I know you are a bit sick of my trip photo posting Scheiße, but I took so many photos and what else am I going to do with them? I'm going to do exactly what I said I was avoiding the first time and post mostly tidbits of the city...vignettes, flowers, city views. I'm a fickle woman, k? I decided we (mom, dad, mich und sister) most definitely get boring faster than old European towns that people travel to see year after year. I hope you find them enjoyable.
Apart from being as hot as hades, I found Salzburg to be quite delightful. I had read in Bill Bryson's book (post with excerpt here), that he found Salzburg to be affectedly dainty and full of tourists. Full of American tourists (groups of them) it was. I had not heard that much English being spoken around me in so long. Honestly, I'm glad Graz isn't a tourist destination. It does get annoying.
(across the bridge from the old town...away from tourists)
To be fair, I just reread Bryson's description and he does say once he got off of the main street and old town district, he found he liked the city much better. I agree. The main shopping street is just SO crowded (and so melty hot), it kind of takes away from its charm.
(Main street)
And all the hanging curly iron signs are not original. So, I see why he calls it "twee" or affectedly dainty. Take a look at McD's...
Pretty Hotel Sacher on the Salzach River
But, it's still dang darn charming. I've shown you this café before, but I must show it again. I want to live here.
I'll even bunk up outside under a green & white striped umbrelly, put pink flowers in my hair and sip on a coffee extraordinaire.
Up on the fortress.
One of the best things we did, suggestion courtesy of my brother and Linds (they were here a week before us), was to take a Sound of Music tour. For one thing, it was in an air-conditioned minivan...hallelujah. For another, we would have not seen the best part of Salzburg: the lake district in the outskirts of the city...otherwise known as the Salzkammergut.
The salt we use at home does come straight from this area. And I use me lots of salt. When we first got to Salzburg, I asked Molly, "Do you know what Salzburg means?"..."no"..."well Salz...pronounced "saltz" is "Salt!"..."right!"..."Salty Burger!" all excited like she's so clever...."umm..no, hahaha". (try salt mountain)
They used two houses as the Von Trapp home in the film. This one was where all the 'back of the house scenes' were shot.
You know this scene.
Beautiful Lake Fuschlsee.
We rode a luge ride out here. Here is mom being pulled up the mountain backwards.
We met some friends on our tour and had lunch with them afterwards. Megan and Sam from Florida.
Don't think for one second we didn't sing the famous movie tunes in the car while driving through the hills (which were totally alive) with the help of a Sound of Music karaoke CD. Our driver was actually damn good!
We also saw the church where the famous SOM wedding takes place:
This is the little town.
Our hotel had no air conditioning and was much hotter (and stagnant) than being outside. Every night my mom tried new solutions (and def. kept us informed)...opening the window wider, narrower, keeping the hall door open, probably even fanning herself with her beloved iPad...all to no avail. Then one night, by golly, she got it...she came dashing into our room and said "I've got a trick!"
She bounced on our windowsill and started trying to pull the transom window (over the main window) open. It seemed stuck (really she was doing it wrong), so she was pulling with all her might swinging her little self back and forth. The window below her was open and Molly goes "MOM! You're gonna fall out the window!" Mom didn't care...she was determined to make us 1 degree cooler. We got a quick shot of her and she started laughing so hard tears streamed down her face.
And I'll depart on that note. Schones Wochenende.
Posts
