Transportation and Our German Thought and Culture Class

Buses, Trains, and Things that Go

        Transportation in Salzburg was an interesting thing to navigate when we first arrived here! Not knowing much German provided some funny moments, as we tried to read the bus schedules and figure out which bus lines connected where, and how many transfers we had to make to get where we needed to go. We can buy 24-hour bus passes at our hostel, and the first time you get on the bus, you have to validate your ticket. But it’s not the same as using the T in Boston, where you can touch your Charlie card to the machine. Here, you have to put a paper ticket into a machine that punches the date on your card. We had to ask a nice German woman to help us the first time, but now we’re pros. And one of the good things about a bus making so many stops? If you get off one stop too early or one stop too late, you can easily walk to the right stop to catch the next bus. 

And the train - a very nice way to travel to areas outside of Salzburg! We discovered it’s better to reserve a seat; otherwise, you find yourself wandering from seat to seat, looking for a free one. If you do reserve a seat, you are obliged to awkwardly ask the person sitting there to move - and often they will put up a stink about it. Again, eliciting the help of a kind German-speaker will expedite this process. After only a week in Salzburg, we’re ironing out the quirks of transportation!

German Thought and Culture Class

Our morning class introduces us to the overall picture of German-Austrian thought. Through multiple guest-lecturers, we are shown an interdisciplinary approach to our topic. For example, Professor Pamela Thuswaldner introduced us to the city and the German language, and visiting professor Jim Zingarelli walked us through the history of church art and architecture. Not only does each class generate questions and discussion in class, but afterwards we find ourselves thinking and talking about the ideas presented, even during lunch. There is something beautiful about hearing so many conversations going on at the same time, and each student and faculty member brings a new light to the topics. Those who love music converse with those who love the visual arts, and historians are able to inform those who love philosophy. This is one of the most important aspects of the program: through interdisciplinary dialogue, we are coming to grips with the fact that we all bring something to the Kingdom of God. Our faith is not static, and it is through these conversations and international experiences that we are allowed to explore the depth of God’s purpose, for each of us, as well as collectively.

Photos of Jenz Zimmermann, Canada Research Chair in Interpretation, Religion, and Culture at Trinity Western University.

Dr. Zimmermann lectured on Humanism in our morning class.