Schneeschuh laufen im Berge

A little over a week ago my Study Abroad group traveled a little North of Zell Am See to go Snowshoeing. This was the best Excursion of the Semester! The travel time was almost 2 hours and there was SO MUCH SNOW! In Salzburg we have had a very dry Winter therefore almost no snow. However once you get about 45 mins out of town there is snow up to your knee! Needless to say I was in Heaven.

When we arrived in this little town we watched a slideshow presentation on Nature in the Mountains. This was fairly interesting but I more interested in the projector they were using. It was one of the ancient slide projectors! I love seeing those! After the slideshow we went to a tiny Market to get snacks for the break once we reach the top of the mountain. Afterwards we go back on the bus and drove a little ways to where we’d start our hike.

Getting the snowshoes on was quite the challenge. Two people had to help me get them on and be sure they wouldn’t come off. I was super excited to be snowshoeing because it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. Plus if I’m going to be a German Teacher the only jobs available are in Alaska and Minnesota, both of which get a ton of snow!

We start walking up the Mountain and its Gorgeous! They had just gotten a ton of fresh snow the night before, so naturally its difficult to traverse and very easy to fall. One particular guy in our group fell quite a bit. At one point he almost fell down the mountain! The snow had a tendency to cave on him and like myself he’s not that graceful haha. Eventually we made it to the top and my goodness what a view J

Oh I forgot to mention that I threw the best snowball in the world! I had the higher ground at one point on two of my friends and I lobbed a snowball hoping to hit one of them and I did! I hit Akasha right on the arm and go away with it! Both of my friends thought Seth had thrown it. Hehe!

Anyway I digress. At the top of the mountain during our break I was talking with a friend and he put snow down my shirt! Not just one of my layers but he had somehow gotten it down my UnderArmor shirt! I had so many layers on and had to get them off quickly to get the snow out of my shirt. It was quite funny and my friend Julie has captured it all just for you! Haha.

Getting down the mountain was something entirely different. One cannot simply walk down a mountain (said in my Boramir voice “One cannot simply walk into Morodor”). You could literally run down the mountain or, as I chose to after trying to run , you could slide on your bum down the mountain. That was the most fun I’d had sliding in the snow EVER!

This is a fairly short update but it was a LEGENDARY and EPIC day. Pictures are courtesy of  Julie Clark and Seth Hobson as I didn’t take any pictures since I was focused on not falling down the mountain haha!

Ireland is 13 days away!!! Still looking for tips on what to do in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork!!!

Also my Sisters at Phi Mu are still raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. You can make miracles happen by donating today!! Just click the link on the right J Thank you to the two readers that have donated!

Schönes Tag!!!

-A

Eltern Besucht, Weinachten, Neu Jahr, Salzburg Zoo

These past few weeks have flown by with awesomness, epicness, and was Legen-wait for it-Dary. I apologize for not updating much this holiday but I was living it up! Haha. So here’s what happened when my Parents visited, Christmas, New Year, and a trip to the Zoo.

My parents arrived in Munich the Saturday before Christmas. I caught a 5:45am train to Munich. I was so excited that I had hardly slept the night before and couldn’t sleep on the 2hour journey to Munich. I finally arrived, after a long wait to pull into the station since we were early, and made my way to- yup, you guessed it- Starbucks. I had no idea when my parents would arrive to the Hauptbahnhof in Munich so I settled down with my delicious Hot Chocolate and free WiFi. I ended up waiting for about two hours. I met a lovely group from Oklahoma. What was even cooler was that they knew Quitman and Winnsboro, Texas! That’s where my grandparents live! It was really neat meeting someone who not only was from the US but knew two small towns in Northeast Texas. They were waiting for a tour to start we had polite chitchat about where they should visit while in Germany and Austria. Eventually they left and five minuets later I saw my parents walking towards Starbucks. I walked up and I swear they didn’t recognize me! They were about to walk past when I finally said “Hey where are you going!?” We hugged and talked about the flight. Then one of the nice gentlemen from Oklahoma came over and said hi to my parents. It was really nice of him.

We ended up taking a nice bus tour of Munich. I had fun listening to the German part and then quietly laughing at the translation into English they did. It wasn’t always correct. We got to see Olympic Village, BMW headquarters, the most expensive shopping street in Munich, and of course the Hofbrauhaus. We had a delicious lunch of Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Pretzels, and of course Beer. However my beer wasn’t exactly a beer. It’s half beer half “lemonade” called a Raddler. I recently learned that Lemonade in Germany and Austria is actually Sprite (Courtesy of my bartender friend Rob). I always get a Raddler when I’ve only have Beer as an option. My mom ordered the same as me, but didn’t know I didn’t get a “real” beer. Her face was absolutely PRICELESS when she took her first drink. Apparently it was too sweet haha! She’d forgotten that I don’t like beer. We finished our bus tour then headed back to Salzburg. They slept most of the way there, I don’t blame them. It’s a long trip and they’d been up for well over 24hours.

