mardi Gras!

We had a 7:30AM wake up call! I grabbed my Venetian mask and we were ready to go!

Note: The entire season of parades and festivities is known as Carnival. Contrary to popular belief, Mardi Gras is actually just one day, the last Tuesday...TODAY!

Our Venetian masks for Mardi Gras!

Out of all the kings, Zulu is the only one to be able to choose his own queen. The Zulu parade is favored by locals and tourists alike as during this parade, coconuts (a.k.a. "Golden Nuggets") are passed out! An older gentleman next to me copied the idea of holding a hat to get attention for beads and yelling "Hey, Mister Zulu!" - whatever works! He was so kind that he actually lifted me up to the height of the floats, so that I could get a coconut. I actually have a full conversation with the Zulu float person, yet he still didn't give me a coconut; it was harsh!

Even while sitting on Chad's AND Susy's shoulders, I managed to get stuffed animals and beads, but no coconut! We soon had the brilliant idea of putting a beer into the hat, and you guessed it! We scored a coconut for Susy!

Greg called and we met up with him at the Walgreens. On the way there, I asked an eleven-year-old to trade for some awesome New Orleans-specific beads that listed all the major attractions. He used my cell phone and I gave him a poker set strand.

We walked with Greg to meet up with his friends at Voodoo BBQ, voted the best BBQ in Nola. I asked the bartender for something non-alcoholic to which she responded, "Oh, honey, there's nothing like that here." Ahaha.

The Rex Parade

The Rex Krewe was the first to hold an outdoor parade and thus, led the way for the celebration of Carnival and Mardi Gras as we know it! They also started the tradition of giving away "doubloons," medals with the parade's emblem. At the King Rex parade, one of the Jersey boys complained that he couldn't get any beads. Low and behold, when he took my hat and offered a beer, we acquired an entire BAG full of beads, cups, a Rex baseball, and a stuffed animal. Love it!

The Rex Parade ended and we headed over to Brian Baskin's friend's house for a kickback. Best thing about meeting old friends of someone you just met? They can tell you all of the embarrassing stories! Ahaha.

We played Jenga for a bit and then Greg was gracious enough to walk me over half and hour back to the hostel and then back. Becky, Susy, Chad and I then grabbed dinner at the Garden Cafe and we soon found out that we had a birthday girl at the hostel. Thus, we took Rachel to Bourbon of course!

Mardi Gras festivities!

Everywhere we went, she shouted, "It's my birthday!" and she received beads galore! We then headed off to the Maple Leaf Bar from a tip from the people we met at The Spotted Cat. At arrival, the locals stared at us intently, but once I yelled "Happy Mardi Gras!", they were so welcoming!

Rebirth playing "The Mardi Gras Mambo!"

The Rebirth Brass Band was fantastic and we danced the night away! I ended up talking to some nice people who said that they were in the parade and that they were at The Spotted Cat yesterday. After about ten minutes, I realized that they were the same ones we spoke to last night! I kept quiet. Ahaha.

Rebirth Brass Band

Hats off to Mardi Gras!

Jazz and Beads and More Jazz and Beads!

I woke up this morning and apparently, somebody had stolen my fettucini alfredo from the hostel's refrigerator. Grr!

We headed down the street to the New Orleans School of Cooking! Located in a renovated molasses warehouse, one can really learn how to cook Southern-style! Beyond the amazing cooking lesson, the chef was so funny and entertaining! Kevin, standing at 6'6" and over 300lbs., told so many jokes like, "Mardi Gras is great. You can dress up as anything you want. Me, I'm going as a small person." Ahaha.

Learning at the New Orleans School of Cooking

The show was fantastic and the cooking was delicious! The cornbread was truly amazing and delectable as it gently crumbled in your mouth.

By the Riverwalk, King Zulu held a Lundi Gras outdoor jazz concert! The year 2009 is monumental for the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club as it marks the club's 100th anniversary. The community came out while we danced the electric slide Nola-style (no cross-over step)! The day was beautifully sunny and I was in heaven!

