My First Art Show

Last weekend I exhibited at my first art show ever, the Lincoln Arts Festival in Lincoln, NE. The event took place on Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm. Setup took place all day on Friday. The whole ordeal was exhausting but completely worth my time and energy. I'm writing this blog about the experience to describe the process to any others than might be considering their first art show, and so that my family and friends can have a better idea of what it is I went through.

I've been considering trying to get into an art show for about a year now, maybe more. My parents used to do art shows, so I had a wealth of knowledge to pull from. I knew that I wanted to try for a juried show, which is a show that you apply to and your work is judged before you're let into the show. These shows hold a little more weight in the art community, and I wanted to see if my photography would hold up to this higher standard.

To apply to an art show, I first had a find a show I wanted to do and that would fit into my school schedule. I found the website "Zapp", which lists art shows around the nation. I signed up to get their weekly e-mails and in one of these e-mails towards the end of April was the Lincoln Arts Festival. I read up on their show and decided the timing was right and the show was about the caliber I was looking for at 15,000 people attending and about 100 artists.

So here I was, ready to apply for the Lincoln Arts Festival. Ready to commit to exposing my photography to the world. Two things were hard to do: first, I had to pick my four best photos for the judges to see; second, I had to figure out what to do about the "booth shot". The booth shot is typically required to apply to an art show, so I got creative with powerpoint. A booth shot is meant to show the judges your body of work and how you plan to display this work. I worked carefully to place a bunch of photos in an appealing order on a slide, and then made this a jpeg. This is what it looked like:

After I uploaded my files and paid the application fee ($25), the waiting game began. I applied in early May and was supposed to hear back by the end of May. I went to the field for my first season of data collection in the Nebraska Sandhills. Things were tough. That first month of field work went by excruciatingly slowly, but reconnecting with Bryn was one of the benefits. After the expected response date passed, I was disappointed that I hadn't made it into the show, but I also hadn't had any official rejection letter. My Mom encouraged me to send an e-mail just to make sure, since they used to send rejections letters.

About a week passed before I finally decided to send the e-mail to the show organizers to confirm that I hadn't made it. I had the best surprise when, instead of a response to my e-mail, I got the official invitation to be in the show! Now I had to make my final decision whether to attend or not. I had to think about the time it would take to prepare for the show and the time I would need to spend during the show, which was at the beginning of a busy semester. Despite the time commitment and my already-time crunched schedule, I decided to go for it. I booked the booth space and was ready to start.

I spent my summer here, in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Towards the end of my field season, the beginning of July, I began deciding which photos to put in the show and where to print them. I had already made a quick decision when I put my booth shot together, so all of those photos had to be printed. I also printed the four "best" photos that helped me get into the show. When all was said and done, I had printed about 170 photos ranging in size from 5x7 to 16x20, I ended up using Nations Photo Lab, who I've used in the past and really liked; I of course chose the non-corrected option since I do my own editing in Photoshop (expensive) and/or Zoner (free).

I had everything sent to my parents house because my parents had all the tools I needed to put together my photographs, and I was headed there at the end of July. The tools I needed included a mat cutter (big heavy piece of precision equipment), a mounting press (another heavy piece of equipment, less precision), a heavy-weight paper cutter, a tacking iron, and all the leftover foam board and mat board for me to pick through and "borrow".

This photo shows the tools from left to right: mounting press, heavy-weight paper cutter, and mat cutter in the back. I was glad I didn't have to work in the basement!

The first task we took care of when I went home was finding the display. My parents hadn't really used it in 20 years or so, but we knew where most of it was. My Mom and I managed to find 7 of 8 metal panels, the bucket of feet, and the PVC rafters. We set this much up and then pondered for a few days where the vinyl sides and top might be, along with the box of other supplies (like the knuckle buster for taking credit cards).

Finally my Dad and I decided to head over to my Grandpa's old house, which is now being rented out to a family. Dad was just out of surgery a few days before so he had to take it easy. While he went over to the house to let the renters know what we were up to, I headed over to the old dilapidated shack. Wouldn't you know the first place I looked was where the eighth metal panel was, leaned up against the outside of the shack. Then I went into the shack (I wish I had pictures of this part...) and rummaged around for a bit before Dad and the renter walked over. I saw something that looked like vinyl, and was white-ish in color. It had zippers. I had found one vinyl panel! It was like a miracle had happened, I had no hope of finding these things in the falling-down shack, but there was one of them. After I pulled microwaves and bricks and piles of dirt and other debris off, I pulled it free. Underneath that was another one, and over in a corner buried under squirrel's winter food stash was a third and fourth. I was feeling ecstatic--the display tent is probably the single most expensive investment when doing your first art show. I was lucky. Underneath even more metal scraps and bricks and piles of dirt was the top of the display tent. It had not fared so well; the mesh window panels were completely rotted through and the vinyl itself was in bad shape.

Here are the side panels and the top (right side). You can see how amazingly well the side panels did in that junk pile for 20 years and how not-so-well the top panel did.

So Dad and I had succeeded in finding the remaining parts of the display tent. We celebrated with a trip to George's. My Mom could hardly believe it when we got home and announced we'd found everything we were looking for. We spread the panels out and cleaned them as best we could. Dad and I took the top to a tent manufacturer and asked them to make a new one for us and explained the dimensions and what we needed it for (it had to be water tight).

Dad enjoying our success and his burger.

After securing the display booth, I was free to turn my attention to my photos. I spent about a week while at home preparing my photos for sale. I had to cut foam mounting board to size, cut dry mount tissue to size, and cut mat boards--both to size and the window. My Mom doesn't know this, but I was cutting my foam board on the rug in that room (you can just see the corner of the rug in the bottom right corner of the above photo)...you can't even tell! I didn't have a space big enough to do it anywhere but the floor.

