I knew that Salzburg, Austria HAD to be visited this year. The 50th anniversary of a certain movie is being celebrated by many around the world, and Salzburg is where much of it was filmed!
You may have heard of The Sound of Music? If you haven't, you MUST live in a hole.
To be completely honest, I really only wanted to visit Salzburg BECAUSE of it's Sound of Music roots. That is all.
Yes, I have plans and dreams of visiting anywhere and everywhere, but Salzburg wouldn't have been up on the top of my list if it weren't for Julie Andrews dancing on that hill 50 ish years ago!
Gosh, she's gorgeous.
Since my husband is gone for the time being, this trip was taken without him. I can now say I have finally visited a country that he hasn't! Not that it's a contest, just sayin'.
I booked this trip through my local Moral, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) organization through the military. I had received a few emails after my (since deleted) MWR post which prompted me to take an MWR trip sooner than later.
A few people challenged me to take a trip through the organization before passing so much judgement on it. I apologize for giving my opinions on the subject before ever booking through them, and realize that was a bit unfair (although in my defense, I wasn't judging the actual MWR trips as a whole, I was commenting on how expensive they are, and simple addition cannot lie).
However, taking this trip only confirmed that my opinions are more than opinions, they are facts. I'll dive into it all somewhere in this post.
So Salzburg, back to Salzburg.
Beautiful little town. Reminds me a lot of cities in Germany, but that could be because it's so close to the German border, and maybe because they 'sprachen de deutsch'. Much of the architecture is pretty similar to a typical German city, and the same can be said for bits of their gastronomy. Although I was in Austria, I felt like I was in Germany. I'm thinking that my future trip to Vienna, Austria will be a different experience, though.
Our bus dropped us off near the Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell). This was perfect considering that the gardens open early, and I wanted to beat huge tour groups to the palace gate that Julie Andrews helped make famous.
The kids and I set off to find the gate, which wasn't a hard task, but we strolled leisurely through the garden before finding it. Luckily, the tour groups hadn't arrived. Just a lot of locals hanging out in the area; reading, sitting, wandering. I found a man holding a DSLR near the gate and hoped that he could help me fulfill my dream of having a photo of me and my children taken on the steps of the palace, just like the last frame of 'Do-re-mi' in The Sound of Music. He obliged, and snapped a few photos. He was an American tourist, so he spoke perfect English, BUT I soon figured out that just because he owns a Nikon similar to my own didn't mean that he necessarily knew how to operate it. The final picture was okay.
To quote Ansel Adams: "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!”
I really learned a lesson! If he didn't help at all, the picture wouldn't exist, period. So I am grateful. I promise!
There is a smaller gate near the larger gate, and we went through it after the above photo was taken. There are beautiful pink magnolia trees in this area. I could sit under them all day long if time allowed!
Not a very interesting story, but there's google if you so compelled.
From the cemetery, we strolled back through old town, gawking at statues, fountains, landmarks, and taking in the city without any real sense of purpose. Personally, that's my favorite way to explore any place; zero hardcore plans, and not afraid of getting lost.
I promised my kids that they could play at a playground we had spotted when we first arrived at Mirabell. It was a win win. They played on what they dubbed "The best slide ever", while I sat under the magnolias drinking a Coke and taking photos. For the first time since my husband had left, I felt extreme peace. Being a temporary single parent to four kids isn't easy (kudos to those mamas who do it daily), but I am forever grateful to the magnolias of Salzburg. I can't exactly put it into words, but under their branches I was soothed and still. I could've stayed in that spot all day, if time allowed.
***MWR***
As for the MWR bits, I can now say I have accomplished an MWR trip! Ours wasn't a guided tour, nor did it offer extras. Really, it was just a ride. I paid $255 for all five of us to go from Vilseck, Germany to Salzburg, Austria. Our call time was 4am and we arrived at 10am! Yikes. For half the cost, I could've filled up my own gas tank and had a four hour drive rather than a six hour drive. After exploring Salzburg, we had to be back on the bus at 4:30pm, and arrived around 10pm in Vilseck. I wasn't thrilled that they only gave us six and a half hours to adventure, but honestly, it was plenty.
Salzburg isn't super huge, and it helped that it's not peak tourist season. I could see a tourist planning one overnight stay in Salzburg to visit for two full days, but a more than two days would be overkill, imo, unless you plan to explore the outskirts.
I will admit, it was nice not to worry about driving myself. I'd say that's the only benefit I saw in this MWR trip. For a single person or a couple, the cost is surely worth it, but for a family of four or more, you'd save money by going on your own accord because MWR charges per person. Like I mentioned before, simple addition folks!
I won't say this is my last MWR trip, but if I do another, there has to be a really good reason as to why. Oktoberfest might be worth it, we'll see...
