Spending a few days in a beautiful city in Austria…
After completing the Dobratsch Circuit, we left Villach on August 30 and travelled to Salzburg by train. Once we found our seats on the train (odd system of seat assignment, but I digress) it was only a two and a half hour trip to Salzburg through lovely rolling and mountainous bright green landscapes. Ali had booked us in to a youth hostel (relative term for 60 somethings!) for four nights. It has been a perfect spot- right near the old town, the river, and many of the sights and beauty of this old but vibrant Austrian city.
Ali booked us in to a concert of Mozart chamber music the night we arrived so we were back out to the Mirabell Palace in the heart of downtown which houses a performance space that puts on regular concerts for tourists and locals that celebrate the musical legacy of Mozart. The concert was amazing- such accomplished musicians and performing in a ballroom where Mozart also performed centuries before.
August 31… we spent the morning doing laundry, sorting out upcoming travel arrangements and getting some time off our feet before heading out in the afternoon with a downloaded self guided walking tour. We were able to walk through the old town, see Mozarts birthplace, a few interesting alley ways, walk up to some great viewpoints and to walk along the Salzach River.
September 1… at the youth hostel we are staying at they play the full length movie “The Sound of Music” every night at 8 pm. Last night we sat down in the common room and watched the movie (with lots of other travellers). I’d forgotten that it was 3+ hours long, but fun to see again because today we went on a four hour organized bicycle tour all around the city and out into the countryside that had very interesting stops related to the filming of the movie. Our tour guide also had other little historical snippets about the history of the city. For part of the tour she had a Bluetooth speaker blasting the movie soundtrack as we and a dozen or so other tourists rode along some beautiful streets and pathways. Fun fact: Christopher Plummer didn’t like the film because they dubbed in a different vocalist for his singing parts, whereas Julie Andrews loved the film because of course she had a remarkable voice and really shone in her singing parts 🎶 . After our bike tour we climbed to the old city walls and followed the path along the battlements back down into the city. Beautiful sunny, warm late summer day.
September 2… today we took the hour long city bus ride out to Lake Mondsee in the Salzburg “Lake District”. Today was cloudy and much cooler, but we enjoyed walking part of the lakeshore, the village, and the St. Michael’s Basilica – started as a monastery in 739 AD and then a cathedral starting in 1470. Still an operating church with a full congregation.
Tomorrow, September 3 we will take the train to Graz for a few days to visit friends from Nelson who are now in Graz. Then it’s on to the Dolomites.
Foot note… I learned yesterday what these small bronze squares embedded in many European city sidewalks are. They comprise the Stolperstein installation. In some cities there will be thousands of them. They commemorate the former residences, places of work or last known location of individuals abducted and forcibly removed to concentration and extermination camps, victims of the Holocaust during the Nazi era.
Walking in Europe 
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