Innsbruck Day2-End of Holidays :)

my pizza and my view..sigh





my hotel..

hello all !

today is my last day of vacation...Innsbruck has been great. very relaxed :)
today i woke up at 9.30...that too because all the guys were snoring ! ughh....
had nice 11 hrs sleep...then we realized yesterday was the day the Time changed here from summer clock to winter clock. it is advanced by 1 hour. to save energy . in winter the sun comes out late so people waking up at 6 will have to switch on lights when they wake up...but by advancing the clock by an hour when they wake up there is light already and there is less electricity consumed..
so actually i had woken up at 8.30 ! ha :D its cool. this way we get more sleep. so i made some tea for me and briggy...we we chatted for a while..went down and had breakfast in the cafe...they give us cake..ppl eat chocolate cake in the morning for breakfast ! and it had that real gold foil on it ! :p of course cake was the finale. we had other stuff to eat too. the we came back up and slep for another 2 hrs.
then went out and got groceries for tonight.we cooking. dropped them back at the hotel and i went out roaming alone. i got a slice of pizza for lunch...here one slice is as big as a midium pizza back in india. and i walked to the bridge overlooking the river and mountain to eat it...it was the best view ever !
then i just walked all around the city....ate an ice cream...:D
saw some of the monuments....
met a woman who said she s travelling too....she is from germany...saw the weather report on the internet..looked for a place which was sunny and booked a ticket to come here ! lol :D how cool is that...
then i got back and we sat on the terrace talking...then Clement the canadian showed me how to skateboard...we went to this place near the river which had plane ground and i skate boarded for a half hour..it was thrilling! he said i was a natural :P
now ive com again to mc d..and this time im illeagal here cuz i have not ordered...im getting bitti internet...oops...
tomoro my train is at 10 i think...
ill reach belfor by 6...
and its Haloween tomoro!! so maybe tomoro night there will be some kind of get together with all teh assistants....:D i sure jope so. i miss belfort and my frnds there!
this week has been fabulous...but enough..i wanna go back....:D
now i know to actually enjoy a city i have to stay there min 2 days...
so my next trip...which is mostly italy during christmas i will plan well in advance and accordingly...

byeee
love u all
now my blog reports will prob get less interesting in belfort again..but u ll just have to live with it.

Aishu

innsbruck day 1- 29.10.2011-Hungerberg mountain



the cable car taking us up..




innsbruck view from hungerberg mountain




at 1067 mts high



trekking up the hungerberg

Guten Tag !! ( german for good day ! )

I woke up early today and caught my train to Innsbruck at 8 ….reached at 10 and as soon as I came out the station the scenery hit me ! its surrounded by mountains capped with snow….

Google gave terrible directions and the streets were complicated…so I kinda walked around in circles for a while but I reached eventually…in all the other cities it was easy…

I could check in only at 1 so I left my luggage in the store room and walked around the city…the weather is grt !! even better than Belfort…nice and sunny Jgot some tourist brochures…did grocery shopping because in Belfort we don get anything that’s ready to eat…here in Austria its like heaven so I got things to take back to france..

Then I went to the hotel…and im sharing the room with 5 other boys/men…I felt a lil strange at first but they seem cool. Not fishy characters at all. So nothing to worry about as ive assured appa too.

I can sense when people are strange. They don’t have those vibes at all. 2 italian,one Australian,one Canadian and one from new mexico. And out neighbours a german couple who hang out with us.

We all cooked and had lunch together…then we decided to go to the nearby mountain. Hungerberg…which is the lowest peak here…

Innsbruck is known for its cable car shuttle services….we took the cable car half way and the rest of the journey we trekked…! :D

It was beautiful the views..the evergreen trees were amazing….soooo tall ! we reached the top after a 1 hr trek…to 1067 mts !!

And we just sat there for another 1.5 hrs…enjoying the view….it was very relaxed and pleasant…

Thenwe started to come down before sun set…or it would get too dark…

So that’s all I did for today…tomoro I don know yet…some light sight seeing..maybe go up another mountain J

I don have wifi in my hotel..so im sitting at the nearby mc Donald with a bag of fries ..they have free wifi. Tonight my roommates are giving a concert..they play the guitar drums and sing too….so fun J

Ill mail again tomoro !

Check out the photos for full impact of Innsbruck…it’s a typical postcard city…

Love

aishu


the tracks on the way down..





the cable car station on hungerberg



Salzburg Day 2 -salt mines and sound of music tour..

salt lake inside a cave inside a mountain

in the miner costume

Hey you all !

Today was a pretty amazing day….im exhausted..cuz of lack of sleep…ive been getting about 5 hours a day..thats it….well..i can always sleep when im back in france …is what I say to myself..

So I got picked up from the hostel at 8.30 and got dropped to the bigger tour bus..we were about 30 in the bus..going on different tours is the Bavarian mountains. We had a great tour guide..an old man but with a great sense of humour…he told us lil anecdotes all along the tour….made it all the better. Going into the mountains was amazing…very beautiful….we had a view of the eagle’s nest which is basically the vacation home of Hitler…he and his nazi buddies partied there…Mussoline was a frequent guest…this is like 2500mts high…but I dint take the eagles nest tour..i have altitude sickness…severe nausea…so not for me..they dropped me and 3 other girls at the salt mine tour area and the rest of the group was going on the other tours being offered..

