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!! 

I'm off to Austria!

The time has finally arrived...I leave tomorrow morning at 7:00AM to begin my adventure in Austria! Arriving just in time for the weekend, I plan to get settled and meet a whole bunch of new people that I will spend the next four months with. I have tried to prepare myself by reading books about Austria, trying to understand their customs and culture...but there is so much left to be discovered. I really don't know what to expect. Although I was told not to be alarmed by the airport guards that carry rifles. (I'm very glad I was warned about that)

I am already being welcomed on social media sites with kind words and smiles, and I haven't even left Canada yet! The groups that are set up for study abroad students, like myself, are very welcoming and willing to do anything to ensure your experience is nothing short of amazing.

It's hard to realize that this day has come. Working towards this for the last six months has been a challenge, but I think it is one of the best decisions I will make in life. Although I have really no clue what my life will be like while in Austria, or Europe for that matter,  I know that this is truly a wonderful opportunity. I can't wait for the adventure to begin!!!

I am very thankful for all of my family and friends and their kind words of wisdom, support and general happiness. I can't believe this is happening!!!!

Once I get settled and can figure out internet, phone etc I will update you with my new (short-time) life!

En route

Travelling to Austria was surprisingly easy! If anything, the most confusing connection I had to make was the Toronto Pearson airport. After a three hour layover in Toronto I boarded the plane knowing that my next destination would be Austria! I flew with Austrian Airlines, and the aircraft was so beautiful! You could definitely tell the company colour was red because the flight attendants were dressed in red head to toe. And I mean it. The women wore red hair ties, shirts, neck scarves, skirts/pants, stockings and shoes. Males were able to wear a white collared shirt under all the red attire. And when the attendants were arriving to the gate in the Toronto airport, they all had red jackets! It was quite a site to see. One passenger was lucky enough to get bumped up to first class because the airline had to accommodate a family. When they first told her they had to change her seat you could tell she wasn't impressed, but I saw her on the airplane and her face was priceless. She was about my age, maybe younger and you could tell she has never been in first class. What a lucky girl! 

The flight to Vienna was about 8 hours, followed by a brief layover, and finally, a short flight to Salzburg. The flight from Vienna to Salzburg was only 50 minutes and I was asleep for a majority of the flight, waking up just in time to see the beautiful green fields with little villages consisting of maybe 30 houses, scattered throughout the land as we descended into Salzburg.