I’ve hit a peak on this trip both figuratively and literally.

On Monday I was super sick with a major headache and sore throat and I thought to myself, “perfect, I’m sick just in time to travel.” I slept almost that entire day in hopes to get better. Tuesday morning I felt slightly better. However, I still wasn’t in tip top shape. I took the train from Vienna to Salzburg with my study abroad group. We have a group message called, “Vienna Sleeps” where we post pictures of each other asleep so here are some action shots the first is of Derek and the second is Virginia.

After checking in at our hotel, we got a quick tour of the city to see where things were. Of course we saw a lot of the places where “Sound of Music” was filmed. They actually have a “Sound of Music” tour but we sadly didn’t do it.

Here are a couple of landmarks in Salzburg that should be recognized from the movie. The first three pictures are all on the same property and the horse bath is on the other side of the river. We then made our way up to the Festung, which was slowly built upon by multiple prince archbishops. Salzburg was actually a city like the Vatican until it joined Austria, joined Bavaria, and then joined Austria again in the early years of the 19th century. Here are some pictures of and from the Festung.

So as you can see Salzburg is very pretty. That about wraps up my first day here. We took another lift in the mountains on the left side of that last picture that goes up to the modern art museum. We didn’t actually go in but the view was also beautiful. We bought these cards that work as bus passes and get us into a ton of different tourist attractions and I just want to say that everywhere should have these if they don’t already because they make it very convenient.

Day two in Salzburg began with a group going out to Hitler’s eagle nest which has an incredible view. It was his resort that he would visit and it’s on the border of Germany and Austria. I didn’t actually go because I still felt sick the night before but thankfully I woke up that morning finally feeling better. Jacob and I went to a cafe for an early lunch and did homework since we were both a bit behind. Afterwards we finally got back to the good stuff. We lived our best tourist lives and saw where Mozart grew up and where we was born.

The first picture is the home where he was born and the second is where he grew up. Also pro tip: the card gets you into attractions and they usually have free bathrooms so save some money by going then instead of where you have to pay (literally anywhere else). We also took a boat tour on the river and then we did my favorite part, which was going to the cemetery. It was so peaceful and pretty. There they also had some small catacombs but we were a little disappointed because they weren’t like anything they have in France. It was just a small room in the mountainside. Like it was cool but not sooo cool, ya know? Like there weren’t any bones.

In the second picture you can see one of the three churches that is on this property and the mountainside where the catacombs were. 

The next day was our day trip to Hallstatt! As Jacob would say, “remind to buy a Hause there.” I would say the same but then I visited Innsbruck but that’s for later. Anyway, when we arrived, we went to a mass because it was a holiday. It was great because so many people were dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndl. These are the clothes that are stereotypical of Germany as a whole but really it’s more of a Bavarian (southern) thing. Even then it’s more commonly thought of as a costume unless you’re in the countryside. Dad you need to visit you would be right at home. After mass we hopped on a boat to follow another boat with relics on it. Guns would fire and echo through the surrounding mountains. It was as about as picturesque as it gets.

So yes Virginia and I recreated the iconic Titanic scene leave us alone! The first picture is of the church we attended mass at and then I think you can figure out the rest. After our boat excursion came my favorite part of Hallstatt.  We took a tour of a white gold mine! Now you may find yourself asking, “What in Sam’s Hill is a white gold mine?” Why it’s nothing more than good ole NaCl. White gold sounds cooler than salt though so we’ll stick with that. We had to wear these jumpsuits that they gave us with some really cool leather on the butts so we could go down the slides. Fun fact, the second slide is the biggest underground slide in Europe. We also had a light show and learned how the salt got there in the first place. They also had a staircase that they believe to be the very first. It is about 3000 years old. 

There are two types of mining. The traditional breaking rock but they also pump water down, extract the brine, and then let the water evaporate. Maybe that was only interesting because I was deep in a mountain but it was a very enjoyable tour. Also I have a business idea that John and I came up with. We’re gonna buy an old mine by park city and turn it into a haunted house. You’re welcome. Anyway enjoy some pictures.

Ok this is getting really long so I’m going to do Innsbruck in a separate post but I still have one day left in Salzburg. This day we went to Hellbrunn palace. It is known for its trick fountains and the plumbing is honestly very impressive. This is where the gazebo is in the sound of music as well but sadly I didn’t get a picture of it. I also went to the cathedral where a concert was happening. If I could post videos I would cause it was so perfect. Anyway I’m gonna call it good so I’m just gonna throw in some pictures.

Ok this last pic is actually at a church right by the Festung that is shown in the sound of music ok I’m done.