Dirndls, Austrian Alps, and Pretzels OH MY!

Hello friends, adventures, and homebodies alike! Well, here it is...my first blog post on Abbey Adrift. This has been a long time in the making as I have been busy with my European shenanigans:). I am so excited to share my first month of studying abroad with you all. I traveled to Barcelona for four days before traveling to Salzburg, Austria where I have been living for the last three weeks..going on four eeekkk! So without further a-due, here goes it!

First stop: Barcelona Baby

Due to an injury I had to skip out on the first week of pre-travel with my gals, however the sights I saw and the memories I made in Barcelona make up for it all! Landing in Barcelona with no knowledge of the Spanish language and being alone, was a whole new level of anxiety, but the good kind! After a wasting a few hours at baggage claim, I saw the beautiful smiling faces of Maggie, Megan, and Anna. They were glowing, and we were hungry for adventure!

We headed off to our hostel on the main beach in Barcelona where we stayed throughout the trip. Without too much detail, I’ll sum up our travel excursions that we somehow managed to fit into four days: tour of the Monasterio de Pedralbes, Park Guëll, Sagrada de La Familia, and a fair try at the Picasso Museum. That about sums up our big tourist locations. But, the small things were what made the trip so worth it! Talks on the beach...more like vendors yelling, “SANGRIA”, and watching a very entertaining show of two vendors burying each other’s towels in the sand so they could try to sell more than the other. Quite the show it was:). We also checked out many local markets, ate at exquisite restaurants, and hiked up a mountain to get a full view of the city! And...water became a LUXURY! Fun fact: Uber is non-exsistent in Barcelona, so bring those walking shoes. Barcelona was busy, but it was a dang good time with the gals before we went our separate ways for the semester! Pictures of the incredible experience are below:

Next Stop: Salzburg, Austria 🇦🇹

WOW! As I was riding the train from Munich to Salzburg I was truly in awe that I would be studying here for an entire semester. But, I was pretty happy eating this insanely good pretzel (I thought it was filled with cream cheese and chives, turns out it was butter...sorry tummy).

I was one excited, and lets not forget scared, young lady. I had some German language under my belt, but being thrown into a society that speaks solely that is very overwhelming! Just like I felt in my first German class, I heard the language and heard it as foreign! So, I started all over with a new goal: just get to the dorms. My roommate Maggie and I hopped on a bus and after a 30 minute ride and some confusing directions, made it to the dorm hall! Side Note: Our apartment is super awesome with its “full” only stovetop kitchen, bathroom, and beds:). We make it homey though. After getting settled in we had a long week ahead of us. I will give week by week updates below:)

Week One:

After getting all settled in, our group of 23 students got together and did a scavenger hunt around Salzburg, did a short hike up to the palace by our campus, and started Intensive German learning classes. Not going to lie: learning German here is really tough, and has perhaps been one of my hardest challenges, but I know, once I get it, it will be very rewarding. We finished up the week growing together as friends and finding “our bar” for the semester. O’MALLEYS will forever hold a special place in each one of our hearts. As a class we visited the Hellbrunn Palace and had some water tricks played on us. We also strolled down the avenue were the Sound of Music was filmed. Yes friends, the hills here are alive with the sound of music:). During this first week another challenging task was realizing just how much food I needed, and realizing I have to budget my money for the semester to make sure I have enough for food...the tummy is always rumbling:). After many different store hauls, we finally had enough cleaning, kitchen, and bathroom supplies to make it through the first month, and Maggie and I did indeed applaud ourselves. We are most definitely strong independent young women...who may have a slight Nutella toast addiction:)

BEST FIRST DAY OF CLASS PICTURE EVER

Week Two:

Well, just like week one, time flew by. We were busy with grocery running, german classes, exploring the city and the dreaded HOMEWORK. As much as I wished to the magic genie that we wouldn’t have it here...we still do. Our biggest excursion this week, and what I’m going to devote the most text too was the Tappenkarse Hike in the Austrian Alps. Picture included below:

If you ever get the chance to travel to the alps...TAKE IT! Our group took a bus early Friday morning to head to the start of the trail. After lots of blister pads, and lacing up the Keen hiking boots, we started on our three hour journey straight uphill. I took my time going up the mountain careful to avoid cows, their discretions, and unstable death rocks. On the hike, I really tested my mental strength to keep trucking...I did, and man were the views amazing. Just around the peak we reached the Tappenkarse Alpine lake and hiked from there to our hut for the weekend. Five other girls and I stayed in a bunk house room, with the other gals and lads staying in other rooms. There were no showers...you can imagine;). Here was the view from the hut.

