My Camera Threw Up...On This Blog

Friday classes are always antsy. I was expecially tired, and it showed. But we had a "substitute" instructor because Antonia could not make it in. She was very outgoing and helpful. She was also more experienced with explaining German to students (she would dramatize certain verbs to give us a better understanding of what they mean.)

After class, the lovely ladies in my DeutschAkademie Klasse were asking me about my stay here in Vienna and when I would return to America. When I explained that I will leave in 7 days, they were all in shock...and so was I. I have been in this city for 21 days, and I am only now beginning to appreciate it, appreciate the culture and the language and the people. Shoot, I thought a month would be excessive. Really, I know I need to return to Europe. I intend to study here for an entire semester junior year. I have to. This has been the greatest, single most important thing that has happened to me. And the cultural immersion and experience has surpassed my expectations. I could rave for hours...

Eunsuk (I just checked the spelling, and I am proud to say that I got it on the first try), from South Korea, told me about Pizza Bizi, an incredibly delicious joint near Stephansdom that I needed to test out. Sure enough, I did- she decided that she, Rita, Helga and I would go there for lunch because everyone- except me- was hungry. So we went and I ordered a slice (which is actually the size of 2 American slices put together...hello, Folger! [IUP]) with pepperoni, ham, onion and cheese. YUM. But I was terribly full.
I had decided prior to class that if rain was nowhere in sight I would visit the permanent art exhibit in Oberes Belvedere. Lucky for me and my sanity, it was sunny for the majority of the afternoon. So I walked to the lovely landmark, purchased a student ticket, and stepped into the overwhelmingly beautiful exhibit.

Three floors of paintings, busts, large-windowed rooms and historical flavor. I could taste and feel the luxury of Oberes Belvedere and every room hit me with a new wave of appreciation. My favorite portions of the collections: Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's "Character Heads" and, of course (not to sound like the typical tourist) Gustav Klimt's various works. I had never been interested in Klimt...and then I got a good look at his works in the Gallery Guide to Belvedere. I was in awe at first glimpse. And "The Kiss" was not my only favored piece (though it ranks at the top-I bought a deck of playing cards displaying this masterpiece.) I also enjoyed his nature-oriented paintings as well. Messerschmidt's "Character Heads" was unlike anything I have ever seen. This collection is so well-known because it was the first to exhibit human facial expressions in an honest, accurate and exaggerated (wow, that was almost a contradiction) way. They appear "exaggerated" because they display every wrinkle and line that the muscles and skin produce when creating a certain expression (e.g. "A Hanged Man") Brilliant and striking, most definitely.

I didn't buy a ticket to the exhibit in the lower half of Belvedere, but I wish I would have because this collection focuses on more contemporary art of the 20th and 21st centuries. I was supposed to go to Donauinselfest with Rita that evening, but we decided against it because Helga backed out and we were somewhat tired and unenthusiastic.

Saturday I took Eunsuk's advice and decided to visit the MAK (Museum fuer Angewandte Kunst/Museum for Applied Art.) On Saturdays the entrance is free, which appealed to me very mush. I was amazed at the variety of art this museum contained. There was porcelain, glass, metal, textile, paint from the Baroque and Renaissance to the 20th and 21st centuries. This was my first real, adult experience with a massive art exhibit, and I know I made the right decision to visit. I thought of my roommate, Alison Terndrup, because I was able to recall endless nights when she would be sitting in the middle of our dorm room floor finishing art projects, many of which accidentally sought to imitate the works house in the MAK.

I'd like this set in my house, mostly because it is vibrant.

Aluminum sofa!

My twin...

Lips. To sit upon. Some call this a sofa.

Need to take a load off?

Cardboard on top. Potential face on bottom.

I like this, a lot.

I would not want to have to blow from those nostrils.

