"Down here at Cape Spartel is the celebrated cave of Hercules, where the hero took refuge when he was vanquished and driven out of the Tangier country. It is full of inscriptions in the dead languages, which fact makes me think Hercules could not have traveled much, else he would not have kept a journal."

-"The Innocents Abroad," Mark Twain

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas! Oh, it's Christmas Eve.

Good morning! I woke up this morning after sleeping for 10 hours - the most I've gotten in a long time. The week before, my friend came on Wednesday and we hung around my town and one of the neighboring ones, working on writing Christmas cards, making chocolate chip cookies, eating, and, um, watching movies. I would go on, but it becomes progressively more unproductive...

On Friday, we took the bus into Salzburg to meet up with the other 120 or so other exchange students who were there for the weekend. There were more people than usual because students that are in Croatia came to get to know us, as they will go on the Europe trip with our group. The Australians (from Australia staying in Austria) had to go home after this past weekend, as it is summer in the southern hemisphere! I finally had the opportunity to be a part-time tourist in Salzburg - normally I'm a permanent one. We shopped, we ate, we talked, we toured... all of the normal things that exchange students do together. But enough words! PICTURES are in order here:


The city from the fortress (this is a cannon)

These strange looking ball-things are essentially spheres of cookies that have been baked together! I had the cinnamon  sugar, on the far right, and needless to say, it was good!

Ice skating in Mozartplatz! Also known as trying not to fall on my face.
This week has been busy in preparation for Christmas, of course. But I'll leave that for the next post, after Christmas! It is extremely confusing for me, because the Austrians celebrate on Christmas Eve, not Day. You would think that one day would not make so much of a difference...

Merry Christmas!
Best Wishes,
Mary Beth

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