My Last Day in Haus Ober Österreich

In fewer than 16 hours I will be moving! For those of you who don't know, I have been living in a double room since May 11th with the world's worst roommate. I have had no privacy and no escape from his mess, smell, and paranoia about ensuring the door is latched shut. Tomorrow I am moving, along with all the other IAESTE students in Vienna, to the newly renovated Albert Schweizer Haus by city hall, which only contains single rooms. It'll be on par with Christmas!

On May 20th, my friend Megan mailed me a package. As the weeks went on we were both getting worried that it was lost in the mail, and I would have moved before it arrived. However, today, the last possible day for it to arrive, it did! When I opened the bubble envelope six wrapped gifts fell out. They were: gum, a small book of horoscopes, a book of word-searches, a Reader's Digest, a Man in the Iron Mask DVD, and the June 2007 Popular Science. There was also a card which contained pictures of a bunch of my friends from home. This random assortment of gifts made my last day in HOÖ even better. Thanks Megan!

Yesterday, when I should have been sleeping, I toured the far side of the Ringstraße. I checked out the Vienna Savings Bank, and Stadtpark.

The Vienna Savings Bank was designed at the turn of the century by Otto Wagner, who believed that all the other buildings on the Ringstraße were confusing architecture with archeology. He felt buildings should reflect the present, not the past. The bank stands out on a street of intricately detailed buildings with its very clean facade. The building is covered in marble using large aluminum bolts (a fairly rare metal at the time). Frankly, I'll acknowledge the building's architectural significance, but next to all the beautiful buildings in the area, I feel it just looks drab and uninspired.
On the southernmost side of the Ringstraße is Stadtpark, Vienna's version of Central Park. Although it is fairly small, it is very nice, with giant trees, large lawns, gardens, and sculptures. One of the highlights of my walk was the Johann Strauss II memorial.
There is a theatre in the park which plays Mozart and Strauss concerts twice a day, every day.

The majority of the Ringstraße is a wide tree-lined boulevard with wide sidewalks and bike paths. Its so nice to walk through the heart of a city shaded by a canopy of trees.
Last night Henrik, MA, and I payed €2.00 to see Mozart's 'Die Zauberflöte' (Magic Flute) at the State Opera House. We only stayed for the first hour, leaving at intermission, but it was very good. We only decided to go because I was running on 3h of sleep, and it was really hot on the 5th balcony. I'll definitely go back later and watch it again (to the end).

Alright, I'm going to continue packing!