The Not-So-New Neustadt

Not sure why the blog is posting this as Thursday; it's actually Friday as I write this.

It's really hard to believe we're already nearing the end of Week 5 around here. But then again, I think we're all feeling pretty comfortable here. The weather is finally really beautiful; it's laying out weather and in a few hours, Laura, Shireen, and I are planning to take a bus over to Salzkammergut, a lake that's about 30 minutes away. Not exactly sure what we'll find there, but everyone says it's gorgeous. I'll take lots of pictures.

On Wednesday we had our weekly Stadttour and saw a new part of the city that most of us haven't seen much of before. The Neustadt sits on the opposite side of the river from the Altstadt and holds just as many pretty churches and amazing views from high up. While it's called the "New City," it's definitely at least 400 years old. We took a tour up to another abbey, and ended up in Sebastians Friedhof, a very serene cemetery/garden where several notable people are buried, including Mozart's parents and Wolf Dietrich, the first archbishop of Salzbug. Afterwards, we headed back to Die Weisse, where we went the first week with Travis. Of course, their beer is spectacular, but that night, it was a little bit crowded and I never ended up getting my food, so a few of us headed back before it was dark.

Yesterday I got up early (8:00) for a really nice run along the Ginzkeyplatz bike path. The weather's really warm now and it was nice to get my day started early. I thought I was getting up at the crack of dawn, but it's crazy to see how early a lot of the people in Salzburg are up and moving about. We're always surprised at how early the other students in the dorm are awake, even on weekends. Definitely a change of pace from OU. The path was full of joggers and bike riders. Makes me really wish I had a bike...but it's not like I can fly it home. Hopefully we can rent one for the day before we leave Salzburg.

I guess I should go get ready to leave for the lake. There's a lot going on this weekend, so I'll be sure to write more tomorrow!

Exploring Berlin

Just got home today from my weekend trip to Berlin. Salzburg feels kind of like home now, and it's good to be back, although the trip to Germany's capital was AMAZING.

Where do I even begin? I feel like I saw everything I wanted to see. On Friday we got to our hostel that was right in the center of East Berlin. We explored the city a little bit: we saw the Brandenburger Tor (the very immense pillars that divided the city back in the day), as well as Unter den Linden (the main shopping street) and the river that runs through the city. We visited the Ritter Sport store, which holds Germany/Austria's very best chocolate, and we all bought a few bars of it in different flavors. It's actually much like the M&M store in NYC. Bärbel also took us to Georgbreau Brewery for dinner, where I had the best bratwurst and sauerkraut I've ever eaten. Friday night, Rote Zach and I went exploring; we took the subway to Potsdamer Platz (a very new and cutting-edge nightlife area that was built after reunification) and we found a trendy little bar. I had my first martini, believe it or not, and we enjoyed the late-night Berlin scene.

Saturday we got up early and headed over to the Reichstags building (the government building where parliament and German Chancellor Angela Merkel work). The audio-guided tour took us on a trip up the building's spiral, glass enclosed dome, and pointed out major Berlin landmarks as we looked out over the entire city. Although the weather could have been better, it was a breathtaking view. Saturday morning was also the main time that we explored some of the biggest East German landmarks, like the wall and Checkpoint Charlie. It really was all within walking distance. After a lunch of delicious Currywurst (a Berlin specialty), Laura and I visited the German History Museum. It was absolutely impossible to see everything. The exhibit we chose to see chronicled everything about Germany from before Christ's time up to the present. It talked about Celtic-German roots and relations, Deutschland's involvement in the Crusades, battles fought in the Renaissance, World War I, and the Nazi period. It was so complete, and I was a little disappointed that my dad couldn't have been there with me. He would have loved it!

