So I haven't updated in like 3 days...that means there should be a lot to tell you...let's see...
Monday I didn't do much. I was pretty sick so I didn't even go to class. We have 40 classes total and we're allowed to miss 8 and those were my only 2 so it's perfectly fine. So Monday was Liz's 21st birthday so she wanted to celebrate. We went to this little restaurant called Indigo. It was just me, Liz, Shireen, Julie, and Lisa. Then we went into the city and went to the Hotel Stein again. There were like 15 of us...it was crazy. Jenn and I left when they started getting crazy...around 11.
So Tuesday I was still kinda sick but I still got up and went to class. It was boring as usual. Then we had an excursion like we always do on Tuesdays. It is amusing..the first excursion there were about 40 people. On this one we started with 7 and by the end there were 3 of us. We went to St Sebastian, the cemetery where Mozart's family is buried (not Mozart though) and where Prinz Archbishop Wolfgang Dietrich von Reitenau is buried. It is pretty. Then we went to Schloss Mirabell and the gardens. They are also pretty. There were multiple sound of music scenes filmed there. Then I sat in the gardens with Sara, my hungarian friend. We spend quite a bit of time together which is good because she speaks very little English so we always have to speak in German. She told me yesterday she's glad I'm here cause the other Americans don't speak much German. Almost all of them are in the A levels. So after a little while we walked back to Residenz Platz (where our classes are) and met out friends. Our professor invited us to his house for dinner. Sara was meeting the other Hungarian students and I was meeting my Slovakian friends and my Bosnian friend. Then we all too the bus to Herr Soriat's house. We had a lot of fun. We had Leberkaesen (which I did not eat) and potato salad, and egg salad, and rolls. We also had chocolate cake and this bavarian cream or something like that.
I sat with the 3 Slovakian girls, the Bosnian girl, the guy from Argentina, the girl from Spain, and 2 Hungarian students. They taught me how to say Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia where I am going next week). Then they made me say it every 5 minutes just to make sure I could. Everytime they would laugh. Then Maria #1 taught me to speak Slovakian. Now I can sing head shoulders knees and toes in Slovakian. Then they were all asking about my trip and Herr Soriat asked where I am going and I said Ljubljana and they all erupted in laughter. It was fun.
I found out that Maria #1 is going to be in Innsbruck at the same time as me and Maria #2 wants me to call her when I get to Bratislava so she can give us a tour.
Oh, so the word for mouth in Slovakian is oosta which is the same in Polish and is in the Veggie Tales song "I love my lips." So tomorrow I am playing that for Maria #1. I sang it for her yesterday and she wants to learn it.
So today I got on the bus and the Slovakian girls were on the same one but in a different section. They saw me and did the head shoulders knees and toes motions...They wanted to check if I remembered my words. When I got to class Alejandro (from Argentina) wanted me to say Ljubljana.
I wish we had this dinner earlier because we all got so close at that and now we have no more time. It is sad. We all exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses though so we will definitely stay in touch.
Today I had more class (I'm so tired of class). Afterward I met Sarah and Jenn and we ate lunch together and then got ice cream. Then I went to the store to get some cheese for dinner tonight and then to the train station to make a reservation for one of of my trains. Then I came home.
So I guess that wasn't all that much. Julie, my roommate, is leaving tomorrow so she is packing and trying to finish memorizing her music for the next program she is in. Later I am eating with Jenn and Sarah and Lisa and then I have no plans.
I guess that's about it. I'll be posting new pictures soon. You should all look at them...they are awesome!
Sarah
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Welcome to the last week
I should probably be sleeping but oh well.
Today is the first day of my last week in Salzburg. It's a little sad, but when this program ends I have 3 weeks of amazing adventures through other parts of Europe...so it's not like I'll be bored. Plus it's really easy to leave somewhere when you know you'll be back a week later, even if just for a few days.
So last night was the celebration for Liz's 21st birthday. I didn't go though...I was soooo sick. I just went to bed. So they all stayed out and up till crazy hours of the night. So when I got up this morning after 10 hours of sleep, I was quite well rested while the rest of the were dragging. Unfortunate for them as today was a crazy day.
So we met Dr Howes at the bus stop at 11:15 and we took a nice little ride over the German-Austrian border to Berechtesgaden, which used to be under US Military control. It is a cute little town with a lot of mean hills to walk up. We went to lunch at a beer garden which Bowling Green paid for. I got these cheese dumpling things (which smelled bad but weren't actually all that bad tasting) with a salad and fries. Then we had to run to catch our bus up to the Eagle's nest which we missed anyway.
In the process of hurrying to catch our bus, we lost Dylan, who is like the one person here who doesn't have a cell phone. We while the rest of us went to the Information center to find out what else we could do in this town, Sarah and Jenn went to the main bus station to see if Dylan went there. Of course he did not. So while at the Information Center we learned that there was actually another bus we could catch, but it was in 15 minutes and we would have to hurry if we were going to catch it. So we called Sarah and Jenn and told them to wait for us at the bus station. We decided Dylan could find his own way home. While basically running towards the bus station, we found Dylan sitting on a bench by the cemetery we ran through. So he came along too. We just barely made the bus and we headed up the steep mountain roads to the Documentary center. Well we ran into a problem. One of the busses was off schedule and we met with them just in the narrowist and windiest parts of the road. So we had to direct all the traffic behind us around us and then back up down this really steep road...it was scary...so the bus went around us (just like 4 inches from us) and then we continued the ride up the mountain. When we got there, we explored the Documentary center and the underground bunkers that Hitler had built. Then I took lots of pictures of the amazing mountains we were surround by, and then we headed home. We got back around 6. I ate dinner and then uploaded more photos.
Then we headed into the city. Yesterday was the start of the festspiel-the big festival in Salzburg that includes hundreds of events such as orchestras and operas over a month long period. Every night at 9:15 there is an event on the big screen in the Kapitel Platz. They show highlights form past years. Tonight was last year's Romeo and Juliet opera performance. We went to watch it. It was really cool but also chilly so we left after intermission.
So that was my day. Tomorrow is another dreaded day of class and then we are celebrating Liz's actual birthday. We are going out to dinner all together to a local beer garden and then going back to Hotel Stein for drinks. Should be interesting.
Well that's all for now
Lots more pictures are up...
Sarah
Today is the first day of my last week in Salzburg. It's a little sad, but when this program ends I have 3 weeks of amazing adventures through other parts of Europe...so it's not like I'll be bored. Plus it's really easy to leave somewhere when you know you'll be back a week later, even if just for a few days.
So last night was the celebration for Liz's 21st birthday. I didn't go though...I was soooo sick. I just went to bed. So they all stayed out and up till crazy hours of the night. So when I got up this morning after 10 hours of sleep, I was quite well rested while the rest of the were dragging. Unfortunate for them as today was a crazy day.
So we met Dr Howes at the bus stop at 11:15 and we took a nice little ride over the German-Austrian border to Berechtesgaden, which used to be under US Military control. It is a cute little town with a lot of mean hills to walk up. We went to lunch at a beer garden which Bowling Green paid for. I got these cheese dumpling things (which smelled bad but weren't actually all that bad tasting) with a salad and fries. Then we had to run to catch our bus up to the Eagle's nest which we missed anyway.
In the process of hurrying to catch our bus, we lost Dylan, who is like the one person here who doesn't have a cell phone. We while the rest of us went to the Information center to find out what else we could do in this town, Sarah and Jenn went to the main bus station to see if Dylan went there. Of course he did not. So while at the Information Center we learned that there was actually another bus we could catch, but it was in 15 minutes and we would have to hurry if we were going to catch it. So we called Sarah and Jenn and told them to wait for us at the bus station. We decided Dylan could find his own way home. While basically running towards the bus station, we found Dylan sitting on a bench by the cemetery we ran through. So he came along too. We just barely made the bus and we headed up the steep mountain roads to the Documentary center. Well we ran into a problem. One of the busses was off schedule and we met with them just in the narrowist and windiest parts of the road. So we had to direct all the traffic behind us around us and then back up down this really steep road...it was scary...so the bus went around us (just like 4 inches from us) and then we continued the ride up the mountain. When we got there, we explored the Documentary center and the underground bunkers that Hitler had built. Then I took lots of pictures of the amazing mountains we were surround by, and then we headed home. We got back around 6. I ate dinner and then uploaded more photos.
Then we headed into the city. Yesterday was the start of the festspiel-the big festival in Salzburg that includes hundreds of events such as orchestras and operas over a month long period. Every night at 9:15 there is an event on the big screen in the Kapitel Platz. They show highlights form past years. Tonight was last year's Romeo and Juliet opera performance. We went to watch it. It was really cool but also chilly so we left after intermission.
