04.08.12

04.08.12
     I checked Amazon this morning and discovered that try though I had, the book by Parsons had not been ordered. The one I ordered back in the states finally arrived two days ago though, so I'm maving my parents send that over post-haste. A walking tour was scheduled for this morning, but it lasted a much shorter time than expected. My little pocket journal fell apart, so at the moment I am without capability to take effective notes as we walk. I have noticed most do not take down notes, however, and it leads me to think a handout would be handy (har), but that may also be too coddling of everyone.
     Following the tour, a sgroup of us headed for the flea market at the Naschmarkt. Some of the items sold there were a bit questionable. A couple people found Nazi propaganda magazines which I'm not even sure are legal to sell.
      After that, Jackie, Steven, Miles & I decided to run around Schönbrunn. That park is definitely more massive than I'd anticipated. I did not know Steven was in the ROTC, he did a good job keeping up. Parks are different here in the capital than in my hometown. Even large parks are primarily big squares of grass, but here there are labyrinths, trails, palaces, even a tiergarten which fit together seamlessly.
     That night everybody dressed up for Mozart's Requiem at my church (Karlskirche). I have not been to a true performance in about a year, and I'd forgotten how much I'd missed it. Sitting in the Karlskirche felt like I was being spoiled, every time I'd open my eyes (I prefer to listen with eyes closed), I would see the grand altar towering above everybody.
    We were to read the Beller yesterday, but luckily I'd already read that on the plane. That book moves ridiculously fast, I've never studied much on the outskirts of Roman territory, but that area has always fascinated me and I wish more time was spent on it. The edge of the known world. I had not known that the Magyars conquered so much land at one point. Every nation has its turn in the light.

the Heurige

3.08.12 So that didn't happen. Instead the day plan was a city bus tour with doctor O. Getting to class that morning however, a few of us got off on Westbahnhof and hopped a different U. While looking for the correct path from there, an elderly Austrian helped show us the way. He led us up to a Strassenbahn, so instead we rode from the Parliament down to Operngasse. It is interesting that he and several other Austrians have the same reaction when I tell them I'm from California: they shout "Schwarzenegger!" while flexing their muscles, then laugh. Getting through class is a matter of what Kathy calls "chronological whiplash", as we moved from Roman times to the 1300's within 2 hours. We may have glossed over some important details. After class, before the bus tour began we hopped over to the Schatzkammer (some of us being a group of 16 or so). Again I was flabbergasted. The displays of wealth these royals had. The Einkührn Schwert struck me as a sword straight out of Lord of the Rings. Without the Einkürhn how can we beat back the forces of Mordor? I'm not sure how valid the claim is as to the loincloth of Christ, John te Baptist's tooth, or the tablecloth of the Last Supper, but if those are real they should have been the centerpiece of the entire museum. I also found a bit of iriony in a gold and jewel-encrusted Gospels book. The message of piety must not have been an important one. The bus tour was incredible, Dr. O is a great tour guide. It's too bad we didn't go into the Belvedere, but we will at a later point. Hundert-Wasser House was another fantastic place, an evidence of what one can do with simple imagination and a grant for building. It's sad that someone inevitably asks if he were on drugs, it is apparent that this was designed out of joy and it is a testament to the power the unaided human brain can obtain/contain. There were many other spots but I will skip ahead now to the heurige. My German Literature professor at UCSC, Loisa Nygaard, advised me to study in Austria because Austria "is a wine culture, and wine generally leads to more intelligent conversation than beer." Never habing been around a group drinking wine before, I believe she is right. Many more people were discussing philosophy, history, science, religion, and theory than I would have expected. I like the schism between those who feel that certain theories are perfected methods of understanding, and those who feel that each theory is merely a different lens through which to see the world, as each lens leads to different colors and illuminations. Further, the theory and goal in physics every physicist is after is the unified theory of everything, which is so far unattainable and unfathomable, but it is a theory that every branch of discovery, be it literature, history, philosophy, music, or science, clamor for without discussing it. Perhaps someday a unified theory will exist, and the next motion will be understanding the connection between science, art, religion, and humanity. The return home was hilarious, as our class entire was lost in the middle of a farm road. Along the way were different signs in German depicting history of the region, and with my budding skills of German I was unable to decipher them and did not want to hold anybody up because of such. Therefor I am very impressed and happy with how gung-ho Kathy is about everything, to stop the group and read about the plague wiping out the town, or how one year the wine was so bad from the region that the Kaiser ordered it all to be used in the mixing of mortar.

01.08.12 - 02.08.12: Settling in and Orientation Looking at my entries from Ukraine, it is apparent that I should keep a journal, due to just how quickly everything can be forgotten. this is a good assignment, hopefully I'll be able to look back on everything years from now. To recap the past couple days: Yesterday was the day to sign in; I'm living in a three-bedroom apartment/dorm with Ryan and AJ. They and everyone else here seem very nice, I think I'll get along with everybody on this trip. Something about a small group of people getting put into a startlingly different situation, such as a new country, makes everybody unite together instantly. The long method of affiliation that typically takes place within a class is done away with. After getting settled in, Kathy (I've been calling her Frau Stuart this whole time out of the German style, but it feels odd to when nobody else is) rounded all of us kids up to get our first sample of a staple in I believe all German culture: The Biergarten. I think this is a good indicator of how this course is going to go. On the way between several Biergartens, Kathy casually pointed out a Communist cafe ("Oh, those are communists over there!"). Originally I was planning on hanging out at Cafe Central to do some writing, but perhaps I'll make the Communist cafe my literary haunt, and see if any interesting conversations crop up. Perhaps that will become my video project, although I would also like to use that as an excuse to push me towards investigating the local music and poetry scene. While walking past the gardens around Maria Theresa and the Kunstgeschichte Museum, Kathy mentioned the flora and how one can tell by the scent that we are much further South than Germany. I'll have to remember to ask if any of the gardens or architecture are influenced by Spain or other areas the Habsburgs owned when at the height of their power. The people out here in Vienna seem much more friendly than in other parts of Europe I've visited so far on this trip. Ukraine still had an air of Soviet despair. Not that I have any experience with Soviet countries, but people still seemed to move and act...lethargic. And the general tone of voice and mannerisms were more muted and downcast. The second of August was orientation. We met up downstairs before going as a group towards our classroom. The orientation consisted of discussing the structure of our class for the next month, followed by a brief overview of the history of the building our classroom is in. I like knowing that I will be sitting in a building commissioned by Richard Strauss. After class it seems people split off into groups, though most headed over to the Naschmarkt. I headed off instead towards the Kunsthistorische Museum, since we just received our cards for free entry. the architecture of that place blew me away, the domed ceiling and decorative statues were more impressive than some of the art on display, almost to the point of distraction. Building and art, everything coalesced into one mesmerizing scene everywhere I looked. Though neither is better or worse, it is interesting to me how this place models itself after much of the art it is showcasing, trying to impress just as much, while the art gallery I went to in Ukraine was a dilapidated old warehouse. The crumbling walls, lack of paint, sparse lighting and lack of any decorations save the art itself there lent much more power to the contemporary art that was on display, and it was the most moving gallery I've ever seen. I noticed within the Kunsthistorische that most art seems to come from the counter-reformation period. When my book comes in I will have to read up and revisit. Tomorrow I will visit the communist cafe, and the natural history museum.