Venice History/Info

Venice was created on a series of mud banks with canals instead of roads, making it truly one of the most unique cities in the world! It was orginally a province of the Byzantine Empire and by the 12th century it was a completely independent city-state. Through its control of the spice and silk trade form the East, it was the richest trading nation in Europe. The canals are lined with many beautiful palaces that date back to the 18th century. Venice's power was beginning to wind down around the 18th century and finally lost its independence in 1797....and has since been somewhat frozen in time.






The Grand Canal-
The Grand Canal weaves through the heart of the city ranging in width from 100 to 230 ft and is approximately 2.5 miles long. It is lined with palaces that were built over a span of 5 centuries, almost all of them bearing the name of a once-great Venetian family. There are 3 bridges that cross over the Grand Canal (...and I'm proud to announce that I've crossed all three!) the Calzi, the Rialto and the Accademia. As stated by the French Ambassador in 1495, the Grand Canal is "the most beautiful street in the world".

Ponte di Rialto


Ponte Accademia


Ponte Scalzi




Gondolas-
Most of the time when people think 'Venice' they think 'Gondola'. Rightfully so because the gondola has been a part of Venice culture since the 11th century and are still extremely popular today! We saw them everywhere! With its slim shape and flat underside it is designed to handle the narrow shallow canals. In the past it was simply a way of transportation but today it is mainly just a tourist attraction, and an expensive one at that!









Basilica di San Marco/ St. Marks Basilica-
In St. Marks Basilica you can find a mixture of architecural and decorative styles from the east and west to create one of the greatest buildings in Europe. Built on a Greek-cross plan, it is actually the 3rd church to stand on this site. The first one was built to enshrine the body of St. Mark in the 9th century but was destroyed by fire. In the 11th century, the 2nd one was pulled down to make room for spectacular edifice that would reflect the growing power of the Republic and it's connections to Byzantium. Many of the treasures, statues, and icons that stand inside were brought to St. marks after the 4th crusade had plundered Constantinople in 1204.

Venezia

As I sit down to write this blog I am so excited and yet a little confused. Excited because the trip to Venice was AMAZING but confused because there is so much I want to say that I don't know where to begin and my head is about to explode. You know how when you forget what you want to say to someone so you say "Oh man, I just lost my train of thought." ? Well, this time I did not lose my train of thought, in fact I'm painfully aware of its location and existence. The problem is that I don't just have one...I have about 20 and they can only go one at a time and, of course they all want to go first. And now (because I've taught them well) they've all lost patience and have all collided!!

*a few minutes later*

Ok, now that I've had a few minutes to clean up the mess in my head... bring on the Venice blog!

Last week my friend Ana Inestrillas, who is also and au pair here and a member of the churhc, suggested we go to Venice sometime because we have both always wanted to go there. Little did I know that she meant this weekend!! After a few days of hesitating over stupid things like time, money, etc... I finally just decided to go! And OH MAN! am I glad I did!

It all started Friday night when I met Ana at the train station after we both got off work. From there we got our tickets and then set off to find our seats on the train. WE were rally hoping for our own compartment considering that we would be on this train from 8:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m., 12 hours!!!! ...but unfortunately that was not the case. After a few hours on the train we attempted to sleep but it didn't come easy, partly because we were so excited to get to Venice and partly because we were propped up in stiff positions in a crowded compartment with strangers. so by the time we actually reached Venice the next morning, we had each only gotten about 3, maybe 4 hours of sleep.

Upon our arrival in Venice we were so giddy that our lack of sleep (temporarily) had no effect. As we stepped outside of the train station the whole, unique world of Venice was opened up to us. I felt like I was dreaming as I realized that I was only a few feet away from THE Grand Canal, which I have desperately wanted to see for so long! Although the city is crawling with people, it is still strangely peaceful. Most of the credit, I'm sure, going to the fact that there really are NO cars in the whole city. The only modes of transportation consisted of walking and water-ways. There were so many small ferries, boats and gondolas gliding over the Grand Canal and weaving peacefully through the smaller canals. It was soooo cute!

