The past month has been on the one side filled with Uni work and with preparing for vacation on the other side. It is the end of the year and there were a lot of tests and exams consequently a lot of papers to mark. I can proudly say that none failed this year and the marks I gave were almost all good and excellent. The 5th year received their diplomas on Wednesday and yesterday we had a teachers’ meeting. I was a bit late (the river taxi is irritatingly unpunctual!) and not attentive but the lovely thing was chocolates and champagne at the end, so I had my late breakfast. I’m not too fond of the combination, though (if you have champagne, you must have substantial snacks!), but this time it worked well for me. We are having department meeting on Tuesday (I am bringing tea as usual) and then it will be VACATION.
Speaking about vacation, indeed, I am going to the city I have grown to love in the previous two years – to Vienna the beautiful. I have registered for a four-week course at the University of Vienna, and I am going to improve my German as much as possible and explore the Austrian capital and its surroundings, there are so much interesting things to discover there!
The previous fortnight I travelled to Moscow twice: to apply for a visa and then to fetch the passport from the Austrian consulate. Haven’t been to Moscow for ages before the two short trips (interpreting there in 2007 doesn’t count because I hardly saw anything but traffic jams, the airport and the woodworking exhibition where I had to interpret) and I think I would like to return for a couple of days. Moscow only has its charm as an old city when it’s early morning and the streets are almost empty, traffic and people in the street ruin the feel considerably. However, there some Museums in Moscow I would just love to visit (the museum of fine arts and Marina Tsvetayeva museum topping the list) and Cathedral of Christ the Savior is of course impressive. However, I like our walking street, Bol’shaya Pokrovskaya much more than Arbat in Moscow.
I caught a slight cold probably on Monday when in Moscow so I have to get better before the trip which is in a week. If all is well, the vacation my dream is starting next Saturday, I’ll be in Vienna since the 4th!
I have yet a lot to do this week to prepare for the trip, including packing, but I am happy I at last bought the essentials yesterday: a pair of pretty and comfortable shoes and a bag that can provide enough room for the many essentials I am used to carry with me, looks elegant and is not heavy :-)
Josephstadt, the disctrict where I am going to stay this year.
P.S. I think I should upload a couple of Moscow photos later. Sadly, I did not take a camera in the first trip, and the feel of the city doesn’t seem so prominent in the photos taken at midday during my second trip.
