Extra Credit!!!

Sorry that I am not so sure about this, but here are the things I think count for extra credit!

Eating the bacon lard spread and blood sausage at the first wine garden! (It was delicious)

Getting a sneaky picture of The Kiss (sorry I couldn't get a selfie):

Vienna Fosters Great Friendships!

I came into this experience pretty close minded I think, as I didn't think about making friends. Lucky for me, everyone in the program was so smart, talkative, and friendly, making it extremely easy to make great friends along the way! I am very thankful for everyone I met here, so here's a little dedication to my new friends, complete with many embarrassing pictures!

My NOT Paper Topic! Hapsburg Dynasty

As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, the Hapsburgs can be found throughout Vienna, in art  and architecture (the Emperor's name is plastered over every single building). However, their reign can be seen also throughout Europe. In Venice, we saw where Franz-Josef and Sisi spent their vacations, and in Spain, the Spanish Hapsburg's portraits are viewed throughout many museums, as their dynasty ruled there in the 16th and 17th centuries. What I most enjoyed learning about the Habsburg dynasty was how they came to control most of Europe, through marriage.

" Belli gerunt alli, Tu felix Austria nube."

This phrase we learned in class was the literal motto of the Habsburg family, who ensured their absolutist reign through marrying for territories throughout Europe, and then marrying those offspring to each other to keep control of those territories in the family. It is also interesting to find out that this method of keeping their dynasty led to them losing a part of this dynasty. Charles II King of Spain was the son of a niece (Mariana of Austria) and her uncle (Phillip IV of Spain), both of which already had incestuous ancestries. This caused poor King Charles to have many mental, emotional, and physical disabilities, ultimately making him unable to produce a Hapsburg heir to the Spanish throne, ending their dynasty their.

Despite this minor hiccup, Hapsburg absolutism was prevalent until World War 1, and I doubt you can go into any museum in Vienna (except the Jewish museum), without any mention of the Hapsburgs.

Picture Bibliography:

http://www.city-walks.info/Vienna/Maria-Theresien-Platz.html

A Day at the United Nations!

Nuclear Weapons and Drugs are Bad

Going to a United Nations conference, or just seeing what major organizations like the UN do to help the world has always been a dream of mine. My major, which is Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, is all about helping the world (or at least that is what I hope to do), plus I always watch UN women's conventions when important conventions come about (as you can guess, I am all about women's empowerment). So it was actually really cool to see when we viewed a conference from the journalism box was actually about women being united against nuclear weapons! However, the bulk of our time was dedicated to the two lectures on their drug and crime programs, ad their anti-nuclear weapons programs.

My United Nations Questions:

1.) How has the use of nuclear power as an alternative energy changed in the past few years?

2.) Does the negative image of nuclear weapons affect the use of nuclear power as an alternative energy?

3.) How much does the International Atomic Energy Agency deal with nuclear power?

I was mostly interested in the nuclear lecture, as nuclear power is a form of very efficient and clean energy compared to fossil-fuel powered energy. I was honestly disappointed to hear that many countries, including France (the majority of their electricity comes from nuclear power), have been cutting back on their nuclear power use. Personally, I think using nuclear technology for weapons is extremely unnecessary and dangerous, but I do think that using nuclear technology for energy is a viable replacement for other power generators, and could help reduce the world's greenhouse gas emissions (if safely operated of course).


Overall, going and listening to the United Nations was a pretty cool experience for someone like me.

Schönberg

Sarah is an amazing lecturer!

One of my favorite experiences at the Alps was getting to know everyone a little better. It was absolutely amazing to see how passionate Sarah was about music, and what an excellent professor she might be someday! Learning about Schönberg and his interesting life was really cool. The way he composes his music was also especially appealing to me, as he kind of jut uses math to make music; for someone with a math-y brain like me, that's really cool! However, that doesn't necessarily mean that I enjoyed his music that much (sorry). It gave me a feeling of anxiety, fear, and being uncomfortable, a sort of reflection of the feeling of unrest during the time period in which he released his music (which is probably why he was so popular). It also reminded of old horror flicks, which I really love!(but I am also terrified of) I think I will just stick to listening to composers like Claude Debussy (Claire de Lune is the best).

   

Arnold Schönberg

Claude Debussy

Picture Bibliography:
http://www.schoenberg.at/index.php/de/schoenberg/biographie
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy

Biedermeier in Vienna

Metternich

The Biedermeier period in Vienna and the rest of Austria occurred between 1815 and 1848, and is a comparable time period to that of U.S. culture in the 1950's. This period came about as the Austrian monarchy feared the occurrence of revolution (like in France in the 1790's), and a conservative reaction was implemented. One of the main organizers of this conservative reaction was Klemens von Metternich, who was Chancellor of Austria (and a main adviser to the Emporer) from 1821-1848. He enforced a secret service, and picked out citizens he deemed threatening to the monarchy. This caused the population to have emphasized lives in the home, as being outside could be quite dangerous. The art during this time period reflected this emphasis on the home, showing portraits of families, leading "perfect" home lives. It also showed an emphasis on appreciation of nature.

Example of Biedermeier Household

Examples of Biedermeier art in the Belvedere

Klemens von Metternich

Picture Bibliography:
http://amyvermillion.com/blog/2011/01/doll-house/german-sitting-room-of-the-biedermeier-period-1815-50/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klemens_von_Metternich

Baroque!

Fancy Art and Architecture

Baroque is an artistic style that started in Italy during the 17th century. This style spread across Europe, and is characterized by "over-the-top" decorations, large scale architecture, impressive details, bright colors (especially with gold accents), and an emphasis on religion. This style was prevalent in Viennese architecture and art, and can be seen in buildings and museums throughout the city. One of the main Baroque churches is Karlskirche (Karlsplatz), and can be seen in multiple frescos throughout Vienna's museums.

Inside Karlskirche

Outside Karlskirche

Baroque Painting of Charles IV in the Kunsthistoriches Museum

Crown Jewels from the Schatzkammer

Portrait of Marie Antionette, Queen of France, in the Kunsthistoriches Museum

Inside Peterskirche