Styr, Linz, Sierning, Vienna, i Salzburg

The Holiday season is upon us, and Zagreb is decorated to excess. There seems to be a Christmas Tree is every available space, and lights are strung up all around the city. There is even a Christmas Tree in the lobby of my school. No rules here about mixing religion and school...!

So. Austria. I took the bus from the main bus station in Zagreb on Sunday the 9th. The bus ride took about six hours, but passed pleasantly, minus my neighbor who kept yelling at me to take my feet off the seats.

My good friend Paige from high school is staying in Sierning, Austria, also hosted by the Rotary. Paige and her host parents picked me up in Linz. Austria was wonderful, but seeing Paige was by far the highlight. The town of Sierning reminds me of Peterborough, it is tiny, and requires driving on long winding roads. Of course there are some differences, such as the giant mountain and open fields complete with traditional Austrian manors.

Paiges lifestyle differs dramatically from mine for various reasons. The first major difference being her fluency in German. I must admit I was fairly green with envy by the end of the week. At the same time, it was amazing to hear her chattering away in German. Since she lives about 30 minutes from school, she gets up at 6 every day, and is driven to school by one of her host parents. It was so funny to be in a car again, as I barely spend any time in them here in Zagreb. I was at least cheered to see Paige does mostly the same things I do in school which is a lot of nothing. Styr is where her school is located, and strangely enough the school she attends was also attended by none other then Hitler himself. Everyone in her school wears slippers...I do wish we did that more often in America. On Tuesday we took the train to Linz and went to a great Modern Art Museum, and mostly just puttered around the city. Since Hitler wanted Linz to be the capital of his Empire, you can still see the two buildings he built as archways into the city. They actually aren't very grand, just ugly.

I was struck by the organization in Austria, everything seems to have a place and a function, nothing like the chaos of Croatia. Every bus and tram comes exactly when it should, not a second late. I discovered train is my favorite way to travel, stress free and relaxing. When Paige and I took the train to Vienna, we found a free compartment and both had an enjoyable sleep. From what I can tell, Austrian culture is no so different then American culture. People are much more reserved then Croatians, and not half as Nationalistic. Being in Austria made me appreciate the difference in cultures that I am getting to experience in Croatia.

Vienna was wonderful, much more international then Zagreb. We stayed with Paige's host sister, who has a nice apartment. We visited Belvedere Gardens, which is the home of Gustav Klimt's, The Kiss. We also went to Starbucks, and I had a bagel and almost passed out because I was so thrilled. Vienna is a truly beautiful city, and I look forward to returning sometime this year.

On Friday we took the train to Salzburg, and met up with all the Exchange students from Austria and Croatia. It was strange to be around so many Americans again. We took a walking tour of the city, and went to a church service as well. Salzburg at Christmas time look similar to a postcard, with all the Christmas Markets and snow. I was lucky that in a week I got to see all of the major cities in Salzburg.

All in all it was wonderful trip, though the best part was seeing a familiar face, and being able to gossip the days away.

Happy Holidays to all!