Wow...

I don't even know what to write because I'm kind of just in a state of shock still. I'm basically not believing that I am leaving at all. It just feels like I am going through the day not really thinking about it. I haven't gotten upset or anything - I think once again because I am not letting myself believe it yet. It will probably hit me like a week after I get home. Then again it really sucks going back to reality. This has been an amazing time of my life and the best 4 month vacation ever. :) But once I get home school starts like 3 days later then I will be doing that all summer. I want to get into grad school so it's just what I have to do...and also work in order to at least have some money since the Euro is way better than the dollar. When I get home, I think I will be like...oh wow it is so cheap in the US!!! This is only 10 dollars - wow that's only like 6.3 euros!! haha.

But as for now I have to finish packing - 3 bags...gross. Then it's basically just spending my last day in Salzburg and hitting up some of my favorite places. The shuttle picks Caitlin and I up at 2:25 in the morning. We then drive to Munich then just kind of wait at the airport until our flight leaves from Munich to Frankfurt at 7:00am. Then our next flight doesn't leave until 10:00am - 2 hour layover. We fly straight from Frankfurt to Houston - 10.5 hours. BOO. We get into Houston at 1:35 in the afternoon.

We are the first people to leave Salzburg. It can be a good or a bad thing - seeing everyone, but being away first. At least I guess I won't have to watch everyone else leaving - but then again a different shuttle comes for different people at our separate houses.

I think that Salzburg was a perfect choice for me and I can't wait to come back and visit someday. Goodbye to everyone and everything here. I wish you the best in your lives!!

Events in the last week...

It's coming down to less than a week left here in Salzburg. On Monday I had my last culture class and final. I then had my last folk art class and final on Wednesday. So now it's 2 classes down and 2 to go.

On Thursday our professor for culture decided to have a get-together in the park next to his house then walk over and have a drink at his house. What a nice guy, no one would really ever do that at school! But anyways, we went and it was so much fun just hanging out. He played on the playground with us and it was hilarious. We then walked over to his house where he had made homemade fruit punch for us. He also has triplets that just turned 1 year old last month. They are pretty much the most precious things and they entertained us the whole time!!

The part of our class that made it to his party in his backyard

The triplets - (L to R) - Laura, Valentina, Sophia

Haha. Their 3 swings on the porch

Valentina

Sophia with Laura in the background

My favorite baby and picture

Then on Friday I decided that I wanted a little get together with my best friends on the program before we all have to study and eventually leave - so we had a taco dinner which was amazing - especially the appetizers and desserts as well that everyone brought. Afterwards we played some card games and then came to my room to watch a video I had made. I had been working on it for like 2 weeks and it ended up being around 36 mins long with pictures and videos throughout the semester. It was really a great time looking back at everything that we have done.

Part of our table of food! haha...Austrian salsa is a joke! more like ketchup :)

Group picture at the table with everyone eating!

The ultimate taco that was so big it wouldn't close and we all took a bite of it.

Then today, Saturday, we finally went to Schloss Hellbrunn which we had a free pass to from AIFS as well as a pass to the Wasserspiele (Water Gardens/Trick Fountains). It was such a great day outside that we made the decision to walk there from our house (Caitlin, Michelle, Leah and I). It took around an hour and 15 minutes...I think - but we also stopped to take some pictures of Salzburg. I will share a few!

Our German building on Akademiestrasse

The building on Rudolfskai where our Culture class was 1 time a week

Caitlin and I behind the fortress

We got to the Trick Water Fountains, waited in line a bit, got our tickets, waited again then entered the gardens. So I thought it was going to be like you kind of just sit around and watch lights and water shoot all out of the ground...not so.

Michelle and I before the fun started

You can see a little water squirting here

Basically there is a tour guide that leads you around and points out different objects or you go into rooms and he tells you info about them...then when you are "least expecting it" or just plain confused he flips switches and squirts everyone with water - from the ground, ceiling, walls, objects....haha. Everyone screams and tries not to get wet.

Caitlin and I walking in the gardens

Right as they walk through he sprays them full force. haha.

