Mallorca, Spain

When we found tickets for less than 90euros from Bratislava To Palma on Ryan air, we couldn't turn it down. I loved spending this years girls trip on the Island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. I had always heard of Mallorca (or Majorca) and have plenty of friend's who have visited the island, but wasn't exactly sure where it was located in relation to the rest of Spain. I was surprised to see how close it was to Barcelona. It was small enough to have a mountain and beach vacation at the same time.

Anika, Lisa and I arrived on Easter Sunday late in the evening. We rented a car and drove from Palma to the west coast for the first two nights. Our hotel was just outside Valldemossa. The map makes the island look huge. We were surprised when we were able to drive from the airport to Valldemossa in 30 minutes. We spent most of the first day walking around the town and visited the morning market.

Valldemossa

Aroma was the best place to have a bottle of wine and get out of the rain

I've learned my lesson of never saying "I wonder what would happen if..."  Not two minutes after saying "I wonder what would happen if two tour buses had to pass each other on these roads" We litteraly came around a corner and saw the exact scenario. With a slight off road maneuver they were on their way but too bad for our little car. We weren't able to get by on the rocky shoulder. It was stressful but we managed to get by (pulling in side mirrors) and hardly scraping by! We spent the first few days just driving and seeing some of the sights. We really liked the small town of Soller and the drive up the coast toward Pollensa to see the light house.

The light house at the end of the road

We spent our last three days at the beach in Alcudia. The weather finally cleared up when we got here and it was even warm enough to lay by the pool! The water was still too cold to swim.  The Viva Tropic hotel was insanely cheap and newly remodled so it was a perfect deal. We only paid 120 euros total for three people for three nights!

The view from our hotel room

We found an cute little place withe ham and cheese croissants so it turned into part of our morning routine. We rented bikes one morning and rode for about an hour toward C'an Picafort. It was pretty flat and an easy ride.

The beaches in this area are said to be some of Europes best beaches! We decided to have a drink and our favorite appetizer at one of the beach restaurants on our last night. Most of the better restaurants were not directly on the beach.

Patron Peppers

We ate here two night in a row, the Rioja and Pallea were amazing!

I am the WORST Blogger ever...11 month update...

How is it possible that its almost been an entire year since my last blog... What do I spend my time doing that I don't have 30 minutes somewhere in a week to give an update???  I am going to do my best to stick to it this time (fingers crossed behind my back).... but here is what I've been up to the past 11 months, let's catch up and work from current to oldest!

April '11
Spring break is finally here and I am off to the island of Mallorca, Spain for a holiday with my girlfriends Lisa and Anika! I can't wait to share my findings from this tiny island in the Med.

belated birthday trip to ROME! I just can't get enough of Italy. I love Rome in the spring. April is artichoke season and a trip to the Jewish ghetto for a Roman Jewish Artichoke is a must. I loved catching up with some old friends and eating dinner at the restaurant from the movie Eat Pray Love!

The restaurant from the movie "Eat, Pray Love"

March '11
Birthday number 31! It came and went... starting to get used to the fact that I am getting old. A murder mystery party was a fun twist for this years celebration. It is always nice to have good friends over. If you haven't hosted one of these dinners you should try it sometime!

This was a busy month for Balls..The masquerade ball for a Monday night was perfect! Finding a mask the night of was a bit of a disaster but it all worked out in the end. A table in a smaller room with a band that loved to play Cha Cha tunes was a lot of fun. The Irish ball was a disappointment this year. It felt like a bad wedding reception and when the music started at 1am it was an Irish band singing American oldies, disaster!

Steph, Sarah, Lisa -Masquerade Ball, Hofburg Palace '11

A trip to Berlin, Germany at the end of the month was perfect timing to get a break from Vienna and see a city with so much life and history. I can hardly believe the history this city holds. Not to mention being caught in the middle of a flash mob pillow fight.

A section of the Berlin Wall

February '11
Ski Week! I actually spent an entire week in the mountains skiing. I have realized that snowboarding will always be something I love (to hate)! I skied most of the week and enjoyed it for what it is (the thing I have to do before lunch+beer and Apres ski at 4:00)

Schladming, Austria

The IAEA ball was another main event. i loved my dress this year but it was too crowded to dance in the main ballroom and just not as good as the previous year.

IAEA Ball 2011,  Grand Ballroom

Hofburg Palace red carpet

January '11
2011 is here! It was a quiet New Years at home. Unfortunately an ice storm got in the way of our plans to have my sister Maggie and her husband over, and the flu knocked out my other sister Sara. I guess this year was meant to be quiet.  I've also learned to leave myself a longer connection when flying back to Austria. This is the second time I have spent the day sitting at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam after missing my 1 hour connection.  Ball season in Vienna began! We are going to six balls this year. The Philharmonic was extremely elegant and I couldn't believe how beautiful the Musikverein looked. A bit too crowded to dance but it cleared out enough by 2am to be able to move about the floor with only a few collisions.

