Salzburg was the next stop on our tour through Bavaria. Like most tourists, the main draw of Salzburg was the Sound of Music tour to have an excuse to have sing along with 100+ adults and it did not disappoint. Before meeting the tour group, we stopped in a cafe for a pastry and coffee and I immediately knew that Austrian coffee was much better than whatever we had been drinking in Munich. I even made friends with two retired gentlemen sitting besides up. On the trip I realized that living in Florida was an easy conversation starter because it is one of the few states that most have heard of or have even been too (hello Orlando, Miami and West Palm) and suprisingly people had heard of Tallahassee which blew my mind. 

And then we were off on our morning bus ride through town and the Lake District with stops to see the Abbey, the house(s) used in the film and the church from the wedding scene. The Lake District was unbelievably quaint and surrounded by mountains in all directions. Apfel strudle and coffee made for the perfect pick me up in Mondsee. 

Once we returned to Salzburg, after touring the gardens, we walked to the city center for a quick walking tour. I loved how the city was set up in squares and you could wander from one to the next getting lost in the maze. Snacks along the way included my first currywurst of the trip and a stop at the Augustiner beer hall to end the day.

There were a lot of tourists in Salzburg and most were in large tour groups which were hard to maneuver around. Also, walking is pretty much the only way to get around Salzburg so by the early afternoon my feet were not happy. Samantha and I took the train up to the top of the fortress to take in the views, which was well worth the cost. 

Looking back on my week-long trip to Germany and Austria, I am still amazed by how much I was able to fit into one week. I don't think I could have kept up the same pace for another week, but it would have been nice to have more time to explore the region. 

After landing and dropping our bags off at our Airbnb (we stayed in this flat for reference and I can't recommend it enough!) we grabbed a sandwich in the train station and visited Dachau since many of the other sites were not open on Sundays. I had mixed feelings about beginning the trip with Dachau since I knew that it would weigh heavy on my heart. Seeing the camp in person helped bring to life the Holocaust history and literature lessons in high school and nothing can quite prepare you for it.

After we arrived back in Munich, we had dinner at Geisinger Garten, a neighborhood Bavarian restaurant, at the recommendation of our Airbnb host and it did not disappoint. It was the first of many meals of pork, dumplings, pickled veggies and beer to come for the week. And I didn't hate it one bit.

Monday was spent on a day trip to the medieval town of Regensburg, about 2.5 hours northeast of Munich. It was just Samantha and I and a Canadian couple along with our tour guide. The village was unique in that all within about ten minutes you could see part of the Roman wall, a 14th century cathedral and Zara. The town center, with its narrow lanes of pastel-colored buildings, reminded me a lot of Nice. One of the highlights of the day was eating lunch at Wurstkuchl, the oldest sausage stand in the world. They've had 500 years to perfect sausage, sauerkraut and sweet mustard. 

Tuesday was our last day in Munich before we caught a late afternoon train to Salzburg. In each city, we opted to do the Rick Steves Walking Tour on his Radio Europe app. If you like going at your own pace, I would highly recommend them. They were a great way to get aquainted with the city center and know where museums or sites are to revisit and explore more indepth. 

The walking tour took about 3-4 hours (with stops for snacks at 3 hour intervals of course) and took us by Marienplatz, St. Peter's Church, Viktualienmarkt, Asam Church, Hofbrauhaus, Residenz, Hofgarten and Englischer Garten to name a few. From many of the blogs I read in preparing for the trip, the consensus was that Munich was a fantastic hub to take day trips to Bavaria from, but didn't require much time in itself for exploration. I would agree with that. It would have been nice to have had a full day to not feel as rushed. Although we did end up dozing off on a park bench in the English Garden before heading back to the train station, so perhaps I couldn't have lasted on my feet all day after all.  

I would like to end this semi-brief recap of my trip with a warning to never fly United internationally. About halfway into the 9 hour flight, after the dinner service and the lights were turned off, I had a brief moment I didn't think I would be able to make it through the remainder of the flight. I know that sounds awfully dramatic, but coach was like a cattle car, especially when the person in front of you decides to recline their seat and there were only four in-flight movies to choose from so don't count on that being a distraction. End rant.

Samantha and I leave for our week-long adventure in Germany and Austria on Saturday. We've been planning and dreaming about this trip in some form or fashion since graduation two years ago. The destination changed several times along the way and for the past year we have been working out all of the details and brushing up on our Hapsburg history. Part of the thrill of traveling for me is planning because extends the excitement a little longer. 

