Salzburg/Munich part 1

Even though I'm sick, on Thursday I decided to join some students/school faculty/local children for a game of soccer. Despite having taken some hard hits, falling into an almost comatose state on my bed afterward (because I was sick), and having actually never played real soccer before, this turned out to be a great decision. I had a great time playing and apparently I'm a very good defender. In the words of Kevin Gallagher I was, in fact, "a beast". This would have been the highlight of my day except that, that evening Student Life was playing The Sound Of Music - which takes place in none other than Salzburg, Austria. I had not seen that movie in probably ten years and I had forgotten how great/funny it is so that in fact was the highlight of my day.

On Friday morning I once again donned my sweater vest and ate my zimmel as I prepared to embark on my weekend trip to Salzburg and Munich. Salzburg is about three hours from Gaming and, upon arrival, we immediately made our way to Franziskanerkirche for Mass followed by lunch at Sternbrau where I got to try my first red wine. Then began a walking tour of Old Salzburg. This time, my particular group was lead, not by Fr. Seraphim, but none other than the entertaining Jess, one of the two resident directors here at Gaming - the other being the stylish Vince. A few interesting facts about Salzburg: the name itself means "salt city" in reference to the huge deposits of salt that were mined there and are responsible for the city's wealth, much of The Sound Of Music was filmed in Salzburg, and then there was something else I meant to write here but forgot.

a fountain seen in The Sound Of Music

I then had some free time so I found a few people and we wandered the city, checking out the various shops. Eventually we stopped at a cafe where they had hot chocolate so thick it was the consistency of pudding - except it was way more awesome than pudding could ever hope to be. That evening I attended a classical concert across town featuring a quintet playing Mozart which was thoroughly enjoyable.

However, the night was still young so I went to the beer hall in Salzburg, the Augustiner with Steve Eskro, my roommate Jason Gast, and many other wonderful people. However, with an empty stomach and a stomach flu, I did not do much drinking. Finally, I decided that the best way to end my first day of the most epic trip of the semester so far was to go to McDonald's and participate in the most glorious BigMac my lips have ever devoured.

see, sweater vest

this is not much drinking