After a night’s rest in the hotel, Team Central Europe was ready for another day in the beautiful city of Vienna. The sun was out and the warm weather brought energy to the group. We began our day with a visit to the opera building, including a private tour of the inside of the facility from our guide, Thomas.
We then continued our day by finishing our viewing of the Prunksaal State Hall, or national library, that we had seen our first day. However, day two’s viewing including a tour of the highly decorated inside. There, we viewed the statues, many volumes, and beautiful ceiling fresco that made the building famous. Our tour guide explained that Prunksaal became a monument to literacy of sorts because it was built in the 1270’s when few other large collections of books existed in Austria.
After visiting the Prunksaal, we went to the Winter Palace, or the Staatsoper. Inside, we learned of Empress Elizabeth, the Bavarian duchess who married Franz Joseph. She was 5′ 10″, but with a 20″ waist and weighing only 99 pounds. Her reign ended abruptly when she became the assassination victim of an Italian anarchist in Geneva. After touring the rest of the Palace, we ate lunch outside in the square.
We concluded our evening with dinner and a classical concert, followed by a reflection period at the hotel.
In our discussion, we talked of the contrast of the Viennese culture with that of Culver and other nations, making specific reference to the national pride and monuments, as well as mentioning the little amount of time Americans invest into building and into daily functions.
Polo seemed to have had a “lightbulb moment”.
Global Pathways Spring Program 