Sound Of Music

Last week, I was in Salzburg enjoying the land of the movie The Sound of Music. It was beautiful and so much fun. We got to Salzburg Thursday night and went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was some of the best food Italian food I have had. It was a spicy spaghetti dish.
So the best part of Salzburg was the festival that was going on while we were there. The festival was right downtown with rides, booths, and live music. On Friday night, we went to the big tent where we got chicken and french fries. But everyone was wearing ledenhosen or drindls and drinking huge mugs of beer! As an outsider, it felt like a Halloween party with everyone dressed up. This mini "Oktoberfest" was so funny because they would start singing their drinking songs and as the night went on the singing got louder and more crazy.

A Diamond in the Rough

Hallstatt is one of my favorite places in the world. It is a small town in the Austrian Alps in the Salzkammergut region. It is right by a lake and so beautiful with it's picturesque surroundings.
This is the center of town and every building looks like a cokoo clock! When we first got there it was raining but it cleared up and we went out and found the best park ever! It had a zip line and this amazing tire swing....but Brittany and I got a little out of control and stood up and jumped to go higher and I ended up hitting my lip and making it bleed!
So then we went to the Salt mines in Hallstatt and it was so much fun! It was like Disneyland with the music, lights, and train ride...but better because no long lines and it was for real! We also got to wear sweet outfits...I mean honestly can you look any more attractive. I just wish I could have kept it.
The special gray patch is for sliding down the wood slides! It was so fun and beautiful views being way up in the mountains.

The Prophet

I just finished hearing the BYU Devotional online and I love hearing the prophet's voice! It is great how computers make the world a little more connected and the distance a little shorter! I am loving my time in Vienna and this time around I have been able to be really involved in the church. At church, I play the piano for Relief Society. I haven't played in so long but luckily the lady I live with has a piano so I have practiced a little. However, there are different hymns in the German Hymn book and then trying to follow along with German words is a little more difficult but I am enjoying it.

Sunday was my first week at the German-speaking ward and I was so happy with myself because I actually understood a little bit. Last time I was here church was way over my head and I usually only understand Amen. So hopefully that means my German is getting better!

GELATO!

I have found a new Gelato (Italian ice cream) place that is amazing. I try to eat it every day because it is such a great thing. I just wish I could bring it home with me and share it!

I want to Ride my Bicycle! I want to ride my Bike!

On Wednesday, I went on a 34 kilometer (about 20 miles) bike ride from Melk to Krems. We left Vienna at 7:30am and first went to Melk and saw the Baroque monestary. It is so beautiful with its libraries, royal living quarters, and church. The church is amazing with tons of gold decorating every part of it.

So we then went to the start of the ride and got our bikes. It started to down pour right when we got our bikes. Luckily I had prepared for rain but I really didn't want to ride in the rain. The trail goes right along the Danube River and through small Austrian towns with beautiful vineyards and castles. But when we finally took off the rain stopped and it turned out to be a perfect day for a bike ride not being too cold or too hot. I took my time enjoying the scenery taking lots of pictures along the way. We had lots of fun exploring and eating the grapes off the vine from the vineyards! We also stopped at some churches and castle ruins. It was so beautiful to be out of the city and enjoying a slower pace of life and nature! I kept singing Sound of Music--the part when they are riding bikes....When you you know the notes to sing you can sing most anything! For lunch, Brittany and I stopped at a restaurant and got Wienerschnitzel!

It was so good and I haven't had it yet so I was so happy. Then we found this amazing park that would never be allowed in the States because of the potential lawsuits because it is so unsafe making it so much fun! It had ropes going up to different levels, a zip line, and tire swings.

So by the end of the bike ride my legs and backside were killing me....I don't know how bikers bike for so long! I would need a big pillow seat for the Tour De France. Well, probably more like a recliner on wheels!

Opera Time

Well my time in Vienna has been nurtured by music...it being the city of music! I have gone to two operas so far: Carmen and Die Zauberflote. Carmen is a French opera and has some familiar tunes but Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) is where my heart finds joy! The opening note gave me goosebumps and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire three hours of standing for it. The Queen of the Night song is one of my favorite parts but unfortunately I can only recreate this moment when I sing in the shower because it is so HIGH! Mozart was so ahead of his time and so talented.
This is us waiting for the opera to start. We are in the Galariestehplatz area. It is at the very top where we can see the entire stage and orchestra! Luckily there is railing for us to lean against and also screens with English translation.

It Rained, and Rained, and Rained!

Wednesday, I went to Bratislava, Slovakia for the day. We took a train from Vienna to Bratislava and it was so fun because we felt like we were in Harry Potter going to Hogwarts. We had compartments that could fit 6 people with sliding doors and a little walk way. All we were missing was the food trolley. But it was fun hour train ride!