My 16x20 prints were damaged during shipping--the corners were all bent. I sent
an e-mail to Nations Photo Lab letting them know and they got a re-print started right
away and had new ones to me in just a couple days. My Mom later informed me that
the corners would not show in a frame and they would probably be pressed out in the
mounting press (which they were...). So I ended up with a free second set of 16x20 prints!

At the end of my time at home, I had gotten a lot done, more than my parents expected me to get done (probably because I don't get distracted easily once I'm on a mission). I also knew I would not get a lot more time to work on anything with the semester starting and not having the tools in Lincoln. I spent long hours in that room, sometimes with the company of Tullah, the family dog. I had managed to get almost all of my photos mounted on mount board and most of them matted as well.

The 16x20 prints on 20x24 mount board were tricky because I had to do them in two presses in the mounting press. Luckily I had a couple photos from a botched batch to test it out on. I managed to get a huge bubble in on of these, but fixed it by poking holes in the mount board and pressing it again in a cold mounting press. I decided to wait on putting anything in plastic bags for display since I was running out of time and wanted to play with my nieces and nephew! I'd be back at the end of August to collect everything and would have some time then.

I drove home at the end of August for my cousin's wedding and to pick up all my art show supplies. I picked up Bryn at the Cleveland airport and we got home very early Friday morning. We spent most of Friday putting the finishing touches on the photos, putting them in display bags or frames, and mounting/matting some new photos that my Mom printed for me. We were busy the whole of Friday until the bonfire and then again on Saturday until we had to leave for the wedding.

Bryn helped me all day Friday. I think he appreciates the work that goes into art a little bit more!

Bryn and I had to scramble to get to the wedding (almost) on time. We had to go shopping for wedding-appropriate attire for Bryn before the wedding! We managed to get to the wedding just as Lindsay was about to walk down the aisle, and I proceeded to barge in the church doors while everyone was eagerly awaiting Lindsay. Whoops.

Lindsay was literally about to walk down the aislde when I
strolled in. Bryn was a little more hesitant because he saw
what was happening...

Bryn touring the harbor in his fancy new clothes!

After the wedding I did some final prep work and then we headed to bed, anticipating the long drive ahead of us. We were driving back to Lincoln on Sunday. It took longer than anticipated to pack the car the next morning, but we managed to fit our luggage and all of the art show supplies (except for the director's chair) into my car and put the metal panels on top. I love my car! The drive to Lincoln was uneventful, and after Bryn changed his flight from Monday (!) to Tuesday it was a bit more relaxed. We got to Lincoln and unloaded everything into my basement and grabbed some Chinese take-out.

For the better part of September I was brainstorming ways to set up my booth and how to best display my photos. I didn't want to invest in expensive displays like you see the pros using, so I had to get creative. My weekends were spent either doing more prep work on the photos themselves (some still needed to be bagged or framed) or wandering around hardware stores looking for ideas. I think what I ended up with turned out pretty great.

It all came together Friday before the show when I was finally able to set everything up at Southpointe Pavilion. I have to quickly thank Felipe, my Brazilian neighbor, for carrying the heavy panels from my basement and helping me get them onto my car. I packed up the rest of my supplies Thursday morning, grabbed my friend Nathan, and headed to set up the tent.

My tallest friend, Nathan, who helped me get the top and sides on my booth.

After the tent was set up, I took Nathan back to school, went to a meeting, and then loaded up my photos to put the actual display together. This was the fun part. I could finally see how all my plans were going to turn out, and I was liking how it was looking.

This was my unusual idea. I bought closet baskets like this one and hung them on my panels.
Then I bought closet rods and attached L-joints to provide support for the baskets. They take
up very little space and worked really well. If you have mesh panels, like a lot of other artists,
then something like this probably won't work. My panels are rigid and could take the weight.
I went with this idea because I didn't want to have photos so close to the ground, and
I only needed three of them.

The day of the show I arrived a little early to do some finishing touches on my display. My neighbors were really awesome, providing me with some support, tips, and chatting during the lulls. I logged into my PayPal Here account to be ready for any sales by credit card, and double checked that I had brought my change ($100 worth of 5's and $100 worth of 10's--this turned out to be far more than I needed). I put my business cards in their holders, put out the Starburst candy, and was ready to roll!

My display all ready to go! My desk, which all the blogs said I needed, was made of three stacked cubes with a window curtain wrapped around it. Those fancy desks the pros use can be very expensive, but mine cost me about ten bucks, did exactly what I needed, and looked good, too. Plus, I could use it for transporting supplies more efficiently. You can see another of my closet baskets in the bottom right corner, this one without sides. They worked better than I even anticipated they would. I had to add bubble wrap to the L-joints to prevent the photos from getting dented.

The two days of the art show were the most exhausting days I've had outside of long days of field work. You're constantly on alert for someone that might be interested in buying a photo, and want to engage with anyone that looks vaguely interested. It was also so much fun. Not one person said something bad about my photos, and most people that came into my booth said how awesome they thought the photos were. I even got a "Patron Award" from a lady who donates to the Lincoln Arts Council. Just getting this positive feedback from the general public and other artists made the show worth it, the sales were an added bonus!

One of my photos (bottom left) was even featured on show advertising!

I ended up making back almost half my investment (not including what my parents spent to help me get ready...), which is pretty awesome for a first show. A lot of my friends stopped by to check it out, and some of them even bought a photo. One lady fell in love with the "Road to the Ranch" photo and bought that one framed (exciting!). A man around my age loved the black-and-white photos and bought two--the "Grainery and Fence" and "Derelict Corrals." It doesn't get better than that. After a slow start to Sunday, sales picked up for the last two hours and my Saturday and Sunday ended up being about equal in terms of sales.

