Gratitude 13

I am thankful for having witnessed this man's passion and sincere love for music while playing a piece by Haydn as if it was simply a part of who he is.

Yesterday was the official beginning of classes. However, I only had one class, which I found rather ridiculous. I will normally have conducting lab in the late afternoons as well, but as the conducting classes had yet to meet, that obviously couldn't happen this week. In the evening, a few of us attended a free concert by the world-renowned Bartok Quartet at the Kodály School across town. It was really class! (The Irish girls here are teaching me some of their terminology! haha!) That concert definitely has to be up there with one of the most beautiful moments of music I've heard/witnessed in my life. For some reason, my eye was constantly pulled towards this man. It was as if the music he played seeped from his pores. It was just there, free and natural and pure.

Today, was the real start of classes of me, as my Tuesdays and Thursdays are completely packed with classes and lessons. (And oddly enough, Wednesdays are absolutely empty...all the better for practice and preparation then!) The schedule is so crazy because many of the professors/teachers live in Budapest and also work at the Liszt Academy of Music. I had Hungarian music literature, solfege, lecture on the philosophy of Kodály, my piano lesson, conducting, and supposed to be a voice lesson as well. I met János, my voice teacher here, for about literally two minutes because he had to leave for some reason. I guess he only did some consultations today. Our meeting consisted of pretty much this conversation:

János: Hi, I'm János! Nice to meet you!
Me: Hi, I'm Samantha!
János: Have you ever studied voice before? Oh, wait! You're the Capital girl. Of course, you've studied voice...you're a voice major.
Me: Igen (yes), vocal performance.
János: Great! You have a recital coming up? Good. Write out a list of what you have worked on, what you are doing now, suggestions from your teacher, and your recital program. Good. See you Thursday then.

A few things were left out, but that was pretty much the extent of it. I left there freaking out because I don't have my recital programmed yet! I only just scheduled it! Lynn and I haven't really talked indepthly about exactly what I'm doing, only ideas! I made him my repertoire list and the suggestions from Lynn, and that is all he's getting right now. I was also quite frustrated that I didn't actually get a lesson, but all will be well. At least I see him Thursday. (Zita and I decided to try out splitting my hour lesson into two half-hour sessions. I think it will work out much better for me, but it can always be changed if it doesn't work.)

Solfege, one of the largest reasons I am here, is about 2-2 1/2 hours twice a week. I never thought I would see the day that I would actually enjoy Solfege class! My teacher Klára is absolutely wonderful! She is the perfect teacher for me, and I think our work together is going to better me so much as a musician. Finally, it is all beginning to make sense. They aren't just silly solfa exercises but real music! There's a ton of homework, but that's for the best. Conducting was a hoot today! I have never conducted before. Our teacher Zoltán is going to be great fun, I think. :) Orsolya, the piano teacher, is going to be incredible as well! She is going to be strict but full of laughs, I'm sure. We talked about piano and what we shall do for maybe ten minutes. The next ten minutes: she commented on my audition in piano and voice and then pulled me over to the mirror and start critiquing my singing. It was so funny! Very constructive, too. She pointed out some things I never realized I did, so now every time I walk by a mirror I think about it. I guess that's a good thing...correcting little things like that add up to a better performance. I think I'm going to like her very much! :) All the teachers here are wonderful and expect nothing less than the best. This is going to be an incredible (but intensely difficult) semester! :) Now, off for some practice!

Gratitude 12

I am thankful for this beautiful corner of Kecskemét, Hungary in which I get to live right now.

This past week has been filled with placement exams here at the Institute. Oh, joy, oh, joy! Let's just say that they did not go as well as I would have liked. My audition on Thursday, though, went very well, which I am very glad of. Thursday afternoon was spent scheduling with Zita. As my school has an affiliation with the Institute, my classes were already set and registered. However, I had to go over them with Zita and register here for class placement. I learned that Klára Nemes will be my solfege/musicianship teacher, and I am partnered with Heather, a pianist, for chamber music. Klára is this little lady who reminds me a bit of Julie Sheline, bouncing around everywhere. I think class with her will be fun, but I also hear that she is a very tough teacher. That will be good for me, though. Afterall, one of the biggest reasons I am here is for solfege and to strengthen my ear and musicianship. Thursday night, we all went out to a czarda, which is a typical Hungarian restaurant. It was fun, and the food was great. The waiters spoke very little English, so it added more interesting moments to the book of life in Hungary when you can't speak the language! Friday at noon was the official opening ceremony of the school year. Apparently, it was more formal than usual because it was also the stepping down of one director and the stepping in of a new one. Most of it was in Hungarian, too, so it was difficult to understand. When they could, though, they spoke in both Hungarian and English, so that was nice. From what I hear and see, Hungarians are very passionate, whether it be in music or in speech. Even though I didn't know what they were saying, the great depth of passion speaks far louder. It is very much like the Hungarian street musicians I saw in Vienna, very much a part of who they are. Zoltán Kodály's second wife and the director of the Liszt Academy were present, as well. And Orsolya, the piano teacher here, performed a piece at the end. It was incredible!! She is phenomonal! Maybe she'll actually get me to enjoy playing/practicing the piano.