Maximilian I

BMW

Santa on a Bike

Mom at Hofbrauhaus

The next day I showed them around Salzburg and a couple of my favorite places. We planned on doing the Sound of Music tour that afternoon so we met went to lunch at this great restaurant on Gold Gasse. We all got Wienerschnitzel of course. Then we walked around Salzburg for a bit. I took them to Mirabel Palace and showed them where they filmed a few scenes in The Sound of Music. The Tour itself was great! Our tour guide reminded us of Elain’s Boss on Seinfeld. He sounded and looked like him! We got to see the lake and back of the House they filmed at. We got to drive by the front of the house where Maria sings I have confidence and runs up to the VonTrapp home. The Gazebo is at Schloss Hellbrunn, and then we drove to where they filmed the wedding. On the way we pulled over and got to take pictures of the Moon Lake. It was snowing and simply gorgeous. We also drove by RedBull Headquarters. We got to have Apple Strudel at a nice little café as well.

Our Tour Guide (AKA Elaine's Boss)

The Back of the "VonTrapp House"

The Gazebo! 

My Parents and I at Moon Lake

Monday-Wednesday I had classes but got to spend the evenings with my parents. I showed them the three churches in the Alt Stadt, St Peter’s Dom, St Peter’s, and the Franciscan Church. Wednesday was the last day of classes until the new year. I had a presentation and let’s just say.. Well it’s over. That night my parents and I met my friends at Dubliner for drinks. We had a blast! We were there from 6 till midnight! We had fun talking, sharing stories, and enjoying the atmosphere of an Irish Pub.

The next morning my parents and I amazingly caught the 8am train to Innsbruck. We arrived in Innsbruck and it was snowing! I mean really snowing! We got Innsbruck cards and grabbed a quick lunch at McDonalds. We then headed up to Hungerburg. That’s the same mountain I went up a few months ago and saw snow. Now it’s a jumping ski resort. So much snow!! It looked like Hoth! That’s right I made a Star Wars reference haha. My mom had a furry hooded coat and it reminded me of Hans in ep V. There’s a pic to prove it haha. After we went up the mountain we naturally went down and back into town. We walked to the Palace that Maria Theresia lived at as well as Marie Antoinette. Then we walked around St Jacob’s. Finally we ended up at a pub where we had lunch. It was pretty good. We also saw a guy about my age completely passed out on the table next to us. We went back to Salzburg and had dinner at a great little Italian restaurant that the concierge recommended. We then called it a night. The next day would be they’re last day in Salzburg.

Ski Lift at Hungerburg

Mom and Dad at Hungerburg

All she needs is a Tauntaun

Christmas Market Innsbruck

Friday we spent the day shopping. We went to the Christmas Markets and got gifts for the family. We also went up to the Festung and took an audio tour. One thing I remember most from said tour was that one of the Archbishops had a Turnip on his coat of arms. You see turnips everywhere at the Festung. We also went back to the restaurant on Gold Gasse for lunch. I love that restaurant. That night we had Christmas back at their hotel. It was great! I got my parents an ornament that had key buildings that are in Salzburg and a Wilkommen sign. I got a new James Patterson book, as well as the new Shel Silversein book “Every Thing On It”. I also got hair product that I can only find in the States, a Harry Potter mug that changes colors! It’s black and says “I solemnly swear that I’m up to no good” then when you add hot beverage to it, it changes to white and says “Mischief Managed”. I also an angel holding a Pineapple! Also a TY Lion and iTunes gift card. My family also sent me travel money. All in all a great Christmas!

See the Turnip?

Mom and Dad at the Festung

Christmas Gifts

They left on Christmas Eve for Munich then left for the States on Christmas. I miss them but had a great time and was so glad I got to see them.

For Christmas Seth, Akasha, and I exchanged gifts, watched Christmas movies, and had Breakfast for Dinner. The gift exchange was fun and we watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and It’s a Wonderful Life.

Brinner

For New Years we stayed in and made dinner. Akasha made this Mexican pizza that was to die for. I also made a second attempt at cookies. I’m getting closer to figuring out what works here. Then I watched an Ep of New Girl, which is my new favorite show! HILARIOUS! At midnight we had Proseco and watched Fireworks from the window in our room.

Mexican Pizza

Proseco

New Years day Akasha and I planned our trip to Ireland. That’s right I’m going home! Well as close to home as I can get. I can’t wait to see what my Uncle Joey got to see when he studied in Ireland. I wish I could ask him for advice on where to go. I just can’t wait to see Ireland! We are going to Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. I can’t wait!!!

First Meal of the New Year Bratwurst and Sauerkraut 

German

New Years Dinner: Irish Stew and a Magners

Irish

Akasha and I also went to the Salzburg Zoo. It was a rainy day but all in all a fun one. We got to see Lions, Tigers, Rhinos, Lemurs, Monkeys, and so much more. It’s not a big zoo but it was nice to visit.

Red Panda

Llama.. Guess he needs more fiber in his diet.. 

Monkeys!

Snow Leopard

Lion!!! 

Hope you all had a fabulous Holiday and New Year! This year is going  to be so much fun and I can’t wait to share it with you!! If you’ve been to Ireland and have suggestions on what to do in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork please leave a comment!!

-A