Around 4 we arrived at our dorm, the Europhaus, we settled in and got unpacked. Once we were unpacked we went were treated to our first meal in Austria; pizza.... It wasn't what I expected, it was super thin crust pizza that didn't resemble the pizza we are familiar eating in the US. Once we finished eating our pizza and salad we settled in for the night literally passing out on our beds.
The first night in Vienna was rough sleeping wise. I woke up about five times thinking it was the morning. This effect has worn off by day 3 of my trip. Now, our first full day in Vienna encompassed a walking tour of the city. We experienced taking the U4 (underground subway) to the city center and walked through most of the main landmarks in the city. After a 20 minute ride we arrived at Karlplatz station and walked to St. Stephens church in the center of Vienna. What amazed me the most was the history that surrounded me! Many of these buildings were build from the 16th to 19th century. The architecture and art of these buildings also mesmorized my senses. Once arriving in the central square we walked in St. Stephens cathedral. It was gothic inspired that reached into the sky with 2 large bell towers on the front of the church and 1 bell tower adjacent to the nave of the church. Inside the church we saw engraved columns, paintings, and stain glass windows all dating back before the 16th century.
The tour continued outside the square of the city to the outer portion of the old city (the area where the city wall encompassed the city) to see the parliament building and a variety of museums, churches, and the Habsburg Palace. My group has agreed we will be taking tours of these buildings on rainy days or Sundays.
Before long the jet lag kicked in and we took a nap later that day. Once we woke up it was time to go out for our first Austrian Pub dinner. During dinner I had a pub brewed beer and Schitzle (fried pork) for dinner. It was really good and I really enjoyed it.
The next day finally arrived after another long restless night. The day included another walk through of Vienna in the morning and a stop at Cafe Spiel in Vienna for my groups orientation into the IGE program. Apparently, this cafe was one of Hitlers favorite cafes in Vienna. It made me feel a little uneasy to think one of the most evil people drank coffee at such a peaceful cafe in the city. I ordered a Brauche which is considered a small espresso drink. Only after a short time in Europe, I've realized small really means small here. The small espresso I ordered was about the size of a shot glass. Next, we stopped at lunch at a small Kebab stand on our way back to our dorm. I ate a Donor Sandwich which is a warmed tender beef with a variety of sauces, lettuce, tomato etc. It was one of the best sandwiches I've ever ate in my life! Another even better stat about the sandwich was it only costed 2.90 euro, a steal for food here!
Later that day we went to our directors favorite pub in all of Vienna. He bragged that this was one of the best pubs in the world! To my amazement it really was what he suggested earlier in the day. The home brewed beer I drank was the first beer I actually enjoyed. Also, the chicken cordon blue I order was amazing as well! Chicken cordon blue is a fried piece of chicken with cheese and ham pieces inside the fried piece of chicken. I really suggest anyone who visits here to order this staple dish while they are here!
I hope to be writing more next week but I hope this was a good sample of my trip so far. I plan on writing details of each week of what I experience during the semester here. Until next time, prost! (cheers)
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