"Ich liebe es..."

Oh--it's already the fourth day. I can't believe we've been here this long already! Today and yesterday have been occupied with getting used to classes and the school schedule--obviously I'm still not doing so well with that since I'm up at 2 a.m. right now and class starts at 9.

Tonight we had our opening Stammtisch party at "Resch und Lieblich," a quaint wine cellar in the Altstadt that serves homemade Austrian specialties like Knodeln, Schnitzel, and German potato salad that is to die for. It was very delicious. One of the guys in our group ordered Knodeln and pig lung, which I guess is also a specialty here. (Yuck, but I actually tried a bite and it tasted OK...if it wasn't lung.)

The people here love McDonald's. They think it is the coolest thing in town, and we stopped there for lunch in between classes. It is pretty sweet. They have a bakery inside and of course, like everywhere else, one can order Stiegl beer. The hamburgers do taste a bit different. Instead of ketchup, they have on them a mayonnaise-ish sauce that tastes great, and you can tell the meat's fresher too. Austrians are also very fond of carbonation in their drinks. Everything comes with "Kohlensäure," especially the water.

I'm getting very accustomed to public transportation; Salzburg has a fantastic bus system. Even better than the relief from walking 20 minutes is the variety of characters you see while riding the bus. Everyone from packs of junior high boys to businessmen to nuns ride around town on the bus lines and it's a perfect opportunity to people watch, as well as try to eavesdrop and improve your German listening skills.

Tomorrow we have class all day, then will be touring some famous Salzburg sights. Keep an eye on my Facebook for new pictures in the next day or two.