Blurb- 2/3 of the journey still left :)

40 days have past since arriving in europe and 80 days are left for the taking.  And there is lots of taking to be done.  :)

Operas that I will be seeing in the next 80 days:
La Traviata
Madame Butterfly
The Magic Flute
Salome
Fidelio
Barber of Seville
The Ring Cycle (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Sigfried, Götterdämerung)
Tannhäuser
La Boheme
Der Rosenkavalier!!!!!

This is what Vienna looks like when I get up to practice at 6 :) 

silence except for the pigeons..

This is what it looks like when I go back after practicing!

Random Observations/Facts:

Did I mention that the transportation system here is based almost completely on the trust system?  I forgot to buy a ticket this week for the subway for instance, and nothing happened.  oops, yea I'll get one tomorrow!  But you only show your ticket if you are stopped by the Polizei, which happens sometimes when you get off the subway.  They stop a group of people and check them all, but it rarely happens.  I've never been checked!  

Turns out Sunday is an "all day quiet hours" day.  How are their musicians so good if they can't practice SO often??  I despise these noise restrictions :(

Daniel Barenboim is going to be giving a recital in Vienna.  I'm so there.  No matter what else is on that day (aka our first IES concert). ha!  I might be sick that night...

Soundproof practice rooms are tiny and sound horrible when you play in them, but they actually are going me a lot of good.  I sounded 10x better when I played in a live room afterwards.  :D  yea! 

More things that are hard/impossible to find in Vienna:

-hard shell tacos (we all miss mexican food)

-boxes of mac n cheese (a staple of my american life)

-brown sugar (baking necessity!!!)

And now I leave you to go celebrate Ryan's 21st Birthday :)  yeaaaaaa!  it's a wednesday.... :D