I'll be home for Christmas

Hallo!

Well, it's hard to say goodbye. I've made great friends here, especially through my church, who I will miss dearly. I'm very excited about getting home, though. I've been packing and taking finals and saying goodbye to Salzburg.

So, I went to the Hellbrunn Christmas markets with my friend Danielle. The schloss was an Advent calendar!
Then Claire-Marie and I went to the Stiegl Brewery and toured the museum and all. You get two free beers and a pretzel with the tour, so we sat down in the pub for a drink.

(Hey, we match really well) It was really funny when this group of high-school age kids came in in their school uniforms with school sponsors and they all sat down and had a beer. What a school field trip. Only in Austria.

This weekend I went to Nuremburg with a few friends I met in very random ways who all happen to work together. Like Dana and Mandy- first I met them the first week I was here at the bus stop, then they showed up at the Thanksgiving dinner I was at, they came to the Christmas concert I was singing in, and it ends up they are part of the group going to Nuremburg. Kathleen, who I went to France with, organized the trip. Danielle, who is in my Taerobics class went too. Then a few people I only know through them.

I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable train rides- Frank and Danielle brought champagne, fruit juice, coffee, and rolls for a brunch on what we deemed the 'Cool Train' - the 6.42 train out of Salzburg- very early. We went to the Christmas market in Nuremburg, as well as the Rally Fields where Hitler would give speeches and have his army march in front of him and all. Tried Glühwein made out of Blueberry wine, nice and tart. They serve them in little boot mugs, they're so cool! (Mandy, me, Dana)

Nice Aggie ring, Whoop! (I'm a senior and I definitely don't get to whoop enough over here!)Annie- I've made good use of your coat, and Melissa- the scarf you gave me a few years back has kept me wonderfully warm. Thank you!

We went to Munich the next day for an Irish harp choir concert. It was Kathleen's birthday, she's Irish and plays the harp, so it was perfect! We went to an Augustiner Stubern, a beer hall that was such a great atmosphere! It's actually really fun how you share tables with other people at beer hall or tavern type places here.

So, tonight I'm going ice skating with friends on Mozartplatz, and outdoor skating rink they set up. I'm so excited, except that it seems like you're on a stage up there, all the people stop to watch, and I haven't ice skated in forever! But my friend Hanna was on an Austrian province team and all, so maybe she'll teach me. Then I'm packing- got to get all your heavy presents home, and taking my last final tomorrow, having a farewell dinner with my house family, and fly out early early Thursday morning. Please pray for safe travel without complications. I can't wait to talk with everyone when I get home!

Merry Christmas!
Liz

A few last things in Salzburg

Hi Everyone!

I spent this weekend in Salzburg and did a few of the things on my list to do before I leave Salzburg. Friday was a national holiday, Immaculate Conception (celebrating the conception of Mary by her mother), so there were alot of tourists around. Friday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, so I climbed up to the Modern Art museum and wandered around the scenic trails up there for a while, somewhere I hadn't been yet.


The New Zealander I met in my hostel in Berlin came into town so we got a delicious dinner and then went to a hockey game together. This is me and Caroline at the Red Bull Salzburg vs. Villach game. I had no idea I would like hockey so much, but it was really fun and made me want to play. We were standing right behind the protective wall thing, so close to the action, we could feel when one player rammed another player into the wall! I really enjoyed hanging out with Caroline.

Saturday it rained all day, so we didn't do much, stayed in mostly. Sunday I went to church- it's so good to recognize people there- that church family has been so welcoming to me. We have communion every Sunday and gather in a circle and sing, and it's just so cool how different everyone is and I love them so much! We had choir practice after church for the special Christmas service tonight.

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Today I finally got up to Festung HohenSalzburg, a cool fortress. It was great to get a bird's eye view of the streets and buildings I walk and ride every day. It's the white fortress on top of the hill-

I wonder if we borrowed the Advent wreath from Austria/Germany because all the Austrians I talk to think I don't know what one is. One of the markets is called Christkindl Markt, so I'm guessing that refers to the white Christ candle.

I pray this Advent season is a blessing to you as God prepares our hearts to celebrate the birth of our Savior! I'll be home for Christmas, actually Dec. 21.

