As the fiancé of the Fulbrighter visiting, I have been asked to do a guest post on Jen’s blog. Here are my thoughts on my stay:

What an amazing country. The sights, sounds, and smells are quite intoxicating. I had no idea what I was in store for me, and little did I know that a documentary on TV that I had watched before I came here would only show a small % of what really exists here. Pictures on TV do not do this country justice. My first impression after landing and riding on the Ubahn (subway) back to Jen’s apartment was that most of the buildings have the same architecture/build. Every window on every floor looks the same. Each has the same awning or fixtures. Although no 2 buildings look alike, they all “resemble” each other in their architecture.

After walking around the 40 or so rooms open to the public at Schoenbrun castle, I realized that this many of these places were built “on steroids”. It seems that each place is bigger than the next (with Schoenbrun being the “Big Daddy” of them all). I can’t imagine living in a 1400 room palace. It gives me something to aspire to. :-)

Same goes for walking around Melk Abbey last Sunday. I couldn’t get over how this one monastery/church/school just dominated the city. The sheer size of the building just blew me away. In addition, I loved how the little town was basically built around the Abbey. I was a little upset that we weren’t able to take a boat cruise down the Danube, but it gives me something to look forward to should I ever make my way back to Melk.

Last night, Jen and I saw Billy Budd (in English) at the Opera House here. What a deal…9 Euro for some of the best seats in the house. Sure, we took a chance that tickets might not be available, but it was worth a shot, and boy did we come through. Seeing as how these seats would usually cost anywhere from 120-150 Euros, I would say it was the deal of the century. Jen will be the first to tell you that I’m not one for going to see Operas, but last night definitely changed my views. Those singers had amazing voices, and the person that placed Jemmy Legs just blew me away. After watching the performers get standing ovations and “Hurrahs” after the last curtain, I kind of felt I was in the wrong profession. Jen has always wanted me to try and become a professional singer since she loves my low voice. However, I don’t think I’m that good.

The Fulbrighters in Jen’s program are very nice. I really enjoy spending time with them since they all come from different backgrounds. What impresses me most is their command of the German language. It seems that each person is better than the next when it comes to speaking. The group gets along very well, and it seems like many of these people will be friends long after the program is over. I am really impressed by Nancy and how she is on her 5^th Fulbright mission!!! (Jen, I don’t know if I’d be able to take you going on 5 missions…maybe one day I can move with you like Guy did). Guy and Nancy live in a huge apartment. In fact, it is bigger than the 2 apartments that I have lived in in Dallas. Guy is a ton of fun, and I can see why many of the Fulbrighters enjoy spending time with him.

Halloween was fun in Vienna. Its hard to believe that the holiday was just recently accepted within the past 10 years. On Saturday, we went to a place called “Heaven” which was basically a mountaintop. Here, they had a huge pumpkin festival celebrating all things pumpkin. Although I wasn’t feeling the best that day (definitely my lowest point of the trip), it was quite a scene watching all the kids getting their faces painted, spending time carving pumpkins, and enjoying the food. I liked the pumpkin juice. I had never tasted anything quite like it, and I don’t know if I ever will again. The only problem with “Heaven” was that it was FRICKIN FREEZING up there. There had to be a good 20-25 degree temperature difference from the top of the hill to the bottom where we picked up the Strassenbahn (busses).

The transportation system here is unlike any of those I have seen in Greece, Czech Republic, Turkey, or the US. They take efficiency to a whole new level here. What I would give for NYC or Chicago to have this good of a system. I am very impressed how you ALWAYS know the time between the next train, subway, bus, etc. Plus, those things travel very quickly. It seems like you can go from one end all the way to the other end within 10-20 minutes.

<-(This is a picture of David at the Shoah memorial at Judenplatz)

Although I could continue writing, I just feel that you have to come and check this place out for yourself. My words and Jen’s blogs still don’t do any justice to the beauty of this country. Sure, I wish it was 20 degrees warmer and always sunny. However, it makes me appreciate what I live in back home.

It’s sad to think that my journey is quickly coming to an end. I have had so much fun here. It’s been great to spend a lot of time with my fiancé (who I miss and love dearly), but I know that she is here for her own mission. She really wishes I would stay, but I don’t want to interfere with her grand goals. After working so hard to get to this point, I am so proud of her and her accomplishments. Its going to be tough to go back home after experiencing everything that I have over here, but I do know that one day I will make my way back to this lovely country.

Jen, thank you for everything. I really appreciate it and I love you so much. Congrats!!

Next trip for Jen and David in February: Paris, Milan, and ???

Sincerely,
David Auerbach