So that was my day. Tomorrow is another dreaded day of class and then we are celebrating Liz's actual birthday. We are going out to dinner all together to a local beer garden and then going back to Hotel Stein for drinks. Should be interesting.
Well that's all for now
Lots more pictures are up...
Sarah
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The end of week 2
So Thursday I had class and then we had an excursion. We went to the house where Mozart lived after he was 16 but only till he was about 21. It was interesting. Then I went to the grocery store and went home. I can't remember the rest of Thursday.
Friday I woke up and found that I had a cold, so not fun. So I went to class and after class, Dylan and I went with the Irish kids to an Italian restaurant. That was fun. Then we came home. Yesterday was the Irish kid's last day (they leave today) so they wanted us to go out with them...
They came over to our dorm around 8 and joined the other Americans in some strange drinking game. I wasn't feeling well and they were all yelling and smoking and what not so I stayed for all of 5 mins and then came back up to my room.
Around 9:30, Sarah, Jenn, Niall, and Sara (a 16 yr old hungarian girl) went to the Augustiner, the beer garden we were at a few nights ago. The other 5 Irish kids stayed here. At 11, Augustiner closed and we were kicked out. We went to the Hotel Stein, which has a terrace on the roof with a bar. I had a hot chocolate after walking through the rain to get there. A little after midnight the Irish girls came and met us. We stayed till a little after 1 and then we came home to the "real excitement."
So we got off the elevator where a guy greeted us to tell us "one of our group" threw-up in the hallway and we have to clean it...we were like umm....not our problem. So anyway, first we took an inventory of who was actually home. Julie, Liz, and Shireen were out somewhere but everyone else was passed-out. We found the 2 Irish boys who needed to go home but we couldn't wake up Micheal. I finally got him to wake-up but he was really barely concious and Niall said he would leave him in our dorm and we could just send him home "tomorrow". Well then we walked away for a second and Dylan (the American whose room it was) got up and locked the door. Well he locked his roommate out, cause Andrew's keys were in there. So we were banging on the door for almost an hour trying to get them to open the door so Andrew could get things to sleep in. They would not answer the door. So we decided to call their room a few times. So finally they wake up and we hung out in the kitchen for a little while. Once Micheal and Tony (Irish boys) were awake enough to go home, Niall called for a Taxi (it was like 3:30 am so no more busses). He ended up having to call 2 because the first time he forgot to tell them he'd need a taxi for 7. So once they had all left, I went to bed (around 4 am)...so much fun...
It was kind of a situation you'd expect...all the responsible people-which basically is all of us (minus 1) who are already 21-went out and got simple drinks. I just had a soda and a hot chocolate, some people got wine, 2 people got cocktails. The kids who are all under 21 stayed here and drank way too much.
So this morning I had to get up at 7:30 and meet my group in the city for our Excursion. We all showed up looking like Zombies and our tour guides (who are our age) were laughing at us. So we went to Hellbrunn, a castle with these crazy trick fountains everywhere. It was interesting. Then we went to see that palace and this big stone theater, and a museum. We basically went hiking through the mountains in pouring rain.
When we left to come home the rain finally stopped and there were actually traces of sun. We went to the bus stop and waited for 30 mins till finally a bus came (they are supposed to come every 10 minutes. By the time we got to our stop, not only was it pouring again, but there was some serious thunder and lightning. So in the 5 minutes it took to walk from the bus stop to our dorm, we were all completely drenched, even with umbrellas).
When we got back we all went to bed (around 3:30 pm). I slept till around 6 and that brings up up to now.
Tonight we are celebrating Liz's birthday by bar-hopping but I'm not sure I am going. I told her I would at least for a little while but they don't intend to go out until after 11. I need to sleep and I have to get up at 9:30 tomorrow for another excursion. She'll probably be mad at me for not going, but I am tired and sick and I need to sleep. She'll get over it.
Tomorrow we are going on an excursion with out Bowling Green director, Dr Howes. We are taking a bus to the Eagles Nest, just over the German border. We are stopping in a little town, Berecthtesgaden, to have lunch. It sounds like a good trip.
Well that is all for now. I am going to make dinner now.
More pictures should be up soon.
Sarah
Friday I woke up and found that I had a cold, so not fun. So I went to class and after class, Dylan and I went with the Irish kids to an Italian restaurant. That was fun. Then we came home. Yesterday was the Irish kid's last day (they leave today) so they wanted us to go out with them...
They came over to our dorm around 8 and joined the other Americans in some strange drinking game. I wasn't feeling well and they were all yelling and smoking and what not so I stayed for all of 5 mins and then came back up to my room.
Around 9:30, Sarah, Jenn, Niall, and Sara (a 16 yr old hungarian girl) went to the Augustiner, the beer garden we were at a few nights ago. The other 5 Irish kids stayed here. At 11, Augustiner closed and we were kicked out. We went to the Hotel Stein, which has a terrace on the roof with a bar. I had a hot chocolate after walking through the rain to get there. A little after midnight the Irish girls came and met us. We stayed till a little after 1 and then we came home to the "real excitement."
So we got off the elevator where a guy greeted us to tell us "one of our group" threw-up in the hallway and we have to clean it...we were like umm....not our problem. So anyway, first we took an inventory of who was actually home. Julie, Liz, and Shireen were out somewhere but everyone else was passed-out. We found the 2 Irish boys who needed to go home but we couldn't wake up Micheal. I finally got him to wake-up but he was really barely concious and Niall said he would leave him in our dorm and we could just send him home "tomorrow". Well then we walked away for a second and Dylan (the American whose room it was) got up and locked the door. Well he locked his roommate out, cause Andrew's keys were in there. So we were banging on the door for almost an hour trying to get them to open the door so Andrew could get things to sleep in. They would not answer the door. So we decided to call their room a few times. So finally they wake up and we hung out in the kitchen for a little while. Once Micheal and Tony (Irish boys) were awake enough to go home, Niall called for a Taxi (it was like 3:30 am so no more busses). He ended up having to call 2 because the first time he forgot to tell them he'd need a taxi for 7. So once they had all left, I went to bed (around 4 am)...so much fun...
It was kind of a situation you'd expect...all the responsible people-which basically is all of us (minus 1) who are already 21-went out and got simple drinks. I just had a soda and a hot chocolate, some people got wine, 2 people got cocktails. The kids who are all under 21 stayed here and drank way too much.
So this morning I had to get up at 7:30 and meet my group in the city for our Excursion. We all showed up looking like Zombies and our tour guides (who are our age) were laughing at us. So we went to Hellbrunn, a castle with these crazy trick fountains everywhere. It was interesting. Then we went to see that palace and this big stone theater, and a museum. We basically went hiking through the mountains in pouring rain.
When we left to come home the rain finally stopped and there were actually traces of sun. We went to the bus stop and waited for 30 mins till finally a bus came (they are supposed to come every 10 minutes. By the time we got to our stop, not only was it pouring again, but there was some serious thunder and lightning. So in the 5 minutes it took to walk from the bus stop to our dorm, we were all completely drenched, even with umbrellas).
When we got back we all went to bed (around 3:30 pm). I slept till around 6 and that brings up up to now.
Tonight we are celebrating Liz's birthday by bar-hopping but I'm not sure I am going. I told her I would at least for a little while but they don't intend to go out until after 11. I need to sleep and I have to get up at 9:30 tomorrow for another excursion. She'll probably be mad at me for not going, but I am tired and sick and I need to sleep. She'll get over it.
Tomorrow we are going on an excursion with out Bowling Green director, Dr Howes. We are taking a bus to the Eagles Nest, just over the German border. We are stopping in a little town, Berecthtesgaden, to have lunch. It sounds like a good trip.
Well that is all for now. I am going to make dinner now.
More pictures should be up soon.
Sarah
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hump Day
So today is not only hump day as in Wednesday but also the half-way point for my program in Austria. I have been here for 10 days and I have 10 days to go. I feel like I should start packing, but I won't.
So lets see, what has happened since Monday? Well I had class. I absolutely love my listening and speaking class but the reading and writing class is awful. 1) It is at 9 AM, 2) it is really boring, and 3) the teacher is mean/rude.
So lets see, yesterday was interesting. I barely survived my first class. In my second class I gave a short presentation on US history. My teacher was impressed by the vocabulary I used but said I make things more complicated than they need to be. After that we played a game where the teacher would go through the alphabet in his head and an assigned person would say stop at some point. Whatever letter he was on was the letter we used. So he selected a country that started with that letter and for that country we had to write a city, river or mountain, important person, important date in history, and a specialty (food or drink) from that country. The winner got a real Mozart kugel (famous handmade Salzburg chocolate ball). It wasn't much motivation for me since I can't it them but it was fun anyway. The winner was the person with the most points...so basically the person who got an answer for all of those things first said stop and read their answers...they got 5 points for every answer they had that was correct. Then the rest of the class got 5 points for any answer they had that was correct and not the same as any of the original person's answers.
