fun long weekends!

Things are going welll in Salzburg. It feels like we’ve been doing lots of fun stuff, and I have a 5 day weekend right now (it started Friday, and we don’t have class until Wednesday). On Thursday night I hung out with Kris, Ashley and Erin. That was fun, just hanging out together. Ashley went to bed but Erin, Kris and I went to Heisse Kiste so he could experience it. It’s basically a tiny sausage stand that sits right near the Altstadt. People only go there to get sausage at night (mostly) so we went and got Käsekrainer..that was fun, and delicious. Friday, I gave Kris a tour of the Altstadt, so we visited St. Peter’s Cemetery, and the oldest bakery in Salzburg, looked inside the Dom Cathedral, and then went to the Festung. That was my second time at the Festung and it was nice to see the great views again. We had really yummy tortellini for dinner that we bought at the store.

Saturday, we went to Stiegl Brewery, where they brew Salzburg Beer, and we got to see the process of how it works (again, since Gabby took us there when we first arrived in Salzburg in February, so long ago). We had coupons that we got from the grocery store, for entrance for only 2 Euros…plus, we got a coupon for the gift shop, so I bought a t-shirt! After that we went to dinner at the delicious Wildermann restaurant, I got Wienerschnitzel and really yummy Kaiserschmarnn dessert again…I definitely want to learn how to make that one! Then Kris and I watched the movie Little Fockers on my computer.

Sunday morning I went running, and then we lazed around a bit until Ashley, Kris and I went to the Salzburger Dult..which is a fair in Salzburg. I felt like I was at a smaller version of the Fryeburg Fair, which was awesome. I definitely noticed that the Austrians are a lot less strict with regulating fair rides..half of the rides that tip and spin didn’t even have safety bars or anything..you literally have to hold on for dear life, that was pretty crazy to watch. It was fun to people watch and watch people do carnival games all in German..and they had lots of yummy looking food, but the only thing I got was a serve-your-own slushie, which was really good..it’s free admission so I’m sure we’ll be going back before it ends on the 19^th, with more people that want to go.

Well, today we have plans to go check out a sort of craft fair that’s set up along the river, and getting kebaps tonight with Ashley. Tomorrow I have to actually do some homework, and hopefully go running again. Only 18 days until I’m home! I'll try to update again soon!

Berlin :)

Our trip to Berlin was a success! The train ride was a little long…but anyway, when we all arrived in Berlin on Wednesday evening (last week) it was really late and we just went to bed in the hostel. The next day, Thursday, we took a 3.5 hour walking tour all over the city. We saw parts of the old Berlin Wall, a lot of famous buildings, a Holocaust memorial, and the area where many WWII events took place. We even stood on the ground above where Hitler’s old bunker was, and where he committed suicide. It was a really well done tour and very interesting. Friday, some people went on another walking tour, but Paige, Kris, Ashley, Lindsay, and I decided to go to the Berlin Zoo! It was a really large, nice zoo and I’ve never been so close to some of the animals. With the way it was set up you could get really close to a lot of animals, even lions and tigers, so it was a pretty cool experience.

Berlin is awesome because they have lots of world food. On Thursday we found a Dunkin Donuts! And then after the zoo, we found..a PIZZA HUT. I felt so American but we loved that pizza so much.. that night we went out through the city a little bit and saw the East Side Gallery where professional artists made murals on  a long stretch of the old Berlin Wall. They were really awesome!

On our last day in Berlin, we went to the Pergamon Museum (not really my first choice of what I want to do/see in Berlin, but our teacher wanted us to see it) where we saw a few famous things like the Ishtar Gate and some Islamic art. We wandered an outdoor market with lots of cool souvenirs .We also did some shopping in touristy stores throughout the trip. One thing I bought for myself was a tote bag with the Ampelmann on it- the Ampelmann is a cute little man wearing a hat that they use as a symbol in the crossing lights in parts of East Berlin- it has become a sentimental thing for the people of Berlin.

For our last evening we went out to both an Indian and a Mexican Restaurant (we split into two groups and had a choice of which kind of food we wanted, I picked Mexican). It was very delicious, and Gabby said a good chance to get ethnic food because Berlin is full of it, unlike Salzburg.

We had to get up early on Sunday and take the train back to Salzburg,  which wasn’t very fun. We were equipped for the ride with more Dunkin Donuts though :)

Back in Salzburg classes have been going ok, we’re coming down to the final stretch so soon I will have another final, and a big paper to write. Kris is visiting so I have shown him around the Mirabell Gardens, Mirabell Market, and part of the Altstadt so far. We made a list of the places he wants to see. Unfortunately June is usually pretty rainy so it’s been pretty cloudy for the most part, but it’s still nice. Today we have more sun but the rest of the forecast doesn’t look so great.

