It's good to be back

All the pictures from spring break are on facebook now. I also added a few to the last couple blog posts.

Today I woke up late (9:30), went for a run, watched TV online, uploaded pictures, and used electronics without adapters. Ahhhhhhhhh it's good to be back.

Im back

Well, I made it back to Edinburgh. Back to the land of tartan and cashmere, Sainsburys and Tesco, South Bridge and Cowgate.

The last 5 weeks have been absolutely incredible. I can now say I've backpacked around Europe. I have been planning that trip for a year and a half, and it was even better than I imagined. Honestly. It was so great.

Today went smoothly. I had breakfast with Sif and Tønnes, and we looked at a few slides that Tønnes found of my Mom's visit to Norway when she was younger. Then we all went upstairs to talk with Tante Synnove for a bit before Gunner, Joren and Tante Ingborg picked me up to go back to Kristiansand.

We dropped off Joren and Tante Ingborg in town so they could go shopping, then Gunner and I went on to Elbjorg's house. The other Gunner and his wife were there so we had a nice visit.

Then Elbjorg took me to the bus station where she, Little Gunner, Joren, and Tante Ingborg saw me off. It was sad to leave.

But my visit wasn't quite over. Gunstein picked me up at the bus station in Foksrød, then we went back to his and Marit's house for dinner. I got to see their lovely house and the church where Gunstein is the pastor.

Gunstein dropped me off at the Torp airport a little after 7. The flight and everything went smoothly (there was a fantastic sunset for most of the flight), and I got back to my flat at about 10:45.

Sunset from the plane:

When I got to the airport in Edinburgh, it felt strange to be back. Apparently cities don't stay the same when you leave them for over a month. The first change was that the Airlink shuttle buses to the city have all been replaced with brand new fancy buses, so that was exciting. I was preparing myself for the shock of hearing English spoken on the loudspeaker of public transportation, but when the driver started talking it took me a while to decide if it was English or not. Oh Scottish accents.

I listened to some cheesy pipe music on my iPod on the bus ride to the city, and by the time we turned that corner onto Princes Street and the castle came into view, I was ready to eat haggis and say things like "bin your litter".

It was so nice walking through the city back to my flat. I missed this place! It's warm here too, at least 55 farenheit I think, and that's at night. I had a bit of trouble in my apartment building when I couldn't remember what floor I lived on...

A few more things besides the Airlink shuttles have changed. I noticed that there's a brand new tram car on the tram tracks. The tram system has been under construction for forever, and I really didn't think it would ever be finished. But now there's a real tram car! There are a few new shops around too, and the gates to Kincaid's Court have been painted. I think the biggest change though is the big Tesco (not the new one). I went grocery shopping after I got back tonight and the whole store has been redone. Basically they just flipped it around, so everything is on the opposite side of where it was, and not really in any particular order. It's so annoying; it took me forever to find stuff. But at least I now have cheerios and milk for breakfast tomorrow.

I still have 3 weeks before my exams so the next few days will be spent uploading pictures, unpacking (jk you all know me better than that- that'll be done tonight), catching up on 5 weeks of television shows, and learning how to type on an American keyboard again. I might even leave my room occasionally to eat and shower. Maybe.

I collect magnets from places I go, and here are the magnets I have bought this semester:

Norway Day 3

Dinner last night was great, lots of people came. It was Tante Synnove, Tønnes, Sif, Gunner, Jorun, Tordis, Olav, Torsvane (and wife whose name I cant remember), Tante Ingborg, and me. We had a fantastic meal (of course), fantastic desserts (of course), and great conversation. It was fun meeting everyone (or seeing some people again). After dinner I went to Tordis' house and we looked at the family geneology which was helpful, then Olav and I watched an American movie which was refreshing.

This morning I had breakfast with Sif and Tønnes, then I went upstairs to talk with Tante Synnove for a while. We looked at photo albums which was really helpful for placing everyone.

Then Gunner came to pick me up and we went back to their house (the old farmhouse) where we (Gunner, Jorun, Tante Ingborg and I) had delicious apple pie made by Jorun. I got a tour of the house which was really fun because my grandmother (and great grandmother?) were born there, and the family has been living there for generations. Gunner is restoring it and it's going to look great.

