From Graz to Salzburg

Today was pretty uneventful. I spent a great deal of time rearranging my suitcase and putting my hair tools in my shoulder bag to distribute some weight. My suitcase is only 33 pounds (If you know me at all- you know this number haunts me... long story), but I was having a hard time raising my suitcase onto the train racks because they are very high up, so I made it a little better by moving some things. I thought I was well-prepared before my trip... I remembered a converter so I could charge my phone and use my hair dryer and straightener, but I forgot an adapter!! Argh! My cell phone charger was fine, but my hair tools are not, so basically I've been lugging them around for no reason. For those of you who haven't traveled overseas or don't know, the wall plug-ins are different in Europe than in America/Canada... but you can buy a converter to plug in your things at one end, and use a European plug in the other. Unfortunately, outlets over here are 220v, and most of our stuff is designed for 110v (I think those are the right numbers), so I COULD plug in my hair dryer/straightner and they would work, but more power would be plugged into the devices than they are designed to hold so they could overheat or... catch on fire, which is why you also need an adapter. I don't want to catch my hair on fire (done that before... also a long story), and worse, I don't want to catch a hotel on fire. Hahah- reminds me of that movie with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy but I digress... long story short- my hair has been fun this trip, and I've been carrying extra weight from my hair supplies for no reason!

The converter with the European plug on the left, and my cell charger on the right.

What a European wall plug looks like.

I headed down to the bus lines to make my way to the train station. It was a 4 hour ride from Graz to Salzburg, and it was a beautiful train ride!! It started to get a little gloomy, and then the rain came!! But it still made for a nice view out the windows. We rode by some small skiing towns in the Austrian mountains, and we passed many homes with hanging flower baskets and smoke billowing from their chimneys, and I imagined myself inside snuggled by the fire, drinking hot chocolate and reading a book. ♥

I passed some more time by reading my book and occasionally glancing out the window and taking in the scenery.

When I arrived in Salzburg, it was pouring outside. Thankfully, I booked a hotel only two blocks from the station, so it did not take long to walk. The people at the front desk were extremely nice and friendly, and they gave me a handful of brochures to go over.  I headed up to my room to settle in. The hotel I'm staying in is a themed hotel. Salzburg is known for two major things- Mozart was born here, and the Sound of Music was filmed here. And yes, the real Von Trapp family lived here. Anyway, each of the hotel rooms are themed- I am staying in a Mozart room!

I was starving when I dropped my bags off so I headed out on the rainy streets in search of a good restaurant. I walked down to the river and toward Old Town. It is about a 20 minute walk from the hotel to Old Town, and even though I could see it across the river, I was already cold and drenched. I headed back and found a shopping center and grabbed some Subway. Another observation of Europe- I haven't seen an ice cube since I've been here. When you order a water or soda from a restaurant, they give it to you in a glass bottle with an empty glass to pour it in. And today at Subway when I got a soft drink from the fountain, again- no ice. Drives me nuts... oh, and is it weird that I already planned my first meal when I get off the plane? Mexican food!! I am craving it so bad, I ACTUALLY looked up pictures of mexican food on the internet last night. Hahahaha!!!

When I got back to the hotel I visited the front desk and signed up for a Sound of Music tour tomorrow. The tour is 4 hours long, the bus will pick me up at my hotel, and I get to see many different sights in the city- I can't wait!! I was joking with Brett's sister-in-law that I'll probably be the only person under the age of like 60 on the tour! Haha- will be fun either way.

To prepare myself, I grabbed a copy of the Sound of Music at the front desk. The hotel has hundreds of Blu-Ray DVD's you can borrow and watch for free in your room! I cozied up on the couch, grabbed a blanket, and watched the movie. Glad I did, because now it is fresh in my memory and I will recognize everything tomorrow. The movie reminds me so much of my childhood. My dad and I used to watch it frequently- will really miss him on this tour tomorrow!

It is off to bed for now! Praying the weather is nicer tomorrow (no rain, please) because most of the tour is outdoors. I also plan on visiting the fortress on the hill in the morning. Even if the weather stinks, I am determined to have a good time no matter what!