9.26
Our day started off a bit too early for my liking, as we had to be to the train station by 6:45, meaning we had to leave our dorm by 6 am. We had a 2.5 hour train ride ahead of us, and I used the time to attempt to master the art of knitting. I definitely failed at first, but after a few tries, I eventually got the hang of it. (I'm not too far yet, however, as knitting definitely didn't take priority in Vienna or this week, as I had two papers (one in German) and a test...maybe I'll pick it back up this weekend.)
We arrived in Vienna, and took the U-Bahn (subway) to our Hostel to drop of our bags. From there, we took the U-Bahn back into the city center, and got our first glimpse of 'our' capital city! We came up from the U-Bahn right in front of the Staatsoper (State Opera) which just so happens to be my favorite building in all of Vienna (at least from the small portion I saw in just a weekend). We then crossed the street to board a Street Trolley for a ride around the RingStrasse, a circular road surrounding the downtown area which replaced the city wall. Next up, the most ironic event of the weekend: Our director is an avid historian, especially in regards to Austria. And so, he literally FORCED us to get McDonald's, walk a block, and eat it in front of the Soviet Memorial. Nothing like rubbing in the American influence. After we had our fill of grease, we walked a bit further to view Karlskirche before being released to wander the city on our own.
KarlskirchI headed off with 5 others from our group, and we wandered through the Burggarten, wander past the Hofburg, and walked past the Parliament building and Rathaus (city Hall) before Katie and I parted ways to go visit the Augustinerkirche.
Burggarten -- sweet treble cleft, oh, and Mozart!
Parliament
St. Stephan's Cathedral
Friday evening's main event was "der Fliegende Hoellander" ("the Flying Dutchman") at the Staatsoper. Like many on the trip, it was my first Opera. It is certainly a unique experience, and the production itself was amazing. However, I think I would have enjoyed a different opera better. All in all, however, I am glad I had the opportunity to experience my first opera at such a grand location.
Staatsoper
Teresa and I at the Opera
Post opera, part of the group headed out with our program director's wife to a nearby cafe for a piece of Sacher Torte, and conversation. I wrote up my thoughts on Vienna, completing the 'Kaffee und Kuchen im Cafe' cultural incentive, earning 5 euro.
9.27
Our day began with a mini-tour of Vienna. Our program took us to the Memorial Against War and Fascism, Josefplatz, Michaelerplatz, through the Hofburg and on to KHM-Kunsthistorischemuseum (Art History Museum). We were allotted two hours in the museum, I headed to the top floor intending to work my way down, but I didn't get very far. Only three weeks of Art History class, and I'm already appreciating things more. We also got an audio guide, and I really took the time to look at each painting and listen to its history, before I knew it, my time was up.
That afternoon, Katie and I decided to head off on our own. It is a lot of fun to go off with a bigger group, but when you have to factor in everyone else's opinions, it can be hard to make a decision and actually accomplish things. Our first stop was the Nationalbibliothek, or library. Do you remember that scene in "Beauty and the Beast"? Well, I was there. I have never seen so many books! It was absolutely gorgeous!
Heaven?!
Our next stop was Schloss Schoenbrunn, the summer home of the Habsburg empire, built for Empress Maria Teresia and her 16 children. We went up to buy our tickets, and although I asked in German, the man rudely denied my in English saying that we would not have enough time. We were slightly off-put, but Katie and I decided we would return on Sunday, irregardless of the inconsiderate worker. We still had a decent amount of time on our hands before we had to meet up with the group for dinner, so we decided to head to the Karl-Marx-Hof, as social housing project from the 1930s. Taking a picture of ourselves along with the building, and as well as at St. Stephan's Dom earned us another 5 euro for completion of the "Wien: Schwartz und Rot" cultural incentive. More irony: conservative cathedral and socialist housing. Next up was a trip to Wigtenstein's house, a famous philosopher. Then we headed to Judenplatz, the location of the Holocaust Memorial, yet another check on the 'cultural incentives' list. This time, I'll be getting a free copy of a book we'll be reading later in the semester. With half an hour to spare, we headed back to Augustinerplatz to meet the group for dinner.
After dinner Katie and I headed to Prater with Maia and the three kids. I don't think we realized what we were getting ourselves into, heading to an amusement park with kids who loved to ride. I indulged Lena and Kaethe by joining them on the Sombrero (their favorite ride) which is kind of like the tilt-a-whirl, only WAY BETTER! They also give you your money's worth....I bet it was a solid 5 minutes...nothing like the pathetic rides they offer at the county fair! We met up with the rest of the group at another ride, and I spent most of the evening watching others ride, as fun as the rides might be, they don't come cheap! Watching Professor Schroeder on 'Extasy' is without a doubt a major highlight from the weekend. Priceless! I went on a final ride, 'Star Flyer' which was essentially your average swing ride, except we were about 150 feet in the air! Coming from someone who isn't particularly afraid of heights, it was kind of nerve-raking, and well worth the 4 euro. The views were amazing! When we got back to the hostel, a few of us decided to hang out in the lounge for a while.
9.28
Once we got checked out of the hostel, we headed to the train station to put our bags in lockers and then we were set free for the day. Katie and I trekked back to Schloss Schoenbrunn with a few others from the group, and what do you know, we encountered the same stand-offish cashier. This time he was angry that we wanted to pay with a 50 euro note; however at 14 euro for admission, you can't tell me he didn't have enough to make change. Aside from that, it was a great day. The sun was finally shining, and it was a much nicer day than Saturday! We started off with an audio tour of the Habsburg residence. It was very interesting, and I learned even more about the Habsburgs (We'd already read plenty about their reign in one of our books for senior seminar). After our tour, we took a stroll through the gardens, played in the maze and labyrinths and climbed the hill side up to the Gloriette for an amazing view of Vienna. It was a perfect ending to the weekend!
Maren, Myself and Katie
Gloriette
Amazing view of Vienna!
All in all, I'd have to say Vienna is one of my favorite cities in Europe. Maybe it's because I know the language (or at least I would like to think I do!), or simply because I had a greater understanding of its past. Then again, the 'cultural incentives' program was sure handy...I earned 25 euro, a salt & pepper shaker set and a book, plus we were given 15 euro spending money at the start, so I managed to only spend another 20 euro or so of my own, which is exciting to a poor college student, especially now that the exchange rate is worsening again.
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