Salzburg

 

So after Paris, we hopped on a train and made our way to Salzburg, Austria (which was over 10 hours of travel). The train ride was absolutely gorgeous as we passed French countryside. I would look out the window and be in shock at the beauty of the vivid green grass, towns tucked into the hills, and bodies of water that reflected the bright blue sky. This was the day that I realized how much I love traveling by train! Why don't we have this in the states? It is relatively cheap, you can get anywhere, it is very comfortable and smooth, and you can look at amazing scenery the whole time! I have definitely been converted.

We arrived in Salzburg around 9pm in the dark and in the rain. Luckily our hostel was not very far away and it was really nice! Everthing was super clean, they had a lounge and computer area, and served breakfast in the morning for cheap. We were able to have a private room, so that was a definite positive. We awoke early the next morning to get picked up for our Sound of Music tour! In case you didn't know, Salzburg is where the Sound of Music was filmed and it is actually the town that the real Maria lived in. I had not realized before this trip how much of the movie is accurate to the true story! (of course there is a lot more to Maria's story that they couldn't squeeze into the film). But she really was a nun. She really did get asked to leave and be a governess. Captain Van Trapp really had seven children. And they really did get married! And we were able to see the real convent, house, etc. And of course all the places where the movie was filmed as well. Our tour guide was fantastic. She wore a traditional Austrian dress and sung throughout the tour. She also knew a lot of 'behind the scenes' facts that were really fun and interesting. We saw the gorgeous house where the 'back of the house' scenes were filmed, we saw the I am 16, going on 17 gazebo, and went up into the small town of Mondsee to see the church they used to film the wedding scene. And of course, we sang Sound of Music songs on the bus everywhere we went. :)

In Mondsee, we ate lunch and I had my first ever apple strudel. Let me tell you, it was fantastic! There isn't much that can beat apple strudel with hot vanilla sauce.
At the end of our tour, we went into the palace gardens that were used for the Do-Re-Me scene. We had a lot of fun reenacting the different parts (such as running along the fountain, patting the troll statue on the head, going through the statues whose fists were in the air, climbing the stairs that the song ends on, etc.)
After our tour, we spent some time exploring the city of Salzburg. The city is rather small, so there was only one main road for shopping.We enjoyed window shopping, laughing at the souvenirs they offered, and walking underneath the wrought iron shop signs (even McDonalds had one..). We also went inside Salzburg Cathedral, which was beautiful. We wandered around the area surrounding the cathedral and stumbled upon markets,pony and carriage rides, beautiful cemeteries, and water wheels.
Since we had pretty much done everything there is to do in Salzburg, we decided to go up to the top of the fortress (which is by far the highest point in the city). They take you up in one of the those little tram cars that climbs almost vertically up the side of the mountain and we were up at the fortress in 30 seconds! The view from the top was unmatched! We could see miles and miles of the Austrian Alps and take in all of the little city in one glance. The sight of staggering mountains, with snow-capped peaks that pierce the clouds and cast shadows on the little houses dotting the countryside, is a sight that will never get old for me.

After touring the fortress (and the Marionette museum) we went back down and enjoyed a great hot dinner and spent some time in the hostel lounge catching up on reading/journaling etc. as well as getting to know some of the other students staying there. It is always so fun to hear other people's stories for where they are from, why they are here, and where they are headed next. Everyone is on an adventure and it is all rather exciting. :)

I'll just end this by saying - the hills ARE alive with the sound of music.