Vienna, I miss you.

Greetings from Hudson, OH!

Well, I am finally home after 10 weeks, 42 concerts, a 9-hour flight home, and a 6-hour drive home from Toronto!  Yesterday, I - along with my two huge suitcases, duffel bag, clarinet bag, and purse - arrived in Toronto, where I happily greeted my parents, who drove me home to Ohio.  (Those of you who know my mom know that we made a bit of a scene in the airport - squealing and jumping up and down)!  I fell asleep around 6 pm in the car (midnight Vienna time), but upon returning home, gave my parents their presents from Vienna!  Their favorite gift was a Sacher Torte, which I brought home - wrapped and packaged in a little wooden box - from Cafe Sacher in Vienna.  After almost collapsing at the kitchen table from jet lag, I went to bed only to wake up at 5:30 am (10:30 am Vienna time).  As I was wide awake, I sent a few emails and did some organizing.  Today has mostly been showing my parents pictures, unpacking, and chatting with my mom about my experiences.  I am also about ready to go to bed, as it is 10:30 pm Vienna time...haha, but I am going to try to stay awake long enough to go out to dinner with my parents at one of my favorite restaurants, Aladdins!

I thought I would take this blog post (my final blog post) to write a bit about my daily life in Vienna and the sights and smells (and of course tastes!) I am going to miss the most.  This will be mostly pictures and captions.  During my last few days in Vienna, I tried to take pictures of everything I could so I could capture and share memories of my daily life in Vienna.

Our room!  (Shivani's bed is on the left, mine is on the right)

Our kitchen

Door to the girls' apartment

MargaretenStraße - the street on which I lived!

Cute park by our flats - the City of Vienna puts up hammocks in parks for the summer!

Poster for a Vienna Philharmonic concert - I love seeing posters for classical music concerts in metro stops!

One of our beautiful classrooms at IES (in an old palace called Palais Corbelli)

The BIPA - where one purchases toiletries 

The Billa, aka the grocery store

The Opera Toilet in the Karlsplatz metro station - for fifty cents, one can use the facilities while listening to opera music

Our U-Bahn stop

My stop on the U-4 line 

The Heiligenstadt line goes into the center of town, while the Hütteldorf line goes out of the center

Bratwurst stand near IES

Kartner Straße - one of the main streets in Vienna (IES is on a side street of this street)

The Wind Music section at Doblinger Music Publishers, the best music shop ever!

Naschmarkt (the open air market)

Delicious dried fruit from the Naschmarkt

Inside my favorite café, Café Hawelka

My favorite Vienna coffee - a "melange" (coffee with milk) 

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Outside the Musikverein

Inside the Musikverein

Outside the Staatsooper (photo credit Elizabeth Shribman)

What I am going to miss the most - our amazing FSP!
Back: Jason, Avery, Drew, Remy
Front: Maggie, Matt, me, Amy, Shivani, Anna, Danielle, Paul, and Richard

As you can probably tell, I really miss Vienna.  I miss strolling the streets of the city, navigating the U-Bahn system, and figuring out useful German words.  I miss seeing people carrying instruments everywhere, reading classical music posters on metro stop stations, and passing by the Musikverein and Staatsoper every day.  I miss attending numerous concerts (42 total!), learning about music history with great professors, and studying clarinet with my amazing teacher.  I miss being able to travel around Europe, visiting friends in Prague and London, and learning about the cultures in cities such as Salzburg, Bratislava, and Budapest.  I miss sharing a flat with five wonderful girls, sitting on the terrace with the guys while we ate dinner/played guitar/sang together, and going on countless adventures with 12 other musicians who understand the power of classical music and who have become wonderful friends.  

This was a truly amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Although I plan to return to Vienna (and Prague and London and many other cities in Europe - I can't wait until my next European adventure!), I know that never again will I have the chance to have quite this experience - spending 10 weeks with 12 other Dartmouth musicians, learning about music and each other, and absorbing many experiences in Vienna together.  I am so grateful to my parents for enabling me to go on this experience, as well as my teachers and friends in Vienna for giving me such a priceless experience.  

