Friday, August 5, 2011
Pictures from my Last Day in Salamanca
Salzburg
We spent another long day traveling to get to Salzburg. Again the scenery was beautiful but it was a long day of sitting on the train. We finally arrived in Salzburg, the home of Mozart, Red Bull, and the Sound of Music, around 4:30 in the afternoon. We went to our hotel, Hotel Mozart, and dropped off our bags before heading out to see the city. We walked around Salzburg for a little bit and then headed to the oldest restaurant in all of Europe. Unfortunately none of us brought our cameras, but it was the coolest restaurant! It obviously had some very ancient elements but it was mixed with modern and contemporary lighting and furniture, the mixture of the old with the new was very appealing! It was fun to people watch and the restaurant ending up getting very busy towards the end of our meal. Many of the people came in traditional Austrian outfits, and I particularly love the darling outfits the women wear. It was fun to see how important their culture still is in their everyday life. It seemed to be popular to wear traditional dress for both young and old alike. After dinner we walked around a little more and headed back to the hotel to get some rest.
In the morning we woke up to go on the Sound of Music Tour! Obviously I was looking forward to this tour, as it is one of my favorite movies of all time. Dave wasn't feeling his best, but he sucked it up and came along. We got to see some really cool sight from the movie, including the Von Trapp house featured in the movie, the actual Von Trapp house, the gazebo, the gardens where the family sings do rae me, the mountain featured in the beginning and end of the film, the cemetery they hid in, the church from the movie, and many more. It was really cool to actually see all of these places and remember each part of the movie. I think we all really enjoyed the tour and learning fun facts about the film.
On the tour we also got to drive past the Red Bull headquarters, which was really interesting. There is also a Red Bull restaurant and Red Bull clothing store in Salzburg! Apparently Red Bull is coming out with another cranberry energy drink here pretty soon, so be on the look out. Something I was surprised to hear was that the "founder" of Red Bull actually discovered the drink in Thailand and merely added carbonation to the energy drink. Now he is the one of the richest men in the world and by far the richest man in Salzburg! All for adding carbonation to a drink that had already been invented!
After the tour Dave went back to the hotel to rest and Lee Anne and headed to a traditional beer garden. It was really fun and really beautiful on the patio outside. You stand in line to pay, get on of those hilarious mugs, and then take it to the tap to get filled up. Lots of the locals even brought their own mugs, which I thought was great. There are also various food stands in the building so Lee got a brat and I had a pretzel to have with our beers. We both loved people watching and were shocked at how packed it was on a Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. The best part of this beer garden is that it is attached to a church! Who would have thought?! We walked around the city a little more and headed back to the hotel to check on Dave. He still wasn't feeling to hot so Lee Anne and I went to dinner by ourselves. I took her to her very first Indiana restaurant and she actually said she loved it! The food was great and it was a nice, quiet little restaurant nearby our hotel, which was good because at this point it had started raining.
We made it back to the hotel after stopping for some chocolate (Milka bars, duh). We packed up our bags for the morning and went to bed to get a good night sleep before another day of travel to our last stop, Munich.
View of Salzburg from the river
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Lucerne
After leaving Salamanca we headed to Madrid to spend the evening there before heading to Lucerne. We had an early morning the next day…5 a.m. to catch a 7:15 flight to Milan. Once we made it to Milan we caught a train to Lucerne. We had an interesting experience with the train situation, we had to switch trains twice…luckily we had met a man from Netherlands who helped us out; otherwise we never would have known what to do. It was a long day of travel; we ended up literally spending all day on the trains (until about 5 pm). The scenery was absolutely beautiful, the most crystal clear water I have ever seen, mountains, and the most beautiful greenery. We finally made it to Lucerne and checked into our hotel.
After we re-grouped we walked around the city for a little bit and then ended up stopping for dinner at a cute little restaurant by their famous wooden bridge. Lucerne is absolutely beautiful. It is situated on a lake with mountains surrounding the little city. The water is the cleanest water I have ever seen and has the most beautiful color. This city literally looks like it was taken out of a storybook. I cannot express in words the beauty and charm of Lucerne.
