I am writing this blog post from a train to Freiburg from Munich. This has been one of the most amazing weekends I have ever had, especially because I wasn’t expecting anything exciting to happen. My friend from Munich came to Strasbourg to visit me last Thursday and ended up staying the entire week which was nice. I felt at home showing him around Strasbourg – all the best restaurants, bars, wines, and everything else that is cool about Strasbourg. We then went to Salzburg, Austria because he had job matters to attend to and ended up staying there the entire weekend.
Specifically, we stayed in a small town called St. Gilgan which lies between many of the Alps. We knew nothing about this town and didn’t even have a place to stay which made it more fun. We immediately met some Australians and Italians who went to an international school there. They told us that St. Gilgan is the town where Mozart grew up. His old house is currently a museum that holds many concerts per year. I also learned that he was named after St. Wolfgang who lived in the town in the middle ages and was known for discovering a spring that is said to have healing powers for the eyes. I saw this spring as I hiked to the top of the Falkenstein peak, which is part of the Alps.
After leaving Salzburg, we came to Munich and I finally got to see BayarnMünchen game! It was so great to see a great team that has so many of the best players in Europe on it, in one of the coolest stadiums in Europe. I ate traditional German food, drank German beer, and even learned the traditional football behavior. You shout certain things out when someone scores and sing certain songs at certain times. This is why I love Europe so much because it intertwines tradition with modern activities.
While all this was so much fun, I experienced being in two countries where I cannot communicate with people easily. Luckily, David was there to order food, ask questions, and get me on my train easily or I would be screwed. It was awkward not knowing what was being said or what exactly was on a menu at a restaurant. This reminded me of Botton talking about what exactly “exotic” meant, which to me means words like “teftpunkt”, “Bitte”, and “Weiner schnitzel” (which is delicious). This was a cultural and philosophical journey and it isn’t over yet.
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