Vienna, Austria
In German, Vienna is Wien, pronounced "veen." The spelling is comically and conveniently similar to the German spelling for wine: Wein, pronounced "vine." Not ironically at all, I had the best glass of Pinot Grigio of my humble 21 years in this cultural epicenter.
Friday was JAM-PACKED! I went through the Maze at Schönbrunn because I had been to the Palace with choir this summer. It was a trip back to childhood, and so much fun! Then, Emily and I ate at a Pakistani place where you decide what you pay based on how much you ate! Very cool concept, and the food was great! Then, we went to the Sigmund Freud Museum, which was really fascinating. Before meeting our group at the gorgeously Baroque National Library, we popped into the Votive Kirche where we were pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous stained glass, and my favorite apparition of Mary: Our Lady of Guadalupe. After the tour of the National Library, a group went with our Austrian TA from last year to Demels and got to catch up over tea, coffee, and Sacher Torte!
Saturday was just as incredible as Friday! To start the morning, a group of us visited the Natural History Museum where we experienced nostalgia and childlike joy as we ventured into the realm of minerals, fossils, Dinosaurs, Neanderthals, and the Solar System! It was a blast! I also got to see the Venus of Willendorf, a nearly 30,000 year old fertility doll that I studied in my art history class in high school. I think she has some sass to her! Then, we visited the Albertina, where we had a guided tour of many famous works by Albrecht Dürer. Keep scrolling to read about our night at the Vienna Opera!
What a MAGICAL night at the Vienna Opera! All of us were so excited to be dressed up and to see each other looking so darn good! We had an incredible dinner at the Melk Stiftskeller. Emily and I split our meals: Roast with potatoes and onions and Venison with potato rolls and sweet potato. I also had the best Pinot Grigio my humble 21 years can attest to! We had traditional Apfel Strudel for dessert with Schlagobers and Vanillesauce (Whipped cream and vanilla sauce). The Opera House looked gorgeous at night, and we settled into our seats right in time as the curtain came up on The Barber of Seville. The music was so incredible, and I loved hearing such beautiful and effortless singing! It was amazing to imagine that so many people through history had sat in this very place, including Habsburg royalty. After the opera, we went out for "classy drinks" and enjoyed the magical night with wonderful company!
Early Sunday morning, we took a guided tour of the Caravaggio and Bernini exhibit in the Art History Museum. Pictures weren't allowed, so I can only describe how gorgeous these pieces were. The Bernini's were so life like and full of emotion, and Caravaggio's use of light was so striking in person. After the tour, many of us wanted to do our own thing and venture through the city on our own. I very giddily explored and soaked up every inch of the Ancient Egyptian section of the museum. When I was 12, I said I wanted to be an archeologist, so I got two DK books about Ancient Egypt for Christmas that year. You can imagine my level of geek as I saw COUNTLESS objects right in front of me that I had stared at for hours in my little textbook-like book on such a fascinating culture. I also share this love with my grandmother, so I took plenty of pictures! After the museum, I went into the city in search of Schnitzel, and I found it! I treated myself to gelato and enjoyed in while people watching in Stephensplatz. I wandered into the church, and I sat at the side chapel with the image of Divine Mercy for a long while and I am so grateful for the gift of peace and joy I received in that time. It was a great way to wrap up such a diverse, cultural, educational, and magical weekend in Wien!
