Finally Updating

Sorry for the long wait.

Rewind a long way back. The week starting with Monday the 2oth. Note to self (and all that I'm saying): stay away from Irish pubs. The bartenders are unnecessarily helpful. Tuesday was miserable because of the helpful Irishmen, and we went to Hellbrunn.

Hellbrunn is the summer palace of the Archbishops. It is awesome. We took a tour of the fountains, and let me just say that you should visit Hellbrunn on a nice day because you will get wet.

Case in point.

Awkward statue.

That weekend I did nothing, I think. I think I did nothing. I can't remember. Oh-- on Sunday I sang in High Mass at the Dom. We did the Mozart Credomesse. I'd never seen the music before. I got the music an hour before Mass, at which time I sight read through most of it once before heading to the choir loft in the rear of the cathedral, at which time I sight read through the entire thing a second time with orchestra.

Needless to say, all I was hoping for was to come in at the right time and be somewhere in the correct chord.

Also, I think that was the weekend of the Midterm. I worked for at least 12 hours on that thing. Got a B. Effing class.

The week of Monday the 27th. Umm. We went to this Agricultural School and talked with a class and toured the grounds. It was fantastic. Sara, a girl in our group, is interning there after the break. She was so excited, and I am excited for her. There were horses, and cows, and piggies, and ducks and geese and chickens and a Scene rooster (he wasn't emo, just Scene, according to Memory), and a dog that was rather mean to the animals but still adorable. We tried apple Schnapps (wheeeeeew was that strong) and I bought half a loaf of still-warm-from-the-oven bread for about 1,50. Nom nom nom.

That was the week of the Salzburg College 40 year reunion. On Thursday the 30th, there was a kick-off thing at the Augustinerbrau (the beer brewery of the monks), and I went and met with Laura McRainey (from my school) and won Mozartkugeln. Friday, there was a wonderful lunch at the College (I ate too much), after which was an address thing at the Residence by the Governor of Salzburg (the state, and she was awesome), and the founder of Salzburg College, and all these people. The Residence was beautiful.

The Gov.

This staircase just begged for picture-taking time. This is my Vogue pose.


Dominique being dramatic. Again. Haha.

Forrest's "Inception" pose. Although I still think he looks like an Undertaker.

Eventually, we dragged ourselves away from the Amazing Staircase of Wonders.

I was supposed to go out to the Salzkammargut (again) with the Alums, but I decided to sleep in instead.

This past week we went on Tuesday to the Freilichtmuseum. It is the Open Air Museum. They have all these old farm houses and gradens the way they would've been, and although the day started off rainy and gross, it wasn't too bad at the museum. There was a nice bus ride there, too.

House!

Hey, we have one of those!

Aaaaaaand we went on this train. Haha, so easily amused.

Memory and I went on Thursday to the public library and got library cards and books! I was so excited. I got the score for Berg's opera "Lulu" plus the DVD of it, and then the second Bridget Jones book and "The Eyre Affair" (in English!). I nearly died. I swear. The books are due today, but I don't think there's a drop-box, sooooo...

Friday we walked the Monk's Mountain. It's literally right behind the college. And it was awesome. I don't know how I missed this before. I'm walking up there like every day, I swear. Umm, pictures will be forthcoming.

Also that Friday, there was rehearsal for the concert we had last night. We sang Mozart's Messa in c with orchestra and 4 fantastic soloists. I almost cried when I heard the soprano because I was like "I'll never sound that goood waaaaaah." Amazing. Really. The chorus? Less than so. Singing melismas in a place as live as the Dom isn't very good. It's a mass of sound. Hi, Ligeti.

In any case, after rehearsal on Friday, Memory and I went to our newest favorite place, the Afro Cafe. I had orange iced tea, a wrap with tomatoes and feta and gruner salat and gurkins (which are cucumbers, not pickles, I learned), and then I had hot tea and we shared waffles for dessert. We wrote a haiku about Hitler's Harelip, which I will now give you:

"Hitler's Got a Harelip"

Hitler's dark harelip:

Dirty cockroach on a wall.

Would you like a drink?

Hahaha. What fun.

Saturday night (after the concert) Dominique, Forrest, and Julia (newly moved into the lehrerhaus) had a movie night. We watched "The Bourne Identity." It was a lot of fun. Especially with my commentary. Everyone's favorite line was: "That was evil......I like it." Hahaha.

Aaaaand today I am being lazy. "Doing homework." Bettina, my awesome amazing roommate, had to go home for her neice's church-thing-confirmation-majig. All alone. So I'm writing this. And another song. And "doing homework."

Coming up this week is the start of our independent travel period. I won't be posting my plans here because I don't want any crazy stalkers, but you will hear about it as I do it because I think I'm taking my laptop. I'm travelling for 4 days with Forrest and Dominique, and for 6 days with Julia. I'm seeing two countries (and at one point three cities on one day, haha), and I am so excited about it. Hopefully I'll get back to you before I return home for good, haha, at the rate I've been updating.