Blamo!! from Beethoven

Random photo!

Well I have had another awesome week in Vienna, although less to report than the previous week. Today I register for classes so I'll put up my schedule later this week. Also, I'm in 2 chamber music ensembles. I'm playing the Dvorak Quintet in G major with Bass and a Bruckner Quintet with 2 violas. I'm excited to start rehearsing with everyone!

Tuesday 9/1

We went on a Beethoven adventure! My friend Paul is obsessed with Beethoven and he took us all around to various sites he had circled on his map. We started out with the Beethoven statue, which is pretty close to the center.

Me, my roommate Laura, Paul, and Kevin

Then we went to one house where Beethoven lived, but it wasn't a museum so we just sort of stood outside, it was kind of awkward. There is a bar there now called the Beethoven Beer House or something like that. Then we found a church that was really pretty on our way to the next Beethoven site. The church is called Schottenkirche is is from 1155.

Then we went to the Pasqualita House which was awesome! Beethoven lived in this apartment overlooking the Vienna University from 1804-1808 and then again from 1810-1814. Although they think he actually may have lived in the apartment accross the hall, this is the place where he wrote symphonies 5, 7, and 8, his opera Fidelio, Piano trio in Bflat major, the well known piano piece Fur Elise, and many other string quartets and other pieces. Basically it was a sweet piece of history we experienced! We walked the steps that Beethoven walked every day up to his apartment! Totally epic!

Beethoven's piano!

Beethoven's Bust!
Beethoven's view!
Beethoven's Handwriting!
Needless to say, Beethoven day was pretty sweet.

Friday our friends had people over and we all hung out which was fun! We also got to experience Vienna nigh transportation, which was good to figure out. Vienna has awesome transportation. There are underground subways, street trams, fast trains, buses, and taxis. Except the taxis, these all stop around 12:30am, but then the Night bus system starts. The night buses run pretty much the same routes as the other forms of transportation, they just come less frequently. Erica and I took a night bus home from our friends' apartment, and a girl threw up all over the place! It was soooooo gross! Luckily it was right before our stop so we just jumped out.

Saturday Erica and I met up with our friend Jodie and we went to one of the cafes on our top 10 list, the Cafe Museum. While Erica and I were waiting for Jodie we took some pictures in front of the old Otto Wagner U-Bahn (underground) stations.

This is the Scession Building that has some cool art in it. I haven't seen it yet, but I will!
Then we ate awesome desserts at the Cafe Museum! Erica got Sachertorte, which is Vienna's most famous dessert. It is chocolate cake with aprictot jam filling. However, I can never eat it because all chocolate in Vienna has hazzlenuts in it. :(
Jodie eating Topfenstrudel, which is a potatoe strudel with raisins and covered in a cheesy, creamy vanilla sauce.
Me with my apricot pancakes!

Kevin met up with us at the Cafe and then we all went to the Naschmarkt and Jodie bought food to cook us Lebanese food. It was awesome! Jodie is a really good cook.

Sunday we didn't really do much. Just studied german a lot. This is our last week of intensive German and then we have a big final this friday! Yikes!! The Vienna State Opera opened this past weekend and we went to see The Barber of Seville by Rossini. You can get standing room tickets to the opera for $4 Euro! The only downside is that you have to wait in line for 2 hours before and then stand for the whole opera. Part way through the first act though I started to feel really awful and I almost passed out twice during the 1st act, so Erica and I left at intermission. I just went to bed after that.

This friday I leave on the 9 day trip to Budapest, Prague, and Krakow, but I'll update one more time before I leave.

Auf Wiedersehen!