9.5 Our last official day of orientation was a blast! We met up with Maia and the two girls at the train station for a bit of a day trip to Hallein where we got to explore the salt mines. We started off by putting on some awesome white jumpsuits (ghostbusters-style) and then we headed into the mine via train, followed by SLIDE (just like the miners did), followed by boat, followed by another slide. They had an amazingly cheesey video (aufdeutsch) that explained the salt mining history of the area. Once our tour was through, we walked down the mountain side back into Hallein for lunch -- we had kebaps (delicious! it's essentially a bun with meat (lamb or chicken typically), lettuce, onion, tomato and sauce. You could say it's like a gyro, only on a bun instead of a pita) and ice cream (highly recommended by Maia, Kaethe and Lena). Following lunch, we checked out a museum in Hallein about the history of the Celts and salt mining.
9.6 Saturday was filled with organizing my room, and doing some more substantial grocery shopping. That night we had dinner over at the Schroeder's. We had goulash suppe (soup), salad and chocolate cake. It was delicious! Once again, the kids provided us with endless entertainment!
9.7 Katie and I attempted to go to mass, but we just missed the bus we needed to get there on time. We decided to go into town anyway, just to better get our bearings. We found a fun little bakery and each got chocolate croissants, it was especially great because the lady in the shop actually spoke to us in German, whereas many other people automatically start speaking English if you stumble on a single word. We decided it should be our Sunday tradition to go there, after mass of course!
9.8 Today was our first day of classes. After senior seminar was over we had 3 hours until our next class, so Katie and I went on another adventure to find IKEA. Of course, things are never as easy as they should be, and we ended up walking all the way around IKEA (on a busy road, with no sidewalk) to find the entrance, later finding out that if we had simply walked through the nearby shopping mall, we would have gotten there without any problem at all! We didn't spend much time there simply because it took a good 1/2 hour to get there by bus, and we had to be back downtown by 3 for our next class.
9.3 And so it began! We met up for our first day of Orientation at the Domplatz, and headed up the mountain side to the Festung from there...we definitely got our workout in for the day! Our program director, Dr. Schroeder, brought his family along for the day (wife and 3 kids), and it is sad to say, but they all speak better German than we do, even Karl who is not yet 5! At any rate, the kids provided us with a great deal of entertainment...especially Karl. He was wearing a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' hat, and proceeded to tell us all about the various engines, proclaiming 'James is the slender one!'
Once we arrived at the Festung, we were set free for a few hours to check out the fortress and enjoy the gorgeous weather.We met up again for lunch at a nice restaurant tucked in the side of the mountain, so again, the views were amazing! I am proud to say that I might actually like sauerkraut (I never used to be a fan, but the stuff I had at lunch was actually quite tasty!) After lunch, Maia and the kids parted ways, and the rest of the group headed down to our 'home base' at one of the University buildings to fill out some paperwork and such.
9.2 The day started off fabulously, being awoken at 3 am, so we would be to the airport in time for our 6:45 flight to Munich. All went smoothly, and we were delighted to find out it would only cost us 9 euro to get from the airport in Munich to Salzburg! (especially good news after we paid 20 euro each to get from our hostel in Rome to the airport in Rome!)
We arrived in Salzburg only to run into our friend Jay, turns out we were on the same train and we didn't even know it!
Another short taxi ride and we were dropped off at our dorms (sorry no pictures yet...I'll get there though, I promise!)
Our rooms are pretty great...more storage than I know what to do with, and we have our own bathroom!
The kitchenettes are not as great...no oven, and very little space, but I suppose we'll make do.
In the afternoon we were greeted by about half of the group, and we all went our grocery shopping...nothing like overwhelming the city on our first day!
The rest of the day was filled with getting settled in...you have no idea how great it is to finally stop living out of a suitcase!
8.27 We left our hostel around 5:45 to get to the airport for our splendid day of travel: Paris-Munich, 5 hour layover in Munich, Munich-Rome. Word of warning: don't bring more than 20 kilos (44 lbs.) on a inter-European flight. Fortunately for me, Jessica's luggage was lost on her flight over to Europe, so she was able to check my other bag, saving me obscene fees. I'll spare you the boring details of the rest of the day...needless to say, we all got to Rome in one piece.
8.28 In the afternoon we walked to the Vatican, and went inside St. Peter's Basilica. It was stunningly gorgeous. We also went below the Basilica to the crypt where many previous Popes are buried. The rest of the afternoon was consumed by waiting for more friends to arrive. We met Chris and Teresa at their B&B and then walked around to find dinner, along the way we just happened to bump in to the Colosseum, so we ate dinner on a patch of grass outside its entrance. It was stunning!
The Vatican
inside
Colosseum
8.29 This was really our only "big" day in Rome, simply because it was SO hot, and their transportation system is not as easily accessible to tourists, making it hard to do a lot in one day.