After the long hike, the group of us bonded over cards, schnitzel, and Schnapps! Many games of presidents and assholes, phase 10, and Kings in the Corner were played. The next day, a group of me and two other ladies took a LONG hike up to the highest peak in the vicinity. We hiked for 7 hours along a ridge where one wrong step, and you were eating cow shit. There were lots of laughs, terrain challenges, and Cuties that were eaten:). The views from atop were INCREDIBLE and pictures will never be able to do it justice! But here are some good candidates:

After the weekend was over, we hiked back down, facing back and glute pains that none of us had ever felt! We finished up the trip with a good ole nap in the sun. Lots of tired eyes, and smiles proved for an amazing hike in the Austrian alps. And just like that we rapped up week two in Austria.

Week Three: Well there I was walking into week three acting like I knew the place. I had my new favorite spots, was meeting lots of new friends, and was excited to start full classes! The week started off with a solid outing with our German profs! They took us to Moser for us students to buy the traditional Dirndl and Lederhosen attire. Three hours and $200 later, I walked outta that store and into 1953! This perhaps has been one of my most favorite memories of the trip. Fun pictures are below:

The rest of the week included starting classes, visiting new towns, and trying one hell of a good Kebab. This semester I am enrolled in Philosophy (with a professor who likes to think VERY deeply), an Art history class where we tour the different “artsy” areas in Salzburg, Advanced German Grammar, and a seminar class taught by a CSBSJU prof (this has been a big stressor for me). I am excited about my classes, even though they are challenging, and look forward to learning a lot about art and cultural differences in Austria.

And what you have all been waiting for: FOOD! Besides the occasional Radler or Snakebite at a brewpup, I was not eating out much. But, this week I went all out treating myself to a giant PIZZA PRETZEL, and an outta this world Kebab (which is more like a Gyro). The Kebab was the first thing I’ve had here that had some spice and it really hit the spot for me! Insanely good, and will definitely be taking all my visitors there:)

Unfortunately, I forgot to save the Kebab pic so stay tuned for that in the next post! For now I have included other amazing food I’ve had as well!

Our final stop of this week was the beautiful city of Hallstatt, Austria. A group of 20 of us headed out early Friday morning...not a super bright idea since our Thursday nights here are more like Friday nights in the states!;). While in Hallstatt we ate some yummy food, visited quaint little shops, took a small boat out on the lake, and simply enjoyed the sunshine and each other’s company. On the way home, we stepped onto a DOUBLE DECKER train not realizing to conductor was trying to chase us off! Yes we got on the wrong train, and yes they were MAD. But, we were able to get off at the next station and figure it out. So now here I am, finishing this blog post as I am looking over the beautiful mountains in Austria sitting cozily in this train. Tomorrow we plan to hike a large mountain (the final we have yet to conquer of the four in Salzburg) and the Saint Ruperts festival starts this week as well.

And so, with that, I think I will put the cap on the pen! Thank you all for reading my first travel blog post, and for praying for me and my group as we continue to embark on this incredible journey! SNEAK PEAK: Saint Ruperts Festival, Oktoberfest, and many more updates coming next week!

Some fun things that have come out of this trip:

1) Toast fried on the stove is WAY better than toaster toast, and yes Nutella is always a must. This has become a nightly routine for my roomie Maggie and I.

2) The bus is SILENT. No talking to people and I’m serious.

3) Go to O'Malley's during happy hour or you’re going to be one sad Irish lad.

4) Opening the door to air out the smoke from the burning stir fry in your room alerts the Salzburg fire department...it costs 400 Euros...that’s some expensive stir fry.

5) McDonalds here is so expensive! It’s not even that good either:)

6) A bag of gummy bears a day never hurt anyone!

7) NEVER trust laundry machines...they like to hold your clothes hostage.

8) Have fun, laugh, and LOVE who you are because you’re incredible.

One more quick note: as of now I have officially started training for the 2020 Polar Dash half marathon in Minneapolis MN on January 4th! Please keep me in your prayers as I train for this race and need to find mental and physical strength!

Well folks, I’ll catch you next week! Hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t worry...the next ones will not be nearly this long! Four weeks in one post is kind of a lot! I’m always open to visitors and would love to show you around the city! Stay in touch, and I cannot wait to talk to all of you soon!

Best Wishes Always,

Abbey Jean