A great day that involved snow finally being on the ground and me finally going in the sound of music tour! Unfortunately it rained all day long instead of continuing to snow. However, since most of the tour is in a bus, I could just be happy about the snow and pretend it wasn't raining.
For the tour we got picked up at our hostel along with 2 Kiwi girls that were also doing the tour. Once on the bus our first site was the Mirabell gardens. This is where Maria and the children sing part of do-re-mi. Next we saw the Nonnberg Abbey where real life Maria was going to be a nun and where the convent scenes were filmed for the movie. We only saw the abbey in passing though because they don't allow people in anyway. Moving along, we saw both palaces that were used as the Von Trapp home. The first palace was only used for its grounds and the actually building is never seen. The grounds include the pink lemonade terrace, the capsized boat in the lake and all other 'backyard' scenes. The second palace is what we see of the outside of the home as well as the front wall and gate where Maria first enters singing the confidence song. When filming "inside" the home, the rooms are actually rebuilt on sound stages in Hollywood because they weren't allows to film inside the actual palaces. Up next was what I was most excited for! The gazebo! I was hoping I could prance around inside singing "16 going on 17" but it seems that an 80-something year old woman did that already a few years ago and broke something. That something being a bone. Don't worry, the gazebo is fine, it's just kept locked now. After pictures there we moved back into the bus and headed for the 'lakes and hills region', all the while listening (and singing to) the movie soundtrack. It was a beautiful area. Perfect little alpine towns around beautiful lakes and surround by hills and mountains. After a while we made our final stop in a town to see the church used for the wedding. In the movie it appears Maria and Georg get married in the Abbey. Obviously this isn't the case. Either way, it was yet another big, beautiful and ornate church. We were also given time to be free in the town. Chad and I and the Kiwi's went out for warm apple strudel. Just like in the song!!
Back in Salzburg, still raining, Chad an I walked around the city some more. We planned to walk up to the Abbey to see it from outside but it's up on a hill and we couldn't find the way up.
Maybe the nuns have a helicopter like the pope has a pope-mobile?
Having given up the search we decided it was dinner time. We found a good looking pup/restaurant and got schnitzel with potatoes and beef goulash. Both excellent, even better though when the schnitzel has a bath in the goulash. Yum!
Some more wandering and we were back at the market, again. It market provided warm drinks and some covered areas to escape the rain.
Within our time in Salzburg we tried 8 different drinks at the market.
-Gluhwein
-Cherry, Apricot, Orange and Berry Punsch (separate)
-Mozart-Punsch
-Mozart-Punsch (2 different kinds)
-Hot chocolate
If you have never tried a Gluhwein or Punsch, you should. However, prepare yourself. You will not be driving home. And if you walk, it may be more of a stumble.
Something else you may consider trying is a Kaiskrainer. Sausage with cheese inside, but somehow not like most cheese filled sausage.. Utterly delicious and sinful. Lets be honest, European vacations are no place for eating healthy.
Once warm and full we had to go back to the hostel to collect our bags and head or the train.
Chuga, chuga, choo-choo!
3 crowded hours on the train and BAM! Nuremburg, Germany.
I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!
xoxo
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