65days

18 july // day 35 // salzburg to munich

SALZBURG TO MUNICH
- I boarded a train and headed to Munich. I wrote in my journal that this train ride was boring. I'm not sure why I felt the need to record that I was bored.

MUNICH
- The only thing I wrote down for this day was, "SHOPPING!"
- I stayed in a spare bedroom at an apartment of an American woman who was married to a German man. She was kinda weird and eclectic. There was a high school across the street and in the evening they were having a jazz band concert. I opened my window and listened while I read a book.

17 july // day 34 // salzburg, austria

SALZBURG
- I headed up to Hohensalzburg Castle and liked the view most of all. Looking west, I could see the Alps which made me excited to head to Switzerland. I don't remember much about the castle itself, other than the views of the mountains and of Salzburg.

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- I remember at lunch I ordered entirely in German which I was proud of.
- In the afternoon, I headed to the Mozart Birthplace, which didn't impress me.

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16 july // day 33 // hallstatt to salzburg

HALLSTATT TO SALZBURG
- I got back on the train to go to Salzburg this morning. I remember that the Hallstatt train station was across the lake from the town, so I had to take a boat to and from the station.

SALZBURG
- It was a Sunday, so there wasn't much going on on Salzburg when I arrived. In fact, the entire time I was there it felt very very sleepy.

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- More rain.
- I had the song "Do, Re, Mi" stuck in my head since a lot of what I was seeing was straight out of The Sound of Music.

15 july // day 32 // hallstatt, austria

HALLSTATT
- Hallstatt is known for it's salt mine. There have been humans in the Salzkammergut area for thousands of years because of the salt. That's how Salzburg got its name. I head up the gondola lift overlooking the village to tour the mine. There are a series of slides that the minors used to traverse the different levels which were fun to use. This took most of the morning.

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- I decided to hike back down to the village since there are a lot of great views along the way, instead of taking the gondola lift back down to the village.
- It was still rainy and cloudy and cold

on my way back down the mountain | click to enlarge

- I walked around the village a bit and did some shopping to kill time.
- On they way back to my garage apartment, I looked up and noticed something amazing... on the side of a house there was a plaque that read, "Erbaut J. Th. (Name) 1924" (Built by J. Th. [Name] 1924). I couldn't believe it... there was my surname on the side of some random house in a tiny village in Austria!

14 july // day 31 // vienna to hallstatt

VIENNA TO HALLSTATT
- I took a train out of Vienna this morning on my way to Hallstatt, a small village in the Salzkammergut area.
- Sitting across from me on the train was an American family with college-aged children. They were all blond. The dad looked like Bill Clinton. The son was getting married in Austria. The daughter was reading "1984". I remember speaking with them for some time, but I don't remember much more than that.
- It took some time to get to this village since I had to make a few transfers to smaller and smaller trains. On the last train, a girl sat across from me and asked me for directions in German. I told her I didn't speak German but got out the map and tried to help her anyway.

HALLSTATT
- When I got to Hallstatt, I headed to the TI to look for a place to stay. The woman got on the phone and told me I'd be staying with the Pilz family. Herr Pilz came and picked me up in his car and took me to their place. They had a small apartment above their detached garage. It was a really nice place for $15 a night.

this gives you an idea of how rainy and cloudy it was | click to enlarge

- Through most of Europe, they have to take your passport number for tax reasons. So Frau Pilz knocked on the door after a while and asked for my passport in German. She took a look at my last name, looked puzzled, and said, "Der ist ein jüdischer Name" (That is a Jewish name). And I replied, "Ja aber ich bin nicht jüdisch" (Yes, but I am not Jewish). Then she looked even more puzzled and asked me again, to which I gave the same reply. She shook her head, took the information she needed, then left. That made me a bit nervous!
- I went for a walk around the town to explore a bit. It was very very rainy and cold.
- Since my tiny apartment above the garage had a kitchenette, I headed to the local market and bought some things to make dinner. I headed back, made dinner, and watched CNN... the only channel in English.

13 july // day 30 // vienna, austria

VIENNA
- I took a tour of the Vienna State Opera house this morning. I remember the guide being super gay.
- Once again, compared to southern Europe, it was COLD!
- I was finally able to get one of my favorite European chocolate bars called Lille Pause. I think I ate probably 3-4 a day, at first.
- I headed to a museum but I can't remember the name of the museum or what I saw.
- More shopping!!
- I only took three photos in Vienna and they aren't that impressive. Sorry! (I really wish I would have had a digital camera at the time... I would have taken SO many more photos... oh well... digital cameras were still very expensive in 2000.)

12 july // day 29 // venice to vienna

VENICE TO VIENNA
- I took an overnight train to Vienna. This was my first overnight train and I thought it was pretty decent. I slept well, but only for maybe 6 hours since the train ride wasn't longer than 7 hours. They served continental breakfast complete with tea or coffee before we arrived in Vienna.

VIENNA
- It was wet, rainy and chilly when I arrived in Vienna. After four weeks of sun and heat, I loved the cold temperatures. Overall, I was happy to be back in central Europe which I generally enjoy more than southern Europe.
- I was staying in university residence halls a bit out of the way, and had some trouble finding the building. I was able to rely on my mediocre German skills to call them and ask for directions. I remember being quite pleased at myself for asking in German and understanding the woman on the phone.
- I headed back in to town and went straight for H&M... the weather was a bit TOO chilly and I didn't have a jacket. I bought a heavier nylon shirt which helped keep out some of the chill.
- I took the streetcar #1 which goes around and around the ring road and gives you a good sense of the city.
- I then went to the Haus Der Musik which was really cool. It's an interactive museum centered around sound and music.
- I was confused about my duvet back at the "hotel." I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to use it.