My first couchsurfing host!!
Stephanie, the Austrian/Australian, greeted me at the train station which was so awesome, since there wasn't an information center or anything close around there. Glorious weather too. We walked through the city, she pointed out the main attractions all the Mozart buildings, the main garden which is on the cover for any tourist guide to Salzburg. There was a small orchestra playing in the garden with quite a crowd. I got to learn about the bureaucracy and conservative nature of the town. Finally got to her place, an awesome 1 bed flat, nicely furnished.
Really got to know Stephanie a lot better on our afternoon mountain hike up about 2500ft. I thought I was adventurous and an adrenaline junkie but it's nothing compared to what she has done. In her New Zealand travels she did canyoning, canyon jumping, mountain biking. Also, her Australian adventures were just crazy with all the parties and other outings. Relatively strenuous climb with steep slopes at the end. There we a number of memorials on the way up of people who had died climbing. Stephanie surprised me with a large can of Augistiner Steigl at the top. Too awesome. It's the lager locals have been drinking since 1492 when the monks were brewing it. Different brewery from the famous local one in Munich. Already at the too you could see Salzburg, surrounding towns, Germany, Swiss Alps. I won't forget it.
Took the tram down, bastard said only local students qualified for discounts. Found out the mountain was the "Sound of Music" mountain. The town had lots of people come for Mozart (therefore, asians) and "Sound of Music" tours, since it was filmed here. She pointed out where she grew up, parents' lake house, and so on.
Ate traditional Austrian dinner of "cheese dumplings" with bacon for dinner which was kinda like a thicker mac and cheese. The plate looked relatively small but it destroyed me, so good but I couldn't finish it.
Damn, I need to find some version of her in California. No joke. Hopefully she can get a placement in the States and we can climb in the national parks in California or something of the like. Anyways, she also thoroughly convinced me I need to go road trip in England and Ireland. Recommended a hilarious book called, Round Ireland with a Fridge, I seriously want to check it out.
She knows everything about travel, as she studied in a program towards becoming an agent for 2 years, is a couch surfer, and worked in a popular hostel for many years. Having traveled extensively and been to many hostels and so forth, she has an amazing idea of the best hostel experience ever. Told me stories of having Everything stolen in Spain, how she managed to go to a party in Lisbon where she didn't know anyone or speak Portuguese but survived and got back in one piece. She wants to work for STA and then find another gig in a few years. Talked to me about her brother leading a different way of life, wanting to wear nice suits, have a nice car, get married, the normal gig. Funny how even in the same family people are so different,
Anyways, to today. Got up late. I worked furiously to try to reach some hosts in Rome. By the time we left it was 1:35. We walked across more shops and parts of town we hadn't crossed before. She left me at the bridge because she had to meet up with another couch surfer who had gotten in. This Albanian/Danish 19 year old who was biking from Denmark to somewhere in Italy?! Effing crazy.
I tried to catch the 2:10 to Linz so I could transfer to Prague. Ended up running for my life again because we had underestimated the time to walk it. All sweaty and nasty from running, i didn't make it. Got there around 2:14. Luckily I caught the 2:01 rail jet that was running 25 minutes late. It was the only other train that could make Linz in time for me to transfer to Prague.
Now I am chilling the fuck out now that I have 5+ hours on a train that should be taking me to Prague! Meeting Carlo in the evening by the university.
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