During our semester abroad, we did little planning outside of picking our favorite destinations and booking a place to stay. Other than that, we showed up, wandered around, explored, and did things as we stumbled upon them. Which was fine. But other than finding every gelato stand in Venice, I feel like I may have missed out a little or didn't fully appreciate what I was looking at because I had zero historical or cultural context for the area. 

For the most part, this will not be one of those trips. I would like to leave feeling like I saw and did everything I wanted to and it would be ok if I never made it back for a second visit. You can follow along on Instagram @jesskboyd. 

In other life news, I got a new job! This week will be the last at my current job, next week I'm on vacation, and then I start at my new agency right after I return. Needless to say, the next month will be chaotic. But in an exciting way. 

My newsfeed is filled with new moves and adventures. Many of the friends I graduated with are on their second city. At times I love that I've finally started to feel at home. I don't have to use Google maps every time I get in the car. I have my favorite restaurants and coffee shops. I'm comfortable. As nice as that sound, I don't want to grow too settled into a routine where I wake up in five years not realizing where the time has gone.

This is the time to explore, wander, dream, try new things and see new places. Although I won't spend a year biking from Oregon to Patagonia, I want to be conscious of not slipping into a rut simply because it makes me comfortable whether it eventually ends in a move and a leap of faith, or simply mixing it up more at home. 

What do you do when you begin to feel restless staying in one place too long? 

When out of the country, no one wants to be the obnoxious person who has to secretly hope everyone they come in contact with either speaks English or can translate a crude sign language system. Most people have the best intentions to travel equipped with a few key phrases (particularly "do you speak English?") in the language of the land they are visiting. 

If you are visiting multiple countries on your adventure then the goal becomes much more far fetched. Before traveling from Paris to Italy for spring break, I had just felt comfortable with basic conversational French. The idea of Italian phrases was too much and even common greetings and words that are almost identical in Spanish escaped me. The silver lining of that experience was that a lifetime of eating a American/Italian restaurants sort of prepared me to navigate the menu, which if we're being honest is the most important lesson.

A year ago I had the best of intentions of knowing much more than the basic German for Travelers. But, alas, one month out and I'm doing good to count to ten. Slowly. As the realization began to sink in I frantically started flying through Duolingo lessons and daily Coffee Break German sessions hoping to get a crash course in language learning which has never been my strong suit. Instead of Spotify, I have German radio turned on in the background hoping that something will sink in.

Do you have any tips or resources for learning the bare necessities for vacation? 

Part of packing light means that your phone truly becomes multi-functional. Not only does it continue to be your lifeline to friends and family, but it's also your boarding pass, in-flight entertainment, camera, map, translator and guide to the best restaurants in town. Since your phone is an extension of you, it's important to carry a portable charger in the likely event that the battery dies in the middle of the day when you are nowhere near an electrical outlet.

Tripomatic I just discovered Tripomatic last week, but I know that it's going to be crucial for creating itineraries for European vacations. Not only does it have city maps (unfortunately, to gain offline access, you have to pay), but it also contains a list of all of the most popular attractions that you can add to your itinerary and then switch around based on proximity to each other. They also have a whole slew of guided tours and activities that you can add to your trip if you would like a little bit more context and explanation about what you are looking at. After taking two coach day tours in Scotland and Ireland, I highly recommend them as a way to see and learn a lot without having to do a lot of planning.

TripIt TripIt is a must have for all vacations, whether domestic or abroad. As you receive confirmation emails for flights, hotels, attractions, rental cars, etc. forward them to TripIt to keep them all in one place. Although I'm still one of those people who will keep a paper copy of reservations in a folder, it's nice to know that I'll only have to dig through a mountain of paperwork as a last resort.

Rick Steves Audio Europe Too cheap to pay for a city walking or bus tour? Say what you will about Rick Steves, but he has provided free offline walking tours of all of Europe's major cities that last between 1-2 hours. I haven't listened through any yet, but I can't imagine that it could be any worse than aimlessly wandering around admiring the architecture or people watching and that's it.

Google Flights Although not a downloadable app, I'm such a fan of searching flights on Google rather than Kayak. The interface is much more clean and uncluttered. The fastest and cheapest flights are grouped at the top of the list depending on what matters most to you. It is also easy to compare prices month to month if you are extremely about your dates of travel. Plus, once you have selected an itinerary, you can save it to track the price as well as email it to friends and family so you can all rest easy knowing you are all booking the same flight.

CityMaps2Go Paper maps are a thing of the past. Download the maps you will need before you depart and have offline access. It's a game changer. 

Duolingo I like the repetitive nature of Duolingo and how it turns language learning into a game and combines writing, listening and speaking the language to get a better feel for it. Don't expect to become fluent through this system, but you will be able to navigate the street, and most importantly a menu, by the time you are halfway through. 

