Thanksgiving Break?!

11.27
Needless to say, my Thanksgiving celebration was a little different this year. For starters, I had class! We had a group dinner that evening, along with the Schroeder family and all of our professors. Chris and I gave a 'blessing' which was really a list of things we, as a group, were thankful for in the past months in Salzburg, and four others entertained us with an oboe/strings quartet before the meal began. As good as dinner was, it's just not Thanksgiving without the stuffing, mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie (all of which were missing). At least we got turkey! Not unlike our group dinner in Graz, we stayed for nearly 4 hours! It really was a fun evening!

Chris, Carolyn and I

11.28
Rather than our standard senior seminar class, we traveled to St. Pantaleon via lokalbahn (about an hour away) to meet Ludwig Laher, the author of a book we recently read ("Heart Flesh Degeneration"). During the Third Reich, there was a work-education camp in St. Pantaleon; this camp later became a detention center for Gypsies. We visited the cemetery, memorials and walked the exact path the prisoners had to walk four times per day, from the camp to the river where they worked. Herr Laher told us it would be a long walk, but I don't think any of us realize that long meant an hour and a half. Personally, I was freezing, and that's with my proper winter clothing (a jacket!) and good shoes. It is unbelievable how inhumane the prisoners were treated! Once we finally arrived at the Gasthof which acted as the camp headquarters we sat down for further conversation with Herr Laher and some hot chocolate. As nice as the Gasthof was, I couldn't shake the upsetting feeling -- on Christmas Eve 1940, 10 men were stripped naked, strapped to benches and violently beaten in the exact room we were enjoying ourselves in. It was ironic and disturbing.

St. Pantaleon

Memorial for the Victims

That evening, I went ice skating for the first time in my life! It took a while to get used to , and I can hardly say I mastered the art, but at least I didn't fall down!

Megan, Carolyn, Jay and I

Katie and I

11.29
I traveled to Oberndorf/Laufen with 5 friends. Oberndorf and Laufen used to be the same town, but once the borders between Germany and Austria were drawn, the two were split; Oberndorf is in Austria, whereas Laufen is in Germany.

Chris and I

Oberndorf is home to the chapel where "Stille Nacht" (Silent Night) was composed and played for the first time. We visited the small chapel (which of course, is not the original), sneaking in just before the hordes of senior citizen tourist crowded their way in!

Silent Night Chapel

Walking along the Salzach, we crossed the bridge to Germany, but not before jumping back and forth across the border a few times, just to say we did it! We visited another church in Laufen, the oldest Gothic church in southern Germany (I think!), built from 1330-1338.

Oesterreich - Deutschland

Upon returning to Salzburg, I headed to the Hellbrunn Christmas Markets with Katie. We took the gravel road near our student home, which has to be one of my favorite walks! It is gorgeous, even with the bare trees! And, Michelle, I realized something on this walk -- Austria truly is 'The Land of Green'...the leaves are gone, but the grass is as green as it was when I got here! (I'm guessing MN is pretty brown right about now!)

IT'S SO GREEN!

Untersberg

11.30
As recommended by our German teacher, a group of us ventured to nearby St. Leonhard for the Christmas Markets and Krampuslauf. The Krampus are a sort of Demon that come through prior to St. Nicholas, scaring the children into behaving well! I had heard stories about the Krampus prior to experiencing it, but that hardly prepared me! Men (or maybe women!?) raided through the streets in furry suits and frightening masks, wearing large cow bells on their butts and carrying cow tails and bundles of twigs. They were absolutely ruthless, wandering up and down the street whipping people. I managed to only get whipped once, however another girl in our group was grabbed and pulled out into the street! I am honestly surprised it is legal for them to be so vicious! I can't imagine a similar thing ever happening in the States! As terrifying as it was, there is another one in Salzburg on Friday, and I have plans to go!