The first time I visited Vienna in 2010 with the Holton-Arms Chorus, I did not anticipate that I would return two more times within the next 5 years! My experience in Vienna this time still felt new and exciting because I visited during a different season (autmn), for a different purpose (to watch operas), and with different people (Colgate study group).
We left Venice around 9PM on an overnight train. This train ride was like nothing I've experienced before haha. The two benches in the small room converted into six beds!
We arrived in Vienna on Thursday morning, and fortunately, our rooms were ready several hours early! I dropped off my luggage, had some hotel breakfast, took a nap (didn't sleep very well on the train), and then toured the city for a few hours before seeing Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera!
We left Venice around 9PM on an overnight train. This train ride was like nothing I've experienced before haha. The two benches in the small room converted into six beds!
We arrived in Vienna on Thursday morning, and fortunately, our rooms were ready several hours early! I dropped off my luggage, had some hotel breakfast, took a nap (didn't sleep very well on the train), and then toured the city for a few hours before seeing Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera!
The Vienna State Opera house is very large and beautiful inside. The hall at the Theater an der Wein where we saw L'incoronazione di Poppea on Friday night was modeled after the Vienna State Opera. You can see the similarities in the photos below:
On Friday morning, two friends of our professor and his wife joined us for breakfast. They work in the opera industry and gave us an insider's perspective of the production process. They provided great insight and deepened our understanding of the industry!
I enjoyed visiting the Schönbrunn Palace again. I hadn't been there since 2010. This time, I just toured the free garden with a group of classmates instead of purchasing a 12 Euro ticket to see the inside. The garden's colorful autumn leaves were almost as beautiful as it's summer flowers. The hike to the top yielded a stunning view of Vienna.
I enjoyed visiting the Schönbrunn Palace again. I hadn't been there since 2010. This time, I just toured the free garden with a group of classmates instead of purchasing a 12 Euro ticket to see the inside. The garden's colorful autumn leaves were almost as beautiful as it's summer flowers. The hike to the top yielded a stunning view of Vienna.
This statue on the sidewalk of a baby panda playing a saxophone was SO cute!
We got lunch at the Naschmarkt, a mile long strip of shops and restaurants. The veggie burger I ordered was massive but tasty. On Saturdays people set up booths at the end as a flea market. So we went to the market again late Saturday morning. Tip to self: Whenever visiting a popular flea market, go early! The overwhelming crowd made walking through the narrow paths unpleasant, and it was difficult to see what the vendors had on display. I focused on the positives and found a shop selling a traditional Austrian dessert I wanted to try: Punschkrapfen!
Punschrapfen is like Jamaican black cake, birthday cake, and jam wrapped in a shell of icing! The icing was rather sweet, but the inside incited nostalgia! I later had an apple strudel with a friend who tried her first pastry from the highly recommended Aida cafe.
Punschrapfen is like Jamaican black cake, birthday cake, and jam wrapped in a shell of icing! The icing was rather sweet, but the inside incited nostalgia! I later had an apple strudel with a friend who tried her first pastry from the highly recommended Aida cafe.
Saturday was Austria's National Day, and similar to what we saw in Berlin, they celebrated with colorful lights! Some cool photos from the light show are below:
A highlight of the day was going to Mozart's house/ museum! We had a delicious and fun group dinner on Saturday night before returning to Venice early Sunday morning. We took the scenic route (a train and a bus), and I knew on we had reached Italy when we turned off of the highway and to my right was a shop with a sign that read "gelataria." haha
German words!: Bitte (Bit-tuh)- Please; Danke (Dan-kuh)- Thanks
Coming up this week: We're seeing our last opera of the semester, Mozart's the Magic Flute tomorrow night!
Saluti tutti, (Goodbye, everyone)
J McKoy
Coming up this week: We're seeing our last opera of the semester, Mozart's the Magic Flute tomorrow night!
Saluti tutti, (Goodbye, everyone)
J McKoy