Hi there! Tonight, I write this post from Austria. I will be leaving in a few hours for my early flight. This post is wiritten in two parts: one part sharing, another part reflecting.
I spent three nights and four days in Austria. The first night was spent in Salzburg, home of Mozart and the von Trapps from The Sound of Music. Upon arriving, we walked around the Universitatsplatz, the main shopping/dining street of Salzburg to have lunch and look around at the Baroque-style architecture. I was fascinated that the signs of even modern chain restarurants (like Starbucks) were in Baroque style. Apparently, the city requires this. Afterwards we went on a tour of the city that focused on the town's history as a major salt producer and also highlighted some important sites such as the fortress, Mozart's house, the hall where Albert Einstein presented his theory of relativity and the house and abbey from The Sound of Music. I got up early the next morning to make the 3 hour drive to Vienna, where we stayed two nights.
Standing at Unitversitatsplatz
An example of the Baroque-style signs (and how great is Louis Vuitton?!).
Standing in front of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's statue.
The building where Albert Einstein presented his Theory of Relativity.
The Mozarteum where the best and brightest musicians are trained.
The back of the house used for the fliming of The Sound of Music.
The famous fortress that protected Salzburg from invaders.
In the imperial gardens.
Drinking hot chocolate in the famous Sacher Hotel.
We spent our two days in Vienna, the capital of Austria, exploring the historical sites, eating delicious gelato and relaxing (okay, shopping) on our last days of vacation. We stopped by the Schonbrunn Palace and walked through the gardens, as well as visiting the famous State Opera House, the MuseumsQuartier, the Stephansdom Cathedral and Mariahilfer Strasse where we shopped.
Pre-Gelato
GELATO!
Window-shopping (which resulted in my buying the most perfect Ferragamo purse! yay!)
A Reflection: Someone once shared a Gustave Flaubert quotation with me, "traveling makes one modest- you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." The more I travel, the more I realize the truth in this. Some might see this as pessimistic- that we are just tiny fish in a vast ocean- but I see it as a positive. There's something to be said for blending in, or being anonymous, when abroad. Taking in every sight, sound and smell is most possible when we are quiet outsiders. It is only in these moments of total immersion that we transition from outsiders to insiders and can fully assimilate ourselves into a new culture, even if only for a short time.
Travel makes me nostalgic, and I'm already one of those terribly sentimental people to begin with. I always feel torn between places and people- like I want to be everywhere at once, experiencing everything all at the same time. When I'm traveling, I miss home and when I'm home I miss college and when I'm at college the cycle starts all over again. But traveling broadens horizons, making us grow into who we are meant to be. When I was younger, I always thought about who I was traveling with, and while traveling with people you truly love is important if not vital to a good time, who you're with doesn't necessarily determine how much you will gain from your travels. It's in the quiet moments I spend waking up early to explore a sleepy city, or the times I'm headed to pick up my morning coffee that I discover who I really am. Because no matter where I travel or who I travel with, a new adventure reminds me that I'm always the same me, just in a different place.
Travel well and travel often.
xoxo