Me in the gardens afterwards

Some huge fish in the pond

An even bigger fish in the pond

The three of us

Sound of Music gazebo - I am 16 going on 17...

We then just walked all the way back home and stopped at a market on the river to see if they were selling anything worthwhile. I didn't really find anything and I was getting tired for having been gone for like 5 hours - and all on my feet.

But I did take the most famous picture of Salzburg!

Basically we then came home and were all exhausted, cooked dinner, typed a little of my paper, and am here now at my computer. I still can't believe that there are only 5 days left, it's crazy!!

Weird Things about Austrians...

1. They must going shopping at least 5-7 times a week because they only check out with like 3 items at the grocery store.

2. They never say excuse me - even if they basically run you over. If you are in their way, then it's just too bad because they will do anything to get to it/what they want.

3. I feel like the kids never have school. They are always around the city doing what that want at like 11 in the morning or just randomly at any time. They also go everywhere on their own. Yep...5 years old just riding the bus and doing what they want. Independence is a virtue.

4. Some people feel the need to use Razor scooters as a means of transportation. I'm talking like I've seen 50 year old women.

5. No matter how "hot" it might be they always have on a coat. 80 degrees = not cold.

6. Bikes have power over people here. You hear a bell ding - you better get over!

As for now that is all that I can think of even though are way more weird things out there. :)

Nature Day...

AIFS planned the trip that we took on Friday and I thought that it was just going to the Dachstein Ice Caves, but we ended up stopping in 2 places on the way home and it just kind of became a nature day!


Us in the back seat of the bus


We stopped to take a picture in front of the lake!

So basically we drove around 1.5 hours to the Ice Caves and took a cable car up to the area where they were, and then had to hike about 20 minutes up the mountain to the entrance of the caves. There was a really big group and the tour guide gave it in English and German.


Their scared faces
The first part of the cave was dry (meaning there wasn't ice in it) and then around 3/4 of it was ice. Here is a picture of a stalagtite

Here is where it started turning into the ice part. The caves open in May because if not it is pretty full with ice and now it's just starting to melt (at parts the handrail was covered in a block of ice)

Some more of the ice sculptures

More ice

This part was awesome. It's called the Ice Cathedral. They also had lights within the cave that would go on and off to light up different areas so that was pretty cool.

Me walking out of the entrance. It was a breathtaking view of the mountains and lakes.

We stopped for lunch and to walk around at Hallstatt a little cute Austrian city. This is Leah and Michelle - some of my good friends that live with me in St. Sebastian.

We walked aroung for a bit and explored this tiny city - that took about 20 minutes. haha.

A waterfall right in the town

Isn't it just cute!

Caitlin with her Eiskaffee :)

We then left here and made another stop at a gorge and did a 30 minute hike around it.

Me and the gorge...haha

Here's a picture of the rushing rapids - we saw some kayakers go down it and it said that it was a level 4 of 6 difficulty. Pretty crazy.

It was a great day, but extremely exhausting. I had wanted to see the lakes before we left, so this was a perfect opportunity - I wish we could have relaxed more rather than hike all day, but it was still cool. I only have 10 days left, so trying to cram everything in is getting difficult!!

WHAT...

This is amazing....I am finally up to date. Tomorrow we are going to the Ice Caves so then I will have another post right after that, but still...currently as we speak...I am here! haha.

We leave at like 8:45 and don't get back until around 5 or 6. It's a long day. Besides the Ice Caves we are also visiting like 2 other places/cities/lakes so it will be cool to do that. But really I can't believe that we are going home in 2 weeks...it's absolutely crazy.

Today we had a depature meeting so then it really started feeling real. We also went around to all the shops to scope out which had the best souvenir prices. It seems like we were planning this a long time ago and once again...it's here...

We also went to the top of Hotel Stein which has an outdoor cafe looking over the city and watched the sun set the best we could through some clouds and talked about stuff that had happened this semester. It was a really good time, but at the same time sad.

There are still things that I haven't done in Salzburg that I am going to try and shove in these last 13 days I'm here. I have a final on Monday and one on Wednesday, (and some more the next week...as well as packing which I am so not talking about right now...) so I also have some school work to do in between these as well. As for now...Auf Wiedersehen!