My First Blog Post!

During my stay in Austria, I will have four days of class and three-day-weekends to travel to different places around Europe. I thought for my first blog post that I would post the different places I am hoping to visit while I am abroad.

1. VIENNA, Austria 

Things I want to see: 

Zentralfriedhof (German for "Central Cemetery") the largest and most famous cemetery in Vienna where lies Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, and Johann Strauss I (all four are composers of the Romantic Period).

Maybe the Art Museum

Organs: perhaps the one at the Michaelerkirche.

http://www.michaelerkirche.at/articles/2010/09/02/a2689/p2/MichaelerkircheZUPANC006.jpg

2. SALZBURG, Austria

Things I want to see/hear: Anything concerning Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. *fingers crossed* Requiem Mass!!!!

3. POLAND:

The Divine Mercy Shrine, John Paul II's Wadowice and Krakow, Auschwitz.

4. GERMANY:

Leipzig, with St. Thomas Church and the grave of J.S. Bach, 

Erfurt, Bach-country with a beautiful Catholic cathedral

Weimar, residency of Bach for several years and where he wrote a great deal of his organ works as court organist

Eisenach, Bach's birth place

Naumburg, home of more cool organs

Altötting, location of a small, beautiful shrine to the Black Madonna

5. ENGLAND:

London: Westminster Cathedral (The Catholic Cathedral of London), Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Church (Anglican), the London Oratory (founded by St. Philip Neri)

The Yorkshire Dales, home of James Herriot, and just absolutely beautiful English countryside.

Oxford, visit the Eagle and Child (pub where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis frequently met), perhaps take a tour of the home of C.S. Lewis.

6. SIENA: (Italy)

St. Catherine of Siena lived here, one of my favorite saints.

7. BOLOGNA: (Italy)

Burial place of St. Dominic, another favorite saint. (FYI, I happen to love Dominicans!)

8. ROME: 

Find the church of St. Cecilia (I am a musician, after all, so it's only natural). Not sure what else, I've been here before when I was 13, so I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing other than admiring the general splendor of the churches and such. ;-)

9. ASSISI:

Beautiful place, I visited when I was 13.

10. VENICE:

Home of San Marco's, the birthplace of polyphony and one of the centers of music for a great deal of the Renaissance and the Baroque period.

I would LOVE to ride in a gondola on the canal, but we'll see if it's affordable.

For the most part, I want to spend a lot of time in a few places, however, so I don't know how much of these I actually will be getting to see. I'll just have to drink up what I can and be satisfied with that. I hope my classes will not prevent me from posting on here, but I will do my best to keep you updated on my travels! God bless you and keep you always!