Exploring Salzburg with family!

Hallo!

It has been a busy couple of weeks with visits from my amazing family! I was able to give them an insiders view of Salzburg, showing them what my life is like here in Salzburg, as well as finally seeing the highlights of the city and surrounding areas. My sister Jody and I were also lucky enough to travel to our great-Grandfather's village of Obernzell in Germany (Bavaria region), but I will get to that later!

It was truly amazing to have a visit from my mother and her significant other, as it has been a long time since I have seen them. And it's always great to see familiar faces after being in a faraway land for so long.

Mom, Rick and I kept busy during their visit with day trips, trying new foods, as well as some hiking! After showing Mom and Rick the sights of Salzburg such as the Fortress, Mirabell Platz, Salzburg Square, and the Dom, we began to explore outwards of the city. Since they rented a car, I was able to take them to Hallstatt (which is equally as amazing and breathtaking the second time). It was a high priority for them to see Hallstatt, and I think it met all their expectations and more.

Hallstatt, Austria. View from the cemetery near the top of the village

The next day, we drove to Berchtesgaden (Germany) to see Königssee and Eagle's Nest (aka Hitler's Nest). The Eagle's nest was definitely worth the visit. After a short drive from Salzburg, a delicious lunch, and a bus ride taking us up 1800 metres, we made it to the the Eagles Nest. We were able to walk around the house, as well as walk to the top of many mountains. The view was incredible. Unfortunately, we did not have the best of weather so it was a bit foggy, but we could still see the villages below. From the top of one of the mountains you would see Germany on your left, and Salzburg on the right. It was outstanding!

The Eagle's Next (aka Hitler's Nest) at 1850m elevation, in Berchtesgaden, Germany. 

Just one of the amazing views from the top of Eagle's Nest! 

I really enjoyed the time with Mom and Rick, and I think they enjoyed their time in Salzburg as well!! 

The following weekend, Jody came to visit! I was super lucky to have family come visit, from so far away! Jody's visit was a bit less 'tourist' focused, as she was in Salzburg 10 years ago when she backpacked Europe. It was very interesting to hear her perspective on things, and how they have changed in those ten years. But of course, I took Jody to the best brewery in town: Augustiner! We had a very fun time at the brewery, and we met some Austrian men who were on a 'bike' trip (bike = vespa). They were in their forties, and such friendly and funny characters. The fact that they kept buying us beer was appreciated... but not in the morning. 

Jody and I were fortunate enough to visit our Great-Grandfather's village in Bavaria. It was one of my goals to visit Obernzell while I was in Europe and I am so happy I got to experience that with family. Seeing our Great-Grandfathers brewery, the family named street sign, as well as the family headstone in the cemetery was... simply fascinating. Hard to explain really. Jody and I tried to imagine what it was like when our great-grandfather, Anton, lived there. Although the buildings look like they have been renovated a bit, you could still create a image in your head of what it might be like in the 1900s in Obernzell. To say the least, I consider myself so unbelievably lucky to be able to access my families heritage, and to see just where we came from (as silly as that sounds). 

Jody and I at the Augustiner Bräu in Salzburg. And visiting Obernzell, Germany, seeing and experiencing our family's history.  Great-Grandfather's brewery on the top, and the Rechenmacherweg street sign! 

It was so amazing to see my family. Being away from your friends and family for six months is not easy, but having such an amazing support system back home has been so amazing. I know my family is awesome, but man... we are SO awesome. 

After I had some lovely visits, I had to buckle down and get back to school as it was wrapping up. I can say now, that I am DONE school in Salzburg! This next week consists of farewells (of all sorts), and planning for my summer adventures, then leaving Salzburg on June 30th.  It will be hard to say farewell to all the people I have met here in Salzburg, but it wont be "goodbye", it will be "see you later"! 

I am ecstatic for my adventure to continue, with a jam packed summer full of festivals, beaches, sights to see and so many opportunities, I'm sure!! 

I don't know how much I will be able to blog while travelling, as I won't have a computer and will rely on internet cafes. But I will try my best to update when I can! 

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far :) 

One love! 

Tschuss! 

Mind the Gap! My London getaway

Hello again!

Studying in Salzburg has given me so many amazing opportunities, but I would have to say that the highlight is the location. Being so central, I can travel basically anywhere in a short amount of time. Having a four day weekend, I decided to take a weekend trip to London!

London is such a beautiful city! It was so easy to get around on foot or metro (hence, "mind the gap"...you hear it at every station as a warning when exiting the metro).  My hostel was in a great location, being pretty central yet not right in the tourist areas, so I was able to see the real London as well as the touristy London. I like to start my visits with a free tour, if the city offers one. The free tours usually cover the main attractions and provide very interesting historical facts and then I use that as a guide of what I want to explore further. I was also fortunate enough to have great weather, and miss the rain completely!

I arrived in the evening, so I went for a walk along the Millennium bridge just as the sun was setting and the views were incredible. The bridges are lit with colourful lights, making it even more breathtaking!

View from the Millennium Bridge at sunset, with the London Towers in the background. 

Starting the next day off with the free tour, I was able to see the Buckingham Palace, Changing of the Guard, the Parliament buildings and Big Ben, as well as other hotspots. We didn't get to go inside Buckingham Palace, but it was amazing seeing the outside of it. Fun fact: There is a gate within the Palace quarters called the Canada Gate. I always find a bit of Canada wherever I go, which obviously makes me super proud to be Canadian!

Buckingham Palace, during the Changing of the Guard. There were SO many people/tourists around the Palace quarters, it was overwhelming!

