Aug 8 - Day 8 in Vienna

I may not have completed anything on the syllabus today – no museums! –, but I did have what I bet is a pretty traditional day for Viennese looking for a little outdoor fun and relaxation.

I loved class today. I’m a Protestant Reformation nut. I went to a Lutheran school from pre-school through eighth grade and I attended a Catholic high school, so it was definitely nice to have a lot of background information. I also obsessively studied the Reformation in ninth grade just for fun, and I’ve always been fascinated by religious history and theological questions. One new bit of information was the two reasons why Luther did not die at the stake. I had been aware of the power of the printing press, but the political reason had never made sense to me until this class. Frederick the Wise of Saxony was an elector for the Holy Roman Emperor and Luther was his star professor, so in order to please him, essentially, Luther was spared for the vote. You have to love politics. I was also fascinated by the knowledge that Luther’s German New Testament translation forms the basis of the modern German language. The printing press’ power to break apart religion and additionally, solidify a language, is stunning. It is, I believe, the greatest invention of all time.

Just as a fun fact, one of my cats is named Martin after Martin Luther. I have to represent my other cat as well, Maximus, named after the character in Gladiator.

Anyway, it was great to hear the professor discuss Bruegel’s painting, The Battle of Carnival and Lent, especially since I had just seen it. I love how the connection with class and history and art is here – I learn about it and then I get to see it in person and experience it for myself. The professor also brought up Hieronymus Bosch’s The Last Judgment as a great example of the medieval world’s idea of demons and hell. His art left an indelible impression on me when I saw it his other The Last Judgment (the picture to the left is a fragment of it) in Munich at the Alte Pinakothek. His view of hell is probably one of the most amazing and disturbing things I have ever encountered – certainly trippier than even Hundertwasser. She let us know that there is also some of his work in the Academy of Fine Arts here in Vienna, so hopefully I have the chance to go freak myself out again soon with his work.

After a great class, I went back to the room for a bit before deciding what to do with the rest of the day. For a moment a few of us decided to check out the Haus der Musik, but then we reasoned that due to the coming rain and the lovely weather right now, it would be great to check out the Danube.

We went to what was clearly a locals’ spot – I believe we were the only tourists there. It was so enjoyable, and a really great opportunity to see what the Viennese are like. It’s fun to note that at the beach, everyone is always the same – enjoying the sunshine, going into the water, reading a book… the only difference here is that some people (many kids) decide to do this all partially nude.

We spent a few hours at the Alte Donau and we even got some work done! We did a dramatic reading of The Marriage of Figaro, which I’m so excited to see this week! I also got more reading done for the class and I hope to finish soon. After getting a kebab in a box on the way home, I came back to prepare for the trip to the UN and IAEA tomorrow and do some laundry (which turned out to be quite an adventure figuring out). It was great to have a relaxing and all around ‘regular’ day in the midst of this trip. I loved not just having to rush to all the tourist attractions, but to take things slow and experience the city in a way often only locals can. I’m looking forward to more opportunities of that!