Sick in Salzburg

I thought I made it.

It is the last week of the trip. 

“I’m in the clear” I thought.

So naive. 

Salzburg is a tiny (“tiny”… it is still pretty large, 150,000  inhabitants) city in Austria, birthplace of Mozart, second to last stop on our trip. We arrived here on Mozart’s birthday (Saturday) after a very long day of travel by train. Two night prior a group of us went to a Swing Dance in Berlin, and my voice was gone the next day. I thought it was just because it was loud at the dance and I wasn’t speaking from my stomach. 

Oh no.

View of Salzburg from the Hohensalzburg Castle

We arrived at the hotel in Salzburg and I started to get a headache. “No big deal, it will go away after a ton of water” I thought. 

Spoiler: I was so wrong. 

Over the course of the rest of the day, we found a food stand, checked out some shops, walked around Salzburg for an orientation, and lastly ended at the concert hall to hear Elgar’s Violin Concerto and Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, two pieces I am not 100% familiar with but throughly enjoy. 

The concert hall was beautiful and as our second live hearing of the Vienna Philharmonic, I was blown away. We had front row seats and everything to the orchestra. 

Ya Boy Mozart 

Now, I don’t have the best immune system, but I figured I could make it through the concert. I couldn’t have been that sick, it was just a cough. 

Oh boy. 

Being sick and listening to a violin concerto is a wild ride. I was super dizzy, my eyes burned, I started getting a fever and I couldn’t keep my head up. This all is happening as the soloist is going wild on the violin and what an interesting experience. I definitely don’t remember most of the performance because I was too worried about being sick, but I do remember being a total nerd when the second movement was being performed because it sounded like another piece of Elgar’s (Nimrod from the Enigma Variations). 

Then all of a sudden the first half was over. 

I stood up to go outside to try and cool down and I started actually tripping over my feet, so it was time to go home. Luckily, Rachel is a lovely human and went home with me. 

I have gotten better now, but it has been hard getting over this whatever sickness I have. 

Also on the last week of this adventure, I am homesick. As much fun as I have had this past month exploring Europe, enjoying the culture, the food, and my study away peers, I am ready to go home and see my family again. This month has had ups and downs, difficult situations and amazing performances from even more amazing artists. I am glad I am here but I can’t wait to show my family what I saw and what I learned.