Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg.

First of all...
I'M SORRY! 
I started another blog, picked up on my own journal writing, got really busy, and kind of just left this one in the dust. It happens.
There is exactly 2 and a half weeks until I return home, and it's literally unreal. Literally.

(p.s. in Italy, you might accidentally order your drink iced instead of hot and it will make you very sad and cold)

ANYWAY, the last couple of weeks were absolutely incredible! Starting with 2 weeks ago when I got to see my lovely parents and get away with them and Braxton for a week.
I learned that I'm in love with Paris. We had a blast!

This last week, on Wednesday, I got to sing again! But this time it was even better. The environment wasn't as elegant or prestigious as the Gala, but it was still classy. It was an apperitivo in the coolest bar I have ever seen. We reserved the "dome room". It had a dome ceiling and it was so modern/chic, if that makes any sense. But even if it was in a dump, it would have been better than the gala because
THERE WAS A PIANO! 
A beautiful, grand piano. I have never felt so relieved as I did when I finally got to play and sing my favorite (what used to be daily) songs. I won't even try to explain how I felt because it is honestly indescribable.
If you want to watch a video of me singing "Only Shadows", it's on my Facebook here:

I went to get food after I sang, and one of the bartenders came from the other room and peeked his head in and said "Sorry I just had to tell you how incredible that was!" Then he ran back out. It was really nice and made me feel so good!
There were other performances as well, and I'd say a total of about 80 or 90 in the room. It was basically all of the students and staff from Richmond, plus some Italian students and other random people I've never seen. It was such a great night! One of the best since I've been here.



The very next day, Thursday, after school Braxton and I packed up to leave on our first solo (well, duo?) trip that we booked through Euroadventures!
Budapest, Hungary, Vienna and Salzburg, Austria all in a span of three days! We were stressed about it at first, and didn't know what to expect since literally 24 hours of it consisted of sitting on a bus driving from place to place. But we couldn't have been more satisfied with this trip!
Budapest was scary at first because we didn't know a single word of the language! Not Hello or Goodbye or Thank You or anything. It was so odd! But the city was so amazing, I couldn't even tell ya!
It was a bigger city than I expected. We strayed from the group tour and decided on taking a double decker "hop on hop off" bus. (We did those with my parents in Paris and Rome and loved how they worked, so we were quick to make that decision) It really payed off! We got to see more of Budapest than the rest of the group did.
The first stop we got off was Hero's Square where just a little further ahead we saw a gorgeous, small body of water with a bridge  so naturally we walked to it. Across the street from that, we ran into a ZOO!!!!! We decided to be spontaneous and go in and OH MY best choice ever! It was like an interactive zoo. We literally walked into most of the animals cages. It was actually kinda terrifying. But I LOVED the sloths. Haha. We got off at the caste next, and had an amazing panoramic view of the other side of the river, including the beautiful Parliament building. We got a couple souvenirs, then headed back to the hotel. (Obviously there were stops in between. Including Starbucks. Twice.)


VIENNA! Vienna may have been my favorite, but it's an almost impossible decision. It was similar to Budapest as it was a big city. But it was a little nicer, and easier to navigate with it's fabulous Metro system. That's how we got around.
We went to a modern art museum...super weird...To a CHRISTMAS MARKET with the most wonderful food, and we saw the outside of the building where Mozart lived. We walked around a bit, found ourselves in a theme park with the oldest ferris wheel, found Starbucks, and a shopping center that reminded me of the Champs-Elysees. There were Christmas decorations everywhere, and it all made me feel so happy! Oh and St. Stephens Cathedral is a must-see. Vienna, well Austria in general is all one big MUST-SEE! We stayed in our first Hostel here, too and surprisingly we loved it! It was better than the hotel, and I wouldn't mind going back at all. It was such a "student life" environment and a nice place to just chill and feel at home.

And SALZBURG <3 <3 <3
One of the most beautiful places I have ever laid eyes on. It is where the famous Sound of Music tour is, and it's even more famous for being Mozart's hometown. His face is literally EVERYWHERE. Braxton and I went to the Mozart museum which is where he lived until he was 17 years old (went to Vienna after that) and it was such a humbling, neat experience. We got to see his piano and his violin... It was surreal.
We hiked up a mountain to the castle, which unfortunately we couldn't go inside of because we didn't have enough money to get in, but the view from the mountain itself was worth the hike. Honestly, no picture could ever do it justice, and I feel so blessed to have been able to walk this city for hours and just take in its beauty. I know there aren't many people who can say they've done what I've been able to do this semester.
And yes there was a Starbucks.

I have been having wifi issues lately, so pictures will be posted when that is all fixed. Promise.

Ciao for now!