A Summation

It's been a while since I last published, but it's been a week of trying to get into a normal rhythm of life. I have been having German class every morning, then been practicing, studying, and trying to eat and go to bed at a reasonable hour. I thought I would sum up some experiences of the week however, and then talk about my Friday excursions.

Peek & Cloppenburg with people crowded in front

One thing that's fascinating is just walking down the main strip near IES. From the Staatsoper to the Stephansdom there are all sorts of shops and people. It's a touristy area, but also an area for fashionable people. A lot of cafes had been set up under sun-umbrella-tent-things for the summer weather and summer tourists. As soon as September hit, however, many of these are getting packed up. It will be interesting to see how many cafes, ice cream booths, würstelstands, etc. that aren't in actual buildings will remain once it gets colder. For things leaving however, something new came, as well: Peek & Cloppenburg, a department store that apparently has locations throughout Europe (though not as far west as France or England), has opened a new location in Vienna, right near the IES center.

A photo with less of a crowd.

I also went shopping, though not at Peek & Cloppenburg (I'm sure it's out of my price range, and the crowds there have been insane since it just opened - I'll certainly go look around, at some point, though). I picked up a jacket that is sort of like a trenchcoat. It's in black, singlebreasted (seems hard to find this in trenchcoats these days) and high collared. It will serve well as a fall, spring, and early/late winter jacket. I also bought a new bag to replace the Ben Sherman one I purchased from Gilt Groupe. Unfortunately after just over two months of use, the leather handles have ripped off. Gilt Groupe has given me a fifteen dollar credit, but I'm still planning on going after Ben Sherman over their product quality. Finally, I bought a cardigan. It's orange. I know, I know. But it looks great with blue, navy, charcoal, and grey things.

It's in part of a greenhouse. The rest of the greenhouse is still in use.

In any case, Friday marked my third German test. There were nine sections, and I think of the nine eight went well. The other section the entire class complained about, saying it was too hard and there were too many blanks and not enough context. So the teacher may be reconsidering the way it's graded and/or not counting it. We have another test on Tuesday, and then our Intensive German final on Friday, right before I leave for my 10 day tour of Prague, Krakow, and Budapest. After our exam, we went to Palmenhaus Kaffeehaus. IES covered one pastry and one drink under tuition, so it was a great experience, since this is one of the more expensive kaffeehause in Wien. I ordered hot chocolate and a chocolate mousse torte. Both were excellent, though I noted that hot chocolate is less sweet in their rendition, interesting. Here are some more photos:

The greenhouse is part of the Hofburg complex - A Hapsburg Palace (with multiple buildings).

A view of the general look/feel/space of the Palmenhaus

Hot Chocolate - Heisse Schokolade ohne Schlagobers (without whip-cream)

Schokolademoussetorte - Mmmmmm

I had a great time at the Palmenhaus with my class (and the afternoon class, that also came). This weekend I will be finalizing my class selections. I am hoping to visit the Naschmarkt, famous as it is for its food, produce, etc., also go shopping for a kitchen knife and maybe some other essentials, and hopefully, hopefully, go see one of the first opera performances (which, if I get in, means I will be seeing Plácido Domingo, Barbara Frittoli, and Ferruccio Furlanetto!)!