Days 11 & 12 Heuriger Sirbu und Prunksaal

We visited another Heuriger (Wine Garden) in the hills to the north of the city. We took a bus up the windy hill and ate at a little restaurant. All hearigers serve their own young wine and then you can go into the building to a very traditional buffet. Usually you start with cheese and bread and then go and order various meats and goodies. I've had pork and bratwurst. Very good!! On the way up to the wine garden, there was a lookout towards the city of Vienna!

Vienna! The Danube canal is on the left. Looking south.

That is Emily on my right.

This is our view from our table!

The other view of the vineyards.

Left to right: Tina, Emily, and Jenn going into the Heuriger

The man on the right is our Architecture Professor, Jim.

The sun is setting.

This was a Polish Church at the top of the hill to honor the Polish troops that descended upon Vienna in her defense against the Ottomans. A sneak-attack through the vineyards!

Today after class we toured the Prunksaal which is the showpiece of the Austrian National Library complex adjacent to the Hofburg complex. It was the first library which houses books from Egyptian times through more "modern" 1800s. The architecture is fascinating. The middle section is full of Prince Eugene's personal library. He was a war hero against the Turks in the 1600s. The rest of the collection is full with various collections of many people. You can smell the old leather and parchment as soon as you walk in the door. The library was commissioned by Karl VI in 1723.

The fresco at the top of the dome in the center of the library.

There are little cubbyholes behind the stacks of books where people used to go to read and stay warm.

Statue of Karl VI

And finally, it was Jenn's birthday today, so a few of us went to the Demel Konditorei, one of the oldest pastry cafes in the city. It was opened in 1785 and has been operating since! It served the royalty! I had a hauskaffee (House Coffee) with real whipped cream...probably the most expensive coffee I've bought.

The outside.

You can watch them bake!

Geek alert! For my operatic friends...

We had to do an assignment on the Abduction from the Seraglio by Mozart. We had to answer the question: Based on the music, who is the most important character in the opera? Here is my answer...

"Based on the music from the Abduction, I would conclude that Osmin has the most important role. Mozart had stated in letters and probably to Stephanie that the music was the most important part of this project. He also said that he stretched Constanze’s music to allow his soprano to show-off a bit and as a result was the most well-developed musical character besides Osmin. However, Mozart did add an extra aria and duet for Osmin and asked Stephanie to invent more text for that aria. Mozart was writing these parts, especially the soprano (Constanze) and bass (Osmin), for specific artists of his day. The range of Osmin’s character showcases the musical importance, as well as the character development of Osmin, reaching down to a low D! Osmin is portrayed as the “other,” the true Turk, who uses his deep voice to communicate a sense of foreboding, comedy, and other-worldlyness. Musically, his arias, duets, and ensembles move the story along and add a sense of mysticism and tension to the plot. He is like the connection between the main characters, between the powerful and oppressed, and between the westerners and the Turks."

This was Mozart's first opera that he wrote in Vienna. He was trying to make connections and get his name out there. At this point, there was a huge fascination with anything Turkish. In the recent past (the 1600s) The Ottoman Empire had tried twice to take over Vienna and the Habsburg empire. The Ottomans failed, but still controlled most of the middle east and parts of central Europe. There was a great deal of negative propaganda against the Turks, portraying them as ruthless, unorganized groups of crazy people. Parts of that were true to an extent, as they were very violent with their captors, but they were a well-organized, highly structured and well-trained empire. Eventually, the Turkish style was en vogue especially with aristocrats and royalty. People had their portraits done wearing Turkish outfits. We drank their coffee, and ambassadors visited their lands. As a result, composers tried to add "turkish" sounds to their music, which was probably a very western adaptation of what the thought was Turkish music. Most of the music was based on the Janissary, or military, Turkish music. Originally this Janissary music was to inspire their troops and put fear into the enemy, so it was loud and proud. It was mostly percussion based, with cymbals (think Zildjian!), drums, flutes, and an early form of timpani, very similar to the American Revolution-style of drum and fife. So when composers wrote in this style, they utilized percussion and march-like tunes usually in a form of the minor or maybe even lydian modes. There are all sorts of characteristics one can dissect from a character like Osmin who is the master's gardener in the opera. The Abduction isn't as well known as Mozart's other operas, but it's worth a listen!