My friend Ilonka and her boyfriend Ivan came Sunday afternoon to help me pack everything up. We managed to get everything into my car, which makes me glad I didn't rent a van. They were such good helpers, too, it would have taken three times as long without them there. Thank goodness for friends!

It fits! (Ilonka, ever the model)

The whole thing was a success! Big thanks to all my helpers and especially my parents, I couldn't have done this without their having done it 20 years ago and their willingness to make lists and talk me through things while getting ready.

Things I hope to change next time:
1. Make my booth a little taller. It was a tad shorter than the rest of the booths, and the taller folks bumped their heads sometimes. I could set it on cinder blocks?
2. Buy a dedicated rug instead of sacrificing a rug I really like.
3. Make up price cards for my photos. A gallery owner mentioned that people might think my work is too expensive if the prices aren't right there with the photos.
4. Put name labels next to the photos. It seemed like people wanted to know the title of the photo, whereas I thought this would be irrelevant if they liked the image.
5. Try to be a little more region-specific (or learn to lie?). Potential buyers seemed turned off once they learned most of the photos weren't in Nebraska. Darn!
6. Put more springs in my larger framed photos--the art show bugs really liked to crawl under the glass (as my parents warned me would happen). I think if the seal is tighter they won't be able to get in.
7. Find some re-usable zip ties. I zip tied my desk together, zip tied the vinyl to the metal panels, and zip tied the weights to the panels. I want to find something that I can re-use each time, and I think I've seen re-usable zip ties somewhere!

Tips for your first art show:
1. Make friends with your neighbors. They can provide support and also supplies if you forget something. My neighbor Kyle borrowed my step ladder a few times and I borrowed bubble wrap from my neighbor Dale.
2. Bring a lunch. Eat it! By the end of the second day I hadn't eaten much and was pretty faint when I had to pack up my car.
3. Drink water! Especially if the show is on black pavement. It can get really hot.
4. Sunscreen could be really important.
5. You can't print everything in every possible size; don't kick yourself when you don't have something in the size someone wants--you can't predict this sort of thing!
6. Price your images how you're comfortable. I picked my prices based on how they were priced at the gallery in Saskatchewan; some patrons said my prices were high and others said they were reasonable. Just do what you're comfortable with and if a person loves your image, they'll buy it.
7. Sleep well before each day of the show! It is exhausting.
8. I made some tweaks on the second day of the show (put a show-advertised photo out front to try to gain some attention and added price labels) to see if I could increase sales. This sort of thing is fine, but in my case it didn't make much of a difference. Be prepared to change some things if you think it will help sales.

Responses

My Mom sent me an e-mail a while back after catching up and my blog, and wrote notes and questions as she read it. This was from October 27, so before the end of the "official" part of the program. I had planned on responding to her inquiries sooner, but never got around to it. Well I'm going to try to do it now!

Mom: "I love the comparisons of the old and modern roman implements.  How cool!  I would have liked to seen a photo of that 25,000 year old figurine, too."
Me: I figured out I didn't actually see the "Venus of Villendorf" but some other figuring, so I would really like to see it, too!

 

Mom: "Your photos of Slovenia are gorgeous.  I'm only halfway through your posts and my head is swimming with all of the stuff you're seeing.  It seems so overwhelming.  I bet your posts are probably as good for you as they are for your readers, 'cause you'll be able to remember everything so much better." 

Me: My posts are absolutely as good for me as they are for anyone reading them. In fact, they're probably better for me because what I write can cue me in to other related memories. I used to keep a hand-written journal when I was younger, but stopped doing it regularly. Writing a blog is faster, and I can put more details into it (and my hand doesn't hurt after writing). So yes, I really do like keeping a blog.

 

Mom: "I went back and read your Africa stuff too.  For some reason I was trying hard yesterday to remember the events of the last 5 or 6 years ...piecing together occasions while Dad was watching (and I was blankly staring at) the world series game.  I felt like my brain was smoking trying to remember. Seeing your posts helps me a little.  Is Hawaii in there somewhere?  I feel like I've seen it, but can't find it."

Me: Unfortunately I didn't write a blog while in Hawaii. I really should have, because it was a great experience. I did post photos on Facebook though, so that's probably what Mom is referring to. It sure has been an exciting 5 or 6 years for me!

 

Mom: "That's really interesting about the river in Hungary, and how humans have screwed it all up.  Reminds me of the Colorado River."

Me: Yeah, we actually use the Colorado River as an example in our classes of what humans have done to river systems and what we're trying to do to repair them. I'm not sure there are many rivers left in the world that aren't screwed up by us humans.

 

Mom: "Interesting that you would go bareback riding after your lesson here such a short time ago.  Were you thinking of Addi sliding off at all?  ;~)"

Me: I did think of Addi sliding off the horse! For Mother's Day (or my Mom's birthday...) I bought my Mom a horseback riding lesson. Instead of using it herself, she bought another one and had me and Addi go together for a lesson. At the end of the lesson, we both tried bareback for a bit. Addi slid off the horse and landed on her feet, while I clung on for dear life and managed to stay on the horse. But it was scary! I didn't do more than walk on the horse in Hungary, so it wasn't so bad.

