“Che Gelida Manina”: Night at the Opera (Monday, September 6)

This morning, I woke up and went exploring again with Carrie before German class.  We walked to the Hofburg and tried to go into the Hofburgkapelle but it was closed so we walked over to the National Library (which is supposedly what Walt Disney based the library in Beauty and the Beast off of) unfortunately, it cost money so we decided to wait and see if we could get in with the cards we get with our art classes.  So then we walked over to the Parliament building.  This building was built on the Ringstrasse after they tore down the wall surrounding the city in the 1870s.  It was built in the Greek style because Greece was the birthplace of democracy.

The Swiss Gate at the Hofburg

The Parliament

We walked some more and came upon an oddly shaped church. We of course went in and it turned out to be an Italian, probably Franciscan, church.  It looked very medieval inside and was almost round.  Along the sides were several paintings of saints including St. Maximilian Kolbe, my confirmation saint, as well as a replication of the Last Supper by daVinci.

Me and my saint

After class, I ran back to my apartment and changed into my suit for the opera I was going to later that night: La Bohème.  Then I ran back to IES for a meeting about the Music Education Internship, which I left early in order to stand in line for standing room tickets.  The process here is really funny.  We got there at 5:15 for a 7:30 performance.  We waited until about 6:30 when the box office opened.  Then we purchased our tickets and went to the level we bought and waited more.  When the doors opened, we found our spot and marked it a scarf or tie.  Then we went and got some food from the grocery store and intended to go on the roof of the opera to eat, but it was closed so we went down and ate on the steps of the opera.  I felt really classy eating my chicken salad and our mini bottles of champagne.

The opera was incredible!  The production, the singers, the orchestra was all ausgezeichnet!!!! It was great because it was the first time Amanda had seen La Bohème and it was Carrie’s first opera.  Also, our “seats” were so good!  There were in the center parterre (on the floor) and the view was perfect and only four Euros!

Us at our "seats"

Afterwards, we went to the stage door to meet the singers.  It was really different from the operatic stage doors I have been to in America.  They were treated like movie stars.  There was a guy with a huge video camera probably for some local channel and when people came out, they would stop and people would take pictures of them and then crowd around to get their autographs.  I didn’t have a program because you had to pay for them so I had them sign my ticket.  When the tenor who had played Rudolfo came out, I realized that I had sung with him in Denver.  He was the Steersman in Opera Colorado’s production of The Flying Dutchman.  We talked about it and it was so cool!!  I also heard him say that he is only 28 and his wife just did La Traviata here in the summer…no one likes him.  Looking forward to more super cheap operas!!!

Me and Rudolfo (Stephen Costello)

This Provincial Life or A Weekend in the Country: Lindt, Gloggnitz, and Baden (Saturday, September 4)

On Saturday, I went to the Lindt chocolate factory in Gloggnitz with my German class.  Gloggnitz is a small town about an hour and half by train outside of Vienna on the border of Nieder Österreich and die Steiermark.

We watched a movie about what chocolate they make and how, in German of course, so I didn’t follow very much of what they were saying but there were a lot of pictures of delicious looking food so that was all I needed.  Then we went out into the shop where they had a table of truffles that were not fit to sell so you could just eat them.  I am not exaggerating when I say I ate about twenty truffles.  I ate so many that I felt a little sik, which never happens to me.

Table of free chocolate

All of us at the factory

We shopped around a little bit and after we left we had about fifty minutes till the next train arrived so some people had lunch at a restaurant by the train station.  But alas, I am as broke as broke can be so I decided to wander around town.  I started walking when I spotted a church on a hill in the distance.  I hope you’ve picked up on this by now but I really like European churches, like REALLY like them.  Now, I didn’t have that much time, so decided to run around town in search of the church.  When I found, it, I ran up the steps and into the church.  To my dismay, however, the church was neither baroque, renaissance, nor gothic but of the same variety as many American churches.  The decoration was minimal and the inside was rather bare.  I lit a candle anyway and went outside.