Philharmonic Ball Vienna, Austria 2011

December '10
 Christmas season in Vienna! That means: Christmas markets, Gluwein, and Christmas trees! Eddie and I got another giant tree, this one was even bigger than last year... pushing the limits at 15 feet. The best part was the natural decoration found between the branches, a birds nest...perfect for a baby Jesus, ha, we had fun with that one.

We found a winner!

oops, helps to open the doors before you tie the tree down

Let's see what she looks like!

Can you find the birds nest?

 

Away in a manger a nest for a bed...

 Home again for the holidays. It was nice having my sister Maggie there but Sara had to work. Sara showed up on the 27th so I was happy to have her around for the rest of the holiday. I love getting together with the high school friends for our Christmas brunch! So many wonderful babies around now to celebrate with too!

Maggie and Matt's first Christmas in their new house

Christmas Brunch with the Sibley crew

It is hard seeing my mom dealing with breast cancer, but she has a good diagnosis and breast cancer will soon be a thing of her past. She is the strongest woman I know~!

The Finzen Women

November '10
My mom came to visit! LOVED traveling with her again. She helped out with the soccer trip to Switzerland this year. An overnight train with a group of middle school girls is an interesting task to complete. Fall break finally arrived and mom and I were off to Turkey for a long holiday. Istanbul was an incredible place to spend 5 days, there is so much to see and do. But the most magical part of the trip was 3 days in Cappadocia! This martian landscape is a must see and the 6 am Hot Air balloon flight is well worth it~

After my mom left, Eddie surprised me with dinner at Do&CO and a trip to the famous Vienna Opera House. We stood with my mom to see part of Madam Butterfly so it was nice to actually go and have a seat with a translator bar. The Barber of Seville was excellent! "Figaro.."

Do&Co for dinner...

Vienna Opera House

October '10
When in Austria... learn how to Waltz! There are so many traditional balls during the winter in Austria. So we decided to sign up for dance lessons and give it a try. Cha cha, tango, two-step, waltz, we are getting the hang of it.

I even have professional shoes!

Eddie's dad came to visit. We decided to go away for the weekend to see a little more of Eastern Europe. A three hour drive brought us to Czesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. A gorgeous view from our room and a tour of the castle and local brewery.

Hotel room with a castle view

Ed and Eddie looking down on the city

September '10
School starts and here I am teaching Kindergarten again! Coaching soccer makes up for it! Visitors help too! Kevin and Lauren came from NY at the beginning of the month and we spent the weekend in the mountains ofSchladming (3 hour drive from Vienna) and went to the Dachstein Glacier. We stumbled across a wine festival in the town, so when in Rome...

Wine festival

Kevin and Lauren

At the top of the glacier

OKTOBERFEST round II! Anika and I headed back to Munich for a long weekend to celebrate Oktoberfest. I LOVED having Katie and Zac join this year!

Do I look Austrian... or like I serve beer for a living?

Munich couldn't handle us!

Paulaner Tent

August '10
 Colorado for a few days was a highlight! A night out in Boulder and a quick drive to the mountains for a run down the Alpine slide. Washington DC for a quick visit, followed by a drive south to Pennsylvania for a wedding and a flight up to New York in time for a nice dinner with Kevin and Lauren, Chipotle and a stop at my favorite Ice cream truck near union square (http://www.biggayicecreamtruck.com/) Good bye USA see you at Christmas!

Boulder, CO "The Sink"

Drinks at the top of the W

No better place to spend your last day in the US! NY City!

seriously... so good!

July '10
No better way to enter the USA than a stop in New York with my favorite Australian! Spending the 4th of July in Minnesota at my aunt and uncles house (no better place to celebrate). Hanging out with Maggie at the New Target Field to watch the Twins, meeting her adorable puppy Boomer and seeing her new house! 

Building a big apple in the "Big Apple"

Twins game with Maggie at the new Target Field

Heading to Alaska with my dad and Mary to Visit Sara and have a run around the Kenai peninsula. Loved watching the world cup final in a small bar in Homer~! It was wonderful catching up with Darcie and meeting Chris too.  I can't wait for the trip next summer!

Welcome to God's country

Halibut fishing -Homer, AK

Go go go! Dubai reunion in MN, Trip to the Pacific Northwest to run the Ragnar Relay in Washington with Lisa, a quick visit to Seattle to See Jill and her beautiful family and to Portland, Oregon to see Sara and her beautiful family.

Bryant Lake Bowling Alley Reunion

The original Starbucks in Seattle with Jill and baby Ella

At the finish of the Ragnar relay Washington

Sara and baby Sammy in Portland

June '10
End of School and my toughest year of teaching! Hello summer and watching World Cup South Africa on the big screen:)

The last 7 months... where did time go?!... Where have I been?!

Well, needless to say, I got lazy again. I meant to be better about writing and keeping track of everything happening in my life, especially after moving to a new country. I guess I can fill in the gaps a little bit and hit all the highlights. Here we go...

November '09
Shan, Art and Chas came to visit. We went to Bratislava for the night. Chas came a few days early for Thanksgiving. We went to Billy Bones and watched the football game, surprisingly enough had a really good meal.

