Tuesday we left the apartment at 6:45 am, walked to the train station and took the train from Seefeld to Innsbrook and then from Innsbrook to Salzburg – the city where Mozart lived and where much of Sound of Music was filmed.
House in background is where part of "Sound of Music" was filmed.
Mirabel Gardens where part of "Sound of Music" was filmed.
We took a guided tour of the city. Our guide talked about the history of the city. He told us about the early trade routes through this area because of the salt that was mined in this region. However, today the water is more precious than the salt. During WWII the city was bombed a number of times because of the railway connection and Hitler came to Salzburg from his nearby Eagle’s Nest (his sanctuary/fortress during the war) to meet with commanders.We ended up at the base of the hill on which was the fortress called Festung Hohensalzburg. We enjoyed sharing a great German Brat and a pastry at the base of the hill. We took the funicular (which is like a rail car that goes up a very steep incline) to the top where we had an audio guided tour of the fortress. This fortress was built by archbishops as well as for workers and prisoners. It was first built in the 1300s and was added to over the centuries. They were able to withstand all attacks. The fortress was peacefully surrendered to Napoleon, but returned to the Archbishops after he was defeated.
After taking the funicular down we set out on foot in the light rain to explore more of the city. We found Mozart’s residence and had an audio tour. It was interesting to learn more about his life, family and music. We took the train back to Seefeld – a 2.5 hour trip. We walked up the hill to our apartment in the rain and the dark – getting back here at 8:45 pm, ready for a good night of sleep.
Today we walked to the village square for groceries, and then spent the rest of the day in our apartment, reading, working on pictures, emailing, blogging and staying dry!
Every day we spend time going over pictures we took on our Holy Land Tour and review our notes and memories of what we saw, felt and learned each place. We are thankful to have the time to do this. We learned so much about the Israelites as well as Jesus and His disciples. As we listen to the news we are thankful we are not in Israel right now. (We did not go into the Gaza Strip when we were there because no tourists go there.)
We are having fun experiencing different cuisine: Hungarian Goulash Soup (no noodles), Curry Ginger Soup, Chicken in fruited sauce, Duck Entrees, Zwetschken Streusel (Plum Streudal), Nunberger Bratwurst, Spaghetti Bolognaise and lots of good varieties of breads. One day Lois ordered pancakes for brunch and was surprised when they came filled with chocolate and nuts and topped with whipped cream and ice cream! Who said lunch had to be healthy? Jim has cut down on coffee consumption since there are no free refills! Restaurants even charge if you want a glass of tap water with your meal.
Since our apartment is on a hill and the village square is in the valley we are doing lots of walking – and it seems like there is more uphill than downhill! It has rained every day in Austria and been cold so we wear lots of layers (Lois even started wearing sox on her hands since she does not have any gloves along) and burn a lot of calories every day. Jim commented that it is almost time for him to tighten his belt a notch.
People are very friendly in Austria. We have enjoyed meeting people who also speak English. Everyone exchanges notes about the sites they have seen, restaurants they have eaten in and foods they recommend. And everyone talks about the cold and the rain. We hear that all of Europe is unseasonable cold and wet right now. The trees and wildflowers are beautiful, even in the rain.
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