Segment 14- Home in Vienna
The past two weeks were my semester break before moving into C1 level French (oh boy!). I spent the first week preparing for an audition, going to Germany to sing my audition (which I sang really well, but, alas, they were looking for something else), coming back to Paris briefly (and having a fabulous day at the fashion museum and drinking bubble tea with my language school buddy, Shuwei) and then, I had the immense pleasure of spending the second week in Vienna, Austria: my second home. It has been five years since I lived in Vienna, and it had been two years since my last, very brief visit in February 2020.
It was a glorious week in Vienna! I stayed and spent wonderful time with my Austrian host family, the Haselsteiners, in my old digs in Perchtoldsdorf, right outside of the city. I got the royal treatment, too: breakfasts with Gabi every morning (she and Moritz were on a semester break from school, too- lucky me!), meals, prayers and walks together, and as always, some wonderful games and Dutch Blitz domination. It was also plenty for whipping my German back into shape! The first couple of days, the language felt like a lot, but I was surprised has quickly my fluency came back. I still make plenty of errors, but that is something that will only change if I am living in a German-speaking country again. But it is wonderful to have people like Gabi, who basically can read your mind when you are struggling to find the right words. I feel so loved by this family and all the generosity they have extended to me over the years (almost ten!), and it was exactly what I needed, spending that time with them.
One of the best surprises of the week was that a couple of days before I left for Vienna, I got a text message from my friend, Gabe, just checking in. We discovered that both of us were going to be in Vienna at the same time! Gabe and I had studied voice together at Northwestern AND done a year abroad together in Vienna, so it couldn’t have been better than having this old friend, with whom I got to know the city, around to revisit special places and share adventures. We walked many miles around the first district and Mariahilferstraße, went to several cafes, went to the opera, visited the Belvedere museum (and their current Dali/Freud exhibition, which I highly recommend to anyone in Vienna and wish we could have spent more time there!) and Gabe joined me and the Haselsteiners for a farewell Heurigen visit.
I got to check-in with lots of friends/mentors while I was in town, sharing coffee/time with Sebastian (my dear voice teacher in Vienna), Deirdre (my coach/friend/artistic inspiration in Vienna), Richard (my duo partner at Juilliard who is a pianist in the studio at the Staatsoper now), Elizabete (a wonderful pianist whom I met at my friend Nora’s pianist-retreat/festival this past September), Julia and Leo (dear friends from all the way back in my study abroad days), David Aronson (retired professor/repetiteur and conductor whom I connected with through Nora, as well), and Kate Johnson (wonderfully artistic singer friend from the Schubert Institute in 2016). As you can tell, it was a full week, but it was so good and important to connect with all of these people! That was exactly what I needed on this vacation- each of these people offered me various hope and grounding. Vienna will always be the place I became an artist, more than just a loud voice, more than just a singer. And there were so many other people that I was not able to see on this trip! Hmmm… I guess I will just need to return sooner than later ;-)
The weather was mostly SO beautiful this past week and thus, I spent lots of time outside walking, both in and around the city, and around Perchtoldsdorf and its surrounding vineyards. I got to enjoy cake, Kaiserschmarrn (sweet pancake with plum preserves), Apfelstrudel, coffee, Schnitzel, Krapfen, etc. I went to several museums and, as I said, to the opera to see Die Tote Stadt (such a strange show, but a really good production). I was filled with curiosity for more art being in Vienna: more art-making, more art-learning. I was struck by how at home I feel in Vienna, how nice it was to hear “Grüß Gott!”, how relaxed I feel sitting down for cake and coffee and spending hours in a cafe. I left Vienna feeling full, which was exactly what I needed.
I know this blog is not my usual anecdotal writing; it is more of a report, but there was just so much that happened and I know if I get started it will be hard to stop. I don’t want this blog post to get too long, nor do I really want to spend my entire afternoon sitting on this hard chair writing it all, but I may have to write up a few of the anecdotes for those who are interested in some supplemental reading ;-) There is so much more to say!
Watch out for supplemental reading!
Marie in Paris
