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National Holiday = Free Museums

Today was an Austrian National Holiday - independence for almost 50 years. This meant that we had no classes and the museums were open to the public for free. We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, and you, dear reader, get to take advantage as well. Here are some photos:

First Schloss Ambras:

We first visited this castle on Sunday, but we only wandered the grounds and alas, neither of us had our camera. We determined to come back another time. It just worked out well that we could come for free. This museum holds suits of armor, animal heads, and the heads of humans - as seen in portraits. The only disappointment was that there were supposed to be some portraits by Velasquez, but I couldn't find them. But here are some things I did find -

Next Stop - Ferdinandeum on the Museumstrasse

Uh, I don't have any pictures from this museum. I forgot to ask if it was okay to take pictures, and I didn't see anyone else taking pictures, so I didn't. Sorry. Honestly, I didn't get much out of this museum because I was hungry and my feet hurt anyway, but there were a couple pieces that I enjoyed staring at.

Folk Museum and Hofkirche

After eating a tasty ham and cheese sandwich with peppers, we were ready to tackle another museum, or set of museums because this one came in a pair.

I was super excited about the Folk Museum because of my new interest in folk art ever since my folk art class this summer. I even had experience evaluating a folk art museum, so it's not like I was going into this naive. Sure enough, I wasn't let down.

Okay, there were two things that disappointed me. 1) all of the explanation placards were in German. No English. Couldn't figure out what some of the items were, and I sure would've like to know what they were used for. 2) everything (almost) was behind glass, which is awful for photographing, esp. with my camera. So I don't have too many pics because they didn't really turn out too well. But here's what I do have:

Then we crossed this courtyard -

and entered the hofkirche, which is the chapel the aristocracy used during their reign. Although there was only one room in this museum, I could've spent twice as long here because the exhibit (so to speak) had so much detail and so much to interest me. Standing in rows along pews were statues of former monarchs and other members of the ruling family - each figure in incredible detail. It felt solemn, and I thought of the room Diggory and Polly stumble across in The Magician's Nephew. I wanted to ring a bell and watch these figures come to life.

Pictures from Two Walks

Angie and I heard about a second-hand shop up a little alley across the bridge, so we decided to check it out. Of course, in Innsbruck, one can't go on what seems to be a casual excursion without finding amazing things to look at. Here are some of those things:

Last night, we just went on a walk by the river. Come join us:

This is where Angie's telling me the story about how one of her friend's little brother found a hand floating in Bear Lake. The next week, a body was discovered there.

And right here, she was telling me about how she came in fifth during the Wellsville Mile that takes place in Cache Valley elementary years. I'm jealous, by the way, that I didn't go to elementary school there. Did you know they have a chess tournament where two kids play on a board, and then other kids are dressed up like real chess pieces and they move around according to how the kids playing on the board move? Talk about cool! Uh, anyway, one last picture of the city lights.

Mary Singing to the Birds Poppins

I walked into the room from doing laundry only to find a bird fluttering about the head of my roommate, whom I have introduced to Spider Solitaire to which she has since grown an addiction. I expressed surprise at the sight of this bird, who had some green feathers about its neck. We opened both windows wide and tried to direct it with clumsy hands back outside. It finally left. Afterwards, I thought that I should've taken this moment to sing, "A Spoonful of Sugar" and mayhaps we could've sung a sweet duet together, the bird following my lead and harmonizing deftly. Unfortunately, my heart was beating as fast as the wings of the bird, and I couldn't think straight. It was only afterwards that I felt disappointed at this missed opportunity.

Street Music

I toured the streets of Innsbruck today for a couple hours, and I had my choice of music to accompany me. First, I came across a violin and guitar duet. They played outside a watch store. I felt my pockets for change, but couldn't find any. Then an old man with wrinkles played the violin solo. I really should've gotten out my wallet. As I rounded the corner, there was an accordian player sitting on a crate with a hat open. I just walked by again. I really meant to get some change out, but never did. The poignant, windy sounds of a recorder blown by a little boy with his backpack on one side (the square kind that are so popular amongst the kids here) drew my attention. To collect change, he had an index card holder open in front of him. Man, that kid was cute, and I really wanted to give him some coins, but I didn't.

Chess at the Hofgarten

Last Wednesday, we meandered through the Hofgarten, which is where the aristocracy used to walk their dogs, but it's now enjoyed by the common people and foreigners, like me. We came upon this great building that was completely empty. I like to imagine that it's strung with Chinese lanterns and used for dances in the summer. Here's a picture:

You can use your own imagination to supply the Chinese lanterns and people - (I hope the girls all have parasols, 'cause they do in my version.)

We also discovered the large chess boards and played a game. I won, but only with the help of some kind Austrian men who were smoking cigarettes. They looked on and gave suggestions and made comments in broken English when either of us made the wrong move. I thought they were truly interested in how our game was progressing and hoped that they saw some moves they might like to use in the future. However, turns out they were just waiting to play their own game and they knew ours would last too long.

