Panoramas

These are some leftovers from Innsbruck and Wien. Click on the pictures for larger views.

View from the Alpenzoo overlooking Innsbruck and some of the Alps.

Taken from the riverfront walk looking across the River Inn at the other side of Innsbruck and some of the mountains behind the city.

The front of Schloss Schönbrunn

The back porch of Schloss Schönbrunn looking out over Schönbrunn Garten.

Salzburg Weihnachtsmarkt

What is a "Weihnachtsmarkt", you may ask. Basically this is a large, open air market that usually opens around the third week in November in most towns and cities in German areas. There are many booths selling almost anything that you can imagine related to Christmas (Weihnachten is Christmas).

Anyway, last Sunday our Jungendgruppe went down to Salzburg to visit the Weihnachtmarkt there. It takes place in front of the main cathedral in Salzburg. The day we went it was cold and rainy, so high on our priority list was purchasing food and drink that would keep our hands warm. This desire led some of us to a Kaiserschmarrn booth. Kaiserschmarrn is a delicious food that appears to be a giant, cut-up pancake. It comes in many flavors. and I chose to get an apple-gingerbread flavor with chocolate  sauce. That was amazing! This warmed my hands enough to wander around looking at the many booths selling toys, clothes, christmas ornaments, etc. Soon though, it was time to warm my hands again, so I bought some Kinderpunch, basically a hot, fruity/spicy punch. It is called Kinderpunch because it has no alcohol.

VaShon, Dylan, and I decided to step inside the cathedral for a few minutes to warm up. Ha, we had forgotten that cathedrals generally aren't much warmer than the outside temps, due to a lack of central heating. Oh well, at least there were many candles lit in honor of the saints that we could surreptitiously warm our hands over!

Finally, it was time to get back on the train and head back to Bogi. If one is in Europe during this time of year, a visit to the nearest Weihnachtsmarkt is a must, although you might want to pick a day with better weather.

Ringstraße Tour and Orgel um Drei

One of the main tours in Wien is the RingStraße Tour. To take this tour, all you have to do is wait at any station along the RingStraße until a yellow Straßenbahn shows up. Then you get on, pay for your ticket, take the headphones, and listen to the audio guide as you travel along. The RingStraße was commissioned by Kaiser Franz Josef and was built over the old city moat. Thus situated, it provides the perfect way to get a quick overview of the Old City of Vienna. It takes about a half hour, and you see many sights. Some of the main ones are the Austrian Parliament Building, the Old Vienna Stock Exchange, the financial center of the city where many banks and insurance companies are based. You will also see the oldest church in Vienna, a cathedral built in the early Romanesque style. There are many other sights on the tour, but I wouldn't want to give everything away :)

Later Wednesday (yes, we're still on Wednesday), we went to an organ concert at three o'clock (hence the name "orgel um drei"). It was in another beautiful cathedral, perhaps the most opulent I'd seen up to this point. The gilded sculptures and moldings were everywhere! Unfortunately, the organist could only use a few of the pipes, because most of the organ needed restored :(  But the music was still quite good.

 

The Old Vienna Stock Exchange

The oldest church in Vienna

Palachinken: A traditional Austro-Hungarian food that we had for lunch on Wednesday

The program for "Orgel um Drei"

The main organ loft in the church where we heard the organ concert. This part of the organ is under restoration. You can see a small amount of the gilding in the church here.

Vienna: Der Stephans Dom

For an encore to Schloss Schönbrunn we visited the largest cathedral in Vienna, the Stephan's Dom. This cathedral, built in the Gothic style in the early 1300s, stands on the ruins of two earlier churches. Originally, the cathedral would've had four towers of equal size, but only the south tower was finished. This tower is 137 meters tall, and the bell that is in it weighed 20,130 kilograms. This makes it the second largest swinging bell in Europe after the bell in the Cologne Cathedral. The most unique feature of this cathedral is its roof, which is composed of 230,000 glazed tiles.

In this photo you can just barely see the start of the tiles that form a mosaic of the Imperial Eagle of Austria.

Another interesting fact about the Stephan's Dom is that it was instrumental in Vienna becoming its own diocese and thus getting out from under the authority of the Bishop of Passau. In 1469 the Pope canonically established the Diocese of Vienna under a bishop appointed by the emperor

Interior carving on one of the pillars

The organ loft

Der Südturm (the South Tower)

View to the west of Vienna from the South Tower

Vienna: Schloss Schönbrunn

1,441 Rooms
40 Rooms

The first number is the total number of rooms in Schloss Schönbrunn, and the second number is the number of rooms shown during the Grand Tour, which is the short tour of the Schloss. This tour took about 2 hours. It was impressive! It is hard to imagine the scope of the entire palace. Schloss Schönbrunn served as the summer residence of the emperors of Austria since 1569, when emperor Maximilian II of the Holy Roman Empire purchased the land and built a palace on it. It was continually added on to for the next century. The grounds are also home to a large zoo and many beautiful gardens.