Most of the cities main sites are located along the Grand Canal so we figured that we would just walk along the side forming the 'S' that weaves through the city from the train station to the Adriatic Sea. However, much to our surprise, there are not always footpaths along the Grand Canal, forcing us to take side alleys (I call them alleys because they cannot be justified as streets_ and across cute little bridges over the smaller canals. Which ended up being great because we not only got to see the sights but got to experience the actual city. Inside the city there are teeny canals and really teeny alleys everywhere! There is no real structure or organization to them and you constantly surrounded by buildings and water, which can and did make it extremely difficult to navigate yourself to the places you go...even with our 'trusty' map.

As we strolled for hours through the city we were offered many gondola rides, but unfortunately didn't have enough money to take them up on their offers. We explored the many great sights that the city has to offer and crossed the world famous bridges know as Ponte di Rialto and Ponte Accademia. We kept busy all day just soaking it all in stopping only to enjoy some authenitc Italian lasagna, pizza, and gelatto...and of course by some cool Venetian souvenirs! :)

Although we enjoyed it thoroughly, by the end of the day our lack of sleep was catching up with us. We were so wiped out from walking miles and miles and miles that it felt like we would never make it back to the train station We were so tired and 'slap happy' that everything we said or did was not only funny but absolutely hilarious! But the two things we found most hilarious on the way back were: 1st- the man that tried to sell us purses of the black market. He was seriously the funniest man I think I've ever seen in my life. He had a really cool Indian accent and would get about in inch from your face ever time he suggested a new price. As if it were a secret. He was so determined to sell us a purse that he weaseled his prices all the way down to 15 euros for a purse that was easily worth 100, and my friend finally just bought it! Of course to anyone reading this, it probably doesn't sound remotely funny...but we laughed so hard that my abs and face still hurt! 2nd- the old man that came up to us and started singing to us in an attempt to give us some true Italian culture! He sang for a good 10 minutes before we were finally able to make a smooth escape!

Now, for one of my favorite parts of the trip... After finally making it back to the train station we were literally praying that we would have our own compartment so we could lay down and sleep...because this would be yet another all-night, 12-hour train ride back to Vienna! We were getting excited with only a few minutes before departure because no one had come to sit with us yet. With literally seconds before departure, just a we were spreading out and getting comfortable...two people came in and completely dashed our hopes of a peaceful ride back. After sitting back up and moving to make room for them we discovered by their 'accents' they they were American. Which usually always makes me smile but we were a little cranky that they had invaded our space. But we began to lighten up when the guy (very good looking by the way) just started talking to us. He asked my where I was from and when I said 'Montana' he just about jumped out of his seat and exclaimed "REALLY?!? WHAT PART?!?!" After explaining to him where Hamilton was he told me that he actually knew where that was! Which is always surprising to me! Being a little intrigued at this point I returned the favor and asked him where he and the girl, his sister, were from. When the words 'Powell, Wyoming' came out of his mouth it was my turn to just about jump out of my seat with an exclamation!! Upon telling him that my parents were form Cody, and I have family in both Cody and Powell we instatnly became great friends! We ended up talking with them, Aaron and Leah, for a very long time about anything and everything! So even though we got less sleep tit was so fun to truly see how small the world can be sometimes! Especially when we need to be small...because to be honest I've needed it lately. Meeting two people from Powell, Wyoming in the middle of Europe on a night train put a huge smile on my face and gave me a great memory of Italy to keep forever!



As bad as I wanted to just dive in...you know I had to at least put my foot in!! :)

For anyone who doesn't know what the Danube is

First of all, for anyone who doesn't know what the Danube is...shame on you! haha I decided to do a blog about the Danube River, (Donau in German) because it plays various roles in European history, economy, and environment... and it happens to flow only a few minutes from my house.

The Danube is one of Europe's longest rivers, second only to the Volga. It's origin rests in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in Germany (Deutschland). It begins as the two small rivers known as Brigach and Breg, which later join forces near the German town of Donaueschingen and henceforth taking the name 'Danube'. The Danube flows smoothly eastward for approximately 1771 miles leaving its mark in 4 central and eastern European capitals (Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, and Belgrade), and covering parts of 10 countries before spilling out into the Black Sea.

Throughout history the Danube basis has been the site of some of the earliest human cultures such as Linear Pottery cultures, Vucedol culture and many more. It was also part of the Roman Empire's Limes Germanicus. It was often used as a border for the Roman Empire.