Then all four of us got in the car for a day of driving around Farsund (and a bit of Lyngdal). Along the way they pointed out all the old family houses and lands, which was pretty cool to see.

Our first stop was at Farmvaren, a big fjord where the water doesn't move so it's really unique, and a lot of research is being done there. We hiked around a bit and saw fantastic scenery. It's just so beautiful around here! We hiked along the old road which goes right along the edge of the cliff. It's incredible to think how old the road is.

Hiking around Farmvaren:

Then we drove west past the resevoir lakes, and then north along Åptafjorden I think. There was a great view point from the top of a mountain with lovely views of Farsund.

Then we drove north until we could get around the fjords (by Åpta and Drange), stopping by all the family's houses along the way. Eventually we ended up in Mandal for dinner. It's a really pretty town, and the sun had come out by then so the weather was just beautiful. We went to a really nice restaurant that was right on the water, and we all got fish soup and the fish of the day. Delicious.

Mandal harbor:

Then we drove back to Tante Ingborg's house for coffee and dessert. I've eaten so much food the last couple days...

So yeah it was a great day! We saw a lot of stuff that I didn't say specifically because I can't possibly remember all the houses and lands. We saw Otto's old family house, the old radio station where Gunnar worked- so much more. I don't remember specifically.

Tomorrow Gunnar, Joren, and Ingborg are driving me down to Kristiansand where Gunnar and I are going to meet Elbjorg and someone else I think for lunch (Joren and Ingborg are going shopping), then Gunnar is dropping me off at the bus station. I'm taking a bus back to near Torp, where Gundstein is picking me up. We're going to get dinner then he is going to take me to the Torp airport, where I'm getting a flight back to Edinburgh. So hopefully the next blog I write will be sent from my own computer in Edinburgh!

The last couple days

I have a little time before dinner (meaning the main meal of the day, which happens around 4), so I will start writing about the last couple days.

Starting on Friday, in Eindhoven. My last morning in Eindhoven was really nice. I ate breakfast with the family, then they had a few errands to run so they put the two little girls on bike seats, and we all rode through town to do the errands. It felt very Dutch. We stopped at the grocery store first, then went to pick up training wheels for the older daughter. There was a playground by the last stop so the girls played there for awhile. The weather was really nice, and it was just so cool to be able to ride bikes around town to do errands. Oh, after the playground we rode our bikes past a windmill, so at least I've seen a windmill in Holland.

We went back to the house for lunch (Dutch hotdogs and some kind of pastry thing called oil balls), then Martin drove me to the airport. The flight was very easy, and landed half an hour early in Rygge. That's where the problems started.

The plan was for me to take the shuttle bus from the airport to Moss, where I would take a ferry to Horten, where Henrik would pick me up. Turns out the shuttle bus only goes to Rygge station, then you have to take a 5 minute train ride to Moss from there. Even though my plane got in early, the shuttle bus to Rygge station didn't leave for another 40 minutes. Bummer. While I was waiting, I decided to try to get some cash, which is difficult since I no longer have a debit card. I went to the only store in the airport, and they said they could give me cash back with a purchase. Great. So I picked out a book to buy, but then the cash back thing didn't work. So now I have no cash, and no book (I finished the one I bought). I figured something would work out though so I didn't worry too much.

The shuttle bus finally came, but the bus driver was holding a sign saying no trains to Moss. What? I asked him and he said the next one wasn't coming for another hour and a half, so it would be better for me to wait at the airport for the next shuttle since the train station is literally just a stop, there are no buildings around or anything. I decided it was better to move one step closer to my destination instead of sitting at the airport, so I got on the shuttle bus anyway.

Henrik called at this point, and I told him that I had to take a train to Moss, and that it would be a while. I was worried because my phone had very little money left on it, and I was worried about getting stranded with no means of communication.

