well, despite what I may want, all good things must come to an end.

Tuesday was my last official day left in Steyr. What a crazy time it has been.

And yes, its horribly cliche, but I felt I needed some closer. And so tuesday afternoon, Ii did this:

Me, Niamh, and Hazel locked a piece of our lives to the bridge in Steyr. And for me it was a promise that I won’t forget what I have learned, or go back to the person I used to be.

I really like my friends very much, and will miss them something terrible for the time we are apart.

 

Tuesday night was one of sadness as I ate one last Kebap and played one last game of cards with my friends.

We met up on tuesday night at our favorite kebap shop and ordered Kebaps from your friend and mine, our lovely kebab shop owner.

He speaks german and Italian, and my friend Andrzej also speaks a little Italian. So in Italian Andrzej told the owner that this was to be my last Kebap from his shop.

He told me that he would make me a special Kebap, and that it was made from his heart to me. HOW SWEET!!! He also asked me my name, and wrote it for me.

Yeah, its spelled wrong, but its the thought that counts!! He made it extra filled with extra meat and sauce, and wished me luck and success where ever I choose to go, and I was so touched and I miss him already. What a great guy 🙂

And of course, my friends were a barrel of laughs and so much fun to hang out with!

But as in all things, eventually they had to go, and leave me to my empty room and sad heart. But you never really say goodbye – you just say “See you later” because that’s the wish we all have for ourselves and each other – that the time we spend apart will not be long, and the time we have with each other to be wonderful.

Ireland and Poland and South Korea and Kazakhstan and Norway and Czech Republic and Japan are not that far away, right?

 

Wednesday morning meant this:

It was so small and empty and I did not like to look at it.

 

I have found a wonderful friend in Andrea, my Austrian buddy. She was willing to pick me and my luggage to take me to the train station, and asked if I would like to have lunch with her as well before I left.

She took me to the school where I handed over my flat keys, we went for lunch in Stadtplatz, and then to the train station we went.

And it was here we hugged and said goodbye and I boarded a train to Vienna.

I eventually made it to Westbahnhof where I was able to store my luggage until I need it tomorrow, so I didn’t have to drag it around Vienna all week.

And I checked into my hostel where I met a lovely lady named Laura, who was sharing my dorm room with me. She is from Germany, but will be moving to Vienna to study at the university.

We very quickly connected and made plans to tour the city on thursday together.

Which is what we did!

We went to Schönbrunn Palace, walked along down by the Hofburg, and to the Naschmarkt where we had lunch and I bought a souvenir for myself.

It was very pleasant to get to know Laura, and we became fast friends 🙂

It was really interesting to talk to her about culture and life and international relations and stuff like that. We sat at a cafe and talked for over an hour, which was really enjoyable and very interesting.

And I had DELICIOUS calamari for lunch at Naschmarkt, which I was very pleased with.

 

And now I am at my hostel, trying to do some last minute things before I go to the airport tomorrow.

I am not prepared or ready to go. but go I must.

See you on the other side.

 

emma.k