So today we played a variation of that. We only played with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We didn't play for speed and we got 10 points for every answer we got that no one else had and 5 points for every answer someone else also had. I did really well. Out of a possible 180 points (which would be if you got every answer and you were the only one with every answer) I got 130 which was the second highest score, only beat by 135. So I did surprisingly well. But I was the only one that could name an actual Austrian composer. Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 and died in 1791...Salzburg wasn't part of Austria until 1818 so technically he is not Austrian.
Then we went on to talk about Mozart, which also made me feel smart. I know all about his family and his life cause I just did a presentation on him last fall...worked out. Also, our professor asked about his operas and which ones he wrote...someone else said the magic flute "die Zauberfloete" and I said le nozze di figaro, which I was apparently supposed to translate to German (die Hochzeit des Figaro) but I didn't and the Italian people were excited that I said it in Italian. They are funny. They are older too but not obnoxious like Radomir, the middle-aged guy in my class who thinks he knows everything.
Ok. So after class we had an excursion. It was supposed to be to an art museum and the music school, Mozarteum, in Salzburg but I bailed 2 hours early. Our tour guide likes to talk to much and rather than going to see what we were supposed to see we stood outside in the 90 degree weather and sun for 30 mins. When she was done rambling for like 5 minutes she told one of the young Irish girls that she had to repeat everything she had said. I was like umm...I couldn't even do that I am am in a much more advanced level. These excursions are supposed to be fun and instead we all hate them. Then we went in the cathedral where she tried to the basin that Mozart was baptised is modern art. Mozart was baptized in 1756...I'm pretty sure that is not modern. So then I left and came back to my dorm.
I just hung out here the rest of the night, watched some shows, talked to my friends, took a nap, and ate dinner.
Today I had class and then I went to an art museum with Jenn and Sarah. It was nice. They decided to stay in the city and read for a little while but I was too hot so I decided to come home. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some more pasta and sauce, and some oil and pudding. Now I am going to do some organizing and maybe study for a while.
We leave our windows open during the day cause otherwise it is horribly hot when we get home and today there is a strong breeze coming through the window so it blew stuff off our desks and all over our room.
So tomorrow is more class, including a test which is much better than sitting through an entire class with that man. then we have an excursion which will hopefully be better than the one yesterday. Tomorrow we are going to Mozart's birth-house and the house where he lived when he was older. We should be able to wander off and look around by ourselves so it won't be so bad.
Well that is all for now. I'll probably write again Friday or Saturday.
Sarah
So lets see, what has happened since Monday? Well I had class. I absolutely love my listening and speaking class but the reading and writing class is awful. 1) It is at 9 AM, 2) it is really boring, and 3) the teacher is mean/rude.
So lets see, yesterday was interesting. I barely survived my first class. In my second class I gave a short presentation on US history. My teacher was impressed by the vocabulary I used but said I make things more complicated than they need to be. After that we played a game where the teacher would go through the alphabet in his head and an assigned person would say stop at some point. Whatever letter he was on was the letter we used. So he selected a country that started with that letter and for that country we had to write a city, river or mountain, important person, important date in history, and a specialty (food or drink) from that country. The winner got a real Mozart kugel (famous handmade Salzburg chocolate ball). It wasn't much motivation for me since I can't it them but it was fun anyway. The winner was the person with the most points...so basically the person who got an answer for all of those things first said stop and read their answers...they got 5 points for every answer they had that was correct. Then the rest of the class got 5 points for any answer they had that was correct and not the same as any of the original person's answers.
So today we played a variation of that. We only played with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We didn't play for speed and we got 10 points for every answer we got that no one else had and 5 points for every answer someone else also had. I did really well. Out of a possible 180 points (which would be if you got every answer and you were the only one with every answer) I got 130 which was the second highest score, only beat by 135. So I did surprisingly well. But I was the only one that could name an actual Austrian composer. Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 and died in 1791...Salzburg wasn't part of Austria until 1818 so technically he is not Austrian.
Then we went on to talk about Mozart, which also made me feel smart. I know all about his family and his life cause I just did a presentation on him last fall...worked out. Also, our professor asked about his operas and which ones he wrote...someone else said the magic flute "die Zauberfloete" and I said le nozze di figaro, which I was apparently supposed to translate to German (die Hochzeit des Figaro) but I didn't and the Italian people were excited that I said it in Italian. They are funny. They are older too but not obnoxious like Radomir, the middle-aged guy in my class who thinks he knows everything.
Ok. So after class we had an excursion. It was supposed to be to an art museum and the music school, Mozarteum, in Salzburg but I bailed 2 hours early. Our tour guide likes to talk to much and rather than going to see what we were supposed to see we stood outside in the 90 degree weather and sun for 30 mins. When she was done rambling for like 5 minutes she told one of the young Irish girls that she had to repeat everything she had said. I was like umm...I couldn't even do that I am am in a much more advanced level. These excursions are supposed to be fun and instead we all hate them. Then we went in the cathedral where she tried to the basin that Mozart was baptised is modern art. Mozart was baptized in 1756...I'm pretty sure that is not modern. So then I left and came back to my dorm.
I just hung out here the rest of the night, watched some shows, talked to my friends, took a nap, and ate dinner.
Today I had class and then I went to an art museum with Jenn and Sarah. It was nice. They decided to stay in the city and read for a little while but I was too hot so I decided to come home. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some more pasta and sauce, and some oil and pudding. Now I am going to do some organizing and maybe study for a while.
We leave our windows open during the day cause otherwise it is horribly hot when we get home and today there is a strong breeze coming through the window so it blew stuff off our desks and all over our room.
So tomorrow is more class, including a test which is much better than sitting through an entire class with that man. then we have an excursion which will hopefully be better than the one yesterday. Tomorrow we are going to Mozart's birth-house and the house where he lived when he was older. We should be able to wander off and look around by ourselves so it won't be so bad.
Well that is all for now. I'll probably write again Friday or Saturday.
Sarah
Monday, July 20, 2009
Beginning of the 2nd week
There are times when I feel like the time is flying here and there are times when I feel like it is dragging. Today I feel like it is dragging. I've only been here for a week and a half. And I still have 3 weeks before the family comes. Somehow 3 weeks doesn't seem like much but the last week and half seems like it has been forever.
So Sunday I got up at went to church with Sarah. It was a nice church service and it was in English. Unfortunately our Iranian "friend" who is Muslim came with us (he has a thing for Sarah). He was obnoxious the entire way to church. He tried to tell us that the church we were going to was a satanic church and that they worship the devil there. Once at the church, he talked through the entire service, it was so rude.
When we got home I had a quick lunch and then I went to meet the Irish kids at the bus stop. We invited them over to play games with us. We played spoons and Mafia which was so much fun. Then they had to go home.
For dinner a bunch of us went to the Augustiner Brau. It is a big beer garden with several food options. I just had fries. I was frustrated with the group though because they all said they didn't know where it was so I spent 10 mins looking it up and then they all refused to go the way I planned. And then when we got there we found a table big enough for all of us and 4 of them decided they wanted to sit outside, so rather than finding a big table we could all fit at, they found a very small 4 person table and didn't even bother to tell us until we had to go looking for them.
After that we came home. Sarah, Jenn, and I went my way home so we got to walk through a lovely part of the city and we only had to take one bus which was good for Jenn since she doesn't have a bus pass. On the way she had to spend 4 Euros instead of 2 for the bus cause people went a dumb way. Then I went to bed.
Today was school as usual, incredibly boring. I barely stayed concious. Then I sat in the old city for a few hour. It was such a beautiful day so we just decided to spend the day outside people watching and what not. Then around 4:30 we walked up to Stift Nonnenburg (the convent in the sound of music) to hear the nuns sing. They sing everyday between 5 and 5:30.
Then we came home and had dinner. Now I am bored. My upstairs friends already went to bed (they're crazy) and my roommate is gone for the night. So now I have to entertain myself.
So I think I started this post like 2 hours ago, I am slow.
So tomorrow is another day of school. I have to present the 10 most important dates in US history to my class. Then we have an excursion to the Salzburg museum and the Salzburg University Music School, Mozarteum. Then I don't know what I will be doing the rest of the day, hopefully something more exciting than what I'm doing now.
So that's all for now. There are new pictures up picasaweb.blogspot.com
Leave me comments, I haven't gotten any in a while.
