Concert Time!

Every semester, the Music Workshop (a class that I'm enrolled in here in Vienna) puts on two concerts (which usually turns into 3 with an optional solo concert at the beginning of the year). These concerts give students the opportunity to perform for their peers, professors, and community members. The pieces for the concert are all performed by small chamber ensemble groups that are coached individually and together to prepare for the performance. I performed two pieces on this concert, and as I happen to be in charge of filming all the concerts for the music department (don't ask me how that happened - I've never done anything with videography in my life!) I have all the footage of the last concert! I only attached my two pieces below, because I don't think the whole concert would upload to my blog, but I hope you enjoy them! The first one is "Abendlied" by Mendelssohn, and the second is "Wir eilen," part of a work by Bach.

A Weekend in Rome

It's finally here - Details on my weekend in Rome! After a late-night flight, an over-priced taxi ride, a warm welcome by our hosts at the hotel, and a good night's sleep, two of my housemates and I woke up to this sight outside our window. The sun and the warm weather were a welcome change to the frigid temperatures we'd been having in Austria - and after two weeks of planing, we were ready to hit all the major sites of Rome!

Laundry drying outside our hotel window - and it's SUNNY!

Our first stop was the Colosseum, the place where all the fearless Roman gladiators fought to the death - either each other or exotic animals from all the neighboring regions of the globe. It was a spectacular sight, and it felt like I had stepped back in time. (I kept saying all weekend - "it feels like I'm inside my middle school history textbook!")

The view from the park

Look, mom! I'm at the Colosseum!

My two friends - they wanted to be gladiators, too!

View of the interior. The aisles and small rooms below the arena floor were used to keep the exotic animals at the Colosseum. They even flooded the lower level occasionally when they kept such animals as hippos there.

Our next stop after the Colosseum was the Roman Forum. This was a large "park" where you could wander around and look closely at some of the famous historic ruins. Columns and arches were EVERYWHERE and it was hard to keep them all straight. Monuments were dedicated to several different gods, and some plaques that we could loosely translate from Italian told us of their architectural history. Some had been burned or torn down, only to be rebuilt again. Below are a few pictures from the Roman Forum and the Imperial Forum (which we passed by on our way to the Pantheon):

Inside the walls of the Roman Forum

Some intricate sculptures inside the Roman Forum

The view from the street of the Imperial Forum

Next on our list was to visit the Pantheon (the famous building with the hole in the roof dedicated to all the gods). This building acted as a religious center and also as a burial place for famous individuals such as Raphael. Here is also where we met up with a friend of mine from back home who is studying abroad in Rome this semester. (As a classics major, Rome was a perfect place for her to make a semester abroad.) She showed us around the interior, and then spent the afternoon and evening with us just chatting and educating us on some of the historical aspects of the ancient city.

The exterior of the Pantheon

The interior ceiling of the Pantheon

After a quick stop for gelato at "the best gelato place in Rome" (with over 200 flavors! Oh boy!) we were off to spend a half an hour at the Spanish Steps:

The widest stairway in Europe (The Spanish Steps) and the Trinita de Monti church at the top

After we had eaten our fill of gelato and taken a short rest from running around and sightseeing all day, we headed off in the direction of the Trevi Fountain. Crowded with tourists (and I assume some pickpockets) it seemed a popular shady spot to relax and enjoy the cool running water.

It is traditional to throw a coin into the fountain when you visit, and if you do, you are, according to legend, ensured another trip to Rome. The coins that are thrown into the fountain are used to fund a supermarket for Rome's needy, and it's a fun activity to do, no matter how old you are :)

This is a picture of me and my friend studying in Rome. She promised me she'd come visit me in Vienna sometime in April, so I hope to be seeing her again sometime soon!

This picture is for my mom - a lover of pigeons and statues.

"Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue."

The Tiber River at night as we walked to our excellent gluten-free restaurant. (One of my housemates is lactose and gluten intolerant, as is my friend studying in Rome, so we got this restaurant as a recommendation.)

After dinner we stopped by a tourist stand. One of my friends was interested in a sweatshirt, and I bought a new piece of luggage - perfect for an overnight or small carry-on, and easily collapsable! That evening we returned to our hotel slightly sunburnt, wiped out, full of some great pasta and pizza, and ready for a good night's sleep.


The next morning we woke up early ready for a day in Vatican City! First up was St. Peter's Basilica. The line was incredibly long, but it moved quickly, and soon we were inside one of the holiest Catholic sites in the world. We spent a few hours there, and eventually made our way up to the dome to look at the beautiful scenery around Vatican City. Below are a few pictures:

The inside of the dome

The outside of the dome. I went up to the very top! (It was a LOT of stairs and also very claustrophobic.)