I love hanging out with all my friends here and I will miss seeing them all the time when we go back to the US. It feels sad to talk about having a farewell party and going home, but part of me is really excited to be back home too. I know I keep saying that in every entry but it’s a really strange feeling to be so excited and so sad at the same time!

Today is sunny so hopefully we’ll be doing something outside, and then a small group of us will be going to Stiegl Brewery because we have coupons to get in for just 2 Euros. I realized I never wrote about the Maibaumfest that took place at Stiegl Brewery..it was a big gathering outside in the field outside their building, a traditional day where everyone has food and drinks together and they raise a huge Maypole in the yard. It takes them hours just to get the pole raised because they do it the old fashioned way. The festival also falls on the same day as Mother's Day so it's a big family event here. Once the pole is raised, they do different traditions like dance around the pole, and then kids and adults try to climb the pole. There are sausages and pretzels dangling from it, prizes for if you climb high enough to reach them. It was really interesting to watch. So basically Stiegl Brewery is a pretty big part of the Salzburg community here.

Also, there is a fair in Salzburg coming up so I’d like to check that out too. So much to do, and so little time..I'll just do what I can! Only 21 days until I’m home! :)

only one more day of classes!

The weekend trip we had was a lot of fun. We went to Eisriesenwelt, the largest ice caves on the world, and it was snowing on the mountain as we hiked up to get to the caves! It was really cold up there, but cool to say I've been to the largest ice caves. We also went to Hohenwerfen, the fortress of the city, and then the village of Piesendorf where we stayed in a hostel overnight. The next day, we drove for 2 hours, then took a boat across the lake to Hallstatt, a cute lake town, where we went to a salt mine and then had time to walk around the town. Gabriella bought us ice cream sundaes, and we checked out the souvenier shops. It was a really busy weekend and we saw a lot all at once, but worth all the craziness! Plus I got to see Austria by bus, which was nice as opposed to a train.

Today was a pretty good day so far. I paid my last rent of my semester here in Salzburg! Luckily the exchange rate got a tiny bit better, so it's not QUITE so bad. One more day of classes tomorrow, and then Wednesday we leave for Berlin until Sunday! I'm soo excited to go to Berlin, it will be a great trip. This morning I got up and cleaned my room, ate some dry cereal since I have basically no food, went to class, then headed to the post office and mailed out some postcards. Then we went to the bakery with the girls and got some doughnuts we wanted to try :) mine was a vanilla doughnut filled with vanilla pudding with icing on top..in the shape of a heart! Delicious. We paid rent after that and then treated ourself to some pizza. It's awesome, you pay 2.90 for a "slice" but its actually HUGE and two slices, so I got lunch today, and lunch tomorrow is sitting in the fridge!

Now I'm doing one more load of laundry so all my laundry will be completely done..and then I really have to do homework! Ashley and I might make dinner together tonight, but neither of us has any food because we're trying to conserve and not buy stuff before Berlin, when it will just go bad. Berlin is my last big trip of the semester, it's going to be a lot of fun I hope! And the weather looks nice as well, we'll see! Today is sunny and in the 80's here in Salzburg, it's been so nice. I'm soaking up the sun because it's supposed to rain tomorrow.

well, I won't have internet in Berlin so you might not hear from me for a little while, unless I write again before we head out. But I will definitely update on how that trip goes!

the last few days

The last few days have been great! Wednesday we went to Golling Wasserfall, it was beautiful there! It also has a few paths that lead up to the source of the waterfall and over it, so it was a lot of fun to walk around with a bit of exercise too! That night, Ashley Erin and I made this really yummy dish with potatoes, cheese, Käsekrainer and onion in it..I'm not sure what it is but it's delicious..we sortof invented it ourselves here. Thursday, Gabby cancelled our afternoon class! So after DaF class, Paige, Erin and I went to the public pool on Alpenstrasse. It was a gorgeous day in the 80's here. You Pay 2,70 for day entry and you get to stay the whole day! I thought I slathered sunscreen all over myself but of course didnt get enough on my stomach..I'm not sure what happened but I'm pretty sunburned there. Other than that it was a great day. The pool is HUGE, it was a relaxing and fun afternoon and I finally got to swim!!