The salt mines are high up in the mountain. Inside which there are large deposits of salt.We 4 entered the place…put on our traditional miner costumes…and there are these lil trams that take us into the mountain…200ft under…fabulous ! also its commercialized so they take photos of us at each point which we can buy later..which I of course did…we reached a chamber where the history of the salt mines was explained…how water dried up leaving a whole valley of crystallized salt and over the years the alps came up and the valley of salt was pushed under..folded further down ….way into the mountains how the government made the extraction projects…then from that chamber there are these huge slides which take us down into another chamber…its like a ride almost..

There..they explained the process of extraction…how they drill bore holes and make huge caverns..fill it with water…and this melts the salt..creating brine which is then flushed out every 2 years…and from this brine salt is extracted…..to completely empty a cavern it takes about 30 years…

From this cavern we entered another cave…really big cave…like in harry potter when he and Dumbledore find the first horcrux…the cave was basically a lake of brine….we sat on boats and went acccross the lake…and in between the boats stopped and ther was a lazer show..it was amazing ! a dark cave and beautiful lights….the cave was not to high..like maybe 13 ft..but very wide…

On the other side of the lake was a room which showed us the machinery and the suits used for mine rescues…from that chamber we went up on the mine elevators to the next level….more information…and machinery ..we even got to taste the water..it was really salty ! they said you could try licking the walls if u want..but just remember “ you might not be the first one “ ..lol :P of course none of us tried it after that…

This lasted about an hour…then we got back on the trams and went to the upper levels through the many tunnels…

It was extremely memorable..:)

They even gave us lil bottles of salt extracted in the mines there. Bavarian table salt souvenier…lol :P

Then we got back on the bus..picked up the others who had finished various tours by then and started down the mountains….we stopped for lunch at a little town in between the mountains called Berchtesgaden…I ate an Apple Strudle…J it was nice…but I am sick of sweet things so din enjoy very much….and we walked around the town a lil…it was nice…

Then got back on the bus and back to Salzburg..it was 2 by then…so I got down from this bus and got into the next tour bus…I was very very sleepy….on the way back from the town I could not even open my eyes to see the Bavarian mountains views…so had napped for a half hour..which prob did me a lil good…but now im super tired..

Then the sound of music tour started…which was not as fun as I expected…maybe because the tour guide had a terrible sense of humour or because after my first tour I had reached saturation point for amount of beauty to be taken in…

We visited all the places that the sound of music was filmed…very famous areas some inside and others outside Salzburg..:) the do re mi song in the mirabell gardens…the gazebo where u are 16 going on 17 was filmed…the von trap family house…the lake where the children and maria go boating where she and the captain get married…etc etc…it was good fun . they played songs from the movie and we sang along…told us stories about the filming and the famous areas…

Most austrians have not watched the sound of music. It was first released in german and then English. But here in Salzburg the population is 150,000 people. And because of the sound of music the number of tourists coming in is 300,000 per year…so this movie really put it on the map…

Our tour guide even took Samantha Ronson from TLC Passport to Europe up the Huntersberg mountain here where the Do re mi was filmed…

there is the mozart bridge featured in the movie…the children running across in their curtain dresses…

Well enough of movie blah…it gets to you you know..staying in a town that is living off the memory of Mozart and the sound of music…

Also we got to see the red bull international headquarter. The red bull dude is an Austrian apparently from salzburg. He went to Taiwan…used their brewing method…but a lil gas into it and marketed…became the richest man in Austria.and the Austrians like him because he spreads his wealth..he buys mountains around for like 3 billion dollars or 30 billion dollars…so that way there is more money going around….most of salzburg belongs to him…the many mansions the hockey team some of the mountains..blah blah…

One of the shooting sites is in a little town called Mondsee…which is in the lakes district..this is where 70 lakes are found….lake mondsee, lake wolfgang lake fuschal….this was the most beautiful area ever…there is a lot to do here ..during winter the lakes torn to ice and every one is ice skating across…in summers…everyone swims in the lakes..there is paragliding hot balloon sailing rafting…skiing…im in the between season when everything is unsafe and not functional unfortunately.

There are soo many farmhouses and beautiful mansions  in the mountains which let rooms out for travellers so they can live with and experience how a real Austrian family is like…I would definitely like to come back to Salzburg someday again…and do all the stuff I dint this time…there is a lot left undiscovered …it looks so good I wanna live here…! :D

Salzburg is a small city very unlike Vienna which was way crowded…I think im a small city kinda girl..

Well tomoro my train to Innsbruck is at 8…so have to wake up early…

So im going to sleep now..super tired…

Long day ahead…

All my days are so packed..each day feels like 3…france feels like a long time ago now…

Okay…more tomoro from Innsbruck !

Love

Aishu

the Von Trapp house

The tram down under into the mines

at salzburg..

at Mondsee

salzburg day 1...

mirabell garden

salzach river

Eellooo all !