After a long day of walking for 9 hours, I headed back to my hostel wanting some well deserved food and rest! I knew London would be expensive, but it was still shocking to see just HOW expensive it was. One meal consisting of a burger, yam fries and a beer cost 17£ (about $30). Even if it was a delicious avocado bacon burger... it's still pretty steep.

The disadvantage to travelling on weekends in the time restraint. By the time I get to my destination I only have about two full days to see the city, then have to leave back to Salzburg.  I spent my last day in the Natural History Museum and doing a tour of my all time favourite venue: the Royal Albert Hall.
The Natural History Museum was incredible! (Even better because it was free). There were exhibits about volcanoes and the solar system, I could not have timed my visit better. I spent a few hours in the museum, just getting lost in all the amazing facts and displays. Afterwards, I eagerly headed to the Royal Albert Hall, just ridden with excitement to tour one of the most famous venues in the world. And it did not disappoint.

The Royal Albert Hall in London. Just look at its beauty! So amazing!! 

I got to learn about the history of the venue, who has performed, what types of events they can host and so on. But honestly, the design and architecture of the venue is breathtaking on its own. It would be a dream come true to plan an event in that venue! Our tour group was super lucky to be able to take pictures inside the auditorium, since there was rehearsal going on. But they must of known I was coming, because they went on lunch break and we could take pictures!!

Inside the Royal Albert Hall auditorium, with the original organ of 999 pipes still looking as good as new! 

After the Royal Albert Hall, I was feeling liberated and so happy that I was brave enough to go to Oxford Street, which is by far the CRAZIEST street I have seen. Full of the biggest shops in the city, as well as being Sunday, this street was so crowded and busy I could not walk a straight line for two steps. People everywhere. So I didn't spend much time there, and instead I decided to check out the last of the big tourist attractions: the Tower of London and the London Bridge. And yet again, London amazed me. The London Towers are an icon of the city (along with Big Ben), and once you get up close to the towers, it takes a while to believe how big they are! Yet another beautiful site that I will never forget :)

London Bridge!! A perfect way to spend my last day in London! 

London was such a beautiful city, and even with the high costs of almost everything, I can't wait till I can come back and explore it even more!

Until next time,
Tschuss!

Making the most of my long weekends in Istanbul, Turkey!!

Merhaba! 

That's about all the Turkish I know haha. First off, WOW. What a beautiful city!! I was only fortunate enough to spend two full days there, as I arrived late in the evening and had a noon flight. I think I could easily spend four or five days there just to see everything I wanted to see in terms of attractions and landmarks. It really is a large city, but so friendly and so amazing. I will have to go back when I come to Europe next time. 

There was lots to see, including the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Asian side of Istanbul, Grand Bazaar, Taksim Square, Spice Market, Galata Bridge & Tower, the many various beautiful mosques and so much more. And unfortunately I did not get to see it all, such as Taksim Square, Galata Bridge & Tower, and the museums. So little time and so much to see! But I am very happy with what I did accomplish during my trip. 

I travelled to Istanbul alone, completely aware of the dangers of travelling alone and how Istanbul is particularly 'special' when it comes to solo female travellers, but it really is a unique experience that can't be explained in a guide book. On the European side, which is where all the landmarks and attractions are, it's covered with tourist shops, restaurants and so on that all have their own staff member or 'pusher' standing outside trying to get your service. It's a lot harder to say no than you think, especially being a nice Canadian, I just wanted to say "no thank you, maybe next time, sorry no" but that didn't prove to be as effective as I thought it would be. And when I would walk past the 'pushers' they would say "ohh must be American" which I think was a tactic in itself, because I just wanted to turn around and respond with a furious "NO, I'm Canadian thank you very much!" but I bit my tongue and carried on. It was a bit of a shock going to the Asian side of Istanbul, where there are no tourists, no one speaks english and there are no pushers. It felt like a completely different city! 

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

My first day I covered the basics: The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Gulhame Park, and went to what I call the Old Bazzaar. The Grand Bazzaar was closed on my first day, and there was a similar market up the street. There I would be walking through the lanes of shops and people would just start talking to me and wanting to chat away, everyone was super friendly! (But don't worry, I kept my wits about me and wasn't that gullible) After a long day of walking and enjoying the company of some locals, I returned to the hostel and went for dinner with some people I met there! 

Me inside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.  The only picture I could get to prove I was inside!! 

The second day I went all over because I knew it was my last day, and luckily it was perfect weather! I saw the Grand Bazzaar, Istanbul University, Süleymaniye Mosque, Spice Market and the New Mosque. Then headed back to the hostel to meet with the group to take the ferry over to the Asian side and went to the top of the Camlica Hill, where you can see the both sides of the city, with incredible views!  

Me in front of the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Such great weather!! 

Aside from travelling to Austria, Istanbul was my first solo trip, and I really enjoyed it. It allowed me to put myself out there and meet some really great people in the hostel as well as locals. I was a bit nervous going to Istanbul, but I think it was a great learning experience, and it made me so excited for my summer travels! 

I know this post is short and sweet, but I am only home for two days before leaving to London on Friday :) 

I hope everyone is smiling and loving life! 

Talk soon, 

Tschüss!! 

München! aka Munich

Servus!

One amazing thing about living in Austria is the central location within Europe, with everything and everywhere being so easily accessible! With that being said, Michèle and I decided to take advantage of a long weekend and take a couple day trips to Munich! In just 2 short hours on the train (not to mention only 8 Euro for a return trip) we were at the main station in Munich ready for some exploring!

