Guten Abend from here in Salzburg,

This week has been an interesting mix of experiences. 

For this weeks post I am going to post limited pictures because the formatting for pictures here is not one that I particularly care for. A note for future user of this site: If you want a picture heavy blog you're better off choosing a different blogging location.

Now on to the week,

The week started off pretty typical with classes Monday thru Thursday. We had Stammtisch on Tuesday 09.16 which was fun. I was able to enjoy a nice glass of Resiling wine with a nice view, and good conversation. Makes me think that I will need to plan time when I get home to go to a coffee shop or get a glass a wine once a week. 

On Wednesday, 09.17 we visited Schlose Hellbrunn, which was my least favorite of the field trips we've gone on but still some beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the views more than I did the actual castle/estate.

The main thing at Schloss Hellbrunn was the trick fountains. Basically the man who built this house and lived here enjoyed making his guests mad by getting them wet when they least expected it.

On Thursday 09.18 we got the opportunity to celebrate a birthday! Which is always fun. (Happy Birthday again Ellen! I hope you're 21st here in Austria was one you won't soon forget.) We also go the chance to go to the local market for lunch which was a great experience. Hopefully I will get to go again soon. The apple strudel I had was wonderful!

Friday 09.19, is when the week really began for me and that's because we had our Upper Austria field trip where we visited Mauthausen Concentration Camp, St. Florian Monastery, and Hallstatt. 

First off, the bus we traveled in was a very nice! It was also a private bus so we were able to kick back and relax without worrying about anything. Seats reclined which made nap time more enjoyable.

Our first stop of the day was Mauthausen Concentration Camp which is an experience that is incredibly difficult to put into words. It was powerful, emotional, and very somber. It is one thing to read about concentration camps in history books growing up, and a completely different thing to visit one. Truly an experience I won't ever forget. It's hard to walk around a place knowing the injustice so many people faced. To walk to the places where people lost their lives and where they were treated as property rather than human beings.

The hardest thing for me to grasp was how much normal life was going on right outside the walls of this place. It is truly something I will never be able to get my head around.

After our tour of the concentration camp we got back on the bus and headed to St. Florian Monastery, which was a stark difference from what we had previously witnessed. (We know why our professor called it the day of contrasts.) The Monastery was an absolutely beautiful place. Peaceful and quite.

 The last stop on our Upper Austria field trip was to Hallstatt which is a very pretty, small little town. I absolutely loved it! Surrounded by mountains with the most adorable little shops.

Rounding off the week was our Wolfgangsee Hike on Saturday 09.21 which was steep with the end result being worth it. Plus, for lunch we ate at a farm is it was really yummy!

 Once my roommate and I got home from our hike we had Chinese food for dinner and walked around the festival going on in town. Enjoyable and very easy going.

As for today, 09.21, it has been a very laid back, full of relaxing, studying for my German quiz tomorrow, and walking to the grocery store to get some fruit.

Until next time. 

Happy Monday,

It's the start of my third week here in Salzburg and an exiting one it should be. But first lets recap the last week...

We had our first week of actual classes last week which was actually kind of fun. Still doesn't feel like actual school to me though. Still feels like vacation and we just happen to be learning German and the history of the country we are in. I'll take it though. :-)

On Tuesday September 9th, we had our first Stammtisch of the semester. For those of you that don't know what a stammtisch is, it's where a group of people meet up however often they choose and catch up and have a drink of some kind. Our first one was at a cute little coffee shop in town. I got a chai latte which was fairly good, though it had too much foam for my liking. On Wednesday the 10th,  we had a tour of the city center. Was able to see a beautiful cathedral. I love seeing all the old churches just for their pure beauty and craftsmanship. We also walked through a cemetery, and saw Mozart's house.

Now we will skip ahead to Saturday the 12th because that's when the week got fun. I hiked up a mountain. (what the mountain was called and what the elevation is, is something I am figuring out. Will post when I know.) Hiking up a mountain is something I never thought I would do in a million years!! It was most certainly a challenge physically but the view from the top was well worth it. From the top of the mountain we then hiked up the ice caves which were beautiful. But climbing over 700 stairs after hiking up a mountain was less than desirable.
Shout out to Jake Kloiber for taking the photographs inside the ice caves. Your secret camera skills are very much appreciated. ;-)

Now we've made it to Sunday September 14th, the most fun I've had in awhile. We went canyoning. I have a few pictures now but we have to wait for our guides to send us the ones they took while going through the canyons. It was exciting, slightly terrifying, and just fun. Plus a lot of work...sitting here before I go to school this morning (Monday 9/15) I am most certainly sore. I may just be converted to an out doorsy girl by the time I get home.

Until next time.