After recovering from the shock of Prague's Subway KGB the time came for me to move on to my next destination, Salzburg, Austria. I booked a night train, which allowed me to kill two birds with one stone by sleeping and traveling at the same time. I had lucked out with my last reservation and ended up traveling to Prague with 2 American women...that would NOT be the case on my return trip.
While inquiring about the status of my reservation I was utterly dismayed to learn that I would be sharing my compartment with a man. Apparently the other sleeping compartments were full and mine was the only one with any remaining beds. Now, I could lie and pretend that I didn't almost pee in my pants at that bit of news, but the reality is that I was TERRIFIED at the thought of being locked in a small compartment containing beds and a strange, foreign man.
Thankfully I possess what is known to friends and family as "the look" so by glaring at him with my evil eye I terrified him almost as much as he terrified me and thus ensured that he stayed in the hall smoking and drinking for most of the night. Late in the evening, after casting many nervous glances at me he finally found the courage to cautiously enter our shared compartment, lie down and sleep. While I felt some relief at the rhythmic sounds of his snoring, I soon faced a new dilemma, should I lock myself in with this drunk, snoring man or should I leave the door unlocked thus risking a robbery from infamous gypsy gangs known to board at various stops and steal from sleeping tourists? I waited until we were pulling up to the next stop and my fellow traveler was most definitely sleeping before I reached up and locked the door. I'm glad I did because the 2 times that door was rattled from the outside were unnerving, and whether or not the gypsy gangs were an urban legend or the source of those mysterious rattles, I felt safer with the door locked.
Bright and early the next morning, after sleeping for a scant 4 hours I got up to find that my passport and tickets were missing. PANIC! Did the strange foreign man take them during one of my brief naps in the middle of the night? I hastily unpacked and repacked my bags at least 3 times before locating the missing documents in my backpack. Poor foreign man, it wasn't his fault after all, apparently after one of those late night ticket checks I had tucked them into the wrong spot. Upon finding them I desperately clutched them to my chest as a few tears escaped my very tired eyes and then secured them in my "secret money belt" before heading off to find the train that would take me to my next destination.
Austria. A little jewel tucked into stunning mountains - it was gorgeous, and the people were so friendly and laid-back. Salzburg was my first stop and it was well worth the time and money. The birthplace of Mozart, the setting for "The Sound of Music", breathtaking flower-strewn meadows and hills that really did seem like they were alive....with the sound of music. I hummed the entire musical as I wandered all over and saw Mozart's home, the castle, the square, giant chess games, marionettes, youth choirs, gardens and outdoor classical music concerts. I even observed a wedding at the church made famous in the movie!
After walking all over I was soon thirsty so I stopped to buy a coke in a cute little store. An added bonus was that the coke was COLD - woohoo! The cashier put it in a small paper bag and I walked out to find the catacombs and cemetery just a few blocks away. I reverently strolled around the beautifully maintained tombs before finding an inviting bench to sit and enjoy my nice, cold coke. With the can still in the bag I popped the top and took a huge swig of what I thought was going to be sugary liquid. Instead my eyes teared and widened in shock at the taste of bitter, stout Austrian beer pricking my taste buds. I hastily pulled the can out of the bag and discovered that I had inadvertently grabbed beer, which I would have realized had I paid attention to the little green men dancing on the can. Coke does not have little green men! To top it off I didn't (and still don't) like beer. (Offer me wine or a mixed drink and I'll partake but beer? Not so much.) And remember, I was still in my BSF phase so beer was a big no-no. There I was in a cemetery, trying to remain solemn with a mouth full of beer I didn't like and wanted desperately to spit out without causing a scene. I DID NOT want to be a rude American so I casually walked to a trash can and emptied the contents of my mouth into it before angrily tossing the cold beer in as well. I did receive a few curious stares, probably because I threw away perfectly good beer, which is probably a sin in Europe, but I quickly slinked away to find water, because by then I was really thirsty and I wanted the beer taste out of my mouth ASAP. Of course the shop I purchased the beer from was closed because it was lunch time and as I realized too late there was nothing that would keep a European from closing for a 3-hour lunch! My best option was the Casino's outdoor, rooftop restaurant so I hiked to the top and replaced the beer's aftertaste with coke, lasagna and the most magnificent view of Salzburg.
The remainder of the my first European adventure was spent in Innsbruck, where I learned of the O.J. Simpson drama from Time Magazine and visited the Olympic Village. I moved on to Garmisch, Germany, which is a wonderful little resort town high in the mountains and stayed in a quaint home with a private bathroom and balcony overlooking the Zugspitze. While there I enjoyed the local Pizza Hut (I was missing American food at that point) and an American cinema where I watched City Slickers 2. I took the cable car to the top of the mountain where I was rewarded with fresh snow and amazing views of Austria and Switzerland and thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in such a stunning place. Upon returning to Munich for my last day in Europe I wandered the city, poked in and out of churches and museums and made sure to eat lots of bratwurst, schnitzel and fresh fruit - especially the sweet, ripe cherries.
What an adventure! Despite a few "Chevy Chase" moments and embarrassing, silly mistakes I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. They helped shape me into the woman I am today and I am better because of them. I grew up a lot on that trip and discovered more about myself and my faith than I thought possible. Now I'm off to plan my next adventure, which will hopefully include Slovenia and perhaps Croatia in February 2009!
