When we all landed in Vienna, we got on buses and drove about three hours to a town called Mariazell. In Mariazell, we had a few information sessions, intro to German for us beginners, and a few fun activities.
On Friday, we went into the town center and did a tour of a medicinal schnapps factory and of the beautiful Mariazell Basilica. We awkwardly watched a funeral for a sec outside the church, but other than that it was really cool. The town was very pretty and there was a great view of the mountains all around us.
Inside the schnapps factory.
Outside Mariazell Basilica.
The next day we went for a walk around a lake a few minutes outside the town.
Beautiful view of the lake.
On our last night in Mariazell, we were treated to a “traditional Austrian night.” This turned out to be quite interesting. There were a number of men dancing and one named Hans who played the accordion for the dancers. They did a few different things, including dancing and chopping wood. They also took people from the audience to dance at one point, and selected a couple to sweep up the wood they had chopped, which was funny.
Traditional Austrian night. This is not a great picture, but this is the men dancing with a girl from the program.
On Sunday, we left Mariazell and finally made our way to Vienna, where the adventure continues!
Katherine (Nina) Jones
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Nina Jones is a junior at George Washington University studying International Affairs and History. In the future, she intends to pursue a career in either law or research. In addition to her interest in travel, Nina likes to read, play tennis, and listen to music. While in Vienna, Nina looks forward to taking advantage of the history, art, food, and language. She cannot wait to immerse herself in everything Vienna has to offer.</span></p>
