It seems as if everywhere I turn, there’s a new piece of fascinating history staring me in the face, or just a tram stop away. There are so many things that I want to do here in this great city, and only 6 weeks in which to do it all– an overwhelming thought! On the bright side, I have to realize how lucky I am to be able to live and breathe in the culture of such a beautiful and historically-rich place. The music-culture here is also almost palpable in the air. So much so, as corny as it might sound, that I almost feel like a better musician from absorbing these music-making vibes 24/7!
City center
The Upper Belvedere Palace– King Eugene’s summer palace
- Vineyard by the Heuriger, or “wine tavern”, that we visited for our welcome dinner– delicious! Fun fact: Vienna is the only city that produces its own wine.
Though there is certainly music in the streets and in my classes, there is no lack of top-notch professional performances from which to choose, every single night. These last two nights, I attended two fabulous operas at the Volksoper with a bunch of friends– the first was The Bartered Bride, or Die verkaufte Braut, by Smetana, and the second was Fidelio by Beethoven. Each performance cost less than a cup of coffee and fell nothing short of spectacular, musically. While the exchange rate here can sometimes hurt your wallet when it comes to food or shopping, this is one deal that you just can’t pass up. We plan on going to many, many more!
Our beautiful view the first night. Hey, we’ll take what we can get. The sound was AMAZING from that spot.
Totally illegal photo from The Bartered Bride
Night two, Fidelio. We scored seats that time (and no pole)!
One other performance that we attended was the Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert at Schönbrunn Palace. The setting was absolutely stunning and the music was chillingly beautiful.
Vienna Philharmonic at Schönbrunn
Some other random photos from this wonderful first week:
No horns allowed?
Building complex designed by a famous artist, Hundertwasser
The backyard view from the Belvedere Palace
*More photos to come– need to reduce the size of my good SLR photos before I can upload them here– stay tuned!
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Hannah Nacheman
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<div><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);">Hannah Nacheman is a rising senior at Bryn Mawr College studying Music, with concentrations in voice and harp, and Psychology. When she's not happily nestled away in a practice room or at rehearsal, she enjoys dancing, taking photographs, and adventuring in nature. Hannah is excited to share her wanderings through the eye of her camera and her abundance of zany musings.</span></div>
