Me, Kate (our director's daughter) and Becca imitating some art we saw.
I've waited too long to blog again, so it's going to be another one of those hitting the highlights posts.
- On Monday Becca and I discovered the wonder of Viennese coffee shops. You can buy one hot cocoa and stay for four hours. And it is warmer than our school, so we did our homework there.
- We gave the Staatsoper a try this week. We saw Andrea Chenier, which is a love story set during the French Revolution. Like I said before, I'm more of an orchestra or ballet girl, but it was pretty amazing to see an opera. We did standing tickets and I learned that I can sleep while standing. Also I felt hot (temperature) for the first time since I arrived in Austria.
- There is nothing more beautiful than a European city covered in a sparkly blanket of fresh snow. Which is what we found when we left the opera on Monday.
- Haydn has positioned himself for one million hilarious jokes to be made about his name. Did you know that his head was missing from his body for 200 years after he died. They couldn't find it because it was Hadyn (hiding...get it?). But really, that's a true story...a crazy doctor stole it before his funeral so that he could study the brain of a genius.
Becca and me in front of the Esterhazy palace.
- Sometimes it is more fun and important to play in the snow than to get to a museum before it closes.
Outside the church where Haydn is buried.
- You know you've come a long way in life when -4°C feels warm.
- On Friday night Becca and I went with Sarah, a music student from New Zealand who also lives in our house, to a poetry reading at an English book store. The three poets were from America and it was fun to bond with non-tourist Americans. Also, the poetry was good. My favorite poet who read was Rebecca Farviar. Check her out.
- The oldest church in Vienna, Ruprechtskirche, is open on Friday nights from 9 PM to midnight for people who need a moment of peace and quiet. It is right around the corner from the book store, so we rested for awhile there and I loved it. Such a nice contrast from the huge, ornate chapels and cathedrals (which are also beautiful).
Inside Ruprechtskirche
- We also went to the Hofburg Treasury on Friday. They had a reliquary containing the tooth of John the Bapitist. Love that. Also, a nice little cradle for Napoleon's baby.
- My hair has one of three options on any given day: Curly and down, brushed all to one side with a couple bobby pins in it (my current favorite) or a frizzy ponytail/bun.
- Yesterday morning we had breakfast with Norbert and Liesl and some of their children and their families. It was their daughter's birthday, so breakfast ended with poppyseed chocolate cake (my new favorite) and a toast (Becca and I were served lemon soda to toast with). I think every breakfast should end this way.
- Skyped with Lolo during a homework break yesterday. Best ever.
- Last night Norbert showed us his yearbook from the year he spent in Libertyville, Illinois. Based on the messages in it, he was a total ladies man, which surprises no one.
- Norbert and Liesl taught us how to play Bridge last night, which means that dreams do come true. Only it's really hard.
- Liesl compared her old shriveled biological apples to men in a useful allegory. She said even though the outside is soft and wrinkely, the inside is still sweet and good. If we find a man like that, we should keep him, just like she keeps the apples.
- Today after church, we took the bus up to Kahlenburg again and walked down. It was gorgeous and picturesque and wonderful. And not too cold.
Leopoldsburg from the walk down the hill.
- Nutella has made a very big comeback in my life. You know you have a problem when you've made it a personal mission to find something that doesn't taste better with a little bit of Nutella on top. I'm still searching. And trying to quit.
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