The day started off with a guided tour of the Colosseum, followed by a Guided tour of Palentine Hill. When we were through with that, we wandered on our own through the Roman Forum. Once we had our fill of the many ruins, we found some gelato (so good!) and headed towards the Pantheon. From there, we walked through the city a bit, just taking it all in. After our stomachs could be silenced no longer, we found a restaurant for dinner (the only time we actually ate out in 2 weeks!), and I had my first drink ever! (Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'm not a big fan...in fact I only had 1/2 a glass of Wine, and the rest of the girls finished off the bottle!) After our hearty Italian meal, it was off to the Spanish Steps, followed by the Trevi Fountain...
inside the Colosseum
The Roman Forum
Pantheon
@ an Italian Restaurant
Spanish Steps
Stunning sunset over Rome
Trevi Fountain
8.30 Katie and I were on our own for the day, again, we did a bit of aimless wandering, revisiting Trevi fountain in the light of day (I threw 3 coins in, so now I'm apparently destined to marry an Italian...). We spent a good portion of the afternoon at our hostel. Just before 5, we headed out to meet up with Chris and Teresa for a bit of a farewell dinner (they headed to Florence while Katie and I were going to be staying in Rome the next few days.) 8.31 The day of the Vatican Museum. So, we just happened to luck out as the Vatican Museum is free on the last Sunday of each month (saving us 8 euro), and we figured that getting in line around 8:30 (the open at 9) would be more than sufficient. Boy were we wrong. The line wrapped around good 1.5 miles....we didn't even get into the museum until 10, and we weren't even close to the end of the line! Not to knock the Vatican Museum, but due to an over-abundance of people, the heat, and all the time we'd been spending in museums the past weeks I just lost interest really fast. I am glad I can say I've been to the Sistine Chapel...it is truly amazing, and I do wish I could have stayed there longer to take it all in, but there were simply too many people there to truly enjoy it. In the end, we spent nearly as much time waiting in line as we did in the Museum itself. 9.1 Our last day in Rome. Katie and I headed out to the Catacomb of St. Sebastian, which are hardly conveniently located, but we found them none-the-less. We had a guide who took us through, and it was all very fascinating. It only lasted a half hour though, so it was a bit pricey in that regard. The rest of the day was filled with repacking and getting ready for our travels to Salzburg.
Nuns at the Church at the Catacomb of St. Sebastian
8.23 Our day started bright and early shortly after 5am, heading out early to catch our train to Paris. Apparently we didn't plan very well though...to make a long story short, we got on the train just 4 minutes before it was left the station. From then on, we left extra early for all of our major traveling!
We found our hostel and got checked in and then took the city by storm! It was nice to have a sense of direction for once (I spent 4 days in Paris 4 years ago, so I had some sense of orientation!). We took the metro (aka Subway) to the Louvre and then walked down the Mall, cut across the River and headed towards the Eiffel Tower.
We headed back to the hostel for dinner, followed by a Metro ride to La Defense, which is essentially the financial/modern district, but features the Grand Arch. Apparently the opening in the arch is so big, all of Notre Dame could fit within it! On our way back to the hostel we also walked along Champs Elysees, and took in Arc deTriomph.
La Defense
Champs Elysees and Arc deTriomph
8.24 We headed to the Gardens of Versailles for the day, with another hefty admission price, we were expecting great things, and while the Chateau was interesting, if I ever make it back, I would simply go to the Gardens which were immaculately kept, and simply gorgeous. Unfortunately, it started raining on us which put a damper on things, and therefore we decided to head back to Paris a bit earlier than expected.
Gardens @ Versailles
This one's for Colin (or maybe Alyssa...)
By the time we made it back to Paris, the weather had cleared up, so we ventured out to Center Pompidou (a weird building with all the pipes on the exterior), Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, and the Pantheon.
When we returned to the hostel, another friend of ours, Jessica was waiting for us...she joined us for the rest of our travels.
8.25 We started the morning off right with a trip to the Louvre. After all, I had to go visit Mona Lisa again. Other highlights were 'Winged Victory', the 'Venus de Milo', as well as a plethora of Greek and Roman sculptures. After we had our fill of the Louvre, we had some lunch and headed back to Notre Dame, this time going inside. I absolutely love all of the stained glass...it is such a gorgeous cathedral. That evening, we headed back to the Eiffel Tower, this time our goal was the top! Unfortunately while we were standing in line for nearly 1.5 hours, the weather went from sunny and gorgeous, to overcast, so the views were not as great as they could have been.
Louvre
Mona Lisa
Mocking Hermes @ the Louvre
"Hey dumb dumb, want some gum gum?!"
Notre Dame
Stained glass in Notre Dame.
8.26 The morning started off with climbing up the infamous stares to the foot of SacreCoeur (one of my favorite places in Paris!). We went inside the basilica for a bit and then visited the street markets in the area (I bought a painting from the same artist as the last time I was there!). We also stopped off at Moulin Rouge for a quick photo-op, and headed towards the Louvre area to find a place to sit down for lunch.