Hilary, Caitlyn, and I at the reception

Afterwards, there was a reception complete with a toast. As we were drinking our wine, Zita told us to live it up this weekend because come Monday, it was all over. haha! They keep trying to scare us. I have come to the realization that my course load this semester is very large. Very large. However, it can and will be done well. After the festivities were through, I went upstairs to watch Blackadder, an old British comedy with Hugh Laurie as one of the main characters, with my new British friend Sophie. She is such a sweet girl. She was a student here last year and is now studying ceramics across town. Unfortunately, she is only here for a couple of more weeks. However, she has invited me to stay with her in England over our holiday at the end of October, so I just may have to take her up on that. We went over to Teatrum, the little tea room right across from the Institute, and had tea and hot chocolate and chatted away. Then, we walked to her studio by way of a candied nut stand and lastly to her apartment for a bit before I headed back. Friday and Saturday night a bunch of us went out Hungarian folk dancing. Yes, folk dancing. It was great fun but also very tiring.

This weekend was some sort of cultural heritage weekend, so there were concerts and dancing events around town. Saturday night, we went to a Renaissance concert here at the Institute, too. (From what Agi has told us, this is also the Renaissance year in Hungary.) So tomorrow begin classes. I only have two classes on Monday. Only one for this Monday, though. I think I am in trouble for the rest of the week then...

Gee willikers, Beaver!

This is completely irrelevant to my life in Hungary right now, but this has to be shared. I was giving my voice a rest after practicing my piece for auditions tomorrow and was looking for some recordings of a piece I have just begun working on, Strauss's (the son) Voices of Spring. A brilliant piece! But boy is it a beast! 14 pages, approximately 12 of which are of singing. Not only that, but there are 15 high C's!!! Yes, 15. It might be a quick attack to most of them since the song is quite brisk, but that's still a lot (especially for someone that thought she was a mezzo and has just recently in the past year and a half come full force into soprano world!). Anyway, I can across this video:



As if the piece wasn't already high enough, this crazy lady rockets it through the rough. It's incredible but INSANE!! There's not much I could say after watching this. I was quite impressed with this soprano, too...and especially for never having ever heard of her. I watched videos of great sopranos like Sumi Jo and Kathleen Battle and was very disappointed with their performances, I must say. It was as if they cheated, omitting an entire page and a half and ignoring diacritical markings that characterizes the piece by just gliding over them. Tsk, tsk. Obviously Johann Strauss II put them there for a reason. Otherwise, why would he have bothered taking the time to imprint them upon his manuscript or write the entire portion that was left out? It's like trying to make macaroni and cheese without the cheese. Oy!

Gratitude 11

I am thankful for this stupid, little, and expensive pillow. Hopefully, it will feel like sleeping on a marshmallow and give me great nights of rest.

