Vienna!

Once the capitol of the immense Austrian Empire and a major cultural center in Europe, Vienna is really full of pomp and grandeur. We arrived last night and had dinner at a little Pizzeria, where they served me a piece of baked Swiss cheese (or something like that…).
Naturally, we began our search for a bar or a club after dinner. We didn’t really succeed. I had a Fosters at an Australian pub, but ended up giving most of it to Clint and Jessica. As we searched, we also got a premature tour of the city. We walked past St. Karls Kirche, St. Stephan’s Cathedral, and some amazing multi-colored fountains. All the while, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky we are to be here.
Friday morning, we began out tour of Vienna at the Hundertwasser Krawanahaus—an amazing, colorful, abstractly designed building. I loved it! I want to live there…though we couldn’t actually go in, and it’s probably a really expensive house to live in. We continued to the Belvedere Palace and looked at artwork by Gustav Klimt and Schiele. “The Kiss” is one piece that I recognized, since my parents once had it hanging on their wall. In truth, it isn’t as romantic as a casual observer may believe. The couple is positioned awkwardly and it almost looks as though the woman is unsure. It is a beautiful piece of art, though.
Onward we went to the Schönbrunn Palace, where the crazy Hofbergs once resided. Overall, it was extravagant and elegant—but I couldn’t help but think of how much wealth some people had and how superfluously they spent it. It’s all a bit ridiculous. I was separated from the group (crap) but eventually found Clint, who had also been separated from the group. We walked through the gardens. It was sunny and we passed an artist who was painting a picture of the path. Then, we found some Roman ruins. That little stroll was probably the highlight of my day. It was nice to kind of get away from the huge crowds, even if it was only for a half hour.
Dinner was a nice plate of pasta for me. The marinara sauce was a bit sweeter than I’m used to, but it was sure tasty. I went out on the town with Sarah and Linda, and we hit up the Starbucks (yeah—I know…why are we going to Starbucks in Vienna? Well…because we can). I managed to flirt a little in German, so I was pretty proud of myself. I ordered a double-shot macchiato espresso with milk…and I downed that bad boy! Whoo. Eventually, we found ourselves at a Salsa Dance club, where cocktails were 7,50 Euro (no thanks!) and you had to know how to dance…really dance. So, I guess learning to Salsa is on my to-do list.
On Saturday morning, we began our day of touring at the Vienna Opera House. In honesty, I was most impressed with the size of the stage and the sets. They have to move those immense sets every day, in order to accommodate all of their performances! I saw the set for the Barber of Seville from behind, and could tell it would be amazing.
Then, we were walking through the city and we “met” some Lipizzaner Stallions. They were so beautiful! I took a video of them walking by. Then, we looked around in St. Stephan’s Cathedral. It was huge, all gothic, and creepy…but so cool!
During the lunch break, I had Cappuccinos with Allison and Erica. It was lovely. Meanwhile, there was a red nose benefit going on, and there were clowns EVERYWHERE. Ugh…not fun for my clown fear. I did overcome some fear and posed with “Mozart.”
The Kunsthistorisches Museum was very interesting and I saw so many famous pieces of art—up close and personal! Some of my favorites were by Raphael, because the colors were bright and the scenes were happy, for the most part. Unfortunately, we did not stop to talk a lot about his work.
The day ended with our attendance of The Barber of Seville. We all dressed up and looked stunning, which was super-exciting. The opera itself was humorous and light, but the plot wasn’t that exciting. The singing and acting was wonderful, of course. It didn’t disappoint…not that I’m an expert or anything.
I was thoroughly exhausted from the day, so I went to bed right away. We drove back on Sunday morning, stopping at a Byzantine Monastery for a guided tour. It was good, but I was so tired. I am now glad to be back in Salzburg, at the center, typing up my memories and promising myself that I will post photos in the near future.

Home sweet Dorm

With the first week of classes over, the UP students on the Salzburg Study Abroad Club decided it was best to not travel just yet. We hung around the center and went out to explore the Salzburg nightlife.

