Category Archives: Destinations

10 Things I Learned in Salzburg

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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For most tourists who visit Salzburg, the allure lies in its reputation as being the city of Mozart’s birth and upbringing, as well as the home of the original Von Trapp family (you know, the ones from The Sound of Music).

Rock me, Amadeus! Street art in Salzburg.

Rock me, Amadeus! Street art in Salzburg.

As such, much of the sightseeing I did was somehow related to both of these things, and let me tell you: I did not know a lot about either of them! All of this info is probably even on their Wikipedia pages, but I don’t really troll that for this sort of thing, so it was exciting news to me!

Which is funny considering a) how much Mozart I sang growing up and b) the fact that I regularly sang “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” in the shower for most of my high school years, having looked up all the lyrics and memorized them for that specific purpose…

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Photo Of My Day: Mozart Mix

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

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Spent a few beautiful days in Salzburg last week: home of Mozart and the Sound of Music, both exciting music-related things (although one is far more ingenious than the other).

I learned a lot about Mozart while there, and will share some of those things soon with you all, but before I do, here’s a little taster of some Mozart-related monuments, etc. around town.

By the way: Mozart spent about a third of his life traveling!

Top left: Mozart graffiti in an underpass, Middle: Mozart's statue in Mozartplatz, Top Right: Piano at the Baroque concert I attended (the piano had in Latin 'Music is the Cause of Our Delight'; Middle Right: shot of Mozart's birthplace, Bottom Right: Close up of the detail on the piano, Bottom Left: Mozartkugel, a Salzburg original bonbon named for Mozart (pistachio, marzipan, chocolate, oh my!)

Top left: Mozart graffiti in an underpass, Middle: Mozart’s statue in Mozartplatz, Top Right: Piano at the Baroque concert I attended (the piano had in Latin ‘Music is the Cause of Our Delight’; Middle Right: shot of Mozart’s birthplace, Bottom Right: Close up of the detail on the piano, Bottom Left: Mozartkugel, a Salzburg original bonbon named for Mozart (pistachio, marzipan, chocolate, oh my!)

Oh, Tucson: Crazy Small World Travel Experiences (So Far)

17 Sunday Feb 2013

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The world is a small place. And it gets smaller as I meet more and more people across it. Here are some crazy small world experiences I’ve had in my travels…

View of the clouds

4. Prague, Czech Republic

My hometown is one of those places where you can play 3 degrees of separation from practically everyone in it. Even on the road. I found this to be true just this weekend in Prague on a free walking tour. I started chatting to a girl by me and it turned out SHE LIVED IN TUCSON. AND HAD DONE THE SAME STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM AS I HAD.

I could reference Bisonwitches and Orvieto in the same breath. We ended up hanging out for the rest of the weekend in Prague, and plan to grab a drink again when we’re both back in the Old Pueblo.

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Slovenia in the Snow: A Photo Essay

16 Saturday Feb 2013

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This desert gal is still getting her snow legs, and believe me, that requires taking a lot of photographic proof that snow a) sticks to the ground and b) isn’t so bad after all! In fact, it’s kinda nice sometimes. And pretty and shiny.

Here are my shots of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, in the snow. Sorry the title is misleading; I liked the alliteration.

Warning: This post is photo heavy! Let ‘er load, folks!

Nobody’s going to be sitting on that park bench anytime soon…

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Here’s Ljubljana’s Tromostovje, or Triple Bridge–3 bridges crossing the river one after the other.

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Favorite 5: Things I Did in Slovenia

15 Friday Feb 2013

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I just finished my first trip through Slovenia, and I have to say: I am impressed. Seriously. For a country so small, Slovenia has a lot to offer, and I can’t wait to go back to explore it more in the spring or summer when it’s a bit easier to get to some of the other sights!

So, here are five of my favorite things I did when I was in the lovely country of Slovenia.

5. Getting lost in Ljubljana

When people say a color is the new black, they’re always lying. But when I heard someone say once that Ljubljana is the new Vienna, I was intrigued to see whether that held water.

This was the Slovenian poet who penned their national anthem. This square is where everyone meets up!

This was the Slovenian poet who penned their national anthem. This square is where everyone meets up!

It does. It has the same architectural charm, the same winding streets, the same cafe culture. But Ljubljana has its own distinct personality, and because it’s still so undiscovered by many tourists, it’s a total hidden gem. I loved walking along the river, admiring all the funky and chic cafes, and wishing I could spend more time there!

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7 Turkey Travel Tips

13 Wednesday Feb 2013

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I just spent 6 weeks in Istanbul, and was there for almost a month back in August. Although I’m certainly no expert on the city–only a true Istanbulite could say that, I think–I definitely learned at least seven things about life and travel there.

Some of these are things I wish I had known before I went; others are tips from fellow travelers and ex-pats. They’re pretty basic, but I hope they’re helpful!

A (relatively unflattering) self-portrait at the incredible Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

A (relatively unflattering) self-portrait at the incredible Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

1. Carry a photocopy of your passport with you, especially at night. I don’t mean in your luggage, I mean on your person/in your purse/wallet. Police do make stops and checks, especially if you are in a car at night, and you can get in trouble if you don’t have this. Be sure you know where your physical passport is at all times in the unlikely event that they ask to see the original.

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Photo of My Day: The Calm Before Carnival

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

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I'm not sure what his costume was supposed to be. Monkey cop?

I’m not sure what his costume was supposed to be. Monkey cop?

 

This photo was taken on Saturday before the main carnival parade I attended in Ptuj, Slovenia. I saw this guy a number of times traipsing around town, spooking passersby and generally being mischievous, as one ought to be around this time of year.

Here he is, lighting a cigarette nonchalantly. You’d never know that just beyond the doors behind him on the left is a huge party going on with free food and drinks.

On Visiting a Natural History Museum with a Bio Major…

11 Monday Feb 2013

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This is from the British Museum of Natural History, not the one in Zagreb, but you get the idea: skeletons!

This is from the British Museum of Natural History, not the one in Zagreb, but you get the idea: skeletons!

This is what happens when you visit the Croatian Natural History Museum with an evolutionary biology major with a specialty in anatomy who happens to be, generally speaking, an enthusiastic guy:

You will have your mind pummeled by facts. For example: you can tell whether an animal had chomping capabilities (or chomped often) by the presence of a sagittal crest in its skull.* 

You will learn that muscles need more surface area to attach (or something), which explains a bunch of stuff related to identifying flightless birds.*

You will wonder how anyone could remember so much after years of not studying it and earning a master’s degree in something completely different.

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Our Trip to The Museum of Broken Relationships

10 Sunday Feb 2013

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As Boris and I were wandering around Zagreb, we kept seeing the well marked signs directing visitors to the local museums. There were the usual: museums for modern art, theatre, ethnography, natural history.

But the one that caught my eye over and over was The Museum of Broken Relationships. What the heck could that be?

Turns out, I really didn’t do any research on Zagreb before our visit. If I had, I would have known that this museum had won awards for most innovative museum in Europe and had started as a touring exhibit. Its collection grew from town to town, until finally it was decided to create a permanent home for it in its birthplace: Zagreb.

So what could possibly be on display at such a museum?

Well, a lot of things. The museum exhibits mementos from past relationships; not all were romantic, although most were. Not all were break-ups, but most were. Each item had an explanation of its significance written by the owner who donated it. Provenance ranged from Bloomington, Indiana, to Kilkenny, Ireland (love you, Kilkenny!) To Manila, Philippines.

For example, one of my favorites was a clever collection of air sickness bags (don’t worry, they were unused), remnants of a long-distance relationship that didn’t make it.

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