It was cloudy in the morning, but the sun finally came out so I could snap this picture of the front of the Basilica before going to lunch.

After some delicious pasta, we were ready to go to the Vatican museum. We went through what felt like hundreds of rooms full of sculptures, paintings, and other various forms of artwork. We easily could have spent the whole day there - maybe even SEVERAL days. It was amazing how much was in the museum.

This is the gorgeous courtyard of the Vatican Museum

Just another casually decorated ceiling... (There were many rooms where everything felt like a piece of art - even the floors!)

The last thing we saw was the Sistine Chapel, and by that point we were so tired that we sat for over a half an hour and stared at the ceiling. It was beautiful, but after hearing about it for years and years it was almost too built-up in my mind for the real thing to satisfy what I had in my imagination. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a very worthwhile experience.

After we were completely through the Vatican Museum we got some more gelato and headed over to the Piazza del Popolo, an old gathering place where public executions used to be held.

In the center is this Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II. In the background are two similarly-constructed churches. 

Me on a fountain at the base of the obelisk

Altar piece inside the Santa Maria del Popolo Church. This is one of the most famous paintings of the Virgin and the child Christ. There were also works by Michelangelo, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures of those...

That evening we ate dinner at a place that was recommended by our hotel owner. When we got there we saw him standing in the restaurant, and after we were seated we heard him ask the waiter in Italian to order us an appetizer and a desert. (This guy was the nicest host I've ever had at a hotel!) He then came over and explained that his son still wasn't feeling well so he had ordered him a pizza. After we had chatted a while, he got his pizza and left us to a fantastic dinner. We left feeling very full and sleepy, and the next morning we woke up to more sunshine!

We attempted to go to the Borghese Gallery, but they are actually quite serious there about people making reservations before they arrive. (Well noted for the next time I go to Rome.) So instead, we wandered back toward Vatican City. We passed by the capital building and this famous bridge.

St. Angelo Bridge

Our last activity in Rome was actually very exciting - we got to see the Pope make a world address! He spoke in many languages and made a different blessing for specific people from each country where that language was spoken. In english he blessed American college students who were studying abroad (that's me!) and it was a really exciting moment to be standing there and watching him - the oldest Pope in history - bless my generation. It was a very spiritual moment, and I'll remember that for a long time to come.

The Pope giving his address! (He's in the open window above the red banner.)

After another quick stop for some gelato, we took the underground back to our hotel. After quick goodbyes to our hosts (who really by that point just felt like a host family) we ran down the stairs and took the a taxi (at the regular price this time) to the airport. I absolutely loved Rome and hope someday to return to see everything that I missed - because, as Rome wasn't built in one day, it's impossible to see everything in one weekend!

10-Day Trip! IRELAND Edition

So, off we are on Thursday morning to Ireland! We took a bus to our hostel and inquired for a good place to go eat lunch after we were settled in. This hostel was the coolest (of the two I've now ever visited) I had ever been in. It was not only spotlessly clean and spacious with a great kitchen and free breakfast, it had fantastic staff, and a great teen hang-out vibe. The front desk people were my favorite, and we were endlessly entertained on our way in and out by their crazy jokes and fun-loving personalities. Our hostel was situated right on the river in the middle of town, and on our first afternoon we were directed up the hill to a burger/fish and chips place that had great 5-Euro lunch specials on Thursdays. It was the first burger I had had since I left the states, and it was DELICIOUS!

This is the Dublin General Post Office - a building I saw on my bus ride to the hostel.

We wandered around for the rest of the day, taking in the city, and finally grabbing a quick dinner and heading to our first activity - the Traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl!

When we arrived, I got my first Guinness (ever)! Hooray! 

We met our two guides/musicians for the evening - Anthony and Eugene, and from that point forward it was one of the most magical evenings I have ever experienced. One of the most important values in my life is that, when you play music, you do it because you want to - because you love it. Not for any other reason. And the Irish have really got that figured out. They play songs they like with people they like because they like to do it. They aren't there to please anyone else. There are countless pubs in Dublin that have tables reserved for musicians who can come and go as they please (and we're talking all ages here) and play whatever strikes their fancy. Businessmen, grocers, and actors alike (I did see a famous actor sing a few songs at a session while I was there! He was great!) I even participated at a few pubs that I went to, and sang a song at each. Some classical, some traditional. Danny Boy is actually not as popular in Ireland as it is in the US, but I had people singing along with me when I had the courage to start singing it one evening.

This is one of the many reasons I am in love with Ireland. Not only are the people friendly and genuinely interested in the well-being of others, the scenery gorgeous, and the history rich, but the musical tradition is fantastic. I want to live there. Someday. For a while.