Although here in Vienna the Danube is not used for drinking water, it still remains a source of drinking water for approximately 10 million people in other countries. Today it remains a vital part of European transportation by connecting the Black Sea with many industrial centers within Western Europe and the Port of Rotterdam.

I'll take it!

Before I begin with my cute little story for this week, I'd first like to say that I have officially booked my train ticket to Budapest, Hungary! I will be going on the weekend of Nov. 20-21. So mark it on the calender and wait for a (hopefully) really cool blog!

The past couple weeks I have come up with cute little nicknames for each of the kids. Each one is just one word before their name that describes them and has the same first letter as their name. For example we have 'Crazy Christoph' because...well...he's 3, enough said. And then we have 'Funny Fanny' because when she's not busy being mean and self-centered, she can actually be quite funny. She's a little comedian! When Flora heard these ones she insisted that I come up with a name for her and Timon as well. So after a few minutes of thinking we came up with 'Floppy Flora' and 'Tricky Timon'. Floppy Flora fits her because she is gymnast and is always doing cartwheels, handstands, flips etc.. She's constantly 'flopping' around the house. In fact sometimes when she eats, she'll take a bite and then stand up to do a cart-wheel, or stand on her head for a few minutes and goes back to take another bite, and continues this process until she is finished. Tricky fits Timon because he's a habitual liar and in his mind, "It sounds cool!" Each of the kids absolutely loves his/her nickname and thinks its hilarious! But after a few days, the girls decided that I needed one too. But I told them that if they wanted me to have one then they had to come up with it. After a few minutes I was beginning to regret letting them choose, especially when Flora came up with ' Ninny Nicole' ! yikes! Thank goodness she decided to try something different after I explained to her what ninny meant. :) So after a few more minutes of hard-core brainstorming she came up with my new name. The conversation went as follows. "Hey Nicole I've got it!! What about Nicka Nicole?" "Umm... Flora? I really have no idea what 'nicka' means" "UGH, Yes you do Nicole! You do know nicka!" ...me thinking..... "Actually I'm pretty sure I don't!" "You know like the store!! The shoes you always wear! You know?!?!" "OH you mean NIKE!.....I'LL TAKE IT!!! So I'm proud to announce my new name as 'Nike Nicole'! Couldn't fit better!!

More Vienna History

Sorry...just more Viennese History...I'm hoping to take a trip to Prague or Budapest (or both)  soon though  so sit tight.  :)

               

The Burgtheater:  

  -The Burgtheater is  known as the most prestigious stage in the German-speaking world.   Originally the theater was built during Maria Theresa's reign but was replaced in 1888 by the Italian Renaissance style building that is there today, which was designed by Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper (does anyone else get a kick out of all these old german names?!  I know I do!)    In 1987 it was closed for refurbishment because it had been discovered that there were several seats that had no view of the stage.   (haha good one Hasenauer and Semper!)   48 years after that it was devastated by a bomb leaving only the side wings.  But due to a lot of fantastic and successful restoration, it is now just as beautiful as ever!  

Neues Rathaus (New City Hall):

  - The new City Hall was built during the years of 1872-1883 to replace the Altes Rathaus* (old city hall) and is the seat of the Vienna City.  Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect, was chosen by the authorities in a competition for the best design and chose to go with a Neo-Gothic style.   The building has 7 courtyards where summer concerts are held every year.  (I actually attended 2 of these summer productions, one being the Cinderella Ballet and the other a really creepy opera about...who knows what....basically...it made me miss basketball!!)  On all four sides of the building are Neo-Gothic arcades and statues of Austrian worthies including the very prominent Habsburgs**.  Underneath the city hall is a very popular restaurant called Wiener Rathauskeller.

   * Altes Rathaus -  In 1309 2 brothers by the names of Otto and Haymo Neuburg conspired to overthrow the Habsburgs but were unsuccessful.  Their property was confiscated and donated to the city.  Over centuries the site was expanded to form the complex of buildings that served as the city hall until 1883.  In one corner of the Altes Rathaus is the Andromeda Fountain which is located in the main courtyard and was the last piece of work designed by Gerog Raphael Donner in 1741.   In another area is a late 13th century chapel called the Salvatorkapelle, the only surviving building of the medieval town house.   My favorite attraction of the Atles Rathaus is the Austrian Resistance Archive.   Many Austrians welcomed Hitler's takeover in 1938 but in this Archive it pays tribute to the distinguished minority who resisted Nazism.    