I then spotted a beautiful looking church on a hill on the edge of the town.  I decided to try to run for it, knowing that I probably wouldn’t make it before the train.  Luckily I ran (haha) into a small chapel in the middle of a square.  It was a chapel for the soldiers of the World Wars.  I went inside and there was an old homeless man shuffling around.  He started speaking to me in German about helping him with something and motioning me to follow him.  At first, I was hesitant about following him, but I decided to go see if I could help.  Plus I reasoned that I was much bigger and in much better shape than him so if it came to that, I could take him.  Anyways, he walked me over to his motorcycle, reached inside his bag, and withdrew a small medal with an engraving of Mary on it.  He handed it to me and said something in German I didn’t understand.  I thanked him and went on my way, filled with happiness.

I ran back to the train just in time to board.  On the way back, I got a text saying that a bunch of people from our apartment complex were going to Baden in about an hour.  Baden happened to be one of the stops on the train I was on so I hopped of excited for more adventures.  Baden is a small town a little south of Vienna that was originally where people would go tif they were sick because the air and baths were said to have healing qualities.  It took them a really long time to get there, but it was ok because I was able to walk around Baden for about three hours.  I grabbed some lunch from the grocery store and went walking.  I came to the base of one the hills surrounding Baden and resolved to walk around until I came upon a good spot to sit and eat my lunch.  The walk/hike was very peaceful and relaxing, although I wish that I hadn’t been wearing my Converse.  On the way up, I come upon a small fenced in area where they had many a bleating goat.  And let me tell you, they were very vocal.  Some sounded normal but others sounded like very deep burps.

Goats (You're welcome Erin)

Where I ate lunch

Baden

After some more walking, I found a great spot overlooking the city to eat my lunch.  After a tasty sandwich and the best apple I’ve ever had, I made my way back to the city.  On the way back, I passed by the goats again and they kept bleating at me expecting me to feed them.  I felt like I was walking the through the Naschtmarkt with the vendors trying to get my attention.  I also came upon a great little chapel thing in the forest that was really touching.

When I got down, I bee-lined for the church, unfortunately, there was a wedding party going on outside so I felt a little awkward going around them and into the church, so I just kept walking.

The Church

I also came upon the house where Mozart wrote "Ave Verum," which is one of my favorite Mozart pieces.

After a lot more walking through street and park, the happened to walk up to the train station just as their train was arriving.  So we walked some more, through a really cool park where they were having mechanical boat races and people renting rowboats on a small lake, and a huge rose garden filled with fragrant roses from all over the world.

Then we got to one of the hot spring baths that Baden is famous for and went in for about an hour.  I felt so relaxed after this visit and I have decided that Baden is probably the most relaxing towns in the world.

On the train ride back to Vienna, a group of guys got onto the train and tried to sell us random things from a tray.  We were all very confused at first and asked them what he was doing.  Apparently, he was about to get married and this was an Austrian bachelor party tradition.  It was actually a great cultural experience!

When we got back, we were in much need for food and not that many places are open past 8:30 and we were out of food.  We walked around our neighborhood for a while when we came upon a little café/restaurant.  I had been craving goulash ever since Baden and they happened to have it.  It was soooo good!  The meat just melted in my mouth.  The restaurant was also very quaint.  The inside was wood paneled and filled with little trinkets and Austrian cookbooks.  The waitress was also dressed in traditional Austrian dress.  Definitely somewhere I need to revisit.

Sunday I rested after my hectic weekend, like God did.

German Musical Theatre and 24-Hour U-Bahns (Friday, September 3)

After our test on Friday, we went to the Palmenhaus coffeehaus with my German class (on IES!).  Ich habe eine Melange und eine Schokoladetorte bestellt.  Eine Melange is half hot milk and half coffee, not half bad…haha!

I went home and had quick dinner after booking our tickets for Greece.  I scarfed down some food and changed for a free opera concert in the park that I thought started at 18:00 Uhr.  I actually ran from S-bahn to U-bahn to get there and when I did, the people I met there informed me that it would not start until 19:30 Uhr.  Oops!  But it was all kind of worth it because we had amazing seats.

