Thursday, August 27, 2009

We woke up early today because we wanted to go on a mini-bus Sound of Music tour. So, we reserved our spot and then ate a picnic breakfast on the bank of the Salzach River. After that, we explored Mirabell Gardens. The flowers are planted in baroque style designs, and there are statues and fountains throughout the gardens. After the gardens, we ran into a market where I bought a kilogram of small berries (a kilogram turned out to be a much larger bag of berries than I expected). I thought they tasted all right to munch on, but Brian didn’t like them. One lady told us later that the berries are generally used for making juice or jam. We saw the Dome of Salzburg, St. Peter’s cemetery and the catacombs this morning too. Before leaving on our Sound of Music tour, we grabbed some pizza on the go. Mmmmm. The Sound of Music tour was excellent. It was only Brian and myself and then two other people and the guide. She drove around the city showing us sights and talking about them. We drove through Salzkammergut Lake District and saw beautiful lakes and mountains. The scenery is just breathtaking there. At one point, we stopped to take a summer luge ride down a mountainside. Fun! Our group also stopped at a little restaurant with an excellent view of the mountains and lake and greenery. Brian and I tasted sacher torte (a chocolate cake and specialty of the area) and apple strudel. Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm. On the tour, we saw the church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp got married, the gazebo, the abbey, the back of Captain Von Trapp’s home, and more. It made me want to watch the movie again so I can look for all the things I saw. (I guess the Sound of Music is only popular with the Americans and the Austrians don’t really get into it.) That night, we walked to a local brewery. There was a big gathering going on with food, and music (country music), and of course beer. I liked watching and listening to the local people. Another successful day!