Yet, now it is time to spend two weeks at home before heading back up to Hanover for Sophomore Summer at Dartmouth.  I can't wait to see my Dartmouth friends again and to spend the summer in beautiful New England!  Until then, I have several loads of laundry to do, as well as lots of scrapbooking, visiting with friends and family from home, and, of course, reflecting on my time in Vienna.  

Thank you to everyone who followed my blog!  It meant so much to be able to share my adventures with you!

Vienna, Ich liebe dich.

Das Ende

Hello, everyone! 

I am writing this blog with a bit of a heavy heart, as it is probably the last blog I will write from Vienna (until my next trip, hopefully)!  This trip has been incredible...not to sound trite, but I have grown so much musically and personally.  Attending concerts in the most musical place in the world has been invigorating, and finding my way around a new, non-English speaking city has been empowering, Yet, I hesitate at the moment to get too nostalgic, as I still have one night left here with my FSP-mates, and I am going to try to prolong the tears as long as possible!  I promise to be more reflective in my last blog post, which I plan to write upon returning home this weekend.

I am going to begin this post by stealing an idea from my friend Elizabeth (and Matt, who plans to use it as well).  I have been thinking about the top ten things I am looking forward to upon returning home, as well the top ten things I am going to miss about Vienna.  Also, I apologize in advance for this blog not being that well-written, as it is 2 am here...

Several things I am looking forward to upon returning home (in no particular order):
-Seeing my family and friends in both Hudson and Hanover!
-Going shopping with my mom (and living with her in the fall)!
-Understanding everything people are saying most of the time
-Driving
-Cupcake Shop! (Hi, Mom and Gwen!)
-Seeing my teddy bears (yes, I am five)
-Taking English classes (Sophomore Summer, here I come!)
-Knowing what the knobs on the washing machines mean (I dyed all of my whites blue once because I accidentally hit "steam")
-DSO! (although not until Winter 2012)
-Applying more techniques from my clarinet teacher and ditching my anchor tonguing problems!
-American coffee pots...I never quite figured out the one in our flat


Several things I am going to miss about Vienna (again, in no particular order):
-Attending concerts almost every evening - there is something so inspiring about hearing orchestras, operas, and chamber music live
-Seeing people carry instruments everywhere and seeing concert posters in metro stops - this city is obsessed with classical music!
-Getting to study clarinet intensely and practicing daily...basically doing nothing but music for ten weeks
-The COFFEE (especially the Wiener Melange and cappucinos here)
-Hanging out with other musicians all of the time - I love everyone on this FSP and wish we could stay here as a group together for much longer!
-The various sweets - gelato, pastries, cakes, and otherwise - that are abundant in this city
-The U-Bahn...they don't make metros as clean, nice, or fast as this in the US
-2-Euro coins and coins actually being useful here!
-Being a short trip away from other amazing parts of Europe, such as Salzburg or Prague or London
-Seeing street musicians everyday on the way to class
-The cafe scene in Vienna
-Being near and going swimming in the gorgeous Donau river
-Walking past gorgeous buildings such as the Wiener Staatsoper and Musikverein on my way to class

There are obviously many more for both lists, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head!

The beginning of this week was mostly about work and studying.  We had a Music History final on Wednesday, a final recital on Wednesday, and a final paper for Perspectives in Music Performance due on Thursday.  We attended our last concert on Wednesday night; we saw "Die Lustige Witwe" ("The Merry Widow") at the Volksoper.  This marked our 35th official FSP concert and my 42nd concert in Vienna (as I saw some extra performances).

