Guten Tag!
This weekend I had the pleasure of taking the train with some friends from Florence to the lovely city of Vienna, Austria!
I was very excited to visit Vienna as I had heard nothing but rave reviews from anyone who had been. I have to say, I was not disapointed!
We were lucky enough to be in the city during the opening weeknd of the Vienna Christmas Markets, which were essentially the happiest places on earth. Different sections of the city put on christmas markets, which include beautiful christmas lights and stands filled with christmas-y trinkets and delicious food and drink! At first I was a little taken aback at how early the Europeans are starting to celebrate the holidays, but then I remembered that they have no benchmark like Thanksgiving to mark the begining of the Christmas season. I can't say I'm mad, however, as anyone who knows me knows that Christmas is my favorite time of year.
In addition to the markets and other essential sightseeing around the city, we also had the opportunity to see the ballet Swan Lake in the famous Vienna Opera House. Although we pre-ordered our tickets, we neglected to notice that they were marked as 'obstructed view' and we therefore were surprised to find that we could see virtually none of the stage when seated in our chairs. fortunately, we were each in the last rows of our respective balconies and were able to stand on our chairs for most of the show. From that vantage point we were able to see almost everything! (well, everything left of center stage, anyway....) Even with the limited view, the ballet was absolutely beautiful and truly a once-in-a-lifetime event (I find myself saying that a lot on this blog.. hmm....). I used the intermission time wisely and tasted my first glass of Austrian wine as well as a delicious Austrian chocolate-cake-candy-type substance. Delicious.
attempting to be classy at the Ballet.
All of these experiences made the 11-hour each way train ride seem completely worth it, although we did run into a little trouble on the way home with a woman who insisted on taking up 2 and a half seats in a very full compartment and putting her feet on my friend Erica's head. Luckily we managed to find an empty compartment a few stops later, but part of me really hopes that woman accidentally slept through her stop. Karma can be tough! :-) Despite all this, riding the train really made us feel like backpackers and helped us relate to all the stories our parents have told us about their own experiences in travelling Europe. Very cool.
In all, it was another great weekend, and definately one I won't soon forget. This weekend we are off to Rome with API, our study abroad program. It will be my 3rd trip to Rome (maybe it's time to stop throwing coins in the Trevi fountain??) but nonetheless I am VERY excited.
Ciao for now (ooh! that rhymes!)
Liz
No comments:
Post a Comment