After presentations, we headed out for the day in the 5 groups we were assigned (refer to last post if confused) to 5 different shopping districts throughout the city. My group was sent to scout out Millenium City, a more recent addition to Vienna that I would compare to an American style shopping mall. Our objective: spend 2+ hours in the assigned location and eat lunch on-site. The mall was nice, but almost too Americanized. Although the majority of the stores could not be found in the States, I still felt like I was back home. We ate at a Mexican restaurant where our waiter spoke no English. In fact, he only spoke Chinese so it was very difficult to communicate. The only purchase I made was a box of chocolate wafers (imagine that!) that reminded me of a Kit-Kat bar, except 10x better.
After our shopping excursions, we returned to the hotel to discuss all of our experiences at the local shopping districts. Then, on to the Belvedere! Finished in 1716, the Belvedere is a baroque-style palace, surrounded by beautifully-kept gardens. We took pictures here and walked around for at least an hour. We plan to go back soon and study/have a picnic. What a life! (At the top of the post is a picture of the Belvedere that I took) yesterday! From the Belvedere, we headed to the Prater Park, an amusement park that reminded me very much of Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO! We had so much fun exploring and riding rides. Kirk and I went on a ride called "Ecstasy" that left us dizzy for hours afterwards. It's indescribable, but let's just say that European regulations on amusement park rides are not nearly as strict as they are in America... I wish I had taken more pictures there to show for the experience, but I'm sure we will return soon. We left the Park near the time it closed then headed back to the hotel to hang out until we went to bed for the night!
Today (Sunday) has been one of the best days yet! Woke up around 9am and headed to our first stop of the day: mass at Stephansdom. The interior of the cathedral is ornately decorated and slightly overwhelming at first glance. The service lasted close to two hours. Although I could not understand 90% of the service (since it was all in German), I was still thoroughly interested in observing their customs and rituals. After mass, we walked to the famous Hofburg Quarter, main palace of the Hofburg empire. Located in the "backyard" of the Hofburg palace is currently a fall festival, full of wine-tasting booths, Austrian singing/dancing, kids games, and local vendors selling jewelry, scarfs, and knick-knacks. Sarah and I convinced Cari to ride on the mechanical bull, which was HILARIOUS.
After lunch and time at the fall festival in the Hofburg Quarter, we took a bus to the top of Kahlenberg, a mountain located in the 19th District within Vienna. This area is heavily populated with tourists, as it offers a panoramic view of the entire city. Simply beautiful. Instead of taking the bus back down the mountain, we walked down the mountain through a vineyard (my favorite part of the day). Sidenote: the weather today was incredible--in the low 70's all day. Although the walk down the mountain was steep, it was time well spent. We stopped half-way down and had a short devo, where we sang for a little bit and shared communion together. Once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure. We ate dinner outside at a local Viennese restaurant, where we enjoyed our first topfenstrudel, a flaky dough encrusted type cheesecake covered in warm vanilla sauce. Fattening, yet delicious.
We made our way back to the hotel by 9pm after a satisfying dinner. Tomorrow is Monday, which means our classes are about to start. I'm nervous, but also excited. I almost wish we could be strictly tourists for the next 3 months, since I have already learned so much. But, I'm also excited to get into more of a routine. We're going to bed early tonight so that we can be well-rested for school in the am!
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