I know, I know. It’s been 3 months since I’ve written last. But good things are worth waiting for, right?;) Although it’s no excuse, my post-France semester was filled with the harsh realities of normal, non-globe-trotting life. School and work and extracurriculars and finding housing for senior year (secured!) and an internship for the summer (nailed it!). But now it’s summer, and besides my 3 days a week interning at a cool PR firm in Greensboro, I’ll have plenty of time to reminisce about my semester abroad on this blog (and hopefully not slip into a constant state of debilitating nostalgia).

Okay, so I left off describing my 12 day trip to Central Europe. After Prague, Budapest, and Vienna, I had two more stops to go: Salzburg and Hallstatt. We took an afternoon train from Vienna to Salzburg. The views on the journey were beautiful: rolling green hills undulating into vast mountains and valleys. Salzburg is the perfect stepping off point to explore the Salzkammergut region, an area once known for salt mines (salz is salt in German), but now known for gorgeous lakes and scenic mountain peaks.

Salzburg is modestly sized and nestled in the Alps. It still has that upscale Austrian panache, but it’s threaded through with a note of sleepiness. After a week of austere buildings, Salzburg was a sweet change of pace.

Salzburg is essentially a music city (Mozart was born there), and we learned that the hostel we had booked just a couple weeks in advance for November was already booked solid for the summer, when the annual Salzburg music festival occurs. Apparently tickets to attend cost thousands of euros.

This musical identity is even further cemented by the fact that The Sound of Music is set in Salzburg– and filmed there, too. There are multiple Sound of Music tours you can go on, and although I didn’t partake in them I felt von Trappish just being there.

So, after relaxing a little that evening we took a bus to the city center. When we stepped out into the city it was dark, and we walked to a nearby bridge with hundreds of locks on the railing, overlooking the river. A few feet away from us, two men were playing instruments– an accordion and some sort of saxophone or clarinet (I can’t really remember, and I’m not good with instruments). They were playing Moonriver.

Myself and my two friends listened to them play as we stood on the bridge, the mountains dark, the stars bright, the moon full. Moonlight shimmered on the rippling river, and it felt exactly like magic, like what must have inspired the composer to write Moonriver. The song was played so simply and so beautifully it made me tear up, listening to it with two people I adored by my side, standing in a city of music, locals strolling past with murmured conversations. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. See, we were on the tail end of our trip when we heard the song, and it was like a culmination of all the wonderful moments we had experienced. We all three agree that it might be our favorite moment of the whole trip.

There’s something about being young and traveling. The intriguing experiences that come from cheapness, the newness. It’s like… we three were together, and adventurous, and experiencing some unfortunate things and some marvelous things. We grew close fast, and we grew as people, too. And if traveling is about seeking newness and finding beauty and grit and magic, then that moment had it all. Anyway, I’m rambling, but simply put, Moonriver was… enchanting.

After a couple more songs we left the bridge and walked to the Augustiner brewery. Augustiner is not only a staple at Oktoberfest, but it also built the largest beer pub in Austria. And it was amazing. It was this huge place, and inside was warm and wooden and filled with the fragrance of pretzels and sausage and potatoes and beer. There was this long hall filled with different food stalls, connected by this place where you got your beer, connected by this huge tavern-like room with long wooden tables and giant booths you shared with strangers. The room was filled with people laughing and chatting and clinking glasses; it was so cozy. There is something about German traditions that feel familial and warm, and this beer hall was no exception.

So, for the actual beer: we picked out these stone mugs from a line of shelves and watched as a beer guy poured golden beer into them from massive wooden barrels. When my mug was handed back to me, it was heavy, with foam spilling over the sides. We scoured the stalls for the best-looking sausages, and then found a booth to sit in with some friendly Austrians. The beer was cold and delicious. I hadn’t been much of a beer drinker up until then, but after tasting that beer, I was converted.

The next day we got up early for a sunrise hike in the mountains overlooking the city. Salzburg is called “The White City,” and as we saw the morning sun make the buildings glow creamy, I understood why. It was a beautiful walk, with crisp morning air and autumnal trees and sweeping views. After, we walked through Getreidegasse, the heart of Old Salzburg. It’s this decadent-yet-charming street filled with stores and restaurants. Because of its specific architectural standards, the street is home to what must be the most beautiful McDonald’s sign in the world.

After breakfast we were off to Hallstatt for the day, which I’ll talk about in my next blog post. The day after, we visited Mirabell Palace, which has extensive gardens dotted with statues and sculptures.

We walked up to Hohensalzburg Castle, which is a grueling hike up a very steep (as in, practically vertical) mountain. As we finally crawled to the entrance, half dead, we were horrified to discover the admission price for entry (we thought it was cheap for students!). Since visiting the castle mostly consists of walking around the exterior and enjoying views, we decided to find our own views and rolled down the mountain. On the way to the castle we had seen a mountain across the way with a peculiar structure wrapping around parts of it that looked like a mini Great Wall. Figuring that would be a good place for a view, we stopped for hotdogs and walked around the city until we found the entrance to the walking paths.

We spent a couple hours hiking the mountain. The woods were golden. It was fall, and whole swaths of the forest were filled with white trunks and yellow leaves. It was like walking through a fairy land. The Great Wall looking thing turned out to be remains from an old fortress, where they used to guard the city back in the day. We saw tantalizing views of distant Alps throughout much of the afternoon, with the occasional breathtaking viewpoint. Pictures don’t do it justice.

The next day, a Monday, was rainy. We were originally going to go to a nearby mountain, but instead spent the day getting organized before our flight home. I journaled and went through photos and got ready to go back to school (we were already missing a couple days). We walked to a nearby grocery store and got food for the day; that night we made gnocchi with mozzarella and tomatoes and drank red wine and watched The Sound of Music, which was playing in the hostel lounge. It was amazing to watch it there, because I recognized so many of the landmarks in the movies, which we had just seen the day before! I understand Julie Andrew’s joy as she dances in the mountains in the opening scene. The hills are indeed alive with the sound of music, and I can only hope that one day, I will go back to those hills.