Sommernachtskonzert

When we last left our intrepid adventurer, he was debating whether to go to the Schonbrunn Palace to see the Vienna Philharmonic...

And so I did! We took the U-bahn (Unterbahn= subway) out to the palace where the free concert was being held. Arriving 20 minutes before the start of the concert allowed us to take a few pictures before packing into the crowd. And man were there a lot of people! I'm sure if it had been nice out, people would have been sitting down, but unfortunately, the rain led people to remain standing...and to put up their umbrellas! So getting a view was a bit tricky, but we found a nice spot. The stage itself was covered in a half-cylinder translucent covering that not only blocked the rain but also provided a screen for assorted moving, colorful lights. On either side of the stage was a jumbotron that showed the Philharmonic up close as well as different scenes from around the city. After the first piece, we decided to stroll some of the palace grounds while listening to the music. Thus, we grabbed an ice cream and walked some of the Baroque style roads (wide gravel paths lined with tall, uniform trees) outside of the sitting area. It was splended, in spite of the constant drizzle! Amongst the pieces performed was the finale from Orpheus in the Underworld (i.e. the Can-Can), some Strauss, a Copeland...great music. As it turns out, I'm really glad I went because the other 3 Vienna Philharmonic concerts this month are already sold out! Glad I got to hear them!

Yesterday, we did nothing but homework. I had 90 pages to read for Arts in Vienna as well as a bunch of work for German. So we stayed in.

Today, after class, a bunch of us went to a residence office to turn in a form stating our intent to reside here for a month. Then, we went on a casual stroll around some of the shopping district before coming back to the dorm. On our way back, however, who should we run in to but Evangeline Lilley (Cate from "Lost") and Billy Boyd (Pippin from Lord of the Rings)! I would have never recognized either of them (seeing as I don't watch Lost and I didn't know Pippin's actor's name), but a couple people in our group did! So, they ran ahead and got a picture. Apparently Evangeline refused the picture but said they could have one with Billy. Hence, there's now a picture of 2 of our group members with Pippin. How cool is that?

Anyway, I haven't done my homework for tomorrow yet nor had dinner, so I'm going to go take care of that now. If something interesting comes up, perhaps I'll put off homework some more and go out tonight. Who knows. Speaking of food, Bratwurst mit Senf (with mustard) is really, really good! I think I'll be quite pleased with a month of that, fresh aufschnitt (cold cuts- salami, pastrami, etc), and the delightful pastries I've been having for breakfast!