Today was a really really nice day…I bet you have gotten bored of hearing that…J I set the alarm for 7 but somehow it did not work ! I woke up at 9.15…then took a hot shower packed and dressed up for the day and went downstairs…they provide an all you can eat breakfast for 3.5 euro diff varieties of cornflakes  toast spreads..juices..coffee..tea…and I was famished..

Beside the dining room is the hostel tv room…so we all assembled there to watch the sound of music as we ate…JJ it was good fun ! a bunch of us fans laughing and commenting..

This was the prelude to the sound of music tours that we were all going to take at diff points of time….so to those who don’t know what im talking about “the sound of music “ is an extremely popular old movie. It’s a musical and is set in Austria Salzburg..all the scenes filmed here…

Till then I was contemplating on if I should or not take the tours being offered…I thought it might be cheaper to go to the places myself..but then when I asked around the places they were taking us to are outside the city and a in the wilderness amongst the mountains…

So I decided to opt for 2 tours..the sound of music + the salt mines tour.

Individually they would come upto 37+46 euro but if I take the package of both its 67 and then my hostel provided a 10% discount so I got it for like 62…

So tomoro morning the bus comes to pick me up from my hostel at 8.15…

The salt mine tour takes us deep into the Bavarian mountains Germany. Im not very sure what it entails..ill know tomoro and then tell u all ! :D( there was another ice caves tour which unfortunately shut down just yesterday ! the 26^th was the last date for this year. It is unsafe after this .)

After that we go on the sound of music tour…it is the most sold tour package here and ive got the best reviews for it!

So I got my pass for tomoro from the front desk and then left to walk around the city….salzburg is a pretty small city and we can walk to almost anywhere …..plus the weather was really good! A lil cold..but that was set off by the sun…J it felt so good to stand under the hot sun…wien was cold and cloudy all the time…

I had a great map in hand which marked out all the must see spots..and I went along with it..

First stop Mirabell palace and gardens..this is where a song from the movie was filmed..ill probably get a more extensive tour tomoro…it was very pretty…there I met another girl, lone traveller…we decided to walk around together.  Monika from bulivia I think.

Then we saw the church of holy trinity…nothing important..and beside it was the place where Mozart lived…with his family.:) it was cool..

Then we came to the river salzac…which is really beautiful..i goes through Salzburg dividing the city into the old and new half…the older half has these really ancient Baroc architecture buildings..and has all the main must see destinations..the birthplace of Mozart,the collegiate church,the franchiscan church,the Salzburg museum…and throught the city there are musicians ..not amateur but professional ones who sell their CD s too…playing classical music..it is truly blissfull…and each time I stop for 15 mins and just listen..there was the violin, a 4 piece orchestra, and the celtic harp…

Personally I like the celtic harp a lot…there is just something that draws me to irish music…

I drank a peppermint tea in the morning at the hostel…which I loved…so I looked for the same brand at the market and got me a box ! then I got 1 Mozartkugeln ..the chocolate I described earlie…yet to eat it ! ill tell u how it was…and I got some souvenirs ( Mozart liquor to put in icecreams and in coffees ) for victorine and her family.got postcards to send out….

Then I said bye to monika and decided to walk up the hill to the hohensalzburg fortress…because I probably wont have time tomoro. It was a 20 min walk up and it has the most beautiful views ..i walked and talked with this old couple coming from California. They are professors are California Berkely and they told me their very romantic story of how they were both students there and met at university and got married..:D

I am meeting the most interesting people these days…! Like today in my hostel I was talking to this young girl from Australia who has just finished school and has taken a year off to travel around Europe before starting university…she and her friend have been travelling for the past 5 months and this was their 20^th country….nxt they are headed to czech republic ..then Italy…and so and so…but I don know how they fund for all this…..this other girl I was talking to was telling me how apart from worrying about the fact that she is a lone traveller she has to worry about which country has been hot by floods or earthquake and decide accordingly…she was talking to a friend and I could not overhear her statement went something like this “ I need to be beside a river..somewhere in the countryside..holland, Poland, Sweden were freezing …all of Europe is really cold right now…and I need to be under the sun..so im headed next to Italy…and im going to stay there for 2 weeks..”

And another girl in the hostel was talking to her mother on skype..she is also a student doing a eurotour before university…telling her mother about Italy and spain…the Vatican city and the statue of david..the cute guy in the bar she saw..the volcano spewing smoke…it was so cute…

It just made me smile….they are leading such a different life….very unlike the ideal indian student..

I think it is amazing…..they gave me tips for my tour to Italy too!

Well its like 11 right now…and that s all for today..:) I cant wait for tomoro! Its going to be a really fun day !

Loads of love

aishu

mozartkuglegn

with the shungs

view from the fortress

Vienna day 2 + new address SALZBURG !



at the schonbrunn palace




the schonbrunn palace




at " take out Asia "



at the city centre



st.Peters church



Hoffburg palace

wild berries and chocolate chips with mint !

