A weekend in Salzburg

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I got to Austria on the 17th of Dec., travelled from 2:15 am after running from a dance club to catch my bus. I realized only after I got on that I booked my bus to the wrong airport. I also forgot to print my train ticket from Frankfurt to Salzburg. I freaked out until I got to an internet cafe at 6:30am and printed the things I needed, then waited for the bus ticket office to open and changed my ticket. I travelled six hours from Frankfurt and was greeted by Genevi, an amazing girl I met in NYC. We made our way to her Austrian boyfriend's apartment which sits on one of the main streets in Salzburg. Behind the red curtains is a windowsill and in front of them is a futon on which all three of us slept, with him in the middle. My first full day there we walked to the fortress which overlooks the city. As soon as we stepped foot at the top, the snow came tumbling down in huge icy flakes, clouding my ability to see the fir covered Alps in the distance. The domes and squares of the city were blanketed. We made our way to the Christmas market where we had Gluhwein (warm spiced wine) and punsch (flavored alcoholic... something). There were ice sculptures and wooden huts that created the coziness of a cottage throughout the entire town. Later, we had hot chocolate on the roof of a building that offered an incredible view of the Salzach River which runs through the center of the city. That night, we visited a bar called Shamrock's which was full of Americans, weirdly enough. I had forgotten what Texas frat boys and Nebraskan pop girls were like. I didn't realize until that point how much I have changed this semester. The next morning, we ate honey and bread for breakfast and later went ice skating in Mozart Square. A statue of the composer towered over us as we held hands and stumbled our way around the rink in the snow, following things up with Gluhwein, of course, in an outside area called the "Winter Lounge." As I took my first sip, Dylan's "How Does it Feel" song came on... perfect. That place was probably the most magical I've ever visited. I believe it's the sweater of Europe, keeping you warm and friendlky while you venture through sparkling snow and ice and marshmallow cream covered fir trees.

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Photos

The Christmas Market
Genevi and I

The fortress
or castle? With a total view of the city.

Ice skating!
In Mozart Square