The rooms inside are over-the-top opulent, which I guess is to be expected of a palace. But if you were wondering where all the gold has gone, just visit any palace or cathedral in Europe. The amount of gilded wood and stone carvings is overwhelming! And its not just the gold, on the walls, the floors, even the ceilings use many different exotics woods, most often rosewood. One room, called the Rich Room, was paneled floor to ceiling with exceptionally rare pieces of rosewood. Inset in the walls were rare Mongolian paintings set in gilded and lacquered frames. The Great Ballroom was covered in white lacquered panels with gilded trim and large murals. On the ceiling were three large murals depicting various aspects of Franz Josef's rule. Perhaps the most stunning room though, was the Mourning Room. This room was commissioned by Kaiserin Elisabeth after her son Rudolf died. The walls and ceiling are covered with black lacquered panels set within gold trim. The floor was dark red rosewood. The effect was stunning, especially after so many rooms done in white or brown themes.

This is the left end wing of the Schloss. 

A view from the rear balcony looking out over Schlosspark Schönbrunn.

A portico at the other end of the park.

Part of the grounds, notice how the trees are pruned flat on the top. In other places in the park they are trimmed to form arches, or shaped to form walls.

A view of the main Schloss looking at the back of the building.

Vienna: The First Day

Last week was our class trip to Vienna (I keep wanting to type "Wien" instead of "Vienna", so apologies in advance, they are the same city). Anyway, the trip started out just fine, we caught our train at our little, one-horse train station and were on our way to Neumarkt-Kalhalm, where we would switch trains. We knew we only had eight minutes to make the change, but we figured it was a small station and we would have no trouble. Well, when we get there we find out our next train is delayed for an hour. The delay was due to someone not getting off the tracks in time and the tracks needed to be cleaned up (didn't want to imagine what exactly this meant). This meant that we would miss all of our next connections. So we got on our train and took an alternate route. Our last train was a double-decker train, quite comfortable, which is good, because that was a two-hour trip. 

We made it to Vienna a couple hours later than we planned, but no worries. We checked into our hostel, and then wandered along Mariahilfer Straße, which is the main shopping street in Wien. We also visited the Museum Quarter. Later the evening we went to a pizzeria run by Italians, which meant that the pizza was absolutely amazing!! We each ordered a large pizza, and even though it was a very thin crust, that is still a lot of pizza! Our rooms in the hostel were on the top floor, which meant climbing 105 stairs (yes, I counted)! That was good exercise...maybe a bit more than I wanted :)  More coming soon, with pictures!

Alpenzoo: Longer Version

Okay, now that I'm back at Bogenhofen for a day, I'll write a bit more about the Alpenzoo. For starters, this is one of the main tourist attractions in Innsbruck. The zoo showcases many animals who represent the main species that you can find in the Alpine habitat in and around Innsbruck. As with many zoos, it also serves as a conservation center. One of the main creatures it serves to protect is the Northern Bald Ibis, which is extinct is Europe, but still survives in Africa. The zoo serves as a breeding center, as well as supervising introduction attempts in Austria and other countries.

As for showcasing animals representative of the Alps, the zoo does a superb job of this. Animals such as the Eurasian Brown Bear, Lynx, and mountain goats are shown in there natural habitats. Magnificent birds, such as the Golden Eagle, Lammergier, and Eagle Owl make you feel glad that you're not any lower on the food chain. The zoo also contains an aquarium with many different fish, frogs, and other water-loving creatures. There is also a terrarium that, in warmer months holds various lizards and snakes. I was surprised, I'm not used to thinking about reptiles living in an area with such a cold climate, but while we wandered around the zoo, I saw two different wild lizards!! 

According to the Alpenzoo's website, the zoo displays 20 of the 80 mammal species, 60 bird, 11 reptile, 6 amphibian, and most of the Alpine fish species. 

And if you ever get tired of looking at the animals, there is always the scenery!

Innsbruck: Zweite Tag

Guten Tag!

Heute haben wir den Alpenzoo gesehen. Er war sehr schön! Wir haben viele Tiere gesehen. Bären, Vögel, Luchs, und viele mehr! Das Wetter war sehr sonnig und warm, und wir haben die Berge gesehen! Sehr, sehr schön!! Auf die Berge war Schnee!

Some of the mountains surrounding Innsbruck.

The Weiherburg

Mountains above the Alpenzoo

Eurasian Dipper at the Alpenzoo

Bald Ibis at the Alpenzoo. The zoo is one of the main centers of conservation for this critically endangered species.

Eurasian Scops–Owl at the Alpenzoo

Furry piglike creature...didn't remember the name. It reminds me of javelinas.

Mountain Goat kid

Mountain Goat

Lynx

Lynx

Mountains above the zoo

Innsbruck: Erste Tag

First full day in Innsbruck! I can't believe I'm actually wandering around a European city on my own! Someone pinch me!!  Anyway, for my first full day here, I wandered around the city for the morning, enjoyed the sights of the Hofgarten, at least what wasn't closed. There was an awesome playground designed as a castle! Then we wandered around the university, and found our way to the Golden Dachl. Even though the sun wasn't shining it was still quite gorgeous! After this, it was time for lunch, so we decided to eat at a Strudel-Cafe. I ate a Gemüse-mozzeralla strudel, and drank heiße schokolade.

