airports.

How is it that airports can hold some of the saddest, and happiest reunions and goodbyes in one building? People are giving hellos and goodbyes, some excitement and some grief, sheer joy and deep sadness. After heading out to Vienna's International Airport to meet my family, I discovered one of my new favourite areas to "people watch". The Arrivals area is crowded, hot, and extremely uncomfortable, but all around you see many anticipated reunions of old friends, families, and couples with nothing but tears of happiness and ear-to-ear smiles. 

With that being said, after a late flight (not by much), and a couple delayed bags, the Harbers and Jonkman clan have arrived safely in Vienna, Austria and have me as their tour guide. So far they have sampled some excellent Italian dishes, a variety of Austrian beer, Apfel Strudel, and of course- Mozart Balls. We decided tomorrow we would stray away from the always satisfying Italian pizzeria joints and test out some Austrian dishes.

To start day 2 of the tour, the group of us have signed up to do a "Grape Grazing Bike Tour", where we bike to a few local vineyards a short distance out of Vienna and taste excellent wine and homemade traditional dishes. We;ll have to see how that goes over. I don't see it going as well as the stuffed ravioli or wild boar penne from tonight, but we'll see!

the worlds most famous musical.

And look at that, before you know it I am on holidays again. Keeping it strictly Austrian this weekend as we dance through the hills and sing our "Do Re Me's" in the beautiful city of Salzburg, located just 3 hours by train west of Vienna. 

Popular not only for the original Mozart Ball as I have said before, but also of course for the 1965 film, The Sound Of Music. Be jealous everyone, I saw where Julie Andrews married the Captain and where Liesel first kissed Rolf (who never existed in the real story...).

Again, falling behind on posting- my apologies. This past week has been somewhat hectic and touristy as we have had a small landscape architecture reunion in Vienna. 1 week ago, Michelle and I were joined with Brad, who has stuck around to join us in Salzburg this weekend. Shortly after Brad's arrival, Kyle arrived and the 4 of us have now arrived in chilly, and so far rainy, Salzburg, Austria. Among all the catching up and eating, I also had my first exam!! Can't tell you yet how good or bad it may have gone, but I feel good about it. (Eco-)tourism and management of protected areas is officially done.

Tomorrow consists of a tour of Salt Mines, as well as through the Bavarian countryside. We also have a 3 hour hike up into the mountains planned, to do our own running through the hills and climbing of all the mountains. Should be a sleepy ride back to Vienna on Sunday night. 

Easter break starts this week in Vienna, where most university students are off from now until the 9th of May. Most international students take this time to travel, makes sense. I am awaiting the arrival of the family! Ken, Loriann, Brent, Tyler and Oma arrive in Vienna on Thursday, and I could not be more excited. I have been anticipating this visit for a few months now! and I certainly have a lot of tour guide duties in the next couple weeks. With them, we will travel to Prague after the Easter weekend and I will have to send them on their way back to Canada. The day after they fly home- I fly to Greece. :D.

Busy huh? I am taking this chance to update you on all the travels, and my whereabouts. Then this week I will return to my eating duties, and maybe tell you about how much I need to go jogging to burn off all the bread and cheese I eat. 

Pictures to come! I even got a photo on the fountain and steps the Von Trap children ran around singing "Do Re Me" on.. 

shannon xx

Back to School!

So, after a fantastic, sunny 5 days in Palma de Mallorca, I am back in Vienna and studying like never before (not compleetly true, school is quite a bit easier here).
As you can see, I have not put in the effort in the last two weeks as I would have liked to with this blog- but don't worry! I am jumping back on the horse. I have to say, blogging when you're laying on a beach in the Balearic Islands isn't exactly easy.

This past week in Vienna, I took part in my first "block lecture", where the entire class takes place within a week. This week, for just under 3 full days I studied the Safety and Quality of Organic Foods. What have I learned this week? Organic Food is better than convential. Who would have thought.

I'll see in my studies for the exam if I learn any more.

two stops from the oldest zoo in the world.

Thats right! I, Shannon Audrey Harbers, live exactly two underground stops from The Worlds Oldest Zoo. Located at the former summer residence of the Habsburgs, Schloss Schönbrunn, the  Schönbrunn Zoo was founded as early as 1752 by Emperor Franz I. 

Intrigued, I find myself with a year-pass and over 750 wild and domestic animals to visit. 

So Tuesday after class, Michelle and I set out to explore the wonders at the Schönbrunn Zoo, after having a picnic lunch in the gardens at the palace of course. Sitting in the courtyard, we caught a glimpse of the first signs of spring here in Vienna. With the sun shining and the birds singing, landscapers filled the detailed flower beds with annuals and tourists filled the walks. 


Once in the zoo, Michelle and I had crazy good luck with the animals -mountain goats fighting, tigers chasing each other, and even leopards ripping apart beautiful white bunnies. 