Here are some men on the other side of the square building playing chess, too (it's a popular activity, apparenlty):

Then we saw a lady feeding some ducks from a plastic bag. I'm assuming she was feeding them bread crumbs, but I guess it could've been poison in an attempt to control the abundant duck population.

Earlier that day, we were at the Hofburg palace, which has now been turned into all sorts of offices, but it's still beautiful inside. Our coordinator, Claudia, took us into a secret room where we could go out on the balcony.

There were Japanese tourists in the courtyard who were quite jealous and wondering how they could stand on the same balcony and wave to the public below. Suckers! It's all about who you know in this crazy world.

We plan on returning to the Hofgarten again to play some more chess, if the weather holds up, that is.

AlpenZoo

Geesh, I'm totally getting behind here, so please excuse me while I briefly upload some pictures. These are taken from an excursion Ang and I went on with the other foreign students here in Innsbruck. It was to the Alpenzoo. First, we met at the Goldenes Dachl, which is an old building with a (fake) gold roof. Historians doubt the authenticity of the roof, not me. We met some nice Italian girls who spoke English. Then we walked along the Inn River and over a wooden bridge and started hiking up a trail. The hike came unexpectedly. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not much of a hiker. It's just not that fun to me, but this was okay. We paid 4.5 euro and gained admittance to the zoo, where we saw all the animals that I probably could've seen at Yellowstone this past summer, but didn't. We saw goats with long horns, such as the photo above, a pacing brown bear, bison, wild boars, cows, regular goats, beavers, owls, and an Englishman's grave, among other things. But the best part of the experience was the view of Innsbruck from the mountainside, as seen below.

100 Years of the Tirolean Farmer's Association

Last Sunday, we attended the parade celebrating 100 years of the Tirolean Farmer's Association. The parade showed different genre scenes from the life of farmers. They also demonstrated how to use traditional farming equipment. Participants handed out Schnopps, cheeses, apples, and even a slice of wood. It rained for about half of the parade, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits. We were there for about 3 hours, and the parade was still going when we finally were so cold we had to leave. We took about 200 pictures (the benefit of having a digital camera), but here are just a few of my favorites:

Life Here in Innsbruck

So - just a little about what my life is like here in Austria. Of course, this will be changing this coming week as I start classes, but so far, life is really relaxed. Angie and I share a room at Haus Panorama, near the airport. In fact, we are so close to the airport that the other day we walked there, all around it, and back and kept going. It's not a very big airport. Our room has two different parts to it. You enter into a closet area. There are three large cabinets: one for each of us, one that we share, and a little broken cupboard for our shoes. On the left is a bathroom with a little shower that has an accordion door that's hard to work, a toilet with the flusher on the lid, and a sink with no counter space. The whole bathroom is tile, and we found that our towels wouldn't dry in there, so now we drape them over the chairs.

Then you walk through another door into our living area. There are two beds connected to the walls on either side of the door. I chose the one on the left. This had two consequences - one good and one bad. The good consequence was that I got the better blanket (Angie's is all yellow and lumpy), but I didn't get a mattress pad - a more than bad consequence, a wretched one. I've been trying to overcome it since I got here. I'm going to have to try and ask the office if they have an extra mattress pad, which won't be easy because it appears that their English is limited.

We take the bus everywhere we go. Bus F. The stop is just across the street.

We often sit on the bench and look at the mountains. Lately, a mist has covered them.

If we don't look at the mountains, we look at this billboard. I'm not quite sure what it's for, but I think it's a rock group. Two brothers - one is the suave night-on-the-town kind of guy, while the other is the reckless skateboarder. Together, they make up Austria's hot new sound.

Hmm... Other details about life here�.. We share a kitchen with several other people on the floor. It's rather awkward. I feel like I can never really relax in there. The fridges are all separated into little boxes with keys that don't work. At first, Angie and I thought we had to share a box, but then we found out that we each had our own. At least, that's what we think. And we have one cupboard to keep all our food in and another to keep our dishes, pots and pans, and stuff in. So far in that cupboard, we have some plastic spoons and a couple plates and bowls. I've been borrowing someone else's fork. Hope he doesn't mind.

Our windows are really cool. They open like a door if you have the handle one way, but if you want to open them from the top, then you just shift the handle and you can pull it down. We overlook a restaurant and the mountains.

I only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I really don't have much to do yet. I'm rather nervous to start class tomorrow, but relieved because then I will have some structure to my life. I thrive on structure. Anyway, guess that's about all.

Some Scenes from Around Town

Here are just some photos from around the town.

Trip - A Detailed Account

Well, here it is on a Saturday night, and I am in a new country. I've wanted to describe my adventures, but not having the Internet available, I haven't as yet been able. In fact, I still don't have the Internet, but I decided to start writing these things down and then eventually, I can just copy and paste them. I'll also add some photos later on. I need to find some place with Photoshop or something or other so that I can alter the size. They might just have to come in all big and clumsy. Sorry about that.

