Sit on a Train for 12 Hours

You haven't traveled in Europe until you've taken a train somewhere. You REALLY haven't traveled Europe until you take a train ride for 12 hours. Well, 15 hours total.

Part of the IGE program includes a travel excursion to some unusual place in Europe. How unusual? Ever heard of Sarajevo, Bosnia? If you answered yes, you're probably thinking "That's where they held a winter Olympics in the 1980's" or "That's where the Arch-Duke of Austria was shot to start WWI" or "That's the city that was under siege in the 1990's" or "That's where Hillary Clinton was attacked by snipers... oh, wait."*

Anyway, IGE took the whole group on a trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia. More on the city later. This entry is focused on the train ride.

Take a 12 hour train ride. I know it sounds brutal, but it really isn't that bad. You have lots of time to catch up on sleep, talk to people, read, and listen to music. Besides, taking a train to Bosnia is an adventure in itself.

First of all, you get lots of Passport stamps. Yes, this does mean having to deal with the often less than friendly border control people, but it's totally worth it to get the stamps. Really... European passport stamps are pretty rare today because the EU allows you to go from country to country without giving you a stamp. So, if you're having a stamp withdraw, go to Bosnia. I think I got 4 each way.

Also, only on a train through Croatia and Bosnia just simply disconnect the last car and still let the back door work. This means that you can open the back door and have access to the tracks the train just traveled on. It's like being in a Wild West movie.

*IGE accepts all people, regardless of their political affiliation.

The Praterdom

Vienna has its own amusement park, home to the famous Praterstern. The amusement park is like an American amusement park, only you do not have to pay for an entrance fee. Instead, if you desire to go on a ride, you pay for each... roller coasters a la carte, so to speak. It is decorated in a way that resembles an old American amusement park from a different decade.

In the middle of the amusement park is a club called the Praterdom. It is a relatively new club that features different rooms. Each room has a different theme and plays different music.

Be a Tourist: go to the Praterdom. It is a very fun club right in the middle of Vienna's amusement park. It's a great way to kick off a weekend!

Go to Hiembar

Once the Austrian and European students start arriving for school, the Europahaus puts on a party every Wednesday in the basement of the dorm called Heimbar. Starting at about 9 or 10 PM, all the students in the entire building make their way downstairs and hang out together. At any given time, there are between 50-100 students all in the basement hanging out, dancing, and having a beer.

Go to Heimbar. Heimbar is a great way to meet new people in the Europahaus because you see people from everywhere. Additionally, they usually have some type of theme such as "Oktoberfest." And, it is a great thing to do mid-week because you don't have to go all the way into town.

Monday Night Football

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL???

We were. More specifically, we were ready for the Packers-Vickings Monday Night Football Game staring Brett Favre vs. Former Team.

Ok, this story gets a little better. First of all, I've always liked Brett Favre. In my book, he's my favorite quarterback after John Elway, and I have been rooting for him to win another Super Bowl for years. Before he retired the first time. And, while I like Green Bay, since I'm not really a Packers fan, I was mad when they wouldn't let him come back. I'm a players fan, so I follow players around. In other words, I root for Brett.

Lauren is from Wisconson, and has more state pride than anyone I've ever met. Not only does she like Miller and the Brew Crew, she loves the Green Bay Packers. And, apparently, now hates Brett Favre. He's a traitor who should have retired... I have trouble understanding this anger, but she was told me that in Wisconson life revolved around #4 and then he left to their rivals. I guess that would have been like if John Elway had gone to play for the Raiders after winning the Super Bowl for us in Colorado...

Brent is from Minnesota and is one of the biggest sports fans I've ever seen. He's excited for the Twins-Tigers play-in game tonight, always goes to Champions Sports Bar, and bought a hockey jersey when we went to the Vienna capitals game.

So, the three of all really wanted to watch this game. But, the problem is, Monday Night Football starts at 2:30 AM Vienna time. No sports bar is open that late in Vienna. Luckily, Dr. Kevin saved the day by letting us use his slingbox. The slingbox is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Basically, I was controlling Kevin's TV in Denver from my computer in Vienna. So, we set up my laptop in one of the lounges, and turned Kevin's TV on to ESPN for a while. Game on!

IGE Secret: you can watch a rival Monday Night Football game in the middle of the night. You seem to appreciate doing things when it's a lot harder. That being said, watching this game was as intense and fun as watching the Super Bowl. Not only was the game itself really fun to watch, but it was fun being in a room with people rooting for both teams. We were yelling at each other, yelling at the computer, hollering, and probably being too loud for 2:30 AM. Add the Brett Favre Drama to the game, and it was great entertainment - especially when Brett still had it and Brett's Packer replacement Rogers, well, didn't.

Vikings won 30-23. Favre is still better than Rogers. And, we're all still friends. Brent made Lauren breakfast today.

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah, Brett!

Go Cake Testing

Kuchen und Kaffee is a great plan in Vienna. Seriously - if there are two things Vienna does right it's coffee and cake.

We haven't gone to the famous Sacher Hotel yet, but we did go to a little cafe on the Ring Strasse to have some cake.

