For a change... I am writing this blog before 11pm. I'm really on top of things.
So far, today has been very interesting! A trip to United Nations, the Austrian National Library, and yet another visit to Aida. Currently, we are on our way via train to Budapest, Hungary!
United Nations
Leading up to the United Nations tour, I had really no idea what to expect. I did a bit of research before our visit, but I still pretty unsure of what I was going to learn. I knew going in that the United Nations was formed to keep the peace after WWII, but I didn't know much past that! The first thing we saw on the tour was the display of flags from all 193 member states of the UN. There were also 2 additional flags representing observer states (the Holy See and Palestine), which can only attend meetings without voting. My favorite part of the tour was being able to observe an active meeting that was taking place in their largest conference room. At its full capacity, their largest room can accommodate up to 700 people! Anyways, we got a chance to put on a pair of headphones to listen in on the speaker, who was talking about violent crimes against women and the importance of diminishing the prevalence of such atrocities. During our observation, we also learned about the qualifications for being an interpreter at the UN. First, they must natively speak one of the UN's 5 languages (English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian). They must also be fluent in 2 of the UN's other official languages. I also enjoyed getting to see the space exhibits on display within the International Atomic Energy Agency at the UN-- one of which featured a moon rock from Apollo 15! *pic
The Austrian National Library
After our tour, 8 of us wanted to tour the crown jewel treasury. Upon arriving, however, we were sad to see that a tour would cost us 20.00... to which we all collectively said no thanks! Right around the corner was the Austrian National Library, which only cost 6.00 with a student discount. That was more like it. Without a tour guide, I'll admit to being a little lost. I didn't know much about what I was looking at, nor did I understand its significance past its age and beautiful. I learned that it is the biggest baroque library hall in Europe! The architecture was beautiful and so so detailed. *pics
Lunch/Dessert
We ate lunch at an Italian place, Toto's, right around the corner from the library. 7/8 of us all got a Margarita pizza, and they ended up cooking 5 of ours into one long rectangle on a giant pizza paddle. It was pretty spectacular. The pizza was absolutely delicious, and so filling!
Dessert was even better... Sierra, Victoria, and I made our way to Aida yet again and finally tried the Vienna-famous Sachertorte chocolate cake. I added a little cup of espresso with whipped cream on top to mine... It was delicious! The coffee culture in Vienna has yet to disappoint.
Train to Budapest
Well, it started off a bit confusing because we didn't realize there were some assigned seats. A few of us got kicked out of our seats because we were in someone else's... But then once everything was settled, it was very comfortable! So far, I've only had the chance to listen to music while blogging, so nothing much to speak of yet. I think it's time for a nap now.
*pictures to come
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