First off - we had fantastic weather. Not to hot - no rain. Just perfect. We pulled into the hotel at about 7 and found out that the hotel made a little mistake (they thought I was a child - not a 3rd adult) we got upgraded to a room with 2 queen beds. 2 Glorious Queen size beds with loads of pillows. This was my best bed of the trip - probably because it was a real bed and not just something added to a 2-person room. But we left the room behind and drove into old town. Even the drive through town to get to the parking lot was beautiful and different. We went over the river (the Salzach) and discovered the Aldstadt - it is small and nestled right into the base of some mountains - not as big as the nearby Alps, but pretty dang big. So big in fact, that they decided they'd be the perfect spot to make parking garages - right in the mountains. So we drove through a hole in the mountain and then found a free spot for the night (we'd return to the depths on other days). We walked back through the mountain (the people/bike tunnel - not the car tunnel) and started exploring. Shops were closed - but the streets were gorgeous! By the time we made it back to the hotel we were ready for bed - but had a plan for the next day.
In the morning we decided to walk to the Aldstadt (Old Town) and on the way we'd go through the Mirabelle Gardens. They were one of the locations for filming the Sound of Music - specifically when Maria teaches the children to sing. I especially liked the fountain and stood up on the edge of it - I wanted to run around it singing "That will bring us back to Do!" Mom really recognized the statues where one of the girls poses. They were really lovely gardens.
We continued walking and headed towards the end of town where the Fortress is - it is up on the hills, requiring either a climb or a ride on the funicular. We got a pretzel from a local vendor - YUM-O! and decided that we'd wait on the fortress. Mom wanted to drive to a place nearby in the mountains called Untersberg - and we thought we grab lunch on the walk home and then drive to Untersberg and that we'd come back and do the Fortress in the late afternoon.
We drove to Untersberg and there were 2 deterring factors - the fog and the cost - it was going to cost 20 Euro each for the round trip on the tram. The tram man told us that the weather the next day should be glorious - we decided to come back - or to think about coming back. So we drove back to the carpark in the mountain and walk through St Peter's Cemetery to get to the funicular. Mom loved it - it was full of iron work - even the crosses - so it was much airier than most cemeteries full of headstones and crypts. I saw some windows in the cliff side (up the mountain) - mom went to investigate and found that they were catacombs which she explored while dad and I had a rest.
We went up the funicular (10 euro each) and took in the gorgeous views. Then we hiked some stairs to explore the fortress - HohenSalzburg. Hohen means fortress - the one thing I learned. We were happily surprised to find a marionette museum there - mom loved it! After looking around we decided that we'd eat dinner up there. We sat down to some outside seating and all ordered the same thing - Wiener Schnitzel with Parsley Potatoes and Cranberries. So good. I think that we were all pleased. We decided to share a dessert and picked the Warm Curd Strudel - phenomenal.
We went back down the funicular and bought some postcards then we ran to the post office to get stamps before it closed (our plans were to leave for Prague early-ish the next morning). On the way we got distracted. There was a chow chow being walked. We just had to see it. He was a playful puppy - just 9-months old. We all remembered Shogun. This pups name was Jakabo. He was cute. While mom kept being distracted, dad and I bought stamps. Then mom remembered that she had seen some fairy ornaments in a shop window the first night and wanted to at least find out how much they cost. But the shop was closed. We decided to head back to the hotel, and get up to check out the fairies in the morning on our way out of town. Mom bought 7. :)
Dad drove us to Prague - I sat in the backseat of the Ford Focus C-Max and played with his blackberry. As we entered the Czech Republic I sent a somewhat snarky email to some friends and family from all of us. In case you didn't get it - here is a sneak into the next blog - which will feature our days in Prague. Forgive my rudeness - it was all in the moment. We were all laughing in the car.
Subject: Welcome to Czechoslovakia...assume the position
Actually mom was quite disappointed that the border was unpatrolled. She had passports and the car paperwork (that avis said would save the car from being confiscated at the border all ready and we got there just to drive on through a deserted checkpoint - no people, no automatic weapons, sadly no passport stamps since landing in Frankfurt: no Italy, no Austria, now no Czech Republic - damn EU. She is still kind of paranoid that we are breaking some rule (must be that commie paranoia catching - she won't let us leave the car unless we find 'secure' parking).
We drove through a UNESCO world heritage site called Czesky Krumlov which seemed to be notable for it's river (Vltava) and rentable canoes and rafts. Since mom and I are sans swimsuit(although Mom did find an 8 euro bikini in Salzburg she gratefully decided it would not do), we gave that a pass and we personally thought the highlight was the nearby super Tesco and the chance to pee. But only in turns because someone had to stay and protect the car...it hasn't occurred to her that car thieves might not be adverse to being hijackers-I won't mention it. We had loaded up on ice at our hotel and were drinking as long as the ice lasted - thus the yellow eyeballs and sensitivity to bumps in the road. The ice is long gone and we have hardly drunk anything since-we are definitely pampered Americans.
Another hour and a half and we'll be to Prague. Dad is enjoying the driving (in the awesome -gutless and hopefully unattractive to thieves-ford focus cmax). Mom and dad loved your emails...mom had completely forgotten about the Indiana Jones connection to Venice, but of course dad remembered. Mom and I sang many tributes to Julie Andrews in the Mirabelle Gardens while dad asked why. We enjoyed some wiener schnitzel and warm curd streudel up at the hohensaltzburg (salzburg's fortress on Monchsberg) and are excited to see what Prague is like. Are there any Prague movie references we should remember?
I (Becky) was nominated to type this up as my thumbs are a little more adept with the blackberry key pad than mom's and dad is driving. Watch your mailbox for incoming postcards. Attached is a sample of my view from the back seat.
Love the Foulgers (ann, mark & becky)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
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