John In Vienna

Daytrip to Bratislava

2007-07-11T17:26:00.000+01:00

I took a daytrip to Bratislava yesterday to do some shopping and give the city another chance (long story which I'll share privately). Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy, but I did get a chance to walk around a bit and take in the city. The first pictures of a billboard for the movie, Die Hard 4.0, which I found interesting. I saw it last week in Vienna on the largest movie screen in Austria. For anyone interested, it's called "Stirb langsam" in German (die slowly). The next picture is of the castle in Bratislava, up on a hill above the Danube, and the last picture if of the Danube as it runs through the city. Last night was Ted's last night in Vienna, and I'm sure he had mixed emotions about going back to the US. He's lived in Vienna for 2 years and 3 of the past 4 years, and has been a good friend and huge help to me during my time here. We met at an Irish pub last night with my roommate Tobi, a couple friends, and a group of Russian girls we had met the night before at a club (not pictured). We were playing teams, and the last game ended with me making a full-table bank shot on the eight ball. A good way to end the night!

Donauinselfest

2007-06-19T13:34:00.000+01:00

I'll answer the questions from Rene's comment first I guess. Yes, I have lost weight while here, but I am eating plenty and drinking plenty as well. The lifestyle is a lot more active, I don't have a car, the food seems to be more natural, and I have also had a lot more time to cook for myself. I needed to lose weight anyway! Johanna is a musicology student at the University in Würzburg. I met her a couple years ago on Dr. Heidlberger's trip, as did the others on his trips, and we have kept in touch and visited a few times since then. We both share a common interest in not doing touristy type things and drinking cocktails!

This weekend I am planning on going to at least part of the Donauinselfest, a huge weekend festival on the Donau Insel in Vienna. The Donau Insel is an island about 20km long in the Danube and is a huge recreational are for the city. It's pretty much a huge park that also has night clubs, bars, and restaurants as well. More than 300 groups will be playing on the various stages throughout the weekend, and there are also going to be fireworks. You can see where it's located on the map and get an idea of what the island is like from the picture (not mine).

A Visitor From Germany

2007-06-11T12:43:00.000+01:00

Johanna, a friend of mine from Germany, came to visit this past weekend, and we spent the weekend touring the city and catching up. She sends her greetings to those of you she knows at UNT. On Saturday night, we went to Poncho, a Mexican restaurant in the 2nd district. They have a very short happy hour, from 6-7 PM, but the cocktails are half price. The two glasses on the table are from their "Very Long Island Iced Teas," and they mix them correctly. I'll just leave it at that! I've taken quite a few pictures from Schönbrunn, but here's one more anyway! It's taken from the back of a fountain looking at the rear of the palace. I tried to talk Johanna into actually getting in the fountain to take the picture, but she didn't seem to think it was a good idea. On Sunday there was an incredibly strong thunderstorm that lasted about 1.5 hours, and we had just come on the train from Schönbrunn and were headed to the 1st district when it hit. The rain came down so quickly that some of the Strassenbahn lines were not running. We sat on the number 2 for about an hour waiting for the rain to stop and the train to continue, but even after it finished raining the train was not able to move because of flooding at the next station. We ended up getting out and walking to Cafe Landtmann for a coffee and some sweets. The next picture is me with the Burgtheater in the background, one of the oldest and most important theaters in Europe and also the former imperial court theater. The last picture is Johanna sitting by a fountain in front of the Parliament building. The fountain in front depicts Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Cafe Landtmann, the Burgtheater, and Parliament are all located on the Ring in the 1st district.

The Life Ball

2007-05-27T18:12:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Life Ball is the largest AIDS charity event in the world. It's held at the Rathaus every year, and there is a huge parade of attendees dressed in all sorts of wild costumes. There are 2 types of tickets: the expensive ticket where you wear normal evening attire, and the "less expensive" (still very costly) ticket where you are required to dress in some sort of costume. There are apparently regulations for the costumes, but I think these regulations have to do with not being too conservative, not the other way around! People line the Ring by the Rathaus to watch the parade of costumed people into the Ball. The pictures here are just an example of some of the types of costumes that people wear to this event.

The Europe Concert at Schönbrunn

2007-05-27T17:54:00.000+01:00

Every year there is a free concert (Europa-Konzert) at Schönbrunn Palace to kick off the weekend for the Life Ball, the largest single AIDS charity event in the world. The concert is held in the rear of the palace, and the Vienna Philharmonic plays on an outdoor stage. There were supposed to be an estimated 50-70,000 people attending, but I didn't bother to lookup the final count. I met Tobi there late in the afternoon, and he had been camped out there with some of his friends for several hours. Like the Times Square New Year's celebration, the actual concert is much better if you watch it on television, although it was still fun to be there. The first picture is taken from the top of the hill behind the palace, where we started the concert. They had a live ballet for some of the music, which was in that area (2nd picture). For the end of the concert though, we moved down towards the palace so we could hear a bit better. The program can be found HERE, although they did not list the many Johann Strauss encores that were performed at the end. Unfortunately and surprisingly, they did not end with the Blue Danube Waltz. I almost forgot to mention that Bill Clinton was attending the concert to receive a $1 million check for some AIDS charity work he is doing, although I didn't get to see him myself.

A few pics from our party...

