Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Lately.

Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while...I’m just a little overwhelmed right now! I’m having so much fun here, there’s so much to do, so much to take in... It’s amazing. I sometimes feel like I’m doing a bad job of documenting ...I have to remind myself to just enjoy it and take it all in.

So, recap of the past few days:

Sunday we sang in St Stephen’s in Vienna, which is super famous and incredibly beautiful and HUGE! We sang the mass that morning, which was a really cool experience.Then we had the afternoon to spend in Vienna, which was pretty much a bust--no stores are open on Sundays. But the cafés are, so we had a nice lunch and walked around for a while, went to Starbucks (I know, right? I’m such an American it’s ridiculous. Most expensive latte of my life, lemme tell ya. 4.90 Euro for a soy mocha? Seriously? But so worth it)... Then we hopped on the bus back to Eisenstadt, where Chorale had a concert to perform. It was amazing. Really fabulous singing, if I may say so (I think I can, right? It’s not like I sang alone...). It was pretty bittersweet, though, because it was our last time singing together as a group--about half of our group has now graduated or are leaving...I’m not good with goodbyes. That part was not a pleasure.{sigh} I’m going to miss them.Monday we had the morning off for napping and generally relaxing, which was very nice. We had a concert in Jennersdorf, which is an adorable town about two hours from Eisenstadt. During intermission of the concert we all were standing in the courtyard of this church, and there were bats EVERYWHERE! I have never been so petrified in my life. Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was freaky. They were flying and swooping right over our heads... I did not like it. I wish I had a picture of that.
Naturally, I got no pictures of the church, just the flowers. They were quite pretty:Yesterday was our day off. I couldn’t decide what to do, part of me just wanted to sleep all day... but I forced myself to go out, and I’m so glad I did. We took a little afternoon trip to a cute town called Rust. There’s a lake there where we sat at a cafe for a while, then rented some paddle boats. I had a wonderful time...despite the sunburn (...take that, Julie). Afterwards, we went and had a beer while some friends waited for the bus, then went to a little Heurige for dinner and some wine. It was a wonderful day, although, I will admit that I’m a tad jealous of Kaitlin’s trip to Vienna to see Diana Damrau in Die Zauberflöte...Now I’m sitting in my room, eating my favorite candy (I swear, I’m coming back to the states 5 lbs. heavier, and it’s all gummy bear weight)
gazing at the disaster in front of me, watching the Olympics and thinking about how much I don’t want to pack.
So, yes, that’s about it for now. Today we have a rehearsal for our big gala concert in the Schloss tomorrow, and we have the night free. I can’t believe I’m going home in a few short days! I’m ready, though. I miss you people.

And Qdoba. I REALLY miss Qdoba.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Whoa, baby!

Today was pretty amazing--looking back at the pics, I can hardly believe all that I saw in one day!!
I think it's best to recap in pictures, so... here goes!The room Haydn was born in. And me. Can you see me?? Cool.
Haydn's baby cradle! Cute.
I liked the flowers at Haydn's house. I did not like the mosquitoes at Haydn's house (they were AWFUL!!).
Brahms's grave.
Schubert.
Beethoven (!!!).
Wolf. (as you can tell, this cemetary was incredible)
Kait and Jo at lunch.
Vienna--it's like NYC with older buildings!!
Stage door at Vienna State Opera (which I intend to use someday...).
Anna at the fountain in front of the Opera house.
Me with a dress.
I love Dr. Gauthier.
SO beautiful!
Inside the opera house.

Dr. Bass and Kathleen (and Karajan?).

Mahler and Me.Lock of Beethoven's hair... creepy...
Beethoven's death mask... equally creepy.... nope, more creepy.
Doesn't Tara bear a striking resemblance to Beethoven?? Uncanny.
Original Cosi program!!
Me and the Vienna Staatsoper.
Me with my dinner buddies, being cute...
Yeah, they're hotties.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

"Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry..."

I always hated that song. So did my campers last summer when I would sing it...anyway, my sister is mad that I haven’t posted in two days. And I’m sure the rest of you are too...sorry ‘bout that. I’m a little preoccupied with, oh, the fact that I’M IN AUSTRIA AND TRYING TO ENJOY EVERY MINUTE! Sorry, Anna, that wasn’t meant to be sassy. Just let me do things on my own time, K??

Anyway, yesterday was super fun-- we had a tour of Forchtenstein castle, which was stunning. The tour, however, was horrendously boring. But it was cool to be there. Here’s a few castle pics:

Austria is so beautiful.
Dracula. He's kind of a big deal.




When we got back to Eisenstadt, it was time for the Trachten Tack fashion show! Trachten Tack is THE store for authentic Austrian garb in Eisenstadt. The fashion show was a hoot-- and we got to sip mimosas while we watched! It was great.Christina and Me before the show.
Luke and Mel looking Model-y.
Brennen rocking some 500 Euro Liederhosen...
**Newsflash!! Bob Potsic modeled in a fashion show today, ladies and gentlemen! (that one needs to go down in the record books)**
Some cool people after the show.


Meanwhile, today was our first performance of the Beethoven Missa Solemnis, and wow, is that piece ever a beast! It’s so cool, but it really is a marathon. 70 Minutes of intense singing...and we’re standing the whole time. Painful. But so worth it.
Well, tomorrow we’re off to Vienna for a tour of the sights! I’ll be sure to post pictures as soon as I can!

P.S. Have you been checking out the podcasts?? They're actually kinda cool...

That's all for now.
Love ya, mean it, ciao.