Ryan Papandria ‘25: My Study Abroad Experience in Salzburg, Austria
Hello, my name is Ryan Papandria, class of 2025 at Wabash! I had the opportunity to travel to Salzburg, Austria for 4 weeks with the AIFS Summer Study Abroad program. First and foremost, I would like to thank the Rudolph family for making this possible through their generous scholarship. This support alleviated any financial concerns I could have had and allowed me to create lasting memories I will share with others for the rest of my life.
One particular moment I want to share is my visit to the Salzburg fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg). The Salzburg fortress sits atop a hill overlooking the Salzburg Altstadt. Built in the 11th century, the fortress has become a landmark for the 4th largest city in Austria. With it being so old, the use and composition of the site have changed throughout the centuries. However, one feature that remained true throughout the ages is that it housed many of the Archbishops of the Catholic Church in Salzburg, with some of those archbishops having more or less power over their constituents throughout time.
Without knowing much about the fortress’s history, you can still appreciate a lot just by looking at the old, stone structures. In the middle, there is a courtyard where you are surrounded by the chapel, defense towers, and living quarters. The fortress itself is quite large, as it took me about 40-45 minutes just to walk through the entire place! But what struck me the most was going to the lookout spot at the top to see the city of Salzburg all around, as well as the Alps and beautiful green pastures. I stayed there to observe for at least 30 minutes because I was simply in awe of its beauty.
This experience was special to me because one of the biggest reasons I decided to travel to Europe was to see all the old castles, palaces, and fortresses. I find the history of these to be fascinating, and just looking at them is amazing. There is nothing that comes close to matching the specific detail in architecture in the modern United States. Seeing features such as carefully crafted sculptures, beautiful hand-painted murals, or gold accents on walls and ceilings makes the experience worth it. I certainly appreciate the years and effort that went into building these grand structures.
Again, thank you to the Rudolph Family for supporting this journey for me, and thank you for allowing a legacy of other Wabash men who have similar experiences as me. I truly believe traveling abroad at any point in life is extremely worthwhile for everybody. I look forward to returning to Austria and other European countries later in my life now that I have more experience traveling abroad and exploring foreign countries.
Below are 4 pictures I took while in Austria. The first is the Festung Hohensalzburg that I wrote about. The second is atop the fortress overlooking some of Salzburg and the Alps. The third is me atop the Bergisel Ski Jump used during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Lastly, the fourth picture is me in Werfen, Austria at the site of the “Do-Re-Mi” scene from The Sound of Music. In the background, you can see the Alps and the Burg Hohenwerfen Castle. Enjoy!