We went over a holiday weekend, called Maibaum (translated to "May pole") which is a holiday (in some European countries) on the first of May. Friends in Salzburg would wear the traditional dirndl and lederhosen, attend the celebrations, climb some trees, and drink beer of course! Being in Munich, there wasn't a big celebration that was noticeable, aside from the Hofbräuhaus (a well known brewery/inn/restaurant) being really busy! Since Salzburg is so close, it was actually cheaper for us to take the train there and back in the same day, than to stay in Munich overnight. It's pretty expensive there!

During our two days we saw a lot of the main attractions, such as the Marienhof, Hofbräuhaus, Viktualienmarkt, Asam Church (couldn't go inside due to cleaning/maintenance), the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) which is the main Dom of Munich, Obelisk, Glypotothek, Königsplatz Square, and Marienplatz Square with Townhall and Carillon which is the centre of the city. Unfortunately we did not have time, or easy accessibility to the Munich Palace or the BMW Museum. They are both located far outside the city centre. We also walked everywhere, never took the metro, which just tells you how easy it is to get around on foot!


So much to talk about so I will just mention the highlights!

Englischer Garten
We saw lots in two days, and we were extremely lucky to have such great weather. It usually rains at this time of year in Munich, but we could barely keep our jackets on because it was so warm! The parks in Munich were very beautiful, and did not disappoint. The main park Englischer Garten is huge. So massive. We were walking in a straight line for at least 45 minutes, and we maybe covered 1/8 of the park. Such large open spaces with everyone enjoying the sun, playing frisbee, having family picnics, riding bicycles... it was just so simple and lovely. Before the entrance to the Englischer Garten there is a Surfwelle, which is (you guessed it) a surf well! The current coming out from under a low bridge combined with the dam, creates the perfect waves for surfers. Here you can find anywhere from 2 to 10 girls and guys surfing the waves with many tourists watching, and getting splashed!

Locals surfing at the Surfwelle, near the entrance of the Englischer Garten in Munich, Germany

Hofgarten
Another garden that stuck out to me was the Hofgarten. It's a lot smaller than Englischer, but just as humble. In the centre of the garden there is a tiny 'dome' called Diana-tempel, and inside there was a gentlemen sitting near the perimeter playing Someone Like You by Adele on the cello. A huge smile came on my face (the cello is still my favourite instrument) and I just melted...it was too good to be true! This park was beautiful and would be the perfect place to read a book or enjoy your lunch break. The park just had this majestic feeling to it, making me want to sit down and reflect on how amazing life is.

Me standing in front of the Diana-tempel in the Hofgarten in Munich, Germany. The cello player was inside of Diana-tempel. One of my favourite gardens so far! 

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)
I love to see all the main churches in each city, because they are all really astonishing. It's something that is really unique in Europe. Even though there is a 'Dom' in every city, they are all equally beautiful and unique. Although half of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) was under construction, it was still easy to observe its raw beauty! And then there is the inside of the dom....my goodness. So beautiful!

The Dom "Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)" in Munich, Germany. Half of it was covered due to renovations. 

This is a overview of the city centre, the two golden looking towers is the front of the Frauenkirche. Due to renovations/restorations we could only see one of the towers. 

Marienplatz Square with Townhall and Carillon 
The main city centre was very beautiful, even though parts of it were under renovations. The architecture was outstanding! On May 1st, all the stores were closed because of the holiday but there was lots of activity going on in the streets. Protests, demonstrations, and very tiny fairs celebrating the holiday. But it was a beautiful street to walk along!

The Marienplatz Square with Townhall and Carillon (main city centre) in Munich, Germany.  

--
Michèle had to point out a Canadian flag to me, as I did not see it right away...le sigh. I guess I need to look up more! There was no building name or anything, I think it was just hanging out of someones apartment or office building. Normally I only see them at consulates or embassy's in different cities...but this was actually just a normal building with nothing incredibly special about it...except the Canadian flag! haha

No big deal...just a GIANT CANADIAN FLAG hanging out of a office building in Munich, Germany. You can imagine the smile I had on my face :) 

We spent a total of two days in Munich and it was nothing short of amazing. Aside from the few landmarks being partially under renovations or restoration, we were able to see all the big landmarks and get a feel for the Munich life! I constantly have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming...this experience is too amazing! Austria has been the perfect starting point for me, and I can't wait for my future adventures!!

Next stop...Istanbul!

Keep smiling and loving!
Until next time,

Tschüss!

Happy Easter!

Servus!

Wow. Easter was amazing! Going to three countries, spending three nights in each city and travelling with some pretty amazing people resulted in such an enjoyable holiday getaway! There is so much I could write about, because every city has so much history and so many amazing attributes but I wont bore you with history lessons, so I will give you my personal highlights instead!

We started our journey in Vienna, Austria. I loved Vienna so much, I could definitely see myself living there (if life takes me in that direction). Since we were six people, we rented a flat for the three nights which was super cheap and SO NICE. Staying there was like staying in a penthouse suite coming from my campus dorm room. Seeing all the beautiful history of the city was quite amazing, like the Stephansdom and Belvedere Palace. We decided to save our money for the Shönbrunn Palace, which was definitely worth it. This palace was gigantic. Let me say that again... GIGANTIC. We were there for about 4 hours and we didn't even see parts of the palace grounds. We did a tour inside the palace and then walked around the gardens, bush type mazes (three in total!), and then to the top of the ground at the gate. The view from there was spectacular. Able to see all of Vienna with the palace in the foreground. This Palace also has a zoo in it...just sayin.

Above - A section of the Vienna Schönbrunn Palace gardens, and the building you see is just one side of the palace.

