Doc Abroad

This is the promised picture of the "staircase" in "Munich, The Alps and Ice cream", like I said... insane. Can you imagine that this wasn't even the steepest part?

Hallo!

Yesterday on the bus, I was seated in one of the "square" seats, in other words, there are 4 seats, 2 on each side, that face each other. A guy my age was sitting opposite, a girl with a violin was sitting next to me, and a very old man sitting at an angle from me. The old man looked up at me and said something in German but nodded at my viola and said "spiel"(play) so I said "Brastche" which is viola in German, he nodded like he was interested and then said something that had the words "mozarteum" in it (that is the famous music school here). I shook my head and said "Herbert Lindsberger" who is my teacher and rather famous, looking at Chrissy to make sure I was responding correctly and he wasn't just like asking me the time or something. Anyway, he realized I only spoke English and he said "English?" I nodded and he said "I LOVE YOU" he didn't just say it, he YELLED it. I had a few friends sitting on the other side and they looked up and started laughing at this mans sudden outburst. The old man started rummaging in his bag and pulled out a very worn wrapper covered peice of chocolate and gave it to me. He said this kind of chocolate is good for me ( the girl next to me, interested by now in our unusually loud and rather intimate conversation, was translating for me... the guy sitting opposite of me looked like he was going to die from not laughing). I took it but didn't eat it and he blurted out again "you wonderful girl" and 'YOU" he said pointing at Chrissy "I love you, you wonderful girl" then he stopped and looked back and forth from me and Chrissy and said "I love you and you"... it was his stop. He proclaimed his love for Chrissy and I once more, and after a flamboyant kiss planted on Chrissy's hand, he limped off the bus.

Just a quick one:

They listen to techno music over here like there is no tomorrow! Every car window between the hours of 8pm-12am are rolled down and music is just BOOMING out of it... in honor as you'll notice... I added techno to the blog playlist for your enjoyment..."Kathy's song" is the most tame but you get the idea and actually the group that does it is pretty awesome! The sad part? I'm starting to get into it... Oh no. Also-- They use military time... Shops close at 17:00 or 18:00 and I have classes usually at 14:30-16:30. Strange place. I think the techno is starting to get to us. I'm waiting for Mugatus face to come to me in a dream or for his voice to suddenly issue me a command... ( if you don't get the reference please punish yourself and then go watch Zoolander immediately)

This is best taken in two installments. I would recommend after my "munich" stories you have a small water break.


Well on Friday, since I didn't have any set weekend plans, I decided to tag along with some people from school who were going to Munich the next day. They were planning on spending a night there in a hostel and coming home the next day, but I decided I'd just tag along and then come home that night because I had plans on Sunday... I'll get to that part...and it's only a 2 hour 5 euro trip. Since I didn't want to go on a train alone, I was happy when Charles decided to come with us too and then come home with me on the train that night because he was partaking in the same Sunday activity I was planning!

We boarded the train at 8:00, I got made fun of for saying it reminded me of the Hogwarts Express, I hummed the theme song, and we were on our way. Munich was incredible! It was so much fun to just wander around. We saw the huge city center with the "glockenspiel" in it. It's a very very old and giant clock that has people who dance and spin (figures, not humans) while rotating around every hour. I had heard about it before but hearing it and seeing it in the square was awesome. We wandered to eat lunch in a park at a place they had there that sold all the classic Bavarian foods like Pretzels and Sausages and sauerkraut and other things. We ate a TON and then laid around in a park for about an hour. We got up and wandered to an old museum that is in the house where many famous rulers have lived. Walking through the house was so amazing, everything was so ornate and just what you'd expect to see. When we got to the ballroom,Joachim (a couple people on the trip knew someone who lived in Austria and he was there... that's joachim) taught me a traditional Austrian dance! Charles, Joachim and I then wandered to a place to eat and had one of the best meals I have ever eaten involving sauerkraut, cheese and potato noodle things. We then found our way back to the train station (now running because we had been so lethargic all day we had lost track of time) boarded our train, and discussed the different lifestyles we grew up with on the way back! All in all it was a fantastic day!!



Deep cleansing breathes... this next part is a long one...

