ramblings~
Yijin + girls! '05
Xiz, Ms Wang + guys! '04
* 03S78
* hwachong junior college
* candice
* lifang
* yang
* xiaoxuan
* hilda
* quanyao
* xizhen
* sharon
* huiqi
* meiyin
* yijin
* yifan
* pear
* nwxiang
* weixin
* samuel
* ningqi
* pua
* yilin
* eliza
* wijaya
* ronnie
* weilei
* bong
* ryan shea
* wuwei
* r~linz
* hwachong!
* IVLE :)
* 30th Anniversary!
* HJC Council! :)
* our funky yahoogroups! :)
* winning thinkquest entry - i-Matrix
* blogger
* blogskins
* junior class!
* grandjuniors!
* 06s78
* 07s78
* 08s78
* dearly beloved ms wang!
* 03S77
* 03S75
* 03S71
* 03S7A
* 03A11
* 03A12
* 03S62
* 03S69
* 04S68
* 04S62
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Backpacking 06: Salzburg
2nd June - 4th June
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Blanketed in the mist of rain for most of the days we were there, Salzburg brooded in a faintly tarnished languor… like an aging yet still very beautiful courtesan in a smoke-filled room, avid to welcome us yet weary too of ardent ways. The charm she exuded didn’t hit us at first. After all, it was raining and windy and we were cold, wet and hungry. But the cosy and natury feel of the city grows on you.
No skyscrapers or office buildings were in sight in Salzburg, just small shops and eateries around the churches and sights. So the city was relatively small: we could have finished walking it in a day, even if it was under the cover of umbrellas. We took our time exploring the gardens of Schloss Mirabell where some scenes of “the sound of music” were filmed. In the picture on the left, you can see the fountain of the garden with the fortress in the background. We also visited Mozart’s residence, which documented mostly how his family dealt with raising him and nuturing his musical genius. Had dinner at Fred’s doners, a quiet shop near our hostel selling cheap and delicious doner kebabs. It was really UP. He was nice enough to let us clear our small change too… while we were nice enough to patronize his shop again the next night =)
Another surprise awaited the next morning when we stumbled upon a massive parade, still not sure what it was for though but it seemed to be celebrating traditional folk life. Spent most of the remainder of the day visiting the Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) which offered a great view of the city and insights into the history of the city.
But the highlight of Salzburg was the 3rd day. Had a very filling breakfast at the hostel and met friendly fellow backpackers as well as a few Asians studying music in the city. Took the bus to Schloss Hellbrunn, summer residence of the Prince Archbishops and famous for its Wasserspiele (trick fountains). These hidden fountains were quite an engineering feat at that time and haunt every corner and angle of the gardens. Imagine going to have lunch outdoors with the archbishop. After your meal, suddenly, water spurts out from under your seat. Your pants get soaked but to make matters worse, you cant get up from your seat until the archbishop does. According to the archbishop, it was installed to refresh guests after they had their beers… okay =)
Had a quick lunch picnic in the rain of nutella, bread and apples before heading to Untersberg to go up the Alps. Everyone at the cable car station must have thought we were nuts to go up the Alps in this weather. But being crazy teenagers who had come all the way from Singapore, that wasn’t going to stop us!
It was the first time seeing snow for most of us. Naturally, the feeling was magical, like we’d just discovered another world of nature and were left speechless in awe. All of us seemed to have a collective déjà vu: of childhood fantasy. Euphoria then followed: snowball fights, failed snow angels, taking crappy videos, making a snowman and a trudge up into an unknown cabin which turned out to be a skiers tavern.
I think it’s a fleeting feeling even memory cant capture the essence of. Like for that period of time, everyone tastes the exhilaration of reckless abandon and warmth of childhood bliss. Everyone relishes the moment: of each others’ company as well as the fun we’re having. Its this type of unforgettable moments with your friends that people try so hard to relive and recapture during the rest of their lives. It was a dream within a dream.
Having read our junior class’s rather nostalgic posts, went back to read what we were thinking when we graduated. Those were posts in Nov 04, one and a half years ago. Really funny reading how we wrote stuff back then, like kids like that. (Which is why having a class diary/blog rox) Haha, we’re only marginally better now =P But I still do agree with what was said then: that the feelings in friendships or any relationship will change, that we must not be too parochial and cling to past perceptions of good times but treasure our times with each other in the new contexts. Easier said than done but I think we’re still doing fine. Let's hope it carries on =)
Remember writing this on graduation, with reference to the awwish picture of a rose on ice we used to have at the top of the blog. Sadly, never got to and still cant complete the 2nd stanza to reply the 1st but still felt it would end this post well:
A whithering rose, a fading scent.
A chapter’s close, a heart’s content.
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ryaniq lived on 3:22 AM
- 03S78 forever -
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