On Wednesday, we had our final recital.  I performed the Krommer Double Concerto with Matt as well as the Honegger Clarinet Sonatine.  I was particularly proud of this concert, as Matt and I were able to learn two movements of the concerto while here.  I was also happy with my performance of the Honegger.  One of my goals during lessons has been to be more relaxed when I'm playing.  My teacher told me to take three deep breaths before performing the Honegger, so I tried to calm down during my performance, and I think I played much better.  This is just one of the many techniques I learned from my teacher here that I will bring back with me to further develop!

Matt and me with Anthony Oliveras, our incredible clarinet teacher!

On Thursday, Steve took us on a "surprise field trip" to the Simmering Zentralfriedhof, which Matt and I had already visited, but we were able to see the graves of some other composers that we had missed during our last visit.  Afterwards, we went to the Haus der Musik, basically an "amusement park for musicians," where we were able to test our pitch thresholds and other cool brain/music things.  Afterwards, we made one last trip to Demel, where I purchased some goodies to bring home (hi Mom)!

Me and Amy with Brahms

Me with Arnold Schoenberg, a composer whose modern music I have grown to appreciate more while in Vienna

Paul conducting the "Vienna Phil" at the Haus der Musik

Me and my Demel goodies

Yesterday evening, we had our farewell dinner at a really pretty castle overlooking Vienna.  It was nice to be able to share a last meal together and see our professors one last time.

The girls in front of the gorgeous Vienna background!

Matt and me with Professor John Moraitis, our Music History professor

Me and Matt with Steve, our Perspectives in Music Performance professor and Dartmouth FSP leader

The girls on the FSP, Von Trapp family style

Today, I finished up some final things I wanted to see one last time and purchased some gifts.  Then, our whole group met up for dinner at an Austrian pub called 7 Stern, where I had one last Austrian meal of apfelgespritz (apple juice with soda water), sausages, and sauerkraut.  We then headed home to pack, and once again, I filled both of my two huge suitcases to the brim.  On a whim, we then all decided to head out to Praterstern to go on the bumper cars and Prater Turn, a ride on which you go all the way up to one of the highest points in the city and spin around; although I was terrified, it was great to get one last view of Vienna.  Then we all came back and just hung out, enjoying each other's company one last time in Vienna.

One last cup of Vienna coffee!

Me with the Vienna Philharmonic sign!

I am definitely sad to be leaving, but also ready to go home and see my family and friends.  Yet, I don't think it's hit me yet that I'm leaving Vienna.  I truly love this city so much.  I feel like I really fit in here; everyone loves music, culture, and coffee as much or more as I do, and the whole city is just bustling with the arts.  For example, last night, there was a summer concert at the Schonbrunn Palace, and thousands of people came to hear the Vienna Philharmonic perform - I feel as if something like this wouldn't really happen in the states!

Well, it's 2:30 am here, and I am heading to the airport in a few hours, so I will sign off for now...but I apologize in advance for a slightly weepy post upon returning home to the States.

Thank you to everyone who's been following this blog - it means a lot to be able to share my adventures with my friends and family.

Week Nine: Goulash, Grinzing, and Composers' Graves

Grüß Gott! (a common Viennese greeting)!


I hope this blog post finds everyone well - I can't wait to see many of you soon!  So much has happened in the past week that I felt I must blog about it - plus, blogging will be a good study break from paper writing and finals studying! 


The first highlight of Week Nine was a trip to the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien to hear another clarinet studio recital.  I love hearing students my age play clarinet, and conservatory clarinetists here in Vienna are ridiculously talented.  Before the recital, Matt and I ate at a little Italian restaurant called "Da Capo."  As Austria borders northern Italy, the Italian cuisine in Vienna is quite good. Matt and I had promised ourselves that we would go on a "date night" at a cute restaurant while we were in Vienna, so it was nice to relax in Da Capo's garden while eating delicious pizza and pasta.  


On Tuesday, we visited the Museum of Military History.  Although I was not particularly interested in looking at the old rifles and cannons housed in the museum, I was fascinated by the museum's depiction of Austrian military history and the often complex role Austria played in conflicts such as World War II.  It was interesting to explore military history from a non-American perspective.  This museum also contains the car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed in 1914 (the incident that sparked World War I) as well as Franz Ferdinand's deathbed.  Once again, memories of my high school history classes (and one of my history teacher's dramatic recreation of this scene from history - hi, Katie Miller!) again floated into my memory as I saw the information I learned brought to life.  

