Es ist kalt und es regnet.

So I guess summer is officially over in Vienna, and the cold season begins. I don't necessarily mind. I just hope it doesn't snow too much. Snow is OK in small quantities, but when you have it for 3 months, it tends to get on your nerves. I was happy when my host family told me it doesn't snow very much. So yesterday Ich habe Mitagessen mit meine Gastfamilie gehabt (lunch with my host family). It was really good. She served pumpkin soup, pot roast and potatos, then crepes for dessert. Later that night a group of us went to go see Swan Lake. It was fun... and cold... and windy. I made it through about 3/4 of it before I decided to call it quits. I'm really not a ballet person. I love the music, but I find the dancing a bit mundane. After a while it all starts to look similar. Monday evening I went to institute. They had dinner there for only 2 euros. It was sooo good! After dinner we had a very good lesson about the Soul (which was nicely translated by Brad, a member of our group). The climax of the night, however, was the game we played after. It wasn't particularly fun, but Br. Gill (he and his wife run the institute) made it thouroughly entertaining. Wednesday was certainly a night to remember. It was my first time attending a world class Opera production. I saw, along with Annalise and Alicia, Simon Boccanegra by Verdi. The story was a bit wack, but the singing and set design was spectacular! Thursday was my Birthday, and It was amazing. Alicia bought me a card, and had everyone in the group sign it... totally sweet:) and of course everyone had to sing to me. After all my classes, a group of us went for some Italian ice cream. It was delish... and huge for only 2 Euros. We ate our ice cream as we walked to the Volksoper... or should I say the Volkstheater. Yeah... we went the wrong way, and we had to book it to make it to the opera on time. It was really cool. We were able to get student tickets for only 10 Euros. We sat on the 10th row. Not bad... usually those tickets go for about 75 Euros. So the opera (Barber of Seville) was amazing! They set it in 1950s Spain. The Count was a mob boss, and Figaro was some kind of swindler. The set was extremely colorful, and the whole thing rotated. It was great! Friday however tops everything. We all went on a day trip to Melk. There we saw a Monastary which doubled as a summer palace for the Hapsburgs (a ruling dynasty of Vienna). After we toured the Monastary we went on a bike tour from Melk to Krems (about 40km). It was absolutely beautiful! The whole thing was like a movie. We rode along the Donau river through small villages and acres and acres of Vineyards. We also hiked up to the ruins of an old castle... it may have hurt at the time, but it was well worth it. The view was incredible! After our bike tour a group of us went to see a production of Nathan the Wise at the Burgtheater. I have to admit that I slept through most of it. I find that modern productions tend to be too artsy. Give me some entertainment! I don't go to the theater just for the acting:) And to top off this lovely week, yesterday I went to a Viennese Ball. Yes, that's right, a Ball! It was fantastic! It was held at the Vienna Concert House... three gorgeous rooms filled with live music. At about 1am, the live music was replaced with modern dance music. We ended up dancing for another 2 hours. Um... Yeah, so the Vienna public transportation system closes at midnight. We had to ask one of the workers at the concert hall how to get home. Unfortunately there are no night busses running to the area where I live. So... I went with Willow on a night bus that took us to Hutteldorf... close to where she lives. By then it was about 5am, and the trains had started up again. I took a train back to my stop (only one stop from Hutteldorf) and then from there I had to walk home... in the dark... without a map. I knew the direction I wanted to go, and I eventually ended up in the right place. So, I got home at 6:15am this morning. It was quite the adventure, but I think It was well worth it to say that I attended a Viennese Ball. It's been another busy week, and its not going to slow down anytime soon. Next week we are taking an extended trip to Salzburg and Dorfstein. We will be hiking in the Alps. I'm so excited! Bis dann:)