My kind of partying in Salzburg

I am at the university typing a new blog because I have discovered the campus wireless network. If you could see me right now I am jumping up and down with joy. The internet at my dorm is so frustrating so I am glad to have this option. I try not to be too dependent on internet, email, Facebook, and the like. But I know that it is my lifeline (so to speak) to everyone in the US.

Here are just a few randoms thoughts and happenings to share:

Yesterday my roommate (she and I are in a picture together above) woke up and her first words were a question to me. I thought it was funny that she thought of this first. She asked: Have you gotten your absentee ballot? I'm not sure if she was dreaming about the election or things like that but I laughed to myself when she asked this.

On that note, I have not received an absentee ballot, which is disappointing. I comfort myself in a way by thinking that my vote wouldn't have made much difference because we have an electoral college and my homestate (Alabama) isn't a "battleground" state like Ohio. I would loved to have voted and been a part of the political process. If you are in the US and can still register or are already registered, be informed and don't forget to vote next week.

I will have to ask my roommate, Kristen, to clarify a bit, but sometimes I will make a remark. Then she laughingly responds, "that is so Mary Beth" or "that is such a Mary Beth thing to do". For example, this morning I said matter-of-factly that I plan to meet the Governor of Salzburg today at a new students event. I also told her that I'm pretty certain I saw the governor riding on her bike in the Altstadt (old city) the other day.

This Saturday is a holiday in Austria/Germany. It is roughly translated as All Saints Day. My teacher described it as a day when people go to the grave of loved ones, put new flowers there, pray. When is our equivalent holiday? I'm pretty sure I have heard of this in the US before but I couldn't think of when we celebrate it.

Lastly, the pictures I put in this post are from a dinner we had at our advisor's house. Dr. Ted Rippey and his wife Karen made chili and brownies. It was a great meal. I don't eat nearly enough meat here. Later after the dinner party, Kristen and I went out to a dance club that had an 80s theme that night. Aside from playing German 80s music that I didn't know, the American 80s music was a lot of fun to dance and be goofy to.

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.