Fancy seeing you here...

So now that I've been here for about seven weeks, it's time for me to share with you all the things that are weird about Austria and Salzburg. 

• There are tons of bikes around here and everyone seems to love to ride them with their arms folded across their chest. I tried this once and almost fell off my bike.
• Everything closes really early. I used to think making it to the packy before 8 in Connecticut was tough...try making sure you have everything you need for your dinner before 6pm otherwise it's Krainer or Kebaps for you.
• The doors always look like they're not completely shut since there's an extra unnecessary lip that overlaps with the frame.
• The toilets have a big flap that you press in the wall to flush, and there's no tank.
• They speak German...what's with that??
• They actually believe in the honor system. You will hardly ever get checked to see if you have a bus pass or ticket when riding buses or trains, so technically you could ride for free (although you do risk a fine if caught). I rode on two free trains into Munich on my trip back from Neuschwanstein.
• Drinking is acceptable any day of the week and any hour of the day. (This is actually really cool, not weird). I saw a man buying a beer with his breakfast at a rest stop on my way to Croatia at 7:15 in the morning. Made me wonder if I was missing something with my OJ. 
• Find me an ice cube, I dare you. And while you're at it...find me a freezer for my stuff, because I sure as hell can't.
• People wear jackets in 70 degree weather. I meanwhile stick out like a sore thumb in a tee-shirt.
• There are bakeries everywhere but fat people are hard to find.

So, sorry I've been MIA for a while. Rest assured that I've been taking many pictures, writing many postcards, attending class, traveling (Schloss Neuschwanstein, Italy/Slovenia/Croatia, and Vienna), getting too little sleep, drinking too many beers on a Tuesday night, swearing off drinking for a while, getting more sleep, trying to exercise, marrying a Kebap stand employee, trying to cook eggs after my dorm has shut off the power to the hot plates at night, making lists, doing massive amounts of laundry after "missing" my laundry appointment, trying to have nights where I don't pay for a single drink, paying for a few of the drinks first on those nights, visiting museums and palaces and abbeys, riding bumper cars and roller coasters, cooking, missing people and places and time periods and holidays back home and trying to find myself in moments and experiences. 

Can I tell you a little secret?

This semester kicks ass.