A Visit to Von Trapp Land

The next country we visited was Austria. The drive from Bavaria to Salzberg, Austria was amazing. The rolling hills were still covered in green but they became steeper and the houses began to look more chalet style.

 We stopped right before the border between Germany and Austria at a petrol station for the mandatory toll pass. It was a perfect stop, there was two large playgrounds in the back overlooking the deep green valleys. Small villages dotted the landscape, each with a tall steeple of a church.

 We stayed in Salzberg for the night. It was fun to walk into history there. From the deep musical history of famous composers like Mozart to the Sound of Music. Ironically, I have never watched the Sound of Music. BUT, before all of you start telling me that is unbelievable, I can, thanks to High School Choir, sing all the iconic songs to you.

We went to see the Mirabell Palace and gardens, but it started to downpour really bad! So we went to the hotel, ate at a small Turkish kebap shop and had family game night. We went back and explored it later in the day

Mirabell Palace Gardens

Salzberg was full of tourists. The area around Mozart's birthplace was especially full of crowds. The shops were high-end, but beautiful. We walked along the small allies and hidden corridors that connected the buildings to explore more of the area. It was fun to do. Lucky Dragon was most excited about the fact that we parked in a garage that was dug out of the mountain. I admit, it was really cool.

Lucky Dragon taking photos again

She wanted SO BAD to go play at the playground with her brother but was not so sure we wanted to walk down the dark tunnel

Walking out of the underground garage

Mozart's birthplace

We then made our way to Vienna. As we drove we passed the many villages referenced in the Sound of Music...including the church where Maria was married. The views were breathtaking. Lady Hiva and I decided that if we ever come back we are going to choose one of these villages to stay in--we can drive into the city we want to, but the villages give us an idea of what the locals do.

 Again, the history was constantly in our faces while walking the streets of Vienna. The music history of course in notable. All the big classical names were either from Vienna, worked there or died there. It was also interesting to see all of the palaces in the old part of the city. I guess after years of being the capital of one kingdom or empire or another, the city has plenty of money that was spent there. It was fun to see that one part of the city they uncovered some of the old foundations and left them exposed. Much like Rome or Istanbul, the city we see now is literally built on thousands of years of history.