Day 3: May 16th, Don't Know Much About History

There are many ways to learn about a city and its people. You can walk around and visit all the sights, you can eat the local food, and most importantly you can learn the history of an area. I personally believe that history is one of the more important aspects of a culture. After all it helps you understand what the city has experienced and what the people have been through. These things shape a country and it's people, and that is what made me excited about learning the history of Vienna. As a visitor I was impressed with just how much of the history of Vienna could be told through the buildings in Vienna. You could learn around District 1 of Vienna all day and get a pretty clear idea of what the history of Vienna looked like. As the capital of a strong empire the buildings and sculptures boasted the power that the emperors had. The designs and details of buildings could give you a time, while also describing the purpose of a building. Even the location in respect to the palace stressed how important the building and its residents were. The recent history of the city can also bee seen in the new buildings that mark the bombings from the two world wars. Seeing the history in this way has really opened my eyes to Vienna in many ways, and I hope to learn more of the history from the inside of these buildings as well.

Another way to see a city is from above the city. Vienna is unique in this regard with the fact that not many of its buildings are very tall. Many re just a few floors up and you can't see much from their top floors. Thats is what makes the climb the top of the south tower of the cathedral so special. Even though it is a hard 343 steps to the top the view from above historic Vienna is worth the pain. Seeing how similar et different Vienna is from the top of the tower really reminds you about the rich and deep history that Vienna has held onto for thousands of years. I also loved to see how beautiful Vienna was not just form below but also from a bird's eye view.

One of my most anticipated events on our schedule today was the Albertina art museum. Personally I am a big lover of art especially the iconic artists Monet and Picasso. However I do have to say that I was very impressed with the other exhibits and sections of the museum as well. Learning about how the museum's art collection came to be out of a unique marriage between a favored princess and an art obsessed young man really makes the art museum connect on a personal level. I also loved that you got to tour some of the rooms of the Albertina as they might have been when the couple lived in the palace. All of the art on all levels of the museum was impressive and unique and really added something to the feel of Vienna. I would love to go back sometime and spend more time exploring the different levels of the museum and take a longer time to appreciate at the amazing art work.

Perhaps the most exciting part of today would be meeting and talking with our tour guide Elizabet (I believe this is how you spell her name). Elizabet is the daughter of two musicians and grew up in the great city of Vienna. She works as an art manager but also teacher germane at AAIE and on days like today gives tour's of her city. Being able to go on a tour with a local was one of my favorite things about today, because you get to know s much more than what is provided on the service by many other tour guides. Elizabet showed us the city in a unique way by trying to get us to guess and answer her questions, while also sharing what she loved about the city. I enjoyed learning about all the rich history of Vienna from her as well as learning personal tid bits of information from her. Her favorite part of Vienna was the entrance to Golden Street, a place where the old and new collide in a spectacular display of differing architecture. Every building in the circle is a different style, time period, purpose, you name it! I personally saw this section as a representation of Vienna as a city, where the new and old combine to make a unique experience for the people who have been there their whole lives, and those who are just coming to fall in love with the city.