My Story: September 2011

So this last wednesday to sunday I went on a fantastic trip with my group. We went to Salzburg and Munich. It was soooooooooo fun! This land is so gorgeous I can't even begin to describe it to you, and I just know these pictures aren't going to do the sight justice, but they'll have to do. In one of my classes, Experiencing Vienna, we have to do 3 write-ups every week about things we see and enjoy while we are here. So I think I will add those in here so you can get some of my thoughts on what I did this last week, without me having to type it all out again now :) I hope you enjoy!

We started out our trip at Mauthausen Concentration Camp

(Excerpt) I was very much looking forward to seeing and experiencing this place. I expected it to be sad and hard but I wanted to go see it for myself, and have an eye opening experience. When we arrived we watched a documentary film about the camp, the survivors stories were very moving. It is so hard to imagine what happened there. I walked through the barracks where thousands lived and died. I saw their graves (just a few) and the cremation and extermination building. It was all very interesting, but I was sad and quiet the whole time. The whole group didn’t say anything for like the first 20 minutes after we first watched the film. The shock of being where such horrible things had taken place was just too real for words. It was hard to walk through the door into the area where so many were held captive and not shed a tear. There were posters in some of the barracks with facts that I could have spent hours reading, soaking up the knowledge of what so many experienced. It wasn’t exactly a happy feeling there, but I think I felt deep sympathy for those prisoners and appreciation that I could go to such a memorial. I also walked down to the area the prisoners had to mine granite stones. The stairs down the hill are very, very steep- and the whole pathway before them is very rocky and uneven. I was having a hard time walking it. I can’t imagine walking up those steps with 50lbs of granite on my back. At the bottom of this horrible staircase, there was a beautiful little lake and beautiful trees. This area is beyond beautiful and green and I am glad. It is a nice thing for nature to try and help cover and heal the past. I had a good talk with friends here, and I enjoyed our deeper conversations about how amazing the human body is, and how much faith a person must have to be able to go through something like this. I am grateful for the experience of seeing this place.

Mauthausen

Barracks

beds

sinks

Gas chamber

Cremation

The most famous photo of Mauthausen, and the cursed steps.

Those steps today.

The granite quarry

This is an up close view of what I have come to love- window box flowers! They are everywhere and they are soooooo pretty

Now for some Sound of Music sights:

The Gazebo

The Von Trapp family house

This is the Obersalzburg Castle

We were set out free our first night in Salzburg to go find dinner.

This is what we ate- it was delicious

And this is what it looks like from the outside. Nothing like just picking a random cafe and trying it out!

So, all of our hotel rooms were pretty sweet, but this girls room was the best. We called it the harry potter cupboard under the stairs. ya. Lets just say Europeans know how to not waist any space.

Mirabell Gardens, more sound of music :)

Loved the dwarf garden

This is the main downtown street in Salzburg. I freaking love the old signs. And the thing is they are not old! this is just how things are, everyday here! It so not like america its great.

This is Mozarts Birth house. I got to see tons of his original peices and instruments he played and read a whole bunch of facts about him. One of the most interesting ones was the fact that he was terribly in debt his whole life. His wife liked to live a lavished lifestyle, going to spas and resorts and he liked to have the lastest in fashion. His brother loaned him over 40,ooo euros!

This is the theature were the Von Trapps run away at the end of the movie

This is the view from the Obersalzburg castle

Room inside

potty!

Ok so this is a way ugly picture of me, but I'm in GERMANY!!! I was seriously so stoked for this moment. our whole bus was just freaking out we were all so excited. Too bad there was no sign, no passport check or anything!

First glimpses of the fatherland

THE Autobahn! (you really can't go as fast as you want, because there is so much construction. construction in other places besides utah? go figure)

A very Bavarian meal awaited us at our hotel. Knudl and meat mmmm.

This was the window in our room- ya it was more like a sky light. we may or may not have gotten on the roof.....

The first major stop in Munich was the deutsches Museum, one of the most visited museums in germany. I didn't see 3/4 of what is in there, I guess I'll just have to go back some day!

