Salzburg

Salzburg is a town I wouldn’t have spared a second thought for, were it not for The Sound of Music.  The luck of the last-minute was with us as we booked a SOM tour with an American who has lived in Berchtestgaden for the last 20 years.  It tickled me to know that our vacation lodge is quite near to the spot where the movie filmed the Von Trapps climbing over the alps.  And, in some way it made up for the fact that we weren’t able to see much of those mountains due to the rain fog and thick cloud cover.  The movie had many problems with weather as well, with crew and cast waiting for a break in the clouds in order to rush up the mountain to shoot until the clouds closed in again.  By all accounts, they spent a great deal of time and money waiting for the weather to cooperate.  It is easy to see why so many people come to vacation in the alps, they are simply beautiful.  The greenery is lush, the mountains steep and the valleys full of charming little town and alpine lodges.  Of course, the charming towns are overrun with tourists, but the still retain a uniqueness due to the architecture and traditions kept. 

Salzburg is built up against a cliff which gave it great protection from invaders in times past. Between the cliff and river the old town grew up, and these natural features gave it a natural defense against intruders.  So the old town retains its older buildings and some of the character from old times.  Because the old town is closed to pedestrians it is a wonderful place to wander and explore, and while it is crowded it is full of suprises and beauty. 

Our tour took us through the Mirabel gardens, the old cemetery, squares and churches.  After our tour we took ourselves up to Nonnberg abbey, where Maria was a postulant.  We ventured beyond the front gate (seen in the movie) to sit in the chapel, where we delighted to hear the singing of the nuns.  Another serendipitous moment was as we descended from the abbey to hear church bells in the city below—wedding bells to serenade us on our walk down.