Happiness

            Ladies and gentlemen, today I experienced the most culturally enriching event that Vienna has to offer: Flugtag, a day where Redbull is honored by hundreds of brave souls risking their lives by launching themselves and their flying creations off a Launchpad into the Danube river. It might have been the most entertaining thing I’ve seen in a while. The fact that I was standing there watching it for a good four hours didn’t even faze me. Forty teams from all over Austria had created the craziest flying contraptions, most of which collapsed the minute they hit the water. One of my favorites was the “Flying Chiquitas,” where the gorilla “flew” a giant banana into the Danube. I’m not good with being descriptive, but all I can say is that I had a blast and it was so much fun. I wish I could have had all of you there with me to experience it.

The "Flying Chiquitas" preparing for take-off

I tried to capture the magnitude of the crowd at Flugtag

            Yesterday was also a very cultural day for me. I experienced my first Konzert in the Musikverein! I saw the Vienna Philharmonic perform their first concert of the season, Johannes Brahms’ first and third symphonies. I can’t tell you much else than that, because I am not one the many IES music majors who know classical music so well.  The experience, though, was quiet entertaining. So this is what happened (and will happen with every standing room experience): As a cheap college student, I went an hour before the concert to buy a 5-euro standing room ticket. I read my Harry Potter and Philosophy book while I waited in line for about half an hour before they let us walk upstairs. All was well and calm until suddenly I hear this terrifying buzzer. Everyone in front of me ran into the room like mad men trying to get to the last supply of water at the start of an apocalypse. (Now, keep in mind that I did know that this was going to happen, thanks to my Music in Performance class. It is still quite a scene to witness for the first time.) So, naturally I run right along behind them to try to get a spot. I had my scarf ready to tie onto the rail to keep my spot. (This is a must in the standing room process.) Without even looking around I run to a free spot along the railing, very surprised to see that I was able to get the front. Why had no one taken this great spot, I asked myself? Well, as soon as I was done tying my scarf, all proud of myself and whatnot, I look up to see a giant column in front of me. It all made sense, but there was no way I was going to walk away defeated looking so everyone would know that I had no idea what I was doing. So, I stood in my column-obstructed view, took in the great sight of the grand golden hall, and waited another half hour for the concert to start. The violins did that we’re-going-to-start-now signal and everyone got quiet and that was it. They started to play the symphony and I felt like I was back in the 1800s, enjoying a lovely performance with hundreds of other music-appreciating people.

Me at the Musikverein!

            After the concert, Molly and I spontaneously decided to go out for dinner. We did some internet research for some good places to eat and came up with Sly and Arny in the ninth district. The menu had some great-sounding dishes at very, very reasonable prices. So, we brought Elizabeth along with us (which means we had her travel from one end of Vienna to the other to meet us) and we trekked in the rain to the restaurant. We were kind of worried once we finally found the place, it wasn’t in the best looking location and there was no one inside. We went in anyway and had probably the best meal I’ve had in Vienna so far. I also got a very enjoyable Mango Daiquiri. J After dinner, Elizabeth suggested we go to a bar she had stumbled upon the previous night. This was also a hole in the wall down a quiet street, but we went in and ended up having the best night! Dr. Schik (the hilarious and gracious owner) kept bringing us free popcorn and peanut snips (and even a free shot!) all night. Our friend Nick ended up joining us a little later. We drank, we laughed, and we danced. All in all, this weekend has been one of the best I’ve had. To top it off tonight, I even got to Skype Molly Moriarty and then my Uncle and Grandma. Uncle John, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Chris, and cousin Erika will be visiting me at the end of this week, as well. I’m so looking forward to all of my upcoming adventures and hope I have the peace of mind to continue making it through my classes. It’s not easy being in such a vibrant city and going to class every day.

They're not all mine! 

Me and Molly

Ciao for now.