Ode to Joy

       It's Midterm's week, and yesterday I took my "Arts and Nations" midterm. After writing a passionate essay on "music and patriotism", I was asked to identify 20 different artists/musicians/authors/time periods/important events/any terms that fall under the beautiful umbrella of "arts and nations" (namely, anything that relates to nationalism and its role and prevalence in art forms..it's a really interesting class actually!) 


       Anyways, one of the terms was: "Ode to Joy" And we all know this special little number. (SERIOUSLY, ASK ME ABOUT IT. Part of Beethoven's 9th symphony, 4th movement. Lyrics by Friedrich von Schiller, national anthem for European Union, speaks of JoY and the FuTuRe...) Ask me Beethoven's birth and death dates!! I can recite them!!!!!!! ASK ME!)


       So in honor of this midterm, and in honor of my detailed description of the Ode to Joy (I only gave you the sparknotes version) I present to you, my personal ode to all the composers associated with Vienna that I've taken pictures with! Enjoy:


(Bitte listen to this, while viewing the rest of this blog post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnT7pT6zCcA FEEL THE JOY! Cheers!)

While we're on the subject of Beethoven...the man himself! Is there a way I can get something like this in my bedroom? I think having a wall devoted to Beethoven would be a completely acceptable addition. Who's with me?

Meghan and me with the famous Johann Strauss statue in Stadtpark! This man writes a mean waltz. I'd also like one of these in my bedroom please. Although, I'd settle for a cardboard cutout. 

Strauss again.... 

Franz Schubert! Also was on my miterm. Also...he rocks.

Bruckner. (Yet another statue/bust in Stadtpark...I think it's a fact that Stadtpark has the most statues out of all the parks in Vienna. But don't quote me on that.) 

Meghan and me with Mozart(!!!!) outside of the Neuburg.

Wax statue of Otto Nicolai in the Haus der Musik. He was the founder of the Vienna Phil! Definitely deserves a shout-out for that. Also, he was a composer--of operas, lieder, orchestral works, and some pretty fine horn duets..

Obviously, there are many more statues, monuments, and an obscene amount of street signs that represent the composers and a time period that Vienna's most proud of. These are just a few examples. I will find more composers though! And I will take pictures and pay tribute! Never you fear!

Freckles are coming out!

First ice cream cone of the season! It's not even April yet...but it's technically spring. Can't get used to the glorious weather!

Reading outside is the only place to read

 

       Read in the park again today--this time in both Stadtpark and the Burggarten, which is outside the Hofburg and Palmenhaus. 

     

                                 Julia and I had some "Eiskaffees" before we studied German in the park. Eiskaffee, by the way, is not an iced coffee. It's "chilled coffee" with vanilla ice cream and Shlagobers! (whipped cream). America really doesn't have a drink like this! (I don't know why...it's delicious!) Conceptually, I'd say it's a cross between a frappuccino and a root-beer float. Sooo good. I mean, we have drinks similar to an Eiskaffee, but nothing really like it. (Or do we?? BITTE LET ME KNOW IF WE HAVE AN AMERICAN EISKAFFEE EQUIVALENT. Will need to look into that upon my return to the States...) 

      

       Who DOESN'T like iced coffee that has a scoop of ice cream in it?? It's like the drink that was invented for me. My two favorite things: ice cream and coffee. Together. In one. Now to make this the perfect setting, all I'd need would be to be surrounded by flowers, listening to Regina Spektor music, and drinking an Eiskaffee. Can you think of anything more perfect? I know I certainly can't. 

         Except maybe going to see Hunger Games for the second time.....(yes that happened)

       So for those of you who know me and my proclivity to watch movies I like over and over and over again....it should come as no surprise that I just saw Hunger Games again today...second day in a row. I promise, this is the last time, though! No more Harry Potter 7 Pt. 1 repeats (where I shamelessly saw that film in theaters FOUR times...#Iregretnothing) And yes, Hunger Games was just as good the second time!  