At some point in your life you will experience a flight delay or cancellation. Be it mother nature or the airlines who constantly overbook flights, you will face hours in an airport terminal left with the task of entertaining yourself for hours on end. 

For the lucky ones, you will catch the next flight of the day and make it to your destination, or will be put up in one of the classy airport hotels. And those of you whose luck has run out, you will put all of your Girl Scout training to good use and fashion a cot out of a bench of seats.

Whether you are spending an extended layover in the terminal or if the Departures board is filled with cancellations, here are a few of my must have items to pass the time. Because we all know they inflate the prices of books, magazines, gum and Advil in the airport because they know you have no where to buy life's necessities. 

Mine includes a lip balm/cuticle salve, phone charger, refillable water bottle, back issues of magazines I've been meaning to read, snacks (luna bars are the best!), a laptop filled with movies and my Starbucks gold card (because if you must pay $5 for a latte, you might as well get rewards for it; or better yet, save your free drink for when you are in the airport!)

And if you tire of people watching, here are 101 things to do to fill your time. Some of them are pretty hilarious and only for those with an adventurous spirit. 

It's been pretty much decided that this Labor Day while everyone else is enjoying a day out on the lake, Samantha and I will be living out our dream of becoming a von Trapp. Seven days spent traipsing through the Bavarian Alps on a diet of bratzel and melted cheese is my idea of the perfect vacation. I'm still trying to come up with the perfect hashtag for the trip so said people out on their boats can follow along and realize how their vacation pales in comparison. 

To prepare for this adventure, I'm reading up on all of the Austrian Wars of Succession, and when that gets a little dull and/or confusing without the help of a timeline, I'm filling in the gaps by reading The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki. Side note: The Meet the Habsburgs promotional photoshoot Sarah and Kiel were a part of is kind of my favorite thing ever.

The week's tentative agenda will include visits to: 

Flickr Creative Commons | Rossella Di Maria

Neuschwanstein Castle - Because who doesn't want to pretend to be Cinderella for a little while? Plus, the hike up the hill to the castle will help burn off some of the calories from my strict bratzel, cheese and streusel diet. 

Munich Olympic Park - I'm obsessed with the Olympics, which more than likely stems from my severe lack of any sort of athletic ability, so I'm looking forward to exploring the site of the 1972 summer games.

Flickr Creative Commons | Christian Scheja

Dachau - In high school english, we did an extended lesson on Holocaust history, and although I know that this will be an extremely sobering experience, I think it will help to give a frame of reference to all of the books and history lessons I've read through on the subject.

Pinakothek Museum - The Pinakothek is one of the oldest art galleries in the world and houses one of the most famous collections of Old Master paintings (according to Wikipedia). I'm a master of the "stare - stand back - sigh" method of observing art and in my mind it makes me look like an art expert.

Flickr Creative Commons | amador_emmanuel34

Sound of Music tour - To fulfill my dream of being Leisel. That is all.

Mönchsberg Walk - According to Rick Steves, the Mönchsberg Walk is the "hills are alive" stroll you can enjoy in the heart of Salzburg. And who am I to argue with Rick Steves?

Flickr Creative Commons | Donald Windley

Munich Residenz - This former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs of the House of Wittelsbach is the largest city palace in Germany. This will act as a point of comparision to the many palaces of the Habsburgs in Vienna.

Flickr Creative Commons | Iker

Everything related to the Habsburgs - Castles, artwork, more palaces, armour, musical instruments, ancient Greek statues, I want to see it all. To include, but not limited to, the Hofburg Imperial Apartments, Hofburg Treasury, Schönbrunn Palace (because everyone needs a summer palace as well) and the Hofburg New Palace Museums.

Cathedrals - Not to brag or anything, but my semester in Paris made me an expert on gothic cathedral architecture. Seriously, I could talk about apses, narthexes and naves for hours. I preferred the French and British cathedrals to the Italian (which are the Real Housewives of New Jersey of cathedrals) and I'm looking forward to compare the German style as well.

It's been almost three years since this city stole my heart. This time of year, and especially in light of all the tragedy that has taken place, I always enjoy reminiscing. And thanks to Instagram, I can pretend for just a little while that I am once again strolling down the boulevards, baguette in hand. My bank account is most thankful for this; without it, who knows how many transatlantic flights I would have booked by now just for a quick visit?

Here are a few of my favorite accounts to follow for my daily dose of all things parisienne: beautiful buildings, cafe, ornate doors, flowers, pastries, the breathtaking skylines...I could go on for days.

@lepetitparis

@elizavitainparis

@fattireparis

@parisinfourmonths

@ rebeccaplotnick