"Squeeze the Juice" they say.

“Squeeze the Juice” is what they say. It’s the title that is given to the section of the IES Abroad app, which tells about ways to make the most of your adventures abroad. Besides the fact that I absolutely love juice (especially the excessive amount of apricot juices and jams, as well as many grocery stores selling orange juice which you can squeeze by hand). I thought I would share a few ways in which I have “squeezed the juice” since I have been in Austria.

Train and bus fares are extremely cheap, therefore last weekend, a friend and I traveled to Salzburg, Austria, birthplace of Mozart and a good get away to explore the beautiful Alps. When we were there, we saw a concert consisting of numerous artists performing works by Mozart, in honor of his birthday. One of those artists was Radek Baborák, a famous horn player. Never once have I attended a concert where solo horn repertoire was featured. The horn soloist and the vocal soloist eventually collaborated on a piece and inside I felt chills listening to the beautiful music. When each soloist finished their performance, the crowd clapped for nearly 10 minutes (that might be an exaggeration, but it was far longer than audiences in the U.S.).

After the concert, my friend and I decided to climb to the top of Fortress Hohensalzburg. It was difficult, mostly because I had come down with an unbearable cold two days before the trip, but my friend encouraged me to continue the hike, because it would be worth it. Once we arrived at the top, it was DEFINITELY worth it. There was a gorgeous view over the city that included the mountains in the distance. Let’s just say, “The Hills (really) are alive, with the sound of music”.

Even within the city, there are so many ways to “Squeeze the Juice”. In order to burn off all of the calories from sweets which one inevitably eats while in Europe, I try to either go for a run, ride a bike every day or go on a walk. While doing this, it is extremely easy to get lost. Getting lost is often a blessing. One gets to explore the hidden treasures of the city. The favorite activity so far, is renting a city bike, which is free for the first hour, and riding around either city park or city hall. Both areas are large pedestrian areas. City park has multiple statues of composers including statues of Johann Strauss and Bruckner. City hall is a gorgeous building that is located near the largest outdoor ice rink that I have ever seen. Every journey into the city causes a new idea to form, an idea of something I want to try before I return to the states. One of these ideas is to go to the ice rink, despite being terrible at ice skating and another being to try the food at a restaurant.Because buildings in Vienna are very close together, in comparison to the US, a 2 or 3-mile long run will cause you to run past nearly fifty restaurants. Other activities that I plan to do include visiting the residences of famous Austrian composers.

On Saturday, my host mom and I took the tram to a park that she enjoys. Throughout this excursion, I tried some of the best cake I have ever tried, titled “Johannesbeerhaselnuss Küchen” (Current and Hazelnut cake). I learned about many historical elements within the park. During the late 19^th century, there was a fire at the “Staatoper” (State opera) house. After the fire, there were a set of four remaining statues, singers of each voice part. These statues were recovered from the fire and now stand in the park on the Northwest side of Vienna. Many cafes and restaurants that I have visited offer free music at particular times during the week, for instance the café in the park, the one with the delicious cake, offers free music on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-5 pm. There are so many hidden gems, that one can explores, it just takes a moment to squeeze them out of the colorful textures.