Vienna

Well hello again! Of course you can assume by the title of this post that I made it successfully to Vienna. It's beautiful here. As someone who appreciates music and who is finding herself  more and more engrossed in visual art, this place is just a breeding ground artistic expression. It is one of the most famous cities in the world as far as Opera is concerned, Mozart himself is known for his work here, and a person can't walk more than two blocks in town without passing a theater. They're everywhere. Not to mention, there is this vast stretch of lawn in the southwest corner of the city that is totally surrounded by museums. Appropriately enough, it's called the Museums Quartier, and it's filled with art of all types to appeal to the masses. Being in a place that embraces art as one of the most pure forms of communication is refreshing. 

But let me fill you in on what I've actually done here! True to tradition, my first couple days consisted of me hitting everything I possibly could in the city, hellbent on exploring everything. On day one, Monday, Luke took me into town, pointed out some good places to see, then went off to class. (I'm lucky to have my own personal tour agent here! :)) I should say right off the bat that although Vienna is a definite tourist city, I was pleased to see shorter lines and smaller crowds everywhere compared to my past travels. My first stop was Stephansdome, the church that was the central church to the Austrian/Hungarian empire. The inside is cavernous (typical) and surprisingly colorful (atypical). But my favorite part is the outside. The tiles on the roof of the church are patterned in every color and give off a really eye-catching effect. I guess I'm just not used to seeing so much vibrance from an old church! :)

After the church I did a fair share of strolling. I strolled through some books stores hoping to find some cheap sheet music; I strolled through Stadt Park, the city park; I strolled on down to the Belvedere which is a museum + big garden but didn't go in the museum; I strolled along this great gem of a street that was lined with canvases mounted on a fence and covered with artwork from hundreds of different artists; I strolled to another cool church in Karlsplatz that had a huge fresco on the dome that had been painted by a bunch of young monks, which was neat; then I strolled on back to the center of town to meet Luke and Russ for lunch. Ironically enough, some of the most popular food in Vienna is from Istanbul. Kebab and Felafel. (And what is it about food coming from food stands almost ALWAYS having really fun names to say?! Haha it makes eating them that much more exciting.) 

After lunch I mosied on over to that Museums Quartier I mentioned earlier to check out the old Hofburg palace, where the Hapsburgs lived (spelling?). It was great too: Apparently, as some construction workers were digging the subway line outside of this palace many many years ago they just suddenly came across these old ancient ruins. So they just stopped and left the digging open to be seen from the street...it's kind of funny. 

I met Luke again when he was done with class and the two of us went to the Van Gogh exhibit at Albertina. It had his Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, which is one of his most famous works, but was unfortunately missing Starry Night. Oh well. There was also this great Monet/Picasso exhibit in the basement that we checked out, along with all these ritzy rooms where exhibit opening parties are held. We enjoyed ourselves.

Alright. Still on day one. (I had a huge day my goodness!) Stay with me. On our way back to his apartment Luke and I stopped and got some bread, cheese and wine to take with us to this great park that overlooks a vineyard in the country. It was a bummer that it was so foggy, because the sunset would have been much different if it had been clearer, but hey. I still had a picnic overlooking a vineyard. Hah. :) 

Alright. Day two was a little less crazy. I met Luke when he got out of class at around noon, and after a stellar chinese buffet we made our way to.....THE FIRST ZOO IN THE WORLD!!! Oh it was such a blast. We literally spent hours there. They had giraffes and elephants and sea lions and POLAR BEARS and tigers and MONKEYS and PENGUINS!!!! and so much more. And the majority of it all was outside. Except for this one unmarked tunnel we suddenly found ourselves in that was dark and lined with tiny little lights that allowed us to catch glimpses of...yes...BATS flying all around our heads! Haha it freaked me out but it was awesome.

Right next to the zoo lies what was the summer home for those Hapsburgs I mentioned before. Apparently the Queen loved animals and nature so it was perfect. Not only is it located immediately next to the zoo, but it also boasts what seems like miles and miles of gardens and forests and paths. I couldn't get enough of it. Allegedly there's a massive hedge maze on the grounds as well, but we couldn't find it so that was a huge bummer.

Exhausted from yet again an entire afternoon of walking, we came back and crashed for a while with Luke's roommates. It wasn't until around midnight that we pulled ourselves up off the couch and went out for a drink at one of their favorite bars, then finally calling it a night.

And now today. I was supposed to be writing this in a coffee shop near the Danube River which I wanted to walk along this morning, but the weather had different plans. It poured this morning, leaving me uninterested in bringing the laptop out in case the clouds opened up again. So Luke's living room will have to do. I went on my first run in weeks today and it took me out a little to the gorgeous rolling Viennese countryside. Not bad for the first run in a while. :)

And now we're all caught up. More to come later! 

Katie

PS-Being with Luke has me thinking even more of all you Coe College nut cases. :) Hope you're all doing well.