The last few days have been very full. Colin went home on Tuesday, but before he left we went to Otti's house to see Amira, her daughter, who is about our age and teaches English and French to teenagers. We spoke German with her, and I should emphasize that I got to practice listening to German being spoken very quickly. She cooked for us, and it was very nice to vist with her. Here is a picture of Colin and Amira.
Here is a picture of Colin and me at Amira's:
Also this weekend Colin and I were walking with Sabine, the mutli-lingual queen, and we happened upon a concert near the RATHAUS (political building). We came all the way to Vienna to hear Bill Haley and the Comets! They were playing a concert in celebration of the Freedom Fest. Here is a picture of Colin and Sabine in the park where the concert was and the band on stage:
Monday the weather was nice and Colin took me down by the DONAU (Danube river) and we walked around the lovely park there. Then we went up on the RIESENRAD ("REASON RAHD" = ferris wheel). Now this is not your average ferris wheel, since each car is big enough to fit 10 people and is fully enclosed. You go around slowly enough to enjoy the view of the city. It was very nice. Then when we finished with that Colin bought a silly postcard to send to his parents. Here is a cool picture I took of the Riesenrad:
This one's for Greg... I was walking down the street and low and behold I saw... a MINI! And not just a new Mini, but an old one! I thought Greg would really get a kick out of this. Here ya go, buddy:
Colin and I also went to the Belvedere Schloss (the Belvedere Castle), which used to be used by the monarchy, but now houses works of art and exhibitions, include the famous painting by Gustav Klimt, "The Kiss":
Here is the view outside the castle in the garden - many castles in Europe have beautiful gardens outside:
At Belvedere, we saw an exhibition (I actually did NOT see the Klimt yet!) and it was all about the "New Austria." It had a lot of photos, artwork, and artifacts describing the development and independence of Austria. Of special interest is the time during 1945 to 1955 when Austria was being established as an independent nation after the war.
"Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrians have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999."
Just to let you know, in case you were wondering... there are NO kangaroos in Austria...
Additionally, we have had the Fulbright orientation this week, which has been very good. It is really amazing to look around the room at the 21 other people and realize that there are future leaders in law, politics, academia, and business. It is quite awe inspiring. The programs they have had for us have been very good and I thank goodness for Uli Seiss, our liason, who has saved us all from having to do many of the confusing and time consuming tasks associated with registering at the university.
Well, there is a lot more that has happened, but as I sit outside here in the Museum Quartier (where there is free wifi) at 11pm I see that my battery is about to go, so I will post more updates later.
Some pictures
Here are some pictures from Vienna.
This is one of me in the subway. Went halfway around the world to find Burger King in German... shouldn't that be Burger Kaiser or something?
Here is the inside of the Stephansdom:
I swear, this is an ashtray...
Today we went back to Otti's and she made us organic pizza. We slept late, though and got up at 1pm. I think that the fact that Colin was snorring so loudly had something to do with why we slept so late. Colin!
Then we went to the Belvedere Schloss (castle) and it is now a museum. There was a great exhibit on the history of Austria and a lot of great art, and photographs.
Then we met Sabine's family for dinner. Her dad is an organist - maybe that is where she got her aural abilities.
As I write this I am at the Cafe Le Monde where I am listening to David talk (because he can't hear me - stupid microphone...), and IMing with him as he tries to help my mom in Chicago install MSN messenger and Skype. Technology...
Meeting new people
I am here with my friend, Colin, who used to live here for one year, and he has been taking me around and showing me how to use the trains and streetcars. I am learning a lot, and I hope that I will remember how to get around when he leaves. He has kindly introduced me to a very nice woman named Otti, who cooked wonderful food for us twice already. We met Colin's friend, Sabine today and had coffee at a cafe in the Innerstadt. She speaks English, German, Dutch, Finnish, Estonian, Swedish, and Spanish. Slacker!
Today we also went to Stephansdom, which is St. Stephens cathedral. It was built in the 13th century, and still holds services today. The organ there is quite breathtaking.
I am practicing German every day. I am even starting to think in German. It happened pretty fast. Hopefully I will still remember how to speak English when I get back.
-Wienergirl
09/16/05
German lesson
Filed under: WienerGirl — wienergirl @ 01:23:22 pm
OK, so here is a good German lesson for y'all there in Texas:
Bier = Beer
Restaurant = Restaurant
Haus = House
Maus = Mouse
See, you probably already knew German and didn't realize it!
Read on...
Spieskarte (SHPIZE-CARTA)= Menu
Flugzeug (FLOOG-TSOIG) = Airplane
Fahrt (FART) = trip (short, like a walk or a way to go)
Today I ordered sushi in German at the Naschmarkt... Ein Stueck Sushi, bitte!
-Wienergirl
09/15/05
Got here
Just a quick post to let everyone know I got here safely.
09/12/05
I leave Tuesday!
Hi there, gang. Here it is the night before I leave for Vienna. I'm all packed, thanks to Rachel's mom, Gayle, who came over Sunday and helped me pack for 5 hours. I can't believe the massive amounts of stuff she got to fit in my suitcases - NASA should hire this woman! I got my laptop to connect to the internet, thanks to Greg, who showed me where the dang "INTERNET ON" button was on my computer - DUH! I got the traveler's checks, the sweaters, the longjohns, the German dictionary, and most importantly, the Hello Kitty paraphanalia. Wish I could pack the fiance and the kitties, but you can't have it all.
My friend, Colin is en route to Vienna as I write this, and then he will pick me up at the airport Wednesday. We will go to the Studentenheim ~can you say STU-DEN-TEN-HEIM boys and girls?~ it's a dorm - where I will be for 2 weeks, and then my roommate, Renata will come pick me up there on Sept. 26, and we will go to our apartment. Don't have a phone yet, or a cell phone, but not to worry, I'd probably collapse if I went more than 2 hours without checking my email, so if you're going through Jennifer withdrawl in the next few weeks, just drop me a line and I'll either call or email... maybe. JSadoff@hotmail.com
Color me excited,
Jennifer (AKA WienerGirl)
09/08/05
WienerGirl is on the scene!
Yes! I finally jump into 2005 and get a blog. Just in time for my departure for Vienna, or as the natives say, WIEN (pronounced VEEN). So, OK, just to clarify, I am going to the country of Austria... not to be confused with Australia... not to be confused with Germany.
So, here is a picture of what our second room looks like right now as I frantically pack...
My cat, Max is helping...
posted by WienerGirl at 7:46 PM
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