36 Years Ago

36 Years Ago, Vienna 1971—A Student Journal

Day 155: I’m in a fog; I’m naked next to a girl

Day 155 — I’m in a fog; I’m naked next to a girl
04-January-1972 (Dienstag—Tue.)

Skiing on a sunny day
I’m in a fog today. Literally. As I don’t want to ski off of a cliff, I decided to spend the whole day with the ski class. I talk about money a bit.

Oh, and one of my fantasies almost comes to life—standing naked next to a beautiful girl in a white nurse's outfit, next to a sign that says “
Massage.”

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Day 140: Skiing; Elisabeth; naked men in a sauna

Day 140 — Skiing, Elisabeth, naked men in a sauna
20-December-1971 (Mon.)

Meet Elisabeth
I have an extremely long journal post today. Why? I love Innsbruck. It was an incredible fun-filled day. From rain in Innsbruck to snow in Seegrube, to the extreme but pleasant torture of an Innsbruck health spa—complete with sauna, cold bath, hot and cold foot and body baths, and naked men in saunas.

There is only one Austrian in my ski class. She is a good-looking Austrian girl, Elisabeth. She becomes my skiing partner and a welcomed source of information on Innsbruck. When I said, “Where can I run around naked with a bunch of old men?,” she was right there pointing me to the health spa. Only kidding. Winking

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Day 138: Arrival in Innsbruck

Day 138 — Arrival in Innsbruck
18-December-1971 (Sat.)

Innsbruck St Anne column
I’m in Innsbruck. Yay, my first look at the Austrian Alps, or any Alps for that matter. A little bit of sightseeing and then I get ready for some exciting skiing tomorrow. St. Anne's column in Innsbruck's old town is a well-known landmark.
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Day 049: The Vienna State Opera (Wozzeck)

Day 49 — The Vienna State Opera (Wozzeck)
20-September-1971 (Mon.)

Vienna State Opera
My first visit to the Vienna State Opera. The building and interior of the opera house, and the performance of the opera Wozzeck, all lead to a grand conclusion for the day.
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Day 039: Der Freischutz—my first opera in Vienna

Day 39 — Der Freischutz—my first opera in Vienna
10-September-1971 (Fri.)


I'm in heaven.

I get to see my first opera in Vienna,
Der Freischutz, performed at the Volksoper. I’m really enjoying the opera, the horn playing, and the musical life in Vienna.

Did you know that the Viennese had their own brand of “French Horn”—the Viennese horn?

Did you know that the early Vienna F-natural horn had no valves? Just like the "Ricola" alpen-horn guys on the commercial. Try playing a Mozart horn concerto on your Boomwhacker™.

[The Boomwhacker™ is a plastic tube, used in elementary music education, that you whirl around your head to create musical pitches. The tubes come in different sizes, each tube length produces a single note. I was making a funny. A joke. Ok, it's not funny. It's clever.]
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Day 027: My first song; Rick Steve’s Europe on PBS

Day 27 — My first song; Rick Steve’s Europe on PBS
29-August-1971 (Sun.)

A two-line entry today. I’ve written my first young-love pop-folk song ever—“One Summer Day”—for Anjali. It may be corny but it was from my heart. (all girls swoon)

In the contemporary world (today), I happen to see a Rick Steve’s Europe video tour of Vienna. Wonderful video and commentary.
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Day 023: My new Alexander French horn

Day 23 — My new Alexander French horn
25-August-1971 (Wed.)

Alexander natural horns
I’m in Mainz, Germany. I buy my first new French horn today at the Alexander horn shop. I’m so happy. I meet Mr. Alexander himself.

Nixon devalued the U.S. dollar a few days ago. He cost me money.
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Day 018: Salzburg, Austria; first train trip

Day 18 — Salzburg, Austria; first train trip
20-August-1971 (Fri.)

Magnificent Salzburg 01
Mozart’s birth city — Salzburg, Austria. I take my first train ride, totally standing up, to this wonderful city. Salzburg welcomes me with a hail storm and no student service to help me. What to do? Find a room, walk around, listen to music, and enjoy. Which I do.

Photography is my hobby and Salzburg is a great place to take photographs. (Photos coming soon.) If you aren’t already taking digital pictures, you should be. Come on. Pictures are memories!

[Kodak, soon to advertise.]
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Day 016: Innocence, first kiss

Day 16 — Innocence, first kiss
18-August-1971 (Wed.)


I explain that I typically don’t write about my daily routines in the journal.

This night is special for Anjali and myself. It is a great memory of youth and innocence.
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Day 011: Danube boat party, the Iron Curtain

Day 11 — Danube boat party, the Iron Curtain
13-August-1971 (Fri.)

Danube Boat Party
No short posts here. Live on-the-spot journaling, documenting an exciting full-day excursion on the Blue, err Green, Danube River that flows by Vienna (Wein). Sightseeing, plenty of photos, and more.

I’m up to the task and only briefly let the armed patrol boat, barbed-razor-wire security fence (the Iron Curtain), and the armed machine-gun guards in the towers “shock” me. Welcome to Czechoslovakia and communism in the 60’s and 70’s.

Anjali, a young, pretty girl, comes to the rescue. We sightsee, eat, and then learn to dance. I’m her first dance partner.

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Day 003: New people, new languages

Day 3 — New people, new languages
05-Aug-1971 (Thur.)

Vienna people in park
Meeting new and interesting people is fun. I’m enjoying my newfound exposure to people that speak foreign languages. Wait a second, in their country I'm the foreigner with the foreign language. Read More...
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Day 002: Arrival in Vienna

Day 2 — Arrival in Vienna
04-Aug-1971 (Wed.)

Vienna Burgtheater
Finally, arrival in Vienna. I learn that Vienna is a big city and has actual people. They wear business suits and go to work. Just like us. Helped by the Austrian National Student Service, I get a hotel room, try to make contacts, and mostly sleep.

Jet lag.
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Day 001: The journey begins

Day 1 — The journey begins
03-Aug-1971 (Tue.)

First plane flight
Pan Am, Flight 72, 6:00 pm, 747

The journey begins. My first time on a plane. Heck, I had never been outside of NJ, NY, VT, and PA.

I'm on the way to Vienna, Austria for a year's graduate study. Perhaps one of the best years of my life.

For each day that I have a journal entry, I transcribe the entry and then give my retrospective commentary looking back from today, 36 years later. I have posted a few pages of the original journal in the Pictures/Photo section of this website. They are on the small size but give you the general idea of the original.

I hope that you join me. Enjoy.

John
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