Well I have now been in Florence for a month and a half and I can't imagine that sad day in May when I will be boarding my flight back to the States. I must say in the beginning there were many things we all had to adjust too! I had always heard it was much different living in a European country, but I thought hey its the 21st century how different can it be, right? No wrong- there are many many cultural differences that over the course of this month we have come to discover. I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite and most quirky differences.
The first activity of the day was our snow shoeing hike! On friday it snowed a few inches so as we made our way up the mountain everything was covered in a blanket of white! We then headed up the gondola that seemed to disappear as it went up the mountain into the morning fog- and then once we were all safely at the top we strapped into our snow shoes with the help of our instructor- Mustard. We asked him where he got the nickname and all he did was laugh, so I have a feeling its a good story. The first few steps we all looked like toddlers trying to walk for the first time but once we got the hang of it we started the hike! The hike lasted between 1-2 hours and in the middle we stopped at a small cottage for a chocolate and water break- I really like how the swiss think :) The views were amazing along the entire hike even though the cloud cover was still sorta thick. The best part of the entire hike was when we went down the mountain. Mustard was instructing us and saying you have to walk in your own path through the fresh snow or else you'll trip. Then he added its best to briskly walk/run down. The hill was quite steep so it is much easier said then done. We all were just full force running down the two mountains and somehow I managed not to trip, but Claire at the very end tripped and actually couldn't get out of the snow without some help. We were all sorta sad the hike was over because It was unlike anything we non skiers had ever done! After our hike we decided we were hungry- shocker when are we not hungry- so we headed back over to the ice rink area at the park to check out the food stalls. I had overheard a girl talking about the bratwurst she had gotten there so we all were on a mission for this delicious brat. Well that was the best 7 francs I spent on the trip because the bratwurst was delicious! It's quite a toss up between the one in Vienna and now the one in Interlaken! After we all took 100 pictures of our food we went and got a Gluhbier, which is a hot apple cider beer concoction. Regardless of what was in it, it was one yummy drink and warmed us up after our few hours in the snow! After we cleaned up we decided we would go ice skating, because why not! I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I went ice skating, it's been years- so in the beginning I was definitely that girl hugging the sides while 6 year old swiss kids zoomed past me as well as my friend Joanie who informed us she played ice hockey.... Sooner or later I got the hang of it and wasn't glued to the wall! What made this ice rink different from the US was instead of just one block for the rink it was one big one then two smaller ones that were all connected with a lazy river kind of path! there was numerous paths leading to the different spots! That night we went to Balmers Bar again, it seems to be the place to be both for the weekend visitors and the locals surprisingly! I finished off the trip the next day going down to Lake Brienz with Olivia which was SO PRETTY!!!! could of stayed forever- again I say this every time I am leaving. We then built a cute little snowman and departed from our weekend winter wonderland. Being from California I was a little apprehensive about booking a trip to the snow but I went through with it and I am so glad I did because Interlaken stole my heart. We boarded our bus thursday night and arrived at Balmers at 3 am..... Sleep so is not a thing when studying abroad I actually don't understand how I haven't fallen over from exhaustion yet. With the limited shut eye we got the night before we decided to walk into town and enjoy the falling snow. I felt like a little kid that had never seen snow! Then we went to find the castles in the nearby town Thun! We got to thun and it was so picturesque! And you could see the castle from about every angle. Shockingly all of us were hungry so that was the first order of business we had to attend too. We found this charming restaurant near the castle and the prices looked semi reasonable in Swiss terms. Well once we got the menus we quickly realized we couldn't read a single thing.... Our waitress was shocked we spoke english so we knew we had found a local non touristy place which is always reassuring but difficult at the same time! Thankfully our waitress was so helpful and actually gave us her phone to use that had an app that when you hovered over the menu its translated it on the spot! I got grandmothers soup which was very good and everyone else got the fish sticks that they said were delicious! It was definitely a great local find! Next stop was the castle. As we climbed the stairs we all realized how out of shape we are or it was just the higher altitude because we were all out of breath. We got there and were able to explore almost entirely on our own. No security guards getting mad at us if we touched or got to close to the artifacts