TODAY (sunday.. just like I promised I'd tell you about) I decided to again tag along with a couple people going on a hike! Since I'm from Utah I thought I'd better represent and go along with them. Charles, Peter and I met at 8:00 in Mirabellplatz ( a local stop that a lot of the busses go to). We took the bus for about a half hour and then we got off and were supposed to catch a boat to a town called St. Wolfgang. The boat didn't show up and we waited about 5 minutes longer and gave up and decided just to walk to town. It was only about a thirty minute walk to the road leading up to the trail head and then another probably 20 minutes to the trail itself (paved until then). About 10 minutes into the trail I discovered I was not Utah enough for what I just got myself into. Dad if you're reading this-- the first 2 hours of this hike was exactly like the first push we did up mount Olympus. It was straight up, slippery, humid, hot and I thought I was going to die! Luckily it was just my legs that were tired and not me so I pushed through it and made the guys stop when I couldn't... annoying for them I'm sure but I tried to make it up when I could by just pushing through it. So we had left for the trail at about 9:30 and it was probably about 10:30 when we got to the trail. It was steep for a time then gentle then extremely steep and then gentle but my legs and lungs got in a rhythm and I was happy so it became much easier. We stopped and ate lunch at the first summit (we did a marathon climb and hiked to one summit then walked to over to another mountain, only loosing some altitude, that was much higher and climbed to its summit too). Eating there was very relaxing and it gave me a much needed food and water break as well as a moral boosting one. The summit of this mountain was actually a steep rocky cliff (again not unlike olympus) so we actually ate at the bottom of this part and left our packs there and ran to the top to see the view. Breathtaking! I have pictures!

We crossed over a long and winding trail that led down to the base of the next mountain. Some snow was still left up here and we got a bit soggy. Luckily I was wearing water proof shoes! We found ourselves at a beautiful lake with no river running to or from it. It was caused by melted snow and was very clear and deep and COLD! We then started the climb of the second mountain. It was about 1:30 by now.


The second mountain started like the first, very very excrutiatingly steep and rocky and loose. We came to the rock face that I had seen from the road and prayed that we weren't going up annnnnd we started going up it. It wasn't bad, as long as i didn't look down. It was a sheer cliff with a drop off that even a cat couldn't land. The way to the bottom was so steep it actually played a trick on our eyes. As we looked down it looked like everything was moving away from us. It was a weird sensation! We pressed on and continued to slip and slide up this cliff. We were spending a lot of the time with our hands gripping the rock to keep our feet from slippping, and more than once (but just twice!) i had to stop and wait for a minute because fear paralyzed me. Ahead of us was a steep and winding "staircase" made from roughly cut rock. Each of the steps were a few inches deep, just enough to get your toes on, and then a cable ran up the side of the cliff. On the other side of us was nothing. We hung on to the cable with all our might and again, didn't look down. *nerd moment* It looked almost EXACTLY like when frodo and sam were walking to the spiders cave. Just straight steps leading up a cliff... insane...We walked up this "staircase" and realized that part of the cabling had been damaged in what looked like an avalanche track. It had wiped out a portion of the rock and taken the cabling with it. At parts like this we would just get on our hands and feet and just slowly creep along the face...not looking down. It got more gentle from there and it was great to have grass and path under my feet, occassionally i would have to stop for fear or for unsure footing or just to rest but I made it!

At the top of this mountain is a hotel. Random sounding I know but a huge train was built and winds its way up the opposite side of the mountain (the "sloping side" not the death trap side). When we got to the top (4:30) of this mountain there was a convenient place to buy ice cream! This is one of the tallest mountains (according to my host dad) and it has a place to buy ice cream at! I could've died for happiness! We bought an ice cream bar and then messed around on the summit (we had planned to take the train down or we would've gotten home in about 4 more hours and it would've been dark... and i think a six hour straight up and terrifying hike is just fine thanks!). We got on the train, got on a boat, got on a bus, I got on bus 4 to go to my house, and I walked home from my stop. When I got home my host family was waiting (I called ahead to let them know I hadn't been sacrificed to the cliffs) and had a huge dinner waiting for me...

Nothing is better than the fact that I just got out of the shower and washed off all the mud and scrapes and scratches, am slightly pink from the sun, and now I am laying in bed! I feel like I have accomplished so much in one day! I have climbed to TWO summits in the ALPS! That is one memory I know I will not forget! The view from the top was something that words and pictures can not describe... but I"ll still attempt!


Bed time!

Love you all!

Hey guys--

First let me just say how much I miss you all! UGH I go through stages of missing home and just missing the people from home and today it's a nasty combination of both! I wouldn't call it homesickness because I really am not ready to leave yet... I just miss you guys!

Okay enough with the sentiment :)

Yesterday everyone from school went on a field trip because it was an Austrian holiday. We loaded on a bus at 9:30 and set off to the beautiful Salzkammergut area. We made a couple scenic stops to see churches, towns and a VERY old farmhouse and then loaded onto a boat and went to a further town over the lake. I don't think pictures can do any of these things justice, but just in case I took tons! We saw the largest collection of human skulls as well, they were in an old church yard in a little house and all of them were just sitting on tables around 3 walls of the room. Stacked underneath them were other human bones... thank goodness for whoever thought of starting cremation is all I have to say to that.

