A Chance Encounter with.. a night in Germany
Leaving Italy turned out to be a bit more difficult than we had planned. After arriving with plenty of time before our flight, we found that it had already been delayed. With a short layover in Hamburg, we didn't have much time to spare either. Thanks to the avoidance of customs, I wasn't too worried until the second delay came. As it became more evident that we would not make our flight, we were helpless. We'd attempted to get it all sorted before leaving Italy, but customer service had informed us we would have to wait until we had truly missed our flight.
Eventually we boarded and took off, and we did in fact miss our connection. We set off to baggage claim, picked up our backpacks, and made our way to customer service to get it all sorted out.
Expecting a difficult experience, we were pleasantly surprised when they knew exactly who we were and had our accomodations ready for the evening. They arranged for us to stay in a hotel for the night and then paid for our dinner and transport to and from the hotel! After travelling for two weeks straight, this was an ideal way to relax for the night.
After flight delays and our unplanned night in Germany, we arrived in Austria. Salzburg was breathtaking and I was excited to take on the city as soon as we stepped off the plane. Our first stop was to the Mirabell Gardens. (If you’re Sound of Music fans, this post is for you! You might recognize the spot in the picture above and many of the following as well! )
Not only are the Mirabell Gardens beautiful, they’re also the backdrop for the Do Re Mi scene in the Sound of Music. We wandered around, re-enacted several scenes, and even stopped to smell the gorgeously designed flowers a time or two before going on a scene hunt. We walked to the fountain where Maria splashed her hand during I have Confidence, Katie did the honors of reenacting that as well!
As we walked through the city, we encountered crowds of Football (soccer) fans chanting on their way to the game. Huge groups of 30-40 were shouting in support of their team who was playing later that afternoon. This was a sight to see, especially since our AirBnB host had told us the Salzburg team wasn't even good! That didn’t stop them, and it was fun to witness just how much the sport means to everyone—perfect to see Just before the start of the World Cup!
We wandered through the city, over the love lock bridge, tried on some fun hats, walked through the cutest shopping street I’ve ever seen, (look at the charming metal signs! )ate a quick dinner, and headed in for the night. A monsoon of rain swept through during dinner so we decided this was the perfect excuse to stay in and watch the Sound of Music before our big tour the next day.
We woke up and found ourselves at Mirabell Gardens once more before our tour. We were meeting there to board our bus and we weren't even slightly disappointed to be back in the beautiful garden.
Shoutout to Katie for being the biggest Sound of Music fan around. She booked us spots for the Panorama Bus Tour, and it was the perfect way to fall in love with Salzburg. We walked to roadside to board the bus with Ferdinand, our bus driver, and Anna, our tour guide.
Our first stop on the tour was to the Trapp Villa. This spot is now a hotel, so you cannot actually go in, but we were able to get a great view from the other side of the lake.
Next, we went to the walkway where Maria clicks her heels in "I have confidence." (Don't worry, we did our best impressions.) While here, we were also able to see the famous glass gazebo. It is no longer in its original location due to the high numbers of visitors that flocked to the scene. Sadly, we couldn't reenact any of "I am Sixteen", as they keep the gazebo locked up to avoid injuries.
A Sound of Music tour would not be complete without going to those famous alive hills. This portion of the tour was just breathtaking.
This was a stop on the way to Mondsee where we were able to go in the chapel where Maria marries the Captain. Mondsee was a charming little town on a beautiful lake. In the many trips on the bus from place to place, we watched scenes from the movie, interviews with the actors and actresses, and learned about the actual Von Trapp family. My personal favorite part was the singalong and yodeling competition.
Salzburg was the cutest city, and it certainly made me wish we had spent more time in Austria, but it was time for the next and final destination on our list before heading back to London to fly home. Our adventures were almost done!
So long, farewell--Lots of love,
Shelly
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