Our Little Talks: O Wien

Song of the week: Spirit Cold by Tall Heights
Song of the (last) weekend: Vienna by Billy Joel

AIFS treated us to a weekend in Wien, Austria's beautiful capital. Naturally, I listened to this song a good ten times before arriving in Vienna. I was really curious about the meaning behind the song and decided to do some research.

"So I go to visit my father in Vienna, I'm walking around this town and I see this old lady. She must have been about 90 years old and she is sweeping the street. I say to my father, "What's this nice old lady doing sweeping the street?" He says, "She's got a job, she feels useful, she's happy, she's making the street clean, she's not put out to pasture." We treat old people in this country pretty badly. We put them in rest homes, we kinda kick them under the rug and make believe they don't exist. They [the people in Vienna] don't feel like that. In a lot of these older places in the world, they value their older people and their older people feel they can still be a part of the community and I thought, "This is a terrific idea - that old people are useful - and that means I don't have to worry so much about getting old because I can still have a use in this world in my old age." I thought, "Vienna waits for you..."" - Billy Joel

This passage made Vienna feel all the more welcoming to me. And it really opened my eyes. It's been difficult being in a foreign continent and actually wrapping my brain around the fact that there are so many darn people in this world with so many different lifestyles.

If you know me, then you know my passion for working with the aging population. I was just really happy to feel like I had something in common with Billy Joel, namely, an appreciation for all people and an acknowledgement that we are all going to get old. Let's live while we can. And let's embrace everyone around us. Especially the old folks. Let's care. Let's be sincere.

And with that, I came to have a wonderful, wonderful weekend in Wien.

This is what it looks like.

Highlights:

Naschmarkt - a booming, colorful market with all the foods and goodies you can imagine

Witnessing "Tommy Smiles" a youtube and Facebook dancing sensation who inspires people by dancing very oddly around the world.

Going to bed early.

Schoenbrunn Palace - so much history to be learned about the Habsburgs. It was really cool to witness this after learning so much about the Empire in three of my classes here in Austria.

Just seeing new pretty places with new pretty friends.

Low Lights:

Not having money to buy gulasch soup in a bread bowl at the Ostermarkt at Schoenbrunn Palace #sadgirls

Most authentic experience:

Going to the opera (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Vienna State Opera house for only 3 euros

Taking the underground to get to a bar and having to switch 3 times!