Ohhhh Vienna

In yesterday's terrible weather, I had to go out and do some things for my Art and Architecture class. This included going to the Hoher Markt to go to the Roman Ruins museum, visiting Ruprechtskirche, and heading down to Maria am Gestade. They were all great buildings, but let's face it, it wasn't amazing picture taking weather (with the wind and the pouring rain and the cloudy sky). I did what I could, however, and managed to get a few shots to use when studying for my exam and writing my journal entry on these places. I also got a couple of random Vienna photos from the past couple of week(end)s, including some from the Buddy Bake-off (in which my roommate and I and our buddies took third place with our apfeltiramisu (a traditional Styrian dish)). Today I had my German midterm, and this evening I'm either going to a house party with Erin at her language buddy's house, or to brotundspielen, a drinking and board game night with Meaghan and her buddy. Or perhaps I'll meet up with the buddy I haven't met yet. We shall see. Tomorrow I study, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I have midterms. Thursday I'm headed to Krakow, Poland with my roommates, we're staying Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night and then Meaghan and I are headed back at 6am on Sunday (the tickets were cheaper, but there were only two) and everyone else is headed back in the afternoon. I hope the weather is nice while I'm there, I would really like to get some good pictures. Did you know that Krakow was built by the mythic leader Krakus above a cave inhabited by a dragon? We will also be headed to Auschwitz, but I also want to see the old city square and potentially St. Florian's Gate.

The Roman Ruins: Beneath Vienna is a hidden city, originally built by the Romans when the area directly south of the Danube became part of the empire around 15BC. Eventually a Roman garrison was built here and named Vindobona. The Romans were, as can be learned from the ruins, very advanced, and even had heated floors, as shown in the first picture. Not only did Ptolemy mention Vindobona in his writings, but Marcus Aurelius is believed to have died here.

Ruprechtskirche (St. Rupert's): The oldest church in Vienna, this church is named after Saint Rupert of Salzberg and is located in the oldest section of the city, where Vindobona was once located.

Maria am Gestade (Maria on the banks): One of Vienna's original and oldest surviving gothic churches, was once located on the banks of the Danube and was known as the fisherman's church. It was used as a stable and storeroom by Napoleon, but has since been restored to its former glory.

Random Fun Times (Language Buddy Bake-Off and a Night At Some Club)