Tip: go cake testing. No matter where you go, if they have cake, it will be good. Each cafe probably has at least 1/2 dozen different types of chocolate cake. The cafe we went to had several dozen types of chocolate cake. Try a slice, try two, try three, whatever. They are not so expensive in the little cafes, and really good. You'll be happy when you leave.

Go to Champions Sports Bar

I love the Super Manning Brothers. Jay Cutler may be a baby, but he's still fun to watch. I love watching the Chargers choke and the Raiders fans dress up. I still laugh every time something doesn't go Jon Gruden's way. John Elway is still the best quarterback ever, but Brett Favre is still a close second. If any of this means anything to you, you probably will miss the NFL as much as I do.

Luckily, Vienna has solved the NFL problem. Actually, more specifically, the Marriott in Vienna has solved the NFL problem - one of the many reasons they are my favorite hotel chain. In the lobby of the hotel is an American sports bar called Champions.

If you need a Peyton Manning Fix: go to Champions Sports Bar on Sunday to watch the NFL live. It's a pretty fun place to go. They have amazing burgers and nachos (they are a little pricey, but totally worth every Euro cent) and European beer - that's a better combo than an ESPN ad staring Eli and Peyton. They have TVs everywhere showing different sports, and many of them are dedicated the NFL game. The only catch (or incomplete pass) is they only show one game at a time, and it's usually the Patriots, Jets, or Bears games. I've seen the Chargers, Steelers, Giants, and the Colts a few times, but not as much as the other three. Occasionally, you'll see the other teams, but it's usually only if they're playing an East Coast team or if it's a rival game. In other words, you don't see the Broncos very often.

But, other than that, it's great. You're watching football live on either CBS of Fox. And, you can tell your daddy, uncles, and friends, "Just remember that when I'm watching the exact same football game as you, at the exact same time as you, on the exact same channel as you, I'm drinking better beer than you."

Find a Book... in English

Train rides can be long. Subway rides can be long. Sitting in your room can be long. Sometimes, you just need a book.

This past week, Skyler and I went around the city looking for books in English. Finding them is actually easier than you might think. There are several bookstores in Vienna that sell at least a few English books.

Tip: find a book to read. It is possible to do so in this city at a reasonable price. They usually charge the USD price in Euros, so you're just paying exchange rate... I know, this can be an "ouch." However, I have found some useful books:

1. British Harry Potter hardcover first editions for 11 Euros - one advantage to everyone not speaking English is you can find rare books for cheap

2. The Historian for 3 Euros - it's $20 USD

3. The new Dan Brown book... score.

Catch Up with Some Old Friends

One of the great things about the Deutschkurs (German Course) IGE has you take is it is run through an independent company. This means that other people take the German course, as well.

Last year, when I took the course, I met three Korean students who are in Vienna studying music. We became friends and hung out a few times after class last year.

Take time to catch up with some old friends. My friends from the Deutschkurs called me, and we all went out to dinner to catch up with each other. This is one of the great things about this city. People don't seem to forget you, and they are excited to see you. Also, it's a great city to make friends in while you're studying abroad.

Go to Oktoberfest!

Everyone who likes beer at all should probably go Oktoberfest in Munich at some point in their life. And, when you study abroad in Vienna, it's pretty easy to do so. While I didn't attend this year, I went last year and several of the students in our group went this year.

You can catch an early morning train out of Vienna, show up in Munich at about 11 AM, hang out at the festival all day, and then either spend the night or catch a late train back to Vienna.

Oktoberfest is one of the only things in that I have experienced that lives up to the hype. It is a ton of fun to sing German folk songs to a live band, drink really good beer, eat a pretzel that is literally bigger than your face, and meet people from around the world.

This year's group did something kind of unique and bought costumes. They went to thrift stores and bought Austrian/German style clothing. It was very fun to see them all dressed up.

You should definitely go to Oktoberfest. But, if you do, there are ground rules...

However, please follow Kevin's Top 10 Rules to Oktoberfest Happiness. Seriously, they are words to live by:

Kevin's Top 10 Oktoberfest Keys to Happiness

10. Embrace bavaria, lederhosen and all.
9. Avoid the Curry Wurst - no seriously - nothing good ever came of the mixture of beer and Curry Wurst.
8. Just say no to Candied Almonds - you'll thank me later
7. Roller coasters should be ridden upon arrival or not all - again nothing good ever came of the mixture of beer and roller coasters.
6. The beer maids will never cut you off - they will call the Polizei to haul your ass away long before they stop serving you.
5. Learn the songs and sing along - nothing like it in the world.
4. Bring cash - Bavarians don't drink beer on credit.
3. Just say yes to the very very large yummy pretzels. Consume with abandon.
2. Those really are ONE LITER beers... Those really are ONE LITER beers...
1. No more than ONE LITER an hour if you are over 150 pounds and ONE LITER every TWO hours if you are less than 150 pounds. Think of it like the beer version of a speed limit.

Tour Parliament

Dr. Werner Michler, our literature professor, is probably one of the most well-read people I've ever met. Not only is he an expert in Central European literature, but he also knows every English speaking author we like.

Anyway, part of his class consists of learning how the Austrian government has worked throughout history. He thinks it is essential to understanding some of the context for Central European literature. So, for class one day, he decided to take the group on a guided tour through Austrian Parliament on the Ring Strasse.

