Day 23: Getting to Venice

My train from Salzburg to Venice was pretty early, but I wasn't complaining because it was absolutely beautiful and I was so so so excited to get to Italy! It was a 2 hour train ride to another city in Austria, then a 4 hour bus ride to get to Venice. I tried to blog and journal but I kept getting distracted by the amazing scenery...





And the breathtaking scenery just kept coming once I got to Venice. It's unlike any place I've ever seen. Well, so are a lot of the places I've been to on this trip, but Venice is just enchanting in a different way. The way the sun hits the canals and the pastel buildings, the shops full of fancy masks, the streets lined with gelaterias and pizzerias... It's just such an interesting and unique place.





I was starving from a day of travel with no breakfast or lunch, so I stopped for a little pizza on my way to the hostel...





Then I thought it wouldn't be right if I didn't greet Italy properly... So I had to get some gelato. Luckily I stumbled onto a place called Alaska, run by a guy who is famous for being the "maestro of gelato." He sells lots of strange flavors, all using fresh ingredients and no food coloring. I tried watermelon and mint together, and it was an awesome combo!


I checked into my hostel, L'Imbarcadero, and liked it so much that I completely forgot to take photos. But it was in a perfect location, right by the Grand Canal, and was run by a really great couple- Alex and Meghan. They made me feel so at home! Free breakfast in the mornings, dinner and wine for €4 at night (seriously unbeatable, and delicious), and nice comfy little areas to chill with a book (or iPad). Really loved it there. In my room, I met Taylor, a girl from California who was just finishing up a 3 month trip. Venice was her last stop and she only had 2 days left. We were both exhausted from traveling all day, so we took naps and then went to navigate through the canal maze of Venice. One of the first things we ran into was a big Communist festival in one of the city squares. It was actually pretty funny- the band on stage looked like it was comprised of 4 really angry Justin Biebers. So we stood there for awhile and observed/giggled.


We bought a couple of slices of pizza and sat along the Grand Canal for the next couple of hours, just talking about travel and our lives back home. Venice is beautiful during the day, but it's really great at night. Very romantic with the lights glittering on the water and the gondolas passing by. Can't wait to bring Justin here someday!


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Day 22: Salzburg- Visiting Mattsee

I took a train about twenty minutes outside Salzburg, and got off at the stop where Drita told me to meet her. I was so worried that I was in the wrong place, or at the wrong time, or that she would forget! Because I was seriously in the middle of nowhere- the place where I got off the train wasn't even a train station- it looked more like a little bus stop. So I anxiously awaited Drita, and a few minutes later she appeared! I was so excited to see the town her family lived in and experience a side of Austria that was still untouched by tourists. It was such a beautiful area! Rudy and Drita's family live near a town called Mattsee, which is surrounded by three gorgeous lakes. Our first stop was their home, where I met their teenaged son Mano. I was pretty excited to see the Iowa-esque scenery surrounding their house!


Drita and Mano took me into town for lunch. I told Drita I wanted to order the most traditional Austrian meal on the menu, so she went ahead and ordered for me. It was sooo delicious... Frittata soup, then knödel (kind of like bread dumplings) with fresh mushrooms and mushroom cream sauce super tasty!








After lunch Drita and Mano took me on a walk around the lake, pointing out the sights and telling me about the area. It was so cool to be with localsand learn about their home, something I hadn't really experienced yet while traveling. And it's such a beautiful place. I don't know how many times on my trip I've said to myself "wow, I want to live here" or "get married here" or "bring my family here," probably too many times to count, but this was definitely another one of those times.





We walked for awhile, then drove Mano home, then went back into town to meet Babs, another friend I'd met the night before, for coffee. Mattsee isn't a huge town, I think they said only about 3,000 people, so kind of like New Hampton, Iowa, where I grew up. And just like my hometown, everyone knows everyone else and stops to say hello and chat. It's funny how even on the other side of the world, people really are pretty much the same :)


I had a great time chatting with Drita and Babs over coffee... well, they had coffee. I had ice cream. Not much of a coffee girl, but absolutely an ice cream girl.


Drita showed me the inside of the little coffee place, which also sold fresh bread and lots of treats, including the Mozart chocolate balls that are famous in Salzburg. So of course I had to try one- I guess they've got marzipan and more chocolate inside. Unique taste, but I don't see what all the fuss is about! Seriously there are entire stores in Salzburg that sell nothing BUT these chocolates. I mean, they're good, but... Entire STORES? for just one kind of chocolate? Maybe I'm missing something...





Drita drove me and Mano back into the city, but first we stopped at a really pretty overlook where Drita said all the photos for Mattsee postcards are taken. I can see why!


When I got back to Salzburg I hung out at my hostel for a little while and talked to a new roommate, then realized that I hadn't yet picked up a Salzburg souvenir. I'm trying to collect a small souvenir from every city I visit so that when I get home, I can have a Europe Trip Shelf. I'm kind of making it a point to get really classic items- a replica of the Eiffel Tower from Paris, a beer mug from Munich... but Salzburg was kinda tougher, plus almost every single souvenir shop was closed by the time I went out (at 7 pm!). So, I settled on a little wooden Mozart doll. Kinda goofy, but it's the best I could do! Then I headed to the southeast area of the city, through the old part of the city, to get dinner at a place my hostel recommended. I passed some really great things on the way, which made me wish I had more time in Salzburg for exploring... I'd spent all my time out of the city!