Sarah
So Sunday I got up at went to church with Sarah. It was a nice church service and it was in English. Unfortunately our Iranian "friend" who is Muslim came with us (he has a thing for Sarah). He was obnoxious the entire way to church. He tried to tell us that the church we were going to was a satanic church and that they worship the devil there. Once at the church, he talked through the entire service, it was so rude.
When we got home I had a quick lunch and then I went to meet the Irish kids at the bus stop. We invited them over to play games with us. We played spoons and Mafia which was so much fun. Then they had to go home.
For dinner a bunch of us went to the Augustiner Brau. It is a big beer garden with several food options. I just had fries. I was frustrated with the group though because they all said they didn't know where it was so I spent 10 mins looking it up and then they all refused to go the way I planned. And then when we got there we found a table big enough for all of us and 4 of them decided they wanted to sit outside, so rather than finding a big table we could all fit at, they found a very small 4 person table and didn't even bother to tell us until we had to go looking for them.
After that we came home. Sarah, Jenn, and I went my way home so we got to walk through a lovely part of the city and we only had to take one bus which was good for Jenn since she doesn't have a bus pass. On the way she had to spend 4 Euros instead of 2 for the bus cause people went a dumb way. Then I went to bed.
Today was school as usual, incredibly boring. I barely stayed concious. Then I sat in the old city for a few hour. It was such a beautiful day so we just decided to spend the day outside people watching and what not. Then around 4:30 we walked up to Stift Nonnenburg (the convent in the sound of music) to hear the nuns sing. They sing everyday between 5 and 5:30.
Then we came home and had dinner. Now I am bored. My upstairs friends already went to bed (they're crazy) and my roommate is gone for the night. So now I have to entertain myself.
So I think I started this post like 2 hours ago, I am slow.
So tomorrow is another day of school. I have to present the 10 most important dates in US history to my class. Then we have an excursion to the Salzburg museum and the Salzburg University Music School, Mozarteum. Then I don't know what I will be doing the rest of the day, hopefully something more exciting than what I'm doing now.
So that's all for now. There are new pictures up picasaweb.blogspot.com
Leave me comments, I haven't gotten any in a while.
Sarah
Saturday, July 18, 2009
A day in the marshmellow cult...
So yesterday was a very happy day here in Haus Humboldt. We got internet in our rooms!
Now I will be able to upload pictures and update my blog much more easily.
So yesterday I started hanging out with 2 new people, Sarah and Jenn. They are both grad students at Bowling Green. Sarah is majoring in flute performance and musicology and Jenn is majoring in musicology. They are both very nice.
We walked home from class together and then they took naps and I did some work and then we went grocery shopping. I didn't buy much but I got some broccoli, some orange juice, and just a few other things. Then we went to McDonalds to steal their wireless and then we came home and made/ate dinner.
After dinner we found out our internet works. It is so exciting!! Then we got ready and we went down to the bar at the end of the street. It was everyone from bowling green except Liz, Shireen, and Julie. It wasn't the nicest place but we still had fun. I had a drink that I don't know the name of. It is like white wine mixed with peach schnapps. It was pretty good.
So then we came home and went to bed
This morning we woke up to 52 degree weather and pouring rain. (Yesterday was 90 degrees and sunny so it was a big change)
I met the group at Kapitel Platz, in the old city where we usually meet. Then we hopped on a bus to the Hauptbahnhof and took a train to Hallein. We got to Hallein and took a bus to the Salt mines, yay!
We joined the marshmellow cult and then went on a tour of the mines. It was fun. After that we went to this Celtic museum which was actually pretty boring and then we went to the Silent Night Museum (which I thought was closed). Then we hopped on a bus and train and went back to Salzburg. As we were walking to the bus I walked with Niall, my Irish friend, and we talked about our experiences in Salzburg so far. Then I sat with him and his friends on the train and we talked about our countries. It was very educational. We invited the group of them (the 6 Irish kids) over for some games tomorrow afternoon. They are very excited.
So anyway, once in Salzburg, we had dinner and then I went with Jenn, Sarah, Dylan, and our new Iranian friend to see Harry Potter. We debated about whether to see it in English or German but we ultimately decided English as the time was much better. So we just now arrived home. They are all really funny. Sarah has never taken German before this program and the others only know a little. They are always impressed when I speak German to people and they always make me talk to people for them. It is entertaining.
So that was my day. You'll have to look at the pictures (which will be up soon) to really understand the experiences.
Tomorrow I am getting up to go to one of the few protestant churches in Austria with Sarah (Austria is like 80% catholic and only 5% protestant so their aren't too many protestant churches around). Then we are having our game day. We are trying to think of "American games" we can play that don't require any supplies. The Irish girls want to play American games "like baseball" but the only sports equipment we have are very deflated soccer balls. So if any of you have suggestions, we'd love to hear them.
Look for pictures soon.
Sarah
Now I will be able to upload pictures and update my blog much more easily.
So yesterday I started hanging out with 2 new people, Sarah and Jenn. They are both grad students at Bowling Green. Sarah is majoring in flute performance and musicology and Jenn is majoring in musicology. They are both very nice.
We walked home from class together and then they took naps and I did some work and then we went grocery shopping. I didn't buy much but I got some broccoli, some orange juice, and just a few other things. Then we went to McDonalds to steal their wireless and then we came home and made/ate dinner.
After dinner we found out our internet works. It is so exciting!! Then we got ready and we went down to the bar at the end of the street. It was everyone from bowling green except Liz, Shireen, and Julie. It wasn't the nicest place but we still had fun. I had a drink that I don't know the name of. It is like white wine mixed with peach schnapps. It was pretty good.
So then we came home and went to bed
This morning we woke up to 52 degree weather and pouring rain. (Yesterday was 90 degrees and sunny so it was a big change)
I met the group at Kapitel Platz, in the old city where we usually meet. Then we hopped on a bus to the Hauptbahnhof and took a train to Hallein. We got to Hallein and took a bus to the Salt mines, yay!
We joined the marshmellow cult and then went on a tour of the mines. It was fun. After that we went to this Celtic museum which was actually pretty boring and then we went to the Silent Night Museum (which I thought was closed). Then we hopped on a bus and train and went back to Salzburg. As we were walking to the bus I walked with Niall, my Irish friend, and we talked about our experiences in Salzburg so far. Then I sat with him and his friends on the train and we talked about our countries. It was very educational. We invited the group of them (the 6 Irish kids) over for some games tomorrow afternoon. They are very excited.
So anyway, once in Salzburg, we had dinner and then I went with Jenn, Sarah, Dylan, and our new Iranian friend to see Harry Potter. We debated about whether to see it in English or German but we ultimately decided English as the time was much better. So we just now arrived home. They are all really funny. Sarah has never taken German before this program and the others only know a little. They are always impressed when I speak German to people and they always make me talk to people for them. It is entertaining.
So that was my day. You'll have to look at the pictures (which will be up soon) to really understand the experiences.
Tomorrow I am getting up to go to one of the few protestant churches in Austria with Sarah (Austria is like 80% catholic and only 5% protestant so their aren't too many protestant churches around). Then we are having our game day. We are trying to think of "American games" we can play that don't require any supplies. The Irish girls want to play American games "like baseball" but the only sports equipment we have are very deflated soccer balls. So if any of you have suggestions, we'd love to hear them.
Look for pictures soon.
Sarah
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Nearing the end of week 1
On one hand I am kind of surprised that tomorrow it already Friday but on the other hand I can't believe how time is dragging. My class is boring, but I guess just the right level of challenging. I know whats going on but I am still learning things.
I finally got a sim card that works today. I still cannot send or receive texts from the US but I can now receive calls which I guess is kinda important. I'm keeping my old sim card too though...That one is 2 cents/min to call America and the new one is 72 cents/minute (and no that is not a typo).
So anyway, I can't remember when I last updated. Tuesday night I suppose. Ok so yesterday was just class. Then went to a mcdonalds in the old city to steal wireless. Then we went to the grocery store where I got some pasta and sauce and an 11 pack of nectarines, apple juice, bread, tea, and sugar.
Then we came to the mcdonalds near our dorm and used the wireless for 3 hours. I would have updated then but there was really nothing to tell you. Then we went home and made dinner and hung out talking to the other people in our program. Liz and I went down to the fitness center in our basement and Julie went to practice in the music rehearsal room. Then I went back upstairs, took a shower and started to do my homework. About 5 mins in I fell asleep and didn't wake up again till this morning. So I had to do my homework this morning. It worked out fine though.
So I woke up, got dressed, packed lunch, had a very quick breakfast, and then we all sprinted for the train (literally). We just got on before it pulled away. So we parted ways and went to our classes. During my 30 minute break I went to get my new sim card and FINALLY it works...at least sort of...the guy at the store tried to tell me I can't receive and send texts to America because most Americans don't have texting. I was like, what planet are you from?
