The final chunk of my three week European adventure was incredibly relaxing and a much needed respite from huge group tours shared with 40 other college students. I traveled to Oxford, England to visit with my friend Tim (an NU student studying at Oxford for the year). His parents were concluding a 3 week visit for the first 5 days of my time with Tim, and it was nice to meet them and spend time with people other than 21 year olds. I was thankful to have a real conversation with an adult, as opposed to the majority of time spent with my peers for the previous weeks. We usually talked about harassing the prostitutes in the Russian hotels and comparing who had the best pictures with them. Maturity only decreases in large groups.

The four of us spent time at Oxford and Bath, both beautiful charming towns. The landscape around us was green, the flowers were blooming and the fields teemed with new spring lambs. The quaintness oozed out of everything. It was really nice to not be in a large city, and to take a more relaxed pace. Walking around small neighborhoods, eating in pubs, and trying different ales (my favorites were called The Fursty Ferret and the Waggledance) made for a great deal of fun.

After Tim's parents left, we took a bus to Cheltenham to take some walks around the outskirts of the city. We stayed at the local YMCA (the only youth hostel) and wandered throughout the city and the surrounding countryside. The week was refreshing and it prepared me for the busy month that remains in Copenhagen.

Tim and I on the Cotswold Way with Cheltenham in the background.

My trip to Russia was an extremely stressful and enlightening adventure. My complete inability to understand any of the language (written or spoken) was a major hindrance. Although I was in a group of 30 American students and 2 leaders, one of whom was fluent in Russian, I still felt intimidated by the people and the culture. While I am sure that the majority of my apprehension was a result of decades of poor relations with the United States and anti-Communist propaganda, I found there were many truths . Unlike the extremely clean and efficient Denmark, Russia seemed much grittier and edgier, which made for an exciting trip. Not being able to drink the water, eat fresh fruits or vegetables, or generally understand any of the language provided many challenges. Although we were assured that Russian cities were no more dangerous than major cities in the U.S., our confidence was shaken when passing another DIS group in our hotel lobby while leaving Moscow. The dialogue was as follows:

Me: How did you like St. Petersburg?
Other student: You need to be really really careful. Three people from our group got mugged while on the train, including Carsten (the 65 year old tour leader with decades of experience).
Me in thought bubble: (Oh joy!)



The few Russian people I interacted with her friendly and helpful. However, the only ones I could interact with spoke English well. It made it difficult to tell what Russian who only spoke Russian were like.

However, I did have one incredible experience with a Russian student which I will surely never forget. When we visited St. Petersburg during the second half of our trip, we had the option of taking part in a "St. Petersburg Behind the Facade" tour. This 3 hour adventure proved to be my favorite part of the entire week, partially due to the company, but also because it felt as though I was seeing Russia for what it really was. Our group was divided several times, and I ended up with 6 other students and our leader for the afternoon, Barbara, a University student studying and living in St. Petersburg. To set the scene, a few physical details regarding Barbara. She was about 20 years old, 5'7", brown hair, light skin, tight pants in the typical European style, dark coat and of course, the best accessory, cigarettes. I'm quite aware that most Europeans smoke, but Barbara proved to be the only chain-smoking tour guide I've encountered thus far. Not only did she constantly have a cigarette in her mouth or hand, but was extremely exuberant and excitable. I guess the best way to describe her is to say this, she's the kind of person you imagine will turn into an eccentric old woman some day that owns dozens of cats and dyes her hair neon pink at age 75. Her energy level was incredible as she regaled us with Russian college stories and a brief history of the area. I was enthralled with her.

There were many highlights of the afternoon, most of which will make Mom and Dad cringe a bit. First of all, while visiting tenement housing, we rode in an elevator using exposed cinderblocks as counterweights. I'm surprised that the four of us didn't plunge to our deaths. Secondly, the roving packs of feral dogs and cats that occupied the back streets most certainly carried every variety of disease you could think of. I missed seeing wild animals.