  ** Habsburgs - The Habsburgs began centuries of rule over Austria following the death of Friedrich II in 1246.

Parliament:  

  -  Theophil Hansen, a Danish born Architect chose a specifially Neo-Classical style when designing the parliament building.    It was originally constructed to serve as the Reichstrat building (the parliament building of the Austrian part of the Hapsburg Empire).  It's construction took 10 years, beginning in 1874 and ending in...oh come on, it's simple I'm sure you can do that math problem yourselves.  :)  It's entrance is raised above street level and can only be approached by a very broad ramp.   The ramp itself is decorated with marble figures of Greek and Roman historians and at the foot of the ramp are the bronze Horse Tamers which were designed by Josef Lax.   After the collapse of the Habsburg empire on November 11, 1918, the parliamentary deputies proclaimed the formation of the republic of Deutsch-Osterreich and was renamed the Republic of Austria in 1919.   Half of the parliament building was completely destroyed in WWII.  Although most reconstruction was successfully completed by June 1956, the restoration of some damaged artwork only began in the 1990s. 

     - "Austrian Parliament:  The Austrian parliament is ocmposed of two houses, the lower house, or Nationalrat,  the upper house, or Bundesrat.  The Lower House has 193 seats and it's member are elected for a four-year term by proportional representation.  it comprises the governing party and the opposition.  The Upper House is ocmposed of elected representatives from Austria's nine provinces (Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, and Wien) and tis function is to approve legislation passed by the Lower House.  Bills may also be presented to parliament by the general public or by the Chambers of Labour (representing consumers and employees) and the Chambers of teh Economy (representing employers and industry_.  The federal President is elected for a six-year term and is largely a figurehead.  Theoretically, he or she has the power to veto bills and dissolve parliament, though this has never occurred. "   -as stated in Eyewitness Travel Guides-Vienna  :)       

Hofburg:

  -  In the Hofburg complex there are former imperial apartments, several museums, a chapel, the Austrian National Library, a Winter Riding School and the President of Austria's offices.  For over 6 centuries it was the seat of Austrian power.  Seven centuries of architectural development can be seen in this complex.  Although there are many attractions in the Hofburg complex, the one that really caught my attention was the Neue Burg.  The reason being because the Neue Burg was where Hitler stood and gave his speech welcoming Austria into the union on March 15, 1938.  

  -http://www.thirdreichruins.com/vienna.htm    Check out this website.   It's really neat to see picture of places I've been and see that not that long ago this place was crawling with Nazis!   It's also kind of cool...actually no, on the contrary it's extremely sickening to be walking or standing somewhere and know that one of the most evil and historical men known to the earth also stood or walked in that exact same spot (or at least very close).

-Close up of the Neue Burg where Hitler stood and proclaimed annexation of Austria in 1938.

Sunday Talk

Last sunday I had the opportunity to give a talk in church.  It was the first time I've been able to give a talk as an 'adult'.  Until now I was always just another one of the youth speakers OR the one that Bishop Schallenberger called on at the last minute.  :)  In contrast to having only a few seconds, this time I was given a whole month and a half to prepare.  At first I was grateful to have such a long time but in the end I think it stressed me out way more.  It was constantly in the back of my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it... for 45 days!  I would sit down and start writing, be almost finished and then have new ideas and have to start all over again.  I thought and prayed and thought and prayed some more because I wanted to give a good talk that people could relate to, rather than a boring traditional talk that everyone has heard a million times.  But at the end of the 45 days I was confident that I had a pretty good talk prepared and was actually really excited to give it.  I had a feeling that everything I had prepared was exactly what I needed to say.   After it was finally finished I was quite proud of myself.  Instead of fidgeting and talking really really fast like I usually do, I was calm and spoke in a clear, normal voice.   They might have actually mistaken me for someone who is good at public speaking.  In fact...they did.   I had many people give me compliments but only one seemed to matter and it really stuck out to me.  One lady came up to me at the end of the day and gave me a hug and sincerely thanked me.  She just kept saying that she'd been feeling my spirit all week and couldn't wait to get to church.  She told me that everything I had said was exactly what she needed to hear and asked me to always share my gift (what that is I'm not exactly clear on yet), and that I was a blessing to have here.  It was really neat because that day I saw that the Lord really does work through each of us so long as we allow him in our lives, and if nothing else, that one comment made this whole adventure totally worth it just to know that the Lord was able to work through me to help someone else, even when I didn't realize it right away.  