I got to the train station, and found out that the ticket machine only took debit cards. Of course. And there's no ticket counter around, because it's in the middle of no where. I was just starting to consider my options when Henrik called, and said I should just take a taxi because Moss was so close. So he called one for me, and it came to pick me up. That was very lucky, because I could pay for the taxi with a credit card. Thank goodness. I probably would have ended up hitch hiking to Moss... It was just very fortunate that I had decided to get on the shuttle from the airport despite the driver's warnings, and that I hadn't bought a train ticket yet because the taxi saved like 2 hours of time. After that call my phone was pretty much out of money, so I was just hoping everything would go smoothly.

The taxi came, and the driver was very nice. He took me to the docks and told me where to go for the ferry. The ferry comes every half hour or so and I had just missed one, so I had a while to wait. Pretty soon after I got there, a man and woman arrived too. The guy started talking to me. He's Iraqi, but has been living in Norway for 8 years. I was confused about who the woman was but I think he said it was his brother's wife. But anyway, we talked until the ferry came, then he insisted on buying my ticket (it's the equivalent of only a few dollars). As weird as it sounds that he bought my ticket, it was really kind of a miracle because I didn't have any cash, and I don't know if I could have used the credit card to buy my ticket (I didn't even tell him that). So that worked out incredibly well. I didn't have enough money to recieve calls by that point, but Henrik was able to text me to say he would be waiting in Horten.

Waiting for the ferry in Moss:

I talked to the guy during the half hour ferry ride, and he showed me some pictures on his laptop of his family in Iraq, so that was actually pretty neat.

When I got to Horten, Henrik was at the dock waiting for me. We drove back to his house and ate dinner with his wife Brigitte, daughter Emma, and parents Inger and Are. I will apologize in advance for completely butchering or forgetting names of people and places; I have a terrible memory for Norwegian names... Mormor, feel free to correct me.

Dinner was fantastic. Home cooked meals are a rarity in my life abroad, and it was wonderful to have a big meal with family. After dinner I scandalized everyone by saying that I don't drink coffee, but somehow they were still able to tolerate my company.

We talked for awhile, then I headed up the road with Inger and Are to their house where I spent the night. We stayed up talking for awhile about everything from politics to Dillon, so it was a very interesting night. They have a really nice house, and it is on a hill overlooking a valley so they have an incredible view. It was a fantastic place to see the sun set (which happens around 9 this time of year).

I slept well, then had a full Norwegian breakfast the next morning. Are drove me to the bus station after that, and I got on a bus to Kristiansand.

The bus ride was about 3 and 1\2 hours long, with fantastic scenery along the southern coast. When I got to the bus station in Kristiansand I was supposed to meet Elbjorg, but we were unsure of what each other looked like so it took a few minutes for me to work up the courage to ask someone if they were Elbjorg. The first person that I asked was, and she had even worn a plaid skirt that she got in Edinburgh. I was hoping that my resemblance to my mother would help out in that situation, but oh well.

We drove to her house for lunch, picking up Chinese food along the way because we didn't have much time. We ate at her house, then got in the car and started on our way to Farsund.

Ok this is where my memory and knowledge gets very sketchy, but I'll do my best. The first stop was to see Katrine, possibly in Søgne? Gamma was there too, and we had a great visit. There was, of course, food, and great conversation. I even drank coffee so as not to offend anyone...

We stayed there about an hour, then went to the next place, which was Astre and her husband. Shoot I don't remember his name. But that was a nice visit too, and they gave me a big slab of Norwegian chocolate.

Next stop was to visit Tante Åsta, the last of Oldamor's siblings. She is in a nursing home type place, but seems to be doing very well, as Oldamor did. Åsta reminded me a lot of Oldamor, and it was great to see her. I remember I last saw her in Wisconsin at the big family gathering for Oldamor's 90th (right?).

The last stop was at a house where I can't remember the people's names (I'm so sorry). They were lovely though, and 2 of their daughters came over too. One, whose name is Kristin I believe, remembered the bubble bath incident from the last time my family was in Norway, so that should help you (if you are my parents or grandparents) to know who these relatives were. We had dinner there, and it was delicious. I even had tea, which I don't usually drink, but I think I will be drinking a lot of it here. I don't mind it so much now that I've had it a bit.

