The Haydn-Philharmonie

The ethereal concert hall was filled with chatter and life until the music replaced the sound of people. The cello conversed with its fellow instruments until the audience was captivated and removed from all obligations. Just behind the walls was the hustle and bustle of Vienna with people walking by every second. They likely had no idea that just a couple feet inside was a group of people being transported to another world where the only thing that mattered was the music.

As I looked around the hall, I couldn’t help but wonder what people were thinking, feeling and what brought them to the Haydn-Philharmonic that night. Was the couple in front of me admirers of art or was he dragged by his wife whom he aimed to please?

In the last 45 minutes or so I noticed an elegant woman who appeared to have seen lots of life in her years based on her hunched posture and tired eyes. A white fur hat kept her head warm and her frail hands rested on the seat in front of her. Her seat was positioned almost perpendicular to the stage due to the orientation of the hall so she had to turn her head to the far left in order to see, yet her body and head was positioned to the right facing away from the stage. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and I wondered what she was thinking. She often closed her eyes, but never faced nor looked at the stage. It looked as though there was pain in her eyes that was brought out by the music. The music ended and she was the first to leave the hall, whisked back to the reality of life leaving me to wonder what her story is.

Experiencing Culture

Vienna has been lovely these past four days! I'll be the first to admit, I had a lot of reservations leading up to the start of this study away experience. I was nervous about money, and transportation, and people, but all of those things have washed away and now I'm just excited to experience more history and culture.


Speaking of culture, today I visited the Weltmuseum Wien (Vienna World Museum). This museum is a brand new addition to Vienna's Museum Quarter, completed and opened in 2017. This museum includes items from all over the world, but also contains the Austrian Historic Armory as well as a historical musical instrument collection. I am always slightly worried about this kind of museum, as often they are simply boxes full of the results of imperialism and a history of theft from indigenous people, especially in Europe. However, this museum was different. Although some artifacts and items were not gained by genuine or equal means, the museum made an effort to teach visitors about the history of the items, how they are/were relevant to the culture they came from, and even how the museum came across them. Here are some of my favorites!

These two pictures are a pair - that's right!
This is, per record, the second oldest trombone we have.

The musical instrument section that the above came from also contained other wind instruments, plenty of string instruments, but also some keyboard instruments. In particular interest was a small tucked away section where the museum had recreated some of the older instruments using the same instructions as they would have followed, but these recreations were playable by the public! Applied learning is amazing, and that is an excellent example of museums, even while hands off, providing learning for all.

Another example of preserving culture is the above headdress, from 16th century Mexico. Previously, the headdress had been repaired using modern methods, which eventually began to harm the feathers and form of the item. However, scholars found a book that contained the methods that the native Mexican people used to create similar headdresses, and repaired the headdress using those methods and feathers from the same birds the native peoples would have used.

That's what this is all about, right? All these concerts we're going to on this trip are doing the same thing. There is an art, these artists and people are preserving that art, and we are observing the product. It's amazing to see cultures grow, rise, and fall, and all the while we are living among all of them.

Keep an eye out for more posts, and read everyone else's posts as well! You'll basically get a free month of traveling Europe out of it!

Hello from Vienna!

Hallo aus Wien! Looking back on the past few days here in Vienna, it’s incredible how much we have done in such a short amount of time. Our first day here, we got a walking tour of the city. Stop number one was St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The massive building is hard to miss, and it is one of the most important places in Vienna. Today, a smaller group of us went to tour the catacombs of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and I saw the final resting places of some of the most important people in Viennese history, including members of the Habsburg family. Members of the Habsburg family were embalmed and had their organs placed in separate containers. Another member of the tour group heard this, turned to our group and said, “the Habsburgs were very weird people” and I can’t say that I disagree.

The colorful roof tiles are one of the things that makes St. Stephen's Cathedral so remarkable

Speaking of the Habsburgs, we went on a guided tour of Schӧnbrunn palace, summer home of the Habsburg family. This place was massive! There are 1,441 rooms in total, and we only saw 40. The Habsburgs were one of the most important royal families in Austria. They had a lot of money, and they were not afraid to show it off. In their palace, rooms were decorated with gold trim, which was not solid gold, but gold flaked. The purpose of this was to show off their wealth in the hopes of dissuading enemies from attacking, because if the Habsburgs had this much money for their home, who knew how much money they had for their army. There were several tricks like these that the Habsburgs used, my favorite being the Porcelain room. The family claimed that the entire room was made out of porcelain, and it looked like it was as well. However, there were only two items that were made of pure porcelain; the chandelier and the clock. Everything else was simply painted to look porcelain. Despite not having solid gold trim and completely porcelain rooms, the Habsburgs had a LOT of money. We visited the Kunsthistorisches museum, and after our guided tour we wandered around for a couple of hours after. Towards the end of the visit, I was completely overwhelmed at the sheer number of items that were on display. I don’t have an exact number, but I do know that the museum only had approximately 3% of the Habsburg collection on display, and I’m pretty sure that I didn’t see the entire museum collection.

