Friday May 16, 2008

I love Hot Cocoa. I mean love it. Good hot chocolate is God's gift to Mormons in exchange for our abstinence from coffee. That's one of the reasons I love this little hotel so much. We're in Salzburg, Austria for the week. Salzburg is most famous in the US for being the location of "The Sound of Music" and the birthplace of Mozart. It is a beautiful little town nestled into the Alps. I don't think that I have ever been anywhere quite so beautiful. Nor have I ever been anywhere where I get unlimited delicious hot chocolate every morning with breakfast. After two weeks of very basic "continental" breakfasts (read toast, jam, and herbal tea), I am taking full advantage of the delicious buffet of breakfast items that greet me in the morning. The hotel where we are staying was built fifty years before Columbus even left for America. Imagine that...This building has had hotel guests since the 1450s. The rooms are small and the bathrooms miniscule (you have to put one foot into the shower to use the toilet), but it's a great place to come home to.

We left Vienna early on Wednesday morning. Our first stop was a somber one - Mathausen, the last Concentration Camp to be liberated by the Allies. For years, I've read in history classes about the evils of the Nazi empire, and discussed the dangers of fascism, but this was a first, coming face to face with its remnants. The overwhelming feeling was one of silence. As you walked about the grounds, your footsteps echoed in your own head, becoming the footsteps of those whose withered bodies once walked that very ground. We stepped into the gas chambers where thousands were put to death, and walked past the crematoriums where they burned the evidence. As Professor Jacobs said, "there is good and evil in the world. Most of the time we focus on the good, today you will see evil." It instilled in me a respect and reverence for the past- a past I have studied for years, both in university and in high school, a past that really is not all that distant at all.

Later on Wednesday we stopped at the famous Shonburn Waterpark. This beautiful residence and grounds was the home of one of the famous Archbishops of Salzburg, who possessed the highest religious power as well as political power in the region. One of the Archbishops built the grounds to play practical jokes on his friend, and for the day, we must have become his friends because many practical jokes were played on us; we sat down at the outdoor dining table only to be surprised by high powered fountains of water shooting up through the seats, were sprayed in the walkways and in the coves that he had so carefully decorated. Thankfully it was hot outside and the water was less an annoyance than a welcome refreshment. On the same grounds, the girls in our group found the famous gazebo that was used for the "I am 16, going on 17" song in The Sound of Music... The Sound of Music madness had begun.

Yesterday we had a great tour of downtown Salzburg. We went to the Monastery, saw dozens of Churches, went up the hill to the famous fortress and ate the famous veal sausage in the town square. Rachel and I spent the afternoon wandering around the shopping district, looking at things that we would like to buy if the dollar had a greater buying power. At least I won't have to worry about having enough room in my suitcase to get everything home! While wandering around the night before, I had stumbled upon a small hole in the wall Italian restaurant and we went back Thursday night. It was spectacular. Definitely away from the tourists, it was a locals-only type of joint and the food was delicious. I think that's my favorite part of being in Europe, finding new incredible restaurants. After dinner we met up with the rest of the group for a Marionette performance of The Magic Flute. It was so different than anything I've ever seen. The singing and music was great, and the puppets were so detailed and life-like. Another of those "only in Europe" experiences.

This morning (after 6 cups of Hot Cocoa), we went up one of the mountains to tour an old Salt Mine. When I read that on the itinerary, it sounded like the goofiest thing ever, but really it was quite fun. The name of the town, Salzburg comes from the German world Salz which means salt. That's what made the town so wealthy - in medieval times, salt was called white gold. Anyhow, we got to go into one of the old mines, way down underground (over 200 meters down at one point) and see the way the excavated the salt. It was really unique but the best part were these slides that we got to slide down - we really flew. A machine in the tunnel clocked us going over 22 km/ hour! I'll have to upload the goofy tourist picture that I got talked into buying. It really turned out great.

And so now I'm back at the hotel, getting caught up on a little school work, and skipping the hottest part of the day. I'm planning to go on a nice hike this afternoon and maybe do something with the rest of the kids this evening. We leave Saturday morning (after one more delicious breakfast). Next week I'm headed to Frankfurt, Germany with the Young Single Adults from Vienna for a Temple Trip. It should be a lot of fun, and the week after that, I'll be in Venice! (Unfortunately I hear there are a lot of pigeons... me and pigeons just don't get along, as George said, 'I thought we had a deal!!!' ". That's it from Austria for now!!!