Adventures of a Wandering Thirtysomething

If you don’t know much about Salzburg, Austria, know this: Mozart was born here and The Sound of Music was filmed here. I’ll give you one guess what the tourism industry here makes the most money on…it’s not Mozart. Yes, those annoying von Trapps who unfortunately did not die in the movie now live on in infamy for overzealous Americans with nothing better to do than waste their time in Austria and pay a ridiculous amount of money to see where one of the worst movies of all time was filmed. As any indication of how un-worldly this is, a tour guide today told us that almost no Germans or Austrians have ever seen the movie, yet they make bank off Americans who will pay for anything they are told is the thing to do. Tonight at dinner we sat next to a young couple from California who watched The Sound of Music before coming to Salzburg just so The Sound of Music tour would make sense. It's the same strange obsession that has now made Forks, Wash. a pilgrimage for all vampire enthusiasts and wannabes.

Ok, so clearly Matt and I hate The Sound of Music, but outside of the von Trapp crap, I am pretty much in love with Salzburg. From the charming Roman-style (and traffic free) squares to the medieval style streets and shops to the music of Mozart filling the streets, it is absolutely adorable. To me, this is quintessential Europe.

Last night we took in an intimate concert at Mirabell Palace & Gardens. Sitting in the front row as we listened to the masterpieces of Chopin and Mozart, I couldn’t believe where I was at and what I was doing. It was perfect.

Today, we caved and took (gasp) a tour. As much as we loathe tour groups, sometimes you just have to concede that the lack of logistical nightmare can justify even the lowliest of travel choices. Our tour was up into the Alps for a look at Hitler’s eagle’s nest, a military hideaway left untouched following the British bombings during WWII. To see where Hitler, Eva Braun and the Nazi cronies planned, plotted and socialized was fascinating and also made us appreciate Hitler’s taste in phenomenal views. Although we won’t be taking in much more WWII history on our trip, we’ve definitely caught the WWII bug and plan to read several books about the history when we get back to the States.

Tomorrow we jump back into Germany and head for Rothenburg – the best preserved medieval town in Europe. We’re praying for sunny skies and lots of medieval fun!

Here are our photos from Day 19 – VerHeul’s Do Salzburg:

Photo #2: Hillside dwelling of the Capuchin Monks from whom the name cappuccino is derived as the drink mimics the colors of their attire.

Photo #3: Matt and I at the Mirabell gardens

Photo #4: Mirabell gardens with the Salzburg fortress visible beyond.

Photo #5: Our front row seats for the concert at the Mirabell palace. The pieces were played by a trio including piano, violin, and viola.