The Return Trip, and some thoughts about Spring Break

So the morning of Saturday, March 19 we got up at 5am, packed, checked out and headed to the train station to try and get a seat on a 6:30 train to Venice. We couldn't reserve a seat but you're still allowed to take the train with Eurail Passes so we got on and waited in what looked like an unpopular area of the train. The rule in that case is that you can sit any place that's not taken by a reserved ticket holder, and the risk you take is that you might end up standing if every seat is taken. We had about 10 minutes before the train was to leave and there weren't that many people on it. I said "Well hey at this rate we'll be fine. The train's pretty empty and I doubt a huge swarm of people will show up suddenly with only 10 minutes before departure on an international train." No more than 5 minutes later this ARMY of kids walks on the train with some parents being dragged along behind them. Jeez! Sure enough these kids walk up and are whining in German looking at their tickets and their parents and at our seats...

So we stood for a while. The train took off and we did eventually find a few empty seats, and so we got to watch the Austrian countryside for a while. I have to say that Austria is amazing. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places on earth. No wonder the people are so great, they live in a fantasticly beautiful world.

The train to Venice got us there about 1:30 in the afternoon, perfect timing to catch a 1:35 train to Napoli (which stopped in Arezzo). We got to Arezzo about 4:30 and caught a Chiusi train which took us to Castiglion Fiorentino. Thus we got back to town a little before 5 PM and got to the center just after 5. Thus my whirlwind spring break reached its conclusion.

Looking back on it now I am certain that Vienna was my favorite european city. I'm dying to go back, it was just that awesome. My previous favorite, Rome, was dethroned by Vienna for a couple reasons. Both cities have awesome monumental architecture, both cities have lots of parks and trees, both cities are very friendly. Rome has the amazing historical center and incredible ruins going for it, but Vienna has just enough to outweight that. First of all Vienna is cleaner and a little closer to American technological standards. Second of all the mass-transit in Vienna is a lot better, and the city is more pedestrian friendly (all the UStraße are pedestrian only and most of the city core is too). The city is better planned in a set of concentric rings, and it appears to be as easy for cars to get around as it is for people (though to be totally fair I don't know since I didn't try to drive). The modern architecture is really cool, the mix of various ages of buildings shows the history of the city and really gives it a vibrant and living character, whereas Rome, while very vibrant, has very little modern stuff - there are new buildings but they are "fake old buildings" that are intended to blend into to the historical city until you get well away from the center. Finally Vienna was a lot more diverse. There is actually variety of foods in Vienna, whereas there is hardly any in all of Italy including Rome.

That last bit really gets me. I'm not joking here: There is more variety of food in College Station than in the entire nation of Italy. I swear I am not kidding, there is really really little variety of food and culture in Italy. Italian culture is great, but that's all you will find here.

The other thing this trip highlighted for me is about the feasible enjoyable lenght of a european excursion. I think most Americans could really enjoy about two weeks (which for me was Venice with our profs + spring break) in Europe before they'd start to be tired of it. That is the best time to zip back to the US. You'd be really glad you came, you'd enjoy every minute of the trip, and just when you felt like it would be great if the Europeans learned to get better plumbing, electricity, and food, you'd be back in America. You wouldn't have enough time to dislike europe at all, only enough to know you like the US better.

And really sometimes I wish that was how this trip was. Living in Italy is a blessing (despite the lack of food) because the people here are among the nicest we've met in Europe and the language is really easy to learn and beautiful to hear. Plus the town we're in isn't a tourist attraction, so we're accepted as students who may be foreign but are living residents of town rather than migrant tourists. The people here are used to the idea that Americans are always wandering around and they're quite nice to us, especially when we try to speak the language and are polite back to them.

Of all the places in Europe I think that Italy is the most like Texas culturally, though I haven't traveled enough to stake money on that. But seriously the people here are great, they are a lot like people back home and I think they'd all really enjoy their time in Texas if they were to visit. It's kind of funny because they complain about cold weather just like we do and are proud to be the home of "nice hot weather".... except that in Europe that means 80 degrees. But it's about 60 degrees outside this week (which I find fantastic) and the people here are still wearing heavy parkas and stuff. I bet the English and Germans would love to have sunny 60 degree weather... well actually I know they would because they all vacation in Italy like crazy.

So my last thoughts on Spring Break...
I think Germany is entirely too serious. Prior to this trip I had 3 top destinations that I couldn't wait to see: London, Rome, and Berlin. Saw Rome, was in love from the beginning. Going to London April 21, can't wait. I went to Berlin equally excited, and I can't say I was blown away. At first it was really great, because the whole city is modern, and I hadn't seen much modern stuff since leaving the US. But aside from the appearance, which reminded me somehow more of New York or Los Angeles than Europe, it wasn't that great. Like I said the people were entirely too serious, and walking around on the streets wasn't that incredibly pleasant. Vienna and Rome on the other hand are just amazing to walk around, the people are happy and full of energy. So while I did like Berlin I was not as in love as I thought I would have been.

Austria is the coolest place ever. When we were there I thought to myself a few times that maybe A&M should have study abroad there instead of Italy. That's probably not true because Italy is really great but Austria is amazing. I think that A&M should probably add Austria as an option though. The coolest part is that despite how amazingly beautiful it is it really wasn't that touristy. Another cool thing: being in Germany didn't make me want to learn German, but being in Austria did. I really loved it. Especially the Wieners.

Most of all I made a few interesting realizations about what people I missed most while we were gone to spring break, how good it was to get a break from Italy for a little while, and how Italy compares to the rest of Europe. I am much less tired of Italy now that I got away for a bit. Prior to leaving for Venice I was having a really bad time feeling just not that good about Europe. I don't think I can call it homesickness because it was less that I missed being home in College Station or seeing family and friends from America and more that I was just getting tired of the dumb things about Italy. Getting out gave me new perspective about what things Italy does better (and worse) than the rest of Europe, and I like Italy better for that. At this point I'm just sort of coasting for the rest of the semester. I'm looking forward to a couple more trips I've got planned, and one really big trip on May 6th, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it all.

That pretty much wraps up my thoughts on the matter. Of course there's more to it than that but I'd have no details to talk over when I get back home if I kept writing! So ponder and discuss amongst your friends, and I'll tell you about Orvietto and Easter in Castiglion (and bird doo) tomorrow. Ciao!