This is the place where Hitler and his early Nazi party tried to overthrow the government back in like 1932ish. Hitler was caught and thrown in jail for treason. While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf, and was a good little boy and got out after only 9 months- thats just dumb HE WAS PUT IN FOR TREASON! whoever was in charge of that jail was real dumb. yup.

This is the largest glockenspeil in the world (?) Coo Coo Clock!

The church that I paid 1 euro to climb to the top of.

Amazing view up top

Another super traditional, local thing for lunch. Fish and chips from Nordsee.

And here comes the thing I forgot to tell you family about while we were skyping, and I can't believe I forgot because it was so great! I went to Oktoberfest!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was soooo crazy! Look at the size of those beer mugs! they are like 3 times the largest beer mug you have ever seen.

Kegs of beer. yum

Really it was just packed there. You see the hug building at the back of this picture? There are tons of those buildings throughout the whole area/park/festival. and wanna know whats in them? People. Lots and lots of drunk people. they just sit there all day and get waisted!

The atmosphere really wasn't too crazy, because we didn't go inside any of those beer buildings. There were plenty of families there enjoying the shops and rides. The thing I have to remember is that this is like thier 4th of july or memorial day. Same with the festival that was going on in Salzburg when we were there. these are the only holidays they have really. Interesting to think about.

We got delicious and cheap candied apples after we went on the best ride ever.

You can't see it too well but its the tall skinny on in the back. You sit in the bottom and it spins you around, like all the way around in a circle, so when you are coming down you have the greatest free fall feeling ever! it was sooo worth it!

This is my lovely drink at dinner. this lovely dring cost me 2.50 euro that is almost 4 dollars. Talk about expensive. that is how alllllllll beverages are in all of europe. yep I love my water bottle.

Some of the girls in their newly purchased dirndl's

Herrenchimsee Palace

(excerpt)The boat ride to Chimsee was beautiful. The water was clear and blue and there were sailboats all around. We walk across the island on a nice forest path. As we walked out of the trees my first glance of the palace were the front gardens with all the fountains shooting water high into the air. It was an amazing, grand sight since the fountains are so high. This palace was built as a replica of Versailles and Ludwig II wanted it just as a representation of what a good king, divine rulers, should have and should be like. There were pictures of Louis XIV, the sun king, everywhere- Ludwig’s idea of an ideal king. I could not believe that there was only one picture of Ludwig in the whole palace and it is about an inch square in the top of a picture on a random door. All the rooms were never meant to be used, and never where. They just represent a good kingdom. Amazing! The rooms were unbelievable. So ornate with gold everywhere- real gold- gold that was not meant to be enjoyed even by the king! What a waste of the people’s money. My mouth was literally hanging open in every room. The beauty is unimaginable but sadly I feel it is wasted. The government ran out of money so the whole wings of the palace and the gardens were never completed. It is amazing to think that this palace was being built during the American civil war. Connecting the historical timeline like that really puts things into a new perspective.

We weren't suppose to take picture inside the rooms... but i snapped this one when we were below. It is the contraption that lowers down the dinning room table so it can be cleared and reserved without ... interuption? it seems kind of pointless now that i try and write it but Ludwig thought it was grand! reminded me of house elves in harry potter...

This is the entrance to a bathroom. Yes you have to pay.

Oh you know, just so locals bringing their cows down off the mountains. The men were really wearing lederhosen and the cows where really wearing bells. HUGE bells.

My first Bratwurst! It was good!

Bus up to Hitler's Eagles Nest

This is the view that pictures will not be able to give justice to. It was unbelievable. The alps completely surrounded us up there on top. So amazing.

This was the golden elevator that took us up inside the mountain

Hello Alps! Can you see why hitler would want to sit up here? He ruled ALL this land. Everything your eye can see. Talk about power.

The tea house

Salzburg in the distance. I could really see the Obersalzburg Castle from here.

Remaining foundation of the Burghof- Hitlers home, where he spent 1/3 of his time during the war.

Sunday we went to church in Haag, the birth place of the church in Austria. This is the farm where Johan Huber, the first member, lived. The lady who lived there still has all the original documents/pictures/facts about Johan. The experience of going there was amazing. There was definitely the feeling of Pioneers. Johan suffered terrible persecution, but he pressed on and was an amazing person, keeping the church growing in austia for years