Above - The view from the top of the gate at the top of the hill in the Palace quarters. The gardens shown in the first picture are on the right side of the Palace. You see a beautiful landscape of Vienna, including the Stephansdom in the background. 

We did a lot of other things in Vienna, such as visiting the Naschmarkt (similar to a farmers market), went to the Prater which is the amusement park, all the other typical tourist sites that you would find in a travel guide, and copious amounts of beautiful parks. I think that is why I loved Vienna, all the parks were so green, spacious, well kept, and just simply beautiful. I had an overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness when walking through the parks. It was bliss! We even found two gentlemen playing the accordion wearing horse masks. So I think it's safe to say... Vienna was awesome!

Two men casually wearing horse masks while playing the accordion in one of the beautiful parks in Vienna. You don't see that everyday! And yes, I did give them money. 

Next stop... PRAGUE! 

I can't keep saying that every city I visit is amazing, but it's hard not to. They are all incredible because...well, its Europe. But Prague was unique in its own way. The second we got to Prague I just became so happy, it was a very easygoing and relaxed atmosphere with a "hakunah matata" feel to it.  Our first night was interesting, as we were looking for a place to eat that was outside of the typical tourist zone. We found a restaurant that looked alright and went inside and soon realized that it was a place that tourists don't often go to. There were about 10 tables, one man running the whole place (drinks, food, payment, etc) and I don't think I have ever been looked at so strangely in my life.  The restaurant patrons aging around 35-60 years old (mostly men) and almost all of them have a beer on the table, cigarette in hand and some even playing poker...and when a group of five students walk in that clearly aren't from Czech (instead we were Finnish, Spanish, Swiss, Sri Lankin, and Canadian)... you are guaranteed to get some weird looks. But the weird looks and long wait for service was well worth it! The food and beer was amazing, and I was able to get a big bowl of pasta and one litre of beer for almost 6 euro. SO CHEAP (beer is cheaper than buying a bottle of water...).

The next day we did the Free City Tour, taking us to all the historical sites of Prague and providing some history along the way. Our guide told us that a Czech person drinks 108L of beer annually. That's per person and just beer. After the tour we headed to the Prague Castle via the Charles Bridge, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The bridge is astonishing, so big and intimidating and really stands out with its Gothic design and architecture. The walk to the castle was an uphill 25 minute endeavour on cobbled narrow streets...so picturesque. After quite a long day of walking and touring the city, we all thought we deserved to relax and have fun. So what better way to do that than to join a Pub Crawl! Wooo!! Starting off in the first bar, the pub crawl gives you one hour of free unlimited Czech beer, absinthe, vodka shooters and wine (Just in case you want to chase absinthe with wine). Needless to say, I tried absinthe for the first time...not my favourite! The pub crawl ended in Prague's famous club, Karlovy Lazne, that is five floors with each floor a different style of music.

Above - Me in front of the Charles Bridge in Prague, a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Above - At the Prague Castle, overlooking the fantastic city!! 

The next day was a relaxing day (wonder why...), so we went to the south of Prague to Vyšehrad, which I learned was also a UNESCO World Heritage site. I don;t know much about Vyšehrad, but it was a beautiful place to lay in the grass and enjoy the sun!

Above - Just one of the amazing views from Vyšehrad, in Prague

Last but not least...BUDAPEST 

Because of my family heritage, I had always wanted to go to Hungary. Unfortunately I only made it to Budapest, and was unable to go to my Grandmother's home town of Kislod, but no problem - I am going back in June! Budapest was very beautiful, and it was very interesting to hear the history of the city on the Free Tour. With Budapest being split by the river, our hostel was located on the Pest side, and all the cool attractions were on the Buda side, so we spent a lot of time in Buda. Our first goal was to get traditional Hungarian food, like cabbage rolls or goulash and it was all sooo good. Taking the first night pretty easy (after a very long train ride), we decided to go big the next day! Did a beautiful hike to the top of the hill with the Liberty Statue, with outstanding views of the city. We brought some wine with us, so after the hike we found a peaceful park that was perfect for a wine picnic!

Above - One of the views as we hiked up to the Liberty Statue in Budapest

Above - We made it! The Liberty Statue in Budapest. You can see this statue from almost any point when in the city.

Something really cool happened during the Free City Tour though. I found out that there was a fellow Canadian on the tour (which is the first Canadian I have ran into on these free tours) and we got talking, turns out we have a mutual friend in Kamloops! Small world hey?! She is from Whitehorse and I go to school with a girl that she grew up with. How crazy is that! After the tour, we walked around the city a bit more and headed to the Parliament building, which is massive and oh my goodness, so beautiful! After, we took the metro to Heroes Square where we went to a flea market, and were greeted with some unpleasant weather...pouring rain in a flea market is not the best scenario. There was a man at the flea market that had a huge boa-constrictor around his neck and you could hold it and take pictures (for a price of course). But I did not go anywhere close to it!!!

Above - Another view from the hike. So many bridges! The one in the middle is the Chain Link Bridge - an icon of Budapest. 

Man oh man, this trip was pretty unreal. It has made me so excited for my summer travels, but also realize that I don't have much time left, I guess that means I have to come back!
I think my next stop is Munich, since it is only 1.5 hours away and I have a four day weekend. Thanks for reading everyone!

Much love,
Tschüss! 

Quick update!

Servus!

It's been a while since my last post...it seems to get harder and harder to post regularly, especially when I don't have anything interesting to write about! This is just going to be a really quick post, as nothing too exciting has happened since the last time I wrote. But I will be heading to Vienna tomorrow to kick off the Easter holiday travels!!
First going to Vienna, then Prague and ending in Budapest. Spending three nights in each city, and will be going with friends from school! I am super excited to explore more of Europe!