So happy to see the sunshine in Vienna. The last few days have been quite uneventful, consisting of long afternoons at the park with a good book, some excellent coffee shops, and even a delicious (and cheap!) thai dinner. 


This past weekend a trip was also made to the Haus der Musik- where we learned about a good handful of Austria's great composers, and even made some music of our own. Conducting symphony's and experiencing the elements of sound was a full days work, washed down with a massive schnitzel and a traditional Austrian brew. 

I have to admit, I am enjoying all the free time, and deep fried specialties. Wouldn't you?


shannon xx

Nom nom nom

Eating Animals. 

Whew... tough topic. A week or so ago I mentioned this book that I had started reading about eating animals, called Eating Animals, not coincidently. This book is currently a best seller by Jonathan Safran Foer that discusses many different sides of factory farming. Such as the downfalls, obviously, why its happened and why we need to fix it. 

Now I don't want to just reiterate the book in here- it is only one book, and factory farming is an extensive, highly debatable business with many people involved. Here, doing as much as a blogging landscape architecture student can do, I want to inform you.

Before I begin, you must be wondering how I am going to relate this ongoing debate over factory farming to landscape architecture? I have not quite decided yet (to be completely honest) but hopefully by the time I finish this entry, or by the time I finish this book, I will have sorted something out. 

I am not suggesting anyone reading becomes a vegetarian. In no way am I trying to change anyones opinion when it comes to eating meat, or any animal bi-products. Your decision and your beliefs are yours, for your own reasons. I simply ask that we educate ourselves. Rather than skipping the article about some environment crazed woman trying to change the world and sue everyone, read it. Listen to the news when Smithfield Foods is sued once again for violating countless environmental laws, and note how quickly it all goes away. You will be surprised what you find. 

Also, while I mention them, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is the largest pork producer and processor in the world. Check out their website: http://www.smithfieldfoods.com/. 

When you Google Smithfield Foods, Inc. you find nothing but good things, I dug through articles and found nothing except awards for environmental stewardship and how much money they are making. It wasn't until I took a stab at YouTube that I found dozens of videos  documenting tours of these pork producing facilities. Yes- some of these videos are a little extreme, but the footage is not. I can honestly say that I could not get through one entire video. This included tours of Tyson Foods, Inc. as well as other large meat production companies. Try commenting on one of the videos from Smithfield (you won't be able to).

This all kind of started by accident for me. In no way was I looking for the disturbing news I have now found myself surrounded by. I mean, it will take me 3 days to sort through all the articles I have bookmarked in my browser. This started with me not being able to find a decent English novel anywhere in Bologna, Italy. I finally grabbed this Eating Animals book, and just started reading it upon my arrival in Vienna. I wasn't that interested at first, I was avoiding cracking it open because I knew what it contained. Not surprisingly, I didn't want to know any gory details about meat production. And now here I am, fully engulfed and somewhat enjoying it. I like being somewhat aware of what our world of 'farming' has actually become, and considering what changes need to happen to fix it. I think the best things any of us can do is educate ourselves, and know what it is. It isn't hard to do this, it is an ongoing problem all around us. People just need to be aware.

Knowing the scale, and the extent of what has happened to farming is what changed it all for me. Yes of course animal welfare and the health of our environment are at the top of the list. But when I began reading about how unhealthy this meat itself was for us, or even how unsafe it was to live in close proximity to these farms, I really began my research. Now it is hard to find information on this. Extremely hard. These massive companies have absolutely everything protected and covered up. No valid information directly from the company is open to the public. This is where I recommend reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I feel kind of like a spokesperson for this guy, and in a way I am. I don't care if it sounds like I am selling this book, it is a well written book documenting extensive interviews with countless people in this business. It gives us, the general public, an eye into the complicated, multi-billion dollar industry of factory farming, and puts it into perspective. So? Read it, or read something equivalent. I mean, your health is at risk just eating chicken.

Okay, enough preaching. Just consider what I am writing, its one of my new found interests and concerns :P. 

And what is one 20 year old landscape architecture student going to do about it? 

Well, to start, inform all you readers, push for you to inform yourselves more, AND let the people you care about know. As cheesy as all this sounds, it really is important. First for the safety of billions of mistreated animals every year, second for our earth (we only have one), and third for your own health, and the health of our children and grandchildren. And as one of my fellow students recently posted in one of her blog posts, a little cheese never hurt anyone. (Thanks Laura!)

Now, to help out this overpopulated world of insane meat eaters. 

EAT LESS MEAT. Some would say.

OR! since no one is going to eat less meat, or enough to change the insane rate of factory farming anytime soon. Consider what a landscape architect can do to improve the situation, and push this world into new methods that will help rather than damage it even more. We need to adjust our ways of thinking, create new methods and develop new technologies - to be able to eat what we want, BUT be sustainable and respect the welfare of animals. Obviously.


