Saturday May 3 – Arrival Day

Including the time change and overall airtime, the trip took a total of 18 hours. After arriving in Vienna, gathering our luggage, and making our way through customs we were met at the airport by two Rotarians and then into a VW van for a 2 hour trip to Waidhofen, via the Autobahn. Waidhofen is a medieval town and you can still see remains of the fortress wall that once surrounded it. In 1997 the town celebrated its 1,000 year anniversary! The area has a very small-town atmosphere, but the population is about 12,000. One notable feature of Waidhofen is the 25-30 kilometer forest that surrounds the city. Centuries ago the leader of Vienna decided that a forest should surround the city in order to maintain fresh air in Vienna. They also have several wind turbines for generating electricity. Saturdays are weekly market day, a tradition that dates back for centuries. The farmers outside of town bring in their goods; produce, live chickens and pigs, to be sold at the market on the Upper Main Street.
On the evening of our arrival we were invited to attend a concert of a Young opera singer that grew up in Waidhofen, at Kristallsaal. In 2010, he will be performing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. After the performance we met up with some Rotarians for dinner. The concert and dinner took place in a castle, last owned by the Rothschild family around 100 years ago. It is now owned by a museum and is a community cultural center where artists exhibit their musical and artistic talents.

Saturday May 3 – Arrival Day

Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Austria