Thing 48 to Do While Studying in Vienna: take a tour of the parliament building. It is definitely worth seeing. Throughout the building, different sculptures of Roman and Greek Gods decorate the hallways. They all represent different governmental ideals such as wisdom.

One of the halls is called the "Marble Room" and it is a room made completely out of marble. There are giant red marble columns that weigh 16 tons each.




Additionally, you also get a good look at the Former House of Representatives Chamber. It was the first chamber built for the new House of Representatives by the Emperor. The room is very historic, and it is not used very often today because it lacks modern computer plug-ins. However, there was a time when it was a very busy room. Our tour guide told us that the original representatives spoke about 14 different languages, and the people who spoke German were at an advantage. In order to combat this, politicians would bring in musical instruments and play very loudly so representatives couldn't hear each other. I get that this city really likes and appreciates music, but this might have even crossed the Viennese level of tolerance...

Visit the Hofburg Theatre

The Hofburg Theatre is one of the most beautiful buildings on the Ring Strasse. It is located across from the Rathaus.

Take a second to pause and really look at the buildings. One of the things I noticed about being back this second time in Vienna was I never really stopped to closely examine all the buildints in Vienna. It would be a mistake to not spend the time to look at things because so much detail and thought goes into each building. There are words, symbols, statues, and pieces of art all over the buildings that you'd miss if you just glanced at them but are in plain sight if you take a second to stop.

The Hofburg Theatre is one of those buildings. I used to think it was kind of plain and only mildly interesting. However, I came to realize that there are lots of interesting things on it. The outside is decorated with statues of famous play writers including Shakepseare and Goethe. Additionally, there are beautiful statues on the top of it. It is actually quite a unique looking theatre.

Take a Dip in the Gellert Baths

Budapest is famous for its Turkish baths and bath houses. There are several scattered throughout the city, but one of the most famous ones is the Gellert Baths.

The Gellert Baths are located in the Gellert Hotel, which is right at the base of the Freedom Bridge on the Buda side of the river. The baths are in this beautiful building with giant columns and statues. There are four main baths: two inside and two outside. Two of the baths are like swimming pools and two of them are like hot tubs.

Relaxation 101: take a swim in the Gellert Baths. It will be one of the nicest pools you ever swim in.

Hold a $10,000 Bill

Ok, it's technically not $10,000... it's 10,000 Hungarian forints. And, don't get too excited. 1 Hungarian forint is equal to .005 USD. That's 1/2 a penny, folks. Talk about inflation. So anyway, you go to an ATM and it spits out 1000, 5000, and 10,000 bills. Oh, and they're in pretty colors. It's too easy to look at it and go, "Monopoly Money!"




We discovered the amazing Hungarian forint this weekend when six of us took a trip to Budapest, Hungary. Budapest is a great weekend trip from Vienna because it's only 3 hours away by train. It was the Hapburgs vacation hangout, and it was our vacation hangout for the weekend, too.



Now before you ask why we were hanging out in "Eastern Europe" look at the pictures.










Perfect 70 degree weather right on the beautiful Danbue River. It seriously doesn't get much better than this.


Challenge: use some Hungarian currency. This means you have to go to Hungary. Budapest is a great city because it's foreign enough to feel like an adventure, but still feels like civilization. What I mean by this is, getting to your hotel is a challenge because everything is in Hungarian, the metro looks 30 years old, and it's difficult to navigate the city, but once you get to the hotel, it's a Marriott with a river view.

Budapest is divided into two sides: the Buda side and the Pest side with the river running in between them. Not only does it make the city very easy to navigate, but it also divides things up in a logical way.

The Buda side is located on green, rolling hills that tower up above the river. At the top of the hill sits a Hapsburg Palace that is now an art museum. Built in the typical Hapsburg way, it is like a smaller version of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. Additionally, there is a beautiful church, a famous bath house, and several monuments to look at on the Buda side.

Across the river is Pest. The most famous building on the Pest side is the Parliment building, which has a giant red dome. Additionally, there are several restaurants on this side, and it is fun to sit on the river and enjoy the scenery. Another important aspect of Budapest is the bridges that cross the river. It seems like every bridge is important for some reason.

The most famous bridge is the Chain Bridge, or the stone one with lions guarding the entrances. Further down you can see the white Elisabeth Bridge, named after the Austrian Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) who the Hungarians loved, and the green Freedom Bridge.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, we really don't know exactly how many dollars we spent. But, a good way to estimate it is, take off the last 2 zeros and divide by two. So, if you have 1000 forints, you have about $5...

Kunsthistorisches Museum

We have class in the most beautiful building in the world. Really. It's too bad I don't have pictures of said beautiful building, but I'll post some soon.

Art History class is usually held in our teacher's living room. However, many of our classes meet in one of the musuems around Vienna because our art history teacher believes, "It is better to look at the originals than the photocopies." I see her point... especially when Vienna is home to an art collection that I believe rivals Paris and Florence.

The Hapsburgs had a lot of money and really liked to collect stuff. Additionally, they put more of an emphasis on culture than enlightenment (to keep their throne), and as a result, ended up with a private art collection that makes up a quality musuem. I'd say, you're not doing shabby when you have one of the 36 surviving Vermeers in your personal collection. Not bad at all.