I think those were all the stops. I might be forgetting one, but I think that was everyone. From there Elbjorg and I went the rest of the way to Farsund. Along the way, she pointed out lots of places where the family used to live, like the old farms and churches and school and everything. That was really interesting, it was really cool to see, even though I couldn't keep all the people straight that she was talking about.

When we arrived in Farsund, we went to Sif, Tønnes, and Tante Sineva's house. We visited for awhile, then Elbjorg went back to the previous house to spend the night before driving back to Kristiansand. It was about 10 by then, and Sif had just returned from Bergen that day, so we went to bed. Their house is really nice too, and it has a stunning view of the fjord and mountains. I will put up pictures of all these places when I get back to Edinburgh.

This morning Sif, Tønnes, and I had another great Norwegian breakfast. Then I went up to visit with Tanta Sineva for a while, before Sif, Tønnes and I headed out for the day. We drove around lots of places- it was really great. The weather started out kind of rainy, but cleared up a bit in the afternoon.

Our first stop was a really nice beach. I wish I could put up pictures now! It just felt like 'Norway', if that makes sense. I'm not sure what the place was called, maybe Haviksanden?

A beach:

From there we went up to the town of Vanse, where there is an American store (Trunken). It was actually pretty neat to walk through because there was stuff in there that I haven't seen for months. They had a big food section with all kinds of brands that I miss, like Jif peanut butter, Hershey's chocolate, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Tootsie Rolls, Twizzlers, etc. The music section consisted entirely of country western music.

American foods in Trunken:

Next we went to Lista, which has fantastic scenery. There is also a memorial to my great great great grandfather (according to Sif), Tønnes Samuelson Kaade, who was apparently a very brave guy who saved shipwrecked boats.

Memorial to my great great great grandfather:

Close to that is a lighthouse, which we went to see and walked around there. Beautiful.

Lighthouse:

Then we went a bit more north to see some famous rock carvings. They are of boats on a big rock in a field, and are like 3000 years old I think. As in every place we stopped, the view from there was incredible. Close to that is Nordberg Fort, which is a place that the Germans used in World War II. There is a big network of bunkers and trenches and stuff on a hill, so we walked through all that (parents: are these the same bunkers we went to last time we visited?).

Rock carvings:

View from rock carvings:

Inside bunkers:

We went back to Vanse after that to eat lunch in a little cafe, then went back to Farsund. We saw the old church (almost 1000 years old), and the graveyard, where Uncle Ådna and Tønnes Samuelson Kaade are buried. We got into a conversation with some guys who were doing work on the church, but I just stood there and pretended I knew what was being said.

Farsund Church

Since the weather had cleared up a little by then, we went down to Loshavn to see the coast there. Absolutely beautiful. I could have stayed there all day (as with all the places we went to today).

Loshavn:

Now we are back at Sif, Tønnes, and Sineva's place. Dinner is going to be soon, and a few more people are coming in for that so it should be a good time.

Norway Day 2

Again, I don't have time for a full update. I've done so much in the last 2 days that it will take a while to write it all up, but hopefully I'll remember everything when I do write it up eventually.

After a bus ride to Kristiansand this afternoon, Elbjorg and I spent the rest of the day driving up to Farsund and visiting relatives along the way. We stopped at 4 places I think. The scenery is stunning, the people are wonderful, and the food is copious.

Journey to Norway

I made it to Norway! It was a bit of an adventure but it all worked out. I don't have time to write now, but I'll update when I can.

Amsterdam

Today did not go as smoothly as some other days... Nothing terrible happened, it was just a lot of little things that made the day a little rough, and left me not liking Amsterdam as much as some other places. The weather was great though, which saved the day.

The problems started at the train station in Eindhoven this morning. The station doesn't take credit cards, only debit cards and cash. As my debit card was cancelled yesterday, and I have no cash, that was a problem. Luckily a bank at the station let me take money out on the credit card, but there was a fee and I was worried I would miss my train and stuff. But it worked out, and I made the train.

