Salzburg: Climbing Mountains

So let me continue my trip. Sorry this is taking so long but I like to be exact, and give a complete, well almost complete description of my trip, and it takes awhile. Anyway to Salzburg.

Now before I went to Salzburg, I heard a few things about it, Jenn said it was her favorite city in Europe, it's the most beautiful, and Mary (from Montana) said she had been and loved it, and also that was beautiful. Now I trust the opinions of those two, both of them have traveled around Europe. But I was not prepared for just how beautiful it was. There are no words for Salzburg, I fell in love with it before we even got there. I remember the moment, we were on the train from Munich, and I was catching up on my journal, and I didn't have contacts in, or my glasses on, and I'm sitting there writing about Berlin probably, and I just got that feeling that I should look up. I did, and I looked to my left, and though I am near sighted, I saw them. I got my first look at the Alps. I quickly put on my glasses that were hanging from the collar of my shirt, put them on, and just stared. There is not a lot of things that can take away my breath... but the Alps did. As soon as I got my bearings together, I turned around and motioned for Monica to look up, she was reading a book. I sat there unable to return to my journal, just staring at the Alps, and then the little Austrian towns, and I fell in love again. What I didn't realize is, I hadn't seen anything yet!!!!!

So we got to Salzburg, we have our bags on our shoulders, and we walk out of the train station. It never occurred to me but we cross a border and nothing happened. No passport control, no nothing.. aka, I didn't get a stamp in my passport. Um not happy. Oh well, I will just have to go back, and this time fly. Oh well, so we leave the train station and this woman comes up to us. She knows at once we are tourists, our bags MIGHT have given us away... somehow. But she gave us two passes for the buses that were valid until Wednesday. She said that they were leaving, and enjoy. Okay cool, too bad we never took the bus but hey, it's the thought that counts.

So we found our hostel, it was another really nice place! We shared a room with 6 other girls. I slept in the bottom bunk! I think I've spent one full night in a bottom bunk, and it was one night my water spilt on my pillow and bed, and I took MK's bed for the night since this happened when she was at college. But I tried to remember any other time I've had a bottom bunk, and the only one night I can think of is (yes I have to say this) is the night at the cottage when either MK or Jay (for the life of me I can't remember who) decided they wanted my top bunk for the night, and like an hour later they woke me telling me about creepy eyes outside the window, and I had to give back the bottom bunk. Great, which ever one of you did that, just give the younger one the creepy eyes outside the window. Me, I wasn't afraid though, and since that day no one has touched my top bunk. And I was like um maybe 6 or 7 when this happened. Alright back to Salzburg. Had to tell the embarrassing story.

So at our hostel, Monica got in touch with Cait, her friend from Fordham. Cait is studying in Italy, and when she heard we were going to be Austria, she came along. Well she first went to Switzerland, and then to Austria. Cait apparently found a cheap Sound of Music tour, and wanted to do it, if we did. Now I love the Sound of Music, I know Salzburg is known for it, but all the tours are pretty expensive. I said yes if she found a cheap one. So we went to go meet Cait at Mirabellgarten, which seemed a central location. Cait was staying at a pension not far from the historical part of the city.

Now let me try and explain Cait. Um. Easy, she's the energizer bunny. She's like me when I play hockey. It was nuts. She talks a mile a minute, and I thought it was just because she was on a sugar high after being up since 4am, oh no that's just Cait. She's awesome though, I really felt like I've known her forever. When we said good bye in Vienna, it was sad, I really like Cait, and I can't wait to go to Italy to visit her. I really am meeting so many cool people, mostly Americans (um), but it's all good. So anyway, we met Cait, and we checked out the Sound of Music tour. It wasn't cheap, that was the child's price, which sometimes is the same for students. For students they give a 10% discount, how generous of them. But we discussed, and we went for it. And I think it was the best decision we made.

So the tour started at 2, and it was like 11:00am, so we walked around. Well we actually went to get Cait's camera, but on the way stopped for coffee. I got a hot chocolate and a chocolate frosted donut. Um good breakfast. So we are sittingin this little cafe, and omg, it was so obvious we were Americans. Everyone is sitting quietly, drinking their coffee, and you got three girls by the windows laughing, talking loud, interrupting each other. It was so much fun. I noticed a few people openly staring at us, hope they enjoyed the show. By the time we left the coffee shop, I felt I had known Cait for a while. She did tell her story about how she got to Austria, which isn't hard, but a little difficult when you forget your passport in Italy! I don't even want to know how she did that, but she did. On the train though they check, but they don't really care as much, so she got away with it, but it got a little scary sometimes. She just gave her licence, but um wow, no thank you. The worst part was she was flying home, yeah right. You need a passport for that. Anyway, I'll talk more about Cait's passport problem as we go.

So we left the coffee shop, and started walking to Cait's pension. On the way though, on this cute little street, Monica sees a side street that just goes up. She suggested we follow. We did. It led to a monastery. And then we kept climbing. We walked for a half an hour. We followed a path that led to some woods, and we stayed on the path and just walked, talked and really got to know each other. Well Cait and I. We talked about going to Berlin, Munich, playing hockey (she use to figure skate), college in general, the differences between our school systems and that of the US, we covered it all. And we just kept walking. Soon we were on top of a mountain, looking down at Salzburg, and eye to eye with the Alps. It was breath taking, humbling, an eye opener, and amazing. I could have stayed up there all day and just sat, stared, been deep in thought, and be completely satisfied. I've climbed all the towers possible, but this was something completely different. It was a mountain! I climbed a mountain for FUN! I stood higher than the clouds, well a few, and just stared. I don't think I knew beauty until I stood and stared at the Alps. It was unbelievable, and the fun was just beginning!!!!!

I noticed the time, and said hey we got to get going, we don't want to miss the tour! So we went a little further, looking for a good place to turn around. Who wants to go back the way they came? We reached a wall that did not allow us to go any further, so we climbed the stairs next to it. That was the highest I think I was in Salzburg, not sure, might have been higher on the tour, but more breath taking views. We were where only the monks go. There was a church like building on top of this mountain. Really old looking one. So after gaping at that, and the views, we started climbing down. It took less time of course, and well we made it to Cait's pension to pick up her camera, and to the tour with like 10 minutes to spare. Go us!

I think I will wait on the Sound of Music tour since it's going to be very long, and this post has some length to it already. So Sound of Music tour next.