Mr. Big Stuff! Another member of Zulu's Krewe

The Lundi Gras Jazz Concert presented by the Zulus!

At Jackson Square, I bought a gorgeous $35 oil painting from a local artist and then took a walk along the Mississippi River before checking out the Riverwalk Mall. Also known as Place d'Armes, was unfortunately the prime site for the public execution of disobedient slaves during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Today, there is a rich diversity of locals and tourists along with street painters and performers.

It was soon time for the arrival of King Rex and King Zulu! In New Orleans tradition, Mardi Gras cannot occur unless the mayor provides his or her blessing. Thus, King Rex asked Mayor Nagin for his blessing. He responded, "Wait, you want me to cancel school? (cheers) You want me to have no laws tomorrow? (cheers) So you're saying that people can run around drunk without getting arrested? (louder cheering) I concur!" Haha, no where else in the country!

Arrival of King Zulu from the U.S. Coast Guard

It was; however, very touching and empowering to hear the Mayor speak of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Only four years earlier, the city had been drastically distraught and nearly wiped away. The city still has heavy remnants of the disaster, but it is amazing to see how far the city has bounced back. The speech was appropriately ended with fireworks!

The celebration after the mayor declares that Mardi Gras shall occur!

Becky and I headed off to Kevin's Restaurant, Lil' Dizzy's where I enjoyed the shrimp. The waitress showed some more Southern Hospitality as she would sit down right next to you!

It was soon time for yet another parade. Chad and Suzy from the hostel met up with us at the corner of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas to watch the Orpheus parade. Orpheus is the largest of the new krewes and is anticipated as the best night parade on the Monday before Mardi Gras. Joan Rivers was the Grand Marshal and worked so hard to please the crowd with goodies - I received a plastic cup from her!

After hours of needing a bag, Becky finally caught the attention of Jim Belushi. "Do you want a bag?" he yelled. And so Becky got it!

Suzy and I then beg for about ten minutes for a football necklace from a stopped float. "Hey, Mister. Is that for giving out? Hey, Mister! Can we have the football bead? Down here!" Haha, but after our tenacity (and another guy hiding from us), we got it!

The hostel crew!

It was time to finally check out some Nola jazz! We headed off to The Spotted Cat Jazz Club on Frenchman Street. It was very low-key with quite an intimate sitting. A few people danced and only locals seemed to congregate there - love it!

As everyone stood in close proximity because of the limited space, I ended up meeting Greg Robbins and the rest of his friends from New Jersey. After a good conversation (mostly about how Jersey smells), we said we would meet up the next day for the Zulu and Rex parades. Soon after, we met some locals that told us to check out The Maple Leaf the next night if we liked jazz. As they would be in the parade, I was supposed to yell, "Spotted Cat" so they would remember me.

On our way back home, we took Bourbon Street! Chad had stated that he tried flashing the night before, but came home with zero beads. I simply raised my hand and said, "Hey, I want beads!" and some just magically appeared! Haha.

Thanks to a tip that we received from the Canadians, we actually headed up onto the balcony at the Cat's Meow! It was just as much fun throwing beads down to people and making them dance for them! Suzy actually used her skill to wrangle a necklace around a random guy video recording. Props!

Cat's Meow provided a good time as they had karaoke downstairs! What a good, crazy, fun night! Lundi Gras is done, but onto the surprises of Mardi Gras!

Carnival Parades Galore!

Because of the jet lag, Becky and I woke up around noon-ish. The late rising; however, provided a great opportunity to eat lunch at the Gardens Cafe with Chad and Suzy, two students from Colorado. Beyond that, we also ate BBQ hot dogs in the hostel's garden with some Canadians as well!

It was soon time for the King Thoth parade! Each parade during Carnival is associated and organized by a specific krewe. The Krewe of Thoth started in 1947 and was named after the Egyptian god of wisdom. We stood on the main street, St. Charles, with hundreds of families. When a band came by, everybody would watch in silence; when a float arrived, everybody jumped up and down screaming like crazy for beads! It was hilarious to watch this for hours on end.

The King himself!