It is raining today. I don't mind the rain, but I also like a little sunshine. Yesterday was beautiful (although cold), but, of course, I did not have my camera with me when I went on a wandering walk to get away for a bit. I needed time alone because I was a little edgy and irritated. I didn't know exactly where I was going to go. The result: I actually knew where I was most of the time but kept ending up in the same place over and over again. Somehow, every street I took led me right back to the beginning. I guess that could be a good thing. Kecskemét is very nice. Pretty...and kind of quaint. I like it a lot. It actually isn't very big. Fifty or sixty thousand (even though all the guide books say 120,000...Agi said they were wrong...and I am sure she'd know...she does work here.) I mean, I guess it is large, but the city centre is not...and that is where most of it is. The rest consists mainly of suburbs. Today was our "General Information Meeting" in the Concert Hall headed by Zita and Agi. They are both such wonderful people. Every time I walk by Zita, I am greeted with a smile. Hungarians are generally thought of as very nice and helpful people. I am finding that that is, for the most part, true. Our meeting consisted mainly of going over rules and regulations, the week's schedule, touring the building(s), and meeting a few faculty/staff members that were around. Honestly, I can't really remember names and faces at the moment...they were hello-and-goodbye encounters...but I am sure I will get to know them all very soon. They also keep trying to "scare" us that there is going to be "sooo much work" and that we "won't have time for much else." I, however, have had Ray Eubanks, king of intimidation, so I am not fretting too much over it. Yes, it'll be lots of hard work, but nothing I can't handle. How much worse could it be than the typical load I've had? Once in awhile, the little devil on my shoulder likes to win the battle and make me overreact (Me? Exaggerating things? Being melodramatic? No!) and wonder what I got myself into, but those moments are all nonsense. The meeting only took about an hour and a half. Afterwards, I placed my deposit for the internet adapters, so I now have a consistent connnection (crossing my fingers!)! Woohoo! Maybe now I won't get interrupted while I am talking to people or trying to load websites/videos. In the afternoon, we had a Hungarian lesson with Agi. I seem to be picking things up quickly, so maybe by the end of the semester, I will be able to have a short, basic conversation in Hungarian. Probably not, but I can try. Then, I braved the rain (a little water never hurt anyone) and headed to the supermarket. (Yes, I know...grocery shopping...ugh! But it actually went quite well. I was there only 30 or 40 minutes. Go me!) I am starting to get the hang of this place. Figuring out where things are, what is what at the store, etc. It is all starting to come together. However, money is like water...it just slips right through your hands...but that's life in general I am quickly learning. Life is just expensive. The pillow I just bought is about a third of the size of a normal pillow and cost me the equivalent of $10 USD! Crazy! But it had to be done. I have been very sleepy lately and am not sure why since I am getting plenty of sleep. My suspicions, though, are leading me to the idea that I may not be getting as restful sleep tossing and turning with what they are trying to convince me is a pillow. In my world, what they gave me is a pillow wanna-be. Well, tomorrow is our written exam, Wednesday is our oral exam, and Thursday are our placement auditions, so I better get some practicing in. (It hasn't been going so well the past few days, but it'll get better.)

Gratitude 10

I am thankful for this amazing ceiling at a monastery we visited. This ceiling makes the acoustics phenomenal, and I was given the privilege of testing them out with a few lines of song.

It has been a few days since I last posted, and I have been awful in keeping up with my journals this week. All week, we were on the go with our orientation day trips around the country.


Wednesday was spent in the little village of Hollőkő. It is a little town of about 350 people near the Slovakian border filled with uneven, winding cobblestone streets and tiny cottage-like dwellings. It reminded me of a little town in Holland or the Swiss Alps. There, we tasted palinka (blech!), a traditional Hungarian brandy. Personally, I found it disgusting. Far too strong for my tastes. Our guide was a little old lady who is like the nagymama (grandma) of the village.



She was so cute. She spoke only Hungarian, but Agi was there to translate. She was very funny. She led us around the town and showed us all the little stores and museums. We gave weaving a go and had lunch at a cute little open-air restaurant. The traditional Hungarian soup we had was delicious. Mmm! After we ate, though, Agi made us hike up this mountain pretty much to see a fortress, which was really cool but was killer getting to it. However, my camera was dropped upon a bunch of rocks in front the fortress and is now a little banged up and scratched! Boo! :( Not very happy about that. What can you do, though. The afternoon was spent at a castle in Gödöllö...yet another of Sissy's palaces. I did not find it nearly as impressive as the other palaces and castles I have seen.




Thursday, we took off for a two-day excursion to Lake Balaton. We made our first stop in Veszprem, which I did not really care for at all. Plus, our walking tour was far too detailed. (Even Agi said that the guide went too indepth on the history of the town.) We ate lunch there and had the most delectible chocolate something or other for dessert...chocolate goo just oozed out of it! It was like eating warm brownie batter! Yum! Before actually heading to the lake, we made a stop at a monastery (see picture above), which was super cool. I really enjoyed that, although I was very disappointed we didn't see any monks. hehe! The monastery dates back to medieval times and still is a working monastery. In the church, we were told the acoustics were incredible. Our guide asked if anyone wanted to sing, but nobody would go for it, so I did. I opened my mouth, and the entire space was filled with the sound of the few lines of "Amazing Grace" that I let lightly soar. It was amazing! We should have voice lessons in there! hehe! Our accomodations for the night were at a hotel in Tihany, which is right beside the lake. When we pulled up to the hotel, I was a little hesitant because it looked a little sketchy. Inside, however, was awesome. It was a really nice place. You felt like magic, too, because the lights came on as you walked into the halls. We went to a little csarda (restaurant) across the street and had fish soup for dinner. Blech! I don't recommend it! Good thing they had bread, some nice white wine, and an apple pie-like dessert! It was alright, though, because I was still pretty full from our gargantuous lunch. We spent the evening playing some card game on the pool deck, and Agi taught us Hungarian swear words as well as fun sayings/phrases...like "Let's see the bear!" haha! (That's their version of "Let's give it a go!")