Today, it was a rainy day but I had to go to an info meeting for our ice cave field trip today at 12. We're leaving tomorrow at 8am and we'll be back Sunday in the evening at like 7pm. We're going to the ice caves, a castle and the Lake District which is supposed to be beautiful, we also get a boat ride across it, a trip to another salt mine (different than the one mom and I went in) and we're staying in a youth hostel, so we should be able to meet other people outside of our group there! It's a trip meant for study abroad/foreign exchange students in Austria, so it's people from all different countries going. And Gabby is going with us too. After the meeting I went to the ATM, went home, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned my room up, organized, did laundry, and did a little bit of homework.

We're leaving for Berlin Wednesday in the early afternoon! We're taking a train..and getting into Berlin around 11 at night or something like that. Then we have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and we leave Sunday morning to come back to Salzburg! I'm not missing any classes because this coming Thurs and Fri are holidays in Austria (and Germany on Thursday). I'm excited to go to Berlin, everyone I have talked to said it's a really great city!

Well I have to go pack for the overnight trip, and then go to bed so I can get up to meet everyone in the morning!

PS.  Oh wait!! I wanted to mention that Josh went back to America yesterday :/ but we had a farewell dinner at Wildermann and it was SO YUMMY. I got Wienerschnitzel that had bacon, onions and mushrooms inside it. It was soooo yummy. Also, Erin gave me some of her Knodel (dumplings) which are also reeeaaally good. But then, one of the best things I have honestly had so far in Austria, was this: for dessert Erin and I shared a plate of "Kaiserschmarrn" which literally translates to "emperor mismash/mess." It's called this because it was probably first served to the Austrian emperor Franz Josef. There's a lot of legends about how it came to be created. But, basically it's a plate of pancake pieces made from a really sweet batter, and then they're baked in butter. They gave you cranberry sauce or some such thing to dip them in but they were even better just plain. They were SO fluffy, buttery and absolutely delicious. I have to get them again before I go home. It. is. delicious.

Well, that's all now, hope all is well for everyone :)

hello!

Hi everyone..I had a great weekend in Paris! Finally, a dream city come true :) It was a little bit of whirlwind because we only had 2 days there but we made it work! Erin, Paige and I left Salzburg at about 5:45 am on Friday and took a train to Munich, Germany, then a flight to Paris at around 10:55 am I believe it was. We got to Paris around 12:30, and met Kris there (he flew from Spain). The airport is pretty far from the city so we had to take the S-bahn into the city center to where we were staying. Once we put our stuff down it was time to speed explore!

We grabbed food (unfortunately at a McDonalds, which is never the best idea in Europe but it was pretty inexpensive and we were all so hungry and impatient after flying!) We started off with the Louvre, the huge art museum in Paris. There, I finally got to see: the Mona Lisa in person, the Venus de Milo, and some other cool paintings/sculptures. The Louvre was HUGE! You could never see everything in one day..we were probably there for 3 or 4 hours. That was enough for me. I'm not a huge art person but I appreciated a lot of the art and it was SO COOL to see the Mona Lisa in person! We took lots of pictures in there. 

After we left the Louvre we walked along a park outside and took some pictures, got scammed by some people trying to sell bracelets to us (no really, they surrounded us and nearly forced us to buy these bracelets, we all felt pretty terrible about it after it happened..don't really feel like typing out the story now, but it was a waste of 4 euros) and then we went and got some food and headed towards the Eiffel Tower! It was still light out at 9pm there which was very strange. Then we saw the whole Eiffel Tower for the first time! I got a first glimpse of the top of it out of the window of the Louvre. Seeing the whole thing in front of me was sooo cool. It was like a dream come true! We had a little picnic of ham and cheese sandwiches in the park below the Eiffel Tower and watched it light up twice. It's lit up all the time at night, but for 5 minutes every hour it sparkles! It's really pretty, I got a video of it. That was a lot of fun! We were all super exhausted after this day though, and we all had to pee so bad by the time we got back home because we couldn't find an open public bathroom! Apparently Paris is one of the hardest cities to find a public bathroom in..random fact.

The next day we headed back to the Eiffel Tower in the morning to actually climb it. There were soldiers walking around with machine guns for crowd control/protection which was a little scary. The Eiffel Tower actually has 3 levels you can go to, which I didn't realize until I was there. I also didn't realize how BIG it is until I actually saw it in person. We decided to use the stairs to go to the first and second levels because we wanted to say we had actually climbed it. You can't climb from the second level to the very top, the only option is an elevator. So we climbed as much as possible, which was a nice little workout. On the first floor they have a little restaurant/cafe so we had baguette sandwiches and french fries there, that was pretty cool having lunch on the Eiffel Tower :) I guess I didn't realize there was room on the Eiffel Tower for all that but I was wrong. Then we took the sketchy elevator to the very top and it was great panoramic views of the city of Paris! So cool to say I've been to the top!!