The Franz Ferdinand car

On Wednesday night, we attended the Vienna Symphony's performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony at the Musikverein.  This was a particularly emotional concert for me: not only was the orchestra playing Mahler, whose symphonies often bring me to tears, but it was our group's last concert in the Musikverein.  I have so loved being able to attend numerous concerts at the Musikverein - hailed by many as the best hall in the world - so this concert was particularly sad.  At the end of the fifth movement of the Mahler, I started bawling, as the incredible orchestration of this symphony combined with my own sadness about leaving the Musikverein really impacted me...and earned me many confused looks from other audience members as I walked out of the Musikverein sobbing!  

Musikverein, Großer Saal

I finally indulged in a treat during intermission!

Luckily, that evening was also Richard's birthday, so my mood quickly improved when my FSP-mates and I threw him a surprise party.  Matt baked him a delicious cake, and we all hid around the flat and jumped out at Richard when he walked in.  After the party, we all headed out to the Prater for a late-night bumper car outing, but all of the rides were closed.  Yet, we were determined to help Richard celebrate, so a few of us went to the Donauinsel (the bank of the Danube river) and sat on a dock in the dark.  Richard and a couple of others jumped into the freezing cold water while I decided to remain on the dock, resisting Richard and Remy's attempts to throw me in.  Although I was not brave enough to swim at midnight, it was nice to sit on the dock and gaze at the city lights in the distance.  

Richard's surprise

The cake Matt baked for Richard

The next day, I had my last lesson with my clarinet teacher (so sad)!  We worked on my scale and articulation exercises as well as my piece for the final recital, the Honegger Sonatine.  After the lesson, our teacher took me and Matt out for lunch (at a delicious falafel restaurant to which we have since returned) and gelato (at our new favorite spot).  It was great to talk to our teacher about life as a clarinetist in Vienna, the transition from a liberal arts college to a conservatory, and our goals for future clarinet playing.  I feel so fortunate that my lessons in Vienna worked out so well; my teacher has helped and encouraged me so much, and I can't wait to further apply the techniques he has taught me.  We have our final recital on Wednesday, and I am excited to show what I have learned!


After the lesson and lunch, Matt and I went to Simmering (at the end of an U-Bahn line) to the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) in Vienna to visit the graves of Beethoven, Schubert, (Johann) Strauss, and Brahms.  In tribute to our beloved composers, Matt and I walked from grave to grave with a laptop, playing a segment of a piece by each composer.  Thank goodness no one else was around, or else we would have gotten a ton of weird looks, but it was really meaningful to be able to hear the brilliant music of these composers at their resting places. 

The sign indicating the musicians' corner of the Zentralfriedhof

Me by all of the composers' graves

Beethoven

BRAHMS!

Afterwards, we went to the Austrian National Library, which I had read was one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and was thus determined to see before I left.  Although the reading room was, in fact, gorgeous and covered in books on all sides, it was more like a museum than a library.  Display cases and posters were everywhere, and I didn't get the same kind of cozy "library" feeling that I experienced at the abbeys in Melk and St. Florian.  Nonetheless, I am more than happy in any room filled with thousands of books!

Austrian National Library

Secret passageway!

