Road to Salzburg, the home of Mozart.
Okay! So this is the LAST week of my blogging as my time in Austria is coming to an end very soon 🤩. This week I have decided to record my every day movement until I fly out from Vienna Airport. The recording will be edited and published sometime later when I get home. I cannot believe it is almost time to go home. This past week has been another full on funfil week.
My adventure has involved a trip to Salzburg the home of Mozart and a stop over in Linz to catch up with other family members. My host sister Ingrid invited me on semester break trip to Linz with her children so that was awesome.
So because it was semester break we had a week off school and Ingrid's children came and stayed. I spent the entire weekend with two of my host sisters children which was fun because they kept me occupied and they are very talkative even though there is the language barrier. I must admit it has been hard and I get frustrated because they speak in German and I try to keep up with them. But bless they they are supercool to hang out with.
Monday rolled around and it was time to pack for my adventurous week ahead 🤩.
Tuesday came and we left at 8am with Ingrid and the kids, we firstly drove to Leoben to see my host brother and his family. We spent a bit of time there and had some lunch before we were on route to Linz 😝😝 the drive was amazing, the mountains are just incredible and to be honest it reminded me alot of when I was in Queenstown driving down to Bluff with my family last year after aunty Kara's wedding. The scenery is quite the same to the South Island but I have to say Austria is better 👀😌 haha we eventually arrived in Linz and it was about 1pm so we went to pick up my host brothers children so we could go to the zoo with them 😝.
We walked around and fed a few animals and they even had an albino kangaroo 🥺 My phone was at 2% so I couldn’t take any photos but it was so crazy, I don’t even think New Zealand has kangaroos and Australia is right next door! Omg, also. There was even a freaking room you could go into that had PYTHON snakes and💀😭 A CROCODILE, it was insane. INSANE man. like I’ve been to a zoo before but Austria definitely has better zoos than NZ 🤣 (i don’t even know what I’m talking about I havnt been to a zoo back home in years).
Before our visit to the zoo, we visited a small church where I paid my respects for my Nana Kelena. I was given the opportunity to light a candle for her and said a prayer for my family back home in New Zealand. I guess praying was also my way of coping with been so far away from family and because I didn’t get to say goodbye with the family.
Time was getting late so we went and stayed with family, which was convenient as they were close to where we needed to go the following day. Ingrid's inlaws place was beautiful, again I felt out of place.
On Wednesday because the weather was bad we went to a museum, it had many floors some I can’t even remember what had in them. On the first floor you could watch a 4D film about space and play these virtual reality games which was pretty cool for kids. The second floor was a bit of a kids play area which was cool not gonna lie, I played around bit hahaha and had a laugh in this small sandpit with the children 🤣 although the unfortunate thing was I couldn’t take any photos which was kinda sucky but it was okay 👌🏼.
On the third floor I believe it was a musical floor, there was an open studio where you could test out many different softwares people use to produce songs which I thought was pretty cool, I got a few equipment ideas and names soooo let’s go mamaz we are gonna have fun this year 🤣🤣🤣🤣👀Shopping mode when we get home Ma.
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On Wednesday because the weather was bad we went to a museum, it had many floors some I can’t even remember what had in them. On the first floor you could watch a 4D film about space and play these virtual reality games which was pretty cool for kids. The second floor was a bit of a kids play area which was cool not gonna lie, I played around bit hahaha and had a laugh in this small sandpit with the children 🤣 although the unfortunate thing was I couldn’t take any photos which was kinda sucky but it was okay 👌🏼.
On the third floor I believe it was a musical floor, there was an open studio where you could test out many different softwares people use to produce songs which I thought was pretty cool, I got a few equipment ideas and names soooo let’s go mamaz we are gonna have fun this year 🤣🤣🤣🤣👀Shopping mode when we get home Ma.
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I also visited another Cathedral, it is the second biggest church in Austria after the St Stephans Cathedral in Vienna. Whilst building this vast church, it was said that it could not be built bigger than the St Stephens Cathedral, so the workers were smart and made the cross on the top of the church in Linz taller so it could stretch to about the same size of the Vienna church. CraZy right ?!
The next day was the day I had been waiting for the most, the day I went to Salzburg aka the home Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart. Ingrid took me to the Mozart house which is such a big tourist attraction. It was incredible, I cant remember the countless conversations mum and I had about Mozart and learning about Mozart at Hauraki Plains College. You know I studied Mozart history at school last year and I never imagined that I would one day visit his home town. I am a major fan and a dream come true to be able to come here and do this. I experienced all sorts of emotions thinking of my family and how much work we did to get me here.
