Mixnitz!

I started today singing "Ave Verum Corpus" for Mass in the St. Leonhard Kirche just down from the street from the Studentheim. I recieved the music for this performance only a few days before the performance, but Edward Elgar proved to be a kind composer in the sight reading category. This slow, sustained piece proved to be perfect for the setting as I could kind of bask in the resonance of the hall and allow each long note to swell.

When I finished the organist at the Church gave a Mozart chocolate to me and Janet Todd, an Australian soprano who sang a beautiful "Quia Respexit" also during Mass. Janet and I returned to the Studentheim and as she went of for a day trip of wine tasting, I quickly changed and headed out to Mixnitz with Natalie and Emma. In Mixnitz there's a famous hike called "Barenshutzklamm" (excuse the lack of umlauts) which is a popular day trip for many Austrians. The term day trip here is not used lightly. After using various modes of public transportation, and then walking for about 20 minutes, we found the entrance to the path to the hike. The sign at this entrance predicted a 3 hour hike just to the entrance of "Barenschutzklamm"- and they weren't kidding.

Interestingly enough, amoungst a large group of opera singers I am considered to be in very good shape. Now, I'm not used to being the fastest in the group, and I blame this entirely on my family who could leave me in the dust on any hike. But today, after two hours on a relatively steep mountain with no particular viewpoint in sight, Emma and Natalie sat down for a rest and I kept walking...and kept walking... and kept walking. When I finally arrived at the entrance to this (I'm not sure what to call it) park I gave myself 30 minutes to explore before returning to Natalie and Emma.

Past the entrance sign, the hike continues, but suddenly turns into steep, rickity, narrow ladders over a river and its waterfall. I have no way to describe the beauty and utter anxiety which this experience offered, but after those 30 minutes I ran back to the girls to show off my pictures and to excitedly return to the bottom of the mountain for some much needed food. After catching our train back (which came two hours later than expected) we enjoyed the 1 Euro menu at McDonalds. This is a very particular experience we had been told not to miss out on. McDonalds is no joke here- good quality, healthy, and clean with a really fancy dessert case.

One week.