Our day in Salzburg was pleasant and went without a hitch. I wasn't too worried about being alone with my kids in a foreign city, in fact, I feel safer in most European cities than I have in downtown Seattle, Los Angles, or even Phoenix!
I actually was able to cross off everything on my Salzburg list, so if I ever return it would be purely a 'just because' trip, or to sit under the magnolias again. I wouldn't mind visiting near by towns, such as Hallstatt, but technically I wouldn't be visiting Salzburg if that were the case!
You may have heard of The Sound of Music? If you haven't, you MUST live in a hole.
To be completely honest, I really only wanted to visit Salzburg BECAUSE of it's Sound of Music roots. That is all.
Yes, I have plans and dreams of visiting anywhere and everywhere, but Salzburg wouldn't have been up on the top of my list if it weren't for Julie Andrews dancing on that hill 50 ish years ago!
Gosh, she's gorgeous.
Since my husband is gone for the time being, this trip was taken without him. I can now say I have finally visited a country that he hasn't! Not that it's a contest, just sayin'.
I booked this trip through my local Moral, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) organization through the military. I had received a few emails after my (since deleted) MWR post which prompted me to take an MWR trip sooner than later.
A few people challenged me to take a trip through the organization before passing so much judgement on it. I apologize for giving my opinions on the subject before ever booking through them, and realize that was a bit unfair (although in my defense, I wasn't judging the actual MWR trips as a whole, I was commenting on how expensive they are, and simple addition cannot lie).
However, taking this trip only confirmed that my opinions are more than opinions, they are facts. I'll dive into it all somewhere in this post.
So Salzburg, back to Salzburg.
Beautiful little town. Reminds me a lot of cities in Germany, but that could be because it's so close to the German border, and maybe because they 'sprachen de deutsch'. Much of the architecture is pretty similar to a typical German city, and the same can be said for bits of their gastronomy. Although I was in Austria, I felt like I was in Germany. I'm thinking that my future trip to Vienna, Austria will be a different experience, though.
Our bus dropped us off near the Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell). This was perfect considering that the gardens open early, and I wanted to beat huge tour groups to the palace gate that Julie Andrews helped make famous.
The kids and I set off to find the gate, which wasn't a hard task, but we strolled leisurely through the garden before finding it. Luckily, the tour groups hadn't arrived. Just a lot of locals hanging out in the area; reading, sitting, wandering. I found a man holding a DSLR near the gate and hoped that he could help me fulfill my dream of having a photo of me and my children taken on the steps of the palace, just like the last frame of 'Do-re-mi' in The Sound of Music. He obliged, and snapped a few photos. He was an American tourist, so he spoke perfect English, BUT I soon figured out that just because he owns a Nikon similar to my own didn't mean that he necessarily knew how to operate it. The final picture was okay.
To quote Ansel Adams: "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!”
 |
| The only photo out of 9 that was post worthy! I really do give thanks to my fellow American traveler for giving me a second of his time, but this photo had to be cropped, and needed tons of relighting to get it presentable! Lesson learned: Always hand your camera to someone on auto. It won't be perfect, but it is a safe option. Thank goodness for RAW. |
There is a smaller gate near the larger gate, and we went through it after the above photo was taken. There are beautiful pink magnolia trees in this area. I could sit under them all day long if time allowed!
The little bridge beyond the steps of the small gate leads you past the magnolias, and into the Dwarf Garden. The Dwarf Garden is pretty plain and not at all like I had pictured. It's just an open area with dwarf statues situated in a large circle. My kids were amused, so I let them have a moment to enjoy the dwarfs. I also explained the history of Schloss Mirabell's dwarfs, which they had a gazillion questions about: "Why would he remove them because his wife was pregnant?" "How did they move them?" "What year did they come back?" etc, etc,.
Oy vey!Not a very interesting story, but there's google if you so compelled.
After hanging out with dwarfs for a bit, we went from the way we came in, and walked along the main garden until we hit the street. Mirabell's gardens are quite lovely, and I can say they were the highlight of my trip!
Our hunger pains were becoming hard to ignore, so we headed in the direction of Old Town. There are tons of food choices, little shops, big shops, and everything else in Old Town. I knew that the McDonald's had a gilded sign, so I stopped to get a quick picture (anyone that comes back from Salzburg says "The town is so pretty that even McDonald's looks beautiful").
We continued to walk around Old Town, weaving through little alley ways; the nooks and crannies of the city. I am notorious for wandering off the beaten path of nearly every city we visit. I like seeing the things that most people look past. Besides restaurants and clothing boutiques, there are gobs of souvenir shops in Old Town, all centered around the theme of Mozart. His profile is on nearly everything in this city! You can also find the house that Mozart was born in on the main strip of Old Town.