Anyway, I went back to class and we had a discussion on History. For tomorrow I have to prepare 10 important dates in US History and present them to the class. That shouldn't be so bad.
So this afternoon we went on a tour type thing around the city. We went the the Nonnberg Abbey where the sound of music took place, we went this other church which was supposed to be where the Van Trapp family hid as they were trying to flee austria, we went to the Cathedral, and we went to Mozarts birth house. I met this really cute Irish girl. We talked about Gaelic languages and different places in Ireland. It was fun. She is close friends with this Hungarian girl. She was getting frustrated cause English is her 3rd language and so she isn't very good at it yet and we were all speaking really fast English. So I started talking to her in German. She was nice too. They are younger, like 17 ish.
So then we came home. I ran about 1/2 mile (no exaggeration) to try to catch my bus and I just barely made it. I was glad I made it though. So we went home, I did some work, and then made dinner. After dinner, we came back here to McDonalds. It is fun cause I can by a Euro menu milkshake for 1 euro and use the wirelss all I want. It costs 1 euro to use an internet cafe for 30 mins and that is slow and on a strange computer.
So that is what we are doing now. I have my first test tomorrow but I am not too worried about it. I don't imagine it'll be too difficult. Plus the more time that takes, the less time we have to listen to our professor talk.
Tomorrow, we have class and then some people are going to this pool. I don't think I am going to go cause I think it will be really expensive. I might come back here or wander around to somewhere.
Saturday we have an excursion but where we go depends on the weather. If it is nice we are going to Hellbrun, a nearby town, but if it rains (as it is supposed to) we are going to the Salt mines in Hallein, which is what I am hoping for.
It's crazy, tomorrow is supposed to be 90 degrees and Saturday is supposed to be 64. I want it to stay like 64. The mid-high 80s are too hot.
So that is all I have for now. I will have new pictures up in the Salzburg album within the hour. Maybe I will post again tomorrow, if not then I'll be back Saturday or Sunday.
picasaweb.google.com/sbugsyk for pictures
Sarah
I finally got a sim card that works today. I still cannot send or receive texts from the US but I can now receive calls which I guess is kinda important. I'm keeping my old sim card too though...That one is 2 cents/min to call America and the new one is 72 cents/minute (and no that is not a typo).
So anyway, I can't remember when I last updated. Tuesday night I suppose. Ok so yesterday was just class. Then went to a mcdonalds in the old city to steal wireless. Then we went to the grocery store where I got some pasta and sauce and an 11 pack of nectarines, apple juice, bread, tea, and sugar.
Then we came to the mcdonalds near our dorm and used the wireless for 3 hours. I would have updated then but there was really nothing to tell you. Then we went home and made dinner and hung out talking to the other people in our program. Liz and I went down to the fitness center in our basement and Julie went to practice in the music rehearsal room. Then I went back upstairs, took a shower and started to do my homework. About 5 mins in I fell asleep and didn't wake up again till this morning. So I had to do my homework this morning. It worked out fine though.
So I woke up, got dressed, packed lunch, had a very quick breakfast, and then we all sprinted for the train (literally). We just got on before it pulled away. So we parted ways and went to our classes. During my 30 minute break I went to get my new sim card and FINALLY it works...at least sort of...the guy at the store tried to tell me I can't receive and send texts to America because most Americans don't have texting. I was like, what planet are you from?
Anyway, I went back to class and we had a discussion on History. For tomorrow I have to prepare 10 important dates in US History and present them to the class. That shouldn't be so bad.
So this afternoon we went on a tour type thing around the city. We went the the Nonnberg Abbey where the sound of music took place, we went this other church which was supposed to be where the Van Trapp family hid as they were trying to flee austria, we went to the Cathedral, and we went to Mozarts birth house. I met this really cute Irish girl. We talked about Gaelic languages and different places in Ireland. It was fun. She is close friends with this Hungarian girl. She was getting frustrated cause English is her 3rd language and so she isn't very good at it yet and we were all speaking really fast English. So I started talking to her in German. She was nice too. They are younger, like 17 ish.
So then we came home. I ran about 1/2 mile (no exaggeration) to try to catch my bus and I just barely made it. I was glad I made it though. So we went home, I did some work, and then made dinner. After dinner, we came back here to McDonalds. It is fun cause I can by a Euro menu milkshake for 1 euro and use the wirelss all I want. It costs 1 euro to use an internet cafe for 30 mins and that is slow and on a strange computer.
So that is what we are doing now. I have my first test tomorrow but I am not too worried about it. I don't imagine it'll be too difficult. Plus the more time that takes, the less time we have to listen to our professor talk.
Tomorrow, we have class and then some people are going to this pool. I don't think I am going to go cause I think it will be really expensive. I might come back here or wander around to somewhere.
Saturday we have an excursion but where we go depends on the weather. If it is nice we are going to Hellbrun, a nearby town, but if it rains (as it is supposed to) we are going to the Salt mines in Hallein, which is what I am hoping for.
It's crazy, tomorrow is supposed to be 90 degrees and Saturday is supposed to be 64. I want it to stay like 64. The mid-high 80s are too hot.
So that is all I have for now. I will have new pictures up in the Salzburg album within the hour. Maybe I will post again tomorrow, if not then I'll be back Saturday or Sunday.
picasaweb.google.com/sbugsyk for pictures
Sarah
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
hmm...
So today was the first day of class. I was really nervous cause I was afraid I'd be in over my head. Turns out, it's not bad. Apparently my class is more fun than the others. My level focuses on expanding vocabulary through reading, writing, listening, and speaking while the lower level classes are focuses a lot of grammar and boring stuff like that. The conversation part of my class focuses on topics we are interested in. So we get to direct it that way. From what we established today we will be discussing music, sports, culture, history, and some other things I have already forgotten.
I met a classmate today, which is nice since I know no one in my class. I am the only one from the bowling green program to test into a higher level. Anyway the girl I met is very nice. She is 21 and from Slovakia. She sings in a choir and plays a little piano. We seem to have very similar interests. So my classes overall weren't bad.
After class yesterday I went to get my cell phone. I stopped at an ATM to get money just in case I needed more than I had (many Austrian stores don't take credit card) and the machine froze with my card in it. Of course it was 1:24 and the bank was closed from 12:30-2 so I had to stand there for 36 minutes just waiting. On the plus side, I got to talk to many Austrians in German. So finally I got my card back and I went to the store and they didn't have my phone anyway. So I just went to the grocery store and bought bread, cheese, jelly, milk, and cereal. That's all I need for the rest of my stay.
So then I went into the city to get a cell phone and I found a great one which only costs 2 cents/minute to call America and 9 cents per text (most European phones are 20 cents per text). It was really exciting till I found out I can't receive calls or texts from outside of Salzburg. I'm going to get that fixed tomorrow.
So after class today I went to find Julie (my roommate), Shireen and Liz (girls next-door)to meet them for lunch. We walked around for a little while and then met our group for our Tuesday afternoon excursion. We went to the Festung, the big fortress up on the mountain in Salzburg. It was exhausting. we had to hike up the side of the mountain and it was really hot. Our tour guide was annoying cause she insisted on speaking German but then had one of the students translate everything for her. So I had to hear everything twice. My friends and I got bored and decided to be rebels so we started wandering off and getting intentionally left behind. It was fun. The view from the top was beautiful (pictures do not capture it) but the tour itself was lame.
So now I am sitting in a cafe that just turned into salsa night. So there is loud music all around me and people dancing but I don't care cause I have wireless. Julie, Shireen, and Liz are at a concert. So I'll be here for a little while and then I am going to bed. I should have more pictures up in the next hour. Check them out.
picasaweb.google.com/sbugsyk
Sarah
I met a classmate today, which is nice since I know no one in my class. I am the only one from the bowling green program to test into a higher level. Anyway the girl I met is very nice. She is 21 and from Slovakia. She sings in a choir and plays a little piano. We seem to have very similar interests. So my classes overall weren't bad.
After class yesterday I went to get my cell phone. I stopped at an ATM to get money just in case I needed more than I had (many Austrian stores don't take credit card) and the machine froze with my card in it. Of course it was 1:24 and the bank was closed from 12:30-2 so I had to stand there for 36 minutes just waiting. On the plus side, I got to talk to many Austrians in German. So finally I got my card back and I went to the store and they didn't have my phone anyway. So I just went to the grocery store and bought bread, cheese, jelly, milk, and cereal. That's all I need for the rest of my stay.