School has kept me pretty busy. Coming to study abroad, everyone told me "There is no work, just play" and "Oh I did like 10 hours of work the whole semester" and so on.
So I had pretty high expectations to do nothing haha... but that has changed! With most of my courses being group work, I have to buckle down and contribute. But hey, at least I am learning something, and it's fun!!

But check back in a couple weeks, I will definitely be writing a longer more interesting post when I return from Easter break :) I can hear the adventures calling me!

Until next time,
Tschuss!

Road Trips!

Hallo!

School has started so as you can imagine, I'm a bit more busy than I was at the beginning on my European adventure. They school system here is very different than the system back home, and I am still not used to it. To give you an idea...back home I take five courses for one semester and my weekly schedule is the same for those four months. Here at Fachhochule Salzburg I am taking ten courses that all start at different times, are different lengths and at different times. So this week I only had class on Monday and Friday, next week I only have class on Tuesday and Thursday and the following week I don't have any class! To say the least... it is very different and hard to get into a routine.

For one of my courses, we went on a field trip to a few nearby villages. If you have ever looked into skiing/snowboarding in Austria you must of heard of Bad Gastein. This is where we went for our field trip :) It is one hour south of Salzburg and has two villages before it, Dorfgastein and Bad Hofgastein, which each have their own mountain. But Bad Gastein is the biggest of the three! It was so incredibly beautiful.

One view of the village of Bad Gastein. You can see how the valley shapes this village. The weather was phenomenal! 

The village itself amazed me with its unique architecture, the waterfall in the centre of the village, and the character that each street and building had. Bad Gastein is not new by any means, so there are some issues that the village is struggling with (which is what my assignment is about!), but I was still in awe of the entire village. Bad Gastein has a unique feature, with their thermal springs. If you were to put your hand over a manhole in the middle of the street, you can feel the hot air pressure. It's so interesting! Bad Gastein is very well known for their health and wellness treatments, with a couple spas located underground that use the combination of radon, heat and alpine elevations to cure diseases and conditions of all sorts. Doctors will actually give you a prescription to go sit in this one 'spa', once or twice a week for a couple months. I think it would be interesting to see this village in five or ten years, to see what changes have been made and the progress that has been made.


I haven't done nearly as interesting things as my first few weeks here, but one thing that was personally interesting was going to a hockey game! It is not that common here, and it is usually the younger leagues that people watch. I went to a playoff game with Salzburg and another Austrian team playing. Of course, Salzburg won!! I was so happy to go, it made me feel a little bit closer to home. I went with a group of the incomings, and for some of them this was their FIRST hockey game. I couldn't believe it. So they were all very excited when a tiny fight broke out or if there was a good hit, all you could hear were the cheering and rantings of the incomings :) One new mini-experience was we were right at the front, right by the glass! I guess in Europe, you can get cheaper tickets if you want to stand. And the bleachers to stand in are right at the glass! I was pretty excited about that!

Not the best picture...but it gives you an idea of how close we were! The Salzburg team is called "The RedBulls" (go figure) 

Another adventure within the past couple of weeks was a road trip to St. Gilgen Wolfgangsee! We first made a stop in a village on the way to Wolfgangsee, called Fuschl. Fuschl is basically owned by Red Bull (well... the guy who owns Red Bull). The headquarters are located in Fuschl, and we walked around the headquarters, I don't think we were supposed to...but there were no fences or signs or anything! We were curious! The building looked like a very luxurious spa...but no, it was offices. Complete with a massive uniquely structured fountain and a whole garden that you have to walk through to get to the entrance. As well as a man made pond/lake surrounding the front of the building with sculptures of bulls running out (or into) the building. When we went inside one of the 'office' buildings we asked if we could look around and take pictures. The receptionist very politely said "Oh I am very sorry these are closed to the public, but would you like a Red Bull?" Ahhh yes. Yes I would.

Red Bull Headquarters in Fuschl, Austria. You can see the sculpture of the bulls running out of the building! This small village is almost completely owned by the owner of Red Bull. 

After Fuschl, we headed to St. Gilgen - Wolfgangsee which is about an hour east of Salzburg. There are seven lakes within the area, and we took the gondola up the mountain and then went for a mini hike. The view was outstanding! (Again, we had perfect weather). I was told its a huge tourist attraction in the summer, and it is very crowded, so I am happy I went earlier! Once we took a break at the top of the mountain we hiked back down, had my favourite dessert kaiserschmarrn (STILL SO GOOD) and enjoyed the view for a bit. The view was so perfect, almost too perfect. It was one of those "is this real?" moments.

View from the top of a mountain looking down on Wolfgangsee in St. Gilgen. Just one of the seven surrounding lakes! 

After taking the gondola to the bottom we went for a little drive to the village of Hallstatt. This village was actually 'copied' and rebuilt in China, so there are a lot of tourists that come from Asia to come see the real deal. This village is right on the lake, with wooden and brick houses along the shoreline. As we climbed the many many cement steps that are as wide as your foot, with vines running along the railings and up every house side, and almost every house having a tiny hand crafted walkway from the top floor window to the ground for the cat to come and go as it wishes...it was hard to believe what I was experiencing. You could never capture the full essence of elegance and character of this village in a photo. It was outstanding. I tried to capture it...but my photos just don't do it justice!!

Village of Hallstatt. As you can see, my picture does not do this beautiful magical village justice. It was too perfect to be captured in a photo. 

