Welcome!Welcome to my scrapbook about my nearly three-month trip to Salzburg coordinated through OU's German department. Seventeen students from OU (shown above and including me, bottom row, second from right) participated in the language-immersion program. It was an incredible experience, and this web page will guide you (briefly) through some memories and pictures. To save space, pictures are not actually included on this page; select the link to see the photos you want. The city itselfSalzburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, located just over the border from Bavaria. On the Salzach River, the city is lorded over by the beautiful Festung Salzburg, a medieval fortress. From the top of the mountain (Monchsberg) on which this fortress sits, you can see parts of the Altstadt, the river and the Kapuziner Monastery on Kapuzinerberg. Here I am at the top in a photo Brad took. From the fortress itself, you get an astounding view of the plain in which Salzburg is located, as well as a view of the Untersberg, an alp we could actually see every morning at breakfast. One of the trip's many cultural activities was a trip via cable car to the top of the Untersberg, where I took this photo of my roommates Nate Bowler and Brad Huffman. The view from the top, toward Berchtesgarten in Germany, has to be seen to be believed. Cultural excursionsDuring the trip, we took lots of field trips to surrounding areas where culture was in abundance. For instance, Hallein, a small city up the river from Salzburg and an ancient Roman settlement. Or Hellbrun, the summer palace and gardens of the all-powerful archbishop of former times. Water games were an unexpected feature of this tour (installed as a result of one archbishop's eccentric sense of humor) and resulted in many wet people, Melanie and Brad included. Overlooking the palace is the one-month castle, the fastest ever built. It's now a museum. That's Frau Statler in the picture. Another field trip was to the picturesque town of Hallstadt, an ancient salt mining town. From the top of a nearby mountain, you can see a stunning view of the village. Inside the mine, we got to wear some pretty funky clothes. |
Seeing Europe: weekend tripsThe trip to Salzburg provided many opportunities for weekend excursions. I had the chance to visit Heidelberg, one of Germany's most beautiful cities, located on the Nektar and boasting a beautiful medieval castle and red-roofed Altstadt. With Mary and Doug, I visited Munich and nearby Fuessen, where the legendary fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein is located. In Hohenschwangau, the mad King Ludwig was raised and watched his magnificent castle go up. In a suburb of Munich, Dachau with its concentration camp is located. Surviving to this day are the ovens where the corpses of Holocaust victims were burned. Then there was Paris ... ahh, Paris. With Nate and Matt, the City of Lights was visited and adored. My sister Jenny came for a couple of days, and extreme biker Dave biked (yes, pedaled) from Salzburg to Paris, a full 800 kilometers. While there, we saw Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, and the city from the tower. We also took a day trip to Normandy, one of the most moving experiences of my life. In this picture, Matt points out the beach where the Allied invasion of 1944 took place, and here's a group picture of us on the beach. There's also an American cemetery overlooking the beach, where 10,000 are buried in a beautiful, moving, carefully-laid out graveyard shaped like a giant cross. Another weekend trip, this one with Stacie and Meredith, was to Venice. By accident, I stumbled upon some sort of colorful river regatta. At the end of the trip, Stacie and Adam and I took off for Switzerland, where we were intent on paragliding off a Swiss alp. What a wild ride! Stacie never made it up (ask her why), but Adam and I did, and the view was spectacular. Trip leadersSome of the people involved: Melanie Archangeli led this year's group for her first time and did an outstanding job, coordinating everything from cheap bike rental to emergency medical situation caused by (ahem) certain members of the group. While there, Larissa Mitgutsch took us on excursions and explained aspects of everyday life, while Frau Statler gave us the really meaty tours, from museums to castles to bone houses. Want more info? You can e-mail me at [email protected]. Or e-mail Dr. Kristina Von Held in the German Department for more information on the Salzburg Study Abroad Program. You can also call the Modern Languages Department at 740.593.2765. |
