Today was our free day, and we could choose to visit anywhere in the vicinity. The group chose Salzburg, Austria, because of “The Sound of Music” and its connection to Mozart. I was a bit concerned in the morning because the forecast predicted intermittent rain (which it did, but it only drizzled, so it was okay). The train ride was about two hours, maybe almost three. Along the way, I was talking to the German students and I was surprised to learn that Austria’s main language is also German.

When we arrived, the group split up into a larger group and a smaller group. I was in the smaller group with another Pitt student, Delaney, and two German students who came with us. It was pouring really badly at first, so we found shelter and ate lunch (killing two birds with one stone). I had a Schnitzel dish — I think European food portion sizes are larger than American ones, but the German students disagreed with me.

When the rain finally died down, we wandered around and explored a bit. We visited the house where Mozart stayed in while in Salzburg and discovered that Austria has these “Mozart chocolates.” I bought some, and they tasted pretty good—the hazelnut in them surprised me at first. We also visited a smaller castle, which had some really pretty flowers and a lovely garden.