Read this in an ad in Newsweek for international schools.

"I think having exposure to many ideas, politics, cultures, and ways of thinking can help me adapt my views on the world and finding my place in it. Meeting people with different backgrounds than my own means that I will inevitably learn from them. I want my background on culture to go further than my birthplace."

Szeged, Hungary

Szaged was a very cute relaxing town with a university in the middle. I must have walked around for hours admiring the Austria-Hungarian architecture and the music fountain that played classical music in sync with the spurts of water. Not many people here spoke English, which made it difficult to order food and find my hostel. I walked around town and saw a lot of young people hanging outside a building. I was sure this was my hostel, but when I walked inside I realized it was really a police station.

I eventually found my hostel, which was actually a hotel. I literally had the third floor all to myself. I had fun running around, eating jam and toast for dinner. Finally having privacy and a place to myself. I slept very well that night.

Bratislava, Slovakia

The difference between Western Europe and Eastern Europe are subtle differences when you go to places that border the West like Slovakia.

#1 Difference: Old brick communist buildings are scattered all over the city of Bratislava. These buildings look cold they serve a purpose and that's just about all they do.

#2 Difference: The trains are old and ragged. These trains are not pleasant. They smell and everyone smokes even when sitting next to you. Not to mention to toilets dispose the waste onto the track. Shocking, I know.

#3 Difference: Bake goods are tasty and dirt cheap. I got a croissant for 30p. It was still warm.

#4 The main cities are usually off set by stunning landscape or a huge castle. In Devin and Bratislava have huge medieval castles illuminating the so/so looking cities. The castle in Devin (thus named Castle Devin) was the setting for Dragonheart I, Peacekeeper, and Kull The Conqueror. (http://www.slovensko.com/investor/film.htm)

#5 No tourist and not many English speakers.

Crystalworld

Ironically, Crystalworld was a rather dark and surreal place. I remember my mother telling me she had a bad reaction to CW when she visited. I never knew what she meant, but now seeing it firsthand I could imagine its because of the very strange exhibits. One of the rooms contained a musical box that played music that could easily have been from a horror movie. The pictures from the fairytale that went along with the music was of a dog getting cut in half by a butcher knife. I haven=t a clue what this has to do with crystals.

My favorite exhibit was one created by Brian Eno. He called it a growing crystal of 500 million crystals. Every second it would slightly change shape or color. He wrote the score for it, which was ambient and soothing. I sat and watched it for about ten minutes in a calm trance.

Last week in Munich

On the train to Munich. Everything fell right into place. Last night, I was fortunate enough to get mz own room at the Jugendherberge Innsbruck hostel.The hostel was an ugly building looked like a concrete block from communistic era. The wooden beds were as comfortable as what I would imagine prison beds to be and everything had a charge from heating the stove to checking email. This was a complete contrast to the utopic hostel I stayed at in Monte Negro. After a long day of travel and walking I fell asleep at 10 pm.

Where are my friends....

I want to hold them tight. I am so very far away and have been for so very long.

Pictures from Graz, Austria Click Here

From Graz, Austria

From Graz, Austria