 

Mom: "I think I wrote a note to you about the Charles Krouthammer special, "A life that Matters".  The diagram you posted about politics, economy, society and the environment reminded me of it, because Krouthammer claims he had an epiphany of sorts during his college years that steered him in the direction he ultimately ended up following: and that was, that even though it might seem politics should be the lesser of many values - he came to understand that in nearly everything, the politics of a thing had to be right to start with, in order for it to work out in other ways.  It had to do with his having to choose a portrait of either Einstein or Churchill in one of his projects - and though Einstein seemed the likely choice, after much deliberation, he chose Churchill, because of the politics represented, and after that, he kept gravitating in that direction - though he never actually became a politician (thank goodness)."

Me: Not sure how to respond to this one. Politics are all screwed up right now, that's for darn sure. I think everyone needs to be trained in many disciplines, because politicians and businessmen don't seem to understand the ecology of how the world works, but ecologists can't seem to translate our science so that it's relevant to the policy makers. We need to work on this, and it's something I'm hoping to get into more with my research and career.

 

Mom: "Anyways, back to your blog.  Again, I know your photos are mostly meant to document your trip, but they are so beautiful, even the ones of food and such, they look like art!  You would be a good travel photographer.  I LOVE your Budapest photos, even your 'gross' meal."

Me: That gross meal tasted good, but it sure did look gross! I love taking photos, but I need to get a better camera (half the buttons on mine don't work!) and I need to do it more often. Practice makes better (not perfect...).

 

Mom: "And all those 'love locks'!  What a cool idea!  Your photos of Poland are awesome!  I never knew it was so beautiful there. The one thing I'm noticing in most of your images is there's not much sun in Europe.  Reminds me of here.  Is it the time of year?"

Me: Indeed, there was not a ton of sun while we were there, but I'm not sure that's typical. The temperature was pretty good, but we definitely needed more sun to add that warmth factor.

 

Mom: "The 'panorama' you saw looks a lot like the one we saw in Gettysburg.  Seems the whole world has battles in their histories.  I'd love to see the inside of that oldest restaurant in the basement of that huge beautiful building, too.  Did you go inside?"

Me: The panorama was really cool, and apparently they're an art form that you can found in lots of places. I did not go into that restaurant or the building...if we had known it was the oldest one in Europe we would've gone there for dinner the night before instead of across the square! Just another reason to go back. :)

 

Mom: "I'm not sure I understand the 'game'.  Maybe I didn't read the first explanations close enough?"

Me: Yeah, the game is a little confusing. But re-read the first post....I don't feel like explaining it right now! 

 

Mom: "I'm now anxious to read about Auschwitz (that must have been very moving) and about France, too.  Are you still there?"

Me: Those posts are now written! I'm currently in the Sandhills, near Whitman :)

 

Mom: "I'm happy every time that little drop-box icon pops up.  For this past week it's the only way I knew you were ok.  I miss you.  Stay safe!  Have fun your last three weeks, and especially the last two.  Any itinerary yet?"

Me: I knew my Mom would be happy having my Dropbox folder on her computer, and it's an additional back-up for me. She has access to all my files (there's nothing "secret" in there), and I used it to store my itinerary for my last two weeks in Italy so she knew how to get ahold of me. Unfortunately, the one time she wanted to know where I was I hadn't actually planned yet, so she was at the computer looking at webcams in Rome. I just hadn't gotten my internet to connect quick enough before meeting my friend!

Craving change

I've recently become keenly aware of how much I enjoy change. Sometimes it takes me a while to appreciate change, but eventually I do. Traveling is one instance of this--I noted in both Kenya and Europe that it took me a long time to start to feel comfortable, even comfortable enough to enjoy myself. I'm starting to get that familiar itch again, but hoping that I've developed some coping mechanisms to keep myself happy for a few years while I finish my PhD work. The upcoming field season will definitely help, plus the seasons just changed from fall to winter (I felt like a little kid prancing in the fresh powder today!).

I think part of my need for change is attributable to the fact that my family didn't stay put for too long at a time growing up. We weren't like gypsies, not even close; I never even moved school districts (my older siblings did once). Rather, there were little changes that built in me a need for new and different surroundings. My earliest memories are from a house that my parents and two older siblings lived in when I was very young--before kindergarten. I remember two things: my Dad (or someone in the family!) getting a trunk full of junk food for one Christmas, and maneuvering under bushes to get to the neighbor's yard. We then spent four or five years in the basement of the new house my parents were building by hand, then another four or five in said house after it was finished. Once my Mom discovered it was too expensive to keep the house heated (we only used a wood-burning stove, but somehow it was too much), we moved into a trailer for another four years while building the next house. That is the house my family lives in now, but I only spent a few years there before heading to college. Then in college I moved every year and to a new place in the summer time for my internships.

Even when I'm in a place, I am constantly re-arranging things. Just tonight I re-arranged my bedroom for the fifth or sixth time since moving here. I've re-arranged my office space more times than I can count. I remember re-organizing my room when I was little, changing how my various possessions were displayed and showing it off proudly to my Mom. Now that I'm nearing adulthood (ahem...), I have a lot more freedom in choosing and creating change for myself. The choices in the world today are nearly endless, which at times can be paralyzing and does not allow enough time for focusing inward.

One of my goals recently has been to figure out what it is I really love to do. Not just what I enjoy doing or what I'm good at. I think a lot of people go through life afraid of change and just pick the path that appears easiest, without trying to understand themselves, and end up secretly miserable. I do not want to be one of those people. I already know that I enjoy and embrace change, so I'm not afraid to go down this path of discovery. I'm also glad that I'm in a place that allows me to do this. Grad school is a job, but it's not the kind of mind-numbing, soul-sucking job that makes people want to drink a bottle of wine every day after work. It's intellectually stimulating and often rewarding, although sometimes the rewards are spread thin. I've also got really great mentors to talk with, who know me and know the various options available. I think I'm on the right track. If I start to get cabin fever I'll just go re-arrange my office again.

