Music and Feelings

Another great day in the city and beyond! Today was a fantastic and full day, with so much to share, but I'll try to keep it brief. : )

IES prepared a bus tour for us today to give us a better overview of the size of the city, and to show us a few of the highlights that are a little more than walking distance. I was looking forward to the bus tour, because I feel like I have been walking so much, I was ready for a lazy day, but boy was I wrong! Strait away we headed Northwest into the outer distracts, than up to a viewpoint where we could see the whole city. I was shocked by how much space the city takes up!

Probably my favorite stop on the tour was at an area in the third district of Vienna that was designed by architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. There is a little park and gift shop, as well as restaurants, and several apartment buildings built in a little neighborhood complex. It is so colorful and quirky. The area is so vastly contrasted from the rest of the Vienna inner city. It's quite ingenious. Here are a couple photos:

After the bus tour we went to the Schoenbrunn Palace, which was the summer home of the Hapsburg family. The Rococo style palace, built in the 17th century, has 1,441 rooms. Imagine, almost every student at Whitman College could be in the palace with his/her own room (including bathrooms, kitchens, etc. of course). It blows my mind! The palace is huge and yellow and amazing, but even more amazing are the gardens. I attempted to capture them in photos, but it just isn't possible. Today I told my roommates that I should just quit blogging and tell you all to go to Vienna. We had a blast walking around, relaxing in the shade, singing, skipping, and enjoying refreshments in the in the cafe. 

It was a great day, but after all that walking, we were all exhausted, hungry, and ready for a shower! The night was topped off with chocolate chip cookie baking (the first time for one of my suitemates!) a game of spoons - complete with screaming, flying cards, and so much laughter - while belting songs from Wicked. I'm surprised our land lady didn't come down to shut down the festivities. It was such a great way to end our first week here, and the month of August! 

I hope everyone is well! Much love.

Freitag und muede

Going back to school is always tiring - but naturally this semester has been more exhausting than most, what with the time change, shorter nights of sleep, a new city, a lot of walking, and just so much to absorb! That being said, I am pooped! After my Deutsch exam today, my brain turned to mush, and all I could think about was a hot lunch, an episode of Gilmore Girls, and a nap. I completely passed out watching GG, and woke up a couple hours later completely confused about what day it was and where I was supposed to be. I must have needed that sleep!

This evening I got to watch the remainder of auditions for the IES Music Workshop. I love watching my peers perform. Yesterday two of my suite-mates that play flute auditioned, and they were both excellent! Today, another suite-mate that plays trombone, and my roommate that plays trumpet auditioned. Can I just say, there is so much talent between the four of them! And they all have excellent stage presence/composure. It was great to see them perform. I am looking forward to more opportunities to hear them this semester.

On an unrelated topic, I have a random accomplishment to share. In Wien there are a lot of people on the streets handing out flyers, trying to sell newspapers, talking about different associations or concerts going on, etc. The trouble is, if you look at them, especially if you are smiling, they will assume that means you are interested in talking to them. I am used to smiling or saying hello to every person I pass on the street, which is something I've had to be conscious of not doing here. But I can tell you, I have accomplished the shut down. If people come up to me, I keep a stern face, say "nein, danke" and walk away. It works every time! Success!! I still do a small fist pump every time I succeed, though. : )

Well, I am calling it a night. Hopefully I will be refreshed for more firsts tomorrow! Gute nacht! 

Die Sonne scheint!

I have a German exam tomorrow, so I am going to try to keep this short and get to bed a little earlier (although I've said that every night, it never seems to happen). Today the sun decided to shine for our first time since getting to the city! It was so glorious! I couldn't help but smile all the way to school, seriously - big cheesy grin, even when our tram knocked someone over and we had to walk the rest of the way to school, making us fairly late. I decided to make the most of the sunny day, and go for a long walk/adventure to see the parts of the city that I hadn't yet had a time to explore. Here are a few photos from my day:

I started with a walk through the Burggarten. Look at that beautiful blue sky!

This is a statue of Mozart, and the building in the background is the back side of the Haldensplatz (Heroes Square). It is part of the entrance to the Hapsburg palace.

The sun is shining!

These are ruins from the Roman legion, Vindobona, the original Vienna! 