My suggestions? 


Eating local! Eating less.. Haha. 
- just consider eating less meat, it won't hurt you.
Less chemicals, using waste wisely.. ie. Composting! Its easy!
- do you really want all those chemicals and toxins in your body?

Vertical farms! Agriculture takes up WAY too much land. Save space, duh. 
- controlled environments, less chemicals, can be put right in the city, saving on transportation.. need I say more?


These are just.. 3 suggestions, thats all. But the opportunities are endless, all it takes is people understanding what 'farming' today has actually become. If these 3 suggestions were implemented today, and everyone took part in this.. this would change dramatically. However, things don't work that way, and change is going to take time. The world won't change instantly, it's going to take years and YEARS.


So now that I have thrown an insane amount of information and personal opinions down your throat, I will summarize my rant. As I said at the beginning, I am not trying to change anyones opinions, or make anyone a vegetarian. Quite simply, my only intention in this post was to inform you of how horrible the business of factory farming has become, and suggest that you learn more. I could go on and on about all the things I have been reading about lately, discussing overpopulation, sustainable agriculture and even the processing of chickens, but I will not. If you want to learn more you will.


I will leave you with a few of the many articles I have found, published in the last 2 months. Also, never eat at KFC.


Ciao all, shannon xx


On vertical farming:
http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/02/27/vertical-farming-the-future-of-our-food/

Good to know people I guess:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-edwards/florida-could-photo-of-pi_b_835703.html

Blog, excellent info about drugs on the farm:
https://news.change.org/stories/fda-fails-to-get-farm-animals-off-drugs

It's Patio Season!

Ahh patio season. I do believe I feel its presence here in Vienna this week. The tables, wicker chairs and massive umbrellas are creeping out into the streets like every year on those first few warm days. Ahh patio season. 


Now what exactly is patio season you may ask? Well, a patio.. usually a paved outdoor area adjoining a house or restaurant, is where people gather to enjoy various foods and drinks, typical of the Spanish! And the season for this is as soon as the sun is regular, and you can ditch your coat. Well, in Europe so far it doesn't even have to be warm enough to ditch your coat.. they just bundle up and find a spot in the sun. It's all the same! 

What is so desirable about patio season anyways? Why is there this massive flood of people that suddenly want to eat outside on the street and in their backyards? Its insane, inside the restaurants tables are empty, outside on the sidewalk you can barely find one, let alone get past all the people. Isn't it awesome? Everyone wants to be in the sun, soak it up and get a taste of the upcoming summer. With the past few days in Vienna being absolutely gorgeous and sunny, warm enough to leave your coat at home, people are filling the streets and indulging in this beautiful thing known as patio season. 

It is an international thing too - in every city when the sun comes out, you will find people sitting outside eating and drinking. In every city there are patio's covering the streets, sidewalks and corners, they are filled with people chatting. It is a great sign of life again, winter is over! and spring is finally in the air. It doesn't even have to be on a patio, tis the season for picnic's too! People eating on the edge of a fountain, a bench in the street, anywhere really. Street vender's are out, gelato stands have opened up, everyone is eating outside. 


Ahh patio season. I hope it sticks around for good now. 
shannon xx

Looking for Inspiration

Consistently, for the past 65 days, give or take a few hours, there is always one thing in the back of my mind. Probably not what you would guess, but that thing is: this blog. I am constantly thinking about different ways to approach this, different things to write about, eating new things, reading about eating new things, browsing the food section at the bookstore, the list goes on and on. 

However, after writing that last paragraph, I am proud to say that I am officially living through this blog, and letting it lead a lot of my days. Now this was not my exact intention, but it is close. I knew keeping it up would be a challenge, and it has been, but I am actually learning from this, and really enjoying it. Now that I am into a routine of posting (sort of), I have even started a somewhat of a 'bucket list' of blog entry topics. Things I am reading about, global issues, books and even small things I am learning from fellow international students. I am doing my research. 

Now, in the last two months I have been travelling through non-English speaking countries, and finding English novels outside of an airport was usually a challenge. Even so, if I happened to stumble by a big bookstore, there was usually an "International Bestseller" section with a few English titles to choose from. And, even though there were very few to choose from, they were International Bestsellers.. so they had to be at least decent right?

It was one of these situations in Bologna when I picked up a copy of "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. A book looking at many different aspects of why we as humans eat animals. Initially, from the title, you would assume this is a book on vegetarianism, but it is not. It kind of faces the realities of animal agriculture, while at the same time defining what it means to be an animal, to different cultures and religions as well. 

So, while I keep reading, and think about how to apply it to my blog.. Here is a little piece from the book to keep you thinking as well. :D

"Animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change."

Brutal eh? 

shannon xx