     

    Oh and another thing I'd like to mention....the M&M's taste different here. Must be the sugar. 

That's it for today! Gonna study a little more for my German midterm that's in the morning. And then tomorrow I have tickets to see the Vienna Philharmonic!!!!!! First Wiener Philharmoniker concert at the Musikverein (Because let me tell you, Vienna Phil tickets are hard to come by!) They'll be performing Dvorak 9, among other things, and I'm super, crazy excited!

Not Bad for a Thursday

Alright--so it's a little after midnight right now, but I felt the need to record the events of my day quickly before the details fade. (And THEN I'm going to bed!)

Quick run-through of my day:

German class in the morning, followed by a Schönberg class trip to the Leopold Museum, followed by reading 2 hours in the park outside the Hofburg (ANOTHER sunny, glorious day!), followed by a Chamber concert that I pretended to concert-manage and then actually played in (my teacher, Franz came!), followed, by the premiere of the movie, Hunger Games! Whew!

But the story I'm going to tell happened after all that.

Ha ha saw it on the 22nd!! Woo!

So. Many people in the IES program went to go see the Hunger Games premiere at the English movie theater on Mariahilferstraße this evening. My friends and I reserved tickets ahead of time, but since we had to go home after our concert, we didn't arrive to the theater early enough to pick them up (and they had given them away). HOWEVER, they had plenty of extra tickets to sell, which was a very fortuitous occurence. (Definitely a time where I was happy to be an American in Vienna--because how many Austrians are going to be fighting themselves to see this English movie??..turns out: not that many!) So we bought our tickets on sight and got pretty excellent seats! Now the movie...it was very emotional for me, of course. Not quite on the par of Harry Potter. (Can anything really be??) But nevertheless, I cried maybe the entire last 20-30 minutes...(I'm getting to my story, I promise!)

SO

We emerge from the theater, emotionally drained, and find the nearest UBahn stop to get home. Had to take U3 to U2 and then U4.

So we were in the middle of switching lines (And mind you, I'm not paying attention to the directional signs), when I asked my friends, "shouldn't we go upstairs to catch the U2 line?" One of my friends replied, jokingly--and good-naturedly--"Sure! If you want to get very lost!"

But I was feeling a little bad for myself (As a result from being tired + nursing a crying-induced headache) and mumbled to myself in reply, "hey come on, I'm reading the signs. Don't patronize me!!"

And it is at THIS point that a cute Austrian boy asks me, "Where are you from??"

I can't even tell you how much it saddens me, to have a cute Austrian approach me when I have smudged mascara and am whining in the UBahn in the most unattractive, pitiable state...BUT when does one EVER have control over these situations??

He recognized our American accents (no doubt, from my whining) and he was like "Are you from Illinois?" (Don't know why Illinois is his go-to state to guess, when you admit you're from the States...but, I explained that I was from Boston and studying in Vienna.) And he was like, "yeah, I could recognize your American accent" And I was like "Oh sure..carry that with me everywhere I go! ho ho ho Unfortunately."

and cute Austrian boy was like "Oh, I don't think it's a bad thing!" To which I had no intelligent response...so I just sort of started walking away. And he was like "well, enjoy your time here!" And I just said..."thank you"

the end.

Sucks when you meet your soulmate while crying/whining on the Ubahn at 11pm doesn't it?? Especially when you're JUST NOT PREPARED for it.

Note to self: Don't see emotional movies and then promptly appear in public. You never present yourself well.

:)

Now, I am off to bed. Goodnight, all! (And in case you were wondering, the concert went well! Only played one piece. Ha, clearly not the highlight of my evening...oh well..stay tuned: may or may not be putting on a recital later this Semester! Franz has been demanding I perform Mozart 2. WE'LL SEE, FRANZ. We'll see.)

