I’m here to Pump…You up!
Wednesday, November 1st, 2006On Wednesday the 25th I boarded the plane and touched down in the land of the delta blues in the middle of the pouring rain…not really but isn’t that a great song?
I actually boarded a plane to Salzburg, Austria. I had no reason to go to Austria other than it was a very cheap flight, less than 50 bucks. I was very impressed with Salzburg. It was kind of what I pictured it would be. A small town nestled at the bottom of the Alps. Small cozy streets with little cafes, shops and restaurants. It is a very picturesque city. Salzburg is the home to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and is where the movie “The Sound of Music” took place. While no one was watching I actually extended my hands out by my side and spun in circles singing the song…Not! I don’t know about you people but I absolutely hated that movie and don’t remember anything from it other than that opening scene. I dreaded rainy days while in elementary school as I knew that’s what was coming on. My hostel showed the movie, in all it’s glory and splendor, everyday. You could also book a sound of music tour for about 30 Euros…i elected to save my money.
Austria is also the home to the current governor of California, Mr. Schwarzenegger. I tried to see if my california I.D. would get me anywhere, but it didn’t work.
After two days in Salzburg I headed to the capital city of Vienna. Like most big cities Vienna has the standard amenities, commercialized restaurants and shops. Vienna is known as the music city and is home to some of the best opera in the world. I had never been to an opera and wanted to go but the prices were quite high and i elected to pass. I did however catch a performance of the Imperial Orchestra. We were sold the seats by a guy on the street. He assured us he was giving us a good deal and even upgraded us for no additional charge and threw in a free drink. For 38 Euros it was expensive but what the heck, right?
When we got to the show we basicall were stepping into a High School Cafeteria. Ok, it was a little more nicer than that but the seating was just about 20 row of chairs laid out across this floor. Aside from that I was very pleased with the performance. The orchestra played pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Hayden and more. There was some opera singing and some ballet. It was probably the highlight of my trip to Vienna. There are tons and tons of Museums and things to see in Vienna as well but honestly that just equals boring to me. My limited attention span doesn’t allow me to view museums for longer than 10 seconds.
I probably could have seen more of what Austria and Vienna had to offer but after 4 days I had enough. Things are quite expensive and i was looking for cheaper options.
Gagnonius