The hills were most definitely alive. This was the view from our apartment balcony, not a bad way to enjoy a morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. Our apartment was just on the city outskirts, about a 10 minute drive from the center of town. Well stocked with enough space for each kiddo to have his own room and an easy walk from a number of food choices, including a biergarten with an awesome playground-- a great place to eat dinner our first night in town and let C burn off some steam from the long car ride. We spent two full days touring the city and started with the Fraulein Maria Sound of Music Tour. There's no better way to see the city, even dodging raindrops as we were. Early in the travel season, it was only our family, so we essentially had a private tour. 3+ hours biking about 9 miles in total and stopping at all the famous movie sights. Our guide, a Sound of Music devotee and a local university music student (originally from Finland)also pointed out other local sights and was a wealth of information about Salzburg in general. We rode by the gardens and statues and markets the children and Maria explored in their do-re-mi outings; saw the Salzburg concert hall, the Convent, the houses used for filming, and THE "16 going on 17" gazebo. Eldest hung in gamely on a trail-a-bike and even got to take a break at a local playground, while baby just took it all in hugging momma's back strapped into a baby seat.
It rained on us at the end of tour, so we quick changed the kids' clothes and then found a Rick Steve's recommended biergarten for lunch -- great place with lots of space for the boys in a little local neighborhood with the local brew. After lunch it was back to our flat for a nap and then a funiculur ride up to the top of the Salzburg fortress (So we could see the fortress and the view, and so C could ride the crazy, mountain-skirting elevator/train). In another life we'd've caught a conert, up at the top, but with the little ones the ride and walk around was the way to go.
Saturday -- day two-- we started the morning with a self guided walking tour, courtesy of Rick Steves, learning more about the non Sound of Music Salzburg sights. C collected rocks as we walked (it's become a bit of a thing for him to pick up rocks wherever we go. It started this winter in Nurnberg and you know I totally encourage it a) because it keeps him busy, and b) because it reminds me of that awesome scene at then end of With Honors), stopped for icecream more than he should have, and played in the fountains as we poked our heads into churches, cemetaries and old government buildings. After our tour grabbed a quick lunch at a burger shop, strolled the shopping district, and then gave the kiddos a few hours off back at the flat.For dinner, (after getting C some playground time in a fabulous park ) we grabbed some street food while walking between the main squares (and yes C got yet another ice cream -- I think icecream might be his special travel reward)
There's a parking garage in this mountain, one of the more creative ways I've seen to preserve a city's natural landscape. So cool, I had to take a number of pictures of it.The next AM, we loaded up the car and headed on our way, C waving g'bye to the mountains as we passed them, when it finally dawned on him, "Mommy, there's snow up there."
The actual SOM mountains were filmed across the German border in Bavaria, to get the "green" look the director wanted, but the mountains surrounding Salzburg were gorgeous. We didn't make it to Eagle's Nest (one of Hitler's compounds just across the German border, known for the road Hitler had built to connect it to the town below, and didn't get into the Bavaria region at all, but as we still want to hit Munich and Garmish, we'll be back!
Planning a European vacation..... go to Salzburg!
(here's a cool link to good fun in the Antwerp train station a few months back. Although Salzburg natives claim to have never actually seen the Sound Of Music, at least some Europeans have!)
