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Hello from Salzburg, Austria! We are loving it here. So much so that we have decided to swing back by after Croatia and spend a week relaxing at the wonderful 800 year old lodge we found in the forest (http://sonnenlehen.com/). Yesterday when we checked in the owner was here and he sat with us for a bit and told us some of the history of the lodge. The girls were there and he started to tell us about the three ghosts, nice ghosts, that live here. Nina's eyes were like saucers. The best part of coming back is that it will likely be over Halloween. Since there won't be trick-or-treating for the girls this year at least we will have something spooky to keep them excited (or up all night!).
There is so much to do in Salzburg and it is just beautiful. Our two days was not near long enough. There is a crumbling castle right up the hill from the lodge that we want to hike to and we haven't been to the salt mines where you can apparently slide down giant salt hills inside the earth. We want to see Hitler's Eagle's Nest and check out Hanger 7, which houses an airplane and car collection owned by the founder of Red Bull. We also need more time to explore the streets of beautiful Salzburg.
Yesterday we arrived in the pouring rain. Today the sun came out and we took a hilariously cheesy and wonderfully fun "Sound of Music" bike tour through the city. The best part may have been before we even started when a group of three girls in their 20's showed up for the tour and one of them didn't even know how to ride a bike. Our guide spent 10 minutes trying to teach her and then told her to take a bus tour! He told us someone had joined the tour the day before that didn't know how to ride either. She tried to run next to the bikes for the first mile or so then finally took a city bus back to the start to wait for her friends. The rest of us who did know how to ride a bike took off and had a great day! Our guide, Jonas, could not have been more handsome. A perfect hire by the tour company as I am sure that the majority of people on the tour are women and men dragged by said women. Jonas told us that 70% of tourism in Salzburg is driven by Sound of Music fans, poor overlooked Mozart! We sang and stopped at locations of scenes from the movie; the convent, the catacombs, the gazebo. Unfortunately the gazebo was locked because some American woman slipped trying to jump from bench to bench inside like Leisl did in the movie, fell and of course tried to sue the City of Salzburg. Another interesting SoM tidbit is that Germans and Austrians don't know the movie. They have their own version that they seem to like and don't want to get sucked into the American Hollywood one. But the Koreans are especially crazy for it. I can't vouch for the Korean piece, but we did stay with a family in Munich last week who had never heard of the SoM, so I'm trusting Jonas on the German bit. Pictures to come soon.
Amy
- comments
Kathy How do you solve a problem like Nina? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? I've now got the soundtrack rolling through my head now. I love it!
Julie Reynolds Lynch how are you getting from place to place? still driving? no good car stories lately... :)
Erin O'Hearn Kiyan How cool is it that you get to decide to come back. This is definitely one of many places to visit on my bucket list. Have fun!!
Amy Julie - still have the car. Very uneventful driving lately! We have a funny video to post of our experience on the Autobahn. We will post it soon. Erin - Germany/Austria should be the top of your bucket list. It is wonderful. Kathy - let me know if you have the answer to that one!
Elaine Herbst Gee, maybe I should have joined you in Salzburg b/c it sounds wonderful! I believe you have found ways to completely enjoy EVERY place you've been. Keep the wonder alive...Mom
Joey Pignataro Please, PLEASE, tell me you have a picture of Anthony riding the bike wearing lederhosen....
Nancy Orand Morgan is jealous about the friendly ghosts, you will have to try to capture their orbs in pictures! Have a haunted Halloween!
Kathy Essma Your uncle Ray and I have been in Salzburg, (not long enough), and it is beautiful. I'm glad you get to go back and enjoy it more. My friend Erika (who is in Sun City, AZ) is from Salzburg, and we visited her in the late 90's. Love, Aunt K
Jane Scott I've always wanted to do the Sound of Music tour!! I'm jealous!
Ted Barklage ...and now I'm listening to The Sound of Music soundtrack on Spotify.