That about sums it up...besides the fact that I'm slowly getting more and more freckles as the sun starts to shine. More freckles makes me happy. I'm also slowly learning German, through tandem learning sessions. Tandem learning is when I meet with a partner, usually once a week, and we learn the others language; I learn German and my partner improves his English. Win-win!! I am learning just the basics that I need to have a very casual and short conversation with people.

I will try my best to have an exciting week to make my blog a little more interesting next time!! With Easter break coming up I'm sure I won't have any problems doing just that. I think that's all I can come up with for now folks.

And as always, I thank my family and friends for the endless support and love. So, till next time...

Tschüss!

Hello Germany! Adventure to Köln and Berlin

Hallo!

It's been a while since my last post, and oh my goodness... I have done so much! I had my first trip while in Europe, ending up in Germany. I flew to Köln (us North Americans know it as Cologne) to see a friend I met at Thompson Rivers University as well as partake in the annual event Karneval. The best way I can describe Karneval is a mix between Canada Day and Halloween. Everyone - and I mean everyone - is dressed up in all different types of costumes, including the traditional dirndl to full body gorilla suits. Since Europeans don't celebrate Halloween to the extent we do in North America, this was their time to dress up. Karneval actually starts in November, and on weekends there will be mini-events. But the weekend that I was in Köln was the biggest weekend of all. I arrived on Thursday March 27th and that was just the beginning of the 5 day city-wide event. (It also takes place in the surrounding villages outside of Köln). It was an amazing experience and I don't think I will ever experience something like it again. This event was a real awakening into the European 'party' culture. Being able to drink on the streets and trains, and clubs staying open till 9AM was all VERY new to me. Coming from Canada where you cant have an open liquor bottle outside a licensed establishment and you have to go home at 3AM latest. To say the least - I had SO MUCH FUN. I don't want to get into details that may worry family and friends...but it was just a lot of fun :) Just know that I'm safe and back in Salzburg!

Now, I didn't just drink and party for the five days I was in Köln, I actually got to see the city and surrounding areas too! From inside the city to the countryside, the scenery was so picturesque and so unbelievably gorgeous, everything was green and lush and quite incredible. I also went on the infamous Autobahn, as it was the main highway to take from the airport to my friends house I was staying at. It is quite fun to not have a speed limit...why isn't this in Canada?! One of the weirdest thing I experienced while in Köln was probably going to a Australian Outback restaurant for dinner, complete with kangaroos and wallabies outside in a fenced in area. Unfortunately, the kangaroos and wallabies were not there since it is too cold outside (where do they go for the winter?!), but I hear they are very cute! You are also able to order kangaroo meat from this restaurant. I was not brave enough to try kangaroo meat and I doubt I will regret that decision.

Friends in Köln! Nico (left) is the friend I met at TRU, when he was studying abroad in Kamloops. And his friend Patrik on the right. This gives you a bit of an idea of the costumes in Karneval! And you can kind of see my traditional dirndl.

After a great visit in Köln, it was time to relocate to Berlin...

A large portion of my time in Berlin was taken up by the International Tourism Berlin (ITB) Conference. It is the largest tourism expo in the world, and it had exhibitors from literally every single country in the world. (Canada took up a good chunk of space but it wasn't that great and they could have done better!)  This conference was part of a class I am taking in Salzburg. It was a really nice way to become aware of current issues and events in the tourism industry, as well as what the up and coming markets and products are. I mostly attended the lectures, but if you were working int he industry then it was a great time to network and schedule meetings with other businesses. It was a great experience for students though! As a student, you can only get so much out of a business conference that was set up the way ITB was.

One interesting point of our Berlin class trip was that we got to visit the Berlin (BER) airport. This airport has a huge back story (if you have time to google it...do it). This airport is supposed to be the largest airport in Europe, and was supposed to open in 2012 but has failed to open so far. Supposedly due to "fire regulation issues". But with this airport costing 5 billion euro (YES billion) so far, and it costing 1 million euro per week to maintain its current status, you can only think that there has to be more than fire regulation issues. And even the soft-opening date is unknown...who knows if it will ever open! One bonus of the airport being closed, is we got to stand on the runway! It was pretty cool to walk the runway...probably the only runway I will ever be on! hehehe

Standing on the BER Airport runway! Can't fly away yet....

After the conference was complete, we had to see the rest of Berlin! We hit up all the typical touristy places, and it was all so amazing. There is just so much history, too much to take in. Hearing all the history was fascinating, depressing, unimaginable and so surreal. Sites such as the Jewish memorials and the Berlin Wall death strip were so surreal. It is hard to explain it otherwise. The East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall is a favourite attraction amongst the tourists, as well as locals. The local artists work on the wall turns this wall into more than a structure with history, and into a symbol of positive change. This stretch of wall continues for 1.4KM and is covered in amazing art work.

Me in front of my favourite segment of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery!

The list of attractions we saw seems endless, and I could write forever about each one as it is all so beautiful and unique in its own way. Other sites we visited included Checkpoint Charlie, Hitlers Bunker, Brandenburger (The Gate), Knzerthaus Berlin and Humboldt University, and more!
It was interesting to find out that Albert Einstein actually attended Humboldt Universtät. There have been around 70 Nobel prize winners, and countless nominees that have graduated from this University. 

Some of the group that were in Berlin! We got our 15 seconds of fame standing on the red carpet leading into the Knzerthaus (concert hall) in Berlin. 

After an amazing ten day trip, I was ready to come back to Salzburg and get into school. After being out of classes for almost three months and the classes just beginning, I look forward to getting back into the classroom and learning new things within the tourism industry!