The museum has several different wings. One wing is a collection of ancient artwork that has artifacts from Egypt, Rome, and Greece on display. Upstairs, they have a wings for both the Italian Renaissance and the Nothern Renaissance.

Tip: visit the Kunsthistoriches Museum. It's an amazing place to have class - how often do you get to look at an original Rafael and have an expert explain it to you? Art History class in Vienna is something very unique and special because you have an art expert showing you some of the most important pieces of artwork in the world. You couldn't pay for a tour guide as good as our art history teacher.

Walk Down Kolhmarkt

I said walk, not shop. Kohlmarkt is a street in the first district of Vienna (right in the center of the city near St. Stephen's Dom) that has all the bling.

On a street that is literally about one city block, there is a Mont Blanc, Cartier, Escada, Hermes, Burberry, Giogrio Armani, Versace, Dolce and Gabanna, Tiffany and Co., Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Gucci, Chanel, and a Valentino. It figures that the Hapsburg's palace would be at the end of it.

So, it's fun to walk down the street and see the new Rolex watches, laugh at the prices, etc. They change the windows almost daily.

Stroll down Kohlmarkt. If anything, it's worth it to go down the street to get to the Damel chocolate store, Vienna's most famous chocolatier.

Siebensternbrau

Group dinner at the Siebensternbrau is always fun because there are several different beer choices all brewed at the restaurant.

Dr. Pfabigan took us to dinner again, as Kevin is still hanging out in the big red, white, and blue. He sat around with us and told us his daily interesting facts of information that you didn't know were essential to your happiness. I'm being completely serious. Dr. Pfabigan knows so much about everything that his "random tidbits" are usually not only interesting, but also useful.

Try the Siebensternbrau. The beer is good, and apparently you can order boar. Logan ordered a plate of boar to try something new. Don't worry, though... if you're not into strange foods, they still have excellent schnitzel.

Shop at Mueller... The Austrian "Target"

It's definitely a Target and not a Wal-Mart - they sell Chanel.

But, once you get past the initial rows of designer perfumes, Mueller is like an Austrian version of Target with lots of interesting shampoos, soaps, foods, drinks, notebooks, etc. for cheaper prices than other stores.

And, more importantly, they take Visa credit cards. Finding a place in Austria that will take a credit card is trickier than you would think.

Tip: shop at Mueller. It's convenient.

Lose Money and Gain Weight

Let's just be realistic about this ....

Be patient - I swear this has a point.

We're at the point of the trip where the girls are staring to complain their jeans are a little tight and everyone is groaning when they check their bank accounts.

Learn some life tricks. If you're like me, you live your life under the philosophy of "1 Euro is always = to 1 US dollar and calories don't count in Europe." If you're not like me you've probably already seen the glaring holes in my logic.

Ok, apparently vacation time is over, and I, as well as the other IGErs have to come out of dreamland and realize that a 1 Euro Cheeseburger at McDonalds is not equivlant in price or calories to the Dollar Cheerburger. The exchange rate is close to 1.5 and the calorie rate is, well...

Anyway, the point of this entry is, in order to study abroad, you have to learn some tricks that make living in a foreign city possible. Let's tackle the money issue first. If you were to study somewhere like Paris or Rome, this might be a more problem because these two cities are really expensive without the exchange rate problem. Vienna, however, is actually fairly cheap if done right. Don't get me wrong, you can (I have) spent a fortune in this city. But, you can live here for cheap...

For example, instead of paying to enter every single museum, wait until you see what excursions IGE has set up. Chances are, IGE is already taking you to the museum. Want to see a concert? Ask for a student rate - you can sometimes get the best seat in the house for under 25 Euros. Drink Viennese coffee instead of Starbucks (I went an entire month without the stuff). Stop eating out every night. Grocery stores here in Vienna are 30-40% cheaper than they are in the US, and the food is usually fresher.

This also helps with the calorie dilemma. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables at the store helps a lot. Cooking in general helps a lot. And the last, and probably hardest one, limiting the chocolate consumption. (I know, "Calories don't count in Europe" is more fun.)

Also, everything in Vienna is walking distance apart, so instead of riding the subway or steet car, you can walk. Not only do you help burn off some of that schnitzel, but you also see some really cool buildings. Score.

Anyway, the point of this entry is Vienna is a very livable European city, making it a great place to study abroad.

Visit the Composers

Brahms

Schubert

The Greatest Composer Ever - AKA Mozart

That other guy...

You know what I love about Vienna? The Viennese worship their composers like Americans worship Hollywood stars.

That being said, you can actually visit the composers... or what's left of them. Which isn't much, I'm guessing. Ok, all humor aside, you can actually take a trip out to the Zentralfriedhof (Central GraCemetary) and visit the gravestones of some of the greatest composers of all time.

If you love music and happen to be in Vienna: Say hi to Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, and Schubert. Last Sunday, Erik, Skyler and I made a visit out to the Zentralfriedhof to see the gravestones of the composers. The cemetary is pretty far out of the center of the city. You have to take the U3 line to the end (Simmering) and then take a Strassenbahn a few stops down.

Once you get there, the cemetary is huge. In fact, it has multiple gates. We got off at Tur 2 (Gate 2), and just walked around. Somehow, we walked off the main road, and ended up walking a few miles looking for the graves of the composers. We ended up reaching Gate 1.

