Girls' Weekend in PRAGUE AND SALZBURG!
Part Zwei: Salzburg
After Prague, we ventured to a location where the hills were alive, with the Sound of Music. Oh yeah, I'm talking Salzburg, a location that quickly became my favorite European destination thus far. Here's the kicker: When most Americans think of The Sound of Music, Salzburg comes to mind, and vice-versa. Most Austrians have never even heard of The Sound of Music, let alone seen it. Edelweiss, the 'Austrian folk song?' - Simply a masterpiece by Rogers and Hammerstein. A masterpiece I love :D
20.9.2010 - Train to Salzburg
Ok, so don't ask me what happened on the train to Salzburg, I slept basically the entire way. Julie took a photo of me sleeping, and another photo of Jill pretending to sleep next to me sleeping. I will say, though, that for the brief moments that I was awake, I determined the following:
Austrian Countryside > Czech Republic Countryside
Arrival in Salzburg: Approx. 10:15
Within the first 20 minutes of my arrival, I determined that thus far, Salzburg is my favorite European destination. It is a quiet, clean, quaint little city tucked away in a beautiful mountain range (which is probably why I like it so much). Eve the city not considered downtown is nice, whereas in Prague, if you weren't downtown, it got a little sketchy.
The hostel we stayed at plays The Sound of Music movie every day at 10:30, so we took the earliest train to ensure our presence at the showing. Of course we had to see the movie to get us in the mood for the trip! It was the four of us, this older guy, and these three probably 19-year-old-ish guys in the dining area of the hostel. The 19-year-old-ish guys kept talking and talking and talking about how they had already seen the movie, not a big deal, whatever, until finally, I told myself - 'if they're still talking during the next song, I'm going to say something.' And they were. Not helping to counteract the American stereotype, I asked "Are you guys planning on talking throughout this entire movie?" They must have been, because they left. They were replaced by this girl who made a few side sexual comments throughout. Still - It's hard to ruin The Sound of Music, so I didn't mind. After the movie, the four of us went and had lunch at an Italian place down a side street. Salzburg is very bike-friendly. Walking around old-town Salzburg, we decided that if possible, we will make another visit before we all go back home in December. The buildings are breathtaking, and the setting couldn't be more perfect. Beautiful hills and mountains in every direction make me feel closer to home.
Upside of Salzburg: I could stay here for an extra two weeks. Does Universitat Salzburg have a Masters program? I'd do it.
Downside: I ate like crap today. Not a total downside, though, because it was FANTASTIC.
- Breakfast: Apple, water, twix bar, half a bag of chocolate-covered gingerbreads. Damn you, Manner, you will be the death of me!
- Afternoon snack: Handfuls of "Cini Minis," which are basically like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the other half of my choco-covered gingerbread.
- Lunch: Pasta (oh, carbs...) and lots of it. It was great, though.
- "Dinner": 2 wine cocktails, 2 chocolate nougat pancakes (crepes), and a cafe latte.
- Happy Hour at the hostel: Half a liter of Lager. Mmmm, beer.
Day 1 in Salzburg was chill: No tours, just walking around an experiencing the downtown area. Tomorrow, though: A SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!
Salzburg = Favorite European Destination so far. Already mentioned it, but worth mentioning again.
I am FOR SURE coming back in December once it snows, and maybe one other time before I head home to Oregon.
Sound of Music
Interesting Facts
The Von Trapp house in the film is 2 different palaces: One was the actual building, the other was the backyard. This made the filming of conversations in the backyard interesting, when the house was "in the background" - These conversations basically had to take place in 2 different areas!The girl who played Gretel loved Austrian pastries, and gained some weight while filming. The Gretel who gets carried over the mountain is a stunt double.
Leisel injured herself during the gazebo scene and had to film it again with an ankle brace and painkillers. When she was finished, the entire crew gave her a huge round of applause.
The gazebo scene between Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer was supposed to be lit, but the two actors kept laughing when romantiacally singing to each other, so the director turned off the lamps.
The opening sequence of scenery to Julie Andrews on the mountain had to be shot twice; the first time, the helicopter wind force knocked her over.
Before filming the boat scene, they didn't ask the children if they could swim...apparently, the girl who played Gretel couldn't. Julie Andrews was supposed to hold onto her, but she fell backwards and all the children fell forward. Gretel struggled and was grabbed by someone else, and the actress that played her doesn't like water to this day.The tour took us to a few locations, but the best part was the trip to the cathedral the wedding scene was shot. Our tourbus drove for about an hour through the Lakes and Mountains area surrounding Salzburg, which was gorgeous. Mondsee was not only beautiful, but the location of the best apfelstrudel I have had while in Austria.
I love it here. There are vacation homes in many of the surrounding areas of Salzburg, and frequent trips or a vacation home may need to be added to my "when I have enough disposable income" list. And so concludes our four-day girls' weekend trip. Huge success, a lot of fun, and a great way to kick off travels in Europe. I couldn't have asked for a better travel group!
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