The music here is incredible. I enjoy the music scene around here. There are a few different live music clubs that typically allow anyone to get in on the action. This is great, I really recommend people coming to check them out while they are here... and if you're a music major... definitely consider coming here

Von Steves Perspektive, die Pierce auf Österreich Wien erfährt.Von Steves Perspektive, die Pierce auf Österreich Wien erfährt.

Yea, it has been an amazing experience so Far. Being able to walk around in another country much different than America. Also walking through and visiting many other surrounding countries that are much more different than America, and Austria.

The snow boarding has been amazing, and I recommend this journey to anyone who has a desire to learn from a new perspective... Different than the standard American views of issues, and life.

The journeys that have been set out by the teachers have offered many things. Great experiences, times for students and teachers to bond, Much learning, frustration, problem solving, the entire works. Everything that comes with great knowledge.

The expeditions which the students are allowed to create and explore on their own, are also priceless experiences. Being able to go out and meet people who have seen much of the world. Being able to relate and understand that everywhere you go people are still people, and there is a lot to learn.
Many students have learned that a great time is not just going out for a beer, but learning as much as they can over one beer.

Cheers.

Salzburg, Innsbruck, Venice, Munich, Bavaria, and Dachau

Wow, what a week! It's so amazing how much of Europe you can fit in only 7 days, and yet feel like you were on the road for weeks. At first we went to see if the hills were really alive with the sound of music and maybe see high on the hills that lonely goat... but the rain must have scared the goat away and took the sound with him. Despite the weather, I really enjoyed Salzburg very much. When we first got there we walked around and saw the old town, the beauty of the Alps, Mozart's birthplace, a few places where the sound of music was shot at, and the Fortress at the top of the hill. The next day we went to the Salt Mines, which were really sweet (errr...salty?) I liked them. Then the day after we took the Sound of Music Tour! Which brought us to all of the outside locations the film took place in: The Gardens, the streets, the churches, Captain Von Trapp's mansion, and the gazebo. The rain kind of made everything a little less enjoyable, but it was still fun.
Then we went off to Innsbruck, Austria to meet up with the Spring Breakers from Franklin Pierce. Some of us went up the mountain and took a lot of pictures, after the whole group of Vienna students took a tour of the city.

The next day was a free day, and I went to VENICE, ITALY! W00T!
Venice was amazing. We left at 5am, got there at 11am, went to a glassblowing place and watched some guy make cool things out of glass, and then we were left to wander on our own at noon. I walked all around and took many pictures and got many souveniers. Venice was just beautiful. I loved it. We left at around 4pm and that pretty much sums up the day.

The next day we left for Munich and did our art presentations and then go to the Hofbrauhaus! Which is where I believe Oktoberfest is held. The next day we went to Bavaria and saw CrAZy Ludwig's Castles. One of the castles gave Walt Disney the idea for the castle in Disney World, so it was cool seeing what inspired him. Overall though, I wasn't too impressed. That night i walked around the city and went to the Hard Rock Cafe and other places around town.
The next day we went to the Bavarian Film Studios, which was cool because we saw the sets of many European films and even acted in our own =) I was the purple guy from Star Trek. We even got to see Falcore... from the Never Ending Story. After that I saw something that wasn't something I was enthusiastic to see, but something I had to see, and that was Dachau Concentration Camp. It was so overwhelming that I didn't know what to feel because I felt angry, sad, depressed, free, and about 10 other feelings at the same time. I went to the memorial there and payed my respects to the 7 children my grandfather lost in the Holocaust. The hardest thing was seeing the Krematorium and walking through the gas chamber and seeing the ovens. It's something I hated to be put through, but I wanted and needed to.
That night we left back for Vienna and it ended our 1 week on the road. While it was very tiring and fast paced, it was so worth it.

Class trip to Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Munich

When we went to Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Munich I had a lot of fun and enjoyed seeing other cities and meeting new and interesting people in hostels. I think that staying in hostels is an excellent thing to do when you are in college because you meet a lot of people your age and can learn new and interesting things from them. I also loved our trip to the Salt Mines in Salzburg. It was a lot of fun and unlike any other tour I have ever been on. The Sound of Music tour was also a lot of fun and I would strongly suggest it for anyone who is an avid fan of the movie. If you just like the film or if you didn’t care for it then it might not be the tour for you but we got to see some really neat things on the tour and learned some of the real history of the family. I loved Salzburg and it was a beautiful city. Innsbruck had a great view of the Alps and is perfect for people who love winter sports. I wasn’t a big fan of the city but others really enjoyed it. Some of us went to Munich a day early and walked around town by ourselves. I felt like I really saw a lot that day and got to experience some of Munich. In Munich we went to the Bavarian Film Studio and took a tour. There we made a very short movie which was fun and learned a lot about how they construct sets for movies. We also went to the concentration camp in Dachau. This was something we all wanted to see but I was disappointed that we didn’t have that much time there. I would have preferred to have more time so I could have really experienced it but I felt like my time there was rushed. That was the biggest disappointment of the trip but I am still glad that we went. Overall I really liked are week away but by the end of the trip I was ready to go back to Vienna.