2007-05-21T11:33:00.000+01:00

Alright, I got the pictures from our party and I'm willing to put a few of them online. The two people you have seen in other pictures are Ted (to the left in the 1st) and my roommate Tobi (to the right in the 2nd). As I mentioned, this was a combination birthday party for Tobi and our housewarming party, although it came much later than planned! The other people pictured attend the University with Tobi. We also finally got to meet our neighbor after 3 months.

I know that I have been really bad about posting in the blog after such a good start, and I got out of the habit of posting when I didn't have my camera for a while. I'm going to try and be much better about updating this in the coming weeks.

More Vienna at Night and Wine Taverns

2007-05-07T22:24:00.000+01:00

I went with a few friends to a wine tavern on Saturday night and took a few pictures on the way. Here are two pictures I took on the way to the Shottentor train station, where we met. The first is the Votivkirche and the second is the Rathaus. I've taken pictures of both buildings before, but I thought the view this particular evening was quite beautiful.

I didn't think to take any pictures when we were at the wine tavern unfortunately. It was raining, and I simply forgot, and I actually just remembered that I had them on my camera now. We ended up going to one of the more touristy wine taverns in the 19th district in the Grinzing area, mainly because it was not too far from the train station, and priority 1 was getting out of the rain. The wine taverns open up in the spring and start serving last year's wine, and I hope to check out some different places in the coming months.

We met some interesting characters at the wine tavern. The first was a man who was about to get married. Apparently, there are a whole bunch of things that he was required to do at his "bachelor party," one of which was to tell some random people the pros and cons of marriage. Lucky us, we were the random people! It was pretty funny, at least the parts of it that I was able to understand. We also met a bunch of middle-aged men from Cologne when we were leaving, all of which also got on the same Strassenbahn that we did. I hopped off earlier than the rest to catch the U-Bahn back home, and these same people ended up on the U-Bahn with me. They must have been there for a while, because the gentleman I was talking to was too drunk to remember that I had just been talking to him 20 minutes earlier at the wine tavern and on the Strassenbahn!

I took it easy this past weekend though. We had a belated birthday party for my roommate, Tobi, which was also a REALLY belated housewarming party. This was on Monday, since Tuesday was a holiday here (May 1st). The party was good and all my friends are still talking to me, so all is well! Tobi took some pictures that I will soon have a copy of, but they are available by request only with the exception of my mother! (just joking Mom) :)

Hiking to the Vienna Woods

2007-05-05T15:40:00.000+01:00

That's not a grammatical error! I hiked "to" the Vienna Woods today. Unfortunately it had been raining earlier this morning, so the ground was still wet. I was in major need of some outdoors time though, so I decided to hike at least "to" the Vienna Woods and check out some of what was around. I came across a sign for the Wiener Wein Weg (Vienna Wine Trail) which I will have to check out later once the weather is not so wet. This is on the outskirts of the 19th district of Vienna, but the Vienna Woods are actually about 1000 sq km. Only a portion of it is actually in Vienna. There are hiking and biking trails all over the place which I intend to take advantage of in the coming weeks, and the views were spectacular. This is the highest point in the city of Vienna, and is also the start of the Alps (foothills). The last picture is nothing special, just a house that I liked which overlooked the valley in the previous pictures.

A Sunny Weekend in Budapest

2007-04-17T20:05:00.000+01:00

I have my camera back! I went to Budapest 2 weekends ago and left my camera there, but I have it now and am back in business! The first picture is Budapest at night (obviously!). I was staying with a friend of mine, Gabriella, who works occasionally as a tour guide in Budapest so I got a world class tour of the city, but at a comfortable pace this time. One of the places we visited was a museum the size of a small town. It is made up of buildings from all over Hungary in different architectural styles dating back several centuries. They were all transplanted to this location from various places around the country, and they even have some animals that were common at the time, including pigs with hair! Neither Gabi nor myself had ever seen one, although her mother later told us that is part of what we ate for dinner on Sunday! Her mother prepared a traditional Hungarian dinner, and I have not seen so much food in one place in a long time. Everything was great, and it was nice to get some spicier food for a change. The last picture is of Heroes' Square. There are a total of 12 statues which represent important people in the history of Hungary, including St. Stephen (born in 1000), the first King of Hungary. Only the right hand side is pictured here. Throughout the city you can see references to St. Stephen, who is symbolized by a double cross. Budapest is really a beautiful city, and like most places, you can not really take it in all at once. I need to go back there again to see some of the sights that I missed this time for sure.

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T15:10:00.000+01:00

I just wanted to wish all my family, friends, and everyone at St. Laurence (also considered family of course!) a very happy Easter! I was planning on going to the Jesuitenkirche this morning for mass, but I never made it. I didn't mention it last night, but I was amongst those standing for the entire 3 hour Easter Vigil Mass. In addition, I was standing outside the cathedral for about 1.5 hours prior to make sure I got a place. This seems to have irritated my back problem from last summer a little bit, and I want to make sure that it is better for tomorrow so I can begin my week with no problem. It was nice for a change though to have this option of not going to more than one Easter service. Anyway, enough of the excuses!