Random notes on living in Vienna

Today is more laid back. We had class, listening to and discussing Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio. There are teachers from many different subjects studying here: English, Social Studies, History, Music, German, and Math, for instance. Most participants have some musical background, or at least have a strong appreciation for Mozart and music in general. Everyone has been so down to earth and laid back. We're helping each other figure out how to implement these great experiences into our curriculum for our classrooms.
If you ever visit Vienna, I will be your guide! Here are some things that caught my attention so far: 

Money is written with a comma instead of a period:  E 1,50 (Euro) instead of $1.50

The language is German, but they use several variations from Germany-Deutsch.
Hello=Gruss Gott (groos got) not Guten Tag.
Yes=Ja (yah)  No=Nein (nine) 
Please=Bitte (beet-eh)   
Thank you=Dankese (dankeh-shay)
Do you speak English?= Sprechen Sie englisch? (shpresh'n zee eng-glish?)
big=gross
small=klein
good=gut (goot)
bad=schlecht (shlesht)
entrance=Eingang/Einfahrt (ine-gung/ine-fart)...yes a funny one!
exit=Ausgang/Ausfahrt (ows-gung/ows-fart)...yes, again! :)
toilet=WC/Toilette...thank goodness this one is easy! WC is short for water closet. And D (Damen) is   for women and H (Herren) is for Men.
a or one=eine (ine)
Goodbye=Auf Wiedersehen (owf veed-er-zehn)
I would like a coffee with milk, please:  Ich hatte gern eine milchkaffee bitte.

Most Viennese speak English, so I tend to say Gruss Gott, Sprechen Sie englisch? And if they don't they may be able to get someone who does. If not, I try to point to things and speak very broken German. It's a little intimidating at first, but they appreciate you trying. On a side note, I highly recommend Rosetta Stone for learning the basics of any language. I did about a third of the program I have and I felt more comfortable knowing at least some basics. Also, my roommate speaks a little German because her husband's family lives in Germany, so she is remembering lots of words!

It is very easy to get around the city. The tram or trolley is the main way we go around. It's very much like San Francisco. There are trolley cars on lines that circle the city. There is an underground and there are buses. The main line from and to our hotel is the D tram. Other trams are numbered. The easiest way to pay for the transportation is to buy a "WochenKarte" (week-card) that's about E14 and it's good all week for all transportation throughout the city. You can buy them at any Tabak (tobacco) store which are like little 7-11s.

There is a market on almost every corner, either called Spar or Billa. They are about the size of a Lil' General, but they have tons to choose from. Most people go to the market every day or every-other day to buy their produce and items. That way everything is fresh. It's super fast through the check-out because no one is buying in bulk like we do at Stop and Shop.

The history here is old, old, old. As you've seen in the pictures, talking about the 1700s is like talking about last week. For example, this weekend, a bunch of us are taking a day trip to Melk which has a monastery that was built in 1089! Europe in general seems to have a healthy respect for their history. There's no graffiti on the old monuments. It's a form of tourism and revenue for them as well. The US has history...some buildings dating back to the 1600s on the east coast, but there were also a lot of Native American and Viking history that has been lost for the most part.

So far the people here have been very nice and genuine. There was one woman in Baden who totally ignored Celeste when she asked her where the train station was. But that's the only one! The general rule is to say hello or excuse me first, or they may think you are being rude.

I'm sure I've left out some other things that I've noticed, but I'll write again on this topic.

So thankful!!

For now, enjoy your Wednesday morning (it's already 2:45pm here!)
Auf Wiedersehen

NEW PICS!! Day 10--Die Fledermaus NEW PICS!!!

