Weekend in the Haus

Hey Everyone...

This place is amazing! First of all, my room is really comfortable and has a nice big window. Everyone seems to hang out in the communal kitchens in the evenings to drink and smoke. Its pretty much a big euro-pudding, since I've met people from the following countries: Romania, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and Finnland! They all speak german when they're together, which is great, because I'm actually as good if not better than most of the foreigners. One girl, Sandra, who is from Vienna, is particularly nice. She said my German depressed her, because it was better than her English and she had been studying that for 9 years. Another girl, Nina, let me borrow her pots and pans for a few days until I can get my own. I've been eating bread and cheese, pasta and sauce, and rice and stuff. Oh, and did I mention there's even a sauna? I haven't been yet, because its only open during certain weekday evenings, but I can't wait to take advantage of it!

Yesterday the weather was beautiful, and John let me borrow his bike. I explored all the historic districts of town, and found my school, which happens to be on the opposite end of town on top of the big hill. Would probably take about 30 or 40 minutes to walk to, but there is a bus that will take me most of the way. Once I got up there, I noticed on the map that there was a scenic bike route, so I took that and got an amazing view of the city. I took a lot of pictures, but you'll have to wait till tomorrow when I have an internet connection in my room. I also went to the big palace downtown, which has beautiful gardens, and explored that as well. Next to that there is a big pedestrian zone that has lots of cafes and shops. I was wandering through that when I heard someone call my name, and it turned out to be the other two teaching assistants hanging out at one of the cafes. It was kind of odd being somewhere completely foreign to me and hearing someone yell "Arthur!!"

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day, since I have to show up at my school for the first time, register my address with the authorities, and open a bank account. Phew!

So, keep checking back for all those photos.. they're pretty amazing, since this is a pretty amazing place!

-Art