After I got to Amsterdam, I wandered around trying to find the tourisim office to buy a city pass, which gives you free transportation and free entrance to some museums and other stuff. Eventually I found the office, but it was complete chaos. There were so many people there, and so few staff, and all the tourists were getting mad because the service was so slow. It was pretty bad. I waited though, and eventually got my card. I was worried I would miss my free walking tour, but I didn't.

So I made it to the city center on time for the free walking tour, and that went well. The guide was really good, and we saw a lot. The infamous Red Light District is pretty crazy. I guess it was what I expected but it's hard to believe that places like that exist... It really is a city with a different feel to it than anywhere else I've been.

A canal:

A famous "coffeeshop":

The tour ended at about 2:30, and I set off to find the Anne Frank house. I wandered around lost for a while, wasting time and getting frustrated, then finally found it. I waited in line, which actually wasn't too bad, and inside was pretty cool. You can walk through the house and see the secret rooms and everything, and they have her original diary in there. Pretty powerful stuff.

Anne Frank House:

After the Anne Frank house I decided to do my free canal tour, which came with the city pass. I took the tram to where I thought was the boat dock, but I got lost again trying to find that (the canals make the city really confusing...), and just missed a boat, so I had to wait half an hour for another one. During that time I went to Vondelpark, which was really nice, but I didn't have enough time to explore it properly.

Vondelpark:

I got a good seat on the boat, and the tour was really nice. It was an hour and a half long so it went all over the city. The houses and other buildings are really distinctive, and they look really cool. The bridges are awesome, and I love all the houseboats. Almost made me want to live in one.

Canal cruise:

The canal tour ended at about 6:30. Since it was Friday, both of the famous museums, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gough museum, were open late, so I was happy that I would have time to do both. I went to the Rijksmuseum first, but it was closed! I couldn't believe it! There were a bunch of confused people standing around wondering what in the world was going on. It's under construction so a lot of it is closed anyway, but the famous pieces are still supposed to be on display. I talked to 2 ladies seperately, and both said that they had talked to tourist office people and they said it would be open. Both ladies also said that they had had frustrating days as well, and would not be going back to Amsterdam again. It just seems like everyone I saw today was frustrated. The things that were open were under construction, there is no organization in the administration, it's just a mess.

I was really dissapointed about that. I went to the Van Gough museum though, and that was good. Of course one floor of it was closed for renovation.... but I saw the main stuff.

After that I went to the train station and caught an 8:00 train back to Eindhoven. I guess it's good that the Rijksmuseum was closed because I would have got back to Eindhoven very late (I got back to the house at 10:30 as it was), but I'm bummed that I didn't get to see such a famous museum.

So yeah overall I'm really glad I went to Amsterdam because I really wanted to see it, but it's not my favorite city. I'm sure if I had more time to spend there (definitely need more than one day) and if I had been with other people I would like it more, but I just felt kind of frustrated at the amount of wasted time today. Oh well. Like I said, I'm really glad I got the chance to go (it is a beautiful city!), and the magnet I got (I collect magnets) is probably the coolest one from spring break (little ceramic white and blue clogs), so score.

I'm flying to Norway tomorrow. I'm staying with relatives in Torp tomorrow night (after a ferry ride from Rygge), then taking a train to Kristiansand on Sunday. Flying back to Edinburgh on Wednsday.

Salzburg to Eindhoven

This morning I woke up in Salzburg, Austria. 11 hours, 2 buses, 5 trains, and over 400 miles later, I am in Eindhoven, Netherlands. It was a surprisingly easy trip with no problems. There was great scenery the whole way (is there anywhere in Europe that doesn't have great scenery?), so I just listened to my ipod the whole time and looked out the window. I really love train rides.

I'm staying with family friends in Eindhoven, and it is so nice to be in a real house. I even got a home cooked meal tonight. I dont know what it was but it was delicious and I was told it was a very traditional Dutch dish.

Unfortunately the day couldn't be without it's mishaps. I don't know exactly what happened, but my debit card has been compromised (there was some weird unauthorized activity on it) so it has been canceled. Now I have no way to get cash. All part of the Europe experience right? I'm not bothered, it just adds to the adventure.

Amsterdam tomorrow.

Salzburg- Day unknown....

Phew what a day. It was an emotional roller coaster.

