Creeps, Crypts, and Oh Ya Rottenburg!

Well, well, well what has this European traveler been up to? Quite a lot of things I must say. I'm sad to say that sooner rather than later I will be packing my bags to head home. A lot of emotions and bitter sweetness for sure. I haven't posted since our 10-day break because I have been busy continuing to travel...wow my life is just so darn tough:). So, here I am updating you all about the week of November 4th through the 10th. This weeks highlights include a fun outing with my art class as well as a group excursion to the German medieval city of Rottenburg. Many adventures lie within these next few pictures so sit back, relax, and enjoy another week of my travel adventures.

During the week:

School this week was a pretty typical week for the Salzburg students here. We attended classes, learned A LOT, and of course did some fun outings around Salzburg as a group. For our art class our group did a tour of the Baroque architecture that is prominent in Salzburg. Our professor, Irma Trattner, gave us a lecture outside in the 65 degree weather. Yes, I said 65 degrees. But, the next day it was 22 degrees out. I swear the weather here in Salzburg is really bipolar. But, besides the fact, our class was out and about touring the city.

We visited the Salzburg Dom and took a deeper look at the Baroque that was present there. It is so weird how you can go into the same place over a dozen times, and never fail to see something new. I have found this lesson to be very true during my time here so far. Our class went to see the burning book statue as well that is situated in the main square of Salzburg. Here, marks the space where the citizens of Salzburg were forced to burn their written materials during the Third Reich. This is such an important place because it is essential that we remember all the ideas that were burned here and the suffering that people had to go through during this time. This whole time I've been here I thought this statue was a bench to sit while you eat, this saddened me to see that underneath the bench was a statue. Just goes to show how important it is to observe everything around you.

Next, for the creepy part of our class tour, we went into the crypts of the Salzburg Dome. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how to describe the feelings this place gave me. There was a small room filled with candles and hand-made small figures. A noise sounded throughout the room; it sounded like it was whispering something important, but I didn't understand. On the other side of the crypts there was a beautiful prayer room where I spent a little bit of time relaxing in the peace and quite.

Aside from a few nights out, a late night trip to McDonalds, and a hot chocolate or too, that pretty much wrapped up our week in Salzy. Next, off to Rottenberg.

Weekend Trip to Rottenberg:

This weekend our program went on a group excursion to the German Medieval city of Rottenburg. We left early Friday morning and ventured to our first stop of Ulm. Here, Maggie and I of course grabbed a bite to eat (including dessert) and then went on a city tour of Ulm.

While in Ulm we visited the cathedral with the highest steeple in the world. That was SUPER cool to see. Our tour guide also took us over a bridge where we saw the Danube River we had been reading about in class, and were able to see some of the housing units that existed in this town. On our walking tour we also got to see little brooks, and locally owned shops. It was a very cool adventure.

After our rainy tour, some of us were really cold so we stopped to get a coffee. I am sad to say that I officially made my first Starbucks coffee run here. I was planning on never getting a chain food or coffee while abroad, but I was missing home, so into the trap I fell.

Final stop for this day, Rottenburg. Our hostel was in the old horse stable of the city. No, I was not sleeping on hay...it has been re-done:). But, it was still very cool to be able to stay there. And, in one year the hostel will be closing so we were one of the last groups to stay in the historic building. That was a treat for us. That night a few of us went walking around town to find a place to get some drinks. Wow, Rottenburg at night is CREEPY and dead. There was not a soul in sight besides the guy in the cloak holding a staff while standing and chanting prayers from the courthouse stairs. Walk a little further, and there is a bigger than life size stuffed teddy bear just resting in this glass door. Not a soul was around, and the wind was howling...it was not my cup of tea. We eventually found an Italian place and had some hot chocolate while the group played cards. I learned how to play Hearts which is something I've always wanted to learn...and I thought Study Abroad would be the last place I'd learn it.

During the next day we took another walking tour of the city. It was super cold that day so it was a challenge to pay attention when we were so focused on how under dressed each of us were. In our tour we saw four weddings, little Christmas shops, the oldest nunnery, and overlooked a wall on the top of the city. The tour guide was super sweet and kind. She showed us an original Rottenburg post card and that was incredibly interesting to see and read the old German writing on the back. New outlook on the city: not as creepy as night time.

Side Note: during our tour I decided to take my friend Jake's hat so that he would be freezing. I later gave him mine...eventually. But, we decided to switch roles and act in the shoes of one another for the tour. We even posed as the other does in the photo. Truly iconic.

After the tour, the girls all went out for lunch at a more up-scale restaurant. We really hadn't all sat down together since before 10-day break so it was lovely to get to spend some time with them. I also tried a traditional German dessert called Schneeballen (snowballs). They are basically these balls of pie crust that are coated in a flavored chocolate, rolled in coconut or cinnamon, or filled with something. Mine was very tasty, as well as very messy to eat. After that, Maggie and I went to the torture museum and finished our little day trip off at some Christmas stores and a candy shop. Fun adventures in such a small little town.

Later that evening after dinner, our group of girls went out and got cake at a cafe that was OPEN PAST 7 O'CLCOK! We played paranoid, then continued with hotseat when we got back to the hostel. After a little while, a few of us went out to the old milk house for a drink. And that was a wrap on our last day in Rottenburg.

After our time in Rottenburg, we headed home and made another stop in Augsburg. Here we went on another walking tour of the city. We saw just about everything that pertained to our class we have been taking through a professor while here abroad. We also saw the courthouse and the original middle class living in Augsburg in the 1800's. It was .89 euro cents a year to live in a 60 sq ft by 70 sq ft house. This was insane to me. I also just want to mention that they had a Dunkin Donuts, so my little soul was super fulfilled after this stop.

And just like that our weekend excursion was over. Man does time really fly over here. So many fun adventures that I don't even know where I am sometimes...I'm traveling too much:). My next blog will feature some fun weekly outings our girls group did in Salzburg as well as my weekend trip to Rome to visit my good friend Abby from college! Stay tuned for more adventures. And, without further a-do I will sign off with some life lessons I learned:

1) It is never to late to start a journal. If you want to do it, go for it, its better late than never.

2) Living off a box of pasta and a few veggies for the week is possible

3) The one time you forget your bus pass is the one time they will check you

4) Pay attention to the weather, when it says its cold outside...its not lying

5) Rottenburg at night is straight out of a Scoobydoo cartoon

6) Schneeballen are almost impossible to eat

7) Starbucks tastes the exact same all the time, even across the world

8) Hallmark Christmas movies will NEVER get old

9) Piña Colada's are not good when caught in the rain

10) Maggie screaming Thomas Rhett songs at the top of her lungs will never get old

And with that I am signing off. Thanks for checking in with me this week:). Enjoy the week of Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for more about the Austrian Christmas Markets.

With love always,

Abbey Jean