My New Obsession

Guten Tag! I would just like to take a quick moment to introduce you to something that is literally changing my life and my waistline. It goes by the name of Milka chocolate. "Milka is Kraft Foods' best-selling brand of milk chocolate. It is sold in bar form, in holiday shapes, and in a variety of specialty forms. It was created in 1901 in Austria, by Swiss chocolatier Philippe Suchard." (Thankyou to Wikipedia for that copy-paste). Honestly this stuff is addictive and way too cheap. I'm chowing through a block (not a bar) per day. I have had it for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dessert and it has not disappointed. I'm in love.

Ok so Time for Another Post

Servus! Ich heiβe Katrina. Ich komme aus Australien. Ich wohne in Wien. So this is what I did today - began my journey towards speaking fluent German. I've given myself a timeframe of two weeks to accomplish this (the length of my course for absolute beginners) and I feel that yes it is realistic.
For those who want to be jealous here's a little update on the last few days....
Friday - first day of school, ikea with Lydia (I finally have glasses and no longer have to drink from the tap when thirsty), dinner with a bunch of friends at a local girl's house
Saturday - visited Melk Abbey - craziest most extravagant place but FREEZING, an amazing lunch, walking through Krems - a cute cobblestone shopping street where i made my first purchase - a delicious coat and then a winery tour
Sunday - Ice skating at Rathaus - pretty much they turned a park into an ice rink with all these paths around the park, i experienced gluwein and the evening held monopoly - do i even need to add that I came out the winner??

Ok comment or email me if you want to know more, I better run, the ballet (Romeo and Juliet) awaits..... xo

Guten Tag

So... Love Actually, penne pasta, a tonne of ojs, All About Steve, sleep, Bangkok, stretching, more sleep, Intervention of Lying, english breakfast, 5 hours of window shopping in Heathrow airport, another plane, two trains and blistered hands from luggage later I finally arrived in Vienna, Austria. 30+ hours in transit. So relieved to finally be here. Orientation begins today, let the adventure begin!

Goodbyes

Wow, I didn't realise saying goodbye would be so hard. I think each time I said it this afternoon it got harder. The thought of catching a plane tomorrow kills me but give me 50 hours or so and I'm sure I will have changed my tune.

Ps. Didn't mention the amazingness of Kyoto. Better than Tokyo. Shopping out of this world. Food great. Pretty places to see. The geishas are beautiful and I've already started reading about their culture. Amazing hotel AND MOST OF ALL, bike riding around the city was the ultimate fun.
Pps. I'm now 21 and super mature etc. plus I had a white birthday which I figure makes me a pretty cool southern hemisphere february baby.

3 goodbyes to go, the hardest ones of all.

Peace out and wish me luck.

My First Onsen

Today I had my first onsen (aka hot spring) experience. It was brills. The first rule however is complete nudity. We opted for separate men's and women's baths. You strip, shower, warm up in an indoor bath, then sit in an outdoor bath as it snows on you. So amazing. Sooooooo devo it's our last day here. Kyoto awaits now. Off to pub crawl with Katie. Good eve.

Ps. Pretend this photo is me and that it was snowing. I obviously didn't go taking pictures of naked people but I'm sure you'll get why it was so amazing.

POW

What a day! Ripping through powder all day. So many adventures, amazing minestrone soup at the Hilton, gondolas, meat-hook lifts, out of bounds areas and very rosy red cheeks when the day was done. Off the slopes at 5pm and my crazy brother is still out there. WHAT A DAY!

Ice Bar Experience

We decided to tackle the ice bar. Such a fun! Drinks are served in ice of course you sit in what looks like an ice living room (ice sculptures, ice seats and lounges, ice tables etc). However, it didn't take us long to realise why the second drink is half price (esp. when you don't come armed with gloves). It's like sitting in a freezer! The photos should speak for themselves but here's the quote that is written on the door - i enjoyed it... “In Spring, this ice will melt and soak back into the ground. The water holds the memories of human beings this winter, and takes them back to the Earth. It appears in the ground again to nurture all living things.”