R.I.P. Schoenberg

       So we spent the better part of our sunny Friday afternoon lost in the Vienna's largest cemetery, the Zentralfriedhof. You're probably wondering....why?? And that is a valid question. BUT. There was a reason behind the madness, and that was to see where 4 very famous musicians were buried: Beethoven, Schubert, Johann Strauss, and Schoenberg.

Schoenberg's grave

       Now, I really just wanted to find Beethoven's grave, lay a flower on it, shed a tear, and call it a day. Julia, likewise, was on a mission to find Schubert's grave. HOWEVER. This cemetery was FAR larger than we had anticipated. We even saw deer running through it, for crying out loud! There wasn't really a clear map, and the woman told us that if we walked to the church in the second part of the cemetery we'd find the musicians' graves. Had no idea what a daunting task this would be.

      After hours and hours, we gave up. But we DID find Schoenberg's grave! (And no offense to Schoenberg--may he rest in peace--but his grave was the one I was the least interested in finding!!) Nevertheless, I laid a flower on his grave and paid my respects. Hopefully this will make up for all the times I have a difficult time paying attention in my Schoenberg class! Hopefully...

Frühling is here!!

        Spring time! Or at least it feels that way! I'm absolutely loving the warm, sunny weather. It was in the 60s this weekend! Perfect for running outside, picnicking in a park, or just lounging in the sun. I can get used to this! Too bad midterms are coming up.....definitely taking my books with me to Stadtpark!

In this picture we're sitting by the Donnerbrunnen Fountain in the first district of Vienna. (Nice little spot to eat a sandwich and people-watch!)

Found this little blurb on the fountain online:

"Donner Fountain (Donnerbrunnen) was created between the years 1737 and 1739 by sculptor Georg Raphael Donner. This is one of his great Baroque masterpieces. The statues on the edge of the fountain represent the four main tributaries of the Danube on Austrian territory, Traun, Enns, Ybbs and March.

Donner was commissioned by the city to construct the Providentia Fountain. Today the fountain is known as Donner Fountain (Donnerbrunnen). The sculptor fashioned naked cherubs in the center of the fountain. Empress Maria Theresa found this objectionable and had them removed. In 1801 Francis II restored the cherubs. They were made of lead, deteriorated, and had to be replaced in 1873."

Actually--none of the statues you see on the fountains are the originals...they were replaced with copies and the originals are in the Lower Belvedere...don't know why they did this actually.

Anyway, there is a funny story that goes along with one of these statues.. (Can't really confirm it's a true story, but I'll tell it nevertheless).

So! Around the time that this fountain was commissioned, there were 2 in-resident-go-to sculptors, if you will. They were sort of feuding for this commission--they both really wanted it. Obviously, Donner got the job...now, it is rumored that the naked man hunting the fish with a trident (behind us) was positioned just so, so that his bare bottom would be facing the apartment window of his rival sculptor! Ha! I don't think I'd like to be perpetually mooned by a Baroque statue of my enemy...but then, I guess there wouldn't be much you could do about it, would there!?

Yep! Here he is! Didn't take this picture, compliments of Google Images....but I can't wait until the fountains in Vienna start running!

A Day of Music

Meghan ist nach Wien gereist! Part 3

Sonntag! (Sunday)

       It would not be a complete Vienna experience if you didn't go to at least some musical performances! Therefore, we devoted Meghan's last day in Vienna to MUSIC!

       We woke up bright and early to hear the Vienna Boys' Choir at the Hofburgkappelle.  (Didn't faint this time, yes!)

        Then we headed to Café Sperl. Fun fact: Café Sperl was Hitler's favorite coffee house in Vienna! Another fun fact that most people don't realize: Hitler was Austrian, not German! Now you know...

           We had 2 separate waitresses for some reason...and one was kind of a bitch (if you don't mind my saying) but the other was rather pleasant. I know that Café Sperl is in Rick Steve's book on coffee houses to visit, so maybe the surly waitress ascertained that we were Americans and typecast us as cantankerous, rude tourists. Oh well. Her loss. We're 2 rather charming Americans, if I do say so myself.

