The biggest difference between an American and a European, it seems, is their definition of “walking distance.” This isn’t my pearl of wisdom; it’s something I’ve been told from day one by the Salzburg College employees. I think of myself as quite the walker, living on Northeastern’s urban campus with no car and all. But guys, this country puts me to shame.
Before I saw it, the distance between my dorm and the school was described with that very subjective term, walking distance. It wasn’t until after I’d been assigned that I realized it was a trap. As the other dorm ladies and I sat with Konrad from Salzburg College, getting our housing assignments, he pointed at our route to school on the map and said something along the lines of, “Just go over the mountain and over the river.”
“To grandmother’s house?” Someone said.
What I would later learn is that walking distance is a 25-minute walk that involves passing through a small mountain by way of underground tunnels and crossing the Salzach river. It’s by no means too far to travel on foot, but as someone hasn’t moved more than 10 feet from campus in three years, it’s not precisely what I was picturing.
I don’t mean to be negative though! I actually really like the walk. The route weaves through the shops and outdoor vendors of Salzburg’s Old Town, takes me right behind Mozart’s birth house, and includes one of the best views of the mountains I’ve found so far. Plus, I eat so much bread in this country that it’s probably good for me to walk it off occasionally.
It’s dinner rolls on dinner rolls on dinner rolls here, guys.
Salzburg has a bus system, which I normally don’t take, but I’ve had only positive experiences with it when I have used it. The ticket system is a bit odd, though. You don’t have to show or swipe any sort of ticket to get onto the bus here. Instead, they send little secret spies onto the bus who conduct surprise ticket checks and fine you if you don’t have one. This might be common in the US too, but I always take the T so I wouldn’t know. The fact that my normal neighbor on the bus could at any moment turn on me is a little bit “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, but it’s overall a very clean and user-friendly transit system.
