Yesterday was an amazing day. As part of our humanties course, we are required to visit lots of places around Vienna and keep a journal of notes and sketches documenting our experiences. After class, we set out to visit some of the places on our list and ended up in front of the Stephansdom, where we sketched the cathedral. After a quick stop for gelato, we walked to the Roman ruins outside of the Hofburg. Vienna was once a Roman outpost, and a group of underground buildings were found when the Viennese tried to build the U-bann. Now you can go see the ruins, which are basically in an enclosed hole in the middle of the street.
After the ruins, we walked to Volksgarten Park, a lovely green oasis complete with a rose garden and majestic statues. We sat on the benches and sketched some more... I think I could have sat there all day.
My favorite part of the day by far was the ballet. Three other girls and I randomly decided to go to a ballet, and we were able to get standing room tickets for four Euro. The ballet was performed in the Vienna Opera House, or the Staatsoper, a beautiful building. Unlike the Stephansdom, which has a nice exterior but a more beautiful interior, I think the Opera House is more majestic on the exterior. The inside is still stunning, however, and the performance was incredible. The ballet's title translates from the German into "The New World of Ballet." It was definitely a modern opera, but the first act particularly retained many aspects of classical ballet. The performance did not have one cohesive story line but was more like a series of dances, each telling a different story (though I am not altogether sure I understood any of those stories.)
I am thrilled to live in a city where I can go to a ballet or an opera or a symphony whenever I feel like it without spending a lot of money or planning in advance. I don't even have to drive to get to concerts- I can hop on the U-bann and I will be at the Opera House in fifteen minutes. I can see why Europeans have more exposure to classic performances. They are cheaper and more convenient to get to than they are in the States. I know I will miss the classic performances available to me here when I go home.