For starters, I left early Monday morning. Got to the airport and went through all sorts of lines. The first thrill of the trip was when the clerk at the counter asked to see my passport. Yes! I had a passport, and I was willing to show it. Then my luggage was x-rayed and fondled by security guards. I showed my boarding pass at the metal detectors, along with my passport once again. Then I was through and on the side of the airport with all the shopping centers and the food. However, since it was still quite early, they were closed. Angie and I just went to our gate and waited. This part of the journey isn't all too exciting. We only flew into Minneapolis. I sat next to a nice lady from Iowa who had been in Salt Lake visiting her sister. I started reading Passage to India.

We had a layover in Minneapolis, so we ate lunch at McDonald's because it was the least expensive place we could find. Plus, we thought it rather fitting to have the last food we ate in the States to be fast food. Then we waited in the international section of the airport, where everyone speaks different languages and tries to nap in uncomfortable chairs. We boarded the plane. I had an aisle seat with a good view of the movie screen. They showed The Stepford Wives followed by Around the World in 80 Days with Jackie Chan. I had already seen both movies. So I settled into the seat, plugged my headphones into the armrest and listened to Indie music on the airline radio. I can't even remember what was played. The funny thing about these long international flights is that everyone gets really casual. I mean, people are wandering around in the aisles, climbing over each other, congregating near the bathrooms. I chatted with the lady next to me who was on her way to Paris with her husband for vacation. She was all concerned for me. I told her that we had to catch a train in Salzburg and we weren't sure which train to get. She asked her husband if the trains in Europe were easy to understand and assured me that everything would be all right. In between the movies, there was a map projected onto the screen, marking our progress. I strained to look out the window as we passed over Ireland and England, but it was still night, and I couldn't see anything. It seemed a shame.

So we finally arrived in Amsterdam at 6:30 in the morning. We waited in lines to get our transfer ticket and then to have our passport stamped. We chose the wrong lines both times. The ones that went twice as slow as everyone else, but at the end, I got my first passport stamp. Then we waited once again to board another plane. This time, however, instead of boarding directly onto the plane, we climbed aboard a shuttle that drove us far out into the parking lot of the airport. I pointed out a plane with exterior propellers to Angie, thinking it looked quaint. Eventually, our bus took us up to this plane. We climbed aboard the door that folds out to be stairs and entered what I can only imagine sounded like the Alps. Birds were chirping and water was rushing out of the speakers. It really was quite soothing. I really wanted to stay awake for this part of the flight. I mean, I was finally over Europe. I had waited my whole life for this moment, and right after the croissant and warm Coke, I fell asleep. I don�t even remember the flight attendant collecting my trash. Luckily, I did wake up in time to see the spiraling agricultural fields of Austria as we neared Salzburg.

Does this passage seem long? Well, it was a long trip, and it's not over yet. I don't blame you if you stopped reading. (But I hope you didn't.) We collected our large suitcases and encountered our first experience with the language barrier. We had to find the bus to the train station. We asked information, but we were both so weary and sleep deprived that neither of us really listened. So we found a bus stop and when the bus came by, we got on. We awkwardly hefted our suitcases on to the bus, and asked a guy if it was the right one. He said it was, but as the bus continued to circle the streets, I became more and more anxious that his English wasn't the best, and maybe we had misunderstood each other. As we lurched around one corner, my biggest suitcase tipped over onto the stroller of a little boy. His mother, on her cell phone, glared at us, and I picked it back up and held onto it for the rest of the ride. Our guide got off at one of the stops, but before leaving he said, "Train station, five stops from here."

We finally made it to the station, unloaded our luggage and followed the sign to the Information Desk, which apparently was located down an escalator. Once again, we chose the wrong line. It took us half an hour to get to the man behind glass and ask him for the train to Innsbruck, only to find that we were in the wrong station. Luckily, the station we wanted was just across the street. So up went our luggage, we crossed the street, accosted an elderly lady to ask if we were on the right track, but she didn't speak any English, so we just assumed that we were. And lo and behold, there it was! We bought our tickets and waited. We almost got on the wrong train, but due to the kindness of strangers, we found the right way. A kind man traveling with his family helped us lift our suitcases onto the shelves above the seats, and Angie and I sank next to the window, completely exhausted.

I tried so hard to stay awake. I did for a while and saw the hills rolling past. Everything looked just like you would expect. There were white houses with shutters and flowerboxes, the flowers draping over in cascades of reds and pinks. Tall-steepled churches with bells or clocks. Sheep. Gardens and pastures. But with the hum of the train and the hot compartment, I succumbed to sleep.

So - here I am in Innsbruck. We live in a student hostel near the airport and right on the F bus line, which we take three or four or six times a day. I'm still getting used to everything. I feel shy speaking in English because I hate drawing attention to myself. I take my camera everywhere. I'll describe my room and some of our adventures so far later.

As for now, here are some pictures from our trip: