October 2011 Reunion in Vienna taking shape

SAVE THE DATE: Friday, October 21 to Sunday, October 23, Vienna, Austria

Dear Vienna 60-61 Classmates,

This is a reminder that if you are planning to join us in Vienna for our 50th class reunion (and I hope you are!), please make sure that you have already or are in the process of booking your air and hotel reservations. Remember that your spouse or significant other is more than welcome to join us!

We need to establish the total number of people attending for the purpose of reserving space in restaurants for the group and for the IES Center who will host us for a concert and reception. Please respond to this email no later than June 30th as to whether you will attend these events and if there will be one or two attending. A class list is again attached and the alumni who said they were interested in attending are highlighted in yellow.

Reunion events will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 21-23. You may choose to arrive earlier than October 21 and/or depart later than October 23, perhaps for an extended stay in Vienna or to visit other places in Europe. IMPORTANT: Make sure now your passport is current and the expiration date extends at least six months beyond your travel dates this coming October.

The following hotels are all inside the Ring, near one another and near the IES Abroad Center. They offer three different price points:

Hotel König von Ungarn (King of Hungary), Schulerstraße 10. This small, cozy, wonderful old-world hotel is one block down the side street from Stafansdom (the cathedral). Rates are 155€ single, 220€ double, website: http://www.kvu.at/en/home, phone: 011-43 1 515 840. I have stayed here a number of times in recent years and can attest to its comfort. In case your German is a bit rusty, they speak excellent English here.

Mercure Wien Zentrum, Fleischmarkt 1a. Rooms range between 115€ and 140€ per night at this mid-priced hotel located several blocks from Stefansdom, website: http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-0781-mercure-wien-zentrum/index.shtml, phone: 011-43 1 534 600.

Pension Neuer Markt, Seilergasse 9, on a quiet side street a few minutes’ walk from the IES Center. This bed-and-breakfast-style hostelry gets good reviews in TripAdvisor at around 90€ per night, website: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g190454-d235693-Reviews-Pension_Neuer_Markt-Vienna.html, phone: 011-43 1 512 231 6.

Another recommended hotel, located just outside the Ring right across the street from the Konzerthaus and Akademie Theatre, is Hotel Am Konzerthaus, Am Heumarkt 35-37, with 209 rooms. Rates range from 100€ to 150€ a night, website: http://hotel-am-konzerthaus.h-rez.com/, toll-free phone: 1-866-332-3590, mention discount offer 220355.

Our plans for the reunion weekend currently look like this:

Friday, October 21:

Day: Meet at the IES Center at Palais Corbelli, located at Johannesgasse 7 just off Kartnerstraße, at 12:30 p.m. for a 1:00 p.m. performance by IES Abroad music students enrolled in the Vienna Music Program. The concert will last about two hours with one intermission and be followed by a reception and tour of the IES Abroad Vienna Center hosted by Vienna Center Director Morton Solvik.

Evening: Dinner together at a location to be determined and perhaps take in a musical event.

Saturday, October 22:

Day: Walking tour of “Old Vienna” led by a guide. Depending on the level of interest there may be a morning and an afternoon tour.

Evening: Dinner together at a location to be determined, and again perhaps take in a musical event.

Sunday, October 23:

Day: Coffee/breakfast together followed by 10:30 a.m. mass with choir and orchestra at the Jesuitkirchen, Dr.-Ignaz-Seipel-Platz, walkable from all the hotels. This magnificent Rococo church is located just in front of the great hall of the old University of Vienna, where Haydn’s oratorio The Creation and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony had their premiers. Not to be missed, the music at this free service rivals a performance by the Vienna Symphony orchestra and chorus.

Whether you plan to attend the reunion or not, please send your story and photos about your time in Vienna and what you have done since then so they can be posted at: http://IESWien.com. This website serves as our reunion album – accessible to everyone in the class. And if you have not already signed up on the site, please do so and you’ll receive a reminder every time new information is posted there. Also, there is a Facebook page for our group where you can post photos and talk within our class only at: http://www.facebook.com/IESAbroad#!/IESAbroad?sk=app_4949752878

If you have any questions, please contact me or Jennifer Jerzyk, our liaison on the IES Abroad office.

George Trask
Wien ’61
1211 Bay St.
Beaufort, SC 29902
843-278-0140
ggtrask@yahoo.com

Jennifer A. Hodge Jerzyk, CFRE
Nantes ’81
Advancement and Alumni Relations Officer
IES Abroad (Institute for the International Education of Students)
33 North LaSalle, 15th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
jjerzyk@IESabroad.org
Direct: 312.261.5069
Toll Free: 800.995.2300
Fax: 312.944.1448