At the end of the parade, I won a boa, while Becky proudly displayed her spear. John Woodbridge texted me that he was in Nola as well, so we headed down St. Charles to meet him. Right away, we joined him and a group of Southern folk from Atlanta.

The fabulous goodies we received from The Thoth Parade

The nicest people in the world are arguably from the South! Beyond the gentle accent which I loved so much, people were extremely polite! In other cities where one would say "Excuse me," people would just move out of the way; here in the South, people would respond, "Of course! Not a problem!" Southern hospitality!

We watched the nighttime Bacchus parade where Ben Myers and I competed for beads! I caught a million that day, but sure enough, I couldn't get anything during the competition. Haha.

The parade is named for Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. The Krewe of Bacchus broke Carnival tradition by having a Sunday night parade that was bigger and better than any other floats during Carnival.

With the drivers of the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile! Seriously!

Becky and I ate at Italian Bistro on Magazine and then headed back to the hostel. When calling around to bars, I asked when they would close. The responses I heard were, "Whenever" and "When the people leave." Haha, oh Nola!

After I called John to see what he was up to tonight (to which he responded, "I'm hanging out with you!"), jumped in a cab to St. Joe's Bar down Magazine. The second we met up, we started a two-and-a-half-hour laugh! Good friends, beads, nice people, parades, what more do you need?

The Infamous Bourbon Street

The Burbank Airport provides an easy check in as the airport is ridiculously small! I had a small layover in Salt Lake City where I apparently fell asleep eating my Sbarro lunch. Luckily, Becky Johnson soon joined me!

View of the Wasatch Mountains

The second we landed at Louis Armstrong International Airport, a banner greeted us with the words, "New Orleans: We're so jazzed you're here!" After the $30 flat rate taxi to St. Vincent's Guesthouse, we headed straight to the French Quarter! And so the Mardi Gras adventure begins!

As parades occurred earlier in the day, the trash left behind littered the city. Luckily, the cleaning trucks quickly came.

Tip: When you see the cleaning trucks after the Mardi Gras parades, get out of the way! Otherwise, you'll be soaked with cleaning solution.

At a no-name street shop at Bourbon, we picked up Hurricanes and went back outside to the crazy madness! Bourbon homes restaurants, bars, and strip clubs and is world-renown for one of the craziest night spots in the world. During Mardi Gras, this eight-block section of the French Quarter becomes shoulder to shoulder crowded with crazy antics occuring in the streets and off the balconies.

The craziness of Bourbon Street

Being young girls, beads were just randomly thrown and given to us; all we did was look up and smile! If there was a particular bead strand one wanted, he or she would have to scream for it. A man and woman yelled at me to "show something," to which I responded, "Sorry, I only flash my smile!" My response was so loved, I received a blug dog stuffed animal!

We walked up and down the street laughing at the ridiculousness! We soon started to get picky and only chose the special beads with symbols or medallions. Coming home with about fifteen beads, I made it a goal to reach three dozen beads by the end of the trip. AND I didn't flash anything but my smile. Love it!

Vienna, Will You Wait for Me?

We ended up sleeping in again! As before, Maggie cooked us eggs, this time boiled! Unfortunately, I am apparently not skilled at deshelling eggs.

German tool to "scoop" out boiled eggs

Per Michelle's affinity for classical music, we headed to Zentralfriedhof cemetery. There, one can visit the graves of the greatest composers of all time - Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc. Or if one so chooses to be like Michelle, he or she can stand in front of their graves while listening to their songs on an IPOD. I chose to finish my journal writing in the church.

Ludwig van Beethoven's grave

1:08PM - I asked Michelle what time her flight was to which she responded "2:45PM!" Oh, geez.

We rush to the city center so she could take the CAT, Vienna's train that goes right to the airport in only sixteen minutes. Conveniently, certain airlines also allow you to check in there too. To my surprise later, Michelle actually jumped in a taxi as the next CAT wouldn't leave for another half an hour. Unfortunately, she never made it in time and had quite an adventure through Switzerland.

