Edelweiss

Austria just may be my favorite country; it’s definitely in the top five. I actually visited here in August and loved it so much that I made sure this semester I had time to go back; and it didn’t disappoint. A whirlwind weekend, the trip again was just a tease. An eight-hour bus ride took us from Florence to Salzburg. Along the way in the early hours of the morning I awoke in time to witness the snow dotted valleys and majestic peaks that make this a lovely region. Fall was in the air here, it was much colder and the leaves were changing or already gone. I spent the morning waltzing through historic Salzburg and exploring the fort, which offered amazing views of the area and some delicious lunch. Then in the afternoon I took the Sound of Music Tour. For the next 4 hours I flitted around getting glimpses and photos of some of the most memorable places from the film like the lake and the gazebo. Sadly I couldn’t go in and prance across the benches, tourists are no longer allowed inside since an eighty-year-old lady broke her hip doing just that. Our guide was amazing. His knowledge, humor and impressions had the whole bus rocking with laughter. That night I sipped delicious hot chocolate on the roof deck of the Stein Hotel that offers a sweeping panorama of the river. I didn’t want to ever leave, but the next morning we headed off for Vienna. Here I walked in to town and at the palace took a enchanting carriage ride of the city. That night after wandering for what seemed like forever we stopped for dinner at an American diner, owned by Austrians and had a delicious meal while getting tips from the locals. The next morning, our final day in Austria, we had only two hours to visit Schonbrunn Palace. This was not nearly enough time for these magnificent gardens. We had just enough time for a trek through the maze and to the top of the hill and already it was time to go. Again I didn’t have nearly enough time in this amazing country, I’m hoping to go back and next time it will be for more than a weekend.