I made it down to the center of Vienna early yesterday because I was not sure what time the service would start. I took the opportunity to go into several churches in the area, and I had decided that if I made it to the 1st district for mass today I would go to the Jesuitenkirche. It isn't too far from Stephansdom, and is simply gorgeous inside. The pictures speak for themselves, and certainly don't come close to doing it justice. One of these days I'll learn to keep my hands steady during those long-exposure pictures, but yesterday was not the day!

Easter Vigil at Stephansdom

2007-04-07T23:41:00.000+01:00

I figured the best place to go for the most important church service of the year would be Stephansdom, the cathedral for the diocese of Vienna. Previous pictures of Stephansdom can be found HERE and HERE. The Easter Vigil Mass was quite an experience. I do have a couple of videos that I took towards the end of the mass, but it was not really appropriate to take pictures at any other time, although some people really made fools out of themselves and had most of the church mad at them.

The service started in a Romanesque style courtyard of the church building across from the cathedral. If I had to guess, I would say it was built in the 18th century because the similarities to other 18th century buildings in Vienna. There was a fire pit about one square meter in the center and at 9PM the Cardinal came into the courtyard and started the ceremony there. He lit the Easter candle from the fire and we all processed to the cathedral. Fortunately they didn't use all of the readings, but they did use five so it was about an hour until we got to the Gloria. To my surprise, they used both the Gloria and Sanctus from the Schubert German Mass that we use at St. Laurence. Of course they used the German words though and not English! The church bells also began ringing and there was incense everywhere, but not quite as much as Larry Votto likes to use! I'm beginning to think that there must be some problem with the main organ, because they used the choir organ exclusively tonight. It's no small instrument itself, but the main organ is the largest in Austria and it would be nice to hear it. I never got a clear look at the instrumental ensemble, but there were also brass and timpani with the organ and choir. The cathedral was absolutely packed, and even the last place to stand was taken. Fortunately a few people left after the first 2 hours, so it cleared up a tiny bit. The Mass ended just before midnight, so around 3 hours and when I walked outside the church bells began to ring again in celebration of Easter.

The first video is part of one of the anthems. I apologize in advance for the quality of these videos, but I recorded them with my digital camera so a lot of the bass in particular is missing. Also, since I wanted to make sure the files were small enough to upload easily, they are only sections of the pieces. For the purposes of scale, the tallest pipe in the facade of that organ is roughly 32' tall. This organ is also at the front, right of the church in one of the aisles.

This second video is part of the organ postlude, Simon Sechter's Fuge über das österliche Alleluja.

Maundy Thursday

2007-04-05T19:57:00.000+01:00

I've decided during Holy Week to go to a different church each day and experience the services and music as much as possible throughout the city. Tonight I went to the Pfarre Altlerchenfeld, a church not too far from me that I have written about and posted pictures of before. I took one new picture because I think it's boring to make a post here without something to look at! Overall, the music was fairly plain tonight. The musical tradition in Vienna does not include a prelude before the service, and instead of using an opening hymn during the procession, the organist typically improvises something or plays a short chorale prelude. The organ was used very minimally, and there was no choir at this mass, just a cantor. This is, of course, just a neighborhood church, although it is huge by typical American standards. The music wasn't complicated, but was very good and effective, and was certainly supported by the fine acoustics in the building. It was also interesting to hear this service in German for the first time.

Schönbrunn Part II

2007-04-02T19:07:00.000+01:00

Inspired by my early morning walk yesterday, I decided to take a walk this afternoon on the grounds of Schönbrunn palace. There are a ton of trails on top of the hill, and out of nowhere you find beautiful views of Vienna from various angles. The weather was warm today, and there were a ton of people walking or just sitting on the park benches in the sun. Today was definitely a day to spend some time outside and enjoy one of the more quiet settings in the city. I am still in awe of the fact that this was all on the grounds of someone's "summer home." It kind of makes the 1 acre lot I had in Connecticut seem like a parking space at Walmart. Schönbrunn even has the world's oldest zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn), founded in 1752. I didn't go in today, but after discovering the various walking trails and paths I am probably going to make this a regular stop during good weather, so I will get there at some point. I'm a big animal lover, and they have some animals that you don't get to see at most zoos including panda bears and cheetahs. I noticed today that they are getting ready for Easter. There is apparently a huge Easter egg hunt on the grounds every year, but I think I will probably skip that chaos in favor of something else.

Schönbrunn at Sunrise

2007-04-01T06:50:00.000+01:00

I was out for a real early morning walk today and headed to Schönbrunn palace. This was the summer residence of the Habsburg's, and is on the outskirts of Vienna. Fortunately, I arrived just as they were opening the gates to the grounds, believe it or not at 6AM. I can't quite believe it myself that I was up and out so early! The first picture is the front of the palace, but it is impossible to capture the palace from inside the gates due to the size of Schönbrunn. The second picture is the view from the back of the palace. Normally in the summer there is a fountain running, but none of the fountains around Vienna have been turned on for the spring yet. It was quite a hike, but I hiked up to the top of that hill. There is a cafe at the top, but unfortunately it was not open by the time I got there at 6:30! The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking and I could see landmarks from all over Vienna from there. The last picture is the view of the back of Schönbrunn, and you can get a perspective of just how high that hill is in proportion to the rest of the immediate area.

