By Natalie Brown
After a very busy first semester filled with classes, activities, and tours, it was finally time for Christmas break. We had three weeks without classes where we were free to travel around and enjoy the Christmas holiday. On Christmas Eve we enjoyed a wonderful dinner cooked by Mr. Mustain, the director of Bon Appétit at University of Portland and also the father of one of the Salzburgers. Although many of us traveled throughout the break, most of us made our way back to the Salzburg to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends here at the Center. After Christmas, many of us dispersed to celebrate the New Year in different places.
What did you think of the Christmas Eve Dinner at the Center?
I was very impressed with how much work went into our Christmas Eve dinner and it tasted absolutely wonderful. My favorite part was being able to visit with everyone and meet people’s families.
–Allie Thomas
I was traveling so I missed the dinner, but I heard it was amazing.
-Alex Calvert
It was really fun to meet everybody’s families. Even though I missed home a little bit, I still felt at home with my Salzburg family. It was very special and the food was great. I would definitely recommend that you stay in Salzburg for Christmas.
-Becca Beshoar
It was delicious. We didn’t expect that big of a meal. So it was really cool of Grace’s father to come and do that for us. And we got a second dinner the next day! It was the closest thing we’ve had to home cooking since we’ve been here. It was really fun to have everybody’s families around because it did feel like one big extended family. We really made Salzburg a home.
-Cerice Keller
How did you celebrate Christmas Day?
I opened gifts from family and friends and was able to go to mass at the Von Trapp family Villa which was a great experience. It was really nice to be able to experience mass in such a famous family home. I spent the rest of the day relaxing with people I love.
-Allie Thomas
I went to my uncle’s house in London which was really cool and fun. It was nice to see some family that I don’t get to see very often as well as getting to spend time with friends. It was a vacation to remember, similar to Mandy Moore’s walk.
-Alex Calvert
I went to the Christmas Eve mass at the dome, which was wonderful and beautiful. I also got to go to mass at the Von Trapp Family Villa, which was really fun because a lot of people’s families ended up going. It was a pretty small mass, mostly just us. Then I got to spend a lot of time relaxing with friends.
-Becca Beshoar
I was one of the so called “orphans” at the center because I didn’t have family coming to visit, but it was okay because there were quite a few of us. To keep us feeling cheery we all got up at 8 o’clock on Christmas morning and opened stockings together on the third floor.
-Cerice Keller
How does this year’s Christmas compare to Christmas at home?
It was definitely strange to not have the traditions of home and family. It did not feel the same as Christmas at home, but it was a great experience and something that I will always remember.
-Allie Thomas
It was very fun and different. There were some things I missed, but my family came to visit which was really nice.
-Alex Calvert
It was definitely different from being at home and I missed my family, but it was still very joyful and exciting and I felt very welcome and at home.
-Becca Beshoar
It was really interesting, not bad, but it was definitely weird. There wasn’t the same build up of seeing all the commercials on TV and waiting to go home for Christmas. It was just us hanging out in the center. It was still an awesome Christmas, but it was not exactly like an American Christmas.
-Cerice Keller
Did you miss any traditions from home or discover any new traditions?
I missed the Norwegian Christmas that we always had with my grandmother and my mom’s delicious home-made cinnamon roles on Christmas morning. I also missed watching “Muppet’s Christmas Carol” with all my cousins, which is something we do every year. But one interesting thing I learned here is that Europeans hold the tradition that little baby Jesus comes to deliver the presents instead of Santa Claus.
-Allie Thomas
The tradition of the Krampus run was definitely new. It was terrifying, but a lot of fun. Also, the Christmas market in Salzburg was magical and they should have them everywhere.
-Becca Beshoar
There were definitely some things I missed. My family always hosts a Christmas Eve party at our house and my mom makes spicy chilly. Also, I didn’t get Christmas Eve pj’s this year. That’s been a tradition since I can remember. But I still couldn’t sleep to save my life that night; too excited.
-Cerice Keller
What was a highlight from your Christmas break?
I had a lot of free time to really explore and get to know Salzburg even more which was really wonderful. I also loved having the ability to take some longer trips to new places, like Prague.
-Allie Thomas
The snow in Europe, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
-Alex Calvert
I think my favorite thing was just being in Salzburg and enjoying the Christmas market and Christmas activities with friends. Christmas in Salzburg is really beautiful. Also, we had a Secret Santa gift exchange which was really fun. It was probably one of my favorite things that we did.
-Becca Beshoar
One of my highlights was getting to go to Amsterdam the week leading up to Christmas. There is real culture and beauty to that city. It’s one of those places I wouldn’t mind being lost for a day without a map.
-Cerice Keller
Where did you spend New Years?
I was in Vienna for New Years. It was pretty inexpensive to get there and it was close by. I wanted to go back and visit after having seen Vienna on our tour.
-Allie Thomas
I was in Paris for new years. It was beautiful to see the lights of the city and the Eiffel Tower.
-Alex Calvert
I was in Munich for New Years and it was… cold.
-Becca Beshoar
I was in Berlin with a group of friends and there was so much fascinating history and awesome culture. It was an amazing trip and being in the new years celebration there was like being in the middle of a WWII battle, except everyone was happy and having a great time.
-Cerice Keller
What was your favorite part of that trip?
Seeing the fireworks show at the stroke of midnight and enjoying the general splendor of New Years Eve. It was great to experience and I would recommend it to anyone.
-Allie Thomas
Well, it wasn’t in Paris, but I think my favorite part from my trip during Christmas break was riding a gondola in Venice.
-Alex Clavert
It was really great to spend time with friends and celebrate the New Year together.
-Becca Beshoar
I loved New Years Eve night, because we were surrounded by a group of people. There was a huge spectacle to it all. It was hard to imagine that that many people populated that area, and we were in the middle of it with a fire cracker two feet away from us. I also loved visiting the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. If you ever get a chance to go there, it is one of the most humbling and moving experiences.
-Cerice Keller
Was there anything special about celebrating New Years there?
The Vienna Waltz is a special tradition in Vienna, which we heard about but didn’t get to see. Spending New Years in Vienna was a really great experience. I’ve never been out in a big city with thousands of people on New Years before, so it was new and exciting.
-Allie Thomas
They have little lady bug cake and piggy cakes there that are supposed to bring good luck for the new year, which were pretty cool. And the firework show was really beautiful.
-Becca Beshoar
It was just so cool to see that there were people from everywhere. We met people from Berlin, from the Netherlands, from Brazil. It’s amazing to think that we are all so different, but we were all there in the same place celebrating one thing in the same way. It’s so cool in its simplicity, we’re all so different, but we can come together to celebrate this tradition.
-Cerice Keller