The best picture of the Kunsthistoriches museum I could get

After spending months anticipating this trip, the first musical performance we saw exceeded my expectations to such a degree that I was astounded. Entering the Vienna State Opera House for the first time was incredible, and the performance was absolutely breathtaking. The Vienna state ballet company performed Onegin, a heartbreaking tale that was full of elegance and emotion. Of course, the orchestra was amazing. There was one moment where the principal bassoon was playing a solo, and she went from playing loud and bold to playing some of the softest melody I have ever heard, capturing the attention of everyone in the audience. Everything about the performance was phenomenal, from the choreography to the conducting, and it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. 

A picture of the stage before Onegin started

Getting Settled

Jet lag is not fun. I'm constantly tired, sleeping odd hours, and I'm fueled purely on caffeine. It's been a bit of a struggle to adapt to the surroundings and figure out the do's and don't of being in a different country. One interesting thing is that cash is a lot more common than using cards, to the point where some cafes or restaurants don't except card unless you exceed a certain price. It is also fairly common to walk through back-ways and courtyards to avoid busy sidewalks and on-coming cars, where the road and walking area are basically combined. However, even though I may be tired and there's a lot of walking that's happening, this city is beautiful, the architecture here is incredible and it's so interesting too see such old and beautiful buildings host the most mundane and common shops.

Art from the Kunsthistorische Museum

It's day two in our trip, getting settled into being in Vienna, when we are about to do one of my favorite parts of any trip, the art museum. I don't know a lot about art, but I have quite the appreciation and amazement for it. Set in a massive building, vaulted ceilings with their own sculptures and art and rooms painted to fit the artwork being displayed. With a total of 1.2 million works, all collected by the Habsburg family, was collected and now in the art museum for people to enjoy. With our guided tour we most likely witnessed less that half of the art that was out and we were told that there is even more that is not displayed. It was incredible to see the works of art and hear a little bit of history behind they way the artists painted and portrayed the people shown.

One of my favorites, cows!

During the evening we went to go watch a ballet, Onegin, hosted in the opera house, an stunning building with beautiful architecture and detailed paintings. The performance room was massive with a main floor seating, standing room, then balconies going three or four floors up. The show was incredible. I've never witnessed so much talent doing so many things immaculately. The dances showed grace, strength, elegance, and incredible dexterity with every dance, the orchestra pit was mind blowing with the amount of detail and precision for very little rehearsal time they most likely had. The show was so emotional and riveting to the point I wish it could've been longer because I didn't want it to end. An absolutely moving work of art that makes me so excited to see what the rest of the trip has in store.

08.01.2020

               A large portion of todays time was spent viewing art of incomparable quality. The activities of today began at the Kunsthistorisches(art history) in Vienna with a guided tour around the painting gallery. While the level of artistry was indeed mind boggling, most of the paintings did not depict anything I found interesting. The paintings that I did find interesting all depicted scenes from mythology including the picture of Medusa's severed head and the Tower of Babel.

                 After the painting gallery, I went on to explore the rest of the museum starting with the coin collection. There were coin from periods long past countries all over the world. They came in all sizes, from no bigger than half a finger nail to big enough to cover a face, and in various levels of detail but only two shapes. My favorite exhibit in the museum was the Kunstkammer (art chamber). This exhibit was filled with incredible items of masterful craftmanship. The items present included intricately detailed clocks, many items that would be considered everyday if it were not for the level of craftmanship and the materials, and beautifully carved and cast scenes that demanded admiration.

               The last part of the day was going to see the Ballet Onegin at the Weiner Staatsoper. This was the first ballet I remember ever attending. I was quite surprised at how audible the steps and jumps of the dancers were even over the music. It was amusing how exaggerated the body language was portrayed in order to effectively display the mood of the characters. It was quite helpful to know the synopsis of the ballet before viewing it because, while amazing there was a lot of dancing that did nothing to move the plot along. The music itself was used to develop the characters. For example, just about every time Onegin was introduced into a scene the music darkened into what I would call villain music. The ballet was rather spectacular and the dancers and music were indeed very talented but I am not sure yet if I like the style of performance.