VaShon's hand got in the picture here, oh well! 

After lunch, we went to the Tirol Volkskünst Museum. In here there were many example of Tirolean art, as well as exhibits showing bits of Tirolean life. The most impressive exhibit to me was the exhibit that showcased their woodworking. One of the pieces was a closet from the 1600s. I doubt modern machines could duplicate it with success. Another impressive item of note were the planes that they used. They had to make all the planes they use, including those used for mouldings. Unfortunately I couldn't take photos. 

Next we went to the Hofkirche, a cathedral commissioned by Emperor Maximilian. He commissioned some of the best artists in Europe to create this cathedral for him. 

A few photos of the interior.

The Golden Dachl. This is where the emperor would make public appearances when he came to Innsbruck.

Essen!

So its kind of random, but I thought I would do a post about the food here. Sorry I don't have any pictures at the moment, but I will attempt to remedy that in the near future. In the meantime, enjoy!

So far, the food here has been quite delicious. One thing that has surprised me is how much of the food here is either grown on campus or is made here. All of the bread is made in the kitchen here, as is all of the jam (die Marmaladen) and peanut butter (die Erdnsbutter). They also make their own pasta, which is quite delicious. The pasta sauce is made from tomatoes grown in the greenhouses on campus, which is where all of the green beans and lettuce come from as well. I also learned that the apples lately have been grown on campus, and some of these apples are pressed into apple juice (although it is closer to apple cider). If you don't like potatoes though, you would have a bit of a hard time here, as potatoes in some form or another are a big part of the menu here.

The desserts here are quite tasty, often some for of cake or pudding. So far my favorites have been the tiramisu, schokoladecreme, or Dresdeneiskuchen. Sugar is not worshipped here as it is in America, and desserts here are not nearly as sweet as they are in the US. For me though, this makes them better in some ways. For one, it allows the flavors of the ingredients to shine, instead of being smothered by the sweetness, not that I dislike American desserts at all! It is just a different, and fun experience!

A fun surprise today was brunch, and they had Pfannekuchen (pancakes)!!! And real maple syrup, and peanut butter!! I hadn't realized how much I missed those until today! That was a real treat!!  Tchüss!!

Hagenau und Bogenhofen

Servus! Heute hat ich Hagenau und Bogenhofen fotografiert.

Hagenau

Das Schloss Hagenau

Eine Wasserpumpe

Das Dorf Kanal

Die Kirche Bogenhofen

Ein anderes Bild von dem Schloss

Guten Tag!!

WandernTag leftovers

Just one final picture from WandernTag. This is an almost 180 degree panorama of the meadow where we ate lunch. This meadow is at 1200 meters of elevation, and the peak in the background tops out at nearly 2000 meters. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Random Musings

So  this is just a collection of random observations and musings I've had since I got over here.

• In general people keep their cars much cleaner here than in the US, both inside and outside. Someone told me it is due to stringent inspection laws here, someone else told me it was that to a European, a car is a symbol of pride, and many people spend lavish attention on their cars, either way I found it interesting.
• Another car–related note: since coming over here I have seen exactly one car with an automatic transmission, and that was the large van for the school. Everyone drives manuals here, which I think is great! One of my friends found it amazing that I knew how to drive a manual. He said he would never drive an automatic, that a manual is much more fun to drive. It seems that many more Europeans seem to enjoy driving, whereas many Americans seem to see it as a necessary chore, which might explain the difference. 
• The windows here are ingenious! There are three handle positions, with one locking the window closed, the second allowing it open fully, like a door. The third position allows the window to pivot open from the top, giving you an opening of about 12-16cm at the top, which is perfect if you want to cool your room off without blowing all the papers off your desk.
• Many new buildings are built with glass curtain walls that have large panels that swing or slide open, allowing something close to an open air experience on nice days. This is quite nice, especially in church when it gets warmer in the sanctuary.
• A two hour drive is a veerrry long drive to many of my European friends. To me this is afternoon drive.
• Many buildings here have very thick walls, which according to one person lowers heating and cooling costs. 

Anyway, that's all for now, just some random tidbits I've found interesting. Cheers!

Campus

Well, it has taken me a while, but here are pictures of the main buildings on campus.

Die Maedschenheim

Der Sportplatz

Die Mensa und Die Turnhall

Here you see die Mensa from across the Bogi-pond. In this building there is the Computerraum, die Verwaltung, und die Mensa. Attached to the end, where you can see it just at the left end of the new building is die Turnhall, or gym. Here we have indoor sports as well as assemblies.

Die Neue Kapelle

Die Pickardteum 

This is the music building. It was named after a particularly talented family who played music for the school here and also work her.

Die Alte Kapelle

The top floor is used as a chapel, while the bottom floor is divided into two classrooms for the Sprachschule.

Die Burschenheim