But, this was ok. Getting lost in the Viennese Zentralfriedhof is really interesting. We crossed through a Jewish section and a WWII Russian Memorial section. There are also several old graves and you can see the names of important Viennese families throughout the cemetary.

Anyway, we eventually went back to Gate 2 and walked down the main road. Right on the left is a small semi-circle where the graves of Strauss, Brahms, and Beethoven all sit. In the middle is a memorial to Mozart (his real bones are thrown somewhere under a street in an unmarked mass grave... poor Wolfe). It's pretty cool to see where these men are all burried, especially since they all have a remarkable, lasting impression on this city.

Take a Caribbean Vacation

Best Saturday ever in Vienna.

First of all, the weather was gorgeous. Blue skies, not a cloud in sight. It was about 75 degrees all day with very low humidity. This is pretty much perfect weather for Vienna.

We decided not to waste the beautiful weather, so we went to the Donauinsel, an island right on the Danabue River. After walking around a bit, we found this bar built right over the water. It had some type of Caribbean/Mexican/Cuban/Tropical theme.

Save on Travel: take a vacation in the city. We literally felt like we had left the city because it was so warm and we were sitting in an outdoor bar on the water drinking cocktails like mojitos, margaritas, and pina coladas.

After we were done having our Caribbean happy hour, we then went and jumped on these trampolines. The trampolines were awesome because the beds were right over the river... if they broke, you'd fall in. It was so much fun to do some backflips.

Technical Art Museum

IGE Class Example: visit the Technical Art Museum. For Art History class, we have some of our classes in various art museums around the city. This week, we visited the Technical Art Museum with Magda Pfabigan, our teacher.

The museum featured different furniture from different time periods. We saw some cabinets from the Dark Ages, followed by some pieces from the Baroque and Classical periods. We also saw several chairs and furniture from the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of it looks like stuff that you see in sitcoms about the American life in the 1940's, but it is apparently important to Austrian history.

Tim McGraw in the Vienna

Ok, this entry isn't all that serious. There are quite a few people in this group that really like country, and we often play it in the kitchen when we're all eating dinner together. It's pretty funny hearing Tim McGraw in Vienna.

For social interaction: Go to the kitchen at night. The kitchen at dinner time is probably one of my favorite parts of the day because everyone gets together. Everyone brings their dinner down, and usually in small groups, everyone cooks what they want to eat that night. Everyone sits around the table and talk, catch up, hang out, drink beer and wine, help each other cook, and blast country music from a laptop. It is a great bonding opportunity, and it is sometimes the only time of the day I see everyone.

Learn Something Really Interesting

Ok, this is a study abroad program, so we do have to go to class. But, the classes here are fairly interesting, especially if you want to know something about Central Europe.

Since I played classical piano through high school, I always was interested in why Vienna was such a big center for classical music. Dr. Pfabigan had the answer in one of his Art and Nation classes.

School Time: Learn something that interests you. I leanred something this week that no one in the US could ever explain to me: Why was Vienna such a big center for classical music?

Apparently, in Europe, there were two different tracks countries followed. There was the normal path an the "Special Path of Thought." The normal path was the path the countries like England and France followed, and the special path was what Germany and Austria followed. Basically, before 1300, there was no concept of "nation" or "nationalism" in Europe. However, after the 800 year war (which ended in the 1300's), a successful Protestant split, middle class revolutions (French Revolution), and intellectual enlightenment (Renaissance), the middle class had a lot more "power" and acted more like individual nations. This basically led to more industrial countries trying to move forward, and countries like France and England valued the industrial and political life more towards the 18th Century.

By the time the Baroque period hit Europe, France and England had gone through basic transformations where the industrial middle class was doing more than they had in the past. However, Vienna was the center of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Hapsburgs weren't so keen on the idea of making a "nationalized" nation state. Why rule one country when you can have an empire? So, as a result, there was this attitude in Vienna that culture and art serves a special place, ie "France and England may have revolutions but we have the culture." To the people in Vienna, culture was more important than "civilization" (politics) because to them, politics was a bunch of lies. In other words, in order to keep their power, the Hapburgs downplayed the revolutions and stressed culture.

One of the consequences of this stress on culture was at about the time when music started getting good (the Baroque period) the idea of culture was central to the Viennese lifestyle. As a result, composers could come to Vienna and get better status, better audiences, and better wages than anywhere in the more industrialized Europe. Austria was backwards in the industrial sense, but they made better instruments. This is why Bosendorf and Steinway both started in the Holy Roman Empire.

Thank you, Dr. Pfabigan.

Eat at Bamboo

Every week, IGE has a group dinner. Now that Professor Dr. Archer, aka our director Kevin, has settled us in and gone back to the United States, Dr. Pfabigan has now taken over. (Don't worry, when he leaves us, he leaves us in very good hands who can solve anything... literally.) Anyway, Dr. Pfabigan now takes us out to dinner once a week, and this week, he took us to an Asian restaurant near his apartment called Bamboo.

Take advantage of the all you can eat, Asian buffet at Bamboo. Apparently, this restaurant is a favorite of the guys because there is no way that you can leave hungry. There are four stations: the Chinese station, the sushi station, the Mongolian BBQ station, and the ice cream station. The food was amazing, and everyone loaded up their plates sky high with food.

