Two cities in Austria

Our last day in Vienna started with a visit to the University, because it was O-week and that seemed like fun.  The university was beautiful, so we stopped in for a coffee.  One of our dorm-mates had to head in to register for classes, so we had a chat with him about university life in the city.  He described it as "very nice, but still lots of party."

Then a quick train-ride from Vienna to Salzburg.  The Austrian countryside was exactly as I expected; rolling, picturesque hills and tiny villages as far as the eye can see.

We checked into our hostel in Salzburg, and the Liar and I weren't staying in the same room for the first time during the trip.  We had booked one bed in a six-bed dorm, and one in a four-bed dorm.  We scissors-paper-rocked for the rooms, and I celebrated my victory by moving into the four-bed dorm.

A couple of hours later I found out I would be sharing with three lovely girls whom I immediately began referring to as 'the Angels.'  It was like living in a slumber-party.  They invited us to join them for dinner, and we got our first look at Salzburg's old town.

The Salzach is another blue river, and it rips through the heart of Salzburg.  Over the next few days I would spend many hours running by this river.

As night came on, the city lit up.

We had a traditional Austrian dinner, lots of sausage and grilled meats and dumplings and potato.  The Angels tried a wheat-beer, and found it quite agreeable.  Salzburg itself felt very sleepy, very relaxed; the perfect launching pad as we got ready for Oktoberfest.