Sorry that I haven't been giving you regular daily updates on my Austria trip... but I bet that your inboxes are thankful. haha. Anyways, since I met Ben and Barnaby on my first day, I had traveling companions for the whole trip. Wednesday we climbed that mountain, saw the ice caves (I had to borrow the tour guide's jacket due to the fact that I was wearing shorts and a sweatshirt), toured the fortress that is sitting on a mountain in the city, then went back to the hostel completely worn out. Thursday, we took a bus to Foschlsee, which is a lake in the lake district around Salzburg. And, let me tell you, it was absolutely beautiful!!! The lake was surrounded by mountains, and I felt like I was in a dream. We walked around there for a while, and then we rented a boat to go and row out on the lake. Of course, traveling with two boys always has its negatives, like them trying to constantly scare me by acting like they are going to tip the boat over. (The water was cold!) haha. But, it was a lot of fun. Then we ate some dinner together, and the boys stayed there and camped and I went back into Salzburg with the bus. That night I took a river boat tour of Salzburg. Even though it was drizzling, Salzburg was still beautiful. We went up the very very very strong current and saw the mountains and then rode back downstream. When we were going down, a waltz from Mozart started playing and the guys steering the ship just let go and let us spin down the river. Of course I freaked out a tiny bit, but it was still fun spinning in circles down the river. :) Then I went back, did the daily recap with the girls staying in my hostel, and went to bed early due to my exhaustion factor. Friday was my last day in Salzburg, and I took a bus back out to meet the guys. We just laid out on a dock talking and absorbing the beautiful view, and then we hiked a ways around the lake. I brought them out food, due to the fact that they weren't prepared at all with food and drinks to camp, and then we played some cards and stuff before I took the bus back to the train station and left to go home. My trains were all a few minutes late, but it worked out and I didn't have to miss any connections. (That is really a pain at midnight!) Then I was able to catch the city trains within like two or three minutes, when usually you could be waiting about a half hour for the next one. So, all in all, this was pretty much a perfect trip. It was weird saying goodbye to the guys, because I feel like we became really good friends, and now I don't know if I will ever see them again. They are going to be doing a round the world tour starting in January for four months, and we talked about them coming to see Niagara Falls and me meeting up with them and then flying back to do a tour of England and Ireland with them. We'll see what happens, but I think it's awesome to meet new people and connect with them due to the fact that we just can't get enough of the rest of the world. Gives a new meaning to global citizen. Alright, I guess that you are pretty much caught up now. I'll be home next Wednesday, which I think is absolutely crazy. I've learned so much this summer and experienced so much. Much thanks to all of you guys for supporting me and being the wonderful family and friends that you are. I appreciate all of the emails and love that you're sending to me regularly!!! See you soon! :)
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