So then I went into the city to get a cell phone and I found a great one which only costs 2 cents/minute to call America and 9 cents per text (most European phones are 20 cents per text). It was really exciting till I found out I can't receive calls or texts from outside of Salzburg. I'm going to get that fixed tomorrow.
So after class today I went to find Julie (my roommate), Shireen and Liz (girls next-door)to meet them for lunch. We walked around for a little while and then met our group for our Tuesday afternoon excursion. We went to the Festung, the big fortress up on the mountain in Salzburg. It was exhausting. we had to hike up the side of the mountain and it was really hot. Our tour guide was annoying cause she insisted on speaking German but then had one of the students translate everything for her. So I had to hear everything twice. My friends and I got bored and decided to be rebels so we started wandering off and getting intentionally left behind. It was fun. The view from the top was beautiful (pictures do not capture it) but the tour itself was lame.
So now I am sitting in a cafe that just turned into salsa night. So there is loud music all around me and people dancing but I don't care cause I have wireless. Julie, Shireen, and Liz are at a concert. So I'll be here for a little while and then I am going to bed. I should have more pictures up in the next hour. Check them out.
picasaweb.google.com/sbugsyk
Sarah
Monday, July 13, 2009
school
Hello,
So I am dumb and I failed to provide you with the location of my pictures. They can be found at picasaweb.google.com/sbugsyk.
So I got back to my dorm last night and met my roommate. Her name is Julie and she is a music major in voice and opera. She is nice but she is a little too partyish for me. I also met the girls who live next door, Liz and Shireen. Liz is an El Ed major and Shireen is studying international studies.
I ended up getting a pizza for dinner which I hardly ate anyway. It is now in the fridge. I also stopped and got some water and a kiwi cake, part of which I ate for breakfast. We studied for our placement tests and went to bed around 11. So we got up this morning and all went to school together. We arrived about 30 mins early. So we went in to take our placement test at 9. There are 70 people in this program (not all from Bowling Green).
They divided us into 2 groups to take our test. We had about 70 minutes and it included grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension. I apparently did really well, and I tested into the 2nd highest of 6 levels. I'm the only one from my part of the program to test that high. It's kind of scary.
My class has 11 students from all over the world. The other students are very difficult to understand. Tomorrow we start class for real and we have an excursion to the big fortress on the hill
So that is all for now. Hopefully at some point I will find a wireless network or get my internet in my room to work. Then I can upload more pictures.
Sarah
So I am dumb and I failed to provide you with the location of my pictures. They can be found at picasaweb.google.com/sbugsyk.
So I got back to my dorm last night and met my roommate. Her name is Julie and she is a music major in voice and opera. She is nice but she is a little too partyish for me. I also met the girls who live next door, Liz and Shireen. Liz is an El Ed major and Shireen is studying international studies.
I ended up getting a pizza for dinner which I hardly ate anyway. It is now in the fridge. I also stopped and got some water and a kiwi cake, part of which I ate for breakfast. We studied for our placement tests and went to bed around 11. So we got up this morning and all went to school together. We arrived about 30 mins early. So we went in to take our placement test at 9. There are 70 people in this program (not all from Bowling Green).
They divided us into 2 groups to take our test. We had about 70 minutes and it included grammar, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension. I apparently did really well, and I tested into the 2nd highest of 6 levels. I'm the only one from my part of the program to test that high. It's kind of scary.
My class has 11 students from all over the world. The other students are very difficult to understand. Tomorrow we start class for real and we have an excursion to the big fortress on the hill
So that is all for now. Hopefully at some point I will find a wireless network or get my internet in my room to work. Then I can upload more pictures.
Sarah
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Move in Day
So today was a very long and boring day.
I woke up around 8, ate breakfast, and left my hostel. Check out was at 10 but I couldn't check in with my program until 2. So I wandered around for a while and then went to find the place where I check in. Then I went to find where the dorms are. I figured it would be easier to find them without luggage then to wander around with all my stuff.
I couldn't find the one dorm, Paracelsus, but the other, Haus Humboldt was very easy to find. It is right up against a little forest so I took a hike down this path that I found. It led all through the woods and down to the river. It was pretty
So I very slowly passed the time and then went to check-in. I was the first one there. They gave me and intro and my keys and I left. I went to pick up my luggage and then made the trek to Haus Humboldt (my dorm).
My room is really cool. As of now I have no roommate but I don't know if that will last. My room has 2 beds, 2 very large desks, 2 sets of hanging shelves, 2 large closets, a bathroom, and a refirgerator. What else do I need. It is really nice to have my own bathroom and fridge. I also have access to the kitchen which is right across the hall. There is a phone and internet access but I haven't been able to connect to it. That will be tomorrow's project.
I am also getting a cell phone tomorrow. I finally found Hofer (what Aldi is called in Austria) which is where I am getting my cell phone from. Then I will feel less cut off from the world.
Tomorrow is my placement test, so we'll see how that goes.
That's all for now. I posted pictures so check them out.
Sarah
I woke up around 8, ate breakfast, and left my hostel. Check out was at 10 but I couldn't check in with my program until 2. So I wandered around for a while and then went to find the place where I check in. Then I went to find where the dorms are. I figured it would be easier to find them without luggage then to wander around with all my stuff.
I couldn't find the one dorm, Paracelsus, but the other, Haus Humboldt was very easy to find. It is right up against a little forest so I took a hike down this path that I found. It led all through the woods and down to the river. It was pretty
So I very slowly passed the time and then went to check-in. I was the first one there. They gave me and intro and my keys and I left. I went to pick up my luggage and then made the trek to Haus Humboldt (my dorm).
My room is really cool. As of now I have no roommate but I don't know if that will last. My room has 2 beds, 2 very large desks, 2 sets of hanging shelves, 2 large closets, a bathroom, and a refirgerator. What else do I need. It is really nice to have my own bathroom and fridge. I also have access to the kitchen which is right across the hall. There is a phone and internet access but I haven't been able to connect to it. That will be tomorrow's project.
I am also getting a cell phone tomorrow. I finally found Hofer (what Aldi is called in Austria) which is where I am getting my cell phone from. Then I will feel less cut off from the world.
Tomorrow is my placement test, so we'll see how that goes.
That's all for now. I posted pictures so check them out.
Sarah
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Umm...city 2?
So I wasn't really sure how to title this post. Technically I am in my 4th city of this trip if you include Airports, but I decided to go with the number of cities I am actually exploring.
I have arrived safely, but not unevntfully in Salzburg. I had some issues with the Munich trains (delays and trains not running at all) and I missed not only the train I planned to take but also the one after that. I finally got out at 4:40.
So anyway, before I get into Salzburg, I shall talk about my day in Munich. I woke up at about 7:30 and I organized and packed all of my stuff. I was running a little late so my only breakfast was some chocolate milk, and chocolate teddy grahms a few hours later. I headed down to Marienplatz where I found Christopher Street Day was happening which made the square a zoo. I took a few pictures around and then found my tour guide, the same on as for the Dachau tour. I was worried I'd be the only one on the tour but a few mins later, 28 more people showed up. 2 of the are from Elkins Park...how odd.
So we went on our 2.5 walking tour around munich. We saw different memorials, the main Nazi meeting building (now a music school) and some other interesting places. I wish I would have measured my walking for the last week cause I am sure I have walked more than 100 miles.
So upon completion of our tour, I meandered through the city and eventually found my way back to Marienplatz. On my way, I found myself in the middle of the Christopher Street Day parade which was amusing. Once back at Marienplaty, I got a really awesome smoothie and then hopped on a train to the Soccer Arena. That was also quite a walk from the train station. Then I headed back to Marineplatz to hop on the S-bahn to the Hauptbahnhof to hop on the tram to my hostel. I had to sit at the tram stop for 20 mins cause they kept cancelling the train I needed and then finally I gave us and hopped on a different tram. That one takes me only half way back to the hostel but I figured once there I could either walk, or get a taxi for pretty cheap. So it turned out that one I got to Romanplatz (half way) the 17 tram was running again so I waited for that and it came 5 mins alter. So I got to my hostel, grabbed my stuff and rushed to the train station, only to miss the train by 5 mins. So I had to sit around the train station for an hour and wait for the next one.
Finally it came and I took my 2 hour journey to Salzburg. Along the way we saw lots of mountain and the Chiemsee (big lake type thing). I also studied my German flash cards and listened to German music on my ipod. Then I arrived at Salzburg. I got off the train and I was like "where's the train station." It is so little, like 4 tracks....Munich has 26 just to give you an idea.
So yeah, Salzburg is tiny. It's very pretty but it's also quiet. I miss the hustle and bustle of Munich. I got here at 7 and everything was closed, there were hardly any people around, and I was just confused. My hostel is on the river, in the middle of the city-ish part of Salzburg, right on the Salzach River. It's about a 10 minute walk to the old town. I have 2 roommates-one from Indiana and one from North Carolina. They are studying in Freiburg, Germany and they are just here for a weekend.
