Day 12 European Discovery

Day 12

Vienna, Austria

Wednesday, 22.6.2011

Today we left the hotel after breakfast at 6:30, around 7:15. We will be picking up our Ambassadors at the drop-off point. It was near the school, at least the sports one, where their home-stay family children attended school. As we got near the school we could see some fun being had by some of their students. It is near the end of they year and they are throwing water balloons, dumping water on people, shooting big squirt guns, etc. These are the seniors having some fun.... Roberto had a water balloon get inside the bus, like thrown at the window or squirt gun shot, but whatever it was, he got wet and he wasn't happy. :) All in good fun.

Soooo,we were successful picking up our Ambassadors at both locations, by 7:45 or so at one and 8:15 at the other. They said their good-byes and we were off. It was fun listening to the stories that had to tell. I believe that most, if not all had outstanding experiences, although not sure how many were thrilled with being in school all day but I believe it gave them a perspective they couldn't have experienced, just by hearing about their schools. Wish we could have had that opportunity.

Today's program in Vienna will be very interactive! So, head to the city centre of Vienna.

We are now on our way to downtown, City Centre. When we arrived we promptly divided up into groups of 5 and will have a City Quest, walk around a find answers to questions. As the leaders walked around, attempting to find the same answers, and this time not get so lost we can't make it back on time, found a Starbucks Coffee house. Good find in the morning. :) After we met at our spot, we headed for the Prater Amusement Park. We walked for about 20 minutes to the park. Our time at the park was fairly short, I believe we had only 40 minutes to ride the rides while we were there before we had to head to lunch. That is OK, I don't think the trip was about a long day at the amusement park. Fun place to see, some exciting rides and one person got sick on the ride. :( PS: Group 6 won the city quest: Lexi, Ben, Brian, Toni, Curtis, and Whitney. Congratulations guys!!!!!! Was there a prize??????? :) Or just a Hoo-Rah!!!

We ate lunch in the park, it was sort of a hot lunch, and of course outside and it was hot. Although we were in the shade, when it is 90 some degrees and high humidity shade seems to offer little solace. Ah, yes, it was chile and bread, actually quite good but not so much on a sultry day. Now we will head back to the hotel, get room assignments and check in, not much time to lay around, have to be back at door by 3:30, ready to go talk with the concentration camp survivor and then the Mozart concert. By the end of the night we will be dead on our feet, but a great day.

Continue with a City Quest including State Opera House, Albertina, Hofburg – Imperial Palace, Graben, St. Stephan's Cathedral and Anker Clock.

Servicemarks: This is a unique opportunity for the student ambassadors to get in direct contact with the Viennese inhabitants – enjoy this people to people experience.

Enjoy the historic Prater Amusement Park where James Bond took an adventurous ride on the giant Riesenrad (the second largest Ferris wheel in the world) in the 1987 film “The Living Daylights.” If you like, take a ride on this famous Ferris wheel.

It was a little disappointing that we would have to pay for our own rides, at 5E per ride, frankly I thought that was a bit high, but then again, we knew we wouldn't be there long, time for maybe 2 – 3 rides at most. So maybe that was OK.

Servicemarks: If you want to go on the Ferris wheel or on any other ride, you will need to bring your own spending money, (approximately 5 Euro per ride).

12:30 PM

Today you will have lunch in the middle of the famous Vienna Prater Park.

Change clothes at your hotel for this evening's concert!

Meet and take part in a discussion with a survivor of a concentration camp (Theresienstadt). This is a unique opportunity and a true honor for Student Ambassadors.

Our meeting with the concentration camp survivor was relatively a somber experience. It as quite formal, kids waited in the room while the leaders met the survivor outside in foyer area. We were there with another PTP group from Texas, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

Our speaker, Professor Rudolf Gelbard, had an intrepretor, Eon. He helped with introductions and then while Mr. Gelbard spoke Eon helped translate, he did not speak English, or not well enough to speak with us.

He was born in 1930. In 1938-42 living conditions were terrible. Food was scarce. In 1942 he was sent to a concentration camp, in 1948 Russians liberated the camp, and in 1964 he was in the University and now he is a volunteer and does things like speak with groups and educate people on the atrocities that happened in Europe.

He told us many stories about Hitler, like when Jesse Owens won 2 Gold Medals and Hitler refused to shake his had. He believed the Arian Race to be superior. 12 years later the Nazi's race was defeated.