        Then, in the downtime before our next musical adventure,  Meg and I walked past Karlskirche, listened to a street accordion player, and snapped a few photos! We met some friends at my favorite falafel place by Schwedenplatz fur lunch, and headed to die Oper!!!! Meg's first Vienna Opera!!

Karlskirche

We went to see Simon Buccanegra by Verdi. Maybe not the most heart-stopping opera ever written...but the lead baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky (also known as the "Silver Fox") might be the most heart-stopping opera singer I've ever seen. Do you think he'd accept a marriage proposal from me?.....only sort of joking..........

Dmitri<3

 

Excellent last day in Wien! I think we covered it all! :)

That which is "gemütlich"

Meghan ist nach Wein gereist! Part 2

Alrighty!!! Samstag! (Saturday) 

      I'm going to go ahead and give you a blow-by-blow of our Saturday..because it was THAT important and exciting :)

         This was a spectacular day as well. In the morning we treated ourselves to some  delicious McDonalds cappuccinos and prepared to start our day!

         With our coffees, we lounged in the sun by the fountain outside the Albertina Museum. We quickly decided that it was too nice a day to be inside at all ever. So we grabbed some Käsekrainers at an outdoor Würstel stand next to the Albertina. So Käsekrainer: Imagine a hotdog- with cheese and mustard. And imagine it being wonderfully cheap and tasting wonderfully good. Gotta love stand food.

        NEXT We went BACK to Naschmarkt. Because it's Saturday and they have the Flea Market! (Flohmarkt) -which is something EVERYONE needs to experience in Vienna at some point.  We must've perused the Flohmarkt for hours. Lots of neat things to discover (and lots of junk). Jewelry, books, scarves, dried fruits, strange instruments..you name it.

Angels and Demons and a book on Rome auf Deutsch! Take THIS back with you to Italy! :) I actually wish I bought this book...hoping to visit meg during spring break and this would be the perfect cross-over! Get in the Rome spirit without getting too rusty on German!

     After the Naschmarkt, we regrouped/siesta-d a little. Then it was time for Prater! Now I haven't been to Prater yet...this was a little bit of a weekend of firsts for me as well! For those who don't know, Prater is the most magical part of Vienna ever BECAUSE not only does it possess the giant Ferris Wheel (called the Riesenrad) but it also had small wooden rollercoasters and carnival-type rides. What more could you want, really? 

Meghan and me in front of the Wiener Riesenrad

Gorgeous view of Vienna from ON the Ferris wheel!

GREATEST RIDE OF ALL TIME. I<3SOMBRERO

            

       Now to top off a pretty perfect day, we met up with a few of our other friends in the IES Abroad program at Zwölf Apostelkeller, for a traditional Viennese "Heurigen" night! Meghan ordered her first ever Wiener Schnitzel (and she ordered it in German!) We drank some local Viennese white wine and sampled some of their divine Apfelstrudel as well as Topfenstrudel...because it's not a Viennese experience if you don't eat apple strudel. (that, I MUST assert with conviction.)

       We ended up staying, chatting, and eating at Zwölf Apostelkeller for over THREE HOURS!! Now that IS a true Viennese evening. Because there is little the Viennese like more than drinking, talking with their friends, and having a good time. The German word that describes Vienna and Viennese people and is always associated with Vienna is: "gemütlich" which means cozy/comfortable. And we had a very enjoyable, gemütlich evening.

The Day of the Krapfen

Hofburg Palce

Meghan ist nach Wien gereist: Part 1

        Meg came for the weekend! We packed QUITE a lot of Vienna into one weekend, so I'm going to split it up into a few posts.
      She arrived Thursday...After briefly getting lost in a snowy Bratislava, Slovakia, she fround a bus to Vienna and navigated the U-bahn to my school center in the 1st district! We warmed up with some Einspänners (a DELICOUS coffee drink) in my favorite coffee house, cooked some dinner at home and prepared for the next day!

