Through My Eyes, In My Words:

The Colorful Sunset of the Habsburg Empire: An Apocalyptic Waltz

Taught by Edward McDonald, professor of foreign languages and literatures, and Joseph Shieber, assistant professor of philosophy

Andrew Jameson, a first-year student from Hagerstown, Md., has not yet selected a major. He enjoys participating in intramural sports.

Our course covered the final days of the Habsburg Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries. We followed the empire through its tumultuous times and studied the works of some of the writers and poets that it produced. We studied the Viennese monarchy and its unique relationship with its people. The empire officially ended with the negotiations following World War I. During the course of the trip we visited Vienna, Salzburg, St. Anton, and Munich.

We arrived in Vienna the 28th of December. W saw many interesting places, including the royal family's winter and summer palaces, Sigmund Freud's apartments, the famous Lipizzaner stallions, and St. Stephen's Cathedral, under which there was a catacomb. Our group brought in New Year’s in Vienna. It was quite an affair.

After Vienna we moved on to Salzburg. In Salzburg we saw the birthplace of Mozart. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, meaning that it is a special year for the Viennese. Salzburg is also the place in which many of the scenes of The Sound of Music where filmed, including the Nonnberg Abbey and the Festival House. We also visited a castle known as Festung Hohensalzburg, which stands high over the city. The view from the top was incredible. In the 500-year history of the castle, not once had it been taken over due to its commanding location and size.

At St. Anton we were able to go skiing in the Alps. St. Anton attracts world-class skiers and left the novice skier such as myself in awe.

We moved to Munich, Germany, for the finale of our trip. We visited the Dachau concentration camp, which was very moving. Dachau was one of the oldest concentration camps used during World War II, having been a prison prior to the war. We also visited the BMW museum, as well the Olympic Park from the 1972 Olympics. A few of us were even able to swim in the pool in which the American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven gold medals.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Austria and Germany. I enjoyed seeing the many sites, skiing in the Alps, and interacting with some of the locals. I plan to return some time in the future.