The city in the calley of the Apls

First off, we saw and experienced so much and I love the fact we have the opportunity to be here. In Salzburg we went to the salt mines. My favorite part was the slides, although I wish we could have gone on the really long one they said, "Is to thrilling for all the tourists." It would have been nice to explore different parts and get to see different salt crystal formations on the cave walls.

The old town in both Salzburg and Innsbruck were astonishing. The view from the fortress was mysteriously beautiful. The lights portrayed the shapes and sizes of the buildings in the city but you can not actually see everything like in Boston (wave of homesickness...). Everything in Boston is so much bigger and brighter which illuminates more of the surrounding buildings, streets and parks.

Innsbruck's high and centralized view of the city was from up top of the city tower was the name of it (i think). We had to climb up 148 stairs to get there and it was well worth it. The irrigation system of the rooftops was well planned and efficient. I like it better than modern gutters.

I walked the city alone the second day there. Five of the students went to Munich early, and five went to Venice for the day. My brother was the only other student who had no minutes on his phone, so it was hard to find him to meet up. I had the city to myself and my camera; this was my favorite part of the trip, which is surprising to myself. I generally enjoy peoples company, laughing, talking, and having a good time exploring. It was revitalizing to just wandered by myself letting my feet take me where ever they wanted to go. No compromises, no complaints, no worry if I was lost or going to be late. My mind was clear and I remembered my high school photography class and many of the rules that make a good photograph. Within the three hours I was completely free I took photo's of the city capturing the city life and its architectural beauty with stunning alps shining through wherever they pleased. I found so many cool things and places that I normally would not have seen if i was with other people. I found a hidden section of wooded walking paths with a few covered bridges. One which cut across the main river, with jaw dropping scenery on each side. I found a metal 10 foot tall bird in a park near an elderly home. I walked along a small river and saw many locals conversing strolling alone like I was. I found a big shopping complex with tons of people trying to get word out about their companies or fundraisers. And my favorite of it all is I found a slightly run down industrial street with a large bridge running parallel to the street below it, leading down to bright white peaks towering over the city keeping it safe. Who knows maybe some of the photo's will make it to post cards. ^_^

Amsterdam!

So during the past couple of days a few of us went to Amsterdam for a little getaway.
The city itself was beautiful despite the chilly (but not freezing) weather.
The people are friendly and basically crazy but I guess that's pretty much anywhere you go.
There's no traffic except for the one million bikes that are speeding along waiting to kill a pedestrian...seriously, once they ring their little bell you better run out of the way or you're toast.
The coffee shops were amazing.
The hostel we stayed in was a little...lived in, but ok.
Pretty much everyone there speaks very good English which was nice since you could go somewhere and not have to worry if they could understand you or not.
The train ride was 17 hours which wasn't great but I'd still do it again.

A Week Long Trip

I did not have a favorite part of our week long trip, instead, I liked all of it. We started out in Sulzberg where we checked out the slat mines and we under took the Sound of Music tour. the mines were awesome, I realized that the first time I had ever been to Germany was 300 meters below the earth in a mine shaft. It was a pretty cool feeling. The Sound of Music tour was sick because it gave us a chance to get out of the city and see the surrounding country side. The country was absolutely beautiful. After two nights in Salzberg, we took a train to Innsbrok. There, we met up with the spring break FPU group, we had a good night. The next day I left early to see Munich. There, Ryan John and I walked the streets and viewed some of the monuments around town. we also hit up the old town center. When the rest of the group arrived, we took a train to see the castles in the country side. I forgot the names of the castles, but they were high up in the mountains of Germany and they were breath-taking. That night we went to the haufberg house. On the last day we toured a Germany film studio and we visited Dachau concentration camp. The studio was fun and interesting, they filmed The Never Ending Story there. The concentration camp was moving. To actually see the crematorium and the barracks, is an extremely touching thing for anyone to witness. After the trip, we all returned to Vienna, happy to be home from an exciting week of travel.