Reflections

 Europe is getting further and further away. I'm getting back into my research, trying to figure out where I left off back in September. I'm picking up the slack in the grad student association, and remembering how to cook for myself (Hannah and Ilonka did a lot of the cooking when we actually had to). Getting caught up on doctor and dentist visits.

I started compiling lists of topics related to Europe...lists help me organize my thoughts. I make lists about everything, from what I need to get at the grocery store to what boys I like (that was in middle school!). So here's my lists about Europe.

WHAT I WILL MISS MOST ABOUT EUROPE:

1. Street food (maybe I have to find the right city?)
2. Walking everywhere and always having something to look at
3. Not knowing what the people on public transit are talking about
4. Getting lost in the alleys and twisty streets and feeling safe doing it
5. Attractive men everywhere (don't worry, I didn't keep a list)
6. Dogs in restaurants

WHAT I WON'T MISS ABOUT EUROPE:

1. The stupid design of their toilets (no, I was not using the bidet by accident)
2. Lack of access to Pandora and Hulu
3. Not knowing the language (but this isn't Europe's fault)
4. Having to air dry everything
5. Undercooked egg whites
6. Dogs that could not care less about me
7. Flip flops in the shower

Obviously these are not things that will keep me away from Europe for very long, and I'm already scheming to get back. There are things about the USA that make me want to go back right now, too.

WHAT I NOW THINK IS STUPID ABOUT THE USA:
1. Train travel options that cost an arm and three days
2. How poorly Americans dress (myself included)
3. Lack of education in a second/third/fourth/etc. language
4. Easy access to heavily processed, fast food--it's so tempting!
5. Few reasons to walk anywhere--Oh look, another 1960's cement box!

Sometimes I feel badly when I talk about going to Europe with people, because it feels like I'm bragging. But Ilonka says if someone asks me about it, it probably doesn't sound like bragging to them. I'm glad that my advisor understands how difficult it is to answer the question "how was your trip?". He has spent a lot of time abroad and knows that it's not an easy question to answer. I'm still trying to digest everything I did and all the things I learned. It's going to take a while!

Flight cancelled? Guess I'll stay!

It was almost nice getting back to Vienna after being away for two weeks. It felt like home and was familiar and comfortable. I knew exactly how to get from the airport to my hostel, and was happy to roam around the metro station picking up dinner and some groceries before heading there. I finally tried a box of noodles, which I'd been eyeing since September...they proved only moderately delicious and probably so because I was very hungry.

After lugging my two suitcases from storage up four flights of stairs, I set to work repacking. I think a bomb went off while I wasn't looking...the entire room was covered in two month's worth of clothes, shopping excursions, and electronics. I had to fit it all in one large checked bag, one small carry-on, and one "personal" item. Luckily I've been able to pass my hiking backpack off as a personal item, it usually fits under the seat! I managed to re-pack my bags after a couple hours of organizing and wrapping bottles of booze in layers of scarves, and hiding tiny jars of honey in shoes. I was only hoping the airline wouldn't charge me for the couple pounds over weight (and hoping they wouldn't check my carry-ons because then I would've been about 20 pounds over...). I would have argued that I weigh at least 20 pounds less than the average flyer and that should count towards my luggage allowance.

On Sunday I caught up on some much needed sleep and finished the last bit of packing in the morning. I wanted to see the famous Vienna Christmas Markets, so I was glad I'd made it back to town a day early. I walked down Mariahilfer Strasse to the Rathaus (town hall) where the most popular Christmas market is. There were also some smaller ones on my walk down Mariahilfer, so I was feeling excited about seeing the big one.

When I got there I was not disappointed at all. The place was lit up with Christmas decorations in the trees, and the little booths were stocked full of little trinkets and locally made treasures. At this point in the day I was mostly interested in grabbing some food, so I opted for something I've always wanted to try: soup in a bread bowl. The soup wasn't the best pumpkin soup I'd had in Europe, but it was fun to eat! It was worth it since the day was quite chilly, too. The only problem I had with the market was the amount of people--but anywhere in the US and it would've been fine, it simply prevented me from engaging with the sellers very much.

The Christmas Market with the Rathaus in the background.

My pumpkin soup in a bread bowl. A tasty lunch!

After wandering around the Christmas market, I decided to see what was happening elsewhere in the old town. I headed for the familiar spires of St. Stephen's Cathedral. On my way I tried to buy a glowing helicopter toy for my nephew, but the pregnant lady selling them wanted 5 Euros for one. I don't think she quite understood that I only wanted one, and wanted to pay 3 Euros, but I walked away empty handed--and surprisingly I didn't have another opportunity to buy one! 

Before getting to Stephensplatz, I decided it was my night to try the Original Sacher Torte (the only one legally allowed to be called "Original"). This is a famous chocolate cake made from a very old family recipe at the Sacher Hotel. I almost went into the Mozart Cafe by accident, since it's in the same building, but thought I better walk around and make sure I was in the right spot. The Sacher Cafe had a line out the door, so I almost decided to skip it, but in the end was glad I didn't. The fifteen-minute wait was definitely worth the treat. As usual I was a little timid to be alone, but no one batted an eye, and I noticed something about the people around me. There were mostly couples at the tables around me, and they were all on a devices of one sort or another, not enjoying each others' company. I would rather be alone with myself than alone with someone else I decided, and ate my cake with a smile on my face.

 

My Original Sacher Torte and cappuccino.

Cafe Sacher in the Sacher Hotel

After my Sacher Torte, I discovered that Stephensplatz is turned into a huge disco at night...just kidding, but they do put
on some strange lights that I don't really understand. I went inside the cathedral one last time and enjoyed listening to
part of the 5pm mass and accompanying organ music.

