View of the Riesenrad during the bus tour of Vienna
January had disappeared with miraculous quickness. I suppose that this was simply a result of the fact that there was so much to do and see––every day was full with class, exploring the city, checking out events and concerts, and, when possible, fitting in some homework. The workload was actually relatively light––which was perfect because this period was all about getting acquainted with Vienna.
The famous Hundertwasserhaus
The IES staff did a nice job of organizing activities and events to ease students into living in Vienna. There were tours around the inner city, there was a guided bus tour that took students all over Vienna and stopped at several points of interest (like Cobenzl and the Belvedere), there was a tour of the Kunsthistorischesmuseum (Vienna’s beautiful art museum), and so much more. Though some of these things were on the touristy side, these things have their place in the exchange. Even the bus tour––which was only around 3 hours––gave a good general impression of the layout of Vienna and offered a small taste of the rich history all around Vienna.
Climbing the stairs in the Kunsthistorischesmuseum
Outside of IES events, a very good resource is Falter; this website lists events and concerts that are going on in Vienna. By clicking the filter for “Eintritt frei,” only results with no tickets or cover will be shown. Using this resource I was able to enjoy quite a few concerts and film events for free. Some of the events even have a large buffet or drinks afterword! With so much to do in Vienna, the question isn’t really “what is there to do in Wien?”, but “which of the many options sounds best?”
A small art film event in the Tanzquartier Studio
The interior of the impressive Nationalbibliothek
Colin Baumgartner
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Colin Baumgartner is a Junior studying to be a secondary English education teacher. Colin grew up as a second generation Austrian and has always had a distinct sense of being split between two cultures––Austrian and American. Studying abroad in Vienna, Colin will have an opportunity to really explore the Austrian side of his heritage. When not buried in literature or writing, Colin enjoys blogging, hiking, cooking, working out, and traveling. Colin is an unabashed aesthete and gourmand, so the beautiful foods, sights, and people of Europe will not go unnoticed or unrelished. Dum vivimus, vivamus!</span></p>