Heimel & Heidlberger

2007-03-29T21:53:00.000+01:00

Dr. Heidlberger, my major professor from UNT, spent a couple of days in Vienna this week as part of a research trip that brought him to Austria. We met for dinner and drinks last night and tonight, and caught up on all the events in Denton, the US, and Vienna. It was nice to see a familiar face and to catch up on all the changes that I have missed at UNT in this short period of time. I assured him that his Analytical Systems students were working hard on their presentations while he was gone, and that they would all be ready to present next Tuesday (blame Colin for that one!).

A City of Trains

2007-03-26T18:38:00.000+01:00

Since my dad is a big train enthusiast, I decided to post some pictures of the trains in Vienna. There are quite a few different trains operating within the city, the U-Bahn (subway), the Strassenbahn (streetcar), and Schnellbahn (commuter train), long distance trains heading to destinations all over Europe, and commercial trains. The first picture is one of the Strassenbahn trains which runs along the Gürtel. They have both modern and older trains running these lines, and this is obviously one of the older trains. The older trains are heated, and from what I could tell when it's been cold out, the newer trains do not have heat. The next two pictures are of a trainyard in the 15th district, and they were taken from a pedestrian bridge which crosses the yard. The first is the view towards the outskirts of Vienna, and the second towards the city. The 15th district is just outside the Gürtel from my district, and I took these on an after dinner walk today. Nice weather two days in a row, I can't believe it! The train system in Vienna is probably the best out of any city I've ever been to, or at least that I have visited recently. The only time I have really missed owning a car is when I had to buy some furniture from IKEA. It seems that no matter where you are in the city, there is either a Strassenbahn or U-Bahn stop somewhere nearby, and a monthly pass is not too expensive. The last picture is taken down a side street in the 15th district, and you can see the skyscrapers in the distance which are on the outskirts of the city.

The Prater

2007-03-25T15:00:00.000+01:00

Finally, a warm and sunny day here! I decided to go out and get some fresh air today and went down to the Prater, a huge park in Vienna's 2nd district. Part of the Prater is an amusement park, and the picture is the huge ferris wheel called the Riesenrad, built in 1897. It is roughly 200 feet tall and has 15 gondolas. It originally had 30, but it was damaged in World War II, and when it was restored they only used 15. Each gondola is huge, and you feel more like you are sitting in an actual room. I believe that actually rent them out by the hour at times and serve dinner, but I'm sure that's not on a student budget!

Es regnet!

2007-03-23T15:48:00.000+01:00

Well, another rainy day here. I'm hoping that the weather is going to get better soon. We've had some really beautiful days, but not this week! This is kind of boring, but this is the best it's going to get today. Rain = no outside pictures for me! These pictures are taken out my bedroom window, and should give some impression as to the type of neighborhood I live in. We live on the first floor, or translated into English, the second floor. In German, when you say the first floor you are referring to what we consider the second floor. Our street is fairly small, which you can see from the photos, and it is mostly residential. There aren't too many businesses on our little section of Seidengasse. Tonight, if the weather is not too bad, I am planning on going to the opera again to hear Rossini's The Barber of Seville. It's nice having such a large variety of musical events to choose from, and it's especially nice that they are affordable! I'm trying to take in as much of the musical scene as I can while I'm here in Wien!

Freud's House in Vienna

2007-03-22T22:29:00.000+01:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything recently, but the weather has been horrible. It's been very cold, and it even snowed in some parts of Vienna on more than one day this week. This is a picture of Sigmund Freud's house in Vienna which is about a 5-10 minute walk from where I am teaching music/English, just outside the Ringstrasse (9th district). In case that is not specific enough for anyone, you can look it up on a map. The address is Berggasse 19. Legend has it that Freud's house was raided by the Nazi's while his wife was home, and they took approximately $840. After Freud's wife told him about the money he apparently said, "Dear me, I have never taken that much for a single visit!" After finding Freud's house today, I had a little time to kill before my classes started, so I went to the Cafe Landtmann for a coffee. This is one of the more famous cafes in Vienna. I remember going there with Jennifer last summer, and if I remember correctly, it is also one of Colin's favorite cafes in the city.

Haydn's House in Vienna

2007-03-17T16:43:00.000+01:00

While I was on my way to a local supermarket the other day, I saw a sign that said Haydn Haus which pointed left from the supermarket. I decided today to check it out and see if I could find it. To my surprise, the Haydn Haus is less than a 10 minute walk from my apartment. The house was built in 1793 and Haydn lived there until his death in 1809 (8th district). In the second picture, I am not standing crooked. That's the street! His house is hidden away on a small side street currently and appropriately named Haydngasse.

The Spanish National Choir

2007-03-16T22:20:00.000+01:00

I went to a concert tonight at the Votivkirche to hear the Spanish National Choir perform. I was hoping to take some pictures of the interior of the building, but unfortunately it was way too dark to get anything to come out, even with the longer exposure time. Therefore, there are no pictures in this post but I though I would post the program for those of you who are keeping track of the concerts I am attending over here. Overall, the performance was very good, but I will pick at a couple things. At times, the choir seemed flat. Not just one section, the entire choir sounded flat against the organ. They also seemed to be singing with perfect equal temperment. Whenever the choir sang fortissimo, there were also a few tenors and sopranos that could not control themselves. One tenor in particular looked and sounded like he was getting goosed during the fortissimo passages! I am also not a fan of large vibratos in choirs, and during the louder passages the vibratos were a bit out of control at times. Combine this with reverberant acoustics, and the effect is multiplied. Overall, the choir was very moving and I wish that the St. Laurence Chorale and Fr. Crary could have been here to hear it. The program was put together very well and all of the selections were liturgically appropriate for the Lenten season.

