Interesting Australians

When I went to Rome I had met two girls from Australia who were backpacking through Europe for a few months. They told us that for most Australians it’s a rite of passage to back pack through Europe for a few months. They both have family in Spain and the Netherlands because they are cousins and so they were visiting their families along the way. They also told us a lot about their travels and we met up with them again in Salzburg and in Munich.

One night we had a conversation about their educational system in Australia. It costs a lot less to go to school in Australia then it does here. They pay a fraction of what we pay for University and so they can pay off their loans a lot faster. What we pay for one year is what they pay for all four or less. They also told us that a lot of what happens in America really affects their country. When our economy goes down so does there’s. They also get a lot of American television shows and they told us when they were growing up they would pretend to be American. This is something that really surprised me because most of the time as an American I feel like other countries do not like us very much, so its interesting to know others are fascinated by our county.

Week on the Road

This past week 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.

Weekend Trip to Rome

So this past weekend we had a longer weekend the most and we were able to use our Eurorail pass and go wherever we wanted for four days as long as we went with someone else and made sure we were back in class. I went with two other people to Rome. I stayed in a hostel that was really cheap but suprisingly enough it was very clean and the people who worked there were incredibly helpful and nice. I slept in a room with one of the people I went with and six other strangers. I was nervous about this at first but the people who came and went over the course of three nights were all actually nice and respectful. I felt comfortable leaving my belongings there, even though I did lock them up just in case.

As far as the city goes it was amazing to see all the history that was in the City. Rome is actually a much smaller city then I thought so we were able to walk basically everywhere in order to see the sites. We only took the metro three times, twice was to go to the Vatican and back because it was all the way on the other side of the city. If you really wanted to walk there though it is possible and would have only taken a few hours at most. I really enjoyed seeing most of Rome and learning a little about their culture.

Being in Rome actually opened my eyes up more to the differences in culture. In Vienna people appear to be more serious and the city is very clean. When we were in Rome however there are a lot of beautiful things to see the city is very dirty and people are constantly trying to get you to buy things or give them money. The biggest difference is that people are much more open in Rome and it is full of tourists. When you walk around most people start speaking english to you and I am sure all of them can. In Vienna there are very few tourists, I learned it was one of the most expensive cities in Europe to visit and people generally speak German to you first. I have always wanted to go to Rome and thought that I would absolutely enjoy being there. I was suprised at myself though because as much as I enjoyed being in Rome I liked Vienna better.

Overall I am very glad that I was given the opportunity to go to Rome. It really made the fact that I am studying in Europe for a semester a reality. We also picked the perfect weekend to go to Rome because it was sunny out everyday which is a big change from Vienna where it usually rains once a day. I also really loved being able to see one of the places I have always wanted to go and wouldn't mind going back to Rome again when I am older and have more money.