I went to buy a shotglass and the postcards that she was never able to pick up and luckily made it back to the CAT with eight minutes to spare. Oh, Vienna! Superb!

Vienna at sunset

Palaces Galore!

Michelle and I walked back to Schönbrunn Palace to take pictures in the Gardens. It was perhaps the prettiest hike as we made our way up to the Gloriette. Built in 1775, the Gloriette is dedicated as a monument that leads to peace.

Hiking up to the Gloriette

View of from the Schönbrunn Palace from the Gloriette

To warm ourselves up, we each had a lauch-speck nockerl! It's deliciously comprised of pasta, bacon, and leek.

Lauch-speck nockerl

At Stradt Park, we (along with a handful of other tourists) took pictures with Johann Strass himself! Well, with his statue at least!

Johann Strauss statue in Stradt Park

The Hofburg Palace was impressive with its multiple museums. It is comprised of The Silver Collection, the Sissi Museum, and the Imperial Apartments. Going with the Sissi Museum was a good choice as we received the opportunity to learn about the Princess's life. With quite a sad lifetime, Sissi originally loved her life, but was forced to live the royal life in which she soon hated. Her assassination was originally unintended; the assassin was waiting for someone else and when the latter canceled his trip, Sissi happened to be there as she was taking time for health relief - so sad!

The Hofburg Palace

As it was the holiday season, there was no better place we wanted to be than in the Viennese Christmas markets! We first went to the Museums Quartier Market and then back to Rathaus (third time woohoo!). According to one of our mutual friends, there was a famous ice skating rink we had to find. EVERY local we asked was befuddled and after following directions on a map, we ended up on a lonely backstreet...HMM...

Afterwards we headed off to a relaxing night at Loop Bar where we enjoyed the last night in Vienna. Can I plan my next return already?

Some International Flavor

The morning started off with Maggie making us breakfast - OVEREASY EGGS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN EUROPE! Finally!

My ideal breakfast - delicious!

Julia and I walked to the Floh market and found a real Vietnamese-owned restaurant! Exciting. The fruit was fresh and the finds were affordable. We soon headed off the the UN event that Minda told us about the night before.

There were so many countries and I ended up buying an origami swan and ball from a young Japanese girl. She was too cute! She had me sold as after I asked which one I should buy, she responded in the most adorable voice, "You can have them both or choose just one. " She was so excited that she ran happily behind the table after she made the sale! 3.50euros for paper, but so worth it for the good cause!

Buying origami from the Japanese booth

At the international food fair of the event, each country also provided some native food. After asking the price of some dumplings, I received seven pieces for 1euro. Meanwhile, a gentleman who approached received only two pieces for the same amount! Oh, geez.

Of course, at the USA booth, the native food was hot dogs! We walked over to the rummage sale where I bought a book on Casanova and then headed over to the Austrian booth where we met back up with Minda!

After taking some pictures by the river, we went to take a quick picture of the Danube Tower. As the tallest structure in Austria, it carries antennae of cell phones and radio stations.

Tallest building in Austria at 252 meters - The Danube Tower

Michelle finally called and we agreed to meet at the Schönbrunn Palace! The Gardens were quite like Versailles in which one could just walk for hours. How gorgeous it would be in the summertime! While randomly walking the Gardens, we found Michelle! We all decide to tour the Palace (I chose to go with the French-only speaking tour). The royal residence features the tastes and interests of the Habsburg monarchs.

In front of the Schönbrunn Palace!

The Christmas market outside provided nice gifts and tokens - we had to buy some Christmas cookies because one was shaped as a flying pig!

As Michelle took a nap and Julia headed to her next adventure, I met back up with Minda at Rathaus Christmas market. He helped me try Glühwein and punsch, two traditional German mixes for the holiday season! I decided to be daring as the hot chocolate punsch sounded delicious; however, I quickly learned that it was only for the tourist! A local worker quickly commented, "Punsch is punsch and hot chocolate is hot chocolate!" Haha, oops!

Glühwein and punsch!

We walked around Vienna and with its peacefulness, the city truly lights up! We saw Parliament and Hofburg Palace at night and I loved going on the short night tour with Minda.

