Salzburg!

London was cool. But that is all that I really need to say... well, I guess I went to Canterbury on the first day that we were there. That was pretty cool. We saw the Canterbury cathedral, but didn't go inside because it cost something like 13 pounds... which is like $26. So we just took pictures from the gate that lead into the courtyard (the gate that was next to a STARBUCKS...) The 2nd day we went on a bus tour... our guide was hilarious, and it was nice to get to see London again-- hopefully I will remember more about it this time. The best part is that the queen was HOME! (the flag was flying... and the only reason that I remember that is from watching National Treasure 2!).

I was super duper nervous to meet my family here in Salzburg because I am living here by myself with no other student. I'm living with Familie Gross in a nice house. I live in the attic/2nd floor, they live on the 1st floor & their son lives on the ground floor with his girlfriend/wife (I'm not really sure what to call her...) They have 3 cats and a dog... one of the cats (Mutzi, I think) is VERY fat & very grumpy. Frau Gross is so nice & is always making sure that my accommodations are good & that I am happy and comfortable. There are a total of 5 of us staying with families... the other 41 students are staying in the dorms. I have to say, I have the sweeter end of the deal! I might be further from the city center, but it is quiet here & my family is awesome! (and they speak German as much as possible with me)

On Monday we had orientation starting at 9:00. That was alright, nothing special... but in the afternoon, we went on a walking tour of the city with Andreas (he works with AIFS and he is also a professional city tour guide). The city is GORGEOUS. I might have been feeling homesick on Sunday when I got here, but once I went on that tour, I knew that I had come to the right place for the semester. Even in all the rain & fog, I could tell that it was perfect! After the tour, we went to finish our registration with Universitat Salzburg and to get our ID's. Well, we all know how ID pictures go... After that, we were free to do whatever we wanted, so I went with a bunch of girls (including all three C/Katherine's) to the big mall, Europark. We had dinner (at happy hour price!) and then did a little shopping. I have to say, H&M is my new favorite store! Not only do they have nice clothes, but they are CHEAP (at least in Europe)! :) I got a pair of "house shoes" to wear here at home and a cute new sweater (just what I needed!). We also went to the Interspar, which is basically the same as a Walmart in the states. It is more of a grocery store, but they have clothes & school supplies, etc too. I got some cereal that I thought was basically honey nut cheerios, just with a different name, but apparently Kellogg's makes Honey Loops for European countries with corn flour & loops that are a lot bigger than normal cheerios. Oh well... they are good enough!

This morning we had more orientation (woot...) and then we had to go take our german placement test. I have to say, I don't think I have ever been so nervous for a test that didn't matter before. It actually wasn't too bad, especially after all the hype about the professor. She was very nice, but I can tell that I want to stay on her GOOD side! I got placed into the "intermediate II" class, which is the highest one that they offer, so I guess that is a good thing! I realized tonight that I have a lot of trouble putting sentances together on the spot... so hopefully I will get much better at that so that people don't have to guess at what I'm saying... haha.

I think one of the best parts of Salzburg (and I guess Austria/Germany in general) are the sausage & pretzel stands in the street. Wurst here is soooo good! and so are the pretzels! (and you get A LOT for what you pay... 2 sausage links or one GIANT pretzel for what I would normally expect to pay for 1 or a normal sized pretzel- like those ones that you get at the movie theater or the pool). It is also really easy to get lost and then found here... the Fortress and the River are the two major landmarks & if you can find one of them (the fortress in on the tallest hill and is the only thing that you CAN see... haha), then you can find your way. I have also found the church steeples to be good landmarks because they are all different- so if you know what church steeple is near where you want to go, you can find your way by looking to the sky!

I'm excited for tomorrow because not only do we have our first German language class... but afterward, we are going to a PASTRY TASTING at a local bakery!!! :) I can't wait to go get nice and FAT!

:)

Pictures (from London):
Me, heading to Platform 9 3/4
Canterbury cathedral (with Starbucks next door)
Ja and I at the Princess Diana memorial fountain in London (When I die, I want a fountain like that one!)

I'll put up Salzburg pictures once it stops RAINING. :)