The next day was Switzerland's independence day! It was fun to get a taste of their culture and see how they celebrate their independence. (They have fireworks, but not as cool as ours!) In the morning we did a guided walk of the city and were greeted with free sweet bread to celebrate the July 4th of Switzerland. Our tour guide was wonderful and extremely kind. We learned about all of the main monuments in the city, including the different plazas, the wooden bridge, the train station, post office, and various churches. In Lucerne they have fountains all over the city with drinking water. They pride themselves on having the purest and coldest water "in the world". I can't tell the difference between many waters, but it was nice to be able to safely refill our water bottles all over the city, and it was always cold and crisp! In the afternoon we took a boat tour of the lake. It was only an hour but it was nice to be able to get a different view of the city and see different areas close by. There were tons of sailboats with beautiful sails and tons of people enjoying the nice weather.
After the boat tour we walked to a very famous monument in Lucerne, the Lion. It is a sculpture carved into a rock to pay tribute to the many men who had died fighting to protect their country. The lion sculpture depicts a lion that is dying, giving off a very sad and melancholic vibe. After visiting the lion we went to a hotel that has a rooftop terrace for drinks. We had drinks and appetizers with the most phenomenal view of Lucerne. I still cannot get over how beautiful Lucerne is with the lake, mountains, flowers, and charming city… I have never seen anything like it before.
We went back to the hotel to regroup and pack up before dinner. Then we went to a nice place along the lake for dinner and headed home to get a good night sleep before another long day of travel.
Tourist Dave...ready for anything!
Last Day in Salamanca
Lee Anne and Davey came to pick me up from Salamanca and meet Marianna and David. Marianna, David, and I walked to pick them up from the bus station at 11:30. I was so happy to finally see familiar faces and forgot how much I actually miss everyone at home. Marianna kept asking me on the way there if I was "nervous" to see my family…she let me know she was both excited and nervous to meet her heartthrob, Dave. (She even picked out a special outfit for the occasion…) After we met Lee Anne and Dave we walked around the city. Marianna and David left us so I could show them the Cathedral, Plaza Mayor, and the University. It seriously was REALLY WEIRD hearing English at first and it took me a while to get used to speaking in English again. I found I would look at Dave and start speaking in Spanish, half way through my sentence I would realize it and switch over to English…never thought that would happen!
We all met up at 1:30 to go to a nice final lunch. Louisa met up with us and joined us for lunch too. Marianna had a wardrobe change; obviously a she needed a new outfit for lunch. We went to a really nice restaurant in Salamanca and shared a traditional Spanish comida. Marianna and David practiced speaking English, and Lee Anne practiced her Spanish, Davey, well he tried to speak Spanish ;) After lunch Louisa left to catch her flight to London and we all went to get coffee on a terrace in the Plaza Mayor. It was really nice to spend time all together and be able to share part of my life for the past 2 months with my dad and sister. I also was really excited for Marianna and David to meet them in person, because of course we always talked about my family and friends back at home and I constantly would show them pictures. Dave brought water bottles for Marianna and David as a little gift for taking such good care of me. They both were really excited about their Camelbak water bottles just like mine, a very "American" gift.
After coffee Dad, Lee, and I visited one of my favorite spots in Salamanca, the gardens featured in the book La Celestina. It is a beautiful garden that overlooks the city and lovers come and leave a lock on the well to represent their unbreakable love for one another. We visited a few other sights in Salamanca and then returned back to my house to grab my bags and head for the train station. I enjoyed showing Lee Anne and Dad my room and house. We sat for a little bit and had water and visited with Marianna before leaving. Marianna gave all 3 of us gifts too! Lee Anne and I both got earrings and Dave got Jamon Iberico, the best ham in all of Spain! Marianna called us a cab and waited with us until the cab came. It was a tearful goodbye, for all of us, even Lee and Davey, imagine that! Marianna reminded me I needed to think of my mom, stepdad Snoopy (or Charlie Brown, she forgets a lot), my abuelo (grandpa), Terri (with the "r's" rolling off her tongue) and all of my other friends and family I have waiting for me back at home. We said our final goodbyes and headed on our way. Of course I miss you all but I never wanted to leave Salamanca, my little family, my little house, and my simple life in the best city in the world. I know I will go back to Spain as soon as I can and Marianna promised me a traditional Spanish meal and a bed whenever I need one.
I can't believe how fast 2 months went by, I feel like I had just got to Salamanca and before I knew it I was heading home. I learned so much from spending a summer in Salamanca and it truly was the experience of a lifetime. I know I will miss my little family, my friends, my siestas, the coffee, the chocolate, the tranquility (or maybe laziness) of Spanish life, and how everyone seems to truly enjoy and appreciate the beauty of every moment. It definitely was the best summer of my life and I will always remember the good times I shared with friends and family in sunny Salamanca.
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