World History Trip to Europe

Friday 9 April 2010:

By the time we got to Vienna, after 27+ hours of travel (including two significant layovers), the students and chaperones were all a bit limp. Greg could barely stand telling them that there was a flight of stairs down from the U-Baun station (though some of us took the lift), and then (horrors!), three more flights of stairs up to Friedl and Iris’s apartments (no lift…). But, having accomplished our hard-won arrival, the students were all openly appreciative of the lovely hospitality. We were home (in Vienna)… Iris had cooked a delicious lentil soup for us, Friedl had prepared the rooms and gotten some breakfast food for us. Bless them! We then fell into bed at 11:00pm Vienna time, having seen two sunrises in 30 hours. These students are real travelers. They maintained good spirits throughout our journey, even though it was somewhat grueling toward the end!

Saturday 10 April:

We woke to a crisp, misty Vienna morning. Conveniently, Greg’s alarm didn’t go off, and we all slept in (unknowingly) until 9:15. No trouble, though. This group is inspired to be here and can be ready to go in an instant! They are all delighted to be in a foreign country, ready for the challenge of a different language and culture. In general, they are loving this new environment.

The U-Baun immediately got the students’ attention. We talked about the fact that Vienna is based on a center (Innerestadt) with concentric circles around it (the districts). Today’s activities included a visit to the Naschmarkt, a renowned open market, which on Saturdays, is replete with an enormous flea market. They found the open market to be remarkably quiet, though filled with really nice people. Maddie in particular is very excited to be trying to speak German as much as possible, which she did here with the vendors.  

Then we moved on to Stephansplatz, the center of the Innerestadt. It is an awesome sight to come up from the U-Baun and see the impressive stature of Stephansdom with all its historical significance. The students loved being able to see and feel the church that they had studied in their History through Architecture block. They found a special feeling of warmth, safety and calm, especially in the prayer chapel adjacent to the back of the sanctuary.  Laurel wondered whether we could ever create a quiet place like that on the Tara campus. AnnaMarie had a remarkable thought: I see and feel beauty, music, art and love in this building – this must be a House of God (as it says), because mustn’t it be that God is all of those things?  

Concluding words for the day: Maddie: culture-immersion; Orion: height; Jordyn: curvature; Lexz: timeless; Anna: equality; Wellington: exquisite; Sophie: co-exist; Kristen: beauty; AnnaMarie: now; Laurel: old friend; Greg: thankful.

            

Monday 12 April

In order to get a feeling for how remarkable this day was, let’s start with the “end-of-the-day” words, expressing each student’s impression in a word (or a few words!): otherworldly, fulfillment, inward, fantasy, aufwachen (to be awake), passion, expression of the soul, indescribability, roots, solitary religion, ecstasy.

First, we went to the Belvedere, the home of the largest collection of the Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. The students felt as if they were in someone’s beautiful house (they were – Prince Eugen), with breathtaking views of the grounds and Vienna. It is a comfortable building, though elegant, even opulent. The students very much appreciated Klimt, seeing his true artistry in a modern medium, with noticeable influences of Monet, Van Gogh and Chagall. “The Kiss” is so beautiful in feeling and tenderness. Laurel observed that you can see he loves her. Sophie said that she usually “hates” liking the “famous” painting of any given artist, but had to admit that she loved and was impressed by this real (as opposed to a print) painting. Kristen remarked that the Belvedere is her favorite museum ever!

Beethoven’s 6th (Pastorale) and 5th Symphonies as played by the Vienna Philharmoniker under the baton of Christian Thielemann were transcendent, to say the least. At some level, all the students got it. Even at breakfast the next day, Wellington was thinking about how beautiful it was. Beethoven is the composer of the human experience, we decided. The Musikverein vibrates with the music. It is considered perhaps the finest acoustical space in the world. Everything from pianississimo to fortississimo is not only audible, but dynamically (ha!) live and awe-inspiringly alive. The audience was rapt, as if holding their breath. Everything about it felt completely pure. How can a human being create something so complex? It gives a whole new meaning to the word “genius.”

Tuesday 13 April:

The overcast sky and rain have made us move our itinerary around. This morning we were off to the Kunsthistorische Museum. It is magnificent, with Egyptian to Renaissance, featuring many selections by Rembrandt, Bruegel, Raphael, etc. They students were also impressed with the Coin, Greek, and Egyptian collections. There was an excellent special exhibit of an analysis of Vermeer’s The Way of Painting (with the Girl with the Pearl Earring in it).

In the afternoon, we met Friedl and Iris at Lena and Hanna’s Waldorf School. The students loved “going back” through the grades, of course recognizing everything they saw with an Austrian translation! Friedl told us the school building is a former castle, which they “rent” from the City of Vienna for 1 EUR per year! They have used their funds, instead, to completely renovate the buildings and even add onto them. The grounds are beautiful with a pond and a large vegetable garden.