Saturday evening was the big night: Donauinselfest 2009! I woke John from his much-needed (NOT!) afternoon nap. We picked up some treats for Rita and too the U-Bahn to Nussdorfer Strasse to meet her and Helga and Andreas, Helga's brother. We jumped on the jam-packed metro and took it to the station on the insel. What. A. Crowd. It took us at least 10 minutes to get out of the station and into the flow headed into the festival. And then we had to gradually squeeze our way toward the main stage where Snow Patrol would be playing. There were adolescents and adults, couples and rowdy gangs of friends, beer, beer and more beer. Everywhere. But we got ourselves situated before the stage, though we could barely see it. Snow Patrol came on and played "Chasing Cars," "Chocolate," and a few others- the titles have escaped me. They performed rather well, though John did not find them too pleasing. Of course we all needed to go to the bathroom, so the men found simple places to do their business, while Helga, Rita and I had to walk in circles to find Port-a-Pottys. And the two of them didn't even wait in line for one. I decided to wait until we returned to the hostel because I already felt filthy. A pair of young boys attempted to jip an entire line of ladies to go to the bathroom. John and Andreas almost had to get mean with them, and the women at the front of the line cursed at them in both German and English, telling them to "piss on a tree." Amusing, indeed.The group stayed to watch Scooter, a middle-aged man with urine-blonde hair who reached his peak of popularity in the 1990s. I did not care much for his performance, but I did enjoy watching drunken young men dance on top of food trailers, followed by the two Swiss men who hit on Rita and Helga. John and I bailed around midnight so that we would not get caught in the crowd post-Scooter. It took an hour to get to Westbahnhof (30 to actually reach the U-Bahn station!) We went to McDonalds for dinner...er...late night snack. And I stayed awake until 4:00 to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's (I was in need of some comfort, classic and Audrey-style)

Donauinselfest 2009

From upper left: E.T., John, Rita, Andreas and Helga

Rita! She is gorgeous.

This morning, yet another Sunday morning, I woke up after only 6 hours of sleep. So I bought coffee and went outside to read an Austrian newspaper/tabloid. The cover feature was Michael Jackson's death, and I read the article in German (not thoroughly, but I understood enough of it to get a good feel for what happened to him!) That was when I met Jacob, an Austrian only 9 years younger than my parents, who was in the city for the Donauinselfest. He spoke fluent German, and I did my best to keep up. Somehow I ended up telling him that I had yet to visit Schoenbrunn, and that was when he suggested we go. It was drizzling off and on at this point, but I was eager to find something to do with my day. So I agreed and put on a jacket.

Jacob offered to act as my photographer...

View from the front steps of Schoenbrunn. The entire city awaits beyond the gates.

Front steps. Blink!


View over the center of the garden toward Gloriette.

Stunning. To put it simply.

More detail. And look at the hills and clouds.

Massive Fountain No. 2

This made me laugh to myself. Kids in rainboots in a rather large puddle. Oh, and yet another fountain...

Proper German spelling. I don't have an umlaut key.

Random tidbits:

>I was browsing the shoe empire in Humanic. Sara Bareilles came over the radio- "Morning Sicle." It was a profound moment because I had been thinking earlier about how in Vienna the only American music played is the cliche, nauseating pop junk that Americans overplayed three months ago. Way to go, Sara. You do not fit a single one of those negative descriptions. You are true talent, and it's excellent to know that Europeans know and appreciate you.

>Viennese (and I assume European) shoe stores know what's good in fashion. I would prefer to shop in Austria over America ANY day. Everyone here cares about what's on their feet. I have yet to see filthy shoes.

>Michael Jackson passed away on Thursday. On Friday, I passed a bar and guess what was playing on the flat-screen TV? "Beat It." God certainly has an interesting method...Farrah, Ed, Michael. We actually discussed his passing in class. Everyone was in disbelief. I am so proud of my mother for owning his vinyls...and a turn-table on which to play them. I am more proud of my parent's tastes in music. (This blog is turning into Xanga...sorry for deviating from my educational Austrian experiences...)

Some pictures I stole from Helga:

Daniela, our cultural guide! And Rita. Lovely women. Oh, and one element of the Jugendstil tour in the background (Otto Wagner.)

This is the Melange I got at Mocca Cafe next to Naschmarkt. Decor!

I returned to my room after Schoenbrunn to discover a new addition to the 02 club. A young girl was asleepon top of her blankets. I then took a nap as well, waking to the sound of her voice asking John about restaurants. She greeted me with a friendly "hello" and I proceeded to ask her name. "Franka." Lovely! Turns out she is 19, from Berlin, here in Vienna to audition for a role in something Shakespeare. We hunted for dinner together, settling for sushi at Red Bean. Within minutes we were already talking about travel and her life in Berlin as well as her hopes for the future. She is into fashion design and showed me her friend's fashion blog, an incredibly professional site. She loves film, Audrey Hepburn, the idea of the Asian exotic and having a good time. The American Civil War interests her and she wants to travel to see the southern states. Wow, she was endlessly interesting and we had more than a lot in common. Unfortunately, tonight will probably be her only night in the hostel, unless she gets a callback at the theater.

It's always reassuring to meet people so fresh and full of life. It reminds you that you are not alone, that the city is not dead. Franka and I share the same blood- vivacious, eager and passionate.

I only got to know her for 6 hours. But those 6 hours changed my mood.

I have 4 days to savor Wien. I am aching already.