Day 9 in Vienna and I'm finally getting around to a post...oh well. My time in Vienna is different from all the Balkan travels for a number of reasons. First and foremost, its not the Balkans. It is is a very international city that is much more modern than any place we've been so far. In fact the only other place I've been that is even close would have to be Sarajevo (where the picture above was taken), but even that doesn't do Vienna much justice. It'd be like comparing Charlotte to New York City. The other reason it's different this time is because I'm really having to work hard now. Throughout the Balkans we had meetings throughout the week with international organizations and instruments of the various governments. Basically a lot of note taking and a crash course on Balkan politics. Now that we're in Vienna I have class lectures from my professor from 9-1 monday through wednesday and a briefing on Thursday (this week was with the UN HQ in Vienna). For the rest of my time I have to concentrate on writing my thesis paper which is the main graded portion of my course. I have to write a 15-20 page research paper on a topic of my choice relating to the Balkan conflict (has to be approved by my professor of course) and to be honest the grade I receive on the paper will be the grade I get in the course. With that being said, I'm putting a lot of effort into getting the paper finished this week so I can enjoy the next two weeks. I'll still have class of course but I'm in Vienna until the 30th, so there would be a good amount of free time if I can finish up early (woo incentives).
Anyway...Vienna. Its pretty awesome. I'm staying at the Diplomatic Academy (http://www.da-vienna.ac.at/) just outside the city center and their happens to be a metro stop directly next to the building. We all have our own dorm-style rooms here complete with a desk to help get that aformentioned paper finished. Lunch is free during the week which is nice for saving us a little cash. Otherwise we typically go out for dinner to something cheap nearby. There are a ton of little asian restaurants which I find amusing but they are surprisingly good. I must also point out that I finally cracked and had my first McDonalds Big Mac in Europe yesterday and it was pretty amazing. Their also happens to be a Subway nearby, so my craving for a foot long Italian sub was finally taken care of.
Like I said before I haven't had the chance to do too much around town yet because of this research assignment but I did have the opportunity to visit Schonbrunn Palace on my first day here. It was the first Palace I've ever been to and I have to say I was pretty impressed. The grounds of the palace by itself were amazing but seeing the inside rooms was definitely worth the 9 euros.
Anyway, I have to get back to my paper today because my friend Joe is coming in from Budapest tomorrow to stay with me for a night or two. We are going to do some sightseeing and exploring aorund town (since I have yet to really do so myself), so hopefully I'll have an update with more pictures soon.