Busy Weekend in Vienna

With two weekends remaining in Vienna I knew I had to take advantage of all the time I could! On Friday after class I did some shopping for friends and family back home and I even found a Tryrolean hat that fits me! I have a rather large head...literally, so I have trouble finding hats that fit well. So, when I tried this one on I knew I had to get it. Afterward I went for a long walk in Schönbrunn park. I hadn't been since before spring break and it looked so different! All the leaves have bloomed and the design of the gardens are really prominent. There is one giant wall of trees that cuts directly through the park with small 'hobbitesque' doors cut out. All of the fountains are turned on and the trees create a canopy of shade above you. It has been so cool to see the park from winter to spring. The view at the top of the Gloriette took my breath away in the bleakness of January so imagine what it did in May! I took so many pictures that I can't wait to get framed when I come back.

Neo-Roman Ruin fountain in the park

I got an early start on Saturday and headed out to see Hundertwasserhaus. It is an apartment that was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It has a very colorful and whimsical facade that has made it a popular landmark but since you are not allowed to go inside there isn't much to see other than the front. I didn't spend too long there before moving on to Stadtpark where I joined a friend to check out Genuss Fest.

The Genuss Fest is an annual food festival celebrating all things Austrian and culinary. The entire park was dotted with white tents each labeled with a sign signifying which state they are from. There was cheese, bread, meat, wine, and a whole lot of it! I bought a few things to take home with me and also some cheese for dinner that night. My friend John and I settled on an food tent from Tyrol for lunch. He had Käsespetzle, which is pretty much cheesy noodles (but so much more) and I had Grötzl with Sauerkraut salad. Grötzl is sort of like hashbrowns but mixed with bacon and other types of pork. It's all top off with a sunnyside up egg. Needless that meal kept me full for lunch and dinner.

 After Genuss Fest I went to the Austrian Military History museum which was pretty cool. They have all kinds of memorabilia from WWI and WWII including panzer tanks, machine guns, and small airplanes. They also had on display the car that Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in; this event is what many say was the catalyst for WWI.

That night I went back into the Innere Stadt with my roommate Sophie to go to PopFest - an annual pop fest of course! It was held right in front of Karlskirche over the fountain; with all the lights and the music it was a pretty cool scene. We met up with Sophie's friend Magdalena who was so much fun!

PopFest

Unfortunately finals are coming up and I have a bit of work ahead of me. I'm currently writing a paper on modern Austrian identity so I will be sure to share it here when I finish it!