Hey all !
Im on the train now to Salzburg ! where new adventures await me im sure..:P
Today was a very pleasant day..but after yesterday s concert  nothing will seem as good. Slept for just  5 hours…my bones literally ache from all the walking and my trip has just started..
Tooday  I had company too ! my roommate at the hostel. Her name is Elizabeth…from Germany. So we started at 10 in the morning having planned which all places we would cover together…
The city has an extensive public transport system. Busses , trams , subway and the train station. And I used all of them to make my way around the city. ! my map reading skills have improved dramatically…
We first went to the Karlskirche or the Karls church….which was so-so..nothing remarkable..
Then went to a memorial monument built for the soldiers who died fighting the world war 2…
Today ironically was a public holiday to mourn for the people who suffered  during the war…nobody here ever talks about how Austria was a big part of world war 2…because Austria has a very large Jewish population. its all so hush hush….today is a rare day they come out with it..so all shops were closed. But thankfully touristy areas and restos were open.
Then we went to the Belvedere Palace…which is very beautiful…the gardens outside are gorgeous…and the pathway to the palace itself is pure opulence. But somehow it dint wow me…
Coming from india where the royalty were known to indulge in luxury and beauty…its very hard to impress me. The mysore palace and the taj mahal…way way better !
But the sculptures here are very very classy…and I wont compare them to the ones in india which are simply superb..they tell a whole different story….most of the sculptures I saw today were of people in pain..getting beaten…animals or people being overpowered….but many were pretty too…
It was 1 by now and we were hungry…I insisted on eating at this lil chinese resto I had seen yesterday…”take out Asia ! “I was craving noodles….so we walked and walked and took trams and subways and got there….it was worth it :D yum! And a lot !
Then we went to the city centre..to go to the hoffburg palace….the last on our itinerary for the day…but on the way we came across a little church which looked interesting…and we decided to enter cuz we anyway had time…and as Murali Anna says…Austria is full of little surprises! It was amazingly beautifullll….all gold and wood…exotic figurines gold artefacts everywhere and our luck the usual Mozart concert for which tickets are needed most day was free today ! so we sat in the church for a half hour listening to pleasant music…
Then we left for the hoffburg palace…but dint go inside because the ticket was too expensive…
But it was soo crowded today because it was the memorial day…the Army had set up a carnival of sorts…something like our “ Ice Exhibition “ in Bangalore…there were helicopters and planes and gas suits everywhere. And men in uniform of course..:P
A simplified version of the training that they undergo was open for kids to try out…
Like walking on wooden ramps..and there was a 50mt tower from which kids were put in safety suits and they would come all the way down in an inclined fashion on a rope…and they could sit inside the choppers and tanks and take photos…families everywhere enjoying their day off….
Then we started back and on the way stopped for icecream ! I had wildberries and chocolate chip and mint….was great..
There was a show going on in the middle of the street..street dancers performing…so we stopped and looked for a while..then we walked along the street which housed all the luxury brands…chanel,Giorgio Armani,Gucci,Tiffany’s…blah blah….it was wow !
Well then I said bye to her and got back to the hostel…I purchased post cards and sent it out (the hostel sells post cards, stamps and even sends it out for us. No need to go to the post office)
Everything was packed this morning and I had already checked out and left the luggage in the locker room for safekeeping. So got my things..and set off to the train station.
In the train ive just met another girl who lives in Innsbruck….Stephanie...we got talking and I asked for suggestions for my itinerary…she modified it a lil…gave a few tips and said we should meet for coffee when I get to Innsbruck. So I found another person for company in Innsbruck…
For dinner im having some boring chocolate pies and orange juice. I feel fatter ! im eating so much cheese and chocolate…. the vegitable shops were closed so could do nothing…otherwise id live on salads..
ill reach at 9 and then send out this mail…
cant wait for tomoro! Salzburg is the most interesting of the 3 cities im visiting!

Love
aishu
_______________________________________________________________________-
ive reached...this hostel is like a hotel. pretty classy . im in a 6 bed room but have only 2 room mates that too they are checking out tomoro...they are south koreans...very very friendly :) one is chun li tchung and the other is mit seh young...lol :D
one is 23 and the other is 32...and they both look 19 !!
i ahve internet here in the room itself..but a lil week network..so im going down now to the common kitchen room to make some noodles for dinner...
byee..
more tomoro!
love
aishu

