May has turned out to be a busy, busy month. I'm traveling more than before, and I've been waking up at 3 am for flights more than I would like to, but I don't actually mind all that much! I'm soaking in all of the hours spent in airports, walking around, trying new foods. So far this month, aside from some adventures within England, I've been to Salzburg, Austria and Athens, Greece -- here are my reviews and top tips! Salzburg I. Loved. This. City. We were right at the foot of the Alps, and everything about this place was relaxed and beautiful. My most important bucket list items were seeing some sites from The Sound of Music (which was filmed here) and eating a pretzel, both of which were happily checked off. The entire time we were there, my head was completely lost in the clouds. I felt calm, peaceful, and safe the whole time. It was way less busy than I was expecting too, so apparently early May is a great time to go. Two and a half days was plenty of time for us to go at our own pace and still see basically everything. Here are some of my favorite things about Salzburg. Mirabell Gardens This was such a beautiful garden, and it happens to be where the filmed all of the garden clips from 'Do-Re-Mi', so you know we had to spend time taking pictures. There were so many statues and all the flowers were planted in a variety of designs. So pretty! Lunch in the Alps So, this was also a Sound of Music site (the picnic at the beginning of 'Do-Re-Mi'). We popped into the grocery store to pick up some lunch items, and then ended up being the only two people on the mountain! It felt like we were in post card. It was a bit of a hike, but I definitely recommend. THE FOOD Schnitzel, pretzels, coffee, and the best sauerkraut I have ever had. No complaints here. Funny story though, Savanah and I had the same breakfast every day, and we noticed that the café had a bit of vibe going on, like it was founded on a religion, complete with a statue of the founder and a whole book section and shop. Long story short, we realized that it was not an actual religion, but instead was a cult where you had to be a member in order to be employed at the café. One woman apparently escaped and wrote a memoir. On top of that, we found out that this founder in question has cafes, yoga studios, etc. not only around Salzburg, but around the whole of Austria. Crazy right? Athens I think I was hoping that this Grecian city would feel more like the islands than it did. I have to say though, my whole overall experience would have been better if we had stayed nearer to the city center. NOTE: If you are traveling by yourself, or even with a couple other people, ESPECIALLY if you're a female, I do not recommend staying where we did. We were a bit bamboozled by our airbnb host, and the area we were in was not the best. Apparently, the street we walked down our first evening while exploring is a street that many sources say you're not supposed to go down. Plus, on top of the Acropolis, when we could see the entirety of the city, I joked that the ONE street that was dirtier and darker than the HUNDRED others was probably ours. It was. (We stayed way north of the center, and the sketchy street was called Acharnon). Another highlight of this trip was probably the younger woman on our plane talking about her solo trip to Columbia. She said that it was a place everyone needed to go before Americans discovered it simply because there was a lack of fast food, which, no lie, she said has become a trend of the upper middle class because celebrities always eat it. She then attributed our national heightened obesity to the 'fact' that fast food is a trend. On that ridiculous note, here are my favorite things about Athens. Ancient History Boy oh boy, did my middle school obsession with Greek mythology come roaring back during this trip. So much about Athena and Artemis and Poseidon - there were owls and olive trees everywhere! While the Acropolis and temples were very cool to see, the most important part of the history to me was the huge boulder we climbed on where PAUL PREACHED! I never in a million years thought I would get to be in a Bible location! I couldn't believe it! Even though this isn't ancient, I really enjoyed the area of Plaka, which is the historical city center. There were tons of shops and restaurants, and it was fun to walk around. Here's a warning though: there's a group of men that try and get you to agree to try on one of their bracelets, and then make you pay for them. If you don't pay attention, they'll just grab your wrist and tie it on without your permission. (I think they're somewhere near Monastiraki Square but I'm not 100% sure). They're a bit intimidating, and apparently they're also in Paris. The Flowers There were bright fuchsia, red, pink, and yellow flowers absolutely everywhere - gathered together in bushes, crawling across buildings, growing besides the sidewalk. Anafiotika I already briefly mentioned this on social media, but this was my favorite neighborhood in Athens. The classic white buildings with the blue doors, the flowers, the stone sidewalks. Amazing. THE FOOD (AGAIN) Greek food is the absolute best. I had olives, ice cream, baklava, and gyros. (My fellow Tarheels: I like Med Deli's lamb better. Wild.). We went to the same place three times, and one of the waiters ended up giving us hugs and saying that he loved Americans. It made our afternoon! Overall, these trips were a great way to begin to bring my semester to a close. 12/10 would recommend European travels - I am so thankful for everything that I have been able to experience since coming abroad. One more trip to go!
2 Comments
Chloe
5/25/2019 04:42:42 am
Salzburg was AMAZING - you have to go! Thank you so much for this comment, it made my day :)
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AuthorI am a September baby, which may be the root of my love for fall. I love dark chocolate, popcorn, and I do actually like brussel sprouts. I'm the kind of person that listens to a Christmas song in September. (But only one. I don't want to ruin the ~magic~). Archives
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