rundown

AIGHT

here's the rundown of Wien so far

-climbed a giant hill in salzburg and visited a castle
-visited mozart's birthplace (saw his first violin and his REDish hair)
-ate dinner at the oldest restaurant in central europe
-visited a couple bars/clubs in Salzburg
-visited Mathausen, a concentration camp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauthausen-Gusen_concentration_camp)
-ate, and continue to eat a lot of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_wafer)
as well as these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Bueno)
-saw two operas - Tosca and Lucia, and a ballet at the staatsoper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_State_Opera)
-saw the vienna symphony play Brahms 2 and Rachmaninoff 2 at the Konzerthaus WHERE WE WILL BE PERFORMING (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konzerthaus,_Vienna)
-chilled in mcdonald's with Langholz
-visited the vienna museum of fine arts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Museum_of_Art)
-and the national library (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_National_Library)
-went to high mass at augustinerkirche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinerkirche)
they did the Schubert Mass in Bflat. BEAUTIFUL. even though everything was in german and i had no idea what was going on.
-ate some of this where it was invented (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacher_torte)


and i still have almost two weeks left.
YAAAAAAAAAAY
dear wien, i love you. stay awesome.
dear USA, you're pretty cool, too. see you soonish.

reality sets in

AND IM FINALLY REALIZING THAT IN FEWER THAN 72 HOURS I WILL BE ON A PLANE TO GERMANY!

why did I realize this? all because of public radio, of course. Driving back from buying stuff that I "need" in order to travel, I was listening to public radio, and an orchestra was playing something beautiful, and I felt something. I yearned to go to an excellent orchestra concert. Like that same feeling when you just want a good cry - like you need it in order to feel like you can move on. I want to hear an orchestra and cry. I want to be moved. I want to try and get them to play the whole program over again, cause I loved it SO much.

and that, my friends, will be happening shortly.
I'm certain that some of the most memorable and moving performances I will ever hear in person will be within these hallowed 23 days spent in Austria and Germany.

I can't wait to listen. That's a first for me.... the girl whose brothers wanted to make a shirt for saying "Help! I'm talking and I can't shut up!". True story.

....the whole living in a hotel with one of my best friends for a month might be awesome, too.
just maybe, though.



all i can say is,
hell. yes.
worth every freaking penny.