While inquiring about the status of my reservation I was utterly dismayed to learn that I would be sharing my compartment with a man. Apparently the other sleeping compartments were full and mine was the only one with any remaining beds. Now, I could lie and pretend that I didn't almost pee in my pants at that bit of news, but the reality is that I was TERRIFIED at the thought of being locked in a small compartment containing beds and a strange, foreign man.
Thankfully I possess what is known to friends and family as "the look" so by glaring at him with my evil eye I terrified him almost as much as he terrified me and thus ensured that he stayed in the hall smoking and drinking for most of the night. Late in the evening, after casting many nervous glances at me he finally found the courage to cautiously enter our shared compartment, lie down and sleep. While I felt some relief at the rhythmic sounds of his snoring, I soon faced a new dilemma, should I lock myself in with this drunk, snoring man or should I leave the door unlocked thus risking a robbery from infamous gypsy gangs known to board at various stops and steal from sleeping tourists? I waited until we were pulling up to the next stop and my fellow traveler was most definitely sleeping before I reached up and locked the door. I'm glad I did because the 2 times that door was rattled from the outside were unnerving, and whether or not the gypsy gangs were an urban legend or the source of those mysterious rattles, I felt safer with the door locked.
Bright and early the next morning, after sleeping for a scant 4 hours I got up to find that my passport and tickets were missing. PANIC! Did the strange foreign man take them during one of my brief naps in the middle of the night? I hastily unpacked and repacked my bags at least 3 times before locating the missing documents in my backpack. Poor foreign man, it wasn't his fault after all, apparently after one of those late night ticket checks I had tucked them into the wrong spot. Upon finding them I desperately clutched them to my chest as a few tears escaped my very tired eyes and then secured them in my "secret money belt" before heading off to find the train that would take me to my next destination.
Austria. A little jewel tucked into stunning mountains - it was gorgeous, and the people were so friendly and laid-back. Salzburg was my first stop and it was well worth the time and money. The birthplace of Mozart, the setting for "The Sound of Music", breathtaking flower-strewn meadows and hills that really did seem like they were alive....with the sound of music. I hummed the entire musical as I wandered all over and saw Mozart's home, the castle, the square, giant chess games, marionettes, youth choirs, gardens and outdoor classical music concerts. I even observed a wedding at the church made famous in the movie!
After walking all over I was soon thirsty so I stopped to buy a coke in a cute little store. An added bonus was that the coke was COLD - woohoo! The cashier put it in a small paper bag and I walked out to find the catacombs and cemetery just a few blocks away. I reverently strolled around the beautifully maintained tombs before finding an inviting bench to sit and enjoy my nice, cold coke. With the can still in the bag I popped the top and took a huge swig of what I thought was going to be sugary liquid. Instead my eyes teared and widened in shock at the taste of bitter, stout Austrian beer pricking my taste buds. I hastily pulled the can out of the bag and discovered that I had inadvertently grabbed beer, which I would have realized had I paid attention to the little green men dancing on the can. Coke does not have little green men! To top it off I didn't (and still don't) like beer. (Offer me wine or a mixed drink and I'll partake but beer? Not so much.) And remember, I was still in my BSF phase so beer was a big no-no. There I was in a cemetery, trying to remain solemn with a mouth full of beer I didn't like and wanted desperately to spit out without causing a scene. I DID NOT want to be a rude American so I casually walked to a trash can and emptied the contents of my mouth into it before angrily tossing the cold beer in as well. I did receive a few curious stares, probably because I threw away perfectly good beer, which is probably a sin in Europe, but I quickly slinked away to find water, because by then I was really thirsty and I wanted the beer taste out of my mouth ASAP. Of course the shop I purchased the beer from was closed because it was lunch time and as I realized too late there was nothing that would keep a European from closing for a 3-hour lunch! My best option was the Casino's outdoor, rooftop restaurant so I hiked to the top and replaced the beer's aftertaste with coke, lasagna and the most magnificent view of Salzburg.
The remainder of the my first European adventure was spent in Innsbruck, where I learned of the O.J. Simpson drama from Time Magazine and visited the Olympic Village. I moved on to Garmisch, Germany, which is a wonderful little resort town high in the mountains and stayed in a quaint home with a private bathroom and balcony overlooking the Zugspitze. While there I enjoyed the local Pizza Hut (I was missing American food at that point) and an American cinema where I watched City Slickers 2. I took the cable car to the top of the mountain where I was rewarded with fresh snow and amazing views of Austria and Switzerland and thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in such a stunning place. Upon returning to Munich for my last day in Europe I wandered the city, poked in and out of churches and museums and made sure to eat lots of bratwurst, schnitzel and fresh fruit - especially the sweet, ripe cherries.
What an adventure! Despite a few "Chevy Chase" moments and embarrassing, silly mistakes I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. They helped shape me into the woman I am today and I am better because of them. I grew up a lot on that trip and discovered more about myself and my faith than I thought possible. Now I'm off to plan my next adventure, which will hopefully include Slovenia and perhaps Croatia in February 2009!