Of course today we have a new form of Fanaticism, 9/11 is good example of that, 3,000 innocent people and more with fallout and those that helped died. All kinds of Fanatics living today, new form of terrorism exists around the world. London had a subway bombing and of course Oklahoma City bombing. And one cannot forget about the KKK that still exists today, may innocent have died at their hand.

The Holocaust is the worst crime in the history of mankind. 2/3 of Jews in Europe died, 24 different countries involved, and 6,000,000 people died.

Many different groups were killed, besides the Jews as well; the mentally handicapped, anyone that was sick, young children, gypsies,.... They were exterminated by car exhaust fumes, gas chambers or mass shootings.

Another crime was the experiments that Hitler's doctors did on patients. They used dirty instruments, many died under excrusiating pain, girls.

In 1944, 6^th of June our grandfathers took Normandy beach. Europe will be eternally greatful for their efforts there. Omaha Beach was another area of importance. Bloodiest section of landing boats. Well defended. Machine gun fire was horible; 1^st wave all killed, 2^nd wave, all killed, 3^rd wave, all killed and it was the 4^th wave that finally broke through. They were actually considering retreating when the 4^th wave had success. 3,000 young men or more were slaughtered on the beach. This might have been Patton's 3^rd Army.

Auschwitz was the largest concentration camp and had the biggest exterminating chamber. 1,000,000 went through and for most of them it a journey to death.

SS Doctors essentially decided life or death of everyone entering the camp. Survivors were subjected to hard labor, 10 months, cold, wind, no clothes, no underwear, no socks, 12 hour days, beaten, bread and water, 4 to a single bed. Horrific conditions. At Maudhasen there were death chambers that we were able to go into where hangings took place, people were gassed to death, and we were able to see something call hill of death or something like that where they would have workers carry up 100 lb rocks up this hill, of course no shoes, over rocks and if they sat down, even if the soldiers told them they could they were shot.

SS were identified with a skull on their caps. It is not so important to write all of the atrocities that these prisoners were subjected to while they were in these camps. I believe that our Ambassadors got the point by the end of his talk.

Much of the information he shared was probably public knowledge and I had the sense that many of us would have liked to hear more of his personal stories but it still was a very sombering experience.

6:30 PM

Enjoy your dinner at one of the last ancient monastery cellars in Vienna's historic city center.

Can't remember if we took the bus or not to dinner and dinner is sort of gone as well. But in any case after dinner we headed over to the concert hall, the most famous in the city. The concert was really great, the only problem was that everyone, including the leaders, were dead tired. But when in Vienna, you can't not do a concert. :)

Attend a classical concert at the Musikverien Wien.

Of course after the concert we took public transportation, like a subway, back to the hotel, and then a short walk to the hotel and bed. A great day but a long day. :)

Servicemarks: Class A, conservative dress for the concert please.

Overnight at the Austria Trend Eventhotel Pyramide.

Prater

The Prater is a huge park set in the heart of Vienna, between two arms of the Danube. It is large enough to contain some semi-natural woodland and marshland, as well as areas of more formal gardens. It is an ideal place to watch birds or simply relax. This former imperial game park on the banks of the Danube has been Vienna's symbol of popular fun for 200 years. The rather overcrowded amusement part (open from March to November) is well known because of the “Riesenrad”, the famous Giant Ferris Wheel.

Hofburg

The principal residence of the Habsburg dynasty comprised more than twelve interconnected buildings, which took their present form over the course of 800 years. In addition to the offices of the Austrian president and federal ministries, these buildings hold public showrooms, a dozen museum collections, the National Library of Austria, the performance halls of the Lipizzaner stallions, and the Hofburg Chapel, where the Vienna Choirboys sing every Sunday.

Vienna Woods

Enchanting old villages dot the Vienna woods (“Wienerwald”), a ridge of thickly wooded hills which envelop the West. Wine making (and drinking) has been the specialty here ever since Romans first planted vineyards in the Danube area. Grinzing and Heiligenstadt, suburbs of Vienna, have scores of wine gardens called “Heiuriger”, serving Vienna's characteristic fresh wine. Perchtoldsdorm, Modling, and Baden are popular weekend destinations. Beethoven and Schubert already

Day 11 European Discovery

Day 11

Home Stay, Austria

Tuesday, 21.6.2011

Today will be the last day you spend with your home stay family. Be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their hospitality! Write a thank you note to leave with them or to mail the next day.

Day 10 European Discovery

Day 10

Home Stay, Austria

Monday 20.6.2011

Today will be spent experiencing European life and culture with your home stay family.

