Salzburg, Austria

So after being home for a whole 5 days, we were off again.. this time to Austria. We were suppossed to go to Croatia but my motions hearing got in the way for planning/driving purposes.

I have driven through parts of Austria a few times now for work up in Germany, but I have not had a chance to stop and take in the scenery so this was really nice.

We arrived at the hotel around 4. Checked in and then walked around the town for a little.  Saturday and Sunday were more of the same: walking through the small town and looking at the hills, river and the castle.

Salzburg is probably best known for the setting of the Sound of Music.
Since I can recite most of the movie and can sing all of the songs it was pretty cool to see where it was filmed.  The Panorama Museum was even having an exhibition on it; so I learned some things about the film and the true story.  I also learned that despite being the home of the Van Trapp Family and the location for the story, the Salzburg is not a fan! Why you might ask - apparently because Hollywood changed some things. For instance, they blend locations, Captain Van Trapp was not as strict as they made him appear, and the Van Trapp family escaped to America not to Switzerland as alluded to at the end of the movie.

I am 16 going on 17 ...

Where they hang from trees in
clothes made from curtains

I believe this is where they hide after
thier performance at the end

The Van Trapp house - at least in the movie

We also visited Mirabell Gardens. Many of you might know Mirabell candy that comes wrrapped in red paper with a picture of Mozart on it. I didn't actually get to have or buy any, but Mirabell Gardens was really pretty even in the rain.

 Salzburg is also home to Mozart.  We went to Mozart's family home and again we learned some interesting facts about him and his life.  The last night we were there we went to dinner at the castle on the hill and a Mozart concert. The food was great, but the music and atmosphere were amazing.  This was followed by a moonlight stroll home (one of the few dry moments of the weekend).





 

View from our dinner table

View from the concert hall



The one bad part about our trip was the RAIN! It barely ever stopped the good news is unlike France we did bring an umbrella and Phil did bring a jacket BUT of course I only brought sandals for some reason so my feet were constantly cold. We really have to start checking out the weather before we go away and packing appropriately. 

Monday Phil took the train (with a bus mixed in) back home and I headed up to Germany for work again while the drive to and from Germany is truly beautiful speckled with castles and mountain tops it is long and I am sick of German staus (traffic jams) so I am glad to be home for a while (over a week before we go to a hotel again)!