This past weekend, we traveled as a group to Budapest, Hungary.  I was excited for this trip, as we would have the opportunity to visit another city, learn about its history, eat its food, and hear its music.  After a three-hour train ride from Vienna to Budapest, we began our visit with a bus tour of the city.  We stopped at Hero's Square (a large monument in the center of Budapest commemorating the great leaders of Hungary) and drove by other sites such as the stunning Parliament building and old bath houses.  Budapest actually has two separate sides, Buda and Pest (which were once two separate cities) separated by the Danube.  Most of the tourist attractions are on the Pest side, with the exception of the Buda Castle on the Buda side.  It was neat to see the many Turkish influences (such as the bathhouses and building styles) in Budapest, as the city was occupied by the Turks hundreds of years ago.  After hearing a fascinating lecture about Hungarian music (focusing on composers such as Liszt, Bartók, and Kodály), we ate dinner at a restaurant called Régi Sipos Halászkert Étterem, where we ate goulash and listened to live Hungarian folk music.  The food was delicious, and it was nice to hear more ethnic music (although the musicians did play an arrangement of "I Could've Danced All Night," which was a little disorienting to hear)!

The musicians - a violinist, bassist, and dulcimer player

Goulash

Hungarian honey cakes

The next day, we toured both the Franz List house.  At the Liszt house, we saw many of Liszt's pianos and other artifacts.  Although the museum only consisted of three rooms, it gave a thorough portrayal of Liszt's life and works.  

We had to wear these booties on our feet before walking around the museum

Liszt's manuscripts

One of Liszt's pianos (and the most gorgeous music stand ever)

Afterwards, we visited the House of Terror, which was obviously a completely different experience.  This museum houses exhibitions and artifacts dealing with both the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Hungary.  This was honestly one of the best museums I have ever visited, as it instilled in me a understanding of the profound negative impact of these occupations on these Eastern European countries.  I left the museum emotionally drained but well-informed and deeply moved.  




Upon returning from Budapest, Matt, Amy, and I rushed to Cafe Hawelka, where we had previously arranged to meet Elizabeth, who was visiting us for the weekend from Prague.    We were lucky to be able to spend the entire day on Sunday with her!  Our day began with a trip to the "Pancake Palace" restaurant where we first tried the Kaiserschmarm (the torn-up pancakes with plum sauce).  As Elizabeth is an excellent dessert partner-in-crime, we had to take her!

Kaiserschmarm

The best part of the day was our trip to Grinzing (a little town just outside of Vienna) to visit the grave of Gustav Mahler.  Elizabeth, Amy, Matt, and I perched next to his grave and played the DSO's recording of Mahler's Second Symphony from our concert last spring.  In the middle of the piece, we realized that it was the exact one year anniversary of the DSO concert on which we performed this piece - May 29.  This made the moment all the more magical!  Before leaving, we each took a small chunk of grass from the area near Mahler's grave.  Although this sounds totally weird, we had been planning to do this for a while.  At our last rehearsal before the concert last spring, our DSO conductor pulled out a small teacup with grass from Mahler's grave that he had picked on the DSO's tour to Central Europe the year before.  It was so nice to sit with my DSO friends and pay homage to one of my favorite composers.  

Mahler

Taking my grass

With our clumps of grass

Afterwards, we sat in a park in Grinzing and had a picnic consisting of falafel sandwiches and pastries.  It was a gorgeous day, and it was wonderful to sit and enjoy each other's company.  Although Matt, Amy, and I had to go to an opera that evening, we met up with Elizabeth afterwards and went once again to the "Pancake Palace," as we wanted to try different kinds of pancakes.  This day was a great way to relax and enjoy the calm before the storm of finals, and of course it was wonderful to see Elizabeth again!

Picnic

This is probably one of my last blog posts, as I return to the States on Saturday!  I cannot believe I am leaving so soon.  I love this city and cannot wait to return.  Not only will I return home a better clarinetist and listener of classical music, but also as a more empowered individual; voyaging around Europe has instilled in me a new confidence and lifelong love of travel.  


But, before I can get too sentimental, I must finish a ton of work!  Tomorrow, we have our Music History final and final recital (I am performing the Honegger Sonatine, and Matt and I are performing the Krommer Double Concerto, mvts. 1 and 2).  On Thursday, we have our final paper, journal, and quiz due for our "Perspectives in Performance" class.  Lots to accomplish!


As always, thanks for reading!