Bruckner (1824-1896)
-Three Motets for Choir and Organ

Libera me
Tota pulchra es
Christus factus est

Brahms (1833-1897)
-Prelude and Fugue in G Minor for Organ, WoO 10
-Ave Maria for Women's Choir and Organ, Op. 12
-Spiritual Song for Choir and Organ, Op. 30
-O Welt, ich muss dich lassen for organ, Op. 122, Nr. 11

Rheinberger (1839-1901)
-Stabat Mater in G Minor for Choir and Organ, Op. 138

Mompou (1893-1987)
-Cantar del alma for Mixed Choir, Soprano, and Organ

Vienna at Night

2007-03-15T22:38:00.000+01:00

I was supposed to meet some students on a trip from Denton yesterday, but unfortunately our meeting place was somehow mixed up, either on my end or theirs, and we never got together. I was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces from home, but I guess maybe another time. This morning was a work day for me, and this afternoon it was time to earn some money tutoring English, so there aren't really any pictures from this. Normally I try to go out for a walk at night for fresh air and exercise, and I decided to get a nighttime picture that I've been meaning to take for a while. This is the Rathaus in Vienna, the city council building, but it also serves as a state governmental building as well. Like I have mentioned before, many of the buildings around the Ring were built in the late 19th century, and the Rathaus is included in this number.

Sunshine, Daydream, Walking In the Tall Trees

2007-03-13T16:56:00.000+01:00

Let's see if anyone gets the reference in the title of this post... The weather was spectacular today and everyone in Vienna was out. When I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE! This first picture is the Beethoven monument which is somewhere between the Schoenberg Center and the city park that I went to in the 1st district this afternoon. I figured that I would stop taking pictures of monuments because they all tend to look the same, and there were a ton of them in the park. The funny thing about the Beethoven monument though was that he is staring down and to his right, and there was a massive pile of empty McDonald's bags laying on the ground where he was looking. He didn't look pleased! Everyone was enjoying the sun, sitting on the park benches, sitting in the grass, or walking around. I was surprised to see how many older people were out as well. I guess we better enjoy this warm March weather in case it gets cold again.

On my way home, I stopped by Urban Loritz Platz, a Strassenbahn station about 3-4 blocks from my apartment. There is a library there with one side which is composed basically of cascading steps. On the top there is a cafe, but everyone is free to sit on the stairs anywhere between the bottom and the top. I made it up to the top and sat down to enjoy the view before heading home. I would estimate the total height to be somewhere around 50-60 feet above the ground. In the immediate area, you can see the section of the Gürtel which divides my district (7th) and the 15th district (on right side) as well as a couple Strassenbahn cars.

Finally Figured Out the Name

2007-03-12T17:41:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I took some random pictures, including one down a side street in my neighborhood with a church in the background. Well, I stumbled across the church today during my daily activities and went inside. By the way, it's called the Pfarre Altlerchenfeld. The first picture is of the main altar. Of course, I am always going to take a picture of the organ, and the last picture I thought came out kind of cool with the sun blazing down on one of the side altars.

Tonight I am headed to the opera again, this time to see Schoenberg's Moses und Aron. Fortunately I was able to get an actual seat for this opera, but I wasn't surprised. It's also a lot shorter, almost two hours shorter, than the Strauss, so it wouldn't have been that big of a deal. Standing for an entire opera is a quite a challenge, even if it is only for a few hours. There is no way I would attempt to stand for the entire Ring like someone I know did last year (*wink*wink).

Blues and Beer: Always a Good Combination!

2007-03-11T20:58:00.000+01:00

Well, I figured I would post a picture of Ted on here since I have mentioned him several times, but the only decent pictures I have are from last summer. This is Ted, Alexis (another Fulbright student from last year), and me outside the Life Ball. If you're wondering what that is, wait until May and you'll see!

I went with Ted last night to the Fischer Bräu for a blues concert. We were meeting a colleague of Ted's who happened to know the band. I have to say, I was very impressed with the band. They seemed to get what blues was all about, and weren't merely imitating the sound like so many foreign groups do, or even the majority of groups in the U.S. as well. They also charged no cover, and most of the other blues/jazz clubs I've seen charge a 10 Euro cover. The bar/restaurant was also quite a find. We didn't eat there last night, but I am definitely going back at some point to try the food. They also brew their own beer, something which always attracts me in Vienna. Most of the mass produced beers do not taste that good, and Austria is not really known for beer but rather for wine and Schnapps. After the show was over, we headed over to Merry Monk, another micro-brewery. They are actually owned by 1516, a much larger bar also located in the first district that I have been to several times. The lesson to be learned is that even though Austria is not known for their beer, you can find excellent beer at microbreweries. It just takes a bit of hard work and dedication!

The picture to the right is of the Votivkirche, yet another massive church in Vienna. The church is quite a distance from me in this picture, and I'm not really sure what else to say to give an accurate depiction of the immense scale of the building. The pipe organ is also pretty large and I hope to hear it at some point, but there aren't too many organ recitals going on in Lent. I didn't get a chance to stop inside to take any pictures today, but I may go to a concert there this coming Friday, and if so I'll try to get some pictures of the interior as well.