First Day in Vienna

The Wienese Waltz

The Austrian Orchestra

hello all....:)
its very late already but i justhave to write and describe all ive seen today...its been a loong but really fabulous day..veery cold...10 degrees only but the wind..my my..it near blew me off my feet..
i woke up at 8 and at 9 set out around the city with a guy called Bika...a 19 year old kid from Asia who is studying in latvia and tours around in his free time..he has visited 7 countries already and gave me the best tips on how and where to buy tickets and save money lol places to visit..things to do !
it was good i had company so i could gradually enter the touristy world of map reading...our hostel is about 40 mins by walk from teh city centre ..ive walked like 10 km today..my legs hurt..
and we walked it..just so i could get a hang  of the city...we went to the Schönbrunn palace which is a summer palace built for the empress Maria..then we went to the Wiener Staatsoper or the state opera house...and the st stephens cathedrale..they were both so beautifulll...we visited the local market which was very nice...all sorts  of things to buy and eat..the austrians seem to like chinese and japanese food a lot..there are a lott of asian shops..i finally found maggi ! ha...there is no maggi in belfort! so i stocked up for my life back home..
then i got a lot of walnuts and dried apple and strawberries to munch on...they were yum...for lunch i had a falafal sandwich ! extra spicy...:P
then we headed to this building called Hundertwasserhaus builty by a quirky architect who started out as a painter..its apparantly an example of expressionist architecture...it was really cute...colour colour...
it was 4.30 by then and was turning dark...bika left for the train station because today was his last day in wien and i went to nearby shop and bought a wien 24 r pass which allows me to use the subway the bus or the trams for 24 hrs....and it s 6... euros...but then its pretty useful...
so i sat on a tram and went to the city central and made a concrete decision on if i want to see a classical concert and spend a bomb on it...i decided i wanted to so i paid 24 euros and got myself a ticket for the  Mozart and Strauss concert for the night. the BEST decision ive made ever !
it started at 8.15 and i got directions to go there earlier so hopped from subways to trams and got there 15 mins in advance..
as soon as i entered the building area i knew i was in a different world..this is the building where mozart and strauss played all their lives..it was all lit up and it looked so beautiful at night..
inside was a "cloak room " !! ha ! lol...just like the ones ive read in the books  ! im sorry i sound stupid but then it is a novelty....well they took 1 euro to just keep my coat..theives..
i totally stood out...someone should have told me that opera house means fancy dress party !! everyone was in their best silks suits and diamonds...i was wearing jeans..ha! :D
then amidst the crowd i saw another girl much like me..standing out for being too normal...
so we got talking...Laura from Australia..travelling europe for 7 weeks..it was both our first classical concert ever and were both very excited..
so our tickets actually was for the back seats..the least expensive..but then the person who shows people to seats said follow me...we got seats right in the front !!! he said don show anybody ur tickets...these are free anyway...enjoy. his good deed of the day..our luck !
so we sat inbetween red lipstick clad ladies and old italian men who bowed to you when they say thank you...lol..it was such a thrill...
the opera hall itself was soo beautiful...gold chandeliers and wood all around...there is an imatation of this  hall in japan but supposedly the acoustic is not as good as this one and nobody knows why...the theory is that the wood here in the wien opera house has absorbed the music over the many years from the maestros and so the acoustic is even better...:P
the music then starts...i can not describe it...i just sat open mouthed...i could not believe a buch of people were creating it...cd s have cut us off so much we take a hit when we listen live....it was a 14 member orchestra along with dance and opera singers...
oh myy godd...the music was soo beautiful..it sometimes just made me wanna cry and at other times tap my foot...
amma i have understood why u sigh over all the tamil carnatic concerts u attend...it transports you into a different world...
i heard opera for the first time and i must say i like it a lott ! i dint understand a single word because it was in german but laura explained a lil to me...it had cute stories to it..and the singing..unbelievably good..both male and female opera singer...in the end they sang a duet..and it had something to do with love...i know because you could just make out from the way they were moving and the way they looked at one another..it was soulful...
then there were 3 dances..wienese dances..:) accompanying famous mozart tracks....it was superbe ! im putting up videos which just have to be watched with loud volume...
im glad i was not sitting alone ...laura was equally astounded y the fact we were actually there in that room listening to something like that...
after each of theor performances there was loud applause and the finale a standing ovation...they deserved it...
it lasted 2 hours...the best 2 hours of my day...
i definitely want to come back to austria someday just to listen to that again if nothin else...
tomoro im doing some more touring around and ten around noon im meeting laura so we can look around together...im planning to hop onto a tram and just ride along all around the city...tomro is my last day after all...and whenever i see someplace interesting ill hop off visit eat whatever..hop on another and go someplace else...
until 4. then i come back to the hostel and get ready cuz my train to Salzburg is at 6.14 and ill reach salzburg at 9....
oh and today whicle walking around i met a couple travellers who i had met on the train to Wien..they live in Innsbruck and gave me their contact number and said i can call them when im there and they ll show mw around. so yay..i have company in innsbruck now...also they said its snowing there..already..sigh..

ok now..im going to sign off cuz tomro is a long day too...dunno wot is in store for me..cant wait !
will mail tomoro from SAlzburg !

love
aishu

Off To Austria !

salut a tous !
first things first....i got internet connection at home finally so yay :) !
holidays have started....its called toussaint or the all saints holidays...school starts on the 3rd of Noveber.
so ive planned a one week vacation to Austria :) why austria ? because it has come highly recommended from 2 others in the family who have travelled a lot..Murali anna and Anu akka. unfortunately ill be going alone but ill try to make the most of it anyway...i was planning to include switzerland into a week too but then thought why hurry it all up...so im going to soak in only 1 country at a time ..
ive picked 3 cities which are most popular and have a lot to do in and im going to spend 2 days in each city..
                 i must say it is such a hassle to plan trips ! its the best when somedoes all the planning and kids just go along...not having to worry about train tickets..hostel reservations..food..veg food..walking alone at night..its a foreigh language (german) there and what if i get lost -hypothetical because many seem to know english there..i called to make hosel reservations and dint have any problems as she spoke good english. money ,time, not falling asllep on the train and skippin my stop..what if i loose important documents..my card  stops working or is not accepted...my luggage is stolen...the weather is terrible and i cant get out of the hostel..
sigh...so many things to worry about...i try not to ..so i remain positive but then when im trying to fall asllep i just cant seem to...the past 2 days have been like that..lol..i know its a lil funny..:) but this is the first time im planning things on my own and i guess its expected..
but now things are a lil more planned and im putting all those worries behind me...what has to happen will happen...ill hope everything goes well and i have the greatest time ever. :)