After the Eiffel Tower we got back to the ground and went to the park next to the Tower to get pictures of it from far away, and relaxed a bit in the grass. Then we decided to head to the Notre Dame church, another must see on our list. We took the metro cause it was a decently long walk. The Notre Dame is really, really pretty! I'm glad I got to see it on both the inside and the outside. The stained glass was awesome, I got pictures. Then we went to the Seine River and looked around a bit, THEN decided we were hungry, and found a restaurant where I got delicious roasted chicken (as did Erin) Paige got steak and Kris got spaghetti :) we all enjoyed our food. Then, we went for even MORE walking, got some awesome frozen yogurt where you picked out the fresh fruit right in front of you and they made it into the ice cream, and then got to the Champs-Élysées which is the famous street in Paris with the Arc de Triomphe at the end! We didn't go ALL the way down to the Arc because it was a long walk and our feet were soo tired, but we got fairly close and stood in the middle of the road (on a crosswalk section obviously :) ) and got a picture of the street. Last, we took a picture of the Moulin Rouge, which we were staying near. 

The next morning we had to go to the airport early because it was so far away, so we didn't have time for anything else. had a great experience in Paris though! Most if not all of the people we met were friendly enough, so the French stereotype didn't hold up, at least in our short two days. I got a few great souvenirs as well, some are surprises :) food was good, and the city was great! It just may have been my favorite so far!

Then, we had another great day because on Monday, Gisela, my German teacher from UMaine and the program director of the NEUS program that I'm on, came to visit! She's such a great person so it was a lot a lot of fun to see her! The program paid for our dinner at a restaurant called Stiegl Keller, with traditional Austrian food, and it was delicious! I got some sort of Pork, with string beans and potatos :) very Austrian and very delicious! we even got to have dessert (I ordered Apfel Strudel-apple strudel). Gisela all shared the great news with us that the program has some money left over, so we're gonna be able to go to Berlin, Germany sponsored by the program!! I'm sooo excited about that, I've always wanted to see Berlin! AND, I also convinced Gabriella (resident director) that we should have class at Golling Wasserfall tomorrow! Plus we're going to the ice caves this weekend on an overnight trip. So basically, lots of traveling up ahead!

This morning I went to breakfast with Gisela (Ashley, Erin, and eventually this other guy TC also came too) at Tomaselli Cafe, the oldest cafe in Salzburg! It was opened in 1705 and apparently Mozart and other famous people used to eat there. Gisela treated us! I got a hot chocolate and an orange juice (we all got two rounds of drinks and I hate coffee) and for breakfast I tried a Topfen-Strudel which is like a cheese strudel/danish. They are known for their pastries and it was absolutely delicious. I've been spoiled for the past two meals not having to pay! I'm actually going out to eat one more time tonight at a restaurant called Wilder Mann, for my friend Josh's 21st birthday celebration, a bit early, and as a farewell dinner because Josh and the rest of his group are leaving on Thursday! It's sad :( so we're going out tonight to have dinner together!

Anyway, that was a lot of updates, but mostly all exciting fun news! I have some homework to do so I think I'll start it before I go to dinner with the rest of the gang. Miss you all and I'll try to update again soon about the waterfall we go to tomorrow!

the week so far...

I got a 2 on my midterm! The Austrian grading system is number based 1 through 5, and 1 is the best. According to UMaine standards a 2= a B+. wooo! Pretty proud I pulled that off, it was a hard test!

Not too much to update on really. This weekend I went to the Mozarts Geburtshaus (Mozart's birth house) because Sunday was free museum day. Almost every major museum in the city was free for entry, just for that one day. Nobody else wanted to go out really (it was raining) so I had to go by myself but I was glad I went. I saw: Mozart's first violin, a piece of his hair, and of course the house where he was born. The funny part is that Mozart didn't really like Salzburg..he much preferred Vienna, Austria. But the City of Salzburg makes a lot of money off of him, so there the museums will stay!

I didn't really run for the last couple of days because my leg was sore but I'm going running after I finish writing this and doing laundry which is halfway done now...I was almost out of socks, so it was time to do some. Plus I need clean clothes for Paris!! We're leaving on Friday morning, taking a train to Munich, and then flying to Paris! Finally I don't have to travel alone somewhere..Paige and Erin are traveling from Salzburg with me, and we're meeting Kris in Paris. So far I think we all want to go to most of the same places, so that's convenient for sure. I also have to do a little bit of homework for Thursday, but for the most part I've worked ahead and don't even have anything due for next week! It will be a fun weekend to get away from school again :)

Last night Ashley, Erin and I made steak and cheese subs out of hamburger meat..so I guess it wasn't technically steak but it was still yummy. And we had french fries with it. I feel like I haven't eaten anything that greasy in a while! Although Austrian food, traditionally, is really greasy, I haven't had any Austrian meals in a while..but, next Monday Gisela will be here and we're all going out to dinner together, pretty sure the program is paying :) I'm so excited to see her!