Sounds of Music

The only thing I really knew about Austria before coming here was that it was place where my favorite movie, The Sound of Music, was based. I think I read somewhere that you could take a “Sound of Music” tour where you can see the various places they filmed. Like the von Trapp family in that movie, our group is being immersed in music. Some of us may be experiencing it for the first time and others of us are experiencing it in a whole new way than we had previously been exposed to it. Austria is much more modern than I had expected to be and on our first bus ride from the airport, I probably would have believed you if you had told me we were in some remote part of Seattle. 

Walking tour with Herbert

I love colorful buildings

During our walking tour, however, Vienna’s true character was brought to light. The city has palaces and cathedrals that Washington could only wish we could have. The cafes don’t just have coffee and scones but entire lunch and dinner menus. The McDonalds has a whole pastry counter inside. Vienna has such a rustic feel to it and I can see why people find it here to be so authentic and romantic. The intimate cobble stone streets that lead between and around the city center, the immaculate murals on the ceilings of cathedrals and the music, oh the sounds of music, here really remind us that this is a city of art. That the buildings are more than just scenery but they tell a story throughout history. We’ve all heard the phrase “art imitates life” and that’s exactly what Vienna has done. Imitate its changing history to represent time periods, different political rulings and societal atmosphere. 

St. Stephen's Cathedral

The Schönbrunn Palace is probably one of the most beautiful and expensive places I’ll ever visit. I’ve toured New York and Washington DC, seeing places like George Washington’s home that has that old, rustic feel to it and I’ve walked around the Forbidden City in  Beijing  but this palace really doesn’t compare to either place. It was explained to us that the point of having this large of a house was purely for the means of indirectly telling foreign guests that you were insanely rich and to leave you and your country alone. Walking through, I certainly would have if I was a foreign power. Just by looking, you’d never be able to guess that the decorations that lined the doors, ceilings and walls were just wood with gold-leaf. It may not be worth as much but the look itself sells the idea that these people were richer than I’ll ever be. 

Inside the Opera House to see Onegin

I haven’t seen a ballet in a while, let alone this grandiose and to have this be the first official concert we’re attending is quite a treat. Onegin is one of those ballets where it’s pretty evident what’s going on, even if you didn’t know the exact plot line. We, of course, did have that benefit and it’s almost like you can imagine what the characters are saying to each other as they interact and dance. Due to jet lag and the last two days being full of walking, I admit that I was extremely tired during this concert (though I’m proud of myself for never actually drifting off). Still, even in my tired mind, I was enchanted watching the ballet dancers. The time they must have spent not only rehearsing the show but the years and years of training to be a principle dancer. As someone who can’t even touch their own toes, watching someone throw their leg above their head with such ease or dance on the tips of their toes seems kind of scary.

Kunsthistorische Museum

Two days in, one day left in Vienna. And while I’m sad to go, I look forward for to seeing other cities. Maybe I didn't run through the hills like Maria did in The Sound of Music but I’ve finally gotten accustomed to how to use the subway in Vienna and become somewhat ‘“comfortable” in the city. I suppose that’s what’s nice about going to Prague in two days; having the challenge of being this comfortable all over again. Oh well, I guess if it all falls to pieces, at least we end up here again at the end of our trip and I’ll know how to navigate here. 

Best, Sarah 

Real Life Disney World

Vienna's Imperial Palace 

The only way I can describe the architecture and grandeur of the city so far is a real-life Disney World. Each building is ornately decorated in delicate gargoyles, paintings and marble. The historic monarch buildings especially extravagant, yet the marble, ivory, jade and statues are real. Perhaps it’s because I am used to replicas of such things in the US, but I often have to remind myself the marble staircase I am walking on is real. It feels wrong to walk on it sometimes and I dare not touch anything, but I couldn’t resist touching the perfectly polished staircase as we walked through the Art museum today. The building screamed wealth and elegance which absolutely served the purpose of portraying the power of the ruling Habsburg family and all of Austria to the rest of the world.

The intimidation factor certainly worked on me, and I can imagine why the Austria-Hungary empire was so strong. Things in the US tend to be large like the cars and skyscrapers, but those things parish compared to a nearly 1,500 room palace. I particularly enjoyed learning how important the national library was to the empire because knowledge equals power and the larger the library the more power.

St. Stephen's Cathedral glowing in the evening light

View from the top of the spire 

By far my favorite attraction of Vienna has been the St. Stephens Cathedral in the heart of the city. I found myself using the 350 feet spire to find my bearings in the city and I even climbed the 343 steps to the top to get a beautiful view of Vienna on a sunny day. The city extended in every direction which was far different than anything I was used to in Colorado or Washington. It’s hard to imagine what the city looked like one hundred years ago and I appreciate the history that lives in every building and cathedral.