The concert was for the opening of the Volksoper that does musical theatre, operettas, and operas.  The concert featured arias, choruses, and overtures from various shows.  Some of the best were: Nessun Dorma performed by a real Asian Calaf (who was phenomenal), O Mio Babbino Caro, a fantastic rendition of This Nearly Was Mine form “South Pacific,” the overtures for “Die Fledermaus" and "Candide", and a finale of Libiam from “La Traviata.”  The best part however was the American Musical Theatre performed in German.  These included Anything you can do, I can do better, from “Annie Get Your Gun,” which became “Ja ich kann, kannst du nicht”  instead of “Yes I can, no you can’t,”  Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat from “Guys and Dolls,” and Get me to the Church on Time from “My Fair Lady.”  We were laughing so hard we were crying.  The whole experience was fantastic.

Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat

Get Me to the Church on Time

That night was the 24-hour U-bahn party when the U-bahn was free all night and clubs let you in for free (sans cover charge).  This was the first time that it had run for 24 hours in Viennese history.  It was a great night filled with dancing and fun.  It was also cool to see the city alive with so many people around the city and on the U-bahn at like 2 AM.  Looking forward to many more weekends with 24-hr U-bahn capabilities.

Homemade Food (Monday, August 30- Wednesday, September 1)

The desire for homemade food as well as cheap sustenance that didn’t come from a Kebap stand gave way to dinner at a friend’s house.  We cooked chicken-fried rice, a true Austrian dish.  This is when I discovered that my favorite Austrian dessert that I have had (I haven’t had Sachertorte yet, so I’m still open to that) is called Manner.  It’s wafers with nutella-like chocolate between.  They come in big and small packages and are extremely addicting.  It is absolutely impossible to just eat one.

Wednesday was a very exciting day.  In the morning, Carrie and I went exploring again.  We went to Karlskirche but only saw the outside because it cost money to go inside.  Hopefully we will be able to inside for my Art and Architecture class.

Then we went to the Naschtmarkt, which is the oldest outside market in Europe, and maybe the world.  It started as a place for milk and milk products but today they sell Gemüse (vegetables), Obst (fruit), Brot (bread), and other things like milk and spices.  The market is lined with stands full of fruit and vegetables and a stand where I found a cheap Müller jersey.

Then we went to Stadtpark where we saw the Strauss statue and I thought of Mom and Jenny.  We sat there for a while and watched the tourists and admired the park.

On the way back to IES, we stumbled upon a church that I think was called Kaiser Kirche.  It was on this random street we happened to walk down.  It was incredibly beautiful inside.  Each side was adorned with several chapel-like things for different saints.  I just couldn’t believe how ornate and just stunning it was.  And it was just his random church that I had never heard of.  Not to mention it was about two hundred years older than the US.  So crazy!

After class, we had a meeting about what music we will be singing for the Music Performance Workshop, which got me really excited about performing all the pieces.  Then we had a meeting with Dr. Solvik, the director of the program, about Music in Vienna.  This made me even more excited about everything that I can do here.  When we got home, we had a big Italian family style dinner with a bunch of us from the apartment to celebrate our move with delicious pasta, salad, and Gugelhupf, a marble bunt cake with a chocolate frosting…Yummy! 

Sehenswürdigkeiten: August 28 and 29

On Saturday, We woke up and went on a bus tour through Vienna that IES provided.  It was very interesting, however, I did fall asleep between the second and third stops due to the exhaustion from the previous night and the soothing motion of the bus.

On the tour, we went up into the hills, through Grinzing and into this cool town with an awesome view of Vienna.  There was also a great little church but we couldn’t go in because of a wedding.

Our second stop was at the Hundertwasse apartments.  These apartments were constructed by Hundertwasse an architect who believed that buildings should mirror nature and be organic in the sense of being of the ground.  Therefore, he did not use right angles and everything is curved the way the ground would be and arches the way a cave might. It looks really cool and does look sort of “one with the earth.”  It also made me think of the hobbit houses that were built from hills.  Anyways, while they do look cool, apparently it’s a pain to live there because you have to have all of your furniture custom made to fit the anti-right angles.

