Thursday, March 26, 2009

Vienna Day 1!

For my third post of the day, I think I shall write about my first exploration. Today, I decided to wander around near my apartment. I think the farthest I went to make sure I didn't get lost was about 10 blocks before making sure I knew where my street was! I decided to do an overview of the area today. I hope once I figure out the logistics of the city, getting lost won't be as much of an issue! BUT I did NOT get lost. I must say I'm rather proud of myself.

I saw a lot! I saw a weird building with a funny little gold dome on top which i am not sure what that is. I wandered over to Karlskirche which is quite the church from the outside at least! Then I went over to the Opera house to find my school, which is across the street. I did not find the school because I forgot the address. So I will do that tomorrow. 

Then, I wandered through a street which had a lot of little shops where Stephansdom is located which is also quite the church! Very cool. And there were a lot of carriages in front of the church, which I thought was kind of funny. I also saw a shoe store called "Salamander" which I thought was rather funny. Then in my attempt to head back to my street to figure out exactly where it was, I couldn't figure out how to get on the side of the street with the funny building with the golden ball on top. It was hailing a lot and there was construction going on and I ended up doing a very large loop. and I was very wet at this point. Did I mention it was hailing? I think during my walk I went through 3 different seasons. It rained, then it was sunny to the point that I was hot in my jacket, then it was raining, then it was sunny, then it was hailing hailing hailing, then down-pouring, then sunny again, then raining. I think Vienna and Seattle need to choose a season and stick with it!

I wandered around some more and found the Museums quarter and took some pictures of those buildings which are pretty intricate. I also found a little park and walked around in there. I will figure out the names of those soon. 

and I saw a duck.

Then I wandered some more. I found Mariahilfstrasse and the grocery store Elisabeth told me about and bought a few groceries, though not many since at that point jetlag decided to set in I did not take a nap though since I know that would then make it worse. Anyway, the city is quite beautiful! One thing I did notice while walking around was that it's weird to walk around by yourself when nobody around you is speaking English. I mean, obviously I was expecting it, but it was still weird to realize. For some reason, when you are with a group of other English speakers it doesn't seem quite as foreign, at least for me But, I am sure I will get used to it! Tomorrow I will continue exploring. I might go to a museum. Also, I need to buy a blanket because my room, even with the heater on, is very cold, but that's ok. It's still very nice and in a wonderful location!

 http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/LaurenHillard/Vienna/
Here are some pictures from my wandering! Some of them I labelled and I'll label the rest later.

5 comments:

  1. Dear Lauren,
    Who knew that:
    1) There are Austrian ducks. Do you think they're more debonair than Seattle ducks?
    2) You should feel completely at home with the schizophrenic weather. An umbrella to go with your blanket is advised.
    3) Stop going into parks alone. No one goes into parks except kidnappers and their victims.
    4) Is the Nestle Quick in Vienna richer and better than Nestle's Quick in the states? And yes, I AM joking!

    Keep blogging, girl! I'm enjoying! Love, Mom

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  2. Hello Lauren,
    Loved your photos. I think you will need a another memory card soon! Keep them coming. Are you going to do the tour of the Palace? Its very cool. One of the museums we toured has a floor devoted to Eqypt..we were in that section for 2 hours alone...that is the museum that Doug had us paged in...he he. He went back to the hotel to nap while we continued to tour. I do understand the feeling about being really alone..when your with a group its very different. But by yourself, you suddenly realize just how far you are from home. Remember you can always call Judith and hear a friendly voice if you get nervouse out walking. Hey I am taking the girls to Lazer Tag on Sat..a first for me! I so enjoy reading your posts. Makes you feel much closer. I will be over in Europe on April 20 so we will be near each other!
    Love,
    Elice and the Clouds

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  3. Your room looks cozy - hope you found a blanket - hope the hail wasn't anything like the hail Dan got in TX - they were literally the size of golf balls and bigger - found pics online.
    I feel you will fit in with the natives if you purchase a pair of dancing leiderhosen.
    Seen any cute Vienese guys?
    Do people dancedown the streets singing in harmony - do ray mi? Hope so - love Wendy

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  4. Mother-No worries I am going grocery shopping tomorrow! it is much needed! and I definitely think Austrian ducks are more debonair than Washington ducks. Oh and by the way, I was kidnapped in that park I just forgot to tell you...and then went back today. I will let you know about the hot chocolate

    Elice: OH believe me I will definitely be touring palaces and museums as much as I can! right now I'm just getting a general overview and seeing some really cool things! And that's funny about Doug I can see him doing that...And it is weird to realize how far away I am but nice to be able to keep in contact with everyone!

    Wendy: Thanks! i'm working on the blanket and should get it tomorrow if I don't get too caught up in sightseeing again! and no luckily the hail wasn't that big!! According to the travel magazine I read, leiderhosen are so in demand that you can't get a pair til 2014 or something crazy like that! So far I have not seen anyone dance and sing in harmony. maybe they will in Salzburg when I do the sound of music tour!

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  5. I'm glad, lauren that you got to see a duck.

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