Today I had my second lesson with Dr. Lindsberger. He is absolutely hands down the best musician I have ever worked with. I can't believe the things that come out of his viola! He makes everything seem and look so effortless but when I try and mimic it is completely not. I am working on Bach since he is famous for his Bach playing (couldn't someone have told me that BEFORE my first lesson when he said "start with anything" and I said "Bach okay?") Every lesson I realize how far I still have to go on the viola and it actually excites me knowing how much I still have to look forward to!


After lessons were over I stepped out the door thinking "oh good the sun is out" I was worried because today I didn't bring my umbrella... hahah funny joke for someone in Salzburg to say... I was intantly drenched and running to my bus stop. I got on the bus and the rain let up... I got off the bus and the rain came again...showed up hungry and soaking wet with my soggy hair slicked in a pony tail (a wonderful aesthetic treat to those who saw me)... practiced at school while the sun was shining, looked at the beautiful weather and considered walking home... almost intantly the clouds gathered, it started pouring, the rain turned to hail, and we were all stuck inside for an hour. I guess if I ever live here I'll have to first develope a sense of humor...

Hey Guys!

Today on the Bus to school I heard a guy practicing his english! it was so funny he was speaking in rapid German to his friends, he pulled out a book and some paper like he was going to do his homework and then all of a sudden he said "I ... have got... to go to MEIN house" apparently he forgot the word "my", it was so unexpected that it startled me! I thought when I was getting ready to come here that everyone would speak english and that It woudn't really be any different they would just have accents... maybe that's true in the big city but not so much where I have been going! They do really well downtown in cafes an stuff like that but out where I live and down the less bustling streets it's amazing how many conversations i have to mime, apologize for and just walk away from! I feel like such an ignorant American just coming to a country and expecting people to know english...

SO that being said, I decided at the concert I attended tonight to finally attempt to get over my fear of my pretty bad accent and just give it a go... and I REALLY had to use the restrooma very convenient time to use my German because that was the first thing I learned how to say! This would be cake. I cleared my voice put on my best innocent-please-forgive-me look and went up to the guy collecting tickets and said
"WO IST DI.." Changed my mind from saying toiletten to saying Baden Zimmer so said "DAS"... changed my mind again because he would probably think me weird if I said Baden Zimmer and just yelled "WO IST DI TOILETTEN BITTE?"... phew... properly executed that statement felt great. My first German conversation! I'm on top of the world... oh no... sir... sir please don't just say the directions... I don't speak German I was just kidding!... use gestures... anything! Oh you're still talking... okay... "Danke!" ... Crap. Found the bathroom didn't know the difference between Girl and Boy ( just a WC sign on the door not a convenient girl with a skirt and boy with a box for s shirt), waited outside them until a girl walked out of the one on the right and entered. A complete failure. Perhaps tomorrow I will attempt again... I probably shouldn't.

I am still liking my classes. European Union is a little bit more stressful than I thought it would be. I have to take really good notes because it is such a foreign topic to me. I find myself looking out at the Salzburg landscape and then realize that this isn't a class that I can fake my way through (not that I EVER would fake my way through class...). Seriously though, imagine seeing a fortress on a steep mountain and a river below you with an anceint cobble stone street winding through old buildings that were built thousands of years before.... and then have to rip your eyes off of it to do school work... see what I mean?

It's late... I love you guys!


E

My apologies! It seems I actually have a busy life here in Salzburg. So many things have happened since I've updated last I don't know where to begin...

Well there is a fortress that overlooks all of Salzburg. It is gorgeous and so old and is a constant reminder of the cities amazing historical background whenever you look up at the mountains. It is on top of a sheer cliff but it has a path up to it from right around where our school is. The other day my roommate and I walked up the stairs and the long path to the fortress and then down the other side right into a city square. About 5 bands were playing, everyone was out on the street and walking around, tourists and locals in their traditional garb (something that is VERY common, I see probably 15 people dressed in the traditional Austrian clothing every time I go out). It was such an amazing atmosphere, everyone was having a good time and just enjoying the spring night!

My classes are going to be great. My first lesson is tomorrow and I have no idea what i can play for him to impress this famous musician! I feel like nothing I could prepare will be good enough by that time but i will try!

My host dad LOVES when I practice. I walked out of my room today for lunch to find him sitting in a chair outside the room! It was so nice! I always feel like I'm too loud or annoying to practice inside but that made me feel good!