and we even got to go up into the 4 towers! The views from up top were stunning and you could see the whole town! We then made our way back to interlaken on the scenic train ride and went to check out the ice rink! The ice rink was lined with food and drink stalls so we settled on enjoying a beer and people watching under the tents. Then Ashley and I walked over to our chocolate show at Schuh! Well I pretty much ate my weight in chocolate and got to taste 100% cocoa it was nasty btw I don't recommend it. After the show we were given a voucher for more chocolate which I happily accepted. We decided to head back to the hostel and work off our chocolate comas before heading out for dinner. For dinner Danielle, Ashley and I tracked down Hüsi Bierhaus. They have a table here with taps at it but sadly people were sitting at it. We settled for the big table which you share with other groups. We were warned the food was taking hours to get to the table but we thought we would try our luck. All of us ordered a beer except Ashley who sadly is allergic to hops and patiently waited for our meals. Well it was a max of 30 min later and our mac n cheese plates arrived. When I say it was the most delicious mac n cheese I've ever had I am not lying. It was extremely cheesy, topped with ham bits, bacon pieces and had potatoes in it. Well I embarrassingly scraped my plate clean within minutes. I am really trying to eat slower but it's a hard habit for me to break. Danielle and Ashley on the other hand had over half their bowls full.... Guess I was hungry? Then next to us was three locals who we met and they even got us some Jager shots. The thought of that made me feel like my mac might come right back up but it really wasn't as bad as I anticipated! We then went back to Balmer's to get ready to go out that night. Well as I was going downstairs to get my drink voucher, the security was on our floor because our neighbors were sorta loud. Well they took my unopened wine bottle which I sadly was promised I'd get back but I didn't. Apparently it was a new rule as of that weekend that alcohol couldn't be in the rooms.... People weren't to happy with this including the Bus2alps staff because we hadn't been warned. Regardless of my hijacked wine we went to the Balmer's club/bar and enjoyed our first full night in Interlaken!
Our day started with me attacking Carol to wake up because the day before we had been determined to go on a day trip. Well going out the night before didn't really help the cause but regardless we some how pulled it together and got to the train station. We thought we would be spontaneous and book the next train- but we realized that might not of been the best idea so we went for Pisa instead. When in Italy you need at least one or a hundred in our case, pictures with the leaning tower. So we hopped on the train and were on our way! The train ride was about 45 minutes long so not bad at all! Both of us had been told you get out of the train station and its like BAM monuments. Ok so that is so not the case. We first wandered through the street market sampling some cheese and chocolate. Then we went all the way through town, even had to ask for directions once! The town was extremely charming and so clean! Then we saw it the leaning tower- it is so much bigger then I had anticipated. The best part was how hilarious the entire situation was. Right and left tourists were trying their best at a pisa pose. We had the leaners, the kickers, the huggers, the kissers, the walking on, shoving, and even lifting. I tried to capture every person I could but I couldn't contain my laughter. Honestly watching this in action is worth the trip in itself. So we of course took our turn at the Pisa pictures and took a bajillion- the American family next to us found it quite amusing, especially when Carol decided she wanted to be kissing it. After this not so quick photo op we ventured away to find a place for lunch. We came across a cute outdoor cafe with guess what PIZZA. Just a quick shout out to Gusta Pizza in Florence, thank you for making me realize no pizza will ever compare and that I'm pretty much screwed when I get back to America. Our lunch was perfect complete with two pizzas and a cheese plate. Also the sun was out so it made it even more enjoyable considering we had been experiencing a lot of gloom back in Florence. After lunch we went back to leaning tower and went inside the Baptistry and the Cathedral. I will say the Cathedral is so worth seeing it was GORGEOUS inside! I am shocked the cathedral doesn't get more credit. The ceilings are so elaborate and there are paintings lining every space along the walls! We then decided to soak up the sun and lay on the grass. There were so many people enjoying the weather, people napping, playing soccer or simply just hanging out. I personally felt a little nauseous either from the night before or staring at something that was leaning for so long. We then decided we should make our way back to Florence because we had not informed any one of our where abouts and had no wifi all day. Well the walk back to the station took longer then we expected because Pisa has great shopping and we did a little damage- whoops! On the bright side we did end up seeing the sunset! Overall it was an amazing day in Pisa filled with sunshine and pure amusement and we finished it off with a great dinner by the central market in Florence before heading home!