Make a New Friend

The Europahaus, where we live, is great because it has community kitchens. As a result, you end up meeting a lot of the Europeans that also live here. They are very friendly, and always willing to include the Americans in their activities. It is not uncommon to see IGE students playing soccer, cooking, getting German homwork help, or going out at night with some of the Europeans. Apparently, this is somewhat unique for a study abroad program. In many of the bigger study abroad programs, you live will all Americans, and this makes it harder to meet and friend Europeans. Another problem students on other programs have is they live in self contained apartments, so they don't share common spaces with the Europeans. IGE is great because there are enough Americans around where you feel comfortable, but you have to leave your room to eat and hang out, so you will meet Europeans. Additionally, the Europeans in the Europahaus are extremely friendly.

Want to Meet Europeans? Make a new friend at the Europahaus. This week, a new student named Stefan moved in. We met him in the kitchen while making dinner one night. He's from Salzburg, and he has come to Vienna to study. It is cool to meet people like Stefan because he does not know a lot of English, and it is a great opportunity to practice your German. Additionally, Stefan will probably live in the Europahaus for a few years, and he, like many of the other students who live here, will become a friend of IGE. This means that when Americans from IGE come in the future, they will be quick to include them and help make sure they have a good time.

Vienna Capitals Game

This year's IGE group has several hockey fans, and since we are far away from both DU Hockey and the NHL, we compensated by going to a hockey game in Vienna.

Sports in Vienna: Go to a Vienna Capitals game. The Vienna Capitals are Vienna's professional hockey team. Last Sunday, we went as a group to one of the first home games of the season. It was a lot of fun. The ice rink itself was huge, but the stadium was smaller; it might have even been smaller than Magness Arena at the University of Denver. However, it didn't seem small because the fans are nuts. On each end of the rink, they had standing room only, and this is apparently where the hard core fans hang out. They had cheers and chants for everything. We tried to learn some of them, but it was difficult because they were in German.

The game itself was slightly different than American hockey. While it is the same idea, European hockey focuses more on speed, skating, and shooting. Therefore, we saw less hitting but better shooting than in the US.

Also, on a funny side note, between every period during the 15 minute break, the entire stadium emptied out because everyone left to stand on the deck and smoke. It was quite comical to see everyone rush for the exit after every period to go smoke.

Schoenbrunn Palace!

A Great Thing to do in Vienna: Spend a nice day in the Schoenbrunn Gardens. A fun thing to do while the weather is still good is to go visit the gardens at the Schoenbrunn Palace. The Schoenbrunn is the Hapburg's summer palace. I know.... I would like to have a summer house bigger than the University of Denver, too. The gardens in the back are absolutely beautiful. They trim their hedges perfectly, put their flowers in patterns, and put the clearest water in the fountains.

A short walk up the hill leads to a different building from the palace. It's kind of like a pavillion, and it gives you a great view of the gardens and the city.

Another fun activity in the gardens is the maze. It's a hedge maze/labrynth Harry Potter style that you have to make your way through. So, you walk around lost while Austrians stand on a deck above you and laugh at you. Lauren, Morgan, Noah, and I decided to go on this adventure, and we definitely made a few wrong turns.

HELP!!!! We're lost.

Visit a Heuriger

Ok, I'll let you in on a secret. Vienna and Austria has amazing wine... you just never get it in the US because the Austrians literally drink almost all of it.

It's that time of the year where people are trying to enjoy those last few days of the summer sun and good weather before it disappears. The Wieners come out to these wine heurigers, which is like a garden where you sit a picnic table and they bring you wine in pitchers. They are located on the outskirts of the city, and you can see the vinyards on the hill above the city. You see the locals out to try the year's wine, sit outside, and enjoy each other's company. In fact, it's a fairly pleasant way to spend the evening.

Enter a the Americans. Well, we probably didn't ruin anyone's night, but I would say the garden got a louder. However, a good time was had by all, and it was a great experience to try the local wine.

Tip: Try the Viennese Wine. I hear it's Vienna's best kept secret.

Go to Twins Pub

Ein Groesser Bier, bitte!
The Girls

C-Wayne's Last Night

There are lots of great hang out spots in Vienna, and one of our favorites is the Twins Pub. Twins is great because it's close the the Europahaus (where we live), and it is easy to get to. We just take the Strassenbahn down a few stops, and we're there.

The Twins Pub is a fun bar/lounge where it is is easy to meet people, hear live music, occasionally karaoke (we'll have to do this), and grab a beer. We come here a few nights a week just to hang out and chat.

Dance at the Twins Pub. Twins also brings in live music. The live music can be a lot of fun, especially when the band performs American covers. Last night, this group played some American songs, so Lauren, Morgen, Bonny, and I took a spin around the dance floor. The band saw us, so they tried to play songs we'd like, including "Summer of 69." This was extremely funny because we were the only ones who knew the song, so we were belting it out while the Europeans looked at us like we were nuts.

Eat Schnitzel From a Sword

For group dinner this week, Kevin took us to a restaurant called the Centimeter II. It's a fun place because they measure food in centimeters.

It is a really great place for group dinners because they serve massive amounts of schnitzel and pork chops on a sword. It's like medeival version of shish kabob. It also comes with fries, chicken wings, and chili.