Ok. So Freitag! (Friday):

We packed a picnic lunch and after my morning German class, grabbed some Krapfens at Naschmarkt and ate our picnic the gardens outside the Hofburg palace.

It was a GORGEOUS day.

Now, Krapfens are pretty traditional European pastries...with different varieties depending on if you're in Vienna, or Berlin, or Hungary, etc....the best way to describe a Krapfen, is that it's somewhat like a donut? A jelly donut? But more delicious of course :)

Caution: When eating a Krapfen, first FIND: the hole in which they inject the jelly. Because: if you bite into a Krapfen without finding said hole, jelly will SHOOT out, and you will look like a darn fool with jelly spilling down your shirt. You've been warned.

On that note, Meghan ate this Krapfen marvelously! Good show!

Our Friday was pretty relaxed. We walked around Hofburg, posed enchatingly in front of a Mozart statue, and paid a visit to the Hundertwasser Haus (the artist who does not possess-in the slightest-an affinity for straight lines.)

All-in-all.....GOOD DAY!

Ahoy Praha!

Alright, so as a follow-up to my shoe rant, I'd like to expose the WONDERFUL sides of Prague! (Where I just spent a spectacular weekend.)

OK, but to get the negatives out of the way: my least favorite thing about Prague was that I can't speak a word of Czech. I felt like a stereotypical American running through a city and assuming everyone can speak English (which they can.) Honestly, the only Czech word I know is Ahoj. Which means "Hi!" and is pronounced (with a pirate snarl, if you so choose) "Ahoy!"
Seriously though--Czech is a very difficult language to pronounce! I attempted a Czech-crash course on our train ride there and quickly forsook those efforts.

But still. Prague was AMAZING! We spent the first day walking around, shopping, taking a few pictures of some impressive buildings, and generally getting situated.

Astronomical Tower

Then on Saturday, we took a bus/boat/walking tour of the city.
-They took us up to Prague Castle (the biggest castle in the world!!) where we went inside their church and witnessed one of their changing of the guards that happens every hour. -We boated along the river and saw some university buildings, Parliament buildings, the Prime Minister's house, and Prague's very own mini-Eiffel Tower.
-We walked through the Jewish section of town, and then "Old Town" which houses Prague's famous Astronomical Tower.

As with all places I've traveled to, I wish I could've had more time there, to experience what their local culture actually IS like. For example, I saw a restaurant in Wenceslas Square that advertised "Typical Czech Restaurant" which made me doubt the veracity of that claim. Especially when I noticed the waiters were garbed in medieval wear....something about that screams Atypical if you ask me. Wrong century, friends. But to actually be able to explore a city and become familiar with it..is always better than a quick touristy weekend. But hey--I'll take what I can get! (And that's what Vienna is for!)

Gypsy pic.

Alright here's another problem. (not really a problem)
I took more pictures in Praha/Prag/Prague than I did in even London! How to choose which pictures to post??? I hope you take my word for it when I say that Prague was gorgeous, because posting 250 pictures of its gorgeousness might be excessive....

Prague is a very exciting mix of old and new. AND Prague was one of the few European cities that was essentially untouched by either of the World Wars. (So whereas the Wiener Staatsoper was bombed in WWII and had to be--albeit expertly--rebuilt, Prague has all original buildings. Mixed with newer ones of course! Very cool.)

 
 

St. Vitus Cathedral

The Prague Castle

Changing of the Guard!

On the bus tour! Charles Bridge in back (built in the 15th C!)

A passionate Charles Bridge photo

Susan and me in Wenceslas Square. St. Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic

A McDonald's in Czech!

 Old Town Square

Belgian waffles!

And not too shortly after these waffles, we caught our train home.
..It was really strange actually. A girl from Connecticut who we met while in Dublin (she was also traveling, but studying abroad in Switzerland) was arriving in Prague on the SAME train we were getting on to get to Wien. VERY strange coincidence. I hope she has as good a time in Prague as I did!