Winter wonderland

By the time we were ready to leave Vienna (once it had been snowing for three days!), the city had turned into a true winter wonderland!

Ice skating

Our last day in Vienna was filled with conference events, but, once the conference was over, a couple of us decided to go ice skating. Just in front of City Hall is an outdoor ice-skating facility that includes two large rinks and a series of trails throughout the park.
When I first stepped out onto the ice, I was nervous that I'd fall flat on my face - I hadn't skated in years! But it came back surprisingly quickly. It was so relaxing to just skate around and enjoy the falling snow and not have to think about anything else!
Once we were completely frozen to the bone, we decided to step off the ice and have a warm mug of mulled wine. A perfectly lovely evening!

Vienna State Opera

After a full day of seeing the sites around town, listening to conference presentations and even trying to fit in a little bit of work, a couple of us decided to go to the opera. The Vienna State Opera is the oldest theatrical institution in the German-speaking world, dating back to the beginning of the eighteenth century. The building itself is absolutely incredible. I'm just realizing that I don't have any pictures of its exterior, but the inside is elegant and magnificent!
The inside of the actual theatre is even more beautiful.
My seat was fantastic. I was in one of the little boxes on the third floor (if you count the ground as the first) just far enough around the theatre that I could see the whole stage and wasn't staring back into the wings, but still close enough that I had a great view of the orchestra. The boxes were so neat. (Please note that I'd never been to an opera, so I have no idea what's standard.) I loved the little velvet doors into each box and the area just inside to hang coats and primp.
The show itself - The Barber of Seville - was incredible!

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Right in the middle of downtown Vienna is St. Stephen's Cathedral, an enormous structure, the first part of which was built in 1147.

Spanish Riding School

The Spanish Riding School is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses that offers public performances.
The school is housed within a series of buildings built Emperor Charles VI at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The building where the performances are held contains a large portrait of the emperor, to whom the riders salute before each of their performances.
The performance begins with the young stallions who have recently arrived at the school. They demonstrate the first stages of training at the school.

The next stage of the performance shows all steps and movements that the horses are taught during the years they are trained. This is followed by the pas de deux, where two horses demonstrate movements in mirror image. The next session demonstrates the methods that are used to train the horses to do some of their more impressive jumps and movements.

(Even though it looks like this video is missing, just play and it will work.)

The final session consists of eight horses showing various figures and movements.

The show was really impressive. We had a great time at it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

One very smart pharmaceutical company handed out roses today at the conference. I ignored the underlying pharmaceutical sales implications and just enjoyed having a beautiful flower for a day!

Reception at City Hall

This evening after the close of the conference for the day, there was a reception for all the conference participants at City Hall. This is a city hall unlike any I've ever seen. The outside of the building is gorgeous and lit up at night with brightly colored lights.
The inside of the building is even more extravagent. It reminds me of something out of a storybook.

Snowflakes!

It's been freezing since we arrived in Vienna, but this afternoon it finally started snowing!

Hans Rosling

The best presentation I've heard so far at this conference (and I'm pretty sure the best one that I'll hear while I'm here) was today. It was by Hans Rosling, a physician and researcher from Sweden. I found a presentation similar to the one he gave today online:

For more information, visit Hans Rosling's website.

Vienna

Vienna is an absolutely beautiful city! It seems like every single building here is an architectural masterpiece!