The next day after the pub crawl, we went on a historical walking tour of Dublin and learned even more about the history of the place.

We saw the Dublin Castle!

This is in the courtyard of the castle. (The statue is Justice.)

Christ Church Cathedral

The Four Courts (Right across from our hostel! It was a great view!)

On Saturday, we took a day trip to Brú na Bóinne - a megalithic site that dates back to before the pyramids! This was a great experience to get out in the country and see some more of Ireland. It's so beautiful there!

A side of "the mound"

The view from the hill

The burial site

The entrance (no pictures were allowed inside)

The burial chamber I visited was formed in a cross shape with three large circular basins inside. These basins could not have been placed there after the enormous structure was built, so it took a lot of planning and architectural know-how to create each one. Not a drop of water has penetrated through the roof since it was built, and the entrance lines up with the sun on the sunrise of the winter solstice. These megalithic people were incredible!

That evening I went to the best bar in Dublin for local live music sessions, and in the morning the three of us girls went shopping for touristy stuff. All in all, a great time, and I can't wait to go back and learn even more about Dublin and the rest of Ireland. I've caught the Irish bug, and now I want more!

With my tin whistle at Gogarty's I had this whistle before I came to Ireland! My lovely mother got it for me :)

Next, I'll be telling you all about my trip to Rome!

10-Day Trip! ENGLAND Edition

At long last – MY TRIP TO ENGLAND AND IRELAND! This post has been LONG delayed for several reasons, and I apologize for keeping you all waiting. My internet server has been down at home, and I’ve not only started school, but come down with yet another cold, and have been incredibly busy. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!

First of all, you may have noticed the name change of my blog. This has been a short time in the making, but I finally decided to change it after realizing that after this post, my adventures I logged here would no longer just be Viennese adventures, but would span Europe! So, I changed the title to a mantra that I have grown particularly fond of since my arrival here in Vienna. Everyone on staff tells you to “squeeze the juice,” or, in other words “make the most of your time in a foreign country,” and I’ve been doing just that! So, new title, same blog, let’s be off to England!

I woke up on Friday the 3^rd of February anxious and excited for the long trip that lay ahead. It was the first trip that I had planned entirely without the help of my parents, and to be honest, really the first trip I had ever planned. Period. The way my family plans trips goes something like this: (And when I say “my family” I really just mean “my mom”)

20 books are borrowed from the library

Multiple maps are borrowed/found

Flights are booked MONTHS in advance

Walking tours are downloaded off iTunes to cut entry costs to major monuments

Rick Steves is worshiped above any other source of information

Though my version was a little (a LOT) more condensed than this, I still managed to plan something to do every day, and book flights soon enough in advance that the prices were still fairly reasonable.

So, off I went with two of my girl friends from my program on a 10-day trip on Friday evening! We flew for about 2 hours and when we reached the airport, took a bus to our first hotel, pictured below:

It had some nice accommodations, and after a good night’s sleep, we were ready to hit up London! We took a train in on the next morning to find our hostel and drop off our minimal luggage (you may have seen the red backpack in the picture above. That’s the only luggage I had with me for 10 days!) and then after we had gotten settled and oriented, we were off to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London! Here are some pictures below:

 The outside of the tower from the Tube stop

Tower Bridge

The skyline across the river - that new building is called the Shard and when it is completed, it will be the tallest building in London.

We took a tour with a Beefeater! These men actually live in the Tower of London with their families and are very “in-character.” They love to dramatize the tours they give and talk about all the gruesome events that took place there over the hundreds of years it’s been open!

The next day, we went to look at platform 9 ¾ and took many touristy pictures (below) and then we were off to the British Museum! It was a VERY cold day, and made me glad that I had remembered to bring my long underwear along. However, this is where I have to explain how I got lost at the museum for 3 hours.

(*Note: This is not the real platform! The real one was under construction when we got there, so we had to take pictures with this one instead. Too bad, but still fun!)

When we arrived, I asked if one of my friends would be willing to carry my backpack for a while because I was carrying some of their things and could use a break for a little while. We went down to the Africa exhibit, and since I wanted to take a little more time to look around, we decided to meet upstairs in the Egypt exhibit. Unfortunately, I underestimated how incredibly large the exhibit would be, AND how crowded it was that day. It was PACKED! And not only were they not where I was expecting them to be, but I wandered around for 45 minutes trying to find them and STILL couldn’t catch a glimpse of them ANYWHERE! Eventually, after running through the exhibits they said they had also wanted to visit that day, I gave up and headed down to the information desk. The conversation I had with the clerk went very much like this:

Me – Hello.

Clerk – How can I help you today?

Me – If you were a lost person, where would you need to go?

Clerk – Anyone in the museum would send you right here to the information desk.