We've all learned about the former Soviet Union in school and knew the basics. Of course, the wall fell when I was just weeks old, so I never really got to hear about East Germany and the other Soviet countries in the news or anything. But it's amazing to see how much things can change in 20 years. We learned a lot of terrible things about the Soviet regime this weekend: we visited a Stasi prison and saw the torture devices used against its victims, we saw the memorials to the dozens of people who died trying to cross over the wall illegally, and we saw the wall itself, or what's left of it. Learning about and seeing what life was like for the people of the GDR for 40 years serves as a painful reminder of the importance of human rights. It also makes me appreciate our free speech and free press rights even more than I already did. That being said, I find it so inspiring and wonderful that the people themselves eventually overthrew their communist regime. In 1989, they stormed the wall, they protested together, and they basically said they weren't going to take oppression anymore. In the last 20 years, Germany has become stronger than ever. After a very tumultuous (to say the least) century, it has rebuilt itself and it is moving forward from its awful past. I think that says something wonderful about the German work ethic, stamina, and persistence. I'm so proud of them.

Sunday morning was spent touring the Stasi prison. Our tour guide was very good and didn't hold anything back; looking at the disgustingly inhumane cells and hearing about the terrible things the guards did to the prisoners was really hard to hear about. I didn't take a lot of pictures. It didn't feel right, really. Afterwards, some of us went over to West Berlin to see Gedächtnis Kirche, a church that had been bombed out during World War II. That was sad too. It's awful that people have no respect for places of worship, even if it was during wartime. Catholic Churches and especially Jewish synagogues were hit hard during the war.

On a lighter note, I met up with Sonya Sunday afternoon! She and I went to high school together, but she's originally from Berlin and moved back after we graduated. We got sushi and bubble tea near the Zoologischer Garten and hung out for awhile in the square. It's nice to have friends all over the world.

Saturday night, Melissa, Laura, Grosse Zach, Eric, Shireen and I all went to a cute little Italian restaurant on the West side. Afterwards, Shireen and I still wanted to party, so we figured out how to take the subway to this club I had heard was great, and rated one of the top 100 clubs in the world: Berghain. After going the wrong way a few times and exploring the ghetto areas of East Berlin a little bit, we arrived at this run-down old train station. But: they didn't let us in because we were American! Even though I spoke German to the bouncer, they turned down all the American people that tried to get in. Truly, it's easy to tell who's American and who's European around here, even if they we speak German. We have telltale accents and we do dress a little differently. It was definitely a lesson in feeling ethnically unwelcome. Oh, well. We found another place. But in all, I think the best part of Saturday night was exploring the city. At one point, we had no idea where we were or which way we should go. A city train pulled up to the station and we just jumped in, without having any idea where it was going.

I think above all else, that's my travel philosophy. They always say, "Wherever you go, there you are." Until this trip, I'd never realized how true that statement is. So many people get bogged down with maps and travel guides and ideas about how things should go when they're somewhere far away from home. But in reality: everything's an adventure. If you don't end up where you thought you were going to...well, you'll be somewhere else. And chances are, it will be just as interesting and just as fulfilling. Hopping on a random train headed for anywhere at 2 in the morning in downtown East Berlin? Sounds good. We saw a lot of interesting people and a beautiful city at night. What else could we ask for?

Mönchsberg and Augustiner Biergarten

It's hard to believe it's already so late. Tomorrow morning (or this morning, I guess), we fly to Berlin, and I really should be sleeping, but as usual, I'm a night owl.

Yesterday was one of my favorite days since I've been here, I think. Bärbel took us on a wonderful Stadttour through Mönchsberg, a kind of series of caves built into the side of the mountain. We took an elevator up through the mountain, and were soon very high up, with a great view of Salzburg. It was very green up there; we hiked along the side of the mountain, through woods and took a lot of great pictures. (If IPhoto and Facebook weren't having problems tonight, I'd have them online already.) Of course, there are a lot of people that live up there in very pretty mountaintop houses. There are also a lot of ruins from, I suppose, earlier days. We didn't get to see the actual catacombs and caves where the monks lived. I'm actually not sure if you can. But it was a nice hike.

Afterwards we all headed to Augustiner Biergarten at the bottom of the mountain, where we stayed for about three and a half hours! A few of us sat around, drinking lots of sweet beer and talking about culture and travel and...well just about everything. We're a great group. Augustiner also had amazing pretzels, and my favorite, Weisswurst.