 

I always love exploring churches, and taking a few quiet minutes to think about all the people that have visited the sacred space before me. This grand church is near the Hapsburg palace in the first district. 

The next few pictures show a more modern side of Vienna - one that is much less prominent, but still cultured.

I'm not sure exactly what this indicates - perhaps no right of way given to walkers or bikers? Not sure - I just like it.

This walkway by the Danube Canal reminds me of Portland, OR. 

My favorite part of the day, apart from the sun, was this church. It is the oldest church in Vienna, and was built in 724. There was a harpsichordist playing inside while I was visiting. It is incredible to me how many generations have attended church there every Sunday. 

Ich lebe Wien! Gute nacht. : )

Kunsthistorisches Museum and More

I am starting to get in the groove of things here in Wien. Riding the tram is pretty natural, I feel like I know how to behave in public without sticking out too much, and I am beginning to feel comfortable in the city. I was worried before coming abroad that living in a city of 1.8 million people would be overwhelming and give me anxiety, but that hasn't been the case. Vienna is said to be the most livable city and is also the safest city of its size. Still, coming from a hometown of 7,000 and a college town of 30,000, I still had to learn to be cognoscenti of my surroundings. However, in the short time that I have been here, I have acquired a sense of my surroundings from observation, and I feel confident that I know how to keep safe. Therefore, I am now more willing to wander on my own during the day without any anxiety. This is a new and fun experience for me! 

Today was a day of history! I love history - especially when it is presented in a narrative way so that I can imagine real people and dialogues - although I don't necessarily remember the hard facts/details. This afternoon we went on a guided tour of the Art History Museum, which is in the Museumsplatz (an area with a variety of museums). Our tour guide, Dr. Benesch, is a well established art historian in today's art history circle, and her father was probably the most renowned art historian in the last 200 years. She is so knowledgeable! We looked primarily at mid-seventeenth century paintings. Her talks focused mainly on the aspect of light in the paintings, and how the use of light differed drastically between three Italian cities (Florence, Venice, and Rome) even during the same era. I had no idea how much detail and information I was missing! Not to mention how large some of the paintings are! Many wouldn't fit on a wall in an average sized home. The building itself, built in the late 19th century to house the imperial art collection, is an architectural masterpiece. The doorways are twice my height, and the ceilings arch to the height of gymnasiums, with intricate moldings and details. Dr. Benesch emphasized the educational experience that was intended when visiting the museum, however, as an older Viennese woman, she did not hesitate to instruct us on how to walk and stand and appreciate the museum properly. After leaving, my roommate remarked, "We will be so cultured after this semester in Vienna!" 

After the tour I was feeling pretty tired, so I decided to get outside for a walk and fresh air! I am continuing to explore the inner city when I have the chance, so today I decided to walk to the Hochstralbrunnen (Jet Fountain) which was built in 1873 to commemorate the completion of the first water-line from the southern Austrian Alps into Vienna. No pumps included - this is considered the best city water in the world. I'm getting used to it, but Hood River water is way better! True to its name, the fountain is magnificent and huge and mists out at least 20 feet. Apparently at night it is colorfully illuminated! Directly behind the fountain is a large Russian Monument. After World War II, Vienna, like Berlin, was a divided city. Russia was the last country to leave, and built this huge monument strategically by one of the most important monuments to the Viennese people. Oh, those Russians... According to contract, if the city were to allow the monument to fall into disrepair, Russia could re-invade Vienna, taking over the city! 

Here is a photo of the fountain and monument:

And another picture from my walk. I love how much greenery there is in the city, and how clean it is!

Ich liebe dich und ich vermisse dich - I love you and I miss you. 

Small Victories

Today was another day of exciting and new discoveries! I find myself standing in the street, staring at ornate buildings with my eyes wide open and jaw dropped way too often. Nothing says tourist better, right? Oh well; the architecture and activity here are unreal, I'll gaze with curiosity if I want to. :) I don't want to miss anything! A couple suite-mates and I were walking around district one today after German and an orientation meeting. We had a couple errands to run, then decided to explore a little bit. That area of the city is really fun! It is pedestrian traffic only, and there are a lot of them! I enjoy people watching, though. We found some great little shops to poke our heads in, and walked down a couple new streets. Another construction concept that I find intriguing is that the city is built around St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the house numbers get smaller as you move toward the cathedral. It is such a fascinatingly designed city! And the cathedral is magnificent. We decided that we didn't have time to go in today - I'm sure I could spend at least an hour! - but we walked around the outside in amazement. Everyday my list of things to do and see gets longer. I'm starting to worry that I will run out of time!

