10/19/2012
We got up early today to go to Belvedere to take pictures. We didn’t go in, because the Lower Belvedere showcases modern artwork and Upper Belvedere features Klimdt. Angel hates both so it wasn’t worth paying the admission fee. It was a really nice day, and since we got there early, there weren't too many people there, so nice time for pictures! :)
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| Lower Belvedere |
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| Upper Belvedere |
Our breakfast was durum kebab, which I’ve been dreaming about for the last two years. It was even better than I remembered it to be! This one we got from a stand in front of the opera ring.
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| St. Stephansplatz |
We walked to Kartnerstrasse for lunch. It’s the main area of
Vienna for shopping, a ritzy avenue that shows off Stephansplatz in its center
and veers off to the Albertina and the Hofburg palace via different streets. Got
a kasekraner (hot dog with cheese in the inside) and a kebab sandwich. Delish!
Mom and Dad went on to the opera tour (where they take you
inside the opera house and tell you the glories of its illustrious history… for
some reason I thought it was free, but it wasn’t. Hmmm…) and the opera museum
while we went shopping. Angel and I lugged home 15 bags of Mozartkugeln! The
Spar just around the corner from us was 5.29 euro for a big bag of 23 each.
Heavy!!! Then we had to rush all the way back to meet the parents as we wanted
to get standing tickets at the opera.
We got in line around 3:50 and there were already people ahead of us. Always go to the bathroom either beforehand or while in line, because once you buy the tickets and go into the theater, there is a 40-minute wait time before they allow you to go into the standing room section so you don’t want to be stuck needing to go then (otherwise you’ll lose your position in line).
We learned that it is better to be the 8th or 9th person in line to get the best standing room “seat” (smack dab in the middle of front row). 7 people in the right, 7 people in the left and around 3-4 in the middle. They make you split up in line, and they make the first few people go all the way down to the side of the standing room section, so it’s best if you’re the 8th-10th person in line. But if you’re 12th or 13th, you risk not being able to get a front row “seat” at all. The opera was Figaro… and we were confused because the famous song associated with Figaro doesn’t show up in this opera. Forgot. It’s the Barber of Seville where that song shows up; Mozart wrote it like a 3-part opera. More tickets, more money? Haha Figaro was too complicated and too silly; we couldn’t keep up with the story lines. Hell, I couldn’t keep up just reading it on Wikipedia!
We got in line around 3:50 and there were already people ahead of us. Always go to the bathroom either beforehand or while in line, because once you buy the tickets and go into the theater, there is a 40-minute wait time before they allow you to go into the standing room section so you don’t want to be stuck needing to go then (otherwise you’ll lose your position in line).
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| Waiting and waiting and waiting in line at the opera |
We learned that it is better to be the 8th or 9th person in line to get the best standing room “seat” (smack dab in the middle of front row). 7 people in the right, 7 people in the left and around 3-4 in the middle. They make you split up in line, and they make the first few people go all the way down to the side of the standing room section, so it’s best if you’re the 8th-10th person in line. But if you’re 12th or 13th, you risk not being able to get a front row “seat” at all. The opera was Figaro… and we were confused because the famous song associated with Figaro doesn’t show up in this opera. Forgot. It’s the Barber of Seville where that song shows up; Mozart wrote it like a 3-part opera. More tickets, more money? Haha Figaro was too complicated and too silly; we couldn’t keep up with the story lines. Hell, I couldn’t keep up just reading it on Wikipedia!
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| Standing room only |
Mozart - Marriage Of Figaro - Overture < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikQNFqVkNNc&feature=related >
ReplyDeleteTop Tracks for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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