 After I finished wandering around and decided that I was cold enough to go back to the hostel, I hopped on the UBahn and was back in fifteen minutes. I was excited because I knew Ilonka would be there, and wanted to exchange travel stories. She had been to Romania, Greece, and Croatia and I knew she'd have some fun stories to tell. Don was also at the hostel, so we headed back to the Christmas Markets (they hadn't been there yet and I wanted to see it lit up at night). There were many fewer people now that it was dark out, so it was easier to check out the goods at different booths. We grabbed a couple brats for dinner and wandered around until just chilled and headed home.

Ilonka and I at the Christmas Market's photo ??? What's
the word I'm looking for???

The market was even more pretty at night with the lights in the trees and the town hall. Sorry
for the poor quality photo, I'd already packed my tripod!

 Once back in the hostel we did some last minute re-arranging of luggage and then hit the hay, our flight was to leave at 10:20am and we had to catch a ride to the airport at 7am. When we woke up in the morning, we discovered that our flight back home was cancelled because of bad weather in Chicago (our plane was stuck in Detroit). I wasn't too distraught, since I was more sad at leaving than excited to go home (even though two weeks before I had said "I wish I was just going home!"). A couple of our group managed to catch alternate flights back, but Don and I had a hotel and meals comp'ed and would leave the next day.

I stayed in the airport hotel, and had McDonald's for lunch for the first time while in Europe--sadly there weren't too many lunch options to "non-passengers". I think I probably could've used my boarding pass to get into the terminals but I was feeling lazy. I did a lot of reading and some blogging. I had dinner at the airport--a delicious open-faced lasagna with rocket (what we call arugula) and parmesan cheese. It was really tasty for airport food. I grabbed a chocolate croissant on my way out and then took a long bath, something I hadn't had an opportunity to do in Europe (hostels aren't so great for baths).

I think this extra day helped me prepare both mentally and physically for my trip back to the States. I needed the extra sleep before embarking on a ten hour plane ride, and blogging helped me let go of Europe a little bit.

The trip home was uneventful, I didn't sleep a wink until about 2am Nebraska time. Noelle and Kerry picked up Don and I at the airport and brought us pizza for dinner (it was 8pm local time). I wasn't quite ready to be back, so I was happy that my roommate had vacated the apartment for the evening (and most of the next day). I spent all night unpacking and doing loads of laundry, I wasn't even tired until the need for sleep hit me like a ton of bricks. I slept from 2am until about 8am and then woke up completely alert. It's now thirteen days since I returned and I'm getting back on my normal sleep schedule, but still yearning to be back in the excitement of Europe. It won't be long!

Old friends and new plans in Rome

On the trip between Riomaggiore and Rome I splurged (2 whole Euros) to sit in first class on the train. It wasn't really much different but I didn't have to worry about putting my stuff up in the rack. It was about a three hour train ride, and I arrived just before dark. Once in Rome, I had to take the metro to my bed and breakfast. The first subway train that passed was packed like sardines, so I skipped it and waited for the next one, which was less packed but still busy. Once at the correct stop and in the plaza, I could not find the "Non Solo Pizza" sign, which was next to my B+B, so walked around the whole circle and down a couple streets, and then asked a couple people for help. Luckily one girl at a game shop knew where Non Solo Pizza was, and it was literally where I had first entered the plaza from the metro. Whoops! I have a bad tendency of not surveying my surroundings enough before taking off in a (usually wrong) direction after getting off public transit. Fortunately I never get far before either asking for directions or turning around to go back to where I started.

Once I did find the B+B, it was really cute and the girl had even taken the time to put together a 3-day itinerary for me. I thought it would come in handy, since my personal tour guide would only be around for 24 hours. I was meeting up with Luca, a friend from high school who had been a foreign exchange student my junior year. He buzzed at the apartment before I was able to get my internet working, so my parents were worried about me over the next 24 hours while I was having the best time yet in Italy.

Luca and I at prom...clearly we did not bother
to coordinate our colors, I wasn't really into
that in high school. I think Luca has a photo
like this with every girl that went to prom.

At the Buffalo Marina enjoying the sunset...almost the last time
we saw each other for eleven years!

We headed out for the evening in the direction of the city center, Luca wanted me to see the sights at night. The first hour and a half or so we spent walking in circles, because Luca was pretending that he knew where to go, although we saw the same church three times (Luca will claim twice). It was a nice church at least! It was also good company with which to go around in circles. Luca and I hadn't seen each other in 11 years so we had lots to talk about!

Once we finally got headed in the right direction, I saw my first big Roman monument, the Colosseum. As soon as it came into view, I could hardly keep my eyes off it, and became really excited. I had plans to go inside the Colosseum (well, no tickets purchased yet, but it was what I wanted to do). Having seen the Arena in Verona, I sort of knew what to expect, but the Colosseum is much larger, and it has more texture to it. There are pock marks where smooth walls used to be attached--these were removed to be used for other purposes. Some day I will go back to Rome and actually go in, it wasn't in the cards for this trip.

The Colosseum at night.

The city is full of old Roman sites. I think modern-day Romans might be a bit
annoyed by what their ancestors left, because it blocks development. Luca said
that every time someone starts to dig they find something new that needs to be
studied. The city only has two metro lines; a third one that was under construction
is delayed indefinitely because of archeological discoveries.