The final stop was the Belvedere, although we did see things between the stops like the United Nations Building (which I inevitably slept through).  Seeing as I had already been there, my excitement was not as exuberant as before.  However, it was still cool to see it again and have everything explained by a historian with a German accent.

Schubert's House

That evening, Amanda and I went to church at St. Augustine’s.  Now this is no regular church.  Granted, none of the churches here are regular.  However, this one was particularly special because instead of doing the mass parts like we do at home, a full orchestra, choir, soloists, and organ perform masses by famous composers.  In this case, they were performing Mozart’s Große Credomesse.  It was incredible.  All the chandeliers were lit, there was incense wafting about, chant, Jesus, and Mozart, all in one.  Now, I wasn’t able to fully understand the homily and such but I was able to determine the reading, which made me very proud.  It's also easier to follow the Mass because of all the sitting and standing.  After about an hour and a half, Mass was stil going on and Amanda and I were a little confused until we realized that it was the feast day of the St Augustine and the Archbishop and his posse were all there saying Mass at St. Augustine’s Church.  So after a long procession of chant, we left.

Then we went to friend’s apartment for a nice homemade meal.  We ate and then went out for a fun night on the town.

On Sunday, some of us went to Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Hapsburgs.  We were originally going for the zoo but I was like, I’m not paying 10 Euros to see a baby Panda when we can walk around the gardens for free.  So that’s what we did!  They were kind of extraordinary.  They were vast and each part of it was neatly groomed and beautifully maintained.  We climbed up to the top of the hill where we had an awesome view of the palace.  Apparently, Maria Theresia, the Hapsburg Empress, like to have dinner up in the building on the hill at the Gloriette.  However, she was too fat to walk up there so she had people carry her up the hill.  And let me tell you, it was not an easy hill to climb without a heavy woman on your shoulders or wherever she rested.  She also liked to have animals milling about in front of her while she ate so they would have animals walking around the gardens while she ate.  Then they would have to lug her and her breakfast back down the hill and put the animals away.  This ritual would happen every day during the summer.  It’s no wonder the Empire collapsed!

Schönbrunn Palace

The Gloriette

That night, we went to the Rathaus for another free concert.  It was a broadcast of the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s concert featuring Strauss Family waltzes and polkas.  The conductor was my favorite because he looked so happy during the pieces and he just exuded joy.  He was very expressive and just made you want to move.  They also did really cool things during some of the waltzes.  For two of them they did ballet sequences, for the Blue Danube they showed videos of the Danube from its spring to its mouth, and my favorite was during the Wiener Bonbons Waltz when they showed videos of people making candy and cake.  Yummy!!! It was a perfect evening in Vienna!!!

First Week in Vienna Highlights (August 23-27)

Vienna is an amazing city.  I can’t believe I get to live here.  It’s great to walk around and just be surrounded by this architecture.  Every turn is exciting and every moment is like living in an open-air museum.

On Monday after class I wandered around a little bit and found a bookstore so I looked for Harry Potter.  The first time I couldn’t understand what the lady was saying so I left and went into the sheet music store.  After looking at some great scores, I went back to the bookstore and looked again.  Unfortunately, the lady who I had asked was on the top level now instead of below where she was before so it was very embarrassing to walk in and be like “Hey remember me, the guy who couldn’t understand simple directions?”  Anyways, I found it, and now my collection is that much bigger.

This is where I have class for Music!

On Tuesday, we went to a free outdoor film festival at the Rathaus where they were showing a concert of the adagio from Mahler 10 and some of his songs from “Des Knaben Wunderhorn.”  Before we went, we all got dinner at this place called Mafiosi which is a cheap pizza place that has a Mafia theme on the outside but looks more like a pirates cove on the inside.  The food was great and super cheap.  When we got off the subway, I could hear the clarinet as we walked down the street.  So we followed the sound and found a huge screen in front of a beautiful building on which Mahler was being played.  It was awesome!!!  Music is everywhere here!

