Intro to Salzburg

It has been awhile since my last blog and of course a lot has happened. I will try to tell the highlights but I will break it up into a few blogs over the next few days. I also want to respond to questions, comments, and kind emails that I get. I think I have finally developed a pattern in my schedule so maybe the "organization" will keep me on track with posts.



The Salzach river runs through the city and then the city is surrounded by mountains. (pictured left) I debated whether I should by a bike or a semester bus pass. Verdict went for the bus pass, so I won't get to be cool like this guy and ride around the city. On the right side of the river is the Festung (keep reading), all of the university buildings, and my dorm. The Old City is on both sides but maybe more of it is also on the right. So 90% of my time is spent on one side of the river.

Mozart was born in Salzburg. (I decided to be a tourist and take a picture of his statue.) The University has a lot of international students that come here to study music. Mozartkugeln are sold in stores everywhere in Salzburg. It is a chocolate with marzipan, light and dark nougat. After checking out the link below or googling the word, let me know if I need to bring some back to the States for you to try.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Mozartkugeln-Fuerst.jpg

(Kapuzinerberg is in the background of this picture. Berg=Mountain in German)

Classes have started since my last blog post. I have a pretty full schedule but the big benefit is not having class on Friday. The extra weekend day is wonderful if I want to travel or just need a break before starting homework. Here are the classes I have: 2 types of German for non-native speakers, German Literature, Intro to Graduate Studies, Austria Current Events. Also as a graduate assistant I am working for our advisor, Dr. Ted Rippey.

I still have to decide whether or not to audit a religion or history class. Advantages would be to 1)listen to more German 2)learn new vocabulary and 3)meet local students. Last week, I sat in on History of Tourism in the 19 and 20 Century. The classes I hope to sit in on next week are New Testament and Introduction to Judaism. (Picture of the University Science building. I thought the foliage on the building looked sweet.)

This picture shows the fortress "Festung" high above the city. There is a way to get up to the fortress, which I plan to do and get a better view of Salzburg. Below and to the right of the Fortress is the Old City "Altstadt" buildings, churches and cobblestone streets.