Much love,
Liz

Nikolaus and Krampus

Happy Sankt Nikolaus Day!

I've learned how the Austrians celebrate Christmas, from the Advent Markets to the Krampus Laufs. For the Austrian children, Nikolaus comes on Dec. 6th. He has a book that records if children have been good or bad this year, and he gives them small gifts like candy for good things they have done. Unfortunately, he has a companion called Krampus who gives coal to bad children and beats them. Many young men dress up as Krampus on Dec. 5th and there are Krampus Laufs- Krampus Runs- through the town. My friend Julia told me that for instance a soccer team will be a Krampus group and work on their masks and smoke bomb things all year. They wear goat hair and elaborate masks with huge horns and have fire and sticks that they beat people's legs with. Even though I went into the Aldstadt yesterday deliberately to see them, I missed the KrampusLauf because I was in class, and I didn't see any Krapmuses. However, they are quite frightening, and all the Austrian girls I know don't like them and won't go into town when they are around. Apparently after the parade the Krampus groups get drunk and hurt people when they hit, especially girls they know. I'm not sure I like this tradition, but the kids run away from the Krampus, and they state is trying to control the Krampus to keep anyone from getting hurt.

Since Nikolaus comes on Dec. 6th, on Dec. 24 the families celebrate the Christkind, or Christ-child. They also don't set up the Christmas tree until Dec. 24, and it is part of the gift, so the kids don't see it until it is up and decorated. Also, some of the people here still use real candles on the tree, but they say it is totally safe since the trees are so fresh.

So, this is Christmas in Austria!
Liz

Berlin

Howdy!
This weekend a few friends and I went to Berlin. We took an overnight train. I feel like I'm a connoisseur of trains. The Deutsch-Bahn trains are nicer and newer than, say, TrainItalia. It's cool to spend the night on a train instead of in a hostel, but harder to sleep, and you get exhausted early the next day. But I felt safe on this train, which was good. So we just got up in the morning and started exploring Berlin. We went to a few museums, like the Pergamon, which has this ancient temple stairs and relief of these mythic gods from the ancient city of Pergamon. It's really cool because you expect to walk into the museum and look at statues and jars or whatever, but here you walk into a huge room with a staircase and columns and you are surrounded by the reliefs from this place. It was amazing. They also have these ancient city gates from Milets and Ishtar, and you walk through them, which is cool.

We saw parts of the Berlin Wall, erected during the Cold War around West Berlin by the Soviets to control the border so people could not leave communist East Berlin through the island of democracy West Berlin. They also cut off supplies to West Berlin, which was why there were Berlin airdrops of food and supplies. I have to remind myself that this oppression happened in my lifetime.

I've decided that staying in hostels are a great way to meet other young English-speaking travellers. I've had good experiences in most of the hostels I've stayed at. I roomed with an Aussie and Kiwi in Berlin, and the Kiwi is coming to Salzburg soon so I hope to show her around the city!

We went to Schlotzsky's in Berlin and I got ice in my coke and free refills- it was amazing!

This is Unter der Linden, or Under the Linden Street, because it is lined with Linden trees. Supposedly Hitler had them cut down and that's why they lost the war, but they have been replanted.
This is the Brandenburger Tor, and the end of Unter der Linden. When you walk through it there is a long street to this statue of Nike, and there is a Tiergarten, like Central Park, around it.

Here I am at the German Parliament building. It has a glass dome on top that you can walk around. I liked the large open field in front of the building, where people were flying kites and walking around.

I've become much more comfortable living in Salzburg because I know how things work for daily things, like what to do when I go to the grocery store, etc. But I still feel like there is a cultural gap, like when I get on the bus I hope noone talks to me because I won't be able to understand them. But the other night there was a kind lady who sat next to me and said something to me, and I just smiled. There were a few kids playing and she said something about them to me, but she could tell from my expression I didn't understand, so she tried to explain in English and then she wished me a wonderful Christmas as she was leaving. She made an impression on me for her willingness to interact with a stranger and to break the gap between us.

Well, hope everyone's finals go well. I'll be home soon!
Liz