Schönberg or Schoenberg???

2007-03-09T21:25:00.000+01:00

I am doing some work at the Arnold Schönberg Center while I'm in Vienna, and I've often wondered why they spell his name with an "ö" instead of "oe." The family asked that it be spelled with the umlaut even though Arnold Schoenberg officially changed the spelling after emigrating to the United States, and the current family members on the board at the Center spell it "oe." I guess that's not too important. Schoenberg was one of many Jews who were forced to flee Austria in the era preceding World War II. One very positive thing his family did do, from what I have been told, is to make Austria publicly apologize for the atrocities committed against Jews in Austria. This was the condition that they gave in order to have the Schönberg Center in Austria along with the materials they donated to the Center. The facility is fairly new and has an excellent collection of music reference books in general, not just those dealing with Schoenberg, and the staff are very friendly and helpful.

A Night at the Opera

2007-03-08T23:28:00.000+01:00

I have been somewhat of a hermit the last couple days trying to get some writing done, but I needed to get out tonight. I hadn't been to an opera since I've been in Vienna, so I decided to see what was on for tonight. Oh yeah, that's the Staatsoper in the first picture in case you're wondering! Unfortunately, all the student tickets were sold out at the opera, but I was able to get a Stehplatz (standing place) for only 2 Euros. I saw Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, and it was worth a lot more than my 2 Euros. The singing was great, the costumes were in good taste, the set looked realistic, the orchestra played well, and of course the story takes place in Vienna. This was the first professional opera production I've seen since summer 2005, and as I recall, Colin and I walked out of the last opera we attended after the first act. I won't say where or when that was! They have quite a few operas this month that I would like to try and get to, so I'll hit as many as I can.

While I was out and about checking out the ticket situation, I also stopped by the Karlskirche. The opera is just inside the ring in the 1st district, and the Karlskirche is just outside the ring (same train stop). It was built between 1716-1737 and is one of the finer Baroque buildings in Vienna. You can't really appreciate it unless you are inside, but the dome is incredibly tall for the length of the building. I took the elevator up to the bottom of the dome, and from there I took the stairs all the way up to the lantern on the top. The view around Vienna is incredible from there, but it was cloudy today and pictures were impossible. The last picture is a picture of the organ (obviously!).

The Microsoft Invasion

2007-03-05T19:01:00.000+01:00

As I was heading over to the school where I am going to be teaching (yes, I guess I decided I'm going to do it while I'm here), I saw an amusing ad while coming out of the train station at Stephansplatz. I don't think you can translate it literally. It pretty much means that you are inclined to be impressed by the features. What an advertising slogan! The other picture I am posting is of the Danube Canal. This was taken at the border of the 1st district and the 2nd district, not to far from where I'm going to be teaching. I was a few minutes early and was trying to kill a little time, so I figured I would take a picture. Before coming to Vienna for the first time last summer, I always thought that the Danube ran through the center of Vienna. Actually, it comes nowhere near the 1st district, and not even the canal flows through the 1st district. It is also certainly not "beautiful" or "blue," it's just another river. I'll post some pictures of the actual Danube sometime soon.

Viennese Math: 2 > 3

2007-03-05T05:17:00.000+01:00

Toby and I went barhopping with Ted on Saturday night, but unfortunately it was another rainy weekend. We were all bundled in multiple layers of jackets and clothes. Nothing was going to stop us! Our plan was to start at the Gürtel in our district (the 7th) and work our way towards the Ring. The Gürtel is similar to the Ring that divides the 1st district with the surrounding districts, but it is further from the center of the city.

Our journey starts at the Treffpunkt zum Josef, the bar that is at the corner of Seidengasse and the Gürtel. Toby and I each ordered a .5 liter beer, and Ted joined us a little late, so he ordered a .33 liter beer. When it was time to pay, Toby and I each owed $2.80, and Ted had to pay $3! We couldn't understand how less cost more, especially when they were the same brand of beer.

We wandered down through our district hitting some more reputable looking places before meeting up with Ted's girlfriend and one of her friends. Unfortunately, it was almost 2AM and the bars were going to close. I also forgot to get a picture of everyone, but I am going to start posting more pictures of people as well. Anyway, Ted went home but Toby and I decided to check out this dance club on our way home. We ended up staying for a while, and the picture here was taken when we were leaving the club. The girl in the picture is just some random person who was standing outside the club, and her friend was taking our picture. She's really not terrified of us, even though it looks that way in the picture! For some reason she also seems to look like she has a mustache and is much older, neither or which is true, but I'm too lazy to photoshop the changes in. The night continued for a little while longer, but this story is already too long and I know my mother is reading this!

I will post more about my research when I have something interesting to write about, but for now I am mostly writing on my computer. I am also planning a trip to Berlin and a trip to Oxford at some point in the next couple of months to gather some additional materials and information. I promise, I'm doing fun stuff AND working!

Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures

2007-03-02T16:49:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry if this is too many pictures for some of you, but my mother insisted before I go that I take a lot of pictures. I also apologize if this format does not look too great, but it is very difficult in Blogger to get the pictures to line up properly with the text.