im leaving tomoro morning and ive made a list of things to take along...yet to start packin though..
im taking my laptop along cuz there is free wifi in all my hostels and i can keep you all posted on a dailly basis that way..im excited cuz ive been reading online and there is just so much to see...the movie sound of music was made there and i love that movie. also ill get to see mozarts home and sigmund freud's home..his workplace and everything..it ll be great. ill see if i can find company in the hostels to tour around with. that will be even better. so anyway..ive put up a lil map and have marked the 3 cities im goin to WIEN (VIENNA) , SALZBURG and INNSBRUCK . and a copy of my itinerary.
keep mailing you all 1

love
aishu

GENERAL  ITINERARY
AUSTRIA

1. 24/10/2011 (12 degree,lil sun)Train from Belfort France to Wien Westbahnhof (Vienna) Austria-95.40euroBelfort(departure)- 10.10
Mulhuse(arrival)- 10.40
Mulhuse(departure)- 10.45
Basil(arrival)- 11.07
Basil(departure)- 11.33
Zurich(arrival)- 12.26
Zurich(departure)- 14.40
Wien or Vienna (arrival)- 22.44

24 th night stay at wombats city hostel which is a 10 min walk from the train station.
It is a 4 bed womens only Dorm.
13 euro per night.

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wombats CITY HOSTEL Vienna "THE BASE" Grangasse 6,
A-1150 Vienna, Austria, Europe
fon: +43 1 897 23 36, fax: +43 1 897 25 77, office(at)wombats-vienna.at

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From Westbahnhof station
When you get off the tracks, go into the train station through the entrance called „Mariahilferstraße/Europaplatz“.
Take the escalator/stairs down to the main level of the train station, hold on to the right and take the exit “Mariahilferstraße”. Follow the U3/U6 subway sign to the lower level.
Being in the main hall of the subway take the exit  “Äußere Mariahilferstraße” at the very right.
Take the escalator up, follow Mariahilfer Straße until no. 152 (corner Rosinagasse), turn right into Rosinagasse - Grangasse is the second street on the left.

2. 25/10/2011(12 degrees, lil rain)Tour around Vienna
25th night stay at the wombats hostel again.

 3. 26/10/2011(12 degrees,cloudy)Tour around Vienna all morning+train from wien to Salzburg-41.90 euroVienna(departure)- 18.14
Salzburg(arrival)- 20.59

26th night stay at YOHO international youth hostel. 10 mins walk from the train station.it is a 6 bed womens only dorm. 19 euros per night.
Reservation number :56663
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Yoho International Youth Hostel Salzburg
0043662879649
Paracelsusstr. 9, A 5020 Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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From the trainstaion:
At the main exit of the trainstation go out left - after a couple hundred meters you will come to a big crossing. on the righthand side there is a gas station, on the left there is a train-underpass.
Go through thetrain-underpass (left side, gabelsbergerstrasse) and at the 2nd big crossing turn right. The 4th house on the right side is the YOHO (Paracelusstraße 9) - that's it!
(about 10 min walk)

4. 27/10/2011(13degrees, rain)Tour around salzburg27th night stay at the YOHO youth hostel again

5. 28/10/2011(14 degrees, sun and cloud)Tour around salzburg28th night stay at the YOHO youth hostel again

6. 29/10/2011(14 degrees, sun and cloud)Train from Salzburg to Innsbruck- 34.50 euros + tour aroundSalzburg(departure)- 8.02
Innsbruck(arrival)- 9.51
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Nepomuk's Bed & Breakfast Backpackers Hostel Innsbruck, Kiebachgasse 16, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Tel: +43.512.584118 | mobile: +43.664.7879197, +43.650.4283101 | fax: +43.512.890076
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from the station

1. Prendre la direction nord sur Südtiroler Pl. vers Brunecker Str    2 m
2. Continuer tout droit sur Brunecker Str 200m
3. Prendre à gauche sur Museumstr. 500m
4. Prendre à gauche sur Burggraben  84m
5. Continuer sur Marktgraben
Votre destination se trouvera sur la droite

Check into Nepomuks bed and breakfast at around 10.15am.leave juugage and head out to tour around city. It is 15 mins walk from the train station. 6 bed dorm for 22 euros per night.

29th night stay at the nepomuks hostel.

7. 30/10/2011Tour Innsbruck30th night stay at nepomucks hostel.

