Long time no talk!

Hi everyone! So I have been without internet for about a day and a half, and then didn't receive a new password until this morning, but we went into Graz after lunch so I had zero time to update!

Graz is simply wonderful. The hustle and bustle is hard to get used to, but perhaps my favorite part of the day was people-watching. There were little boutiques and stores down every street, and outdoor cafes where people sat and enjoyed beer or coffee and lunch. It is such a different world here than in Kansas. The architecture is gorgeous...and so old, but timeless. We went into an old palace and I took some pictures that I will upload here hopefully tomorrow. I wanted to up to the top of Schlossberg (that literally translates to Castle-Mountain) where their is a clock tower. You could either ride the tram or walk up 256 steps, or take the lift. We didn't get to that today. My friend Valerie and I spent our day walking through shops and really just exploring the city. We are returning on Sunday to hopefully visit the modern art museum, and hopefully get a glimpse of the Operhaus (Opera house).

We also got to experiment with our German for the first time without help from Wolfgang and Tracy, who are fluent. This was so much fun! But very scary at the same time haha. We started out great and I asked, "Haben sie Postkarten?" (Do you have postcards?) And even asked "Haben sie Musik Bücher?" (Do you have music books?) And Valerie and I had many successes. My favorite store was a shop dedicated strictly to Gummibärchen (Gummy bears)! If you walked around the store they gave free samples...so naturally we stayed and hung out some more! But it was at this store where I had a major moment of confusion with the clerk, who was trying to tell me that what I was buying was sugar-free...except she talked so fast all I could manage to say was, "Langsam." Which means 'slowly.' haha. So then she figured out I was a clueless American, and managed to say "This is for diabetics" in english.

We took the bus to and from town, but in order to get to the bus stop we have to take a path through the forest since the Schloss is literally located on the side of a mountain in the middle of a forest. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant (I know, I know...but we are all a little tired of the authentic Austrian food here haha!) and had ice cream after. I also bought 2 authentic Lieder music books (Ivalah... :) haha)

Yesterday we had our first performance class here, and I volunteered to sing first. I figure I might as well be bold and get my song out of the way haha. I sang "Frühlingsnacht" by Schumann and it went rather well. I got some helpful comments and sang again. I am opening my mouth too much when I sing, and Tracy tells me I have a big mouth and a giraffe neck that need to be under control haha! I agree with her :)

Tomorrow we have more lessons, and then another performance class in the afternoon. I'll keep everyone updated! Miss you all!
Lauren