Salzburg

After 3 1/2 hours on the train from Vienna I made it Salzburg. The next train to take me back to Tubingen leaves in 4 hours, so I start running from the train station into the city center.



Salzburg sits in the middle of several large mountains in the Alps along the Salzach river. There are great bike trails along the river and most of the streets are small and filled with shops and markets. Well my time is ticking, so I must run along.



There is a huge fortess on top of one of the mountains. You can hike up to it or take a cable car. Unfortunately I had time to do neither and was forced to appreciate it from below.



Next to the house where Mozart was born there is this incredible garden.



Of course, there were some flowers.



There were so many statues, fountains, and bridges that you could spend an entire day exploring all the details.



There was even this awesome stage in the garden where some performances are put on during the summer.



I found this really cool cathedral and decided to spend some time there.



The inside was amazing, but the lighting was poor for photographs. Wow, I've been inside 2 churches withing 2 days, this is a record for me!



Since I had limited time and I'm not the best photographer, I took a little video of the inside.



On the backside of the cathedral there was a soccer fanzone setup. Soccer is very important, especially during the Eurocup.



Time was running out. I was very disappointed that I didn't have enough time to up to the fortress, so I found this 7-story hotel with a cafe on top. The views were spectacular and I enjoyed them with a fine cold beer from the local brewery.



A nice view of the river and the surrounding mountains.



There was a great view of the fortress as well.



I decided to take the stairs down from the cafe and encountered this Buddhist display on one of the hotel floors. On the wall are some good words of wisdom.

Last Day in Vienna

On the last day, we took the metro over to see the Riesenrad, the largest ferris wheel in Vienna. For 8 euros, you can go for a ride once around and it lasts about 20 minutes.



It was a very large ferris wheel with big wooden gondolas. The floors creaked when you walked across them, which added to the suspense.



The ride was pretty smooth and the views were spectacular.



The ferris wheel is located in a big amusement park. Some of these rides looked pretty insane.



Jay, our CESRI fellow who is staying in Vienna for the summer, seems to be enjoying the ride.



Here's a small video for your viewing pleasure.



Well, on the train and heading home, but first, I'll hop off in Salzburg.

Vienna

So three of us went to Vienna one weekend and had a blast. It was much more modern then Budapest, but some of the buildings had a similar style. The metro was great and we had nice hostel next to the main train station. One of the CESRI fellows who came knew somebody who lives in Vienna and she and her friends took us out to some awesome clubs. We had back-to-back, 5-in-the-morn type of nights. By the end of the visit I was very raw, yet felt well-cultured.



The main attraction in Vienna was St Stephen's Cathedral ( Stephansdom ).



This place is huge. It is impossible to capture it's amazing-ness with a single picture.



I thought it was kind of weird that there was a mass service going on. I guess some people actually go to these churches for their intended purpose, not just for photo opportunities.



Even the back of the cathedral was interesting.



I really liked the national library. It had a lot of detail and a cool shape.



Of course, I thought it looked best at night.



The Euro Cup was going on when were in Vienna, in fact, one of the stadiums that the games actually played in is located in the city. So there were fans everywhere. In fact, they had this "fan zone" set up where you could watch the game outside on one of a dozen or so giant televisions. You can look at a live webcam here.

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This video was taken just down the street from St. Stephen's Cathedral



They had this huge flag that they paraded down the street, again craziness.

The Aftermath
The place was literally trashed after the rally.


One of the museums had the mummy of Tutankhamun (King Tut) on display, but they decided that the statue out front needed to be outfitted with an Austrian soccer jersey.


I decided to take it easy and enjoyed a fine Austrian beer

Folk Music Festival

On one weekend there was an interesting folk festival held all around the old town area and I came across this interesting dance.

More Tübingen

I took a hike up to the castle in town one Sunday and found the view to be quite nice. There is a museum inside, but it was closed.

My Apt (click on any picture to make it bigger)

I circled my apartment in the picture. I put my desk between the two windows that you see in the circle and enjoy a nice view.

Cool Tunnel

While making may way around the castle I encountered a few cool tunnels.



This view overlooks the other side of the town. I live on the other side of the mountain you see on the right of the picture. You can see the Neckar river in the middle.

Funny Sign
I took a different way down and encountered this funny sign along the road. Can you guess what it means? (Please drive slow!)

Strawberry wine?
When I got back from my hike I stopped in a pub for a nice cold brew. After I swallowed it down, the bartender recommended her favorite drink as shown in the picture. It is basically strawberries that have been soaking in some liquor and then served with some wine. Two of these will bring a Blitzkrieg of a hangover!

Tübingen

After a 12 hours on the train, I made it to Tübingen. After settling in, my landlady took me around for a quick tour of the town, which was interesting since she spoke no English and my German is about as good as my looks. But anyway, we somehow managed. The town is located in the Swabian region in Germany and the Swabian people are known for their hospitality and also for being a little stingy, however I have found little truth to the latter.



I stopped by the Neckarmüller beer garden and took this picture while enjoying a fine German wheat beer. The river you see is called the Neckar and on the other side of the bridge is cool island which you walk or bike around.

Last night out in Budapest

On the last night in Budapest, we went to a crazy bar and played some mature drinking games.



I don't remember all the rules (they change each time) but it always started with placing the hands in the center. They guy you see in the picture is Greg, a fellow computer scientist who is staying in Prague for his research this summer.

Sorry for the delay

I haven't posted anything in a while due to losing my camera cord in Budapest (probably). But here comes more!