Today we had a short class and then we all went to the Volksoper (the secondary opera house) to see Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss. It was very funny. It was more of a singspiel, which is literally a "sing-play." There was a lot of dialogue...all in German, but we got the idea. It was three acts and it lasted about 3 hours! It didn't really feel that long because it was so enjoyable. The pit was huge and the musicians, both instrumental and vocal were amazing. It was a matinee so there were a whole bunch of young students there on a fieldtrip for their last week of school. They were a rowdy bunch, at times distracting. With about 25 teachers in our group, it was difficult for some of us to restrain ourselves from getting up and "fixing it." :)
But the opera was great!

Celeste and Leslie

The stage

Looking across to our fellow classmates: 1sr row-Chris, Dana, Allison, Marissa, John, Tina, Jeff; 2nd row-Jenn and Ben; 3rd row-Joy and Yael

Yours truly, Alan, our English professor, and Jen

Had to get a picture of the horns, with extra curves!

One more Beethoven pic.

Here is part of a shutter that Beethoven wrote his theme from the 9th Symphony because he didn't have any paper. His landlord made him pay for new ones before he could move in for the summer!!

And here's a funny pic outside one of the salt bath places.

NEW PICS!!! Day 9-KarlzKirche and Klimt NEW PICS!!!

Today we went on another architecture tour around the old city. We walked by a bunch of historical places that were built during the Habsburg Empire, including the national library, one of the first buildings built solely for the purpose of knowledge, and sharing that knowledge with the general population. Maria Theresa, former Queen was very interested in raising the literacy rate of her population, and everyone was entitled to go to school until the 8th grade.

We also walked by a building within the massive Hofburg complex (the many buildings where the Habsburgs lived and entertained) that is now a theatre museum. I'll check that out later. But apparently Beethoven premiered his 3rd symphony there!

Exterior of KarlzKirche

Looking up to the dome inside the Church. Notice all the scaffolding!

The coolest thing we did was visit the KarlzKirche (Charles Church) which is a mish-mash of different architectural styles all put into one church. It was built as a celebration of the end of the Plague and was dedicated to Charles, a priest who helped many through that dark time. On the inside, they are restoring all of the frescoes on the ceiling. They have scaffolding all the way up, so they decided to (charge some money) and let the public go up to see the frescoes up close!! We were never meant to see a church this way! It was crazy! You could go all the way up to the dome and the smaller outcropping at the tip top. Nowhere else would you be able to do that. You can almost touch the ceiling!

The last thing I did today was to visit the Belvedere again, but looking at the architecture this time and the former use as a nobleman's summer mansion. It is now an art gallery which includes old medieval and classical works as well as some Monet, Renoir, and Degas. There was an entire gallery just for Gustav Klimt! "The Kiss" is the main feature. They had several of his landscape paintings, Judith II, and some unfinished portraits. It was amazing. I would have loved to see the "Tree of Life." Not sure where that one is located. I couldn't take pictures in the museum...

Tomorrow we're off to the opera!

Toward the alter

The organ

The alter in the style of a theatre. Notice the window boxes on the sides.

Up in the scaffolding! Getting closer to the dome!

Looking up to the second level!

Up close and personal with a couple angels.

At the top of the scaffolding looking down on one of the windows where people have thrown money of all currencies.

At the very top there's a smaller dome with a beautiful picture.

At the top! You never get to see a church like this! You can still see the brush strokes!!

The view from the top windows. The big steeple is St. Stephen's Cathedral.

You can see where the gold leaf is flaking off.

Looking down from the first level!

More angels with music

You're able to see one of the statues outside on the roof!

Day 8--St. Augustin

Today was pretty relaxing compared to the past few days. This morning five of us went to a mass at St. Augustin, the main church of the former Emperor, to hear an Anton Bruckner Mass in E Minor. It was absolutely stunning. The orchestra, chorus, and organ were up in the back of the church. We got there early and listened to some of the rehearsal. I recorded a bit of the rehearsal, and I'll try to get that clip uploaded, but our internet connection here is slow. The mass itself ended up being two hours long!! I think that's the longest one I've been to! Bruckner was a late Romantic composer from the late 1800s. It was nice to hear some of that style of music, since we've been inundated with the Classical style of the 1700s. It is quite different. As my colleague Josh so eloquently put it: "Bruckner is more likely lugubrious and chocolate, Haydn is more likely springy and champagne-like." You could feel the bass notes, and the ensembles filled up the space. The final chords were extremely satisfying. I closed my eyes for most parts of the music so I could just absorb the experience with my ears. I let myself just listen instead of putting on my musician-critiquing ears. Goosebumps!