8.17-8.18 **I have been traveling with my friend Katie for the past few weeks, so WE = Katie and I**
Our journey began on Sunday August 17th with a flight from MSP to Detroit for a brief layover before our nearly 7 hour flight across the Atlantic to London. Clearly, I haven't flown international in a while as I was truly fascinated by the personal TVs and wide selections of movies (I watched 'Prince Caspian'!), as well as information about our flight in progress, displaying altitude, distance traveled, wind speed, etc. Also, they were far more generous with food than I remember from my previous experiences. We got full cans of pop, dinner, breakfast and a snack...I was rather impressed!
Katie and I on the Plane
Enough about the long boring flight, onto the more exciting stuff...We arrived at Heathrow on Monday morning (6 hour time difference), went through customs, and got our luggage, and i immediately pulled out my Columbia fleece - London is COLD! We wound our way through the airport and found our way to the tube (subway station) to find our way to our youth hostel. We found the hostel without any major glitches, but lets just say I wouldn't advise traveling extensively through the tube with about 80 lbs. of luggage up and down many flights of wet stairs (it rains a lot in London--pack your umbrella Megan!). We dropped off our stuff at the hostel even though it was too early to formally check in, and then we headed out to explore and walk off some of the stiffness from the plane.
We basically wandered aimlessly until we stumbled across sights of interest and a much needed spot for lunch. The Eye of London, Parliament and Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey were among the big-ticket sights for the afternoon. After our audio guided tour through Westminster Abbey we headed back to the hostel for a much-needed shower and some rest. Towards dinner time we took a bus (yes, double-decker. no, not nearly as cool as the Knight Bus!) to check out Camden Markets. After we wandered around there for a while we headed back to the hostel and called it a night.
Big Ben! (actually, it's not so big!) Westminster Abbey
8.19 Our day began with a "free" tour of London (you were basically forced into tipping the tour guide). It was a great way to see a lot of the city and take in some of its history. In short, the tour included: the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, HMS Belfast, the Royal Exchange and financial district, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Globe Theater, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, Church of the Knights Templar ('the D'Vinci Code', anyone?!), Fleet Street (unfortunately there were no signs of Johnny Depp...), and the Royal Court of Justice (featuring the clock used as the Hogwarts clock in Harry Potter). After our tour was through, we walked past Buckingham Palace and found a place to sit for a while in St. James Park. Without question, the highlight of the day was seeing "Wicked". It was a great production!
Harry Potter Clock! This one's for you, Alyssa!
8.20 The day started off with a visit to the Tower of London, featuring a hefty price tag of 14£ (about $25), so I had my hopes set high. We had a bit of a guided tour with a Beefeater (aka the guards of the fortress who originally acquired the name because they tested all of the food before it was fed to the figures of authority), followed by time to take in the rest of the fortress on our own. Seeing the crown jewels was definitely one of the more interesting aspect of the Tower of London, but we stayed nearly 4 hours just to make the admission price more worth-while. The day continued with a walk across Tower Bridge, up the bank of the Thames, and to the Globe Theater and Tate Modern. We managed to meander our way to Greenwich for the much acclaimed 'fish & chips'...low price was a plus, but it really wasn't that great. After we were through with dinner, we wandered through Greenwich Park to find the Prime Meridian. We concluded the day by traversing back to downtown London and taking in the National Gallery.
Tower Bridge
Fish & Chips (and European Coke...so much better than American)Standing on the Prime Meridian (I was in 2 time zones at once!)
8.21 The day started off splendidly with trip to Abbey Road (I attempted to get a cool picture walking across the road, but failed miserably as the traffic was rather heavy). That highlight was followed by a pit-stop at Baker's Street (Go Sherlock!) on our way to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately arriving a half hour early was completely pointless...apparently if you want a chance of seeing anything you should get there a good 3 hours early!
Abbey Road!
The day continued with a stroll through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens where I finally got to see the Peter Pan Statue (We decided that it's location/background must be blue-screened in all the movies because both Katie and I were expecting it to be surrounded by flowers and it certainly wasn't).
Peter Pan
The afternoon consisted of a trip to the British Museum where we saw the Rosetta Stone! We stopped off at a grocery store to find something for dinner, and then found a bench along the bank of the Thames and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset aross the London skyline. From there we headed towards Picadilly Circus (Times Square of London) and we found 1/2 price tickets to go see "Spamalot."
8.22Our last day in London started off with a visit to King's Cross Station and Platform 9 3/4 followed by an afternoon of wandering around London. At 5 we headed over to the theater for "Spamalot" only to find out we were going to be moved from our crummy 4th balcony seats to row I on the floor...how lucky can you get!? We were pretty darn excited about that! "Spamalot" was a really funny show (couldn't help but think of you, Jen!) and it was really a great way to end our stay in London!
Katie with our well-used and abused map after a week in London