Friday morning, we explored the lake area for a couple of hours. We saw the non-working monastery and looked at the lake. There is a place where a statue of a girl shouting stands, and it is called Echo Point or something. If you stand there and shout or sing, your voice will echo back from across the lake, so we tried that out. It was weird because it takes a few seconds for it to come back, but it was pretty cool. We went down to the lake before we headed out of town and saw lots of not-so-small men in not-so-much clothing, so that was a little more than our eyes bargained for! Our driver, this nice old guy, took us to another stop along our way as we headed to the number one porcelain maker in Hungary, Herend's. It was a natural spring where the water just continuously flows, and the water is said to have healing powers. We all tried it...it wasn't bad, but it was bubbly. Herend's was cool...very intricate work! I have done a lot of pottery in my time, but certainly not that intense! We got to see some people at work on the pieces. Crazy! And they are super expensive...a set of dinnerware costs $30,000!!! Ouch! Lunch was at the restaurant there. Even though none of us could afford the plates, we at least got to eat off of them! Then, we headed to wine tasting at a private family vineyard by the lake. Lake Balaton is known mostly for its white wines, so all the wines we tasted were white. They were all pretty good, but I definitely didn't like the last one. Unfortunately, not very many in our group was in to it, but the rest of us enjoyed ourselves!

That brought our orientation week to a close. It was fun but definitely exhausting. Today, I got up and went to the open market for some fruit. It was cool, and everything looked so much fresher than in the supermarket. However, everything is so much harder when you don't speak Hungarian! We made a trip to Tesco later in the morning, which you have to ride the bus to get to. We experienced buying bus tickets, but then we were told by this man that we paid too much for them. It was quite complex talking to him. He was talking to us in Hungarian until I used the little Hungarian I know to tell him we don't speak Hungarian. Then he asked a few minutes later if I spoke German, and I told him only a little. So our conversation was in a combination of Hungarian, German, and English. I luckily got the gist of what he was saying...there is a red ticket that costs less and can be used twice in an hour's time, whereas the blue tickets can only be used once and cost more. However, we were going to be gone more than an hour and only paid the equivalent of maybe thirty cents too much, so we were going to worry about it. It was nice of him to try and help us, though. Tesco is kind of like Walmart, but it was ridiculous shopping for food! It drives me crazy that it takes the better part of three hours to figure out what you are looking for, what you are going to get, purchase it, and go back home. Argh! Needless to say, I couldn't find most of the things on my list but certainly made lots of impulse buys and am now extremely frustrated that that was most of my day. It just irritates me. AND...I will have to do it again in a few days! AAAAHHH! Too much! Now, I have to practice and figure out my pictures because they aren't working on the disk I put them on, and I don't want to delete them from my camera until I know they are backed up. Oy! What a day! I really just want to do nothing and be around no one, but that probably isn't going to happen. Ever.

Gratitude 9

I am thankful for this beautiful sign. (I know...you have to look quite closely, but it really is there. I promise you!)