We then went on to the Heuriger (traditional Viennese “pub,” kind of). Friedl and Iris helped us with the food (very traditional Viennese style, which is the reason for going), and we finished with a few chocolate delights (Iris called them “Viennese sweeties”) – mmmmmmm---

Words for the day: chiaroscuro, mist, weltschmerez (world hurt), grün (green or well), searching, healing, rain, tension/relief, “kügl-bacher” (one student loved the sound of these words spoken from father to son)…

Wednesday 14 April:

We visited composers’ houses today, focusing on Haydn-Haus  (where he wrote The Creation and The Seasons and where he died) and the Schubert House (“geboren,” i.e. where he was born). The students loved the charm and the “light” energy of the Schubert Haus and the wonderful recordings of his music, from lieder, including Ave Maria (Wellington and Laurel were taken by the passion of the recording in German!), to his piano & symphonic work. In contrast they perceived Haydn-Haus to be somewhat formal and “darker.” The characterization of Haydn himself that can be gotten from the Haus is delightful – quite a fun-loving, generous, kind-hearted, philanthropic man who loved to visit and be visited! This activity was built into his very regular schedule along with shaving, teaching piano lessons (the student was invited to play the pianoforte while waiting for Papa Haydn to finish shaving), composing (“fanatasying” on the piano in the morning what he would then score in the afternoon/early evening) and, of course, meals and bed-time (11pm). Our favorite quote of his is: “My imagination plays me like a piano.”

Then we went on to the Chudoba’s unique home in the outskirts of Vienna. Fenella’s parents, Frederika and Klaus, along with Fenella’s grandmother, Uta, presented us with an afternoon Viennese coffee – coffee and tea (in the samovar!) with apfel strudel, sacher torte and a traditional “bundt” cake, which we all savoured with delight. Then, we moved to the music room where Frederika showed us her 1925 violin. Maddie, Kristen and Orion took her up on the invitation to play it! Frederika had sheet music for “Lift Thine Eyes,” which the girls sang (with Orion as an “alto”), and we finished with African Songs.

Before our departure for the Marionetten Theater, the Chudobas took further care of us by serving a lovely meal of homemade zucchini/potato soup and bread. Very well fed in body and heart, we took off to Schönbrunn (in the rain). The students were delighted by The Magic Flute and found it to translate well into a marionette play. They experienced being taken in by the “great illusion” of “small becoming big”; it was a shock to rediscover that the puppets are actually small and the puppeteers are like giants!

Thursday 15 April:

We had plans to attend the morning exercises of the Lipizzaner Stallions, but the weather finally caught up with us – sore throats, exhaustion and the need for sleep and care. We slept in, did laundry, caught up on journals and had a lovely morning. We set out in the afternoon, starting with the Secession to see Gustav Klimt’s tribute to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It was thoroughly disappointing because there was an artist’s installation that flowed into the exhibit, making it virtually impossible to really see the beauty of Klimt’s frieze (it was too dark in there!).

We dusted our disappointment off, and were off to a terrific meal at the Naschmarkt (in a restaurant called Neni), and then on to the ballet. The reaction to Ein Sommernachtstraum (A Midsummer Night’s Dream with music by Mendelssohn) was mixed – the costumes were beautiful and Puck was astounding, agile, athletic and extraordinarily good. Hermia was also a gorgeous dancer but, overall, the choreography just didn’t make sense. Some found jerky and awkward the large amount of modern movement infused (in sudden spurts) into the otherwise classical choreography, but some liked it. We loved being so familiar with the story, but missed Laurel’s imagination of the two distinct worlds, and flowing in and out between them …

Betsy texted us during the ballet about the volcano ash, and it seemed so unreal (where is a volcano near the UK?) that we thought it was a practical joke. But, no, it is very real, and we are in the “waiting” zone.

Friday 16 April: 

Free Day: Clear weather today! The students went in groups, equipped with their maps, mobile phone numbers, the address of our apartment, and traveled out into the city. 

Kristen found the perfect Kristen-dress.

Anna-Marie found that these were not her kind of stores, but that’s okay,

Sophie and Anna Swift saw a 50 year-old woman with pink hair & someone else with turquoise dreads and realized that crazy-colored hair is completely acceptable in Vienna. Sophie discovered that everyone here seems to know English and that American culture has infiltrated Viennese culture. She’s inspired to become multi-lingual, wanting to begin to learn Dutch and Italian next year. 

The highlight of Maddie and Wellington’s shopping appears to have been the cake they had at the Konditorei (Viennese pastry shop), Aida. In the afternoon Maddie traveled on to tour a Camphill-like community outside of Vienna, the place where she might work next year. She loved it.

Orion went on a video recording excursion starting near the famous Hofburg Plaza, HeldenPlatz, then around the Burg Garten (he found Goethegasse!) then on to lunch at Stephansplatz (Spaghetti Bolognese, of course!) where he videoed some people and Polizei before wandering down to the river (Donau), ending up at the Stadt Park that he had been curious about (with a pond/lake & pump-generated waterfall & a circle of pillars with Greek lettering & a statue of a man with a shield and a spear). We all look forward to the final edit of his video!

Jordyn and Lexz started on the Ringstrasse tram around the Innerestadt. They found a Fair, something about “green-heart Austria,” with traditional hats and music in front of Parliament. As they tried to fulfill their mission (to get postcards), they saw someone on top of Stephansdom.