On Wednesday, I spent most of the day preparing for my audition into the performance workshop.  Afterwards, we went back to the Rathaus for Hansel and Gretel.  Although this time, since the production was not very good, we spent most of the time socializing seeing as there were tons of IES people there.

On Thursday, between class (with my German teacher who has an English accent!) and the auditions (we have to go to all of them even if you’re not going that day) we went to a café where I got my first cup of coffee.  I figured I needed to try it because it is such a big part of the culture and is apparently amazing because of how good the water is here.  It was pretty good, although I would take a cup of tea or hot chocolate over it any day.  Also, I was kind of really hyper the rest of the evening…

On Friday, at breakfast, A German guy sat down with me and we spoke in German for a lot of the meal although my German isn’t the best, so we spent a lot of time with English too.  It was great.  Then on the train to school I saw the German Whoopi Goldberg.  Before and after class, I went exploring and church hopping with a friend.  There were like four within walking distance of school!  As always, I lit a candle in all of them.  Although, I don’t give the amount that they say you’re supposed to because I would be broke if I did.  So I usually just put in one of the coins cuz I don’t think God cares if I pay him.

Mass we walked in on in one of the churches

Mozart!

That night we went to a club downtown.  We ran into one of the waiters from the restaurant where we get free food and she promised to give us free coffee, which she did.  The funny thing is that all of the restaurants, bars, and clubs play American music, but it’s usually not contemporary stuff, although I did hear Lady Gaga in the grocery store the other day.

Us and the waitress

All in all, a great week, I wish I could recount everything that happened but alas, there is not enough time or space.  Talk to you later!

Lost in Transitions: Sunday, August 22

 After we took the bus back to Vienna, we all waited for taxis to our apartments and most people spent the night unpacking and getting acquainted with their apartments.  We, however, did not have the luxury of having apartments to discover.  So when we got back to the hostel we decided to go for a walk around the area.  So we started walking and stumbled upon the Belvedere, the residence of the one of the princes or someone important.  It was also the place where Austria’s freedom from Russia was announced in 1955.  

The gardens are beautiful and filled with statues and fountains of mythical and other such creatures and beings.  No one was there because it was Sunday evening so the views were all the better.  On the way home, we treated ourselves to some ice cream.  I got some delicious Nutella ice cream that was to die for, although the owner seemed less than happy to be serving us.  I’m guessing they were just closing, but there was no need to be so rude.  One of the funny things that happens when you order something is that they always switch into English with a little smile that says, “Aw, you tried.”  It’s kind of sad.

When we got back, we stopped at one of the many Kebap stands that line the streets.  It’s not kebob, because that confused me at first.  It’s actually just Turkish and Austrian food, it’s very weird.  They sell things like Kebap Sandwiches and Noodles, Ente Noodles, Schnitzel sandwiches and boxes.  But it was cheap and quite good.  We hung around the hostel for a while and then after much protestation I conceded to go downtown with some friends.  We went down to Stephansplatz to meet some other people from the hostel and walked around for a while in search of a good bar and found this place called Morgan’s, which had a kind of pirate theme going on.  There weren’t that many choices because it was about eleven on a Sunday night and there are mandatory quiet hours after ten.  When we left, we tried to find Stephansplatz to get the U-bahn, but got very lost and stumbled on some great monuments which in the daylight turned out to be the Hofburg and the Roman ruins.  

We sort of just hung around on a statue and took in the scenery.  There were, however some very creepy statues that frightened us because they looked like they were bleeding in the night.  When we finally decided to go home, it was about 3:30 and we stumbled on to a Night Bus station (I know, just like Harry Potter). The stage was set for many more wanderings in Wien.

Mariazell: Friede seit mit dir

I would first like to apologize for my absence.  After many vociferous scoldings from Mother, I have returned to recount the many adventures that have occurred since I last spoke with you.