Saturday morning we packed our things ate our breakfast and made our way to schonbrunn palace. This palace was the Palace of the Hapsburg's and later Maria Therese- Marie Antoinette's mother. The palace was much like the Palace of Versailles and was decorated in the typical Baroque style. It was exquisite both inside and out! We actually weren't allowed to take pictures inside so I guess you'll have to see if for yourself :) Even the gardens were breathtaking and reminded me of the gardens in versailles! It made me wish we would of had longer but we had to head back to make our short bus trip to salzburg! Conveniently the bus ride was the exact length of the movie Sound of Music so it flew by, and the views on the way were incredible! On this trip the majority was girls and by majority I mean there were 3 guys. We were joking the night before, like wow sucks for the girls stuck in the 6 person hostel room with them. Well sure enough the hostel in Salzburg Ashley and I were their roommates. It honestly wasn't as bad as we had anticipated but we did have some snorers. Roommates aside we walked over to the snowy but beautiful Maribel Garden's where some of the Sound of Music was filmed! It was so pretty and perfect! Then we went and ventured to the very picturesque love lock bridge that Salzburg has- doesn't quite live up to the Parisian one but still breathtaking! Little further down across the bridge we went to the main shopping area- it was like modern shopping in a fairytale town. It was lined with numerous delicious chocolate stores including Manner Chocolate which is a MUST HAVE while in Austria. Another peculiar thing we noticed was the abundance of lingerie stores in Salzburg, like it gave Starbucks on every corner in America a run for its money. We asked our leader and she simply said "the austrian's are very comfortable with their bodies". It made for a good laugh that's for sure. Next Stop- BEER HALL!! I had heard great things about this beer hall including beers the size of your face and delicious food from the numerous stalls. Well it not only lived up to my expectations but far exceeded them. The beer was GINORMOUS and such an interesting idea. You just grab the mug from this shelf, clean it off in the water fountain, then hand it to the men with the huge kegs and they fill it up way past the top. So your stumbling away trying to drink it down as it spews everywhere. Then for dinner I enjoyed a plate of ribs, austrian version of coleslaw, and french fries with mayonnaise. I pretty much ate and drank my weight at this beer hall. To make matters even better we went to an Irish Pub! And sure enough there was hanging on the wall Colonel Reb!!! We were all in shock so we took 100 pics. We asked the manager and he explained to me it was there far before he took over 3 years ago. It always reassuring to see the Ole Miss pride thousands of miles away :) With our full tummies we slept soundly for our tour in the morning! We woke up packed our things and put them in the luggage storage room and were off on our Sound of Music tour in the ice cold weather. We first visited the lake where in the movie they are all in the canoe and fell out, and it was just a winter wonderland- I couldn't stop staring and kicking the snow because I haven't seen snow in over 10 years! Next stop was the Schloss Hellbrunn where the famous I am 16 going on 17 song was performed! Well this is actually where the gazebo was moved to because it attracted so many people in the original location it had to be moved. Fun fact: you can no longer go into it because an 80 year old woman decided she would try and re-enact the scene and took a little tumble. Don't worry she lived but now visitors just get to see the exterior. Last stop on the tour was the Mountains and Lakes region of Salzburg. I highly recommend going here. I want to go back it was so gorgeous. It was straight out of a postcard and a picture honestly doesn't even do it justice! The town was colorful, the roofs were coated in snow, the doughnuts were delicious and the lake was so serene. I could of stayed forever! Sadly we had to head back to the hostel to make our way back to Florence. Overall it was an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back to Salzburg some day! |
Megan Richter
University of Mississippi Graduate, Current Nursing student- studied abroad in Florence, Italy. I have a passion for art history, travel and most importantly food. follow my travels as I eat my way through Europe! Archives
May 2015
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