We got to Bratislava and it was freezing with lots of wind. So we road a tram down to the center of town and first went to the Primates Palace. There we saw tapestries from England the 17th Century and paintings of the Hapsburg. After the palace, a group of us went out exploring to find lunch. We went in circles trying to find a place that wasn't too expensive but it was very cold and the rain was coming down hard so we wanted a place to sit down. In Slovakia, they do not use the Euro but the Koruna. It felt like monopoly money! So finally found a place that had doner sandwiches and they were quite tasty. Then we went to a cafe and got hot chocolate to warm our bones. It was so rich and thick...almost like a pudding. I got strawberry hot chocolate but they had many different flavors and also ice cream! So yummy. After eating and getting warm, we walked up the hill to the castle. It was quite cold and wet at this point and my umbrella kept flipping up with the wind. We all got quite wet and then the water went through my shoes and socks making it not very fun to walk around. At the castle, there was a well down below that we went and saw. It was 84 meters deep and so we had a lot of fun and it was a great place to get out of the rain. We then left the castle and on the walk down it was still raining and very windy so Brittany and I broke out into song...."Part of Your World" but changed the lyrics!

Out where they walk, up where they tan
Up where they stay all day in the sun
Out on the beach - wish I could be
Part of that world

What would I give if I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Bet'cha on land they understand
That they don't hike around in the storm
Dry young women sick of rainin'
Ready to tan

I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see them tannin'
Where's the sun and why does it - what's the word?
Sunburn?

When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love, love to be dry and warm in the sun?
Out of the rain
Wish I could be
Part of that world

Something like that! It was fun and so when it was finally time to go to the train station we weren't quite sure how to get there. We bought a few treats at a store and of course the lines were so long....very unEuropean! Then this guy in front of us bought 1095 koruna worth of groceries....it was like Costco shopping!


At this point we had 20 minutes to get to the train station. We got out on the street and we needed to caught the 13 tram but we only saw 13 headed in the opposite directions. So we ran around in the pouring rain having no idea where to go and no ability to read or speak the language! Plus no one spoke English and only a few spoke a little German. So we kept running around and then we finally found a tram stop for 13 headed in the right directions. We had to wait 5 minutes for the tram and so it left us with 7 minutes until we needed to be at the train station. If we missed the train at 6pm, we would have to wait until 6:50 for the next rain! So we got to the train station and ran to the right platform....of course it being the last one and farthest away! BUT WE MADE IT! It was quite the adventure and we were so happy to be warm and headed back to Vienna!

America is my Country, Vienna is my Home!

Well I have been in Austria for two weeks! The first week, I was with my family staying in Bad Gastein. It was the best family vacation ever...relaxing with lots of exploring. We hiked to ice caves, explored a fortress, toured Salzburg, walked through a salt mine, visited Hilter's pad and ate dinner at a castle. The food experience was amazing with lots of yogurt, chocolate, pastries, and schnitzel.....I love the food!


After the family left, I stayed with my director and his family in Vienna. I was able to help the professor get ready for the students to arrive and have a little time to relax. It was amazing how much I remember Vienna from last time and there was a strange feeling of coming home!

On Thursday, the students arrived and from there it has been quite the whirlwind! I am living with one roommate, Brittany, so the lady we live with loves saying "Brittany" and having us both answer. Christine is our host frau who lives alone but she has two daughters and 4 grandchildren. We live on the fifth floor in an apartment in the fifth district, which is right in the city. Brittany and I share a room that is pretty small (long and narrow) but the beds are quite nice. The first night at our new place I slept the whole night through. But Sunday morning I had a rude awakening when I tried to take a shower.....it was either FREEZING cold or BURNING hot! Plus I have to hold the shower head over me...so my arm gets way tired holding it. At that moment, I was ready to fly home and get back to my American showers.....perfect temperature water and shower head in one place.

Then went to the International Ward for church....they have me play the piano in Relief Society which makes me realize I need to practice!

After church, I came home and had Sunday dinner with my host family. Christine's daughters, son-in-law, and grandchildren there too. The grandchildren were hilarious...Felix is 7, Piere is 4, Anna is 3, and Bertha is 1. Unfortunately, the kids' German was way too good for me to be able to understand and converse but they were so cute running around and yelling German words. So during dinner everyone spoke German with a little English to help Brittany and me.

Today, I started school (no Labor Day holiday). German was my first class and I am in the "advance" German class so it will be an interesting experience to see if I can keep up. I think I understand quite a bit (compared to last time) but I have lost all ability to speak German! It has been fun seeing some of my favorite things and operas start tomorrow!