I love my city, but it's going to be nice to have a break and travel to Berlin this weekend. We'll have lots of free time and hopefully I'll get to meet up with my friend Sonya from high school, who moved back to Berlin after we graduated. Unfortunately, Laura and I have both come down with colds, so I need to get to sleep and rest, so I can enjoy our weekend trip!

Multiculturalism (in the Kitchen and Elsewhere)

Just got back from Eddie, Wes, and Chris's room downstairs, where most of us met to cook Chinese food for dinner tonight! We are really having a multicultural food experience here in Austria...but Eddie makes the best fried chicken and Laura and I cooked two huge pots of rice.

Speaking of ethnic food, Shireen and I went to Indigo, a posh fast-foodish Indian restaurant in Josefiau, for lunch yesterday. It's kind of the Austrian version of Indian food..and has sushi too for very cheap prices.

Last night International Kolleg (another dorm) hosted Heimbar, a biweekly party in the basement. It wasn't a far walk, so some of us went over to hang out with other Austrian and international students. It's really a very good idea; the drinks were cheap and the music was great. We'll definitely be going back there, even though Monday night's an odd time to have a party.

Now that everyone's back from spring break, I'm meeting more Austrian students. It's always interesting to talk to our new friends that live in the dorm (and some that we meet out and about at bars and restaurants) and hear about their experiences growing up in Europe. It's even more intriguing to hear their views on the USA and American life. Many of them have studied abroad or been on vacation in the States or in Canada and have unique observations to share (like the fact that we have a bad cheese selection). So much of this trip includes learning about individual perspectives, and how culture difference doesn't change them quite as much as you'd think.

One of the most eye-opening aspects of living in a new country is learning about its political norms and traditions. We're lucky enough to be staying here during the presidential elections, which only happen once every six years. In an effort to learn more about what everybody's talking about (the election's on Sunday), we've been talking about politics a lot in class. The two main candidates, Heinz Fischer and Barbara Rosenkranz have brightly colored billboards with slogans on every corner around Salzburg. I think it's pretty clear who will win, though. Fischer, the current Austrian president, is very popular and Rosenkranz is radically conservative, something that has a very bad connotation in this part of the world. It's still very interesting to learn about the political opinions of Salzburg. I care a lot about this town.

Finally Frühling

It's been a few days since my last post; that's probably because the weather's been so nice and I haven't been spending too much time at the computer! It's another sunny day in Salzburg, and after I post this I think I'll head to a coffee shop in town to finish up the weekend's homework. On the weekends, the city is full of people riding bikes, strolling through Mirabell, and eating lots of Eis (ice cream) outside. I don't blame them; springtime in this town brings great weather.

Thursday after class, the girls all took a bus over to the north side of town to check out the city's library. It's really nice and new: three stories filled with lots of literature and music, not to mention interesting architecture. I ended up getting a library card and checking out a few CDs and a history book about Berlin, so I can read up before next weekend. Hopefully we will still be able to fly to Berlin on Friday. Because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, flights all across Europe have been cancelled. The cloud of ash is headed towards Germany and Austria sometime during the next day or two, so who knows?

On Friday, a few people took a day trip to go skiing (I'm not much of a skiier, so I stayed here.) Jeremy and I spent the day exploring the Altstadt and taking pictures from the hills. I feel like I could live in the city for years and still not see everything. Maybe it comes from being in a place with so many mountains and hilly areas. There are a lot of hidden trails and parks that can't always be seen from the main roads and I think this trip is turning me into a hiker.

Of course, we've been spending a lot of time at the lokals these last few nights. Thursday night a ton of us ended up at Shakespeare, a cute cafe that's pretty low key, but serves great beer. Rote Zach, Ben, and I ended up staying pretty late and chatting with some of the regulars. Friday night we went back to another Irish pub: Shamrock, which features an Austrian band covering lots of Tom Petty, Bon Jovi, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was kind of amusing. One thing that I guess I take for granted in the States are the anti-smoking laws inside buildings. The smell of smoke doesn't exactly bother me, but after going to the bars, it's hard to get the smell off of whatever clothes you wore. Just different. On Monday, Europa Kolleg is throwing a party: Heimbar, which is a monthly (or so) dorm-wide bar in the basement. It should be a good chance to get to know our neighbors a little better; hopefully they don't think we're just loud Americans!