The sun made an appearance on Thursday afternoon, so I went for a stroll through Altstadt with some friends. It's really nice there, with little shops and a market where they sell touristy hoo hahs and whatnot. I had an Amaretto ice cream cone, and it was ASTOUNDING! Thursday night held in store another trip to Altstadt, in search of clothing stores. It ended at Murphy's Law Pub--an Irish themed bar where the most important rule is to not speak German. An innocent "Danke" taught me that as I bravely took a shot of Irish whisky. Uck.

We walked back to the center and watched "The Italian Job." It's really a comfy place to hang out. I like the center...Actually, during this weekend, I have caught up on my Disney movie viewing for the year...with The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, and Beauty and the Beast under my belt, I feel I may can't go wrong, right?

On Friday, we went to an Ikea store and I bought an alarm clock. I know. So exciting. Then, we had tastey frozen pizza that made me happy. The guys had a night out--the girls had a night out--and we ended up in the same place. Go figure. I danced a bit, but the place was so smokey and crowded. After that, some of us hung out on my balcony...and almost watched the sun rise.

Saturday and Sunday were fairly slow. I got a start on some homework and reading for this coming week. I know I'm in this exciting place and everything, but school is still school and homework is still homework.

Next weekend, however, we're going to see The Barber of Seville in Vienna. That should be fairly awesome. I hope that post will be more informative. So...until next time...

Aufweadersehen!

To the Salt Mine

The program provided an excursion for the first weekend of the year. On Friday morning, we boarded the bus and left for a tour of the salt mines on northern Austria, near Hallein. The tour was really interesting. The mines were founded by the Kelts many years ago, and had since provided wealth to Salzburg and the surrounding area...hence the name...Salt Mountain. We all dressed up in white protective clothing (mostly so we didn't get too dirty) and we looked like little martians or something. The tour was entertaining, and I even got to go down two immense slides. Weee.
After the tour, we went into the Kelt villiage, which was alright. It reminded me of the World Museum of Mining. Yeah. Whoop de doo.
We had a sack lunch in Hallein before driving to Hallstatt. Hallstatt is a town of Virginia City size. In short, there isn't a lot to do there, after a certain time. I wandered around a bit before dinner. There is an honest to God Bone House there! I guess they ran out of room in their cemetary and had to dig up some bones and put them in this building because they didn't have anything better to do with them. I had expected something disorganized, but it was actually pretty neat and organized. The bones were set up in the shelves under the counter and the skulls were on top of the counter (for lack of a better word) and painted with the name of the dearly departed and their dates of birth and death. Some even had designs painted on the skull.
Later that night, we went out on the town, trying to find something to do. The grocery store closed at 7, and everything else had closed at 5. Basically, most people went back to the hotel. I sat in the lobby and chatted for a while. Others found a restraunt/bar in town, and others hung out at a drink stand by the lake.
Driving through the countryside, I realized how much this area reminds me of Northwestern Montana. There are mountains, forests, and lakes. It's also not heavily populated, which is nice. I won'd go so far as to say that I love it here, but it's definately beautiful.
I just learned that I broke a rule of the computer lab...no uploading photos. I guess my posts will be a little less multi-media style from now on. I'll have to save that for the occasional internet cafe.
Well, I'll sign off for now. Tomorrow should be a slow day, but I finally start classes on Monday. Yay, life.

Rollercoaster Ride

Lagoon Amusement Park in Salt Lake has more roller coasters than anyone should ever be expected to ride in one day. Every time I got in line, I became worried that I would get sick or die or something of that nature. However, once I got into the little cart and strapped myself in, I knew there was no going back.
Now, I am in Salzburg. I'm strapped in and the car is racing down the track toward the climatic loop-de-loop. I could close my eyes. I could wish to go back, but the double loops are fast approaching and they can't stop this little car.
I had some second guessing on the flight over. I kept on thinking that I wouldn't fit in here--that "I've Made a Huge Mistake." Now that I'm here, though, I think that everything will be OK. Just like the horrific double loop on the Fire Dragon, this whole thing will be over before I know it, and I will realize that I liked it so much that I might want to ride again.
Sorry for the extended metaphor that isn't exceptional. I have officially been awake for 30 hours (with a few little snoozes...but nothing worth bragging about). I'm trying to stay awake until the meetings are over...but then, I will crash. Hard.
Bis Bald!