I don't remember at exactly what time we finally stopped to have dinner. I had hoped to stop for a quick snack at the beginning of our walk, but I didn't push the issue and we didn't walk by many places with food anyhow. Luca had been to the place we went to before, and thought it was well-priced and that the food was high quality. I decided it would be best to let Luca order dinner, since I wanted to eat some typical Italian food. It was really fun listening to him talk in Italian with the waiter, but I had no idea what he ended up ordering. The first thing that came out was bruschetta--simple bread with olive oil and tomatoes, but I could not believe how delicious it tasted. I wanted a whole meal of it. Then came seafood risotto, again delicious, and octopus with spicy tomatoes (I didn't eat enough of it!). We finished the meal with limoncello and tiramisu. I should've had more of everything, but just another reason to go back!

The baby octopus that I ate, it was almost like eating calf's testicles because I
had to pretend I didn't know what I was eating. It was a whole (yet tiny) octopus in
my mouth!

After dinner we continued roaming the city, seeing many of the big sites, including the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. It was great at night because there were so few tourists out! Luca had a mental list of places he wanted to show me, I just wish I had taken more photos. We saw so many beautiful and deserted piazzas , including the Piazza Navona, which has three fountains. I really like fountains, it's something Vienna needs more of.

At the Spanish Steps a flower pedlar tried to get Luca to buy me flowers, and even though we insisted we didn't want any, he decided to give me some anyways. At that Luca was impressed by the guy's charm and handed him a few Euros. Another flower pedlar observed this and proceeded to give me another few flowers and then essentially demanded money; we were not impressed. In the end we walked away with a bunch of roses for a few Euros and a smooch, so I guess it wasn't a bad deal.

The Trevi Fountain at night was really beautiful, and there weren't too many people around it.

I was there! Luca took this photo on his phone...this was the time
of night when there were still people around. Later it was us, a
couple other tourists, and the cops.

The Roman Pantheon, originally built for all the Roman Gods, now a Christian church, built around 126 AD. I might have been more impressed with this building than the Colosseum, but I'd have to go back to see both again to be sure.

After wandering Rome into the wee hours of the night, Luca walked with me back to my apartment where we said goodnight. It was about 3am and I was exhausted. The next day we decided we were having too much fun together to go our separate ways, so I bought a ticket to Olbia, Sardegna and headed to Luca's island for the rest of my time in Italy. It was one moment that I was very glad to be traveling alone. Being able to make a last-minute decision like that with a travel partner would not have been easy. We spent most of the day figuring out tickets and then running around the city and then to the airport. Luca's Mom picked us up from the airport in Olbia. Thankfully, Luca's parents both speak English, but there was still a lot of Italian spoken while I was there. It was fun listening to their conversations and being able to pick up bits and pieces.

The next day in Olbia (Thursday) Luca had a video assignment that I got to go on. The day was warm and sunny, which was perfect because we'd be on a boat and a small island. First we had a traditional Italian breakfast, which consists of a coffee and a pastry at the local bar. We went to one where Luca's good friend works, and they had a funny conversation about the cappuccino Luca ordered for me. It came in a glass instead of the normal smallish coffee mug, because he ordered a "grande". I was very amused, but felt bad that I could only finish half of it--I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but do enjoy it occasionally. We then headed to pick up Luca's partner on the project and started the hour drive to the boat dock. The drive was through beautiful hilly areas, with twists and turns that I would've loved driving. Next time! We found the spot and loaded the gear in the boat and headed for the island.

We spent a while on the boat, where Luca and his partner shot photos and video
of the island. They had to wait for the sun and clouds to cooperate, because
there was a clear division between the blue water to our left and the grey water
that happened to be in front of the island.

The weather was great!

Even though the island was small, there were lots of nooks
for me to explore while the others were working.

While the men were working, I explored the island, and the boat driver found some fresh seafood for me to try. I didn't try it and wish I had, but didn't want to risk getting sick for my last days in Olbia. Apparently the boat driver was a member of the national competitive fishing team (I can't remember the exact name for it, but it was impressive). After we finished on the island we headed back to the house and I had a quick nap. We had pizza for dinner with Luca's parents and then Luca's friend (Giovanni) and friend's wife picked us up to go have a drink. Giovanni is from Italy and his wife is from Hungary, and they don't speak each other's language fluently yet, but somehow they're in love and married. I was a little embarrassed at one point because Giovanni told Luca to let me know the proper way to cheers. In Italy (and perhaps elsewhere) when your cheers before having a drink you're supposed to look at the person whose glass you're clinking. In America, you just throw your glasses into the middle and hope none of them break in the process.

The next day Luca let me sleep in while he did some business around town. When we finally did get going it was about 11am, and it was sunny but windy. Luca wanted to show me the sights around his part of the island. Luca took me to see the old tombs on the island, the "Tomb of Giants", which were from as far back as 1800 BC! We also saw the "Sa Testa Sacred Well", dating from about 1200 BC, it was full of water because it had just been raining recently. I was impressed by the history of this place and wanted to know more. In North America, we don't have many archeological sites that are so old, but they're everywhere on this island. We also saw some beautiful beaches where Luca used to go as a child, and ate a picnic lunch at another popular beach.

Tomb of Giants. Because it's off-season, we could walk all over around these.

View from the castle we went to.

Some pretty flowers, I really liked the colors.

It was warm enough to stick my feet in the sand and water.

Some "strawberry tree" berries that weren't quite ripe enough to eat.