I think we've all come to discover that in general, people here are really very nice. Sure, we might have to pay extra for ketchup and move a little faster in the grocery store line. But most people we meet are just curious and eager to talk to Americans and to hear about life across the Atlantic. Most of the time, I end up speaking German to them, and they speak English to me. Not great for my comprehension skills, I guess, but they want to practice their language skills too.

Well, I don't want to miss out on enjoying the weather, so I think I'm going to head into town to do some homework. More tomorrow, I'm sure.

Once Upon a Time...

Well, I think I jinxed the weather. Today was a rainy and overcast day in Salzburg. It poured on and off all day long. Good thing I packed my rain boots and a durable umbrella.

In spite of the gloomy weather, we went on our weekly Stadttour today to the Altstadt with Bernhard, after a really interesting lesson in Austrian Medieval history. I've lately found myself recalling last fall's History of the Crusades course with Dr. Shadis and I'm very glad I took it. Not only was I interested in the subject matter, it put European history in perspective for me, which has proved useful as we journey to the sights around town.

Today we visited Residenz, the original home of Salzburg's archbishops. However, I hear that this building was anything but a religious cloister. It seemed to be something more of a palace for the frequently partying bishops. Hey, there's nothing wrong with having a good time. Today, both the old and the new versions of Residenz, (which are right in the center of town) are still in use, one as an art gallery, and the other as a current house of government. They are located in and near Mozartsplatz, which also holds mosaic pieces of a sign from the time when Salzburg was part of the Roman empire. Afterwards, we headed to the Dom, where we explored some eerie catacombs underneath the cathedral. Although I'd been to mass there already, there was so much in the church I hadn't seen up close. We also saw Franziskanerkirche (my favorite to visit and attend) and Universitätskirche (which is under construction) before heading to Stirnbräu, a 700-year old brewery, for drinks.

Living day to day and visiting the sights in a city this old is almost unbelievable. In America, we like to talk about our historical sights and boast that a building or a statue is 200, maybe 300 years old. It's hard to fathom the age of some of the structures that I frequent on a regular basis. Some are as many as 1300-1400 years old. These buildings and churches were built without modern architectural technology, without the tools we have today. However, they are very sturdy and most of their artwork has remained intact, thanks to the painstaking care of a great deal of people in the past who thought that preserving history was important. No matter one's religion, a person has to respect that such things have been carefully tended for so long. I am in awe of the scenery and ambiance that the people in Salzburg still work so hard to keep beautiful. As much as I love modern Western culture, it's nice to be able to find a place that still takes you back to fairytales.

Salzburger Hunde

In spite of the pessimistic forecasts, the weather seems to be holding up nicely here in Salzburg..at least during the day. It might be raining at night, but that's fine with me.

It's late and I probably should be asleep, but we had a really fun evening. Bärbel suggested we hold a potluck right here in Europa Kolleg, rather than go out to a restaurant this week. So we did. Laura and Zach made spaghetti, Melissa brought Austrian Käsespätzle (macaroni and cheese, which I actually liked!), and I brought some German potato salad I picked up at the store. Stammtisch is always a good time and it was nice not to have to spend too much money on dinner.

Yesterday I went to Getreidegasse (the main shopping street near Mozart's birthplace) to pick up a few books for class. After 45 minutes of wandering around (and asking for directions), I finally found a bookstore. To reward myself for finally finding the place, I bought a copy of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in German. One thing that I still gawk at around here is the number of dogs running around in public places! It's not unusual at all to walk into a restaurant, clothing store, or onto the bus, and see a big slobbery German shepherd or beagle lounging around on the floor! From what I've seen, there is no public establishment where pets aren't allowed. That being said, dogs here behave a lot better than dogs in America. They don't become a nuisance with their barking and they seem very well-trained. Many owners let their dogs walk beside them down the street without a leash. Nutmeg would go crazy, I'm ashamed to say. Must be something in the water here.