Me – So, say I AM a lost person…

Clerk – and you have no way of contacting the people you were with?

Me – Not only do they have my backpack, coat, and wallet, they also have my phone.

Clerk – Wow. You’re in quite a spot then, aren’t you?

Me – Yeah, so here I am, checking in.

Clerk – (jokingly upbeat) Welcome to the lost and found! Please feel free to take a seat.

Me – grumblegrumble…

And so I sat.

And waited.

And waited.

And sat.

For over an hour.

And finally, when I had gotten so cold I couldn’t stand it any more (because this place has a huge vaulted ceiling and it was a terribly cold day) and I was too hungry to sit and think about it, I went back up to the desk.

Clerk – So they still haven’t come for you?

Me – Nope. Would it be ok if I left my name with you and came back in 45 minutes? I haven’t gotten to see everything I wanted to yet.

Clerk -  Walking around IS more fun than sitting here. Let me get you something to write down your information on. (gets a piece of paper and a pen)

Me – (I write my name down in a childish scrawl because I can’t hold the pen correctly or make my fingers move because I was so cold)

Clerk – (Seeing I have only written down my name) Don’t you have a phone numb- oh, that’s right… See you later, then!

So, I went to see the Rosetta Stone and some other snazzy stuff, and came back in 45 minutes.

Me – They haven’t come looking for me yet, have they?

Clerk – Nope. Sorry.

Me – I’ll just be sitting over here, then…

And I sat some more.

For another 15-20 minutes.

And FINALLY – I SAW THEM! I ran up to them, and this is the conversation that took place:

Me – Hey guys, I need my jacket, gloves, hat, and wallet. I’m STARVING!

Them – Oh my gosh! We were so worried we weren’t going to find you until the museum closed and then we had no idea what we were going to do!

Me – I’ve been sitting at the Information desk where they tell all the lost people to go pretty much ever since you lost me! Didn’t you ask anybody about where you could find a lost person?

They hadn’t, but all ended well and I headed off to the in-museum café to buy myself some lunch and an enormous chocolate muffin. I had had a rough day…

That afternoon we went to the British Library and saw such documents as the original of Handel’s Messiah, a 15^th century King James bible with unicorns depicted in the Garden of Eden, but also the Magna Carta. It was incredibly interesting, and we ended up spending a decent amount of time browsing through the exhibits there.

The next morning we woke up and had plans to go to the Westminster Abbey. We were briefly waylaid because my camera battery had died and I needed to get it recharged. I don’t know how we managed to stumble upon a store that had a “charging fee” where they would charge your camera battery for the price of 15 pounds, but we did! And I got it all sorted out so I could come back in the afternoon to pick it up. Though it was a steep price, it was well worth the money as I had come on the trip not only for the educational and fun experiences, but to also practice photography. In the afternoon, we met up with another friend of ours from IES for lunch and went with her through the Abbey before going that evening to the London Eye. I had picked up my camera, and went a little photo-crazy, but here are some of the highlights from that evening. We also went to a London pub for dinner, and it was some of the best food I had the entire trip!

Big Ben

Clock Face

Across from the Westminster Abbey

The Westminster Abbey

The London Eye as the sun is setting

Me in front of the clock tower!

London skyline at sunset

The London Eye

Nighttime at the Eye

On Tuesday, we went to Buckingham Palace in the morning to meet up with another IES friend and to see the Changing of the Guard. It was a great, relaxing morning, and even though we couldn’t tour the castle because the queen was currently in residence, it was a beautiful day to be outside. After watching the marching and yelling and music playing, we went to lunch at a small pub and then walked to the National Gallery to look around. (And this time I didn’t get lost in the museum! Yay!)

Note the (faux) bear skin hats!

The other band - without the hats.

The National Gallery

Looking out at the square.

Climbing up on this statue was quite a chore! But I got a picture with a lion as a result :)

That evening while my friends went to see a show, I got the great opportunity to go see my family friends who live an hour or two south of London. They live on a small farm and have two boys who are about the same age as my sister and I.

After a short bus ride, I was there! Only the parents were home as the two boys are off at University, but it was wonderful to get to see the two of them. They made me an excellent dinner, and after staying up late and chatting a while, it was time for bed. I woke up early the next morning, and after a quick breakfast, I was off again, back to London.

The last day was kind of a free day, and we did an odd assortment of things. My friends got their hair cut at a train station, and we bought tickets to hear a few bands play at a jazz club in the evening. After we got there, however, we decided instead to go to a bar across the street and to make friends with the people learning how to tie balloon animals. It was an incredibly interesting and fun night getting to know new people, and a great way to say goodbye to London, because the next morning we were off to Dublin, Ireland!

The Phone Booths never get old in London

And neither do the double-decker busses!