Christmas in Austria
I read an article today that went like this, "A few years ago, a study in the Netherlands found that people who took vacations were most happy before a trip, but no happier than non-vacationers after a trip. Anticipation
This is so hard for me to believe. After a trip, I feel like I've accomplished something, I feel rejuvenated and awakened. When I'm planning for a trip, I am extremely stressed out, trying to plan and anticipate as much as possible and definitely forgetting something incredibly important. It is very taxing in my opinion, and then I'm carefree (for the most part) when the trip finally happens. I just go with whatever.
Anyways, today is a post from a trip I took in 2014 on my trip to Austria for Christmas. My mom had just passed away and Christmas was her favorite holiday, so now I avoid going up to Virginia during that time. Instead, I try to make it amazing so I can forget what I'm missing. Of course, it doesn't really work, but I still make nice memories.
The only food delivery offered in the place I grew up at in Virginia was pizza. The only food delivery offered in the town I was at in Austria was your own two feet. Again, everyone was sweet. They loved when you attempted German and they knew enough English to correct you when you got it wrong. You could walk everywhere you needed to while in town, and a few bus trips took you to some really great castles and museums. It was a very colorful town, rich in culture and history.
While there, I spent most of my time sick in bed, but on one of the days I was feeling well enough to get out, I went and drank some amazing coffee. My server at the coffee shop didn't know much English, so I had to point at what I wanted and just took out my coins and let them pick out what I owed, trusting (or maybe just not really caring) that they would be honest. The owner even helped me print out a few things when I went back before I left.
On Christmas in Austria, I got up, caught a train, and then searched around for the longest time trying to figure out how to get to Ambras Castle. It took a few trains and a few buses, waiting in the snow and waiting in the rain, and trying to figure out how to communicate with people. Apparently, google maps was not the most reliable there. I only had wifi at the lodging, so I would screenshot everything I needed to know, but it doesn't always help when you can't read the signs.
I finally found the last bus I needed to catch and asked, "Ambras Castle?" He nodded, held out his hands for a couple coins, and said something I didn't understand. As I got up to the stop, a man behind me said, "Here's your castle!"
The people of Austria were so nice! The man had been behind me when I asked the driver and then sat behind me on the bus to make sure I got to where I wanted to go. He clearly didn't know much English, just enough to let me know it was my stop. My castle. What a gentleman! Here's one of the better photos I caught there. Because of the lighting (it did take almost the whole day to find it), I only ended up with a few minutes to get any decent photos.
This image was from one of the trains. The clouds were so majestic that day as they floured the mountains with snow. I got a short video of it that made my photo look like it was parallaxing , but the quality wasn't the best.
Making it home was a little unnerving. I wasn't sure if I had understood the man at the front desk correctly, so I stood to wait in the freezing rain for almost an hour to catch a bus. It did finally come and I was able to make it back to the lodging by night. Fortunately, I had been able to get my own room while I was there (unlike Scotland, where I stayed in a hostel). I rested up and prepared for my trip back to London.
This is so hard for me to believe. After a trip, I feel like I've accomplished something, I feel rejuvenated and awakened. When I'm planning for a trip, I am extremely stressed out, trying to plan and anticipate as much as possible and definitely forgetting something incredibly important. It is very taxing in my opinion, and then I'm carefree (for the most part) when the trip finally happens. I just go with whatever.
Anyways, today is a post from a trip I took in 2014 on my trip to Austria for Christmas. My mom had just passed away and Christmas was her favorite holiday, so now I avoid going up to Virginia during that time. Instead, I try to make it amazing so I can forget what I'm missing. Of course, it doesn't really work, but I still make nice memories.
The only food delivery offered in the place I grew up at in Virginia was pizza. The only food delivery offered in the town I was at in Austria was your own two feet. Again, everyone was sweet. They loved when you attempted German and they knew enough English to correct you when you got it wrong. You could walk everywhere you needed to while in town, and a few bus trips took you to some really great castles and museums. It was a very colorful town, rich in culture and history.
While there, I spent most of my time sick in bed, but on one of the days I was feeling well enough to get out, I went and drank some amazing coffee. My server at the coffee shop didn't know much English, so I had to point at what I wanted and just took out my coins and let them pick out what I owed, trusting (or maybe just not really caring) that they would be honest. The owner even helped me print out a few things when I went back before I left.
On Christmas in Austria, I got up, caught a train, and then searched around for the longest time trying to figure out how to get to Ambras Castle. It took a few trains and a few buses, waiting in the snow and waiting in the rain, and trying to figure out how to communicate with people. Apparently, google maps was not the most reliable there. I only had wifi at the lodging, so I would screenshot everything I needed to know, but it doesn't always help when you can't read the signs.
I finally found the last bus I needed to catch and asked, "Ambras Castle?" He nodded, held out his hands for a couple coins, and said something I didn't understand. As I got up to the stop, a man behind me said, "Here's your castle!"
The people of Austria were so nice! The man had been behind me when I asked the driver and then sat behind me on the bus to make sure I got to where I wanted to go. He clearly didn't know much English, just enough to let me know it was my stop. My castle. What a gentleman! Here's one of the better photos I caught there. Because of the lighting (it did take almost the whole day to find it), I only ended up with a few minutes to get any decent photos.
Making it home was a little unnerving. I wasn't sure if I had understood the man at the front desk correctly, so I stood to wait in the freezing rain for almost an hour to catch a bus. It did finally come and I was able to make it back to the lodging by night. Fortunately, I had been able to get my own room while I was there (unlike Scotland, where I stayed in a hostel). I rested up and prepared for my trip back to London.
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