It's pretty funny to order three of these because they take forever to cook. In the meantime, you can order a "Meter" which is a a sampling of beer that comes one a meter long board. This would have been very excellent except the waitress spilled beer on one of the students. Poor, Dean. By the time the food comes everyone is starving and they attack the food.

Something Your Mother Would Say is Bad Manners: Eat schnitzel off a sword at the Centimeter. Great times, great group activity, and great food.

Sending a Postcard

Today I bought some postcards, and I decided to send them. This is a project because the Austria has what I like to call occasional "Mail Fail." For some reason, none of the postcards I sent last year made it to their destination.

Lesson du Jour: Send a postcard using the Austrian Post Office.

I first went and picked them out, which wasn't too difficult as they are sold everywhere. The only hard part about this exercise was finding one that didn't have either Mozart or Franz Josef's face on it. Don't get me wrong, both of these men are important historical figures, blah blah blah, but I'm not sure everyone wants a postcard with their picture on it.

Once I found them, I wrote them. Apparently, there is no intelligent way to write a postcard. I realized this when Grant decided to read them out loud to my class. Hmmm... I guess statements like "The buildings are beautiful" and "Wienerschnitzel is good" actually sound really stupid.

Then I went to the Austrian Post Office. This is a trick to because their hours are limited, especially since they close for lunch. And, I forgot that Austrian's don't wait in line; they just push to the front. So, about 3 people cut ahead of me until I remembered.

In case you're wondering, it costs 1.40 Euro to send a postcard from Wien to the US of A.

Order Beer... At McDonald's

I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French fried potato, big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer...


Ok, good story. McDonald's in Vienna won't give you Heinz(they give you some other sorry excuse for ketchup for 20 Euro cents, which is like... 30 USD cents) but you can order a beer .


Best Idea Ever: Order a beer at the Golden Arches.


Today, six of us had a class called Art and Nation with Dr. Pfabigan (more on the class some other day). Due to some mix up, we were apparently two hours early for class. Bonny decided that she was going to be in a bad mood about this unless she ate something. We decided, let's go to McDonald's. We ran into Colin on the way, and he said, "I was thinking the same thing."


So the three bored Americans decided to do the American thing... go to McDonald's. Only, instead of ordering Coca-Cola with no ice (or refills), we ordered beer instead. (Yes, we occasionally do more than just drink beer. For example, after we went to McDoanld's we went into Burberry and successfully destroyed all their neat piles of clothing. The sales associates were really impressed, especially when we walked out without even attempting to try to look like we were going to buy something. We even avoided the 300 Euro scarves, even though Burberry is donating 1 GBP to a homeless shelter for every one they sell... how generous.)


Anyway, we drank the McDonald's beer (which is actually really good Ottakringer Austrian beer) and, as Colin would say "Mission Accomplished."

For Ms. Oaks

The Vermeer
During my senior year of high school, I had an English teacher who asked my class read a book about a Vermeer painting. It was an easy book to read, but it had a point. The book was six short stories all focusing on a different owner the Vermeer painting. She had us read the book to teach us about perspectives and the different perspectives, ideas, and opinions people have on the same thing. Her goal was for us to be able to come up with different perspectives on the same issue. She then had us find a Vermeer painting to write a short story about. While we were looking at some online, she showed me one of her favorites. She said she liked it because it could be a self portrait of Vermeer doing work, but it also could be someone else completely. She loved the idea that there was a story behind the painting, and we could only guess what that story was based off of the little snapshot given to us.

On September 4, my little high school back in Colorado lost one of its best teachers. After battling with cancer for three years, she unfortunately passed away.

Denise Oaks-Moffet had the easiest English class at Summit School. But, it wasn’t her assignments, required readings, tests, essays, or grading methods that made the class easy. In fact, all of the above were actually fairly difficult and more challenging than most of the assignments received at a college. What made Mrs. Oaks-Moffett’s class easy was her passion for teaching, the way she presented material, and her ability to make her class engaging, interesting, and inspiring for her students. Even the most difficult thing in the world can be easy when you love it.

Admittedly, it is kind of hard to believe that high school aged teenagers genuinely enjoy reading William Faulkner – let’s face it; however brilliant he may be, he did not write Harry Potter. Yet, getting students to love what they learn is one of the rare strengths and qualities that Mrs. Oaks possessed. She was unique, clever, and creative: she used the Matrix and The Graduate to prove a legitimate point. Through her discussions of literature, philosophy, current events, and even movies, students learn material in a manner that is so effortless, they think to themselves, “This is so easy. I must not be learning anything.” I guarantee you, they are proven wrong in their first college class when they not only recall what Mrs. Oaks taught them, but also use it.

In education, there is a general concern that students memorize material instead of really learn it. Mrs. Oaks figured out that in order to make students learn something, they have to think about it first. Her ability to connect on an individual level with each student explains how she made an impact on such a wide variety of people. Students from the class of 2003 talk about her with as much enthusiasm and praise as the students who just graduated in May. It doesn’t matter if a student is an athlete or a debater, a band geek or an aspiring rock star, the Homecoming Queen or the kid who hated school because Mrs. Oaks found a way to talk to and engage everyone. Even if she couldn't make a student like or have interest in a topic, she could make a student talk and think about it, and this inevitably leads to true learning.