Anyway, on to the pictures now. All of these pictures were taking in the 1st district today. The first two pictures are of the Mozart statue and the Goethe statue which are on the outside of the Hofburg Burggarten.

The next three pictures are of the Augustinerkirche and the two pipe organs. I actually got to play the main organ in this church last summer. I was walking down the street with Jennifer (friend and fellow music theory student for those of you who don't know her) and heard the organ playing. Being the typical music theory and organ geek that I am, I said to her, "Hey, that's Mendelssohn's 3rd Organ Sonata. Let's go inside and see if we can get a tour of the organs." The organist had been playing the choir organ for a baptism and was playing the postlude, so when he finished we went over to talk to him. He agreed to give us a tour or the main organ later that afternoon, and I ended up playing for about an hour. They have the most active music program of any church in Vienna, and I am probably going to head down there on Sunday to see what they are performing.

The next two pictures are part of the Hofburg palace complex. It is definitely impossible to capture this huge complex in a few pictures. You really have to walk through it for yourself to take it all in. This was the winter residence for the Habsburg's, and is the official residence of the President of Austria. There are quite a few other sections of the palace in the complex, some of which serve as museums as well.

The last two pictures were taking in Michaelerplatz, just outside the main entrance to the Hofburg. In the early 1990s they unearthed the remains of a Roman building, as well as many other remnants from different historical eras. The first picture is the remains of the Roman building, and the second is NOT and aquaduct. Well, I guess it IS an aquaduct, but it is from the 19th century and was connected to the Danube canal. They really have everything labeled quite well and you can see the different layers from ancient Roman times up through the present day.

Well, you might be thinking that the pictures seem rather random. These were taken because they were all things I passed on my way from my apartment to a job interview in the 1st district. I am probably going to take a part time job which combines teaching English and music to children. I'll decide for sure next week after attending a few classes.

Keep in touch everyone! I know you have to register to leave comments, but it's great to hear from all of you!

A Note About Viewing Pictures

2007-03-01T18:59:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure if I need to mention this, but I will anyway. The images that I post are small thumbnails, and if you click on them you can view the full-size picture. I hope that helps some of you.

To answer Amy's question, C&A is the same store they had in England, but they are apparently trying to make some changes. You can read about it HERE.

I'll update again tomorrow with some more pictures. Thanks for all the comments everyone!

A Rainy Day In Vienna

2007-02-28T18:43:00.000+01:00

It rained most of the night and most of the day, so my activities outside of my apartment were pretty much limited to necessity only. While I was out, I did take a couple of random pictures that I thought were cool. I found the description of Puntigamer beer humorous. It says, Puntigamer: the "beery" beer! I've never seen beer used as an adjective before. The next picture is the view down a random side street in my neighborhood, but I though it was a beautiful view between the buildings with the church in the background. If you don't agree, too bad! The last picture is the neon sign for a Kebab stand on Mariahilferstrasse, not too far from my apartment. Kebab is short for Döner Kebab in Turkish which literally translates "rotating meat." It took me a while to get used to this because in Germany the short name is Döner, and in Austria the short name is Kebab. Regardless of what they are called, they taste great. If you haven't tried one because you are afraid of eating the meat in one of these places, you are missing out!

A Day at the Belvedere

2007-02-27T17:24:00.000+01:00

The Belvedere in the 3rd district was one of the many palaces I did not have an opportunity to visit last summer, so I decided to spend some time this afternoon checking it out. As I entered the complex I have to admit that I was not too impressed at first. The first picture is what I later found out is the Lower Belvedere (the middle section of it at least), and actually started out as a garden villa for Prince Eugene of Savoy in the early 18th century.

As you walk behind the Lower Belvedere you can see the Upper Belvedere which is the real point of interest, at least to me. The Austrian Gallery Museum is located inside the Belvedere, but I did not go in today. I think I am going to wait until the weather is nicer so that I can come back when the gardens are in season and the pools and fountains are full and running.

The picture on the right is a view of the Lower Belvedere across the gardens from the Upper Belvedere. In the distance you can make out Stephansdom's steeple. The last picture is the other side of the Belvedere Upper.

I was happy to find out today from a friend of mine that one of our favorite restaurants has a location near my apartment. Last summer I was introduced to Centimeter, a restaurant where you pretty much can get a lot of good food for not a lot of money. They have several foods that they sell by the centimeter, such as their breads with various toppings, or you can get a 2 meter sausage, or better yet you can even get a wheel barrow full of food! I usually eat the Schnitzel, and they give you about 1.5 portions, but I also love their breads. It goes without saying that this meal should be accompanied by a beer or two!

Stephansplatz Part II

2007-02-26T16:19:00.000+01:00

As promised, here are the pictures from inside the cathedral.

I'm sorry about the quality of these pictures, but I had to use a longer exposure time with my camera and my hands weren't that steady I guess. The main organ (Hauptorgel) in the rear of the church is the largest in Austria, and is spread out along the entire back of the cathedral. The majority of the organ speaks directly into the nave, and two smaller divisions speak into the left and right aisles. The choir organ (Chororgel) is the instrument that gets used the most and unfortunately, I have not heard the main organ yet. I am hoping that I can get a private tour of the instruments at some point and get the opportunity to play both. In order to get an idea of the actual scale of the organs and the building, please note that the tallest pipe in each of the two instruments is 32'!

