August 5
* Since today was Saturday, I went to the Naschmarkt and experienced the Viennese flea market. It was very different from any flea market or garage sale I’ve been to in the States because there was so much more history to the merchandise. I almost walked away with a bundle of old film noir brochures from the 50s and 60s, but the man working the booth wasn’t willing to lower the price. I loved seeing things that came from the WWII era, although we saw some things with Nazi insignias on them. That was pretty strange to say the least. I would have loved to have bought some old books or some bizarre trinkets, but it would be difficult finding a way to bring it all home.* Today also brought a tour of the Catacombs in Stephansdom. It was quite interesting to see where the internal organs of the Habsburgs had been put to rest. It is an odd practice, that of dispersing different body parts around the city, which reminds me of the Egyptian practice of removing internal organs and placing them in Canopic jars. In this case, the Habsburgs used urns and they are in the catacombs. Their hearts are in the Hofburg in the Augustinerkirche and all the other body parts are in the Kaiserguft. The tour continued on to see thousands and thousands of plague victims. The saddest part was that there were just mounds of bones, as if everyone was just tossed in there, which I’m sure was the case. It was also eerie to be in the dark basements, with the dampened smell, staring into rooms full of femurs and skulls. Knowing that the various plagues killed off about one third of Europe’s population, it is even more brutal knowing that the catacombs only hold a small fraction of those who perished. As creepy as it was, the tour was definitely worthwhile and made the history come alive.
* Much to the chagrin of the professor, a group of us went to TGI Friday’s due to a craving for cheeseburgers. Although it is an American chain, there were certainly differences in the menu, in presentation, and in service. That is something that I’ve noticed a lot in Europe, that although something may be from America, like McDonald’s, the format and the menu is changed. I’ve seen some very snazzy McDonald’s throughout my travels in Europe, which is very surprising compared to the usually run-down ones back home. Not that I’m an aficionado of these fast food joints, but I find it interesting that the marketing is done so much differently, which really just brings it all back to history and how things are perceived differently because of the past.
posted by lauREN @ 9/11/2006
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