Tuesday, August 12, 2014
I hear the hills calling–off to Salzburg we go! This by far was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go on the Danube Waltz and why we picked August. At 8:30 we boarded our bus for our hour and a half trip to Salzburg, Austria. Unfortunately it was raining again when we left. Figures!
In spite of the rain we saw so beautiful emerald green hills and mountains,just as I had imagined.
Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria. It is known for Mozart’s birthplace and the area where The Sound of Music was filmed. Our guide pointed out places throughout the town were scenes were filmed.
salzburg got its name because salt is mined in the hills around the town. Salzburg means salt town. It the Middle Ages salt was worth its weight in gold. Salt is still mined here today and is used in many industries.
With our Austrian guide, electronic earphones in place , and umbrellas over our heads we trumped all over the old town fighting the crowds and umbrellas as we went. There was a musical festival going on and together with our tour groups, getting around was a bit tricky.
We saw Mozart birthplace. There was a neat castle on top of steep cliffs. Built somehow on the sides of the cliff were cave like houses. Monks would go there for meditations and prayers.
How often do you get to have lunch in a restaurant that was built in 141o? And to order my first taste if the famous Sacher torte to boot. What a heavenly culinary delight!
Tonight a classical singing group came on board to perform for us with a “Taste of Austria”. They were great and performed many songs from The Sound of Music. Leading selected members of the audience, these performers danced with folks from the audience. Lauren and Judy danced like pros. Sure was glad I did not have to put my dancing skills to such a test!
Great scenery, delicious Sacher torte, a superb classical performance-wow! In spite of the rain, the day was filled with a lot of firsts!