We went on ANOTHER tour of Salzburg. I feel like I know this city better than Salt Lake... I actually probably do because I have to walk everywhere and take the public transportation and I don't know the history of SL very well.... It is an interesting thing to ride a bus and not understand what the intercom is saying, usually you can understand when they say "next stop, city center" not so much in Austria... I have to memorize the sound of the stops right before mine so I don't miss it!

Tonight we attended an Opera! Of course it was done in German but by the second Act I was starting to understand the plot and even pick out some of the words to put it together. I really enjoyed it and found myself wanting it to go on... a lot of the other people didn't share my enthusiasm I don't think.


I will blog again tomorrow it's very late here.

Love you all and miss you!

E ( M is already asleep)

Fellow blog stalkers....

Today was my first day of school! My family all gets up early (around 6:00) and we have breakfast consisting of a small loaf of bread (baguette style), jam or butter and tea or coffee. Mornings are like mornings on a soap opera (Corie it's exactly like the OC!) they are bright, the birds are out and the morning mist is still clinging to the alps which are visible outside my bedroom window. Today after breakfast we (my roommate host dad and I) all walked the few minutes to the no. 4 bus. It was an easy walk and, after my roommate saw a small hill and asked what mountain it was and if it was the begginning of the alps and my host dad and I shook our heads at each other, laughing at the mis labeling of very small hills as mountains (apparently mississippi is rather flat), we got to the bus stop.


We got off a few stops before the one we usually would because it is thursday, which means the local market is going on. This isn't like any farmers markets you've ever seen I assure you that. This was an event. There were hundreds of people and hundreds of bikes and bustling people and yelling and smells and strange sounds (in Austria and I'm told all over Europe, the police, fire and ambulance alarms sound the interval of a fourth... a rather startling thing when you're accustomed to the siren sound our emergency cars make). A monk from the monastary on the mountain came down and bought the supplies to get the monastary through to the next week. He was wearing a brown robe with a rope belt, cap and large cross, the spitting image of what you'd expect to see a monk dressed in.


I made it to school. Everyone was really nice, a couple weirdos.. including me and a couple really awesome people I think I'm going to have fun getting to know. We had a few lectures, lunch and then a few more lectures. We got our school schedule (all the classes times change each day). We have LONG lunches and late mornings. I think I can adjust to the European way of life.

We took a walking... sorry, a swimming tour of Salzburg and called it a day... for school at least. I then had the brilliant idea to go out with everyone and get to know each other and just hang out. I looked at my watch and it was only 2:00, plenty of time for socializing, dinner is not until six.
We went to "Murphy's Pub" it is owned by ALL irish men and they will not tolerate ANY german to be spoken even by the locals within the walls of their pub, it's a bad idea because it drives the locals away, but a very good idea because it also draws all of us not so fluent foreigners in and relieves us of repeatedly saying "danke" "bitte" which seems to be the extent of most of our German. While talking to some of the people it turns out a few of us still needed to purchase the monthly bus pass so I invited along these people to come with me to purchase it, we got rough directions from the program director and set off. This was at 4:00.

We wandered around the city for a while enjoying each others company more than we were really trying to look for the place where we could buy bus passes. We found it eventually and went squishing into the store drenched from head to toe from the down pour outside (we forgot our umbrellas today), and handed the ticket man soggy euro in payment for the passes. We were definately a sight to see, and many locals were enjoying the view. I started to walk out of the store when the owner ran after us and gave me an umbrella, naturally I tried to refuse his kindness, hurt his feelings, and ended up taking the umbrella to ease my guilt and his sadness. Charles and I vowed to return it tomorrow.

Here's where dad needs to stop reading to avoid a heart attack. It was 5:00, like I said my host mom serves dinner at 6:00. Austrians are prompt. I decided to start to head home that way I could change and wash up before dinner and maybe help a little (they never let me they say I am here to work at school not at home). I said bye to Hannah and the others and ran to catch the no. 4 bus back home. This doesn't work so well when you get on the wrong bus, heading the wrong direction, and only know where you're stop is in the first place by sight. I boarded the no. 4, realized a few stops later I was going towards the castle and not the bridge, got off the bus, waited another couple of minutes, doubted myself and my sense of direction in this strange country, re traced my steps to the old bus stop, retraced my steps all the way back to college, walked again to the bus stop, crossed the street and prayed that any bus a cross the street would mean it was going the opposite way. I was right in thinking that it may be the right bus, doubted myself though and got off. Regained confidence right after getting off, got back on the next (not such a rapid thing to do, the busses only come every 10 minutes so every self doubt I experienced cost me a drastic amount of time), waited until i recognized my stop, doubted myself until the doors closed, regained confidence and pried the doors open, crossed the street and walked down to my neighborhood, forgot my house number and walked passed, remembered my house number and my name at this point, walked in to a frantic mom... apparently this whole thing had taken me about an hour and a half putting me 30 minutes late for dinner. My h. dad laughed and said he wasn't worried he said I am an adult and every time I get lost means that I will only get my bearings for the city more quickly. I was soaking wet but viewed getting lost in the city as a great adventure... maybe not one i would care to repeat, but an adventure all the same.

