Here is my handy. Comes in handy if I need to get in touch with my teacher or anyone else. When I first arrived and everyone was telling me I needed a handy I was a bit confused. But now I have one and have thus joined the 6,415,000 Austrians who own mobile phones.

This is a view looking west down the Danube. The first of the two bridges that are in the photo is the bridge I cross when I go to practice at the Heiliger Geist church. There is a bike section on the bridge that is a type of metal gratework that allows me to look down and see the water running under me.

The flowers around Linz are just delightful. They are in the town square, along the bridge and in window boxes all over. Just about everywhere you look you can find flowers. On Sabbath I ate lunch with a family and the mother picked some little daisies and stuck them in her daughter's curly hair. So cute!

One thing I've noticed since being here is the evenings are just lovely. The wind dies down and it's actually quite pleasant to be out.

Anton Bruckner is Linz, Austria's claim to fame. I've been here only a week and already I've seen his name plastered everywhere from churches where he served as organist to buildings where he lived or ate. Boats are named after him, streets are named after him and the concert hall, of course, named for him. Brucknerhaus. Every year for most of the month of September and some of October they hold Brucknerfest which involves many concerts as well as other events. His music is played not only in its original form but transcriptions for all sorts of instruments. I'm going tomorrow evening to hear the 9th symphony played on the organ. I've seen his own handwriting on an organ that he loved. I'm sure if I looked there would be a food named after him too. I'm a big fan, actually. His nose is more prominent than mine.

Linz has several famous museums and this is one of them. I go past it on my way to the school.

This is the new art museum. It changes from blue to purple. Quite striking. It was a lovely evening to be out. As you can see, several river boats were docked and people were dining on them. If you want to see famous composers, just come to Linz. Mozart and Beethoven were at the dock last night, and the day before I saw Anton Bruckner. (Those are ship names)

Along the the river there are several pieces of modern art. Last evening the sunset was just gorgeous so I went out and took some pictures while the sky was still light. Here in Linz there is an interesting combination of old and new.

Before I came to Austria I spent sometime online looking for pictures of Linz, but was very disappointed. I now realize why. It is impossible to capture the expansive area with anything less than a helicopter and a wide angle lens. However, in an attempt to show where I live I shot 100 + photos on Saturday. This is a picture looking south across the Danube towards old Linz. The right spire belongs to the New Cathedral which is only 1 meter shorter than Stephansdome in Vienna. If you want to see something specific leave me a note and I'll try to post a pic.

This is the town center. I'm told that this is famous for Hitler speaking here, etc. On Saturdays they hold a very large market in the square. The spires on the left are the Alter Dome where I attended Humer's recital my first evening in Linz.

This is the building I live in. Probably one of the newest buildings in Linz. And here is the bike that I'm using. Bikes are very popular means of transportation.

So I'm in Linz now. After much travel not much sleep I made it to my room. Everyone has been most helpful. This is a picture of my room. And just in case anyone was worried, I have a shower with warm water and a toilet that flushes. This is not a tourist town, so learning German is a must. The population is about 208,000. The conservatory has around 800 students. And organists = roughly 8. So practice time won't be much of a problem. I have access to 3 organs right now to practice on.

The town itself it lovely. Linz sits on either side of the Danube. Church spires dot the skyline, hills sprawl in the distance and church bells ring the hour. Everything is much more relaxed around here, with banks closing for the weekend at 2pm. I've learned that 'walking distance' for a European is a fair bit farther than for an American. If nothing else I will be healthy when this is over. I will post photos of the town once i'm settled and can take some time to enjoy the surroundings.

Die Brucknerorgel im Alten Dom von Linz

At the Brucknerorgel.

There is just something about light. I can't explain it, but I do appreciate it. This little stone cottage caught my eye. Looked so inviting. So we went in, and the photo below of the stairway was taken inside.

So until I'm actually in Europe (2 more days) you are stuck looking at photos from the US. Took this yesterday in a tower on the highest point in AL. Those are my feet, as I couldn't be left out of such a fun picture, and my family and Josh going down the stairs.

Here we are at The Organ (see link). Without the extra two pair of hands this recital would have been a disaster. I love you guys!

Seated at the base of the magnificent instrument following my senior recital.

Here is a photo of a cannon taken through the window of a fort. As you can see, this fort is on the ocean, as forts are apt to be at times. This is my first photo posted here; feel free to peruse it at your leisure.

This is the first post to my page for informing the world of my whereabouts and for displaying the fine photography of a top-notch artiste.