Heading Back to Konstanz

*from April 23
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I woke up, got ready, packed, returned the sheets, and then had breakfast at the hostel: apple juice, bread, salami, ham, cheese, fruit cocktail, 2 slices of bread with Hass Haselnuss-Creme & strawberry jam. I went back to the room, made sure I wasn't forgetting anything, did some Sudoku, got my stuff, and then checked out of the hostel. I got my 5 euro deposit back for the sheets, got directions to the train station, and then left.

[Side note: On the train ride from Nice to Konstanz, I loved looking at the mountains and searching for the waterfalls.]

[Side note: Sometimes it makes me nervous when they make announcements at a train station or on a train and they don't have a translation in English...who knows--they could be saying there's something wrong with the left falange. (Phoebe reference)]

I went to the train station and asked about a reservation for the overnight train to Vienna for Thursday. The reservation is 4 euro, but is not required. So I didn't get it. I waited for the train and did Sudoku since I was at the station about 50 minutes early. The train came and I am currently on my way to Zurich then Konstanz. When we passed by Innsbruck, I saw a glass-looking slide...I'll have to look it up online. [I'm pretty sure it was the ramp for ski jumping.]

[Side note: There were a lot of solar panels in Austria--even on houses.]


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR

The Land of Music

*from April 22
continuation of "Another School Week Abroad" post
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Friday: I woke up and did some last minute packing, and left a note for my roommate. Then I left for the train station, buying a pretzel on the way there. I got on the train and was Austria bound! Konstanz-->Immendingen. Immendingen (which had a sketchy station/stop)-->Ulm. Ulm-->Munich. This train was running late at one point, so I was nervous that I wouldn't get my connection to Salzburg--I only had 10 minutes between my arrival/departure. Luckily, the platform going to Salzburg changed & was going to be the platform right next to the one the train was stopping at. I made it to the Munich-Salzburg train! 

I arrived in Salzburg and my mom called right after I got off the train--perfect timing, Mom! :) Then I went to the information desk to ask for a map and directions to the hostel. I checked-in, bought my ticket for The Sound of Music tour, and got my sheets. I got settled in my room, and then went out to explore & find something to eat for lunch. I walked to the city center and bought a chocolate croissant from a bakery. I went to the little souvenir and music shops, and got a Mozart rubber duck to add to my collection. The best way to find your way around a city is to get lost and roam around semi-aimlessly in the day time. 

I went to the Spar grocery store where I bought some bananas, water, & pretzels. I also asked an American where to find the original Mozart balls. (Mozart balls are a chocolate ball with marzipan in the middle.) I passed by a little stand & got a ham & cheese crepe. It started raining and getting a little dark, so I went back to the hostel. There, I watched The Sound of Music. :) They play it every night at 7pm. Someone came & sat next to me--she was pretty nice & I could also tell she was American. We both forgot that there was an intermission in the movie. The movie finished (I forgot the way it ended, too) & now I can say that I watched The Sound of Music in Salzburg, Austria. :) After the movie, I hung out with the American. She's from New Jersey, but has been traveling all over the world. She was headed to the eastern part of Europe. She has been to Argentina, Spain, Ireland (her favorite), Scotland, Germany, and a lot more places. She hopes to go to the Philippines someday. 

I went to my hostel room and there were 5 people already there & in bed. Time for sleep!

Saturday: Apparently the Exodus happened or something--all 5 people checked out...and then there was one. As they were packing/leaving, I got ready for the day. I paid for breakfast at the hostel--tea, apple juice, bread, salami, ham (?), cheese, fruit cocktail. 

I went exploring and started on the "short walking tour (violet line)" on the map--city center & old part of town across the river. I stopped by the Church of St. Sebastian, found Fürst (where the original Mozart balls are sold), saw a marching band, and saw the fountain in front of the Salzburg museum. 

Church of St. Sebastian

Church of St. Sebastian

Salzburg

Fürst

The cathedral, Salzburg Dom, was beautiful--I especially liked their Stations of the Cross. I devoted a candle at the shrine where I saw an image that looked familiar from my childhood. I asked for the Mass times before I left. I saw, from afar, the Hohensalzburg Fortress. I tried finding St. Peter's, but ended up in Kapitelplatz where some sort of festival was going on. I looked at stands with souvenirs and bought some things. I spoke with one of the stand owners and she said that the stands are open every day, but the festival was just this weekend. I saw some sort of fountain/pond where there were people dressed in costumes. There were also some people playing chess on the giant outdoor chess board. Then I went to St. Peter's water wheel, St. Peter's Cathedral/Catacombs, Franciscan Church, outside of Festival Halls--market area/street where I bought a spinach ciabatta and an apple.

