Explore and Explore Some More

Our last couple of days in Vienna have been pretty amazing! We’ve explored grave sites, I attended my first opera, had lots of good food, and explored some more. 

Before visiting the grave sites in Vienna, I didn’t think that much of them but they were so interesting. These aren’t any ordinary grave markers, they are all fascinating, ornate, and beautiful. It was such a unique experience to walk around the cemetery and see names such as Beethoven and Mozart, written on the stones. I have never seen such elaborate graves in my life. At the end of the road there was a church and it had a simplistic beauty compared to many of the other churches we have seen. I really loved this experience and I’m glad we went. After visiting the grave sites, me and a couple other people went to the Belvedere Art Museum. Another interesting place. 

I’ve been to a couple of art museums around Europe and am always wondering what I’m going to find. This museum had art varying from the romantic period to medieval art to neoclassicism. There were a few Monet pieces that I loved, as well as some interesting portraits of areas we’ve visited in Vienna. The museum was having a exhibition of Klimt’s art and I had never known any of his pieces. I found his art strange but fascinating as it combined a couple of styles. It was also interesting to see that some of the paintings were noted as unfinished. Not only was the art impressive, but so was the building. It used to be a residence of the Austrian royalty and so the rooms were art just on their own. 

This same night we went to my first opera, I Puritani. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was most definitely impressed. There were people dressed in all sorts of varying fashion, and the building was really cool. We sat on the top level but I got a seat in the very front row. It was kinda crazy how I had to lean over the edge to see the stage. The performers musical abilities were amazing and it was interesting to hear from the music majors and professors on their thoughts of the performance. They often hear more then I do within these performances. 

You know you’ve had a good day when at the end you’re exhausted. My Fitbit says that we’ve already walked over 25 miles, usually between 5-9 miles a day. By the end of the very busy days I drop into bed and don’t wake up till my alarm the next morning. We are on the train right now to Prague and I can’t wait to explore more.