up date

Okay, this is getting annoying....
I spent all morning blogging and 2 attempts to publish a post, and due to internet problem, they got erased :( So, here is a brief out line on what I did on Friday and Saturday. 

Friday
The Hapsburgs and their collections
    Amazing art... I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was. The KHM is spectacular. I took a lot of pictures. For those of you on facebook you can see them there, and for those of you who don't have it, I will show you in person one of these days. After the tour I went to the hostel with my friend, and I got lost trying to get back to the Street tour in time. At the time it was terrifying, but it was a good experience, as crazy as that sounds. I saw some scary things but I learned the underground train system in a hurry. I was never so happy to see Stephonsdome and I found my way back to the IES center in time for the bus tour. The bus tour was a great way to see the city. The tour guide was something else... but it was still a lot of fun. We saw Vienna from a hill leading up the Vienna woods. We rode the bus part of the way to the Riegierhutte where we had an amazing dinner, and later came back to the apartment to settle in for the night. 

Saturday
     Woke up early to go to the Naschtmarkt. This is Vienna's version of the Saturday market. People selling any selling anything and everything. Including family heirlooms, family photos, jewelery, and anything you could think of. I scored a great deal on scarves. They were partly made with silk, and I found 4 really nice ones for 15 euro. You can't get them that cheap in the States, that is for sure. We found honey wine and honey gummy bears. The guy that was selling the wine kept giving us free samples. I'm not a drinker, and what he gave me was a little much for my taste, but still interesting. I plan to go back and get a bottle to share with people when I get back. We had a tour of the final resting place of the Hapsburg Family. I didn't take any pictures because I had this weird feeling the whole time, something unsettling about seeing so many coffins of the royal family of Vienna. We also saw the other part of the KHM. Old instruments, Night armor, weapons, and Roman sculptures. I got to see the most amazing performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Ahhhh!!!! I couldn't believe it! I felt changed after seeing that. The orchestra was phenomenal! The alto flute solo was beautiful! The conductor was so much fun to watch! There was a whole row of cellos! The concert master!!! He was literally dancing in his seat, the music was moving him during the performance! Yeah. :)

Sorry this post wasn't as detailed as I wanted to be, I wish the other posts would of worked. Oh well. 

It has been raining here to begin the afternoon. I woke up this morning to church bells and singing birds. I tried to sleep in but I woke up at 8:30. 
I will keep you posted as I go along, hopefully I'll be able to keep up, and won't have so many internet problems. Here is a preview for tomorrow, in case you are wondering what my class schedule is like. 

Monday, May 31
10:30 am German (just on Mondays, usually it will begin at 9 and go to 11)
12pm Dr. Rafael Chacon: Absolutism and a Queen
Schonbrunn
12:45 Flute Choir rehearsal 
7:30 Chamber Music and Vienna Philharmonic in Musikverein 

There ya go. Have a great day. Love and Miss you all! :) Wish you were here!

Jenna