Tomorrow I check into my program at 2 and then I get to move into my dorm. Then I will have my own internet connection and I'll be able to upload my photos. I'm excited to get my program started...I'm tired of being a tourist. Monday we have placement tests and then Tuesday is the first day of class. We only have 14 total classes...how crazy is that. So tomorrow and Monday are really just free days. After that it'll become routine, yay!
Ok, I am tired. I think I shall head back to my room and relax till I'm ready to sleep.
Sarah
I have arrived safely, but not unevntfully in Salzburg. I had some issues with the Munich trains (delays and trains not running at all) and I missed not only the train I planned to take but also the one after that. I finally got out at 4:40.
So anyway, before I get into Salzburg, I shall talk about my day in Munich. I woke up at about 7:30 and I organized and packed all of my stuff. I was running a little late so my only breakfast was some chocolate milk, and chocolate teddy grahms a few hours later. I headed down to Marienplatz where I found Christopher Street Day was happening which made the square a zoo. I took a few pictures around and then found my tour guide, the same on as for the Dachau tour. I was worried I'd be the only one on the tour but a few mins later, 28 more people showed up. 2 of the are from Elkins Park...how odd.
So we went on our 2.5 walking tour around munich. We saw different memorials, the main Nazi meeting building (now a music school) and some other interesting places. I wish I would have measured my walking for the last week cause I am sure I have walked more than 100 miles.
So upon completion of our tour, I meandered through the city and eventually found my way back to Marienplatz. On my way, I found myself in the middle of the Christopher Street Day parade which was amusing. Once back at Marienplaty, I got a really awesome smoothie and then hopped on a train to the Soccer Arena. That was also quite a walk from the train station. Then I headed back to Marineplatz to hop on the S-bahn to the Hauptbahnhof to hop on the tram to my hostel. I had to sit at the tram stop for 20 mins cause they kept cancelling the train I needed and then finally I gave us and hopped on a different tram. That one takes me only half way back to the hostel but I figured once there I could either walk, or get a taxi for pretty cheap. So it turned out that one I got to Romanplatz (half way) the 17 tram was running again so I waited for that and it came 5 mins alter. So I got to my hostel, grabbed my stuff and rushed to the train station, only to miss the train by 5 mins. So I had to sit around the train station for an hour and wait for the next one.
Finally it came and I took my 2 hour journey to Salzburg. Along the way we saw lots of mountain and the Chiemsee (big lake type thing). I also studied my German flash cards and listened to German music on my ipod. Then I arrived at Salzburg. I got off the train and I was like "where's the train station." It is so little, like 4 tracks....Munich has 26 just to give you an idea.
So yeah, Salzburg is tiny. It's very pretty but it's also quiet. I miss the hustle and bustle of Munich. I got here at 7 and everything was closed, there were hardly any people around, and I was just confused. My hostel is on the river, in the middle of the city-ish part of Salzburg, right on the Salzach River. It's about a 10 minute walk to the old town. I have 2 roommates-one from Indiana and one from North Carolina. They are studying in Freiburg, Germany and they are just here for a weekend.
Tomorrow I check into my program at 2 and then I get to move into my dorm. Then I will have my own internet connection and I'll be able to upload my photos. I'm excited to get my program started...I'm tired of being a tourist. Monday we have placement tests and then Tuesday is the first day of class. We only have 14 total classes...how crazy is that. So tomorrow and Monday are really just free days. After that it'll become routine, yay!
Ok, I am tired. I think I shall head back to my room and relax till I'm ready to sleep.
Sarah
Friday, July 10, 2009
Day 2
Greeting!
So today was quite an eventful day.
I went to bed at 8 PM last night and was rudely awoken at 9, 10, 11, and 12 by obnoxiously loud spanish people, ugh. So finally at midnight I fell asleep until 5 at which time i fell back asleep until I woke up at 6, 7, and finally at 9 (and somehow managed to sleep through my alarm clock. Luckily it was set for 8:30 so I was only 30 mins late getting up. I proceeded to the washroom where I took an ice cold shower until right at the end when it got warm. What's worse was the water pressure was so low you have to stand in the freezing water for longer.
So anyway, I went to pick up my camera battery at the reception desk where they were charging it for me, and the people were on break so I couldn't get it till 11:30!! I wanted to leave at 11 but it was ok.
So I ate my avocado, picked up my battery, and headed to the Hauptbahnhof where I was supposed to catch the S-bahn (train) to Marienplatz. Well there was some problem so the S-Bahns weren't running. Luckily, I understand enough German to understand what the annoucements were telling us. So I had to go upstairs and catch the U-Bahn 5 to Odeonsplatz and then switch to the U-bahn 3 or 6 and take the to Marienplatz. Luckily I left myself 1 1/2 hours to get there. So I even got there 30 minutes early so I stopped to get some water and a bite to eat. Then I met my tour group under the big Glockenspiel. It was an English speaking tour so we had a diverse-ish crowd. There was me, a girl from Canada (who I befriended and we learned we are staying at the same hostel...she is 20 and her name is Jordan), a guy from Finland, a dad and 2 sons from Pittsburg, a couple from New Mexico, and another guy from America (don't know where). They were all nice except for the couple from New Mexico who were obnoxious.
Unfortunately the tour was a bit messed up due to the S-bahn shut-down so we had to just stand on the square for a bit. We found out that the S-bahns were running from this station about 6 stations away. So we hopped on the U-bahn and headed to that station. It was only about 10 mins before the S-bahn came for us, yay! So we rode the train for 15 mins and then hopped on a bus and finally we arrived at Dachau concentration camp. We had our own personal tour guide, it was cool. We walked down the road where the trains full of people came in and where the people walked into the camp. Then we walked through this museum (where we didn't need to reed any of the signs). Then we watched a 22 minute video about the history of Dachau. We walked to the old crematorium, the new crematorium, and the gas chamber (which was never actually used). Then we walked down the "freedom road" (as the prisoners called it) and we got to go into one of the bunk houses (although it was actually rebuilt as the original one was torn down after the war). They re-built 2 of them but there were originally 34. Then we walked down to the memorial and then we left. It was very interesting, although as Jordan and I discussed, incomprehensible. The whole trip took 5 hours.
When we got back I wandered around Marienplatz, took some pictures and got some food. Then I hopped on a train to the Olympic park. I wandered around and then went up in the Olympiaturm (Olympic tower...something like that). I took lots of pictures and got to watch the sun set from up on top-so cool! I (of course) ran into the base of one of those binoculary things and now I have a huge bump and bruise on my leg, haha-but at least I didn't fall.
Then I went to the University cause I have never been there but my camera died so I decided to leave (I will be back tomorrow if I wake up early enough). Then I took the U-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof and hopped on a tram back to the hostel.
Oh, funny story-so today I had a person ask me if I speak English-so funny! I blend in quite nicely. Apparently I don't look blatantly American...all the German keep speaking to me in German, yay.
Oh, but at the Olympiaturm, I asked for a ticket to the tower in German and she responded in English, how rude...so I kept talking in German and she didn't get the point...people! Munich is supposed to be the city that speaks in German to everyone...oh well.
So tomorrow I go to Salzburg!!! But first I am going on the Third Reich-Hitler's Munich tour. It is a 2.5 hour walking tour (man am I going to be tired). Hopefully at some point I will get to go back to the University and go to the Soccer stadium. Then I have to come back to the hostel, grab my stuff, and trek back to the Hauptbahnhof. Trains leave for Salzburg at 20 after and 20 of every hour.
I should probably go to bed soon (it's after 11) but they're having a bonfire and I may want to check that out first. Then I have to bundle up and curl up under my 4 blankets.
I'll post pictures soon.
That's all for now, be back tomorrow if I can!
So today was quite an eventful day.
I went to bed at 8 PM last night and was rudely awoken at 9, 10, 11, and 12 by obnoxiously loud spanish people, ugh. So finally at midnight I fell asleep until 5 at which time i fell back asleep until I woke up at 6, 7, and finally at 9 (and somehow managed to sleep through my alarm clock. Luckily it was set for 8:30 so I was only 30 mins late getting up. I proceeded to the washroom where I took an ice cold shower until right at the end when it got warm. What's worse was the water pressure was so low you have to stand in the freezing water for longer.
So anyway, I went to pick up my camera battery at the reception desk where they were charging it for me, and the people were on break so I couldn't get it till 11:30!! I wanted to leave at 11 but it was ok.
