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Guten Tag! from Vienna,
I have just spent my second full day here and thought I would just send a little update to let you know that I have arrived and that things are going fine. I am quickly realizing how it might have been a good idea to have learned some German but I am getting by. The people at the hostel seem nice, but as most of them are travelling with others i have not really met any one. The guys who I met tonight who are in my mixed room are from Canada--Brampton and they are 3 brothers travelling together named James, Jerem.
When I first arrived here in Vienna after a long flight to Frankfurt and a short flight to Vienna one of the first thigns I did was have some schnitzel--the local cuisine. It taste pretty good. Once I finally got access to my room I took a bit of a stroll down Mariahilferstrasse--the main street and walked down into the Old City. I don´t think I realized how big Vienna was--and there are tourists everywhere from all corners of the world. There are lots of monuments named after Franz Josef and the Hofburg and
its many parts is a stunning example of Baroque architecture. While wandering through I literally stopped to smell the roses and take in all the beautiful colours. There are lots of horse drawn carriages throughout town too. I went to check out the Haus der Musik which is an entire museum dedicated to not only the great composers who lived and worked here such as Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Chopin and others but also showcases interesting instruments and an exhibit about how we as human beings process sound. It is very interactive and quite unique.
Today after breakfast I headed downtown again and went to the Museumsquartier to the Leopold Museum that houses some of Klimt´s works and some of the other impressionists and an interesting exhibit on art from the Faroe Islands located off the coast of Denmark. In the afternoon I decided to take a tram ride around the city-- it was interesting to get outside of the downtown core and see where people live. As Vienna and Austria as a whole historically have been quite ethnically diverse there are many locals from Turkey and many other Eastern European countries--while German is certainly the language of choice it
is not the only language I hear.
I took a walk by the dirty Danube and took a walk through the famous St. Stephen´s church. If this were really church and an offering was being taken the church would have made a fortune today. Lots of people taking photos and few in reverence. Such is a tourism here.
Tonight I got in line to get a standing spot at the opera. While not a total fan I figured that in a city as culturally outstanding and historical as Vienna, that I should give it a try. The performance was of Salome written by Oscar Wilde and featuring the music of Richard Strauss. There are very specific rules for etiquette in the opera and as I quickly learned about how to reserve your standing spot. There was almost an outright brawl because of people pushing and shoving and claiming that a spot was there´s even though they had left temporarily to go to the toilet... The performance was one act and sung in German but there were subtitles scrolling through on a little monitor. While I didn´t think the story was particularly spectacular, the music was quite excellent and
the accompaning orchestra played brilliantly. While waiting in line I met a woman from Australia who is Chinese by background and teaching Chinese here. She is quite a connaisseur and was able to give me the synopsis before it started. It was nice to have a conversation with someone in English as I had been travelling about alone for most of the day. While I enjoy the time in quiet--as you all know, i love to chat so I am looking forward to meeting with my group on Sunday so we can start our tour.
Hard to know what tomorrow will bring as I basically get up and decide---the weather has been good and I have been following some of the recommendations in the hostel guide. I am hoping to go to the Nachsmarkt and flea market tomorrow, may be do a side trip out to a heuringer in Grinzing or out to Bern. I am going to try and catch the Vienna Boys Choir on Sunday morning--- I will be up with the birds to get a standing spot.
Hope this email finds you all well.
Thinking of you here in the land of Mozart, as
one of the souvenir shops is called Mostly Mozart.
Take care.
Love Katy
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emma
non-member comment
oh goody....
souvenir shops??? keep your eye out for a mozart key fob.... :) (or perhaps a snow dome of St. Stephens Cathedral)....mint.