The Hills Are Alive!

We just spent a few super days in Salzburg. The city is just beautiful and friendly and could probably warrant a good month for a proper visit. Or, you know, a lifetime (which is the case for pretty much everywhere, really). We had 3 days and crammed in some really good stuff for our family.

First up, I had to do it. It’s Salzburg, and the Sound of Music has always been a favorite. Since cherished childhood memories of watching it with my grandmother and sister many times. Since packing up for a major move when it was the only DVD left unpacked and I needed noise in the house for a week. Since my kids and their friends sing the songs while hiking and playing. So I made everyone go with me on a SoM bicycle tour throughout town and beyond.

I have confidence!

It’s the house, with the gates and everything!

Yes, we sang about being 16 going on 17

I made the children come visit me in the convent

I didn’t actually hit the high C, but we did hear other groups come and sing Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

Fa: a long long way to run!

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Oh my gosh, it was so much fun! And we went to a bunch more places too. Everyone was a good sport (even though it was pretty cold out there), letting me pose them and sing and ask for my picture to be taken being Maria all over the place. Really really fun!

The bike factor was pretty awesome too. We got to see lots of Salzburg and surrounding areas we would not have gone to on foot. (I’m sure that helped everyone put up with me.) Tessa declared it the best day of her life. I hear ya, kiddo.

Of course that wasn’t all we did. We missed snow this year (sorry to rub it in, Durango-tans), so we took the Untersbergbahn (a big enclosed cable car) up to the Alps. There were snow balls to be thrown, mini snow men to build, slopes to foot-ski down, ice blocks to crush.

And of course it was breathtakingly beautiful! Plus a local couple knew the birds, called them over (really, they called the birds), and poured raisins in Maggie’s hand so she could feed them.

We also visited Hellbrunn Schloss, a pleasure palace just outside town with extensive gardens and a playground and a beautiful house and trick fountains. We didn’t know exactly what that last part meant either, but it was included in our admission tickets when Bill and I wheedled a little mini-date out of Grandpa, so we got to find out!

So, the palace grounds are built on natural springs, and the archbishop (who must have had a good sense of humor) used water pressure to pull pranks on his garden guests. There were pretty cool things like statues with moving parts (the guy below sticks his tongue in and out), an entire miniature theater of 138 moving figurines with water-powered organ music, a floating golden crown. And also sprinklers on the paths and in the garden walls that turn on quite by surprise! Some of the tour guests were less than thrilled, but we thought it was great fun!

Meanwhile, the girls played their games and scrambled around the playground and ate ice cream and are generally just awesome!

Now we’re off to Slovenia for more adventures!