Day 9 European Discovery

Day 9

Castle Project

Home Stay, Austria

Sunday, 19.6.2011

Today we go to to rise and shine at 8:15, a bit later. We were to be ready to go around 8:45. Once again we walked through town to the same place we had dinner last night. Breakfast consisted of strudel, coffee (which was actually drinkable), cereal, meat, cheese, bread – quite good actually. Very much a traditional breakfast.

It is still a bit wet after all the rain last night, and literally it did rain all night is seemed. Good thing we weren't in a tent outside....:) It really would have been a rough night.

After breakfast we will move to the area where they are building a castle, or castle project, as they call it. We have a guide that is taking us, Sue, or so I call her. The names here are a bit troublesome, so I pegged her Sue, sort of as a joke. She is really nice and a great sense of humor.

Of course we walked to this area. Actually everything is pretty close here so the walk wasn't terrible. The castle project is a 30 year project, they are attempting to recreate how a castle was built, from ground up. Apparently no one ever wrote down how it was done. They will use craftsman, using tools of the day. Using original tools is important; of course cutting down trees by hand, horses pulling big rock, etc. No modern-day equipment will be used. Huts are all logs, etc.

Workers are being paid, I believe many of them may be retired individuals. There may be others but not sure how that works out with their other jobs, pay, etc. Some may just be volunteers. Examples of tools of the day might be chisels, wood plains, of course horses and rigging used to pull logs, rocks, etc. Wedges would be used to split trees into logs. Fascinating! This would be a fun project to work on for a summer for example.

As we walked around the area our guide told us about the project. The castle would be up on the top of this hill. It was a little ways up to the top. They are starting with the fireplace, which would be in the kitchen and then castle is built around it. At the top some of the delegates planed some logs, some chipped rock (attempting to make rounder rocks more square), some wove wet vines into baskets (I think), then some of us carried some rock up the hill. We didn't work to hard on our service project. :)

After we finished this we headed back down towards the same place we had dinner last night and breakfast. Since we had a bit of time some of us walked up to a church that was way up on a hill, quite an aggressive walk up. Quite a sight once we reached it. We were in a hurry so not late for lunch. We had to hurry so as not late for lunch, always on a time schedule.

Participate in a true People to People moment as you work with local residents on the “Castle Project”. For over 30 years, volunteers have united in building an authentic medieval castle without the use of modern technology.

12:00 PM

You'll be treated to a taste of the Middle Ages with a traditional medieval lunch.

Lunch was great, can't really remember but I think it may have been some sort of Mac & Cheese mixture.

After this we said our good-byes and headed for Vienna. The bus ride to Vienna was quite long, and of course we had some tire Ambassadors so many slept along the way, as well as the leaders. Always a good time to journal as well or read journals. Finding time to read journals was always challenging. I think it is important but sometimes difficult to get done, 3 times, like I think it should be done.

Tonight we will meet and go with our home stay families. It was fairly late by the time we got to both schools. The first school we stopped at took probably 2/3 of our delegates. Of course all luggage for delegates needed to be unloaded. The streets were fairly narrow so a bit problematic. The school looked beautiful. Would have been fun to get a tour. But it is great that our Ambassadors get a home-stay where they will actually get to go to school. This doesn't always happen. Very lucky. I am sure the stories will be great and we will look forward to hearing some of them when we pick them up. The first school we stopped at was sort of a sports focus school. They have academics n the morning and not sure maybe a bit in the PM but then focus on sports the rest of the time.

Continue your journey on your way to meet your home stay families.

The second school was a music focus. We had a short drive to where we met the families for the rest of our Ambassadors. Once we had everyone settled into their homes, etc. we were off to where we would be staying for these three days. I was disappointed that we did not have a home-stay but as it turns out it was nice to have a little R& R at this point in our journey. It may be something I recommend for other journeys. If it can be somewhere in the middle it gives the leaders a little time to regroup before continuing on.

The bus driver, Roberto, Bernhard, and all the leaders will be in the same hotel, something called the “Pyramid”. It was a very nice hotel and this is where our delegates will stay when we pick them up. When we pick them up we will come back and check in at the hotel and get sort of settled. Then we will be off to start our day or we will do it a bit later, not sure. As it turned out, the day was so long our Ambassadors didn't really get to enjoy some of the amenities of the hotel but that is the way it has been. This journey is jam-packed with activities and the days are quite long. By the time we get back it is fairly late, as maybe it should be. They are not paying this kind of money to sit around a hotel for 4 -5 hours a night. :)