All the news that's fit to print

In Vienna my life is unbelievably normal in comparison to the way things were while traveling in the West Balkans. Every day we have at least one lecture. Today we ended up with three. Since nothing exciting has happened, I decided to pick apart my favorite moments to share with you all. So here is a list of Things of Note from Vienna:

1.If feet could talk…mine would be SCREAMING because they are so blistered and gross looking. So I went to the local DM (think CVS) and invested in some nice dead-skin remover stuff. I scrubbed my feet for an unbelievable amount of time. Nice image right?
2. I usually keep my window open because there is no air conditioning and my room (thanks to its previous tenant) absolutely reeks of cigarette smoke. This is wonderful except for the few hours each night when my lights are on. I have created a bug sanctuary in the Diplomatic Academy.
3. I have fallen in love with two new coffee drinks. The first is called mélange and the best way I can describe it is that it is like a small latte. The second is an eis café, which is an espresso version of a coke float. I enjoy both of these drinks (and other delectable foods) at the café a block away from the Diplomatic Academy. The café is situated on a corner, and was built around a fountain (commemorating a clever girl named Elizabeth who outsmarted an old thief) and old trees. The trees are currently flowering, and in the breeze the petals float down onto my lap and into my bag.
4. Vienna is a very walk-able city and I can’t think of something that I have needed that I cannot find within a five-minute walk of my residence. The most wonderful museums and the loveliest gardens are only a ten-minute walk away. As such I have seen unbelievable works of art. The different styles of art represented are wonderful, and I have seen a lot of pieces from specific styles that I have not seen much of before.
5. The past few days have been unbelievably humid and hot. Since we are in the city, this makes the heat especially unbearable. Luckily, there was a wonderful summer storm tonight, which will hopefully cool off the weather for the rest of the week.
6. I love raspberry (hirbeer) gelato.
7. I am constantly amazed by the wonders of technology. I have been able to keep contact with people from UNC (and elsewhere) who are spread all around the world, across five continents. This is possible through e-mail, g-chat, skype, facebook…it is absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, I can also see why governments have made efforts to shut down twitter and facebook, because they really do create social networks.
8. At the end of the month I am heading to England for ten days to spend time with Michelle, Sarah, and the Greene family! I am very very verrrry excited.

That’s pretty much all that I can think of that would be interesting to note. I hope that you all have an absolutely wonderful week!

With love,
Lauren