Touring Vienna

Today was our first day in the city of Vienna, and we spent the entire day on tours, one of the city proper and another of the Habsburg palace. The city was beautiful, with even the cobblestone roads revealing the intention put into the placement of every stone. The churches were awe inspiring, and the  architecture mixed with the incense hanging in the air took you into a different world, commanding reverence. Herbert, our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and his stories brought us back in time through the history of the city.

The Habsburg tour, however, was a very uncomfortable experience. I have always been extremely uncomfortable with decadence, and the palace was the epitome of it. Every surface was covered in expensive art and lines with gold leaf, and everything looked and felt untouchable. The tour guide was absolutely excellent, and she told stories of the old aristocracy and how they would show off the palace to visiting nobles and intimidate them into not fighting the Habsburgs by flaunting their wealth. It was an excellent tour of hopefully my least favorite place we will go all trip.

We Have Arrived!!

Hello everyone from Vienna, Austria!!! After what was a long day of sitting both at airports and on plans the PLU crew has arrived. Already you can see how different the Viennese people are from US Americans. They are very free-spirited and just seem to enjoy every moment. I also find it interesting to see that it is 6am and not a single store or coffee shop is open.

Playing the waiting game at the airport.

Finally arrived in Vienna

Wombats Hostel

Our Hostel Room

Waiting for the train

Zwolf Apostelkeller

Ben and MacKenzie at dinner

The squad!! 

 Last night once we arrived we went out to a great restaurant called Zwolf Apostelkeller which was just amazing. I had a nice beer, the best Schnitzel!! Also, the had live music which was great. And by live music, I mean real live music with a Fiddle and an Accordion none of that let us play something over the radio while people eat. I can not wait to see what day 2 brings!!

The Inexperienced Traveler

I admit that I am a procrastinator. I begin my homework at midnight and turn it in three minutes before the turn in box closes. Applying that same strategy for preparing for a month long trip in Europe probably wasn’t in my best interest. I’m sure there’s a small list of things I’ll find out I forgot to grab but I suppose it’ll add to the experience. It’s weird to think that we’ve been traveling literally all day. More than 10 hours of flying and layovers (which most of us spent just recuperating from the first flight) we’ve finally landed in Vienna, Austria. We’ve settled, we’ve eaten and now many of us are getting ready for a much needed rest before beginning our European adventure.

Flying over London

It seems funny at first; writing a blog post when I haven’t seen anything yet. Having never been to Europe, one would think that I had this whole list of things I wanted to see and do. I really don’t though. I’ve never been the type of traveler that wants to go see all the museums, the oldest buildings or taste the finest foods of the world. While all those things are wonderful and I do look forward to seeing and experiencing those things, I also want to experience the country aside from its tourist stops. I want to know the little things people enjoy about living there each day; the cafes they often frequent, the mom and pop shops around town that make up the community, parks to walk around... As a tourist, I feel silly being in awe and taking pictures of buildings most people just walk past as apart of their every day life but I suppose that’s the beauty of traveling: seeing something new and being captivated by it. 

As a music major at PLU, of course, music is the primary purpose of this trip. As a third year student, who has already gone through music theory classes, history courses and performed some of the very works we’ll be seeing, this trip is my education in music brought to life. It won’t just be a description in a textbook of where Bach performed his cantatas or how Mozart composed his renowned opera The Marriage of Figaro. While I realize I’m not going to see the actual Bach or Mozart perform, experiencing these pieces in European venues brings a completely different and new experience than seeing them in America. Buildings and Cathedrals that have been around for hundreds of years and knowing you’re in the same space that some of the most famous composers performed can be a profound experience for a performer. I’ve always been told we need to know our history to understand our present and move forward to the future. Today, we see concerts of these works as a sort of tribute to the composers and omen to their significant musical contributions throughout history. When they were composed however, they were revolutionary, contemporary and new to the world of music. The elements we use in today’s music developed from much of this music. 

Dessert from our first meal in Vienna

I don’t know what to expect of this trip but I know I’ll leave awestruck. When I return to PLU in February, I will have seen more than my words could ever describe. I’ll have gone out of my comfort zone and tried several new things. Things are going to go wrong throughout and we’ll learn to just roll with it and figure it out. I’ll return more confident and independent as an individual, knowledgeable as a student and experienced as a traveler. And thus begins our 26 day adventure... and what an adventure it will be. 

Till next time, Sarah

12 Days left

I am super excited for this trip! Only 12 days until we are on our way to Vienna 🔥🎶