The hills are alive with the sounds of Salzburg

Synopsis of days: The hills are alive with the sounds of Salzburg.

Highlight of the days: Catching the cablecar up Mt Untersberg and flailing about in the snow. The view of the surrounding Alps and the crispness of the air were magical. It was breathtaking and the first time I’d been in snow for years. Every photo was stunning and yet none of them reflected exactly how much I could see.  

View from the cablecar

 Derek checking out the scene

Proof I walked on snow 

Lowlight of the days: I felt pretty fatigued walking around Salzburg in the evening as a result of all the cumulative walking, and I’m pretty over sausage.

Favourite photo: 

Derek’s selfie of choice:

This was the snow I got knee deep in.

Shameless selfie:

At the gazebo from 'The Sound of Music'

Atop Untersberg

Historical Fact of the Day: You’d think Mozart had some sort of connection to this place considering how there are all sorts of souvenirs, statues, houses and especially foods bearing his name here. I contributed my part by seeing a Mozart recital in the St Peterskirche chapel in the evening.

Cultural-shock moment: I still don’t understand the Central European obsession with cigarettes and sausages.

New food consumed: An Austrian herbal soft drink called Almdudler. It’s like a light ginger ale. 

Also these WICKED cream puff things which are like a cross between a cream horn and chocolate éclair with mock meringue cream and I am SO glad I can’t buy them at home because they were AMAZEBALLS but horribly sickening five seconds later. I saw one market stall where you could buy different flavours and in some places you could get ones with about three times more cream:pastry ratio but I stayed traditional. Sadly the strudels were all nutty so I wasn’t able to try Austrian strudel.

Best purchase of the day: My Third Reich tour guide had told me you could purchase currency from the Weimar period at a stamp shop near the Munich station. Before catching the train to Salzburg I was able to find the shop and bought a number of notes from 5 Aug 1914, 24 June 1918 and then a 20 000 mark note from 1923. While this barely reflects the hyperinflation I was excited by the acquisition of these primary sources. 

Random act of crazy: The Sound of Music tour guide. He was flamboyantly fabulous and yodeled and mimed and joked his way through the tour. It was highly entertaining.  

Natural exteriors of the Von Trapp home

 House used for exteriors of Von Trapp home

Inside the church where the wedding was held

Something I want to remember:

I loved the experiences of Salzburg, but especially the sights or transportation that allowed me to see things at great heights. The funicular up to the historic fortress to see the city lights and the day trip in fine weather to Mt Untersberg were fantastic experiences. The Sound of Music tour to the lakes and parts of the city was a fun time that allowed me to see more of the countryside. The city was relatively small and was easy to navigate and felt like such a quaint historic location. Based on pictures it must be delightful when the flowers bloom, but the Christmas markets and associated decorations certainly added their charm.