Due to my sleeping problem, here is a post from yesterday that I didn't get a chance to post + today's.
Monday, July 1, 2013 8:14 pm
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| Salzburg |
I’ve reached the halfway point of my journey…it’s bittersweet.
I’m nowhere near ready to return to my normal everyday life, but it’ll be nice to see the
people I love. It’s been 4 weeks since I left Columbia, South Carolina for Dublin,
Ireland, but it seems like it was ages ago…can’t imagine what the next 4 weeks
have in store for me.
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| View from Eagle's Nest |
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| Greatest game of chess ever |
I’m making my way down to Italy, but first, I have a
slight detour in Munich with my once again traveling buddy, Will (the bee befriender).
He’s been camping in the Austrian Alps but headed back to Salzburg on Friday,
so we met up last minute & have been travelling again since. As the train
ride came to an end Friday night, the beautiful Austrian Alps came into
view. Oh my…it was a reminder of why the mountains hold a dear space in my
heart. I’ve been in
bloody hot weather ever since I started my journey, so I wasn’t expecting the
cold piercing air as I stepped off the train. It was more than refreshing. This
is my kind of scene…the beautiful mountains & a chill to the air. All I
need now is some hot cocoa & a rottweiler named Captain Skittles.
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| Ze castle |
Friday night after finding the hostel, Will & I
went out & explored the downtown area for a bit. He's already familiar with the city
since he stayed here prior to camping, so we found some food, ate by the river, then
headed back in the wee middle of the night. Since this was an impromptu trip
due to Croatia & Greece being a bust, I didn’t do much research & had
no idea how tiny this town really is. The break from the city life is rejuvenating.
My entire trip has been planned around large, touristy cities with SO many
things to do. My quick 3 day trips aren’t enough time to actually appreciate
what the cities have to offer. Salzburg is a beautiful, small city located in a
valley surrounded by monster-like mountains, with the lightest bluish green water dividing the city.
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| My new friend, Frederick |
Saturday, we went on short hike through one
of the smaller mountains that gave us breathtaking views. We walked around the city visiting some of the shops, made it up to the
castle sitting on a hill overlooking the city, & played on the playground
at the Mirabelle Gardens. It's been way too long since I last swang.
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| View from my table |
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| It forgot how to tree |
Today, we got up early & made our way to Eagle’s
Nest, the location of where Hitler's tea house used to be on the top of a Bavarian mountain. After a few buses &
a half hour’s hike, we made it to the top where a restaurant with outside
seating & a top notch view were waiting for us. Not only did we have the best
view with the drop of the mountain some feet away from our table, but I also
made friends with a few birds that enjoyed eating fries. Sadly, it was time to leave Salzburg & head back to the big city, so Munich here I come.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 9:28 pm
My night last night on the train got a little bit more
interesting after I finished writing the last blog. Lesson #7: look at the
train stop name before you get off. This isn’t the first time this has happened
to me. In my excitement to explore the new city, I heard the German announcer
say "Munchen" & got off, only for Will to realize we were not even remotely
close to our destination. Some cities have more than one train station, so it’s
VERY IMPORTANT to look at the actual station name plus the city. But no
worries! Another train was arriving within the hour to take us to the next
station, Munchen Hbf, where we found our hostel.
 |
| Just looking for some change |
I love Germany again! Even on a Monday night, people
were out & about having a good time. The city looked promising already...& I found a Starbucks after a 3 day hiatus. Success. Today was full of
walking around downtown where we walked upon a lovely market with rows &
rows of beer gardens & tents selling all sorts of goods. Since I have a bad
habit of impulse buying & have become poor as a result, we bought some fresh fruit
& sandwiches to enjoy under the nice
shade. One of the busy squares was full of street performers, a cool lifesize
cookoo clock that featured jousting knights, & stores galore (pics coming soon).
 |
| More Salzburg |
After
heading back to the hostel, there was a rumor of some kind of hippie music
festival (saying the word hippies will always catch my interest) nearby. We hit the jackpot...tons of tents selling food, jewelry, other goodies, & music venues filled the park. To
avoid any more damage to my wallet, we found a nice spot on top of a hill
overlooking the festivities…I’ve got my eye on that crepes stand…
I’ve reached the halfway point of my journey…it’s bittersweet.
I’m nowhere near ready to return to my normal everyday life, but it’ll be nice to see the
people I love. It’s been 4 weeks since I left Columbia, South Carolina for Dublin,
Ireland, but it seems like it was ages ago…can’t imagine what the next 4 weeks
have in store for me.
Saturday, we went on short hike through one
of the smaller mountains that gave us breathtaking views. We walked around the city visiting some of the shops, made it up to the
castle sitting on a hill overlooking the city, & played on the playground
at the Mirabelle Gardens. It's been way too long since I last swang.
My night last night on the train got a little bit more
interesting after I finished writing the last blog. Lesson #7: look at the
train stop name before you get off. This isn’t the first time this has happened
to me. In my excitement to explore the new city, I heard the German announcer
say "Munchen" & got off, only for Will to realize we were not even remotely
close to our destination. Some cities have more than one train station, so it’s
VERY IMPORTANT to look at the actual station name plus the city. But no
worries! Another train was arriving within the hour to take us to the next
station, Munchen Hbf, where we found our hostel.
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