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Austria!

 

Guten Tag!

After waiting on weather and illness, I finally made it to Austria, this making three European countries that I have visited. Europe is a very pleasant place, especially in spring, and there's not a lot of things, such as snakes, scorpions, bears, tornadoes, earthquakes, and such that want to kill you. Europe is generally very pedestrian and cyclist friendly. I enjoyed walking along Salzach River, which originates in the Alps and eventually becomes a tributary of the Inn, which is a tributary of the Danube. The temperature was in the 70's, and the sun was shining, which made shade very desirable. I was fortunate to be able to see the Alps, which I'm told remain hidden in clouds a lot. Being glacier-carved, they resembled the mountains of Alaska. 

I have concluded that Austria is to Germany what Canada is to the US. They speak the same languages as each other, but are still 'foreign', but not as foreign as a country with a different language, such as the Czech Republic being as foreign to Germany as Mexico is to the US. I was in German mode all day whenever I bought something or encountered people. I was more fun that way than when I was in the Czech Republic. I guess I can say I felt more at home in Austria than there. I realize now that over 3 months of intensive language training is beginning to pay off. I'm in level B2.2, now, which approaches fluency. 

The birthplace of Mozart. I didn't go in to the museum, as my time was short, and unfortunately, my surgery knee was hurting. I guess I've been doing a huge amount of walking and might need to take a break. I mostly wanted to walk around and just feel what it was like to be in Austria, anyway, which is what I did.

A castle on a hilltop and a web of electric streetcar lines overhead. Salzburg has an amazing public transportation system. One could easily live here without a car. 
There are grand churches everywhere I went in Europe.

Well, I have only 2 1/2 weeks left. I hope to make a few more excursions, but probably not another all-day one. 

Until next time,
Auf Wiedersehen!




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