           

Though we are in the “waiting zone” for our flight, we considered this to be our last day in Vienna, potentially. Each traveler finished the sentence: “Vienna is…” Here’s a sampling:           

“Vienna is like a kind, understanding, old woman: welcoming, knowledgeable, stern when angered, fixed in her ways, has the best recipes, has arms wiling to give and receive hugs, always has stories to tell, and has seen so much life and death.” – Lexz           

“Vienna is the place to be,

With lots of ancient things to see.

Come my dear,

To this place of green,

Red trams and new trams and people who seem

Not quite like ones at home.

Karlsplatz and Stephansdom,

Volksoper and Staatsoper,

And trains that run under and over 

The beautiful city both old and new.” –Orion

“Vienna has welcomed me,

               Or I have found my place to be,

               I am sure to find more diversity,

               But this week has fulfilled my hope 

               That it would be

               A new-born home

               In a land now free. “ –Anna Swift           

“Vienna is a broad, woven plan of collaboration, human interest and quality at aesthetically pleasing magnitudes.” –Jordyn           

“Vienna is a surfacing mass of art and history, with a touch of the modern color and an ancient, simplistic culture.” –Kristen           

“Vienna is a city where cultures collide, where the streets are lit up by the faces of the people, where there is hunger, despair, life, laughter, where ideas are born and art is nurtured, where a group of people gather together to learn, to love, to appreciate, to grow and to share in the many beauties that create a lasting friendship.” – Sophie 

Saturday 17 April:

Thanks to the god Vulkan (Iceland's volcanic ash), our flight was cancelled today and the earliest flight we can get to London is Friday 23 April. Friedl and Iris are happy to have us, so we are able to stay in "our apartments." But this means we will miss London completely (sigh). We plan on having the cars meet us at Gatwick, and we will drive directly to Stratford-upon-Avon. We, of course, are disappointed, but realize that Mother Nature has spoken, and we feel blessed to be in a safe, warm place.

It was quite a roller-coaster ride trying to uncover every possible way we might try to get to London. While the adults (with Iris’s help) went through a circuitous route to end up determining that the rescheduled flight was our only reasonable possibility, the students went off the Naschmarkt, arriving back “home” with fixings for a delicious apple-strawberry sauce. We talked through our new situation, finishing the day at our local Italian restaurant and coming to a good feeling of at least having made a decision.

Words: ash interference (!), gelato, unpredictability, resolution, quality of light, “dumb” (AnnaMarie isn’t feeling well & this is the word for one side of how her day felt)/sun (this is the other side!), space, journeys, grazie, a blue skirt…  

Sunday 18 April: 

Having missed the Lipizzaner stallions last week, we took in a performance this morning. We have never been on Sunday before & it is very different than Saturday. First of all, we were able to find places to “sit” in the standing room, with railings to lean on when you stood up to see (and we could actually see, as opposed to other times when it was so crowded that it was necessary to lean around a person or a pillar to see the horses). Secondly, there was a woman announcer who gave much more information than the “man-announcer” we always have heard on Saturdays. She told that this riding style really has its roots in Greece, and that this is the only Schule of its kind in the world. She pointed out the enormous portrait of the Emperor on one end of the arena and told us that the traditional “salute” in Dressage actually was originally a salute of gratitude to the Emperor for being allowed to have the privilege of riding these excellent horses in this excellent place. And it truly is excellent, with crystal chandeliers and music playing for the obvious enjoyment of the horses (Mozart, Strauss, etc…). The students could see the distinct trust between horse and horseman. They found the young horses to have much personality, and noticed that they were obviously treated with care and so excited to show people what they can do! Maddie spoke about dressage, the “secret language” of communication with the horse that might be invisible to the untrained eye (though Jordyn saw it). For some, the performance was not their “cup of tea,” but they appreciated it nonetheless.

Afterward, Fenella took us to Café Sacher, home of the famous Sacher-Torte. Some of us were a bit put off by the lavishness of the place; others were taken by its elegance. In either case, the sweets & coffee &  (for some) the ambience were really good!  

Monday 19 April: 

Yesterday we went to the Albertina which was wonderful, though it was a gorgeous morning outside as well. We went to a Turkish stand on the Ring Strasse & ate a nice lunch on the Burg Garten lawn. Sophie wanted to have her picture taken inside the treble clef made of yellow flowers in front of Mozart’s statue, which she did, but a little old lady yelled at her (no one else seemed to notice or care at all!), and then this little old lady (with a green shawl) proceeded to stare at our dear Sophie until she asked Kristen to take her on a “loop” around the park. After they returned, the little lady continued to stare until we left. It made for a wonderful sketch-comedy-style telling of the story later!

In the evening the students had a wonderful discussion about the Albertina, about the art. They love art! They have varying opinions about modern art (Andy Warhol is on exhibition there) & the exhibit of Von Alt watercolours that is there now. They were able to articulate themselves & disagree with each other, but be respectful at the same time, and leave “room” for each other. They are very passionate about it & could have gone on & on, they were so engaged in talking about it!