This morning started out rough. I had plans to do like 5 things and they all fell through, so I felt like I had wasted the morning and I was very frustrated. Eventually I decided to get online and figure out where I was going to go next (like to get back to Edinburgh or go to Norway or what), and that just made me more frustrated with the limited and expensive options.

Thoroughly discouraged, I decided to lift my spirits by renting a bike. An excellent idea. I started out with the intention of going back to Hellbrunn, the park where the Sound of Music gazebo is, but I got lost and decided just to wander around. I have no idea where I went, but wherever it was, it was gorgeous. I followed bike paths through fields with wildflowers, with mountains in the background, and the ocasional horse pasture. Does it get better than that? I guess if the weather had been better (it was pretty grey) that would have been nice, but it didnt rain. Here are some pictures of the lovely countryside.

Field full of yellow wildflowers that you cant really see in the picture:

You cant tell from the picture but there were mountains behind the horses:

Eventually I saw some signs for Hellbrunn so I followed those. As I biked, I suddenly saw on my left the house from Sound of Music, that we had only seen from across a field on the tour. I did a double take and almost crashed the bike, but recovered gracefully and without incurring the wrath of passing Austrians. I was right in front of it, and of course took a picture. That was pretty sweet.

Sound of Music house:

I did find Hellbrunn eventually, and it was a really nice place to bike around. Its a palace, so there are some nice gardens.

Hellbrunn Gardens:

I still had 2 hours with the bike after Hellbrunn so I made my way back to the river and picked a direction. I biked along the river for a long time, then biked back. It was a really pretty ride.

After the bike ride I tried to do more planning for the rest of my trip, but got frustrated and gave up. I went back to my hostel and read for about an hour to recover. The book Im reading, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, is great because it is set in Scotland. It talks about Edinburgh, Cramond, and other places Ive been, so its really fun to read.

Anyway, I felt better eventually, and decided to tackle planning one last time. Here is the final plan:

- 10 hour train ride to Eindhoven tomorrow, stay with family friends

- Amsterdam on Friday

- Plane to Norway on Saturday

- Complicated plans to get me to Kristiansand

- Plane back to Edinburgh on Wednesday

So yeah, hopefully there will be no more travel problems.

In other news, I just found out that I got a graduate assistantship for OT school next year! Im really excited about it. I dont know what Ill be doing yet but it is 6 hours per week doing OT related stuff. Fantastic.

Salzburg- Day 2

This morning I did the Sound of Music tour. Awesome! I was glad I watched the movie last night, it made it that much cooler. It was a small tour, only 7 people, and I loved the guide. We started out with the sights in the city, and not only did we learn all about the sights, the cast, the crew, and the story of the real Trapp family, but we also got a tour of the city with history, so it was well worth it.

Like I said, we started off in the city center so we saw the plazas that were prominent in the movie (where the soldiers marched through, where Maria and the kids danced through the streets...), and I put pictures of those up yesterday.

Then we went out of the city a bit to Hellbrunn Castle, a beautiful castle in a beautiful park. The glass gazebo now stands there (was on private property when the movie was filmed, then was moved to Hellbrunn for tourists).

The "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" gazebo:

Hellbrun Castle:

Next we went to see the house that was used for the exterior shots of the front of the house. Its privately owned so we couldnt go up to it, but we could see it from the road.

The house used in the movie for exterior shots:

Then we saw the house that they used for the back of the house (the gardens, the patio, the lake with the boating scene). It is called Leopoldskron Castle. It is in a beautiful location, with mountains and a lake and everything. Really pretty. Also privately owned now. The gazebo used to stand next to it. Notice Salzburg castle in the background. The mountains are behind me.

Porch scenes:

Our last stop in Salzburg was to see the abbey, Nonnberg Abbey, where the real Maria lived and where they filmed the scenes. I might go in there tomorrow.

Nonnberg Abbey:

Then we went out of Salzburg to go to Mondsee, where a bunch of scenes were filmed. But on the way, we saw some stunning scenery. One place was St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang.