Despite a long walk and getting a little bit lost once or twice, I made it to St. Paul's Stub'n. They had an awesome beer garden, delicious beer, cool people... And terrible food. Seriously terrible spätzle... And I like to think of myself as somewhat of a connoisseur by now. Pretty sure it was burnt and they tried to cover it up by adding more fried onions on top. I couldn't be too upset though, because I went a LONG time without having a bad meal in Europe!





After my disappointing meal (which was kind of cancelled out by how amazing lunch was), I took the long walk home and said goodbye to Salzburg... Cuz I had an 8 am train to catch the next morning. Italy, here I come!

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Day 21: Salzburg- Mountains, Lakes, and a Brewery Festival

I woke up early, got ready for the day, and walked to the train station to catch a bus to Berchtesgaden, where I'd catch another bus up the famous Obersalzburg road, then another bus all the way to Eagle's Nest at the top of the mountain. Eagle's Nest was built as a surprise 50th birthday gift for Hitler. Not too shabby. He entertained heads of state there, but he never spent the night; in fact, he went there very rarely because despite the breathtaking views, he didn't like the place... He was afraid of heights. Hitler was such a loser. Anyway, it took me about 2 hours to get there from Salzburg but it was so worth it.





Once you get to Eagle's Nest, most people just walk around and take photos for awhile before heading back down the elevator and taking the bus back down. I wanted to get a little more out of my time there, so I hiked for awhile and got some amazing views as a result.





I asked other people to take my photo when I actually saw other people, but for the most part I had the mountain all to myself! So I became a master of self portraits and even got the hang of using my camera's timer!


















I got a little gutsy though, and different times 1) almost lost a shoe, 2) almost dropped my camera, and 3) almost literally fell off the mountain. That was a little bit scary. There aren't a lot of railings or set pathways, just a bunch of rocks and cliffs! This is where I caught myself (barely) from falling. Nowhere to go but down! See Mom, you don't need to worry about me getting mugged, I'm MUCH more likely to fall off a mountain :)


After that, I'd had my fill of thrills for the day, plus I had to catch my bus so I headed back to Eagle's Nest and down the elevator.








From some of the photos above you can see a really big beautiful blue lake, called Lake Königssee. I figured since I was all the way out there, I should check out this gorgeous lake, right? So after the elevator ride down, and the bus halfway down the mountain, and another bus to Berchtesgaden, I found a bus to take me to Lake Königssee! The little village around it is adorable, though pretty touristy. It actually wasn't bad though, because it wasn't too busy.





Once I got through all the shops and restaurants, I arrived at the lake!





It was beautiful but I wanted a view from a little bit higher up, so I wandered around until I found another hiking trail- this one much less dangerous, but still super pretty!








All this hiking around lakes and mountains had me pretty hungry and tired, so I headed back to Salzburg. I slept for the whole bus ride back, so I was refreshed and ready for a trip to Augustiner Bräustuben- Another monastery/brewery!





It was a pretty lively place, one huge beer garden with tons of people sitting at picnic tables with huge mugs of beer in front of them, and even a band playing traditional Austrian music. You pre-pay, grab a mug, wash it out in the fountain, and hand in your receipt to get your mug filled up with some cold tasty brew. I also went to the indoor 'food court' area, which had 5 or 6 different vendors selling meats, cheeses, and pastries. I bought some schnitzel, roasted potatoes, and apple strudel, then went back to the beer garden to find a table. A table near the band had some open space, so I sat down and started chatting with the other people there. It turned out that they were friends and family of the band, and that today was part of a special annual festival for the brewery. So my visit was perfect timing!


About 15 minutes after I sat down, the band finished and came and sat at our table. So I met them all, and had such a fun time with everyone! They made sure my beer mug was never empty, and sometimes I had a mug in each hand! They were really really nice to me and I'm so thankful to have met them. Another band got on stage and played lots of American Oldies. The guys I was hanging out with started yelling something to them in German, the only part I caught was "Iowa!" So of course, with big grins on their faces, the band on stage dedicated a few songs to me throughout the night, including "Sweet Home Alabama," which is definitely one of my favorite songs after a few beers. They also played "Highway to Hell," "Ring of Fire," "We are the Champions," and lots of other classics... It was so funny to watch all the Austrian guys in the crowd sing along! I had SUCH a great time dancing, singing, and drinking with such friendly people.














One band member's wife, Drita, invited me to come see their village the next day. They lived a little ways out of the city, so she gave me instructions on how to take the train and meet her after she was done with work. I was so excited! I got a little bit lost on my walk home, a little because of the beer, but mostly because Salzburg streets are so confusing! But I made it back okay, and my roommates and I shared stories about our day. They all laughed hysterically when I showed them pictures of me dancing and getting kisses from these random Austrian guys in lederhosen, and I guess it was pretty funny. Definitely one of the most unexpected and fun experiences I've had all trip, though!

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