Yesterday was my 21st birthday! :) While I was eating breakfast, Tom and his wife (Tom is a master's student here) came into the dining room with a "birthday pastry," singing "Happy Birthday" like middle schoolers. It was very sweet of them. The pastry, whatever it was, was very yummy, too. Yesterday was also our first day of orientation at the Institute, which consists mainly of day trips traveling around and getting to know the country. We all met downstairs to begin. Agi (I hope that is how you spell it. If not, I apologize.) is our guide. She will also be our Hungarian Culture teacher. I met Zita, one of the main administrators and dear friend of Dr. Mathias, very briefly. She already knew who I was, and she reminds me very much of Dr. Mathias. The morning was spent on a short walking tour of Kecskemét. It was pooring down rain, so it was even shorter than planned. The sun came out for about three minutes and cast a beautiful rainbow in front of us! (See picture above.) It reminded me of the double rainbow we saw on my 10th birthday. (Quite a long time ago now that I think of it.) We learned that the street upon which the Institute sits means "the street between two churches." I think that is neat...and it literally is a street between two huge churches. In the afternoon, we took a trip to Budapest. We arrived in Heroes Square and walked around from there. We took the subway to a place nearer the opera house. (Igen...the public transport in Budapest still creeps me out!) We saw the Liszt Academy (Gorgeous!), which I found out the Institute is part of. Pretty cool. Before our tour of the opera house, we had some time, so we wandered down a side street. The windows to a rehearsal room in the opera were open, and the street was flooded by the brilliant sounds of a beastly bass. He was incredible, and it was so amazing to be walking down the street hearing music like that. :) Priceless. As for the opera house itself...oh my goodness! I am in love...again! I want to sing here, too! And apparently, it has the second best acoustics in the world. Sweet! Again, someday, hopefully, I am going to be just hanging out at places like this. hehe! After the opera, we saw St. Stephan's Basilica (not to be confused with St. Stephan's in Vienna) before makin gout way to the Buda side of Budapest, the Castle District. There, I saw the outside of Matthias Church. Very beautiful! Tucked away in a little corner of a square, we saw a bronze statue of Kodály sitting on a bench, so we got our pictures with him. hehe!

Then, I wandered the streets but made sure to stay fairly close, since I needed to be back for dinner. In my wandering, I ran in to a young man in his 20s. He hit on me twice! I think he was maybe Greek or something. I am not sure, but he was pretty darn cute. It, too, was priceless. It was quite hilarious. We had dinner there in the Castle District. Not many people can say they did that on their birthday! I had a glass of white wine with dinner. (After all, it was my 21st!) Dinner was very nice. and our dessert was traditional Hungarian. Back at the Institute, I found my laundry unstuck from the devil washer (yes...it was literally stuck in the washer and wouldn't come out...the cleaning ladies had to get it out for me.). I also spoke with my sister Jessi on Skype and got to see the baby through the webcam. He is so precious!

Today was not as interesting. We went to Szeged. It was cool but not every exhilirating to me. We learned a lot about the history of Hungary, but I am not really one for historical museums so much. I get a little "ADD." I think it was good to learn about, though. We saw a really neat panorama and some sheep. There was a horse and archery show, where we saw how they used to fight battles. Then they pulled people from the audience to come do things. The old guy saw me laughed, mimicked me, and then made me go, too! I had to shoot the bow and arrow, and I actually hit the wooden people both times...but in the head instead of the chest. I was still pretty impressed I actually hit something!

We also saw a cathedral and a synagogue. The latter was really cool. I had never been in one before. It was really impressive. So ornate, and they hold so much of the heritage of the Jewish people.

So, Hungary is pretty sweet. :) I like it a lot. It is kind of like an ancient and forgotten gem: a little rough on the outside, but inside, the true heart is purely golden. I am so glad I am here. :)

Gratitude 8

I am thankful for finally being here.

Last day of being 20! Last night, I arrived at the Kodály Institute. I somehow made it through the train ordeal. Once I got off the train in Budapest, I figured my way to the underground, confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, and on the verge of a flood of tears. Just as Martin had helped me map out, though, I followed the subways and signs and eventually made my way to Nyugati station. (Thankfully, Martin and Katrin "Europeanized" me well while I was with them.) Much to my relief, I found the train right in front of me. I also thankfully met a nice Hungarian lady who lived in Kecskemét and who showed me the way, even sharing her tazi and taking me right to the school's entrance! The porter showed me to my room where my bags were waiting and then took me around the building on a brief tour. The Institute is beautiful! I think I am going to like it very much here. I spent the evening settling in, unpacking, and contacting home. I found a wireless system here, but its connection is a little shaky right now. At least I have it, though. I wandered around the building this morning. There was a choir of some sort rehearsing in the concert hall. It was so cool to walk through the corridors and hear the music drifting through! I also have been getting to know the other students who arrive this week. I met the grocery store system head on this afternoon, for I needed to get some food. So confusing! I am sure we will figure it out, though. It is very different than grocery shopping at home and is going to be far more time-consuming. Tomorrow, those of us that are here will begin orientation with day trips around the country. We are scheduled to see the opera house in Budapest tomorrow! :)

Gratitude 7

I am thankful for places like the beautiful Wiener Staatsoper.

