Wednesday was the one-month mark of my journey in Europe. It is crazy to think I am already 1/4 of the way through this experience! I can't help but think back on my last visit to Europe (4 years ago) which was only a month long. I have already surpassed that time period, yet it doesn't feel like more than a week has gone by!
Katie and I were done with class at 10:30, and we started our 'afternoon' searching for a craft store. I ended up buying enough yarn to make two scarfs, mind you I've never knitted a thing in my life...here's to hoping Katie's a good teacher!
After lunch, we ventured out to Schloss Hellbrunn. It was used for the exterior shots of the Von Trapp house in "The Sound of Music." The gazebo featured during the song "I am Sixteen, Going on Seventeen" is also housed on the castle grounds. We took a tour of the Wasserspiele (a series of 'trick' water fountains), and we had a great tour guide. When he collected my ticket, he actually spoke to me in German (even though he'd spoken in English to nearly everyone else in the line)! This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it is very common for other Austrians to speak to us in English as soon as we stumble over a verb conjugation or use the wrong pronoun. In their defense, they are often glad to have an opportunity to use their English. It's just frustrating when you're trying to make the most out of the experience by speaking in German.
Once our tour of the fountains concluded, we checked out the interior of the palace. It was your average 'old restored building of importance.' Not exceptionally impressive, but interesting to note that no one actually lived at the castle. It was merely a 'summer home' that was put to use a few times a year!
On our way back we made a pit stop to see the gazebo used in the "Sound of Music." It took an opportunity to act the part of Liesel.
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