Luca had planned for us to go to a traditional Italian dinner, but the place he wanted to go to was closed for the season. We decided to stay in and his Mom cooked us a meal (or it may have been leftovers, either way it was delicious). We had pasta in a shape I'd never seen before (each region of Italy has it's own pasta), and homemade pasta sauce. Then we had a beef tenderloin wrapped around carrots and artichoke, and finished with a salad. They were all shocked at the amount of vinegar I put on my salad since they thought it was bad vinegar, tasted fine to me! We finished the meal with a traditional Sardinian dessert, "seadas", which is a cheese-filled fritter that is fried and then topped with local honey. I was very pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was, Americans don't tend to eat too much cheese for dessert (although we do have cheesecake, which I love). I hoped I was acting as grateful as I felt, because his Mom really went to some trouble cooking us a meal at the last minute change of plans.

During the meal we also had some beverages, including wine made by a neighbor, and homemade Mirto. Luca's Dad was telling me how they make the mirto, and then they mentioned how they had a jar of the preparation in the cupboard that they started in 2003. The preparation is basically vodka and the mirto berries, and they are sealed in a jar so the berries infuse into the vodka. Luca's Mom pulled down the jar from the top shelf, and his Dad decided to open it to check how it was doing (after ten years). He exclaimed that it was good, and stated that since he'd opened it, they'd have to finish the liqueur. It's a lengthy process of adding some syrup and then taste-testing, so by the time you get close to a good product the world must be spinning. Then his Mom started chuckling and pulled down another preparation that she found hiding in the cupboard, this one even older. I think they'll have no shortage of mirto any time soon.

I'm actually really glad that we decided to stay in for dinner, this was my last night Olbia. Listening to the Italian being spoken and seeing Luca interact with his parents was fun for me. It was probably the best cultural experience I had the whole time in Italy. The next day I was to get up before dawn to catch my flight back to Rome, where I would then head back to Vienna. It was sad leaving Italy and Luca, but we made a promise that it would not be another ten years before seeing each other!

A break from cities: Cinque Terre

I'm lucky that I know myself at least well enough to plan time away from cities on my trip to Italy. It would be so easy to go between one beautiful city and the next the whole time, but there is so much to see in the countryside in Italy, and I tire of cities quickly. For my first-timers trip I decided on the classic Cinque Terre, although if I understand correctly this place became popular only after Rick Steves raved about it in one of his travel guides. Sort of like what John Denver did for Aspen, CO. Because I was there outside of peak season, there weren't so many tourists and I had much of the place to myself.

My host Martha met me at the train station in Riomaggiore (I chose this town partly because it contains my name!). I didn't have an opportunity to notice how spectacular the view from the station is when I first arrived because we headed straight for the tunnel to get to town. But I saw it the next day, the blue water sparkles in the sun and invites you in...too bad November is rough surf season!

My first night I walked up to the lookout area of Riomaggiore where I watched the sunset. It was me and two local women, and the birds in the tree above my head kept dropping seeds on me. After the sun set, I walked down through the steep winding alleys of the town, amazed that people actually live in this place. The moon was out and the waves were crashing, which made for an enjoyable walk. I wanted to have dinner in the restaurant (the only one open in town), but it didn't open until 7:30pm (off season). Instead I ordered a gin and tonic at the bar and filled up on the snacks that they give you...the made for a relaxed if not healthy dinner!

View of Riomaggiore from the breakwater.

Riomaggiore at night.

Mediterranean plants are obviously common here, and make a  nice foreground in photos.

View north from Riomaggiore.

My second day in town I took the local train to the northernmost village of Monterosso to start the hike on the foot trails that run between villages. Unfortunately the two trails between Riomaggiore-Manarola and Manarola-Corniglia were closed because of landslides that happened a couple years ago. Being perched on the sides of mountains I'm surprised (and glad) landslides don't happen more often. I did see the effects of one during the day's hike (see photo below).

When I hopped off the train and got directions to the trailhead, I ran into two American women who said "Do you speak English?" I replied with "I speak only English." They were looking to find the trail as well, and we ended up spending the rest of the day together. Both of them were traveling solo through Italy, in their 50s, and recently divorced. We had interesting conversations about life and what's important. Their advice for me, and they emphasized it multiple times, was to understand that it's  never too late to change your mind and switch directions. They wished they had realized that in their 20s when they were first married and starting families. I appreciated having hiking buddies and also picking their brains about life and traveling was fun. They thought I was ahead of the curve, given that I was already traveling alone and doing what I wanted to do. It can be liberating not having to cater to anyone else's needs!

Riomaggiore at sunset

These blue waters must be amazing in the summer months.

Our destination, although it took us more than an hour...too pretty to rush!

The view south from the trail.

Another benefit of having buddies!

Vernazza, where we stopped for a delicious late lunch and watched the sunset.

This house was ripped in two by a landslide. I don't know
how long ago it happened, but the trail had been repaired
for visitors. Perhaps the owners left it this way as a reminder
to visitors?

We were with a lot of other hikers and locals that were enjoying the spectacular sunset.

Vernazza from the breakwater.

It started to get chilly once the sun set, so we headed to Chris and Steph's room in Manarola to wait a while until restaurants were opened for dinner. Nothing interesting was open, so we headed to Riomaggiore to the restaurant I wanted to go to the night before. It was a fun meal, we shared a bottle of wine and ate local cuisine. I had locally made pasta with shrimp and a cream sauce, plus a panna cotta for dessert. I exchanged e-mails with my hiking buddies and then headed to my room ready to pass out from our wonderful and tiring day of hiking.

The next day I considered hiking another part of the trail, but instead roamed around Riomaggiore and spent some time relaxing by the water. It was warm and sunny, so I picked a spot where I could relax without being disturbed by other tourists. This was easy to do since there weren't many of them around, but I did manage to scare the heck out of one lady who didn't realize I was tucked away in the rocks reading my book. Unfortunately time ran out and I had to make my way to the next (and what I thought was final) destination: Rome.

I was sad to have to leave this place!