I’m quickly
getting to the point where I can’t remember what I’ve done in a day. When I
stop to think about it, it feels like the majority of my days are spent walking
to and from U-Bahn stations. It takes anywhere between 20 to 45 minutes to get
to various destinations, like a friend’s house for dinner or the out-door
market. I know sometimes it can be about the same back home, but I think it
feels different when I’m riding a subway everyday instead of driving. Oh boy,
do I miss driving.
Since I last posted, I’ve already
been back to the Film Festival twice. Friday night, Molly and I went to grab
dinner at the festival and we watched a little bit of Alice in Wonderland, the
ballet. My dinner reminded me of being back in Vermont. They have so many
different foods to choose from at the festival, but I ended up deciding on the
crepe and waffle stand. I got a ham and Gouda crepe with radishes. It’s
something I can imagine having at The Skinny Pancake in downtown Burlington. Last
night, I went back to watch “Carmen” with a lot of the music students. My
friend, Elizabeth is one of them. She plays the violin, which I have yet to
hear her play. I had a good time watching Carmen, but I was so tired that I
almost fell asleep a few different times during its three-hour duration.
Last Friday, my German class also
had a little excursion to the Palmenhaus Café. I finally got a taste of
Apfelstrudel! I also tried the strongest coffee I have ever had, Einspänner with Shlagobers (hot coffee
with whipped cream). I must say, trying
to converse in a different language needs a lot of confidence. I’ve been trying
to think of how to describe my experiences with speaking German. I absolutely
love speaking the language. I think it’s a very fun language. However, when I’m
trying to speak to a native Austrian I freeze up. I sit there, knowing what I
want to say and trying to translate it, but my brain just wants to keep
throwing out my English words. So, by the end of this process I’ve spent a few
minutes with a confused look on my face and the other person waiting patiently
for my words. I think I just need to learn to let the words flow naturally,
whether they’re correct or not. Oh well. I’ll figure it out eventually.
Now, don’t think you’ll walk away
from one of my blogs without reading about my thoughts of food. I’ve actually
been having a frustrating time with this favorite of mine. I thought I could
cook, but after a week of living on my own I have realized that I know nothing
of the sort. It also doesn’t help that I can always smell the delicious meals that
my Austrian neighbors prepare wafting into my window. As I walk through the
streets I smell all kinds of different delicacies, which naturally makes me
want to eat (all day). I’ve spent quite a few hours in the past week walking
around all the grocery stores, trying to think of what might go well together.
I never thought I’d miss simple Jiff peanut butter so much, or turkey lunch
meat or just plain chicken! My other dilemma is that I also just want to eat
out wherever I go, you know, try as much Austrian food as I can. That’s not so
easy in such an expensive city, where a lunch can cost around fifteen American
dollars.
Yesterday, I went on a bus tour
that IES prepared for us. We stopped first at the Belvedere palace, which is
actually very near my apartment. My favorite part of the tour was the
Hundertwasser house. It might be the most interesting thing I have ever seen.
Hundertwasser turned to architecture after seeing the dismal apartment
buildings that were being erected during his time. Hundertwasser claimed that
there were no straight lines in nature, so naturally there is no straight part
of the house. It’s so crooked inside that people have trouble keeping their
beds and refrigerators leveled. The colors are so vibrant and mismatched. I
would think it’s one of the most original buildings in the world. I’m
definitely going back to spend more time looking at it. Let’s see, after that
we drove through the modern part of the city, and finally headed up to a mountain
to overlook Vienna. To get to this mountain we passed through Grinzing, a
little part of the city known for it’s little Heurigens (restaurants where
people enjoy their favorite wines). We also passed by a house that Mozart lived
in shortly before his death. I can’t get over the never-ending excitement of
all that can be found in Vienna.
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| The Belvedere, "The Beautiful View" |
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| Hundertwasser Haus |
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| Molly & me at the overlook of Vienna |
I’m so thankful for today. It’s
been the first relaxing day for me. Molly, Elizabeth and I found an English
mass in Mexikoplatz this morning. It was a very nice mass and a beautiful
church. This was actually the first mass I’ve been to since I left America. I
have to say I could have cried walking into the church. Going to mass has
always been something that can make me sad because of the connections I make
with it. Mass reminds me of home and my family, and I sure do miss both! (But
don’t think that I’m not enjoying myself in Vienna.) Well, after mass I came
home, napped, watched Mamma Mia and cooked eggs for dinner.
Tomorrow is already my second Monday of German class! Whoa.
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