I was not allowed to take pictures as there were very strict rules about taking photographs. I suppose its kinda special for me to be able to do this and take virtual memory clips for my own kete. I did do one of my mum's ones where I took a sneaky picture. In my defense I was fascinated with the kitchen so I had to get a picture of it. I really wanted a picture of his music sheets because that was amazing.
The Mozart house had different things, I walked through his house, even saw Mozart’s old music sheets and letters he wrote for his wife and wish I could’ve had the chance to take a picture but there were guards all around.
I stood in the same exact room Mozart was born in and I was even lucky enough to see the remains of his kitchen. When people say he died poor he really did, the kitchen was so small old and dusty. When I think of kitchens in NZ and outside kitchen type umu space in Niue I am reminded of how lucky I am to grow up in my era, where things are easily availalbe and accessible. Literally when I say I have learned alot I mean it. I have learnt so much history and I am so grateful for this opportunity. Biggest learning for me was learning about Mozart the man and his music. Mozart's real name is Wolfgang Amedeus and in fact he had 6 children. Wolfgang's 4 children died during the era of the plague and influenza. Wolfgang was an average man who was incredibly talented. He made money from writing music and sadly he died poor because he spent all his money.
Another thing I learnt while being in Salzburg alone is The name “Anna” and “Anna-Maria” was a really really common name used for girls which I thought was cool 😎😝. Coool cos its my name too so I have something in common with Salzburg.
Unfortunately good things always have to come to an end and we eventually had to leave the Mozart museum. We then went and did a little tiki touring at another museum which just so happened to be a castle which the popes used to live in many years back, it was absolutely beautiful again there was so much history but no pictures of inside were allowed.
Overall the castle was hugeee it took the rest of the afternoon from 2-5 to go through the entire museum 😆😆 but it was awesome. I have to say Austrian history is crazy amazing ❤ So after touring around we finally left Salzburg, the children were getting tired and it was a very very cold day so we had to leave. It was about a 3 hour drive from Salzburg back home to Hitzendorf so it was a bit of a distance.
On Friday I slept in because we got home at around 10pm. I needed to get some rest because at 6pm I was packing my bags for the fasching the next day 😉 and I was going to a Carnival with my friends.
Saturday came by fast, I did a bit of packing up bits and pieces before it was time to leave to go to my friends house for the Fasching. A fasching is a carnival celebrated every single year all over Europe where you dress up as something so this year in Semriach the theme was American so there were so many people dressed in American fancy and quirky clothes.
There was even a lady who had a Donald Trump blow up between her legs as if she was sitting on him, I thought that was hilarious 🤣🤣 there were so many creative costumes. I dressed as a NFL player, my friend Leonie was a basketball player, Mara was an alien and Katja my other friend was a cheerleader. Initially I was going to go as Moana of Motunui, but changed I changed my mind. It was a fun!
There was a Downstairs venue which was a disco area/dance area for the young ones and the top half was a venue for the parents etc. I danced ALLL night and I had many people from my school ask me “are you okay?” 🤣.
I had to laugh at them because they were witnessed to the real Annafinau Tukuitoga 🤣 nobody in my three months of being here has seen me dance and be my usual self until Saturday night where I danced my booty off to Danza Kuduro 🤣🤣🤩 it was such an awesome night though I had so much fun!
Ahhh and on Sonntag(Sunday) my friends and I all woke up at around 11, we got home at about 2am because we all wanted to dance for longer 😂 💃 we played some monopoly and then eventually it was time to come back home to Hitzendorf.
Today is Montag (Monday) I was back at school and now I’m currently in my bed snuggled up in my blankets whilst writing this at 11:40pm hahahaha.
This week I’ll be recording a bit of my day everyday and then hopefully by the time I’m back in New Zealand I will have a cool video posted of my last week 😋
But this is itttt for this week/last week technically hahaha but I hope everyone has a blessed day xoxox
CIAOOO XOXOXOXOXOX
Special Note:
My utmost gratitude to Ingrid and my host family for taking me to Salzburg. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn and create memories with you all. Thank You all so much for having me, caring for me and taking me with you. This is one of those moments in my life I will never forget. I know my family are also thankful for all you have done for me. Fakaue Lahi. Anna.
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