Salzburg Dom

Salzburg Dom

Hohensalzburg Fortress

Kapitelplatz

Kapitelplatz

Continuing on, I saw a monkey statue, statues of pickles, and a horse bath area. I went wandering through little shops and then saw the outside of the Mozart Museum. I made my way back to the hostel because I had to charge my camera battery. After a while, I waited to be picked up for The Sound of Music tour! The van came and I met two people--one from Washington and the other from Texas. The van brought us to the bus, and the AC on the bus was just like the AC in my car (i.e. it didn't exactly work) lol. I sat by someone from Pennsylvania. Side note: Our tour guide was hilarious! 

Monkey Statue

Pickles

Horse Bath

The City

Kids' Dirndls and Lederhosen

Mannequins of the von Trapp Family

Our first stop was the lake with the backyard of the house (more like castle) in the movie--Schloss Leopldskron. We then drove by the house that was used as the front of the house, Schloss Frohnburg. Its outer yellow wall is seen when Maria sings "Confidence"  & when the kids are climbing the trees when their father comes home. We then stopped at the Hellbrunn Palace area, which is where the gazebo is :) for "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." Back on the bus, we got a view of the Nonnberg Convent. One of my "favorite things" is that we listened to the movie soundtrack on the bus. :)

Schloss Leopldskron

Schloss Frohnburg: One of my goals is to comeback here and frolic with my guitar.

Gazebo!

We then went to see a breath-taking view where the opening scenes of the movie took place--it was called the Lakes & Mountains Region. We went to Mondsee, which is in the Lake District, for about 1 hour. In Mondsee, I went to St. Michael--where the wedding scene took place--and devoted a candle and got some holy water. Afterward, I went to a couple gift shops and then bought some gelato. It was then time to head back to the bus.

Lakes & Mountains Region- one of the most beautiful sceneries I have ever seen.

St. Michael

St. Michael

Yummy Gelato

While we waited for everyone to get back, the tour guide asked me what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. My response: hopefully become a mechanical engineer. We all boarded the bus and went back to Salzburg. At the end of the tour, we received a The Sound of Music Location Guide.

I then went to Mirabell Gardens, and it is really beautiful--I wished my mom was there! They filmed scenes for the "Do Re Me" song in the Gardens. I stood on the Pegasus Fountain and skipped & clicked my heels under the archway. At one of the fountains, I came across one of the families that was on the tour with me. The mom asked if I could help her with her camera. I helped her and spoke with her very briefly--I found out they were from Stuttgart. I explored more of the Gardens and asked a guy (who was also on the tour--from Sydney, Australia) to take a picture of me on the "Do-Re-Mi" steps. I found the dwarf statue that the kids patted on the head in the movie.

Pegasus Fountain

Archway

Mirabell Gardens

Mirabell Gardens

Statue in Mirabell Gardens

Mirabell Gardens

I stopped by the Spar grocery store and went back to the hostel for dinner. I had schnitzel with fries and salad and watched part of The Sound of Music. I still had a headache, so I went to my room (there were 5 new people) and went to sleep at 8:00/30ish pm. I woke up around 11/11:30pm and got ready for bed and journaled a little. I fell asleep, woke up at 1ish am, turned off my light and went back to sleep. Then I woke up looking for something at 5:30ish am in my locker, went back to bed, and then woke up at 7am, got ready, and had breakfast at the hostel. (Apparently, my sleep schedule was still a little messed up haha.)

Schnitzel!

[I just met a get from North Carolina. He went to a university that beat U of M in football. He talked to two people from Florida--brother & sister. The sister has been in Korea for a year & is making her way back home. This makes me want to travel with my brother!]

For breakfast, I had apple juice, bread (roll), salami, ham(?), cheese, fruit cocktail, 3 slices of bread with strawberry jam & off-brand Nutella. I walked to the old town to go to Mass at the Salzburg Cathedral. It was raining when I got there around 9:15am. The choir, dressed in concert black, practiced before Mass and I thought of my church back home. The choir was from Munich and the Mass was said in German.

After Mass, I went to the festival/stand area and bought an Austria hat. I took another picture of the horse fountain that Maria splashed in during the "Confidence" song in the movie and then I saw the Mozart statue. I went to the Christmas in Salzburg store that sold eggshell ornaments. Are these popular in Europe? They were very ornate and beautiful! I bought some pizza from Pizza to Go and then went to the Café Mozart Salzburg for apfelstrdel with vanila ice cream. 