Sorry about the length however, I cannot imagine them getting shorter so if you're unhappy at this point you're in for a long month.

Love you all

E&M

Okay! Now that we're all aboard on this new blogging adventure, let's begin! Moose and I left yesterday morning for Austria.  It feels like it was just this morning that I left but somehow now it's 8:00 at night and though it's only Tuesday night my body is waking up like it's noon on Wednesday... and I'm all sorts of confused. What I know is that  I am tired and it is almost 9 pm and regardless of what time zone I am in, 9 pm means I can go to sleep soon.  Hopefully I can get on Austrian time soon....

The trip was surprisingly uneventful. Everyone who knows me knows that
A). I get very stressed at very bad times.  My favorite example of this is when I was staying with my sister at our grandparents house.  We were making potatoes and watching a movie when the smoke detector went off.  Corie looked up in surprise as any normal person would.  I, on the other hand, began to panic, ran to the smoke detector and tried to rip it off the wall and then, noticing that it was firmly bolted, I ran out the door to the safety of the backyard.... and
B). I tend to lose track of key items that one should never lose (car keys, id cards, drivers license just to name a few things I've lost in the last month). Luckily only "A" happened this time and stress I can deal with... I am a music major after all. Moose was my main cause of stress, I was worried that they would try and check him under the plane at the gate--send him off with all the strollers and car seats and things of that nature because he is rather obese-- but I was worried for nothing.  In fact, on our trip to Munich Moose even got upgraded to the first class closet!

I met several interesting people on the plane. Jen, the person next to me was an American who now lives in Bulgaria doing work for the Peace Corp. I believe she said teaching English there, although she is also working with the leader of the area to bring back the traditions of the small country to attract tourists. She was fun to sit with. I had a brownie in my lunch that I didn't want ( a small half squished brownie on an already nauseating airplane? I think not) so I offered it to her. She laughed at it with me and then said we should keep it for later just in case. When I got back from the restroom it was stuffed in my tray table that was up. When she got back from the bathroom I had hid it on her seat so she sat on it (it was in a package mom I'm not cruel) and we continued thinking this moving brownie trick was hilarious until we both got a little sleep and realized we had just been delirious and it was in fact just gross.

One of the other people I met was actually going to Salzburg college as well to do the same program I am doing! He had seen my "violin" (gag) case and figured I would be fun to talk to. When he asked me what I was doing with a "violin" (double gag) and I told him. He was really surprised to find that we were in the same program and kept saying so. I didn't think it was THAT strange considering our arrival date is the same and we're coming from one of two major connection airports, so I asked why he thought this was so out of the ordinary... apparently all the kids in the program are from Florida with the exception of me. Apparently all of them have been going to meetings for a few months to prepare them and help them with the application process, with the exception of me. They were all friends on Facebook and have been getting to know each other, with the exception of... must I say it again? Odd man out right off the bat... I like where this is heading.

I finally arrived at my host families house.  My host family is really cool. There are just the two "parents" they are both elderly and are retired. Gerhard was in the hotel business and loves American tourists because they are always up for anything. He is very eager to teach me new words and help me with everything to get me settled. Margot is a great cook and is full of energy. They both talk over each other and talk loudly and ask questions and state opinions as fact...  I love it.

My room is inspiring. A slanted ceiling with pale walls, lots of oak; the beams, the doors, the wardrobe, the bed, desk, window frames, floors... you get it. It has some unique artwork that is really colorful and my room opens out to a balcony that overlooks their garden and the beginning hills of the Alps.

That is more than enough of a tired persons rant. I will post pictures when I up my technological skills.

Love you all,

M & E

Oh the wonderful world of blogging! This is my attempt at moving into the 21st century and probably boring people to tears along the way! For a quick update: Moose is my viola, and I would be a lot more scared to go to Europe if he wasn't coming with me! I am going to Austria, Salzburg to be exact, to study viola at the Salzburg College! I can't wait!! I wish there was some way to take everyone along with me but since I can't, this blog will be a way to keep everyone up to date! Let the adventures begin...