First, on Friday (20th)  we went to Mariazell, the little town near the hostel.  The city was built as a sight for pilgrims devoted to Mary.  There are several legends surrounding the founding of the town and the church, all having to do with a small lime-wood statue of Mary helping someone and them building a shrine to her.  Since then, it has grown into the Basilica which attracts thousands of Catholic Pilgrams, many by foot from Vienna.  So the Basilica there is kind of a big deal.  It was built in three stages: Romanesque, Baroque, and Rococo, each for some significant moment in Austrian history that the monarch of the time attributed to Mary, such as conquering the Turks.

After a tour of the church (where there was a funeral going on, making it very awkward to be a tourist) and the surrounding area, we walked around the city and indulged in the two things the town is most famous for: gingerbread and Schnapps.  They were both excellent!  We then had a glass of wine while looking at the Alps, and the church.  It was a grand time all together.

That night, we had an Austrian evening of polkas and dances performed by men in lederhosen accompanied by a very old man on the accordion named Hans, a clarinetist, and a euphonium player.  My friend and I were kind of obsessed with Hans, and attempted several pictures with him.  I was finally successful at the end of the night and after my Austrian friend did some translating.

The next day, we went to a lake about 30 minutes away.  It was full of men in Speedos and little naked children.  While the lake was very beautiful, the water was freezing and despite my initial reluctance, I was convinced to take the plunge.  It was surprisingly refreshing!  We hung out there for a while, talking and enjoying the lake.  The night was filled with much fun, laughs, and zip lines.

The next morning three of us trekked down to church at the Basilica at eight in the morning.  While I could only understand a word here or there, the experience was well worth the early rise.  It was great to hear them all sing church songs from memory and without any accompaniment.  We tried to find the Mass parts in the missal, but alas we were unsuccessful and had to resort to saying everything very quietly in English.  Luckily, the teacher that drove us there told us how to say peace be with you: "Friede seit mit dir."

And thus our days in the hills had come to an end and we drove down to Vienna, anxious to see the city that would be our home for the next four months.

The Hunt for the Missing Towel

I have arrived in Vienna safely and in one piece carrying my huge Toblerone (an homage to Friends).

Everything here is clean and on-time which satisfies the OCD inside of me.  The hostel I stayed at was great and actually housed a bunch of IES people.  One of my roommates, whose name I can't pronounce, was from Japan and we got along as well as two people who can't speak the same language can.  Hütteldorf, the town where we stayed, is great and comes with mini churches, nuns in full habits, and hills that are impossibly difficult to climb with a fifty pound suitcase and backpack.

That night, my friend (who happened to be staying at the hostel as well) and I met our other friend and her parents for a delicious meal of wiener schnitzel and traditional sparkling wine.  It was a great time and the company made us all the more excited for the next four months.  After discussing the many shenanigans that will inevitably ensue, we returned to the hostel and crashed.

Being the space that I am, I forgot to bring a towel on this expedition and so had to find other alternatives.  The first time I took a shower I used a combination of air-drying and a T-shirt.   And for the second shower  my roommate was kind enough to give me a towel (although it was about the size of a handtowel, it was better than the last shower.  So on Thursday (the 19th) before we had to be to the station, I decided to walk around Hütteldorf in search of a towel.  After asking many people and taking many wrong turns, I perfected the phrase for "Where can I buy a towel" and finally found one.

After lounging around the station, playing cards and buying really cheap fruit from the lady in the subway, we all met up and took a bus to Mariazel, a tiny town in the Styrian Alps known for its pilgrimage worthy basilica, snapps, and gingerbread.  The drive up was serenaded with the soundtrack to the Sound of Music, which made the Alps all the more beautiful (Thank you Julie Andrews).  Upon arrival, a bunch of us climbed up to this church on the top of the hill and enjoyed great views of the city and the surrounding Alps.

Unfortunately we couldn't go in, but from the large crack in the door, it looked beautiful.  We then had the traditional orientation things and now I am off to bed in preparation for an early morning and a day full of fun in the Alps.