July 12-13, 1998

Caption: the gardens at Schonbrunn Palace contain countless beautiful statues.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! Speaking of birthdays, we've had fun celebrating both chaperones' and students' birthdays--it seems we've had one almost every day. I guess with 100 plus people, it's bound to happen. Sorry I didn't write yesterday. We didn't have one spare moment with two performances and the world cup game. The competition performance at the Vienna Center was spectacular--the Barber piece was the best I've ever heard it. They also played "Concerto Grosso" by R. Vaughan Williams, and "Concerto in D-minor" by Vivaldi. Many relatives materialized for the concert including the Marraccinis, Laura Thomas's aunt and uncle, Laura Snyder's mom, and Allison Kennel's mom. The concert hall had great acoustics. The competition is stiff here, but I think they played their best.

Lunch was on our own and some of the chaperones found a cafe in the center of town and had terrific food. I had a broccoli and mozzarella dish--aren't my food choices fascinating?

The second performance of the day was held at the Votivkirche, which was constructed in 1856 in honor of a failed assassination attempt on Emperor Franz Joseph. To see the group at the altar, surrounded by candles, was very moving. Lots of people attended the performance. With its Neo-Gothic style, in imitation of the French Gothic cathedrals, it is an excellent example of 19th century architecture.

Last night 60 out of the 80 kids wanted to walk down and watch the World Cup game on a giant screen. It was mobbed but the kids really enjoyed it. There were other, quieter places to walk if one was not a sports enthusiast. The kids were wound up when we returned, however, and my hall duty lasted until 2:00!

This morning we had a short bus tour by a local guide of the city and then had a guided tour of Schonbrunn Palace (Panoramic image of the Schonbrunn Palace, approx. 30 sec. download at 28.8). With 1441 rooms, the summer residence was built between 1696 and 1730. The Congress of Vienna met there in 1814-15. We toured 39 rooms and it was quite spectacular. The park surrounding the palace covers an area of about 500 acres and is a good example of Baroque gardens in the French style. This afternoon the students had free time. Hooray! Many went shopping and some of us walked to Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), built in 1742. After dinner at 5:00 tonight we are headed towards Prater Park, between the Danube and the Danube Canal. the park covers 3200 acres and boasts a huge Ferris wheel, a well-known Viennese landmark. It was built in 1896 and rebuilt in 1946. It revolves at 3 feet per second.

Caption: the bumper cars at Prater Park were a big hit with the CHS students.

Until tomorrow...

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