There are no kangaroos in Austria

“There are no kangaroos in Austria” is something you’ll see in every tourist shop in Vienna. I found this pretty hilarious because sometimes when someone asked where I was going abroad, they would mix up Austria with Australia. (I’ve also gotten Venice instead of Vienna.)  Apparently it’s a “thing” and happens quite often.  Below is a picture of my friend Myron (who’s originally from Australia) holding a “No Kangaroos in Austria” mug. 

No Kangaroos in Austria

In other news, this weekend was all about getting to know Vienna. Since our school is in prime location and in the First District at the center of everything, it’s literally walking distance from almost every major tourist attraction. 

First stop: Stephansdom.

Stephansdom

This place is GINORMOUS. Supposedly, it’s a law in Vienna that no building can be taller than the South Tower of Stephansdom (about 50 stories high)–which explains the lack of a “skyline” in Vienna. I went to mass here today (all in German–didn’t understand a word), but it was so cool to see all the old Viennese ladies dressed up in their full length mink coats and men in suits–something you won’t find in the U.S. The strangest part was that even though it was 20 degrees outside, they kept the “Giant’s Door” wide open, which brought in a cold draft the entire mass, making the inside of the church colder than the outside. I’m pretty sure I have a cold now because I basically went to mass outside, in the freezing cold. #firstworldproblems. 

Pretty amazing!

Second stop: Bus tour of Vienna. 

IES organized a 3-hour bus tour of Vienna which was a great way to get our bearings on which places to go see and whereabouts they’re located. We got a closer look at the Imperial Palace, the Hofburg Palace, Mozart’s many homes, Schubert’s crib, Beethoven’s place, the UN, the Military Museum and the different districts of Vienna. 

The bus took us out into the 18-20 districts where there are little villages, now part of Vienna, that have their own backyard vineyards and when the weather gets nicer, open up their doors to the Viennese for a night of homemade wine and good conversation.  These cute little wine taverns are called “Heurigans.” (Here’s an idea of what they look like: http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/wine/wine-cellars.) Our guide told us that the taverns make their own wine and when they run out, they close shop. Just like that. Of course, the more touristy ones won’t serve just their own wine, but others’ as well. And in a stern tone told us that “it’s not a place to get drunk.” Noted. 

After the heurigans, we stopped at Hundertwasser’s house–basically a building with no straight lines. 

 

The coolest part about this building is that it has no straight lines. Zero. And Hundertwasser was also a great proponent of nature being integrated into the daily lives of humans. Hence, you’ll see if you look closely, that the building was built around the trees sprouting out and people brushed paint onto the building around the bushes and trees as to incorporate them. Inside, the floors are uneven. The people living inside have a difficult time setting up tables and keeping their refrigerator standing upright because the floors are so uneven. Also, the ground that we walked on was all cobblestone–and surprise, surprise, that was uneven too. This place is so surreal–it’s almost like walking into a Tim Burton universe where everything is just wacky, but that’s what makes it unique. 

Last, we stopped at the Belvedere.

Located about a mile away from our home (Jahngasse), we made one last stop at Schloss Belvedere. This was the “guest house” of Prince Eugene and it took only 2 years to build. If you walk past the building, there’s a beautiful garden with white statues that overlooks the city of Vienna. It was a little foggy when we went, so the view wasn’t that great, but we’ll definitely make a stop again in the spring. 

Things to look forward to this week:

-Hitting up the Imperial Crypt (where the Habsburgs are buried). Might regret this after I visit the crypt. 

-Preparing for the ball. Gathering up last minute accessories for next week’s ball at the Imperial Palace.

-21 birthday. I’ve been promised a proper 21 birthday celebration. 

Until then…

Guten nacht! Auf Wiedersehen! 🙂