From the glaciers we headed out towards the coast for the night. We were told Lake Matheson was a worthwhile stop so we checked it out. The walk around the lake was more of a stroll, which suited the big bus of tourists who came through, but the views were quite spectacular (including the “view of views”…).
April 24, 2013 will go down in history as the day one crazy Lithuanian was given a bike in Berlin.
Reporting a month later, and in all seriousness, I do have to say that beginning to bike around Berlin did have a big effect on my life here and how I see the city. As well as facilitating my transformation from a clueless tourist into an expert map reader, it has instilled an even bigger sense of belonging and comfort here.
The first week of May was Samba week in our IES Music & Society class. We discussed the history of Samba, learned when the different forms of Samba emerged, got a chance to try out traditional Samba instruments and took a trip to Pedra do Sal where we ate fejoada and intermingled with the diverse crowd of Samba appreciantes.
Alright, a few different trips have happened so I’m going to break it down…
When talking about the prospect of vacation, there is always this argument in my family: the mountains or the beach? Well, we found a place with both.
Gillespie’s Beach , only about an hour’s drive from Fox Glacier, was our camping destination for the night- mostly just because the campsite is free. However, we were blown away by the amazing rock beach looking out to the Tasman Sea and the magnificent mountain views behind.
When I tell people I’m going to Germany this summer, the first reaction is always “Cool! Do you speak German?” To which I reply awkwardly “Uh…no…but it’s a program taught in English, it’ll be fine.” Hopefully it really will be fine! I talked to a girl who went last summer who had the same fear, and she said she had a great time, so I’m not too worried. Mostly I’m just excited to meet everyone and get settled in.
My first day in Granada, my host mom told me that my time here would go by in a flash. She couldn’t have been more right! As I prepare to leave, I keep thinking about all of the people I’ll miss chatting with, all the places I’ll miss visiting, and all the things I won’t be able to experience. I’m excited to go back home, but I don’t want to leave Granada without being confident that I will return someday.
After a lot of driving the first day, we finally got to visit and get within 300 feet of two of NZ’s glaciers: Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Each of them was tucked within some huge mountains. Both the short walk through what use to be the glacier bed and the views of the glaciers themselves were pretty epic.
I actually started packing for Vienna last week, even though I hate packing with a passion, which is also how I’m finding time to write this… I really hate packing. I just got home from a week in Las Vegas to see one of my cousins graduate from college. Our plane landed in Austin-Bergstrom at 11:20pm last night (Tues, May 21) and my first flight for Vienna leaves at 11:30am tomorrow (Thurs, May 23). Pretty much when my plane landed, a mental timer started, counting down my last 36 hours in Texas before I leave for Austria.