In earnest to keep taking advantage of experiences and jumping in head first, I decided to spend a little bit of time in the city by myself today. Someone asked me a question about directions in German today, I understood her, and I was able to help. That means she thought I was a local! I was so excited. :) I have also been able to get people to move out of the way on the tram for me by saying "entschudigung" (excuse me) and I have successfully interacted with store clerks without letting them know I'm not a native speaker. I always try to listen when people are speaking, to see if I can pick out words or phrases. I can't wait to have an even better understanding of the language.

Oh, and did I mention that I go to school in a palace? It's pretty unbelievable. Here's a (not great) picture of me in the stairway. 

It's time to make lunch for tomorrow (nutella sandwich anyone?). Gute nacht! 

Strassenbahn Success!

1) Today was our first day of German classes, which meant we had to figure out how to get to the IES Center via public transportation. This is something I had been anxious about before coming to Vienna, and the last couple days as today approached. However, I really had no reason to worry! The public transportation in Vienna is very simple. All forms of transportation: the buses, trams, undergrounds, and trains, operate as one system, meaning a weekly/monthly pass allows you to use any of the systems to get to your destination. Pretty cool! We only have to walk two blocks to our tram stop, then ride from district 16 to the ring that surrounds the inner city. Then we transfer to any of the trams that come to that stop, and ride for two stops, before walking about three blocks to the center. It is actually very simple. I had a chance to go to and from the center twice today, once with my RA and other suite-mates, and once with just my roommate, so I am confident that I could do it by myself. The commute is probably about  30 minutes, on average, but I'm sure it depends on the time of day. Mid-day today was certainly quicker.

2) Day one of German was slightly overwhelming, and there are aspects of the language that are so confusing to me! Such as gender noun articles. Ahh! My professor has a nice sense of humor, though, and I think it will be fun.

3) After our class, we had a tour around district one of Vienna, particularly the bit that is near IES. Our tour guide was phenomenal! I didn't want the tour to end! She knew so much history about the city and people, and was able to give recommendations of where to eat, and what museums to visit. She also got us all super jazzed on the Operas and ballets that will be happening nightly once the season reconvenes in September. I am starting to really love this city!

Well, it is late here, and tomorrow is another early day with more German confusion!
Gute nacht!

The Apartment and Exploring

Today was a great day of exploring and new adventures, as well as many questions about how to say different things in German. We're trying to use 'danke' for thank you, and 'bitte' for please, just to start, and picking up as many short, useful phrases as possible! I'll tell you about my our apartment first though, as promised!

I live in the sixteenth district, a couple blocks from the Gurtle, which divides the inner city from the outer city (district 16 from districts 7&8). We live directly next to a Turkish bakery - which we visited this morning! - it has an assortment of Austrian and Turkish pastries, breads, desserts, etc. Directly across the street from the bakery is a Spar - which is a small supermarket, or grocery store. Very handy! However, super market's here have significantly fewer open hours, such as 7-7, and closed on Sunday, which might pose for a bit of a challenge with the daily shopping schedule that the Viennese generally have, and late classes that don't permit evening shopping after the commute home, but I'm sure as the semester aligns itself, these issues will be sorted out. 

Our apartment building has only two apartments, the landlady's and our own. The practice rooms are downstairs, and the door to our apartment is up a flight of stairs. I have four suite-mates, and one RA that I live with. We share an entrance/mud area, a small, but fully equipped kitchen, a dining area with a television, a half-bath, a full bathroom, and a shower room with a sink. It is pretty typical to have toilets in separate rooms from the shower/sink. There are four bedrooms, one for the RA, and three double rooms, although one of the doubles only has one student in it at this point. There is also a washing machine in our apartment, which is very handy! I'm pretty sure almost all the furniture, fixtures, dishes, silverware, etc. are from Ikea. It is rather homey, actually. Our land lady provided us with a lot of nice amenities. 