I am so grateful to be able to travel and have such amazing support from back home. I could not have had the courage or the ability to do this trip without the incredible love and support from my family and friends, so thank you to all those who are close to my heart! I miss all of you dearly! <3

Until next time...Auf Wiedersehen!

(I am too tired to proof read this entry...so I hope it makes sense haha)

Being a Tourist in Salzburg

Hallo!

I have been lucky enough to have such warm welcomes from the Austrian people. It is because of them that I have been able to see a lot of Salzburg within a short amount of time. With Welcome Week coming to an end, and the students figuring out the learning agreements, schedules and other plans it felt like it was time to dig my feet in and get back to school. But as to my surprise...that is not what happened. I recently discovered that my classes won't start till March 10th! As much as this surprised me, and disappointed me a bit, it is a blessing in disguise and probably for the best...I mean I get to travel instead of going to class. Winning! More on that later...

My week was filled with a lot of 'firsts'. One of them being my first time in Germany. Without me knowing, I went to Germany. A few girlfriends and I went to an outlet store in this small town just on the other side of the border, which is actually only a 15 minute drive. Yes, that's correct - I can be in Germany in 15 minutes. It was definitely a small outlet compared to others I have seen in Salzburg, but that wasn't a problem. We then went to a massive store, bigger than Walmart, and I tried my first Lerberkäsesemmel! This traditional German/Austrian food is a slab of meat between bread, and its literal translation is 'liver - cheese', but there actually is no liver or cheese in it. How strange. It was very good though, but due to my state of ...hangover-ness...I was unable to finish, (it was a great snack later though). Another traditional food I tried is called kaiserschmarn. A group of us were trying to figure out what it tastes like...and the closest thing we can come up with is the taste and texture of a thick and dense pancake/donut. It is cooked like a pancake, in a BUNCH of butter and topped with icing sugar and hot vanilla syrup. As horrible as it may be for your health... it was SOOO GOOOD! I really want to learn how to make it so I can bring it back to Canada. It is that amazing. I will dream of it forever.

Most of the incomings had a potluck lunch this past week as well, and it was so amazing to try foods from different parts of the world. We had Italian pasta salad, Korean pasta and egg roll, Spanish potato dish, Swiss chocolate and more! I was stumped trying to think of a traditional Canadian dish I could make, and came up with nothing besides pancakes and maple syrup. If you have any other suggestions please let me know!!

Sunday was an excellent day. Mostly because Canada won GOLD and it was awesome, but also because I got to do some more touristy things and see spectacular views of Salzburg! After the hockey game, a few girlfriends and I went to the Red Bull Hangar-7 Museum. Salzburg happens to be 'Red Bull city', as it has the main headquarters here, and the owner is from this area. The museum infrastructure was insane; so intricate and architecturally fascinating.

Above: (right to left) Michèle, myself, and Miriam are standing in front of the capsule Felix Baumgartner dropped from space in. He flew up in space in this capsule - jumped - and free fell to earth. (And as you'll notice...the Canadian is standing in the Gold position of the podium) 

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The museum is packed with planes, jets, helicopters, memorabilia, and formula one cars that have won races and were sponsored by Red Bull. I almost forgot - the museum has its own runway and airspace to show off all the powerful engines! Inside this museum is also one of Salzburg's most expensive restaurants, starting from 300 Euro a plate. Each week a world renown chef is flown in to cook for the guests who can afford such luxury. 

Above: a view from above of (half) the Red Bull Hangar-7 Museum in Salzburg. Complete with jets, planes, modern seating and amazing view. All the race cars were to the left of this photo. 

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After the visit to the museum, we drove to the outskirts of Salzburg ending up at Gaisberg. This was approximately a 20 minute drive up the mountain that consisted of very very narrow roads and sharp corners. We wanted to get there in time for the sunset, and I am so happy we made it in time. The view was phenomenal. The sunsets were like nothing I've seen before. The positioning of the mountains in relation the the position of the sun setting made for excellent photos. It seemed as if we were on the top of Salzburg. It was an amazing experience. If you can ever see the Salzburg Castle in any of the pictures I post, you see that the Castle is above the rest of the city and you always see it up in the distance. Well when we were at the top of Gaisberg, I was surprised when my friend pointed out the Castle was far below us, and that we were way higher than the Castle! Gaisberg was also the first place I have seen snow in Salzburg. It made me miss home, as the chilling wind and snow made it feel like Canada. 

Above: Here I am standing at the top, and the edge of Gaisberg. To the right of this photo you can see the villages that are surrounding Salzburg. 

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We finished off our day with a well known restaurant in Salzburg called L'Osteria. A Italian pizza and pasta restaurant. They are very well known for their massive pizzas, that are very cheap. You don't have a choice of small, medium, or large so you just order a pizza...and one pizza's width is the length from your elbow to your fingertips. They don't fit on the plates, and barely fit on the tables if more than two people get a pizza. But it was only 8 Euro! yay! 

Since I won't be starting classes till March 10th, I will be taking a trip to Germany! I will start off with Cologne on Thursday and will be celebrating Carnival for the weekend. I will be meeting a couple friends I know from Canada there, and they are generous enough to show me around! And then on Monday I will be leaving to Berlin, meeting up with two friends from Salzburg and we will be exploring the great city as well as hopefully attending a Tourism Conference! I'm so excited! And back in time to start classes on Monday the 10th. I am so excited to start school and learn new things :) 

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That's all for now folks! I hope you are enjoying your day, wherever you are! Take a few moments and enjoy this breathtaking sunset and wonderful view of the city of Salzburg from the top of Gaisberg

Auf Wiedersehen!