Today is the nicest day of the week here so far, sunny and 75! I don't want to jinx anything but the weather for Paris looks pretty good so far..we'll see how it turns out! One of the few conversations I had with my roommate, since we barely talk, she told me I'll love Paris. I'm hoping she's right, she is from France after all!

For the past couple days a few people were in bad moods..little things kept piling up. It can get really annoying being around angry people all the time..but things are looking up now I think, the weather really does have a big effect on mood..drives me nuts! The rain is a downer, but still..we're in Austria people :) Sometimes it feels like I'm going to get home and feel like all of this was a dream, I still can't believe I'm here sometimes and we're over halfway through. I have mixed feelings about leaving..I'm excited to see family and friends but really sad because I'll miss being here :(

Well, I'm going to go get some more things done, hope it's sunny back in the US!

long awaited update

Here's an update for the last week. My midterm went by successfully…we’ll see how successfully it was when I get my grade. But I did my studying and pretty much just did the best I could so hopefully it all turns out well. One thing I noticed in Austria, is they are a lot more serious about spreading people out for the test so nobody can cheat. Our teacher had us sit with two seats in between each person, and had everyone also sit every other row so there was an empty row between each set of people. It’s funny, because in the US we sit with everyone all crammed in together, but I think it’s because in some of our college classrooms there is no way they could spread people out that much. 

The rest of the week was spent divided between relaxing and doing actual work. I had a presentation in my literature class Thursday (on the author Stephan Zweig, who we're reading in class) so I’m glad that’s over now. Thursday when trying to get to class (Erin, Ashley and I all wait at the same bus stop) there was a random huge 20-minute rainstorm. Salzburg is famous for those I guess.  The rain was POURING down and I was wearing a raincoat, but didn’t have my umbrella. So my jeans got soaked, and really all of us were soaked. So we usually get the bus at 4:09 to go to class and it didn’t come, didn’t come, so it was 4:30, when our class starts, and no buses had come, and no traffic coming from that direction, as well as sirens. We had to text our teacher and tell her we would be really late, and we ended up getting to class a half hour late and soaking wet. It wasn’t a very fun class…and I had to do my presentation after I got there.

Other than that rain, it’s been great weather all week! One day it was even sunny and 78 degrees! I love how summer starts earlier here. I’ve been running and going outside. We sat by the river one evening and just hung out.  We’ve watched a few movies inside in the evening, and we also went to IK (another dorm) to visit Paige where she lives and to have dinner outside in their patio area. We ended up with 12 or so people just hanging out. It was really fun! It’s great to just be spontaneous here and randomly decide to do different things.

This weekend I have one essay to write, I already did one Thursday. Other than that, it’s pretty much up in the air and I can plan to do whatever I feel like doing for the next couple days! Less than a week from today we’ll be flying to PARIS.. I’m so excited!! I can’t wait to see Paris! I’ve had a picture of Paris since I was 7 or 8 I think and told Mom I wanted to go there, so I guess it’s finally coming true J  

It turned out that we didn’t go to the Eagle’s Nest Friday, because we didn’t get signed up in time for the trip...so Gabriella is going to take us in our own group. Also, we’re still going to the Eisriesenwelt (ice caves) field trip and Gabriella said there might be some extra money for us to take one more trip somewhere, but she has to check with the program. Gisela, my German teacher from UMaine, is coming to visit us on the Monday after we get back from Paris for a few days!! I’m so excited. She’s the program director and she’s really an amazing person. It will be a lot of fun going to dinner with her! J

Friday night Ashley made us "beer batter chicken" which is basically fried chicken (her Mom's recipe). We also had rice, garlic bread and bundt cake for dessert! It was our first REAL meal for a while...sooo yummy! Being here has definitely demystified cooking for me, now I feel like I could go cook some fried chicken no problem if I wanted to. I guess I'm branching out my horizons in that area. Erin and I went for a little walk after dinner and that was fun. Today (Saturday) it's raining so I might just be staying inside today..I pulled a muscle in my leg running so I don't even think I should run today :/ well, that's all for now but more updates soon!!