Beautiful scenery:

Mondsee was about half an hour away from Salzburg so on the way our guide told us more information, and, of course, we listened to the soundtrack from the movie. I was sitting next to the guide so we chatted, and that was fun.

Mondsee is a really quaint little town on a lake. This is where the church is from the wedding scene (though in real life they got married in Nonnburg Abbey) and the row of trees that the kids climbed to wave at the car, along with a couple other scenes.

Church where the wedding scene was filmed:

Row of trees where the kids waved at the car:

We had an hour to see the town, eat lunch, etc, so I wandered around for a while, then bought lunch and ate it at the lake. It was a very pleasant hour.

View while I ate lunch:

We got back to Salzburg at 1:30. It dropped us off at the Mirabell Gardens, but like I said yesterday, I had already seen those. I was going to rent a bike but it actually started raining (it was nice for the tour though), so Ill do that another day. I went to this internet cafe to type this up instead. Now Im going to go to the Mozart museum I think, then Dillon and I are going to try to video chat (today is our 3 year anniversary). A concert tonight at the cathedral, then I guess planning how Im going to get back to Edinburgh...

Salzburg- Day 1

I updated yesterday`s post with details about my trip to Neuchwanstein Castle, so you can check that out if you want.

I still cant get back to Edinburgh, so I moved from Munich to Salzburg. What an awesome place! I love it here! The weather is perfect and it`s a beautiful city. It`s famous for being the birthplace of Mozart, and where he grew up, as well as for being the place where The Sound of Music was filmed (and where the Von Trapps actually lived).

I arrived around 11 this morning, and walked from the train station instead of taking the bus to save money. It was a long walk, but like I said the weather was perfect, and most of the walk was along the river, so it was a beautiful walk. I got to the hostel about noon, then set off to see the city.

I started off by going into a few churches, because those are what I passed first. I went into Kajetanerkirche and Katakomben. Eventually I found the main area, which consists of 4 squares: Mozartplatz, Residenzplatz, Kapitelplatz, and Domplatz. They are all connected to each other.

Residenzplatz:

Domplatz, and the Cathedral:

Giant chessboard in Kapitalplatz:

Mozartplatz:

I went in to the Dom, the main cathedral. It is beautiful, and Im going to go to a free concert there tomorrow night.

Cathedral:

Next I went in to the Residenz, the palace. There´s an audio guide that takes you through the state rooms, so that was pretty cool. It was cool to hear more about the people I learned about in Vienna.

One of the rooms in the Residenz:

After that I just walked around and explored the city. There are tons of really cool streets, and most of the city center is pedestrianized so that`s nice. I loved walking around in the beautiful weather.

Eventually I headed up to Festung Hohensalzburg, the castle. It was a steep climb up to the fortress, but the view was fantastic. The castle was cool, and there were some nice museums, but I think the view was the best part.

View of the castle from Kapitelplatz:

View from the castle:

I spent a few hours there then walked along the river to Schloss Mirabell, a palace with beautiful gardens.

Walking along the river:

Schloss Mirabell is where some scenes from the "Do-re-mi" song in The Sound of Music were flimed. You`ll probably recognize the pictures below from those scenes.

Mirabell Gardens:

Doe, a deer, a female deer...:

After that I bought a ticket for the official Sound of Music tour tomorrow. Im actually really excited about it! It goes to a bunch of the places where they filmed the movie, like the gazebo, the church where they got married, the abby, and more. The hostel that I`m staying in shows the movie every night so Im going to watch it tonight to get ready for tomorrow! Im excited.

It was about 6 by then so I walked back to my hostel to get settled in, bought a book (I finished both of the ones I brought with me), then found an internet cafe to type this up and do research on Salzburg.

Tonight, the Sound of Music. Tomorrow, the Sound of Music tour, then something else. I really wanted to go to the Eagle´s Nest, an observation bunker thing used by Hitler, but it is closed until May! Im really disapointed about that. Instead, I might go to the world`s largest ice caves. I need to do some research though.

Update: The ice caves are closed until May too! Ahhh! I was going to do this a different day, but maybe Ill rent a bike. Biking is really popular around here and there are a ton of paths. Ill look into a place for hiking for Wednesday I guess.