We all took this morning at our own pace, as we felt like resting, and the rain/cooler weather put us in lazy moods. But we wanted to get out and explore a little this afternoon, rain or shine! As they say in Princess Diaries, "Umbrellas up!" We left the apartment around three, and decided to walk so we could get a sense of the distance to district one, as well as get a closer look at the shops and sights. District sixteen is the home to a lot of immigrants, which is evident in the shops and restaurants on the streets. 

We walked past a lot of buildings today, asking our RA questions, and taking pictures along the way. However, our destination was definitely in my top three favorite things today! Cafe Central is a traditional Austrian cafe, that has become more of a tourist or special occasion place recently. The cafes in Austria are different than in the US. The room was grand, with ornate molding and painting on the ceiling, large columns, and in the center was a case of cakes, tortes, strudels, and other desserts. I got a layered 3 chocolate cake with moose and a bit of rum flavoring. It was superb! We all got different desserts, so we could pass them around and try six different things. I cannot explain the gastronomic experience! But maybe this photo will help...

I had such a fun day exploring with my suite-mates, and am having a great time getting to know them! I look forward to many more walks through Wien and shared culinary experiences. 

For now, auf wiedersehen! 

Orientation in Mariazell

Today is my fifth day in Austria, but my first day waking up in my bed in Vienna! After arriving at Vienna International Airport on Wednesday, our IES group was transported to a small village in the region of Styria, called Mariazell, about two and a half ours south-west of Vienna. In the three days we spent at the hostel and surrounding areas in Mariazell, I can recall way more than three good things, but I'll recount the highlights. 

Of course after being awake for about 32 hours with only short naps on the planes and buses, the highlight Wednesday was finally going to bed, and sleeping like a rock until my alarm went off! Thursday afternoon we went by bus to a nearby lake surrounded by hills (or mountains, depending on which coast you are from). We walked around the lake, which is surrounded by some homes on the far side. The houses in that region are so well kept and fairy-tale-like. Almost all houses have overflowing flower boxes in every window. The day was warm and sunny with clear blue skies, so after our 45 minute walk, we went for a swim! I opted, along with one other student, to enter the lake via water-slide! It felt so good to swim in cool, fresh lake-water again. The lake reminded me of Lost Lake in its size and temperature. In fact, this region of Austria is similar in many ways to the Pacific Northwest. After my little swim, I sat on the dock and enjoyed the sun and scenery while drying. 

That evening we learned a simple Viennese waltz from a few of the program staff. It was quite quick, and I am not very good at following, but it was a lot of fun, nonetheless. The natives all know how to dance though, because everyone takes dance lessons while growing up, as balls are a large part of the culture. After waltzing, we learned another Austrian sport called kegalban, which is the Austrian form of bowling. The balls and pins are smaller, there are no bumpers, and the pins are attached to strings. I found it significantly harder than American bowling!

Our hostel was actually across a small valley from the 1,600-person village of Mariazell, which we visited the next day. We began with a short tour and demonstration of a candle-making factory. They use all real bees’ wax and a traditional, time intensive process. For example, a lot of their candles are bleached from golden to white simply by hanging in the open air for several months. After that tour, we went to the gingerbread factory, which also employed a traditional method, doing almost everything by hand. Their spice recipe is a secret, which only the owner of the company knows. Fun fact: the gingerbread is fifty percent honey! And it is SO good! We also visited the Mariazell Basilica, where many Catholics still travel for pilgrimages. It is an extremely ornate baroque church built around the original Gothic structure. It was magnificent, and we were able to hear part of a mass.

More Austrian culture followed that evening with a traditional folk dance group, accompanied by accordion and trombone, which performed for us and taught us some simpler dances. It was a great surprise, and so entertaining! It was also fun to see the program directors and staff dressed in lederhosen and dirndl, which is the women's traditional dress.

The next day, after a wrap up session and lunch, we made our way back to the city! We drove past the opera building, the parliament building, the museums of art history and natural history, the stock exchange, and many other large, grand, old buildings in the first district that I cannot wait to get closer looks at and explore. The sights seem endless!

More posts about our apartment and district to follow, for now, let the exploring begin!