Day 155: I’m in a fog; I’m naked next to a girl
              01/04/08 08:00 PM Filed in: Austria
              | sightseeing
            
            
              Day 155
              — I’m in a fog; I’m naked next to a girl
              
04-January-1972 (Dienstag—Tue.)
              
              
                
              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.”
              
Read More...
          04-January-1972 (Dienstag—Tue.)
              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.”
Read More...
                
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            Day 140: Skiing; Elisabeth; naked men in a sauna
              12/20/07 08:00 PM Filed in: Austria
              | sightseeing
            
            
              Day 140
              — Skiing, Elisabeth, naked men in a sauna
              
20-December-1971 (Mon.)
              
                
              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.
              
              
Read More...
          20-December-1971 (Mon.)
              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.
Read More...
Day 138: Arrival in Innsbruck
              12/18/07 08:11 PM Filed in: Austria
              | sightseeing
            
            
              Day 138
              — Arrival in Innsbruck
              
18-December-1971 (Sat.)
              
                
              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.
              
Read More...
          18-December-1971 (Sat.)
              Read More...
Day 049: The Vienna State Opera (Wozzeck)
              Day 49
              — The Vienna State Opera (Wozzeck)
              
20-September-1971 (Mon.)
              
                
              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.
              
Read More...
          20-September-1971 (Mon.)
              Read More...
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.]
Read More...
          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.]
Read More...
Day 027: My first song; Rick Steve’s Europe on PBS
              08/29/07 09:26 PM Filed in: Vienna | sightseeing
            
            
              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.
Read More...
          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.
Read More...
Day 023: My new Alexander French horn
              08/25/07 08:50 PM Filed in: Germany
              | sightseeing
            
            
              Day 23
              — My new Alexander French horn
              
25-August-1971 (Wed.)
              
              
                
              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. Read More...
          25-August-1971 (Wed.)
              Nixon devalued the U.S. dollar a few days ago. He cost me money. Read More...
Day 018: Salzburg, Austria; first train trip
              08/20/07 10:49 PM Filed in: Austria
              | sightseeing
            
            
              Day 18
              — Salzburg, Austria; first train trip
              
20-August-1971 (Fri.)
              
              
                
              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.] Read More...
          20-August-1971 (Fri.)
              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.] Read More...
Day 016: Innocence, first kiss
              08/18/07 09:53 PM Filed in: Vienna
            
            
              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. Read More...
          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. Read More...
Day 011: Danube boat party, the Iron Curtain
              08/13/07 07:38 AM Filed in: Vienna | sightseeing
            
            
              Day 11
              — Danube boat party, the Iron Curtain
              
13-August-1971 (Fri.)
              
              
                
              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.
              
Read More...
          13-August-1971 (Fri.)
              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.
Read More...
Day 003: New people, new languages
              08/05/07 09:40 PM Filed in: Vienna
            
            
              Day 3 —
              New people, new languages
              
05-Aug-1971 (Thur.)
              
              
                
              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...
              
              
            
          05-Aug-1971 (Thur.)
              Day 002: Arrival in Vienna
              08/04/07 09:49 PM Filed in: Vienna
            
            
              Day 2 —
              Arrival in Vienna
              
04-Aug-1971 (Wed.)
              
                
              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. Read More...
          04-Aug-1971 (Wed.)
              Jet lag. Read More...
Day 001: The journey begins
              08/03/07 09:30 AM Filed in: Vienna
            
            
              Day 1 —
              The journey begins
              
03-Aug-1971 (Tue.)
              
              
                
              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 Read More...
          03-Aug-1971 (Tue.)
              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 Read More...