the hills are alive

The Hills are Alive

Sunday morning was rough. There is no other word to describe it. A shrilling 6:30 alarm, a flustered gathering of belongings, and a frantic rush to a train ensued. We hopped on a 7:15 am train towards Salzburg, the home of the Von Trapp family!

Two in our group had signed up to attend the Sound of Music tour, while the rest of us opted to explore on our own. We’re traveling! We rented out lockers at the train station to store our fully-packed bags (a very nice feature of the Salzburg train station) and made out way to the historic city center.

Situated right along a river and surrounded by the mountains, it is no wonder Salzburg is considered one of the most beautiful European cities. The little shops are sideby side, lining cobble stone streets and decorated by intricate signs portraying what was inside. These ornate signs were hung directly above the shops and were adorned with black iron or gold coverings or bright colors, labeling a butcher, a patisserie, or even McDonalds. Not to kill the HP reference, but I was feeling a little like Diagon Alley.

We decided to climb to the top of the hill overlooking the city to the 900 year old fortress that guarded the Austiran kingdom. The fortress, Honensalzburg, was also the castle that housed the royal family and acted as a defense and watch tower. It was massive! And very, very old. My history major self was loving it, as I have noticed I am really drawn to pre-modern history, specifically the Dark and Middle Ages. We saw princely rooms, the torture chamber, and the watchtower, which gave a breathtaking view of the city. Too bad we had a cloudy day, or we would probably have been able to see the mountains and had a more beautiful view of the gardens below.

After an accidental split in the group, Kate, Spencer, Jordan and I went for lunch at a small café we found down an alley. It was adorable, I was so in my element. It had heaters outside and flannel blankets on the chair to cover your laps. There were evergreen decorations and old Christmas lights, as well as a never ending supply of lates and croissants. Heavenly. It was by far my favorite place I saw all week. I love those cozy, European cafes.

We caught a train from Salzburg to (eventually) Luxembourg, arriving home about 10 hours later. Despite the long trip, I enjoyed the train rides, as it gives us time to relax, catch up on some sleep, and maybe attempt some homework, but more lately play card games.

Overall, what a weekend! It felt nice to sleep in my bed Sunday night (though it was only for four hours before my alarm went off for Monday class) but I’ll never forget such beautiful cities and am trying to suppress my strong desire to go back in the spring! There are still so many other cities to see!