Wien Spanische Hofreitschule präsentiert! (Vienna Spanish Riding School Presents!)
This weekend's plans had to be altered slightly. We planned on going rafting in Slovenia, but with a forcast of -15 degrees Celcius (which is pretty cold in our temperature, too... I guess), we decided to pass on hypothermia this week and find an alternate means of entertainment!

Amber, Greg, Paul, Laura, Jenni (from Australia), Jogul (from Brazil), and I headed off to the Spanish Riding school to see the white stallions perform! Amber was walking around the center of the city this week and just happened to pick up a brochure about the performance dates. Lucky girls from Kentucky! Tonight was supposed to be the only performance for a few weeks, so we jumped on the opportunity to attend one of Austria's Top 10 Must-Sees. :) In order to have a sitting place in the horse arena, you have to be VERY wealthy (or in debt up to your eyeballs), so we opted to buy standing seats for a mere 16 Euro. We had a great view, though!

The performance was amazing! First, the young stallions (who weren't entirely white yet) came out and did their little dances. It was very cute.... and Amber observed that some of their young riders weren't too bad, either. -- After their performance, the big boys came out. These horses were the size of my dad's diesel truck, seriously! They were absolutely beautiful, and the most muscular creatures that I've ever seen.... they were perfect. First, about 5 horses and their riders came out and created several complicated formations while prancing sideways! The horses also had this one particular move that I got a kick (no pun intended) out of. It looked something like a runway model walk! The control that the riders had over these horses was completely amazing! I can't even get my 5lb. yorkie to walk in a straight line, much less have a several-ton horse skip in a circle. I was in awe.

The best part of the performance came when the best riders and the best horses came out and did jumps! The guys riding didn't even have their feet secured, but stayed perfectly still while their massive stallions stood on their hind legs, jumped up, down, and even sideways! If I could have anything for Christmas, I'd totally want a jumping horse.... but I don't think that a 5 million dollar animal would fit under the tree.... or in the Christmas budget! It is a well-known fact that Greg has zero dancing ability, so Paul leaned over during the impressive figure-8 sequence with 10 horses and said, "Greg, how does it feel to be out-danced my a horse?" :) I think they could even give ME a run for my money!

This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I absolutely loved it! I wonder if they're taking applications to be a horse trainer in Vienna? You never know... this marketing thing might not last....... I really did appreciate seeing the horses tonight. It reminded me some of home! -- Also, in the spirit of Kentucky appreciation, I am watching the UK vs. Florida game tomorrow! Paul has this thing called a SlingBox, which allows you to watch American tv from your computer here. We are have our own College Gameday from Austria, complete with hotdogs, nachos, and some good ol' Wildcat football!!!!! Go CATS!

On Sunday, we plan on taking a day trip to Slovenia to see the Caves at Postojna and the church on Lake Bled. This should be a very eventful weekend!