One Week Down

Oh hey. 

I've officially been in Austria for a week now. Kind of crazy. 

I've finally begun to get the hang of how things work around this place. I still can't understand what anybody is saying around me, but that doesn't really bother me anymore. I'm sure it will be a super weird thing to come back to the States and hear English everywhere. As creepy as this is, I miss eavesdropping. Sometimes people watching is more fun if you understand what they're saying. 

Anyway, on to some adventures. 

Mostly this week has been spent on my feet walking around this beautiful city. I live really close to my favorite part of town, and it's nice to just walk around and look at all of the old, colorful buildings. I've gotten to taste some local Austrian food, which is delicious! I have to be careful because 1.) I need to save my money to travel to more awesome places, and 2.) I have a wedding dress I need to still fit into at home. 

We've done some more exploring as well. Marissa, her roommate and I all ventured to a castle here called Schloss Ambras. We didn't get to go inside because everything was closed, but the grounds are HUGE. It's kind of a hike to get to the actual castle, and there are trees and grass everywhere. The day was beautiful and once we got to the top we could look out on the city. Pretty sweet. 

We also went with our Austrian friend Evelyn up part of the mountain. Eventually I want to take the cable car all the way to the top, but we just took the bus part way up this time. There is also a zoo on your way up, which is something I must see before I leave. Here is a view of my beautiful city:

Yesterday, we went with Elder and Sister Glover to Kristallwelten, or Crystal World. It's the factory for Swarovski crystal, but they have this exhibit you can walk through with a lot of (very modern) art and whatnot. Here we are outside the "Giant" before the entrance. 

As you can see, it's cold and rainy here. Even though it was like 75 degrees the day before. Kind of like home. :)

My homesickness is less frequent now. I still miss home a lot, but I'm doing a lot better. It helps if I keep myself busy. I'll probably be traveling in a few weeks. I still want to get a little grounded here before venturing. School starts Tuesday, so that's good! I'm anxious to see what the classes are like on this side of the pond. It should be an adventure. 

Ten weeks left. But I'm not counting.