Day 7--Willkommen bei Wienerwald!

As it is the weekend, we didn't have class, but some of us wanted to experience the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald). We took a bus to a small town called Baden, south of the city. It took about 40 minutes. Baden is s tiny resort town known for it's ancient Roman baths. Aristocracy and richer people would flock here to be "cured" by the salt baths. the baths are now run by full spas, and many Viennese come here to relax. We walked around the town, passing by shops and cafes. Then we walked toward the forest. We stopped to use the rest room, and only found one of those new pay-toilets. It cost 50 cents. It was like stepping into a booth and the door closed behind you. There was a warning: You had no more than 5 minutes, and the door would open automatically! After each use, the bathroom would be sprayed down and dried for the next person. Quite the experience. We stopped into the St. Stephen's church to see where Mozart composed his "Ave Verum" in 1791 for Anton Stoll.

 The Plague monument

 Downtown Baden

 A copy of Mozart's Ave Verum

The plaque that explains Ave Verum

Inside St. Stephen's Church

 The monument to Mozart

 The view from the monument toward the statue for Johann Strauss, Sr.

 The temple to Beethoven

The woods are rare because no other major European city has such a dense and protected forest so close. There were several threats against these woods and it slid right by, through development and war to survive to today. We may not have had the same music written or the same literature without them! The muse is close by. We walked to the entrance to the woods. There was a beautiful garden area with statues, one of Johann Strauss, Sr. and of course Mozart. There was also a small temple in honor of Beethoven. We hiked up into the wooded area. It was steep climb but well worth it! We came to a tower and climbed the seven flights to the top. We got a panoramic view of the town of Baden and could see for miles. Beautiful!!

 The hikers

For Dotty!

 A LARGE snail

 Hiking UP...very much UP

 After hiking up, we were rewarded with stairs!

We made it!

The View!

On the way down, our guide, and professor, Dick made us stop and just listen. It was so quiet, you could only hear the birds and the wind. Peaceful. No wonder why many people came to these woods to escape the city life.

After the hike down (which felt almost as strenuous), a few of us wanted to visit the Beethoven museum. In the Vienna area, many buildings boast having had a famous composer or artist stay there and usually signify with a plaque, even if the building has been renovated into a department store. Oddly, Vienna is obsessed with Mozart and Strauss. Tourism-wise, you'll find a Mozart-themed store on almost every corner, but almost no mention of Beethoven! Mozart lived here for 10 years and died here. Beethoven lived here for 30 and also died here! the only thing I can think of is that Beethoven was German-born and Mozart was Austrian. The Viennese revere all of the great composers who passed through the city, including, but not limited to: Schubert, Beethoven, Mahler, Bruckner, Haydn, etc. but Mozart is definitely the main man.

However, after all of this Mozart talk and Classical Era focus, I was craving some Beethoven! We visited the tiny museum on...wait for it...Beethoven Street. It was one of the apartments he rented while staying in Baden during several summers. This particular apartment is where he worked on his 9th Symphony. It was amazing just being inside the place where he lived. They set it up the way he might have had it with furniture and they had HIS PIANO THAT HE PLAYED (I touched it) and also a lock of his actual hair!! I was blown away, to say the least.

 Beethoven's bedroom

 A cloak in the style he would have worn.

He was very serious, apparently.

 His living room

 Beethoven's lock of hair (on the left) and his death mask

 Beethoven's Piano!!!

The exterior of the house

During the silence in the woods it hit me that today is the 25th. My mom passed exactly one month ago today. I miss her so much, and I want to tell her everything about this trip, but I know she already knows. Both my parents are with me.