-And I must say to my wonderful friend Doug, aka Bishop Schallenberger, that I kinda miss being called on unexpectedly.   Actually...I just miss you...and the beautiful Lori of course!  :)

Profiles

Sorry it's been a while, there really hasn't been much to post lately.  But today I decided to do a quick post about each of the kids.  I realized that I mention them a lot but nobody really knows them so I'll tell you all a little bit about each of them.

Timon (tee-moan):

Timon is 9 years old and is extremely hyper.  I know most kids have a lot of energy but his is over the top.  He's actually ADHD.   He enjoys playing tennis and doing gymnastics (but only because his 'favorite sister', Flora, does gymnastics too).   He absolutely loves singing and listening to music.  His current favorites are Poker Face by Lady Gaga and Right Round by Flo Rida, and he sings them ALL the time!!   I call him little Dwain, because he is going through this phase where he thinks he is super cool and some of the things he says and does remind of how Dwain was once upon a time.   :)  (love you Dwain)  He wears these really big, ugly sunglasses and a big, ugly hat with a dollar sign.   In his mind, every time he puts them on he is magically turned into this really cool 'gangsta' that walks with 'pimpin' kind of strut.   He's recently discovered that it's cool to say 'chillin'  (i.e.  I'm just 'chillin')   So now he refers to himself as a "Chiller."  haha

Flora:

Flora is 7 years old and is the easiest of the 4 to get along with.  She is the most mellow and reasonable.  Her favorite things to do are gymnastics, vaulting (gymnastics on horseback...AMAZING), and playing with her best friend Sophie.    She is extremely smart and her english is impeccable for a 7 year old!

Fanny:

Fanny will be turning 5 years old this week.  Of any kid I have ever met, she is the most difficult to get along with.  One minute she loves you and the next she hates you.  I try really hard to understand but...I just don't.  In her good moments she is one of the cutest kids ever.  She could probably be famous one day just for her smile.    She, like Flora and Timon, also enjoys doing gymnastics.  Her other activities include being mean to Timon and Flora and beating up Christoph.  haha just kidding...(ok I'm not kidding but she does have good qualities too...I think)   Her less devilish activities include coloring and playing with perler beads to no end!    In some ways, as much as I hate to admit it, she is kind of like my kindred spirit.  For example, she is a perfectionist, she likes almost all the same foods as me, and she bites her nails like there's no tomorrow!  :)

Christoph:

Christoph will soon be 3 years old and is, most of the time, really funny and happy.   He is currently going through potty training which is interesting.  At first he absolutely loved going on the 'big toilet' but now he's bored with it, making it extremely difficult to get him to NOT wet his pants.   Sometimes he runs up to me or Isabelle and screams "Ich muss LULU"-I must peepee, even if he doesn't actually have to go because he thinks our reaction is funny.   He is the good-humored one in the family, however his good humor can spoil really quickly when the other kids don't think he's as funny as he thinks he is.  In which case he deems it necessary to scream, kick, hit, pinch, and break Fanny's glasses.    His favorite thing to do is to sit by me, play with my hair,  and be read to.  He loves it when I read english books to him.  We would do it for hours everyday if I allowed it.  He also never goes anywhere without his schnule (binki) and stuffed animal bear which actually looks more like a rag.  He will do anything as long as bear wants to do it.  Which makes things really easy for me when he's being difficult.  For example:  -"Christoph, it's time for bed now buddy."  - "NO I WANT NOT GO TO BED!!!!"   -"but Christoph, bear just told me that he's really really tired and wants to go to bed.  But he doesn't want to go without you.  Just look at him, he's so sad and tired, you better go to bed with him. "   -*sniff sniff*  "ok bear, we can go"        or "Christoph, bear doesn't want to sleep with you tonight if you don't brush your teeth.  He thinks your breath is yucky and really wants you to brush your teeth before bed."  :)