Having fun alreadyMonday! 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.
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