Hello. Welcome to my website. It started while I was in Europe for a semester, and I've kept it up since then. I'm now at the University of Chicago Law School, living in Hyde Park, and the story continues. If you want to say hi or visit me, email cfloyd at uchicago dot edu.
"Life is nothing if not the sum of your anecdotes." -Scotty The Body, on storytelling "But it ain't that bad, man. Just figure out the system before the system figures out you." -T. Matthew Smith, on the 1L year "The beer just doesn't taste as good when you're not drinking it with your buddies." -Anon., on being away from good friends "Somebody has to pay the rent around here. Why the hell not us?" -Cotton, on studying for exams
4/01/2003
You know, I read Sunday's post and thought, "What in the world is 'both quintessentially European and fully international' supposed to mean?" I apologize for the constipated style. All I can say is, I wanted to say something profound quickly. My attempt fell flat and I'm sorry.
The laundry situation (see Friday March 28) has been resolved. The office lady had wash coins today, and she gave me extra since I'd been waiting so long. Now I just have to actually clean my clothes...
So: Vienna. It was great. No crazy times, unless going to bed before midnight is your idea of a wild night. Justin Lantz and I arrived around noon on Saturday. (Justin, if you dislike the picture, post a better one). After about an hour of navigating the non-intuitive subway system we made it to our hostel, the Wombat. It was a nice, English-speaking, inexpensive place. We split a double room for 18 euro apiece. After we had settled in and stored our luggage we made for the city center. Emerging from the U-Bahn we immediately encountered St. Stephan's Cathedral looming in front of us. Tough to miss. St. Stephan's dominates the skyline and is a symbol of Vienna. We went inside and wandered around. I pulled out my camera to take pictures but no! the battery was dead. That is why you're getting these links instead of my own shots. Pictures soon, people. Soon.
We left there and went around the Innere Stadt on a self-guided walking tour. We saw Hungarian break dancers (basically Hans and Franz doing incredible headspins) and living statues. There is so much architecture of so many varieties, from Gothic to Baroque to Neo-Classical and contemporary. Most of it was paid for by the Hapsburg family, the dynasty that controlled the Austrian empire. After our tour, we sat in an open-air cafe and enjoyed coffee and people watching. Supposedly this is just as much a part of experiencing Vienna as touring the museums. I enjoyed the down-time. We rode the street car around the city and, after dinner (Italian pizza place) made our way back to the hostel. After a drink on the house and some internet surfing to catch up with the NCAAs we turned in. We rose at 9am Sunday to checkout and make the most of our time. The first stop was the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which features a massive collection of art and artifacts accumulated by...you guessed it, the Hapsburg dynasty. That afternoon we rested our tired feet by watching The Third Man in an old-style movie house. It was a classy place, with a balcony and the previously-mentioned glasses of beer. We were two of seven in the theater. I recommend the film, especially if you like old movies. Orson Welles is great, even though he's only in it a short time. After the film we strolled a bit more and I parted with Vienna that evening. But don't worry--I'll be back, with fresh batteries.
4/01/2003 02:20:00 PM