The tomb pictured above is the tomb of Frederick III. Under his reign, Vienna obtained their first Bishop. The other picture is a view down the nave from the rear of the cathedral. Stephansdom is not one of the largest cathedrals or churches that I've ever been in, but the size is still very imposing and impressive.

The picture on the right is just of the area outside of the cathedral. I only put the picture of Trzesniewski up here for Colin (I know that a sign is not too much to look at!). I know this was a favorite place of his to eat, and also for me. They serve small, open-faced sandwiches with various toppings, most of which have some kind of egg or cream cheese mixed in. For not too much money you can get a tasty lunch, and I swear that the sandwiches are addictive! They have several locations throughout Vienna, so you don't need to go to the original in the 1st district if you are in the mood!

A Busy Weekend So Far

2007-02-24T18:47:00.000+01:00

Well, it was the typical Friday night for me I guess. I met a friend of mine, Ted, and went to the 7 Stern Bräu (49-Stiftgasse), a favorite restaurant and brewery or mine in the 7th district, for a few drinks before going to a party in the 18th district. The food there is great, and my favorite dish is the Käsespätzle, a dish consisting of small oval-shaped noodles, onions, cheese, and bacon. They brew 7 of their own varieties of beer including a chili beer which I am told tastes like you are drinking a sausage! I've never tried the chili beer, but the beer they brew with hemp (Hanf) has a unique taste to it. I wasn't aware that hemp was a very popular flavoring for beer in Europe during the middle ages until, at least according to the menu, the 1516 German Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) specified that you could not produce beer with any ingredients other than water, malt, and hops.

I decided today to head down to Stephansdom (U1,U3-Stephansplatz), the mammoth cathedral that is at the very center of Vienna in the 1st district. It is such a large building and it is packed so close to the surrounding buildings that it is really difficult to get a good picture of the outside. Unfortunately, my pictures of the inside also did not come out so well, so I will retake and edit those in when I get a chance.

I attended Mass at the cathedral today and the music was incredible. The prelude was J.S. Bach's Chorale Prelude Jesus Christus, unser Heiland; during the mass, they performed Haydn's Salve Regina in G Minor for solo-quartet, continuo, and strings; and the postlude was the Mozart Kirchensonate in E-flat major. Colin mentioned to me that the services at the cathedral were a great place to hear good music for free, and I'd have to agree! I'm going to post some pictures of the organs in the cathedral as well, but I need to retake them.

After Mass I walked down Graben, one of the main streets and shopping centers in the 1st district which is open to pedestrian traffic only. Towards the middle of the street you find the Pestsäule (plague column) which commemorates the end of the plague which struck Vienna in 1679.

When I was researching this sculpture I was surprised to learn that so many different artists collaborated on this project and that the overall design changed multiple times before its completion in 1693. At the other end of Graben is the Julius Meinl, an international grocery store of sorts where you can pretty much find anything you want from around the world. I am really hoping that I can find the ingredients to make good Tex-Mex for those times when I miss home cookin'!

Well, I guess this blog thing is going to be good for me because it's going to force me to learn the historical details that I tend to ignore a lot of the time! More to come...

A little background on Vienna

2007-02-23T17:00:00.000+01:00

Vienna (Wien) is the capital of Austria and is by far the largest city in Austria with about 1.7 million people inside the city limits, and 2.2 million within the metropolitan area. The city is divided into 23 districts, and I live on Seidengasse in the 7th district. The first district is the old town of Vienna, and the Ringstraße, the street that surrounds the first district, was built on the site of the former city walls. In the mid-19th century, these walls were torn down and the Ringstraße was built, as well as numerous buildings in various historical architectural styles (I'll post pictures of many of these in the next several weeks). The Ring actually has several names depending on which part of the city you are in, but "Ring" always appears in the name. The 7th district is one of the neighboring districts just outside the Ring.

Finally, my first post!

2007-02-23T15:32:00.000+01:00

Well, it took me long enough to get this blog started, but I still feel like I am settling in here in Vienna. I arrived on Sunday, February 4th and stayed in the Westend Hostel up near the Westbahnhof train station. After a week, I finally found a good sized apartment in an excellent location, but the only catch was that it was unfurnished.

Here's a picture of the entrance into the apartment.
It's in an older building, but the entire place has been updated and we were able to get internet no problem. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that I have a roommate named Toby from Cologne who is studying medicine here in Vienna.

The kitchen is the place where we usually hang out, and it is a pretty good size with all of the usual appliances. I know, the kitchen is dirty, but that's because I actually have time to cook right now! Sorry I couldn't get a better picture of the kitchen, but the angles were difficult.

I bought the basics at IKEA for my bedroom, but eventually I'm going to buy a small used sofa and more shelves and storage. Overall, it is a really large sized bedroom with ceilings around 12 ft tall (or 4 meters I guess!), although I had a really tough time trying to get a good angle for a picture. To answer your question in advance Mom, yes, those are 2 different color curtains and we did that on purpose.

Now that I finally have my blog started, I am going to try to add posts at least 3 to 4 times per week with pictures of Vienna, the people I meet here, and from any other traveling I do while I'm here. Keep in touch everyone!