Finally, the most dangerous activity, and therefore the most fun, climbing on the roof of an old apartment building by crawling through an attic crawl space (ie, Tetanus Risk Factor of 10). While in the attic/crawl space, we saw remnants of where homeless people had camped. Barbara assured us that climbing to the top of roofs was a very popular college student activity. The challenge is finding broken or unlocked doors. However, what college student activity would be complete without cheap alcohol? Luckily, Barbara had planned ahead and brought cognac (or rubbing alcohol with brown coloration) and plastic cups for us to sip upon as we viewed the city from our roofscape. This memory is my favorite of the trip. Seven college students from different cultures, sharing their experiences over bad cognac. I was glad to know that the college students and cheap alcohol is a universal thing.

While I learned a great deal of history about Tsarist Russia, Communism, and the fall of the USSR, I'm sure I will forget it all (most of its already gone). I can learn history again and again throughout my lifetime. But, when will I ever be on top of a rusted roof in St. Petersburg sipping cognac again?



**Barbara is the one facing the camera**

This past week, I rode a bus for over 50 hours, and traveled to amazing places that don't often come to mind when thinking of European vacations. The drive from Copenhagen to Budapest, Hungary takes approximately 23 hours, if you include border stops in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Also count a breakfast in the Czech Republic and lunch in Bratislava, Slovakia. My passport now includes some incredibly interesting stamps, despite spending a short time in those few places. The amount of snow and cold decreased as we headed further south, and with 35 other DIS students, two leaders, a half dozen movies to watch and loads of excitement, we soon found ourselves in beautiful Budapest.

I must admit, I knew nothing about Budapest or Hungary prior to going there. The reason I signed up for this tour was my lack of knowledge. I wanted to see the most obscure places possible, places I'd probably never go on my own. It was a wise decision.

Firstly, Budapest could easily become my favorite European city. Florence still has the number one ranking, but perhaps if I spent more time in Budapest, I could be swayed. Not only was the city extremely beautiful, but very very interesting. The combination of many cultures comes together along the Danube River in a very picturesque setting. The history of Hungarian Jews, of the former Soviet Block, and the ancient Turkish influences make for a varied and diverse city. Walking along the Danube several times was a distinct pleasure.

Highlights of the trip included 1) The nice weather. Escaping blustery, wet Copenhagen could make even Baghdad look appealing right now. 2) The Turkish Baths: Several friends from my trip and I went to the Gellert Baths. Budapest has several hot springs within the city limits and using the public baths is cheap, safe and fun! I was treated to access to hot mineral baths, cold pools, saunas, and a massage by a very scary Hungarian woman. She attacked my body with little mercy. After the cramped bus ride, the massage table was a little slice of heaven. 3) Sightseeing. We saw the second largest Synagogue in the world (the one in NYC is the largest), which was beautiful. In addition, we toured several castles, on the top of vistas overlooking the river and the city. Simply wandering around the streets (which I spent most of my free time doing) offered many visual delights.

After an amazing time in Budapest, we boarded the buses again for a 3 hour trek to Vienna. This year is the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. Spending a great portion of his life in Vienna, the city was full of Mozart memorabilia. An exhibit on Mozart that I toured included several original scores, including Don Giovanni. You couldn't walk two feet in Vienna without seeing a picture of the genius. Luckily, our itinerary included seeing the performance of Don Giovanni at the State Opera house, arguably the best Opera venue in the world. Seeing the live performance while imagining Mozart conducting the pit orchestra was a truly amazing experience. Below is a picture of me at the Opera House.
In addition to seeing the Hopsburg Apartments, several large churches in Vienna, and renaissance era castles, another key element played into my enjoyment of the city: Food, particularly schnitzel, chocolate and beer! Not to sound like a cliche college student, but Austrian beer is delicious. It was so fun to drink out of classic Steins, as we did in a pub one night. Schnitzel is also delicious, whether in chicken, beef, or veal form. And well, chocolate needs no explanation.

As I write this entry, I'm growing weary. But, I must press on. This Monday, I leave for Russia, and then the following week I travel to Oxford to visit a friend. The extended spring break continues.