And what I'd heard was true definitely stands: nobody wears sandals. I swallowed my pride and put on flip flops during a warm day last week...and I was the only one. I think people on the bus were staring. So far: I've seen no shorts and no sandals. We'll see what happens when the weather gets a little warmer.

I just uploaded pictures on my Facebook from the last week...but I need to sleep now. We have a big day of touring ahead of us tomorrow. I was a klutz and hit my toe really hard against the wall this morning and I think I dislocated it, which doesn't make walking miles around this city any easier. Plus, there's basically no such thing as ice in this town. They don't serve ice in drinks and you can't buy it at the store...I may have to improvise.

Weekend Life in Salzburg

Well, it's been quite a weekend. Mostly relaxing, but we had a lot of fun too, right here in Salzburg.

We've been here two weeks now, and it's an odd feeling. At first, the whole trip felt like one big vacation: we tried to cram as much sightseeing as possible into the span of a few days. But now that we've settled in and are more used to living and commuting in the city, the vacation feeling has worn off a little bit. You can't live your life moving around and sightseeing every second; one must sleep and do laundry and spend an hour or two watching TV. So now, we are learning how to walk the delicate line between being "tourists" and regular people, while still trying to take in as much as we can. It's difficult sometimes.

Yesterday Jeremy, Laura, Melissa, Shireen, and I woke up and went to the Chinese restaurant down the street for lunch. It's interesting to try different food ethnicities from a German/Austrian perspective. They all loved it; I personally wasn't a big fan. Instead of giving us fortune cookies at the end of the meal, like in America, they gave us little cups of fruit. It was interesting.

Last night we got dressed up and went out to Flip, a bar in the Altstadt that serves delicious drinks. Laura and I spent the evening talking to Stefan and Christian, two Austrian guys who are grad students here in Salzburg. They wanted to practice their English and I wanted to practice my German, so we spoke in two different languages all night. It was fun to hear about life over here from the perspective of native Austrians. Stefan told me that he was amazed that I spoke so "properly", without any slang in my vocabulary. I wish I knew more! I probably sound stuffy.

Tonight I went to Franziskirche by myself for mass. It was nice; it gave me a little time to think, and as always, it was a great way to fine-tune my listening skills. I think I understood a little more today than last week. On the way back from church, I was on the bus with a lot of returning students coming from the train station. Spring break is over for the rest of the university now, and suddenly we have neighbors in Europa Kolleg. Living in the dorms here in Austria is a slightly different experience than it is in America. I get the feeling that the students are older, many of them in their late '20s, rather than 18-23 like they are back home. They seem to keep to themselves a little bit more, and take their studies more seriously. The students here finish high school a year later than we do, and many of them choose to take a year or two off and travel around Europe. If they work decently hard in high school, the government pays for their college education, so they're not really in any rush to finish it quickly like we are in the U.S., where our loans are coming due. We met several European students our age in the Munich hostel who were spending the spring and summer backpacking and traveling. Must be nice.

Tomorrow we get our stipend of 200 euros, something everyone's looking forward to. We need to go grocery shopping. I'm actually cooking! Laura and I made really yummy spaghetti sauce tonight.

Pretty Weather, the Festung, and Käsekrainer

It's been a few days since my last post...life's been pretty busy here in Europa Kolleg. The weather's also been gorgeous...we haven't really been spending too much time inside. I'm only inside now cause I'm waiting for my laundry to finish in the basement.

On Wednesday we journeyed to the Festung Hohensalzburg for our weekly Stadttour. The Festung is the fortress that's visible in almost any picture you'll see of Salzburg. It's scenic and very old; it dates back to 1077 ( 19 years before the First Crusade, to put it in perspective). The fortress wasn't just a castle; it served as a kind of protection for the whole town in times of war. Luckily, Salzburg didn't need the fortress much. The surrounding Alps gave Salzburg, which is in a valley, a very effective defense against invading troops. That is, until World War II, when fighter planes bombed the cathedral :( At any rate, the view from the Festung is breathtaking, and I'll put pictures up soon. Unfortunately about 7 of us missed the audio guided tour, so we'll definitely have to come back a few more times while we're here. That shouldn't be a problem!