Blast to the past...September 5th: Today is my last actual day in Vienna. It was quite a leisurely day. In the morning, Martin and I went to the train station to buy my ticket to Kecskemét. Then, I went off to explore and such around Hofburg, Burggarten, and the Museums Quartier (MQ). I did my usual wandering, eventually ending up on one of the lounge block-things in the MQ for a couple of hours, relaxing and spending some time humming and looking over my music. I love Vienna! Maybe someday I will be blessed enough to have the opportunity to spend some time studying there as well. We all met up for lunch at the Universität dining hall. Then, the afternoon was spent at the Staatsoper!!! Ah! Sehr schön! Someday, hopefully, I will be just hanging around at places like that. It was INCREDIBLE! We were able to watch while the stage crew prepared for the evening's performance. Pretty cool.

Martin and I went to the Staatsoper Museum after the tour. It was so stupid! It was only one room. I did learn, however, that a conductor's baton is called a Taktstock in German. Interesting. Then, we went on an adventure to see a Viennese coffee house but had coffee elsewhere because it was so expensive. In the evening, I called home and got some updates on life and the baby. At about 8pm, we made our way to the Danube Festival, which was not so fun, but on the bright side, I got to see the Danube River.

Gratitude 6

I am thankful for ridiculous things that just make you smile...like this random smurf for instance.

Blast to the past...September 4th: Today was the Haus der Musik and the Mozarthuas. THe first was really cool. It has historical stuff and activities, too. I did some silly dice game and crazy conducting game. There was also an exhibit on sound, and one part simulated what it sounds like in a mother's womb. Pretty cool. The Mozarthuas was kind of boring, though. I would have been just as content standing in his apartment for a little bit and crossing it off the list. In between the two, I got some lunch, a döner kebap (pretty good), and eventually made my way past the Staatsoper, which, of course, I had to stop at. I paid a visit to Arcadia, the opera gift shop and got a sweet Staatsoper bag for my music books. Outside, one of those Mozart guys stopped me and out of nowhere, randomly asked if I sang. I said yes, and before I knew what was happening, I was singing in the square in front of the Staatsoper. (How cool! Now to get inside...) It felt kind of weird to be randomly singing in a square full of people. Then, he grabbed my hand and bowed gentlemanly to me. His co-worker was actually a musician and came up to me also. It was all quite unbelievable. I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was very sweet and far too flattering. As I left, they proclaimed they would see me on that opera stage someday. To sing at the Staatsoper?!?! That would be a dream! Someday... hopefully...

Gratitude 5

I am thankful for the incredible churches and cathedrals of Europe.

Blast to the past...Sept. 3rd: Today was spent at St. Stephan's Cathedral in the very heart of Vienna. The rest of yesterday was spent relaxing at the apartment. I watched Gilmore Girls in German. hehe! Quite hilarious. In the evening, Katrin and Martin took me to get an ice cream sundae. Of course, I had to order the Mozart one! Then, we rented the movie Juno, which was actually quite good surprisingly. As for today, I made my way to St. Stephan's, and oh is it beautiful! And...it is where Mozart and Haydn both had their weddings and when Mozart's funeral was. Surprise, surprise! hehe! I feel like I have become a Mozart-hunter! (A new twist on Ghostbusters!) I also went to mass at noon. My first German mass. It was neat. The organist was a showoff, though. (And not so good actually.) In between seeing the cathedral and mass, I wandered down all sorts of winding, cobblestone streers, exploring. I seem to have taken to the habit of doing that. This time, I found all sorts of crazy things...a smurf statue, a neat book store, silly souvenir shops, and a beautiful religious store, Mozarthaus, etc. Such fun! Then, I popped into Aida for some treats. Mmm! Lynn was right. Sehr gut! After Aida's I got lost but then found my way about 50 times trying to get to the Universität für Musik. When I got there, it was all very strange. Some guy led me upstairs somewhere and sent me to an office where a lady said I could look around. Then, I ran in to another office, which gave me some heavy book about the school and then shoved me off. I am not exactly sure what really happened. (And I am pretty sure they cursed me out after I left but whatever.) I ended up sitting in Stadtpark for awhile waiting to meet Katrin and Martin, and there was a dead Mozart lying beside me. (Not really...the guy was sleeping...but it was pretty funny!) When we met, we went up to a vineyard for the evening. The trip was great fun! An American friend of Katrin and Martin's, Brandon, joined us. Martin's plan was to hike around first, so that we...sort of...did. We ended up wandering around on people's property hoping not to get shot or arrested, and then the place ended up being closed. However, we did find one later.

Oh, we had such a good time! We must have been there for hours chatting away. We met this sweet old couple that took our picture for us and talked with them about singing and the U.S. It was probably the best evening here. :)