Just got back from a wonderful concert at the Kursalon in the Stadtpark here in Wien. This is the building where Strauss used to hold concerts back when he was alive, and so they have a concert that they do as a tribute to him. Not only was the building beautiful inside, with the usual amazing molding, huge chandeliers, and carpeted, winding staircases, but the concert was so lively and FUN! It was probably the biggest party kind of atmosphere I've ever felt at a classical concert! Plus a little Korean girl and I made faces at each other and she gave me a stick of gum. So that was nifty. Oooh, and I had the YUMMIEST dinner of my trip before hand....

So, first, an update...the Vienna-logue has been lacking, I know... spent a lot of time sleeping when I first got here (PMS-pre-cycle-exhaustion - passed out for 12 hours - this is normal for me during this time)... okay...that was interesting, I know... on to the good stuff!

First, though, the bad news: I missed opera season. And they had brought Elisabeth (the musical) back this season too. So I will just have to return to Vienna (twist my arm). They are also doing major construction on the Opera House, the National Library, and (it seems) a dozen other places in town. (Probably because its not opera season, you think?!)

Okay, now the good news: Vienna is GORGEOUS! It has a Saint-Petersburg kind of feel to it...grand buildings, ornate carvings on buildings and on bridges, some surprising statue or park around every corner. Have wandered around a lot and seen Stephansdom, the famous cathedral with the catacombs, Hofburg - old imperial palace with a beautiful garden, the Secession, KarlsKirche (another pretty church that has this really cool garden sculpture with flowers of a big butterfly - just the kind of thing I love).

Had 2-hour coffee and Mozarttorte in the Cafe Central, a place where the artsy folk of old used to hang out.

Did some clothes shopping (was feeling pretty ratty and I am going to Sandra's on Friday). (This is kind of depressing, because you know how sizes in Europe are like - in INCHES - instead of in numbers. Yeah. Oh well. It really freaks the skinny girls out, because they're not used to having two digits in their clothes sizes. Ha. Ha. Ha.)

Visited the Albertina Museum, which just reopened and is featuring this amazing collection of drawings from Michaelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci and their contemporaries. Debbie, you probably would have really appreciated this, because it gave all this information (via illustration, mostly) of how they studied the human form and how their art evolved over time. There were some interesting DDR photos too in one of other exhibits.

Went to the National Library and found this really interesting article about nineteenth-century women's travel writing about Russia. (The pretty part of the library was closed, so I was forced (arm-twisting again) to look at the card catalogue.) These things just jump out at me, what can I do? Anyway, they let me request the article and gave me the periodical in the reading room (I gave them my passport - hey, they are librarians - I trust them) and I photocopied it. Had this weird de-ja-vu moment about photocopying all night when I was at university. Kind of funny. Anyway, the article is generating all sorts of interesting ideas in my head. Too much to babble about here, but it is interesting stuff about how we view ourselves and others when we travel, especially with the gender/other-ness aspect....

Okay, so that brings us to tonight. First, the Kursalon is in the Wien Stadtpark, which is the lovely park with the famous statue of Strauss, plus a pond complete with weeping willows, a waterfall, ducks and small children feeding them. When I first got to the park it was dark outside, threatening rain, but it never did, and it cleared up while I was having dinner at the cafe that is in the Kursalon.

Dinner was kind of spendy (for me - $25 euro) but it was SO YUMMY. I wish I could remember the German names for the food, but suffice to say that the dish I had had the most amazing sauces - one was like apple and horseradish - I know - you don't believe me - but really, it was so unique and tasty. It came with this yummy potato-and-onion side that was heavenly. I will ask Sandra what the names of the dishes are so that I can write them down so you can try them yourselves when you are in Vienna and then you'll believe me. Also had this amazing dessert - some kind of crepe thing with a yummy cream-cheesey sauce and huge blackberries and raspberries. Of course, I'm a little kraut-ling, so maybe that's why it was so tasty. The menu was in German, so I just went with my instinct, but I figured that whatever I ordered would be delicious, because, hey, it's Vienna!

So then I went upstairs in the Kursalon, bonded with the Korean girl, and watched the concert. Not only did they play the usual waltzes, but there was a couple that danced during some of them - really amazing dancing, with leaping and tossing and throwing. They also had a couple that sang operattas during some of the other songs! They were really, really good!

Then during one song - the Egyptian March - the drummer really hammed up his part (he had been kind of forlorn most of the concert because Strauss waltzes don't really have a huge part for drums). So he made a big deal of his cymbal crashing and xylaphone playing (he had a xylaphone too) and we all enjoyed his anctics. Then during the last song, which was, of course, Blue Danube, we all clapped during the marching part (you know which one I mean - I can't hum it for you on screen). Anyway, after that when we kept applauding for them (because, really, they were excellent!) they played another waltz and invited everyone who wanted to come up and dance. And a bunch of people did...the floor in front of the stage was crowded! So it was just like this one huge party, and then, of course, we let out and the building and was all lit up and the fountains and the park were just breathtaking.

So....a peak evening...more on Vienna to come!