8. 31/10/2011Train from Innsbruck to BelfortInnsbruck(departure)- 9.54
Zurich(arrival)-13.20
Zurich(departure)-13.34
Basil(arrival)-14.27
Basil(departure)- 15.08
Mulhouse(arrival)- 15.36
Mulhouse(departure)- 15.55
Belfort(arrival)- 16.25

End of Austria tour ! one country down…so many more to go !:)

Germany and Alsace

Turmaufgang Tower

Pretzle

Alsace

hello all !
there is so much to tell.. get ready for another giant read..well i start with saturday night...3 of

the assistants together got a house and furnished it and so had a house warming party called a
crémailler here :) it started at 8 and went on till 1 ! it was great fun ..they had made assorted

dishes and everybody as ususal got something to add to the table a dring a bag of chips 

anything. we had a lil dance perty in their house where i made them all dance to DHOL BHAAJE 

...! it washilarious..they loved indian moves ..all the hip twisting and gyrating and the arm 

movements..they watched salman and aishwarya dance on youtube to the song and exclaimed 

over all the drama and expressions and colours ! :) then we danced to a spanish song! the Macarina ! almost 10 of us danced together in unision as the macarina is universal and everybody knows the moves...we had a blast that everning..there is even a video which will be put up soon. that night Dasha said she s leaving for germany the next day ie sunday with

2 other friends and asked if i wanted to come along. i said of course!

so on sunday i woke up and at 10 we left for Germany in the friends car. to a city called Frieburg. 

it was a 1 hour drive and the weather was much better in germany. sunny :) though lil cold. there 

were no borders that said welcome to germany or anything..there was a river
rhin and afterthat germany started. it was exhilarating to think i was already in another country !!

lol:) because ive always been fascinated with visiting as many countries

as i can and though silly having a full passport !! lol :p but unfortunately nobody stamped my passport(damn !) because we went by car.so we walked around the city all morning which was very old and beautiful...the architecture contrast from france was visible very clearly..in france its all very ladylike and quaint...with flowers and lines that flow and have soft edges...however in germany it was all very geometrical and sharp...very edgy..:) i don know if you get the picture...
but it was beautiful nevertheless.they wanted to get a drink so we went into a lil café/bar and i had a pretzle ! or a Bretzle in german..its made of flour and like a doughnut but its harder and its
not sweet but salty..pretty tasty :)
around afternoon we went to a fancy restaurant called Suden for lunch...i ordered for a pasta with tomato..well and then we waited . thats when i realized how very true the saying was that the europeens
love their lunch time and can sit at a table for hours. the foodarrived slowly..and while me and dasha were getting antsy the 2 french guys Reynold and Jean were calm and said this is not fast food..its a
restaurant..they actually made the food fresh and do not defrost.and i had a lovely icecream for dessert called stracciatella with mit sahne or whipped cream..it was yum !
after this we left for the main reason we cameto Frieburg. to visit the minaral hot water spa ! ohh myy godd the best ever ! its called the bad krozingen where bad means bath. so its a huge campus with many many pools of hot water in various temperatures. some indoor and some outdoor.the outdoor pools were all jacuzzi s and were just the best..one was in a circle and it had a current so everyone was getting pro^pelled
around it and there were jets everywhere which massaged. then there was this little pit in which one person could stand and in the hot watter all around were water jets that streamed water from all
directions and massaged your body. the whole area has been created in such a way that nobody will stay in one area for very long and there is constant movement. its not crowded.. for there is so much to do .waterfalls of hot water..a pool of hot bubbles..and then the very best..an indoor pool in which we provided with floaters tubes by whichonly our face is outside the water our whole body and our ears are immersed and this is because only when we are inside the water we can hear MUSIC ! its the most amazing feeling ! the whole room is quiet but when you go underwater or when our ears are inside the water
we hear the most soothing relaxing music. like in HARRY POTTER ! it was magic i tell you. there were various other pools like this and the final one was a pool of water 34 degrees...like a finalé.
so after being massaged and feeling most relaxed we left the spa at 7.20 and on the way back we passed by the hometown of Jean who drove us. its in france , the border between france and germany. a city
called Alsace a littlr town Colmar. it was night but everything was lit up and very pretty. so we walked around for a half hour and then left for Belfort. reached home at 10 :) so basically this is an
nofficial trip to germany and ill go again so i can see the outside of the spa..look around places.
we were lucky dasha s friends spoke german so we din have any problems. its almost impossible to understand or read words. they are soo long that by the time i come to the middle of a word i forget the
forst half. they take the most unlikely alphabets and string it together to make a word. like HAUSBRAUEREI. then yesterday we were at Besançon for another orientation program. an interesting day. the journey to there and back was beautiful as usual...the most amazing scenery.nothing up for today or the rest of the week so far. :) other than ususal classes. however from the 22nd
oct to the 2nd nov we have holidays. and im planing to head to
switzerland for like 7 days but im not sure yet. yet to plan properly.
when it s all decided ill tell u guys.

so thats all for now !
loads of love*

First days at my new place

Victorine and family Eating Indian food!

Dani's Crémailler party

Eating Spaetzle at Biljana's house

Hey you all
Its been a while since I wrote..a bunch of updates to give you Ive moved into my new place but have not unpacked yet..it took me 2 days to clean it all up scrub the floor vacuum disinfect…but now its livable. No internet yet. The rain screwed it up so me and my neighbour are getting a new connection and share it. We share a wall so the network will be strong.so im unable to send long mails . though I check my inbox like once a day at school. My neighbour is indian and he s from pondycherry. His name is Fernand Gaston. His family has always lived in paris apparently. We ve found an indian restaurant called “ PENJAB EXPRESS “..we are going to try it
out in the coming week .