December '09
Home for the holidays and New Years Even in Washington DC black tie!

January '10
snowboarding in Austria  is fun but wow do I suck!

February '10
Carnival! Party train to Venice, Italy was definitely the highlight!


March '10
I turned 30! This was not necessarily an exciting event or something to celebrate... My friends were wonderful. Eddie planned a big weekend away in Budapest. Not even the cold weather could stop us! I love this city on the river!

April '10
Girls trip to Italy for Easter break (Rome, Sorento, Positano) I believe everyone should leave space in each calendar year for a trip with their girlfriends!

May '10
40K Bike ride from Melk to Krems, Austria
8 days in Dubai, paid for by work! (runs on the beach, pool, shopping, pedicure/manicure, favorite lunch places, drinks with friends, soccer... what more could I ask for)

Graz, Austria half marathon weekend!

It's weekends like this that remind me why I travel and chose to live in other countries. I slept in Saturday morning, then made my way to Sudbanhof train station. The D tram is a few block from my house and goes straight to the station (life here is easy). It is almost ridiculous how easy it is. I miss having a car at times but when I remember how much money I save taking public it is ok. sometimes taking public can be tricky. My tram was late but no worries, Anika was going to buy my train ticket and I could meet her on the platform a few minutes before the train was scheduled to leave. The a small twist was thrown into our schedule, there had been a small crash on one of the tracks and our train wasn't able to leave on those tracks anymore. We now had to take a train to the station in the center of town and go from there. We only had a few minutes to run from one train to the next or then we would have to wait an hour. Needless to say, we made it and everything was just fine.
Graz is a beautiful city. I love all of the red roof tops. A day of shopping and dinner at a Greek restaurant with friends. The race felt good for the most part. I started to lose it a bit around kilometer 16 but managed to still finish under two hours.
I think my favorite part was Champaign on the train ride home! More adventures to come! I love Fall in Vienna!

OKTOBERFEST Munich, Germany 2009

The event has some impressive statistics: 14 giant tents with a total seating capacity of 100,000. It serves 5.5 million litres of potent ‘March beer’ to over 6 million people, more than 600,000 fried chickens and 84 heads of cattle. The annual commercial value of the whole thing is estimated at a minimum of 0.7 billion Euros....


I was lucky enough to spend the 3rd weekend in September (known as Italian weekend) in Munich. Oktoberfest is an even that should be well researched before diving in headfirst. I will definitely be heading back to Munich in 2010 with an Oktoberfest strategy!


This was the year of the unknowns...Showing up without a hotel room...without table reservations and after 11am... Somehow we wheeled and deeled and figured it all out. In truth some of my favorite times in life are the ones not planned, where you simply turn up and fly by the seat of your pants. What isn't there to love about randomness and spur of the moment fun! There is a bizar thrill of not knowing if you have a place to sleep and trying to figure out the best possible scenarios for the evenign at the last minute. I think it stems from my childhood and my family always being the "last minute people" at everything we did. We couldn't get our acts together to even get to church on time...


Be warned though, Oktoberfest beer at around 8% is strong stuff


Opening Times
Oktoberfest 2009: September 19th to October 4th 2009
Most of the tents on the Wiesn open at 10.30 in the morning and shut at 23.00 and some like Käfer, Weinzelt at 01:00. However even there they won't let more people in after 22.30. Beer Serving Hours are from 10am to 10.30pm during the week and from 9am to 10.30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The fairground rides are open from 10am to 11.30pm (Mondays to Thursdays and Sundays) and from 10am to 12am on Friday and Saturday.


Ein Prosit

Do I really live here?!...

I guess reality hasn't hit me 100%...I actually live here! My apartment is beginning to feel a little more like home each day. I know I don't have everything that I "need", but that will take sometime.

I have learned that moving from the Middle East to Europe can make a teacher poor rather quick. I never really had to think about money when I lived in an oil rich region and worked for a "corporation/business" (in Vienna we call that a school) which paid for my housing and flights, and whose government had 0% tax on my salary (why did I move again?). Not to worry, I have a feeling once my paintings and pictures are on the walls this place will feel a little more like "me".

I still can't seem to get used to "life on the streets" I feel paralyzed whenever someone speaks to me in German. I immediately shut down and think to myself "what did they just say... oh no, I don't speak German."  " Entschuldigung, sprechen sie Englisch." This is where they say " a little" or "nin" ...

I feel quite comfortable on the U-Bahn (Vienna's underground) and the trams and buses. Sometimes I manage to go the wrong way but haven't done that for a while. I should carry a map, but I don't. Walking from place to place is manageable with a good pair of shoes. I am beginning to read restaurant menus and have mastered the art of reading a pizza menu so that is always at the top of the dinner choices.

I don't quite have my weekend places figured out and can't recommend many restaurants.

I guess a new city is like a pair of new shoes...you have to walk around for quite a while until it feels comfortable. So, here is to new faces and new places and figuring it all out. I guess I better buy a new pair of shoes to go with my new city!