After getting Michelle, the last stop of the night was Club Flex! It was located right by the river, resembling Club Showcase in Paris. Next door, the Flex Cafe served as a nice break from dancing as people can actually have conversations without yelling in each other's ears! Just another good day in Vienna!

Vienna Waits for You...

It was the usual 4:30AM wake up call for the 7:15AM flight. Luckily, Jordan and Anne lived in the heart of Paris, so the Chatelet RER stop was just a short walk away. The check in process at CDG Airport was surprisingly smoother than other airport experiences; after utilizing the kiosk and going through security check, the check in was complete in only thirty-six minutes! Nice job, Air France!

Entrance to Chatelet RER at 5AM

With two and a half hours before Julia arrived, an exploration around the Westbahnhof train station was necessary. Vienna can actually remind one of Saigon, but much less dustier. It was a city, yet held a small town feel. Shops were locally owned with not many chains. English was barely spoken, but they were used to foreigners.

There was a sudden urge to get acrylic nails - if only they were less than 70euros! Make sure you make an appointment too! Without a new set of nails, it was time for a durum kebab at Schnitzel Urfa Lezzet. Luckily there was an outlet to charge a phone and there was entertainment as the kebab guy had a crush on one of the customers.

Vienna hosts holidays lights EVERYWHERE in the city!

After Julia arrived, the next step consisted of jumping on Tram 5 to get to our CouchSurfing host, Margit! We conversed with her for a good hour about travel, CS, etc. Surprisingly, she was learning Chinese and spoke quite well with Julia!

First attraction was the Albertina. There was a 1-1.5 hour wait, but it was worth it to explore the museum and the new Van Gogh exhibit. With over one million master prints on top of more modern works, it was a sight to see! The Monet and Picasso were quite good as well (as expected).

Inside the Albertina

On the way to the Christmas market, I received a phone call from Michelle Chan at our university. She was so bored that Friday night that she decided to book a flight out to Vienna for Saturday! It worked out well because Julia would be leaving Saturday night, so Michelle could take her place as a CouchSurfer. We then walked to Rathus Park for the "Rathausplatz Christkindlmärkte" a.k.a. "Kris Kringle" Christmas market. The lights were absolutely stunning as City Hall counts down the days until Christmas.

Rathausplatz Christkindlmarkte! (City Hall's Christmas Market)

It was time for the Voice Mania Music Festival at the Odeon Theater! The international festival featured everything from pop to beatbox acapella-style. The show started with Vocaldente, a boy band-like acapella group which actually performed some 'NSYNC and Spice Girls! The crowd was a bit older (mostly senior citizens), so they didn't catch the boy band/Linkin' Park melody too much, but Julia and I loved it!

Vocaldente's boy band-style performance!

The older performers of Cantabile then had their turn - the best moment of the night came with audience participation. Singer: Let's have all the men yodel (deep yodeling)...All the ladies (gentle yodeling)...Let's make it more interesting now. All the ladies twenty through forty years old (light yodeling)...Hmm, sounds promising...All the women ages twenty through forty that don't have a boyfriend (silence)...Alright, let's move onto something else before I get angry! Hahaha.

With 2/5 of Vocaldente

Back home, we discovered that Margit and Nina had been drinking for two hours while waiting for us! We were able to catch the last tram by three minutes - whew! We headed out to Club Sass, where they allowed one person to go in and see if the club was good. Report back to the others: good potential!

After sitting in the lounge for a bit, we met Minda, a P.h.d. student from Lithuania. Soon after, we all hit the dance floor! After Nina went home, Julia took a nap in the club, Minda and I conversed about everything from culture to life, and Maggie kept on dancing! Haha, we soon left at 4:30AM.

The crew at Club Sass

After Facebooking the directions to Michelle, I climbed into bed at 5:30AM. I tried to get inside the comforter, but had issues, so had to wake Julia up. In her soporific state, she yelled, "You're not supposed to get in it!" Apparently, it was just a really fat pillow! Good times, Vienna!