And ive got a cycle to ride and a helmet..yay..(for chotu : its got gears ! :P:) so im going to join victorine and her family on their cycling expeditions. ! plus she found a microwave for me which is grt. But today I plugged it in and the electricity for the whole building got cut off! That’s cuz the water from my shower seeps intot he wall and it got shot I think.

Its starting to get real cold here. Already 5-6 degrees and winter has not started yet…in another 3 weeks it might start to snow…ugh…I wear 2 layers of thermal on top and 1 at the bottom and then pile on normal clothes.plus monkey cap plus neck warmer. I cant wear just one bulky
sweater because once I enter the school the heater is on and I need to take off a few layers or ill cook.

The other day I ate dinner out with friends at the one place which serves veg…I spent 5 euros and I felt so bad…it ll take another month before I can spend euros without batting a lid. And then we all went to a bar. Before u get scandalized know that everyone here drinks all
the time girls and boys…with breakfast lunch and dinner. And I was giving them company. So I sat with them and we chatted . they drank I dint so relax. I would not spend money on something I don even like the smell of. They explained to me the different types of beer that
exists and from which countries they come and which are the best. So my bar visit was an enriching experience ;p Also my classes at the school are going great… the students are very
nice…and today I started at my second school too. Here its 13 and 14 year olds…some look nearly as old as me tall too..but they very sweet  very curious about india…the school s there…one even asked me if we had houses in the school meaning like in harry potter there were diff houses Gryffindor, slythrin etc..:P I said of course. The class is
going to be divided in 2 and im going to be handling one half by
myself. And when there are breaks between classes…I have to go to the
teachers lounge and talk to old people …..

And I cooked for the first time after having come to france…and how ive cooked !! I cooked for 5 people !! vic and her family. I made pulav, and raitha and alu ka paratha !  it came out awesome !! but not at all easy I tell u. cutting veggies took almost 2 hours..im slow
of course…then I realized none of the vessels I got from india work here because its and electric stove. So to make the pulav and boil the alu I had to fill a pan which worked on the stove with water and then put the cooker in the water, it took 2 hours and the rice was just
half boiled. Then the electric cooker than vic gave and I din know how to use came to my rescue. I just used it and the rice came out fine but the pulav looked like dal chaval..watery…I tought wot the hell it tastes good and wot do they know….

by the time I wanted to bake it it was all stuck and ripped when I pulled at it. But then The parathas I “ latisified “ them all together and like a fool laid them one on top of another. So I baked them all ripped and holey but it tasted great. Then packed it all and took it
to their home. Made the raitha and when I opened the pulav dabba miracle it was nice and dry !! not watery at all! Perfect.  and the paratha I cut In halves and they din look bad at all. They loved the raitha the best bcause they used to eating yoghurt with sugar and
fruits never salt and veggies. They ate it all!! And they clapped for me…ha  I took in all the praise. Its such a good happy feeling when u cook and everyone cleans their plate and asks for second helpings too.  it makes me wanna slave over the stove again. :P

so finished this dinner by 7:30 yesterday and went to a friends place…Lisa.she s Italian and made pure Italian coffee…(everyone drinks coffee at night too..black that too.) and I
din get sleep till 4 in the morning. Now I know to be careful of her coffee’s  im getting used to black coffee now..i like mine with 2 cubes of sugar. So I get both a caffeine and sugar rush…or so they say. And then we both went to another friends place. Another assistant.
Biljana pronounce billiana. German. All the assistants were there. 10
of us almost. And ti was like a pot luck. She d made pasta and cheese called spaetzle..from the south of germany..i had my pulav with me..the spanish guy jesus pronounced hesus had got some canapé s but I din taste cuz it was not vegetarian…then the Italian got her coffee
and the russian got her wine…it was a lovely evening..

We were eating and chatting till 11 about our diff cultures and languages it s similarities..they were very curious about Sanskrit and how many European languages draw inspiration from it. Then I wrote one girls name In hindi and they all like the script so much they all wanted their names written in hindi for them..lol..:Pits always very lively when we all get together…all languages are being thrown about..a bunch speaking in French and replies in Spanish..

Today I had leftovers…I have more left for tomoro too…the alu sabzi left from the paratha became my stuffing for a sandwich and I have some pulav left for tomoro too. And 2 boiled potatos. The flask I got is so useful. I made hot chocolate and its so very
nice to sip it now and then. Today there was a freee movie screening at the cinema here and we all went very excited..it was called la citadel asiege meaning the fort
under attack…so we all went just to discover that the fort was indeed a termite nest and it was not a typical war movie but how grass hoppers and tarantulas and snakes attack an ant and termite nest and how these insects cope with the natural forces like rain…and its not
animated…it was like a discovery channel rip off. So ugh…I love discovery but I never ever watch insect shows…now we spent 1.5 hours watching creepy things on the big screen and unwarranted sound effects which din go with the insect theme. So we came out all disgusted and having learnt a lesson. “ there is a reason why some screenings are FREE “. So im sitting here on my desk and its 11.30…and im going to say bye
and mail it tomoro from school..
So byee….

Ill post more soon…
Love
aishu