For me personally, Mrs. Oaks was an amazing mentor who has an everlasting influence on my life. She taught me how to look at the world with a new perspective and to look at life in the big picture. She always encouraged me to get out there and not only see, but truly experience the world. When I saw her last December right after I had studied in Vienna for the first time, she could not have been more thrilled that I chose to do so.



Although her passing saddens me, I am glad that she is not suffering anymore after three rough years. I mostly worry and pray for her family, especially the two children, and all those close to her back home. I am a little upset I can't be home for her memorial, but I think she would be happy that I am here in a foreign country seeing the world. So, in honor of Mrs. Oaks-Moffet's passion for knowledge, new experiences, and seeing foreign places, I did two things for her in Vienna today. The first one was to light a candle for her in St. Stephen's Dom, one of the most famous and beautiful cathedrals in Vienna and Europe. I think she would have liked that. I also am taking an Art History class, and I am required to do a presentation about a piece of art in one of the museums in Vienna. I picked a painting that hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of the most famous art museums in downtown Vienna because I think I can teach something about perspectives...I picked the Vermeer.

Living in Vienna

Sorry it has taken me a while to write. This first week was crazy.

Here's a great idea: Go to German class. IGE Vienna has a German class that runs Monday through Friday from 9 AM - 12 PM. It helps students who don't know any German become "functional" in the city.

Here's an EVEN BETTER idea: Get a bratwurst/hotdog at a stand. They are cheap for lunch, and so good. They are bigger and better than one you could get at a Rockies game, and 1/2 the price... even with the exchange rate. By the way... the kasekrainer is the best invention ever. I"m pretty sure if I'm ever desperate for a job, I'll open my own kasekrainer stand.

TIP: Go to the grocery store on Saturday. You'll be hungry on Sunday if you don't.

Get Lost in IKEA

IKEA is not only a really cheap place to get living necessities like plates and stuff, but it is also a lot of fun apparently. Today, 6 of us (Morgan, Colin, Lauren, Erik, Noah, and I) all went to IKEA to look for stuff. We thought it would be a good learning experience or something. Anyway, we missed the bus twice today. First, we had to pick up a free bus from the Oper (opera house) to IKEA. However, we had lunch at the slowest cafe in all of Vienna, so we missed the 13:00 bus and had to take the 14:30 bus.

This was not a big deal because we just bought a beer and waited. Eventually, we made it to IKEA. We shopped and even had extra time to buy another beer.

However, the trick with IKEA is you have to buy a 1.40 Euro ticket home. And the tickets are sold at the customer service desk across the store from the bus stop. By the time we figured this out, we were running low on time, and due to the amount of people who had to return their Swedish furniture, we didn't have time to buy a ticket. So we missed the bus AGAIN.

If you want the true experience: Eat at IKEA. We had to wait an additional 90 minutes for the bus. But, this was not a big deal because we went to their cafeteria and had some awesome meatballs and another beer. That's the great thing about Vienna... you can buy beer literally everywhere, so if you have to wait for something, it's really not that painful of an experience. Between the meatballs and the beer, the wait passed relatively quickly.

Rathaus

IGE Director/Owner Kevin Archer being a good tourist - filming the "Pfabigan Tour"

Another stop on the tour of Vienna was the Rathaus. The Rathaus is the town hall, and it is a really fun place. In August, they have a film festival there, and they have these great international food booths in front of it. Also, starting in about mid November, the Kriskindlemarkts (Christmas Markets) come out, and the Rathaus has a great one. You can buy Christmas decorations, candy, and Punsch (a warm fruit/wine/alcohol drink that might possibly be the greatest drink ever invented).

Go inside the Rathaus. Dr Pfabigan took us in, and it is a really pretty building..

Universitat Wien

Having fun already

Monday! First day of class for IGErs. They started the morning out with their first German class. The goal of the class is to get everyone comfortable enough with German to get around the city. Kevin calls it "functional" German.

After German we met Dr. Alfred Pfabigan of the Universitat Wien. Dr. Pfabigan is one the most respected professors in Europe, and IGE is lucky enough to have him as the director for over here. He probably teaches about 500 Austrian students a year, yet as an IGEr, you have access to him that Austrian students would never get. He is a fun person who loves Americans and wants to take you to the Belvedere on Saturdays.

Today he was giving us a tour of Vienna. A tour with Dr. Pfabigan is more informative and interesting than any tour you would pay for with a tourist office. Plus, occassionally you get funny tidbits. For example, we were walking down the busiest tourist shopping street in town, and he stops to look in a store window at a painting. He then says, "I wanted to see how much that imitation costs because I have the original." Yeah, I know.

Different parts of the tour will be used as different things to do in Vienna.

But the most important thing you'll do: Study in Vienna! I know, that doesn't sound too exciting. But wait until you see the pictures of the university. We have one of our classes here in this main building.

Hallway inside the university


Lion decoration over the windows


Hallway with busts of ex-professors, including Freud.

"Campus Green"

Funny story about the University: The Church had wanted the University to be built in little buidlings surrounding a big church to symbolize knowledge looking up to religion. Instead, the University was built in the Renaissance style to symbolize the enlightenment and the upcoming of science as the center of logic (instead of religion). And they built it's back to the church.