Wednesday night Laura and I hosted Taco Wednesday for part of the group, including Bärbel. We all chipped in and brought ingredients, and it was a good time. It's so much easier to entertain when you have a kitchen!

Yesterday we took advantage of the nice weather after class and laid out by the Salzach River in the Neustadt. The river sort of divides the city in two, and during nice weather, there are lots of people walking dogs, reading, and getting some sun on the grassy shores. We also took a stroll through Mirabell Garten, a really pretty park-like area with lots of flowers and trimmed hedges. (It was featured in The Sound of Music.) I'm sure we'll see it in more detail on a Stadttour, but it was fun to walk down the paths and laugh at the awkward Spanish tourists wearing matching clothes. After a long time baking in the sun, we came back to Europa Kolleg and had a little Käsekrainer party. Käsekrainers are pretty much everybody's favorite around here: they're Austrian sausages filled with delicious cheese. Plus, they're not hard to make on the stove.

And, last night we ended up at an Irish pub. Well, kind of. The bartenders all speak German and they serve German beer. But O'Malley's is dressed up to be Irish-themed. It's a favorite with the Americans, Canadians, and anybody visiting from the UK. We girls even sang a few kareoke tunes. Tonight we're going out again to Cafe Republik, according to Shireen, it's the hot dance club in the Altstadt.

I like living on the south end of Salzburg because it's somewhat urban, but you can still tell it's a good part of town. I was trying to find the Europa Kolleg office this morning to retrieve my laundry key, and I passed a spacious park with lots of parents and kids playing. I love listening to little kids who speak German better than I do. It's cute and it kind of puts things in perspective.

More tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have lots to write about!

Lessons in Immersion

The weather seems to be clearing up again here--definitely a relief for me, who definitely could have brought more sensible shoes. Today was sunny and in the '60s, and it was comfortable weather for walking. It was a very nice day...we had our first test in Bärbel's vocab and culture class. It went well, and most of us treated ourselves to our favorite Haci's Kababs down the street after class. Around here, we eat almost as much Turkish food as Austrian food!

Tuesday afternoon also means that the advanced students have Austrian Literature class with Herr Pertlwieser across town. It was amazing to see how much I've learned in a week. This class--which seemed almost impossibly intimidating last week, now I think will be much more doable.

I think it has to do with the learning curve around here. That's the funny thing about learning a language. Living here, in the heart of Salzburg, and being immersed in the speech at all times really has taught me more about the German language than I could ever have learned from a textbook. I realized today that Herr Pertlwieser's speech patterns and dialect sounded more familiar to me, even though it's only the second time I've ever met the man. My ears are getting used to not just the German vocabulary and grammatical structures (although that too), but to the inflections that these Austrians use when they speak, which words they abbreviate or say very quickly, and colloquial (or slang-ish) terms I didn't know before. In addition to hearing them better, I really feel that I'm learning new words everyday: from signs, from others in my group, from the strangers on the bus from whom I ask directions, and even from listening to moms and kids talk in the grocery store. Learning a language is so much more about living it. When we began to talk and pick up English as toddlers, we didn't have flashcards and we didn't have tests. We were surrounded by our relatives, parents, and neighbors and our ears picked up the accents, the slang, and the grammatical structure. I, of course, am still far from completely fluent. But today I realized I am well on my way.

A Weekend in Munich

Today I'm relaxing after my weekend trip to Munich and enjoying my day off from class. Easter Monday is a national holiday in Austria, so Bärbel decided to give us a break too, and let us catch up on our sleep after a long week.

We took the train to Munich at about 10 am Friday morning, and arrived at our youth hostel in the early afternoon. I'd never stayed in any kind of a youth hostel before, and after this weekend, I definitely want to stay in them again. It's really fascinating; there are literally college-aged students from all over the world staying there. I met people from Argentina, Ireland, and Australia, as well as from other parts of Germany. In the lobby of our hostel, which was appropriately called "Jaeger Hostel," was a bar, where they had cheap prices on all kinds of beer. We spent both nights hanging around the hostel and meeting people, and it was a really good time.