First few days in Puch & Salzburg!

Oh my! So much to write about, it's hard to determine what is worthy! 

I have been busy this week, as it is the Welcome Week/Orientation for all the incoming students for this semester. A mixture of information to help us newbies get around campus, how to get the best out of our stay and of course, ending each night with a visit to a famous brewery or pub. 

A group of friends and myself decided to go out for dinner, so after taking the train and the bus to where we think the restaurant is we get wonderfully lost and came across the Medieval City of Salzburg.  Unfortunately it was nighttime, so my pictures are not that great but the infrastructure alone was beyond incredible. Walking through narrow cobble stone streets that seemed as if they were lit with lanterns and tall brick buildings, each a different pastel colour, on either side of the street. And then approaching the massive cathedrals and bishops quarters, complete with the Salzburg Castle on top of the mountain, overlooking everything. On Tuesday, all students were taken to the city centre for a 'City Tour' and we went to this same place, and I was often the subject of laughter because I was in such awe of everything around me. Being the only Canadian, and never seeing anything like it I was constantly expressing my infatuation with "Wowwww!" "Whatt!" "This is insane!". Many of the students were surprised to hear there is nothing like this back in Canada. Below is a picture of the entrance into the Cathedral dom zu Salzburg that we visited. This picture does not do it justice. The size of this cathedral was amazing enough, but the you start to get lost in all the detail and paintings. It's incredible!

Amongst other things we visited during our city tour were WWII sites, the smallest house in Austria, a famous cafe in which I had the delicious traditional hot chocolate (yumm!), climbed the mountain near the city centre with an outstanding view of the entire city at the top! I found the The WWII 'site' to be very interesting. There is this narrow street that the Germans wanted to get through, and they decided to drive a tank down this narrow path and obviously, they got stuck. You can clearly see the parts of the building on the side of the street that was taken out due to this..err.. lack of judgement.

     Salzburg has very narrow streets everywhere! Narrow enough that when a bus comes into the city centre, the traffic has to be stopped in the oncoming direction to let the bus pass. Very odd for me to experience! 

The view from the top of the castle was breathtaking. It was nothing like I have ever seen. And I am sure I will see many more views like this in my travels... and I don't think I'll ever get used to how beautiful and colourful Europe is! In the picture below, you will see the cathedrals I visited (right/middle) and the Salzburg Castle on top of the mountain, and the river that runs through the city on the left. I can look at this picture for hours and still find it as beautiful as the first time. 

Another great view from the top of the mountain... 

 We finished the night at a well known brewery in Salzburg called the Augustiner Brewery in the City Centre. They have been brewing their own beer (in house) since 1621 and is one of Salzburg's best breweries. They offer 500ml mugs and 1L mugs. Massive, heavy and sturdy mugs, but yet they fit in your hand so nicely!  Can you guess which size I went for? 

There will be so much more to experience and write about in the next few weeks, as I begin to explore the neighbouring countries on weekend road trips. Some upcoming plans include going to Cologne for Carnival and then off to Berlin to hopefully attend a Tourism Conference! 

To say the least...I love Austria! 

Auf Wiedersehen! 

I'm in Salzburg! ...actually Puch!

Myself and my luggage made it to Salzburg! Yay! Considering I didn't have to recheck my luggage or anything, I was very shocked that it made it to my destination. A friend I had met in Kamloops that was studying abroad at Thompson Rivers University, originally from Salzburg offered to pick me up at the airport. I arrived in Salzburg at 11:00AM and I was still having troubles realizing where I was and the adventures I will endeavour over the next six months. Not only did Conny pick me up from the airport, but she graciously drove me around the city centre helping me collect my residence keys, and register with the government. Also, we walked through the city centre and she pointed out the landmarks of downtown Salzburg.  I could not have thanked her enough! She pointed out a castle on the top of the hill, and mentioned that the mountain beside the castle has a trail on the top of it that you are able to walk along. And that half the mountain is in Germany and half in Austria. To say the least, this hike has been moved to the top of my "Austria Bucket List". It was amazing to drive through the city, and then end up at my residence. I actually don't live right in Salzburg (which was surprising to hear), I live in a village called Puch. Its comparable to Cochrane and Calgary. The train is only 20 minutes to the city centre and the train stop is right outside my dorm! As well as campus being approx 10 steps from the residence door to the campus building door. So close and so handy!! 

When Conny dropped me off around 2:30PM, I was ready for sleep. Sleeping into the night and waking up around 1:00AM, as my body still thought I was on Calgary time. Salzburg is 8 hours ahead of Calgary, so it has taken me some time to get adjusted. The people here have been so friendly. I have ran into a couple hiccups (not knowing how to work the german student website to connect to internet, and my power going out) but thanks to a couple individuals who I have met through the School network, they have been able to help me, and were willing to drop what they were doing and make sure I was alright! It's very comforting to have that support when you are all on your own. 

After catching up on my sleep and realizing that the protein bars I had packed can only do so much, I figured I would venture out to the grocery store...that's literally a 6 minute walk from my door. I have been told that it is the most expensive chain of grocery stores here, but for now it will have to do! I think it will take some time for me to get used to the prices and exchange rate. I think I arrived in Salzburg at the perfect time; having all weekend to adjust to the time difference, get settled in my room and meet all the new incomings before Orientation begins on Tuesday. Classes wont actually start till February 24th, which is very odd, coming from a Canadian school system. I would already be writing midterms at TRU! 

My journey has JUST begun and I am constantly questioning the reality I am living. I can't believe that I have this amazing opportunity to travel, let alone study abroad. It is really a once in a life time opportunity!!