Fountain

Mozart

Christmas in Salzburg

Pizza to Go

Apfelstrudel and Vanila Ice Cream

I headed back to the hostel via Mozartsteg--the bridge in the movie that they cross during the "Do-Re-Mi" song. I sang on the way to the bridge and once there saw some love locks. Continuing on to the hostel, I saw a guy taking pictures up a driveway. I backtracked and took pictures of it as well, and decided to walk up--I was on the Capuchin Monastery property--I was not sure if I could since there was a sign that looked like a no-pedestrian sign. I saw that the path had Stations. I kept going and saw three crosses--like Calvary. I got a really good view of Salzburg. I went back down and found out there was a "Church of the Capuchin" & "Franziski Castle" but I was not sure how to get there, so I continued down and to the hostel. i had a headache again, so I took a nap. After I woke up, I journaled and then had dinner at the hostel--schnitzel, rice, and salad. I watched The Sound of Music and that was when I met the guy from North Carolina. 
 

Mozartsteg

Love Locks on the Mozartsteg

Driveway of the Capuchin Monastery

One of the Stations Along the Pathway

Salzburg

Representation of Calvary

More Delicious Schnitzel!

Random thoughts/notes:
1) Door to room doesn't lock unless you slam it.
2) Someone moved my camera battery to a different outlet while I was asleep last night--I found out after I woke up at 11ish. Rude?
3) I will need a new Sudoku book soon.
4) This is the longest time I've been without Facebook/the internet/computer in a long time. 
5) I'm feeling better than earlier. :)
6) Froklicking is more fun with another person/people.
7) Tonight in the room, there's me and 3 other people.
8) I probably could've left for Konstanz today, but oh well. I wanted to go to Mass at the Cathedral and didn't want to arrive late in Konstanz.
9) I will need to get a sturdy luggage for souvenirs since I have breakables.
10) I plan to leave the hostel at 9:00am tomorrow and will make reservations for Vienna if needed.
11) People here seem to be very trusting of others (i.e. leaving bags, iphones, etc. at a table).
12) I <3 Jesus, my family, and my friends.
13) I want/need a hug.
14) I'm glad I saw all the churches I did this weekend + the Capuchin walkway--kind of ironic after writing a blog post about God/churches/"Stand by Me."  
15) I need to do laundry tomorrow.
16) I still need to find out how to put money on my phone.
17) I miss my church.
18) I need to figure out what to bring back from someone.
19) I should try to keep up with this journal more--there's so much more detail in my earlier entries (Frankfurt)--and keep up with my blog and make it more interesting.
20) I need to come back to frolic on the mountain and frolic with my guitar singing the "Confidence" song.
21) Each time I hear that song and "Climb Every Mountain," I think about my journey abroad. I have the confidence to take the world head-on and the determination to climb every mountain.
22) On this coming Tuesday, I will have left the U.S. four weeks ago--so crazy how fast time flies. I want it to slow down because I'm enjoying Europe and there's a lot more that I want to see, but I also want it to speed up so that I can see my family & friends back home & in person!

Now for Sudokuing, looking at pictures and videos, and SLEEP!


Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR   

Go for It!

If you want something, go for it. Think of the most ideal thing that could possibly result from your decision to go for it, but also think about the worst thing that could happen.

You never know what will happen unless you go out there and TRY. If it works out, wonderful. If not, oh well. The point is that you TRIED.  Sure, getting your hopes up a bit too much and having them come falling down is difficult. But times like these are truly the ones that help make you into a stronger person--and it is my hope that, if this ever happens to you, it makes you more determined to TRY again.

One thing that traveling on my own taught me, was to be more self-driven. I learned that I cannot always depend on other people, so it's up to me to make the most out of situations/my life. I learned to have that "go for it" attitude. Right now in my life, there is something that I want to do, that hasn't exactly been done--but I'm trying to make it happen. The worst that could happen is that I get a "no" response, which I would be okay with. If I got a "yes" response, it would totally be awesome! The way I looked at the situation was this: I would never know if I didn't ask.

You only have one life. LIVE IT UP. When I say that, I don't mean to go out and do things that would be destructive to yourself, things, or others. But if there is somewhere you want to go, something you want to learn, something you want to do--go there, learn it, do it. As they say in the song, "YOLO." You only live once.

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Peace. Love. Happiness.
--TR