Friday afternoon was spent getting to know the city. We spent a few hours in "Pinakothek Moderne," a very famous museum of modern art, and we also saw Munich's university, where there is a memorial to Hans and Sophie Scholl, who were martyred for their resistance movement against the Nazis in 1943. We took a stroll through the Englischer Garten, (which is as big as Central Park!) and ended up having dinner at Pauliner München, a quaint restaurant right in the city that serves authentic Bavarian cuisine. Of course, we snagged a table at the Hofbrauhaus later that evening, and spent a good deal of time there. Hofbrauhaus is reported to be the most widely attended and popular brewery/bar in the world!

Saturday morning came early, and we spent the morning touring a few churches, including Sankt Peter's Kirche, where we climbed 14 stories to see the breathtaking view of downtown München. The climb was intense; almost completely one-way spiral staircases, and definitely not for the claustrophobic. The church was built almost 1000 years ago, before the start of the First Crusade, and I think we were all a little afraid it was going to collapse while we were up there. Luckily it didn't. Also in downtown München was the Glockenspiel: an entertaining little "cuckoo clock" type performance with harmonic chimes and life-size wax figurines that acts out a little play several times each day, lasting about ten minutes. It kind of reminded me of "It's a Small World" at Disneyland, only better. The Glockenspiel is located outside the courthouse building in Marienplatz, which is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen in my life. (Pictures are on Facebook.) A lot of the buildings in Munich are Baroque, built sometime during the 1600's, and the architecture is definitely elaborate.

After our church tours, we had the rest of the day free. We ended up checking out an antique toy museum, as well as going to the Augustiner Biergarten that evening. A bunch of us bought bratwurst and potato pancakes at an open market in the heart of the city and they were AMAZING! We just don't have meat in the States like they do over here. Even the pre-packaged salami I buy at the grocery store is very delicious.

Sunday we were all very tired, as it was a fun, but late night in the hostel lobby. We left all of our luggage in lockers at the Hauptbahnhof (train station) and boarded a bus to the outskirts of the city, to tour the Schloss Nymphenburg (Nymphenburg Castle). It was very scenic; the site of Bavarian kings during the 16 and 1700's. The grounds were of course nicely decorated and we saw some very pretty furniture that belonged to Ludwigs I and II and their wives. I somewhat regret asking for my Audio Guide to be in German. Although I could understand a great deal, some of the words were definitely out of my vocab range, and I would have much more to say about the castle had I listened to it in English. When I go to sites like these, I am extremely interested in every little detail. I am a big enthusiast of both medieval and baroque royal history. Ah, well. It was a very nice trip.

I really enjoyed München. I like it because of its size and its cultural flair. It truly is the prototype of a Bavarian town. When one thinks of visiting Germany, they think of sweeping baroque architecture, quaint Black Forest traditions like schweinsaxe, knödeln, and kraut, and sloshing beer around at the Hofbrauhaus. It brought me back to thinking about what my ancestors' lives were like, living in Bavaria during the 1700's. Yet, now that I'm back in Salzburg, a place that I'm beginning to think of as home, I'm glad that I'm living here. Salzburg is a much quieter Alpine city, free from the hustle and bustling distraction that comes with any larger metropolis like Munich. I love this pretty little town and was relieved to pull into its train station yesterday evening. After coming "home," Zach B, Laura, Bethany, Patrick, and I attended Easter mass at a Franciscan cathedral in the Altstadt.

I have to go scrounge up something to eat in the kitchen. Since the grocery stores are all closed today, we're running low on food. The bread here doesn't stay fresh for more than three days because it doesn't contain any preservatives. More tomorrow!

Der Bus kommt...

I returned a little while ago from a wonderful night spent in the Altstadt at Die Weisse bar. About nine of us left this evening to have a few beers and enjoy some österreichische culture. I have found that I am a big fan of dark beer here in Austria. Not only is it a little bit stronger, it's sweeter.

