Inaugural post!!

Hello everyone! I write to you for the first time from Vienna, where I hope to keep everyone posted on my summer internship at the IAEA. I'm not really sure what this blog is going to turn into (and I'm not all too sure why I'm blogging in the first place), but I think it'll be part journal, part cool pictures, and part my musings on whatever else, but it's just a chance for me to keep lots of people in the loop at once.

So...here goes! I got here on Friday morning, which felt like 2 in the morning Eastern time, but owing in part to some sound sleep on the flight over, so when I made it to my apartment, after a short tour of the immediate area with my landlord Isaac, I clonked out and got a few hours of sleep in the afternoon.

That evening, I met up with Anna P., a good friend of mine from high school. With no specific plans, we decided to walk through the city centre and look at the sights, stopping at a Spar along the way to grab some food for a picnic in a park by Karlsplatz - it was fantastic. We realized, though, that both of us foolishly left our cameras at our respective residences, so we managed to track down first a photo booth in a station, and then a disposable camera in a souvenir shop. When Anna asked if the salesman had a camera, he awkwardly gestured to a cuckoo clock, leading me to doubt Anna's German skills. Turns out he was actually gesturing to the last remaining camera that was taped to the wall behind the clock...apparently they aren't in very high demand these days. I expect Anna to scan and upload these pictures soon - stay tuned.

While walking through the city, we stopped to watch the Vienna Opera, since they were broadcasting the stream live into out onto the square in front of the Vienna Opera House. After another bit of city exploring, we found ourselves at Stephansdom, where there was yet another free evening of music, this time lasting the whole night. We made a circuit of the church (even though it felt more like a cathedral), admiring the gothic architecture and enjoying the Haydn that was being played. It was getting late, though, so Anna headed back her way to catch her flight the next morning, and I headed back to Isaac's flat.

Alright, that's it for the first post. I'll catch everyone up on my first day next time I post!