So I ate my avocado, picked up my battery, and headed to the Hauptbahnhof where I was supposed to catch the S-bahn (train) to Marienplatz. Well there was some problem so the S-Bahns weren't running. Luckily, I understand enough German to understand what the annoucements were telling us. So I had to go upstairs and catch the U-Bahn 5 to Odeonsplatz and then switch to the U-bahn 3 or 6 and take the to Marienplatz. Luckily I left myself 1 1/2 hours to get there. So I even got there 30 minutes early so I stopped to get some water and a bite to eat. Then I met my tour group under the big Glockenspiel. It was an English speaking tour so we had a diverse-ish crowd. There was me, a girl from Canada (who I befriended and we learned we are staying at the same hostel...she is 20 and her name is Jordan), a guy from Finland, a dad and 2 sons from Pittsburg, a couple from New Mexico, and another guy from America (don't know where). They were all nice except for the couple from New Mexico who were obnoxious.
Unfortunately the tour was a bit messed up due to the S-bahn shut-down so we had to just stand on the square for a bit. We found out that the S-bahns were running from this station about 6 stations away. So we hopped on the U-bahn and headed to that station. It was only about 10 mins before the S-bahn came for us, yay! So we rode the train for 15 mins and then hopped on a bus and finally we arrived at Dachau concentration camp. We had our own personal tour guide, it was cool. We walked down the road where the trains full of people came in and where the people walked into the camp. Then we walked through this museum (where we didn't need to reed any of the signs). Then we watched a 22 minute video about the history of Dachau. We walked to the old crematorium, the new crematorium, and the gas chamber (which was never actually used). Then we walked down the "freedom road" (as the prisoners called it) and we got to go into one of the bunk houses (although it was actually rebuilt as the original one was torn down after the war). They re-built 2 of them but there were originally 34. Then we walked down to the memorial and then we left. It was very interesting, although as Jordan and I discussed, incomprehensible. The whole trip took 5 hours.
When we got back I wandered around Marienplatz, took some pictures and got some food. Then I hopped on a train to the Olympic park. I wandered around and then went up in the Olympiaturm (Olympic tower...something like that). I took lots of pictures and got to watch the sun set from up on top-so cool! I (of course) ran into the base of one of those binoculary things and now I have a huge bump and bruise on my leg, haha-but at least I didn't fall.
Then I went to the University cause I have never been there but my camera died so I decided to leave (I will be back tomorrow if I wake up early enough). Then I took the U-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof and hopped on a tram back to the hostel.
Oh, funny story-so today I had a person ask me if I speak English-so funny! I blend in quite nicely. Apparently I don't look blatantly American...all the German keep speaking to me in German, yay.
Oh, but at the Olympiaturm, I asked for a ticket to the tower in German and she responded in English, how rude...so I kept talking in German and she didn't get the point...people! Munich is supposed to be the city that speaks in German to everyone...oh well.
So tomorrow I go to Salzburg!!! But first I am going on the Third Reich-Hitler's Munich tour. It is a 2.5 hour walking tour (man am I going to be tired). Hopefully at some point I will get to go back to the University and go to the Soccer stadium. Then I have to come back to the hostel, grab my stuff, and trek back to the Hauptbahnhof. Trains leave for Salzburg at 20 after and 20 of every hour.
I should probably go to bed soon (it's after 11) but they're having a bonfire and I may want to check that out first. Then I have to bundle up and curl up under my 4 blankets.
I'll post pictures soon.
That's all for now, be back tomorrow if I can!
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Greetings from Munich
Hello,
So today I arrived in Munich. My trip started at JFK, where I departed at 8:30 PM yesterday. I took a 5 1/2 hour flight to Iceland where I got to relax in the terminal for a little over an hour. After that I boarded the next plane to Munich, a 4 hour flight. The flight was nice. Every seat had it's own TV so I watched friends and listened to some country music and I fell asleep watching 27 dresses. I woke up about an hour before landing in Iceland. The next flight I watched 27 dresses (since I slept through the previous viewing) and then fell asleep just in time for landing (which must have been pretty smooth as it did not wake me up.
I got off the plane in Munich and took a train to the Hauptbahnhof (central train station) where I hopped on a tram that took me to my hostel. I am staying at "The Tent." It is a giant tent with 100 beds (50 bunks) in it. It seems nice so far. Lots of Scottish/Irish people.
I settled in to my bunk and then I decided to take a ride back to the Hauptbahnhof (I will be using that word a lot so you should get used to it). I found a little bakery that has mozzarella and tomato sandwiches so I bought one of them for 2 euros and then wandered around for a bit. I bought an Avocado and some water at Karstadt (department store). I didn't eat it yet though. It may be my lunch tomorrow. On my way back to the hostel I got off the tram at Nymphenburg castle. I was there in 2007 so I don't plan on going back but I did want to take a few pictures. I thought about walking back to the hostel (like a mile maybe) but decided I was too tired.
I think I'll be going to bed around 8 tonight as I am utterly exhausted and then I can sleep for 12 hours.
Tomorrow I am going over to Marienplatz in the morning to look around the Glockenspiel and other cool buildings and then I am going on a tour to Dachau (concentration camp). After that, who knows.
Munich is boring. I've already seen most of the cool stuff so there isn't much that is exciting me. Several times today I have forgotten that I am in Germany and then I walk past some German speaking people and it throws me off.
I will update again tomorrow.
So today I arrived in Munich. My trip started at JFK, where I departed at 8:30 PM yesterday. I took a 5 1/2 hour flight to Iceland where I got to relax in the terminal for a little over an hour. After that I boarded the next plane to Munich, a 4 hour flight. The flight was nice. Every seat had it's own TV so I watched friends and listened to some country music and I fell asleep watching 27 dresses. I woke up about an hour before landing in Iceland. The next flight I watched 27 dresses (since I slept through the previous viewing) and then fell asleep just in time for landing (which must have been pretty smooth as it did not wake me up.
I got off the plane in Munich and took a train to the Hauptbahnhof (central train station) where I hopped on a tram that took me to my hostel. I am staying at "The Tent." It is a giant tent with 100 beds (50 bunks) in it. It seems nice so far. Lots of Scottish/Irish people.
I settled in to my bunk and then I decided to take a ride back to the Hauptbahnhof (I will be using that word a lot so you should get used to it). I found a little bakery that has mozzarella and tomato sandwiches so I bought one of them for 2 euros and then wandered around for a bit. I bought an Avocado and some water at Karstadt (department store). I didn't eat it yet though. It may be my lunch tomorrow. On my way back to the hostel I got off the tram at Nymphenburg castle. I was there in 2007 so I don't plan on going back but I did want to take a few pictures. I thought about walking back to the hostel (like a mile maybe) but decided I was too tired.
I think I'll be going to bed around 8 tonight as I am utterly exhausted and then I can sleep for 12 hours.
Tomorrow I am going over to Marienplatz in the morning to look around the Glockenspiel and other cool buildings and then I am going on a tour to Dachau (concentration camp). After that, who knows.
Munich is boring. I've already seen most of the cool stuff so there isn't much that is exciting me. Several times today I have forgotten that I am in Germany and then I walk past some German speaking people and it throws me off.
I will update again tomorrow.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Heading to Europe
So in 6 days I will be boarding a plane at JFK and heading off to Europe. I have many great adventure's planned so check in when you can and read all about them. Here is an approximate schedule so you will know what I am doing most of the time.
July 8th: Fly out from JFK
July 9th: Arrive in Munich
July 9th-11th: Explore Munich, including a tour of Dachau and Hitler's 3rd Reich tour
July 11th-12th: Stay in Austria at the Strawberry Youth Hostel right on the river.
July 12th: Check in and find out which dorm I am living in and move in
July 13th: First day of class
July 13th-17th, 20th-24th, 27th-31st: Class 9-12:30
August 2nd-9th: Travel through Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Slovenia.
Sometime between August 9th and 13th: My parents and Juli arrive
August (9-13)-August 18th: Travel through Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland,the Czech Republic, and Germany.
So that's a rough schedule. You have to keep up with my posting to know what I am actually doing.
July 8th: Fly out from JFK
July 9th: Arrive in Munich
July 9th-11th: Explore Munich, including a tour of Dachau and Hitler's 3rd Reich tour
July 11th-12th: Stay in Austria at the Strawberry Youth Hostel right on the river.
July 12th: Check in and find out which dorm I am living in and move in
July 13th: First day of class
July 13th-17th, 20th-24th, 27th-31st: Class 9-12:30
August 2nd-9th: Travel through Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Slovenia.
Sometime between August 9th and 13th: My parents and Juli arrive
August (9-13)-August 18th: Travel through Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland,the Czech Republic, and Germany.
So that's a rough schedule. You have to keep up with my posting to know what I am actually doing.
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