We knew when we left the dorm that the bus was scheduled to leave from our stop in five minutes. They all started running, and I was, predictably, the slowest one in the group. I arrived at the bus stop just as the bus closed its doors in my face--and I couldn't figure out how to press the bus's outside button so that I could board! Therefore, I was stuck navigating the bus routes of the north side of the city on my own. I eventually ended up hailing a taxi at Mirabellplatz. Luckily, that got me to the right place. The taxis here seem really nice to Americans; every taxi is an Audi or a Mercedes and they are all very clean. I guess that's just because those are German-made cars.

Today after class, a few of us headed to one of the city's main streets, Getreidegasse, for a little bit of afternoon window shopping. I was surprised to find, in today's global economy, that Europe really has very few American clothing stores. One can find H&M (it's Europe-based) and ESPRIT, but there is no Macy's, no American Eagle, and definitely no Forever 21. Apparently this is true throughout Europe. Ah well. I got some cute shoes and trendy sunglasses at H&M today. I'll need these for the weekend.

This weekend, we're going on a group trip to Munich, which is about an hour and a half north of here, just beyond the Black Forest. We're leaving for the train around 9 tomorrow morning and will be there until Sunday afternoon. I will not be able to blog this weekend, or Skype/Facebook anyone, but I'm sure when I come back, I will, as always, have a lot to say.

Catacombs, Cemeteries, and Cathedrals

Today the weather was the prettiest it's been since we arrived, and we took advantage of it by taking our first city tour. Each Wednesday, as part of our Austrian culture and history course with Bernhard Lochmann, we will discover a new Salzburg sight. Today we saw some of the historic churches and cemeteries.

Cemeteries work a little differently here in Austria, where they have been burying people for hundreds of years. In short, they're running out of room. In America, one often buys a plot in a graveyard before he dies. In Austria, cemetery plots are rented. After ten years, a bill is sent to your relatives. If they pay the rent, you can stay in the ground. Otherwise, the cemetery will dig you up and dispose of your remains to make room for the newly dead. Therefore, once one's relatives have all died, it is probable that the person will be removed. This seems pretty morbid to we Americans, but they have a lot less land space than we do. Of course, there are major exceptions to the rule: famous people and clergy buried in cathedrals and scenic gardens are often allowed to stay.

We explored Nonnberg Abbey this afternoon; a long trek up a very steep, almost vertical cobblestone path that left most of us out of breath. From there, the view is amazing. Not only are both sides of the mountain visible, but so are the steeples and colorful rooftops of Old Salzburg. Check out my Facebook for pictures...I promise they weren't taken on a movie set! Inside the Nonnberg Abbey one will recognize many locations from The Sound of Music, as well as see the cloister of nuns that still live there today! Underneath the church (in which I think Maria and Captain Von Trapp got married) are creepy old catacombs. Nonnberg Abbey is important because it was founded in 732 by Heilige (Holy) Rupert, the first archbishop of Salzburg, who promised to make it a Catholic city when he received the Alpine town from the Romans.

We followed a mountaintop path around to St. Peter's cemetery, where many clergy and distinguished Salzburg citizens have been laid to rest over the years. It's really more like a garden, with elaborate artwork and well-tended flowers on all the graves. Then we moved into the church, by far the eeriest part of today's tour. The walls are all lined with elaborate gates (like the ones in The Sound of Music scene where they're hiding out in the abbey), and behind the gates are many graves in the walls, and lots of statues of Mary. One can light candles for dead relatives, for a small fee. Of course the artwork and frescas on the ceiling were detailed and flawless. The whole experience was made creepier by the fact that, as our group was entering the church, a funeral was just ending. It was really sad, because it was for a little girl. But, I guess if people choose to have their funerals/weddings in such a tourist attraction, they agree to be OK with the fact that tourists are going to be walking around snapping pictures of the artwork.

We finished off our trip with very good beers (Weissenbier) in a little cafe in the Altstadt. It was the perfect end to a very educational and fun day.