Gruss aus Wien

Munich was a blur -- we were there barely 17 hours before it was time to jump on the next train to Vienna (Wien).

And here we are, right across the street from the Schonbrunn palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. Only problem is -- it doesn't feel like summer here. It feels like about 34 degrees. That hasn't stopped the musicians from enjoying their day off, after performing for three nights in a row in three different cities.

Vienna is still struggling to come into the 21st century, with a tech-savvy young population, a stark contrast to the Wieners who walk in the park in their boiled wool jackets and feathered hats. Our hotel allows smoking in the lobbies, which is also the only place where you can find the Internet.

Today, most of the musicians were out exploring Vienna, from the catacombs of Stephansdom to just hunting through music stores for mouthpieces and "Wiener horns." I spent a very interesting few hours with the Vienna Boys Choir, which has two Cincinnati boys from Westwood as members this year. Watch for a story in the Enquirer soon.

Then I decided to visit a few of my old haunts, since I lived here during my junior year in college. I finished it off with a piece of Sacher torte (from Demel) and kaffee mit schlagobers. On the way back to the U-bahn, I checked out the price of a tall latte at Starbucks: 4 euros, or about 6 bucks.

Photos:

String players checking out the acoustics out in the hall in Vienna's Konzerthaus
The percussion section sets up for the concert
Trumpeter Doug Lindsay
Luo-Ji Wu, violinist, outside of Konzerthaus
Beethoven to Paavo: So who is this Shostakovich?
Paavo signing autograph book backstage at the Konzerthaus