Week 2 in Salzburg

This week has been a rather fun and busy one. This week was the first week that we had our full class schedule for the week, and other than being a lot of time, classes really aren't too bad. We had our first mini test/quiz this past week and I was able to get 99% on it. Hopefully I will be able to keep that up as the quarter goes on.

Monday wasn't too eventful this week. We just had class and such and I ended up only hanging out in the dorms at night. I've been doing a lot of wandering from room to room at night in order to make sure that I get to hang out with everyone that is on the trip at least a little bit. I hate it when I feel like groups are too cliquey. Tuesday was a normal day class-wise. For lunch, a group of us walked to the Altstadt and went to the oldest bakery in Salzburg. I forget if I have mentioned it before, but this bakery has the best bread that I have ever tasted in my life, and the bread doesn't cost too much either. I've been buying some roll-like bread that resemble bagels. They're much softer and sweeter than bagels and the raisins that are baked in them melt when you bite into them. Tuesday we had perfect timing and arrived at the bakery as soon as the rolls came out of the oven. I wish that I could send some back home so that you all could try some, but they don't keep for very long since they are baked fresh daily and without preservatives.

Wednesday was a different change of pace since we had our first real history class. I was nervous for the class before is started since it is taught all in German, but I was able to understand almost all of what was being said. I understood the context of everything, and there were only a few words that I couldn't figure out. The class is held on the other side of town in an art school for students that range in age from elementary school to high school. It was interesting to see and listen to younger Austrians speak German casually rather than only hearing people saying a few things in stores or on the bus. It was kind of fun to see how the kids around here dress, which is pretty similar to how kids in the US dress. Although, the girls here seem to be really into wearing neckerchiefs and a lot of layered clothing.

Wednesday evening we went to the Festung in Salzburg, which is a huge fort on top of a hill in town. The fort itself was amazing and in pretty good shape for being quite old. Also, since it was on top of a hill there was a great view of the rest of Salzburg and especially the Alps. We lucked out and had beautiful weather for the trip to the Festung. Inside the fort they have a museum, a puppet theater, a concert hall, a couple of restaurants, and an audio tour that you can take in one of 10 or so different languages. I was able to get some decent pictures while I was at the Festung and I'll be adding them (hopefully) shortly.

Thursday we had no classes. Instead, we got to meet the Landeshauptfrau (basically governor) of Salzburg, Gabi Burgstaller. She hosted a welcome reception for all of the students from America that are currently studying in Salzburg. I think that there were students from OU, BG, Portland, and one other university somewhere. It was held in the Residenz, which used to be where the Archbishops of Salzburg lived when they ruled over the city. The building itself was gorgeous, and the ceremony was a nice gesture to all of the students that attended. After the welcome ceremony, a group of us wandered around the Altstadt to get food, and later we went grocery shopping. At night, most of us ended up hanging around the dorms with each other and other students that live in Europa Kolleg.

This week had some other events that wouldn't seem huge, but they were pretty fun nonetheless. This week I actually was able to cook for myself (that is, things other than pasta). I made some sort of beef with green peppers and tomatoes, pork chops with mushroom gravy, and pork loins that were seasoned and delicious. It's a little tough to cook here since we only have a stove top and everything must be cooked in a skillet, but I am getting the hang of only being able to cook in a skillet. Also, I bought a huge bag of frozen bio-vegetables (organic vegetables) and they are the best frozen vegetables that I have ever tasted in my life. You don't even need salt or butter on them for them to be delicious. I was also finally able to do laundry this week for the first time last night. I thought it would be more of a hassle, but it ended up going pretty well and all of my laundry was actually dry.

I'll be back soon, but someone just came in and asked if I wanted to go to the Mirabell Gardens, so I will have to write again later.