Of course, no city or town visit is complete without seeing at least one cathedral. I am not religious by any sense of traditional beliefs, but I adore cathedrals in Europe. Not only are they a place to escape crowds, noise and/or rain, they are also rich in history. We didn't go into St. Peter's Abbey, but we definitely made time for Dom zu Salzburg, or the Salzburg Dom Cathedral.
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| *a bit of barrel distortion that I failed to correct :-) This cathedral isn't 'cathedral-esque' from the exterior, which I found to be somewhat of a rarity. Many, if not all cathedrals (except Asam's Kirche in Munich) we have seen in Europe have traditional exterior facades, but the exterior of the Salzburg Dom felt more like the entrance of a museum. Tid bit of history: This cathedral has suffered many fires , and in 1944 was hit with a bomb. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site. |
The next church we visited was beautiful as well, but in it's own way. It sits in an area where many vendors set up shop for an outside market. The name is Kollegienkirche, literally translated as "college church".
There were a few people inside when we walked in, but after awhile, I noticed it was just us. Very odd to have NOBODY inside of a church/cathedral except for your party. A little eerie, but nice when you want pictures.
We found our way to Festung Hohensalzburg (or 'Hohensalzburg Fortress'). It's large and on a hilltop, so it's not something that easily goes amiss! My kids really wanted to ride the funicular up, so we did. For the funicular ride and the fortress entrance, I paid a total of €26 for 1 adult/4 kids; the family ticket. Not bad considering I have seen higher entrance fees for a family elsewhere. We rode the funicular up, walked through the audio-guided tour, and wandered the grounds. Sorry, but not impressed (I think I have become a bit jaded in regard to fortresses and castles). The only thing that impressed me about Hohensalzburg was the view(s). That alone made my ticket purchase worth it!
We walked about every part of the fortress before heading back down. It took about an hour to see it all. Luckily peak tourist season has not quite reached Europe yet, so we never had to queue during our Hohensalzburg visit.
After hopping off the funicular, we headed to St. Peter's Friedhof right at the base of the fortress mountain. Beautiful cemetery; my second favorite I've experienced in Europe, thus far. My favorite is Frankfurt's Hauptfriedhof, in case you wondered ;-)
After hopping off the funicular, we headed to St. Peter's Friedhof right at the base of the fortress mountain. Beautiful cemetery; my second favorite I've experienced in Europe, thus far. My favorite is Frankfurt's Hauptfriedhof, in case you wondered ;-)
From the cemetery, we strolled back through old town, gawking at statues, fountains, landmarks, and taking in the city without any real sense of purpose. Personally, that's my favorite way to explore any place; zero hardcore plans, and not afraid of getting lost.
We headed back to Mirabell Palace. By this time, the sun had poked it's way through the clouds, and everything in the city had a warmth to it that it lacked upon our morning arrival. Suddenly, as if from thin air, people appeared. Swarms of them! I was glad to have wandered through the city before the masses came.
I promised my kids that they could play at a playground we had spotted when we first arrived at Mirabell. It was a win win. They played on what they dubbed "The best slide ever", while I sat under the magnolias drinking a Coke and taking photos. For the first time since my husband had left, I felt extreme peace. Being a temporary single parent to four kids isn't easy (kudos to those mamas who do it daily), but I am forever grateful to the magnolias of Salzburg. I can't exactly put it into words, but under their branches I was soothed and still. I could've stayed in that spot all day, if time allowed.
The time had escaped us, and before we knew it, our day trip was ending. As we headed back to the bus, we took a few final Mirabell photos, and breathed in the magnolia air.
***MWR***
As for the MWR bits, I can now say I have accomplished an MWR trip! Ours wasn't a guided tour, nor did it offer extras. Really, it was just a ride. I paid $255 for all five of us to go from Vilseck, Germany to Salzburg, Austria. Our call time was 4am and we arrived at 10am! Yikes. For half the cost, I could've filled up my own gas tank and had a four hour drive rather than a six hour drive. After exploring Salzburg, we had to be back on the bus at 4:30pm, and arrived around 10pm in Vilseck. I wasn't thrilled that they only gave us six and a half hours to adventure, but honestly, it was plenty.
Salzburg isn't super huge, and it helped that it's not peak tourist season. I could see a tourist planning one overnight stay in Salzburg to visit for two full days, but a more than two days would be overkill, imo, unless you plan to explore the outskirts.
I will admit, it was nice not to worry about driving myself. I'd say that's the only benefit I saw in this MWR trip. For a single person or a couple, the cost is surely worth it, but for a family of four or more, you'd save money by going on your own accord because MWR charges per person. Like I mentioned before, simple addition folks!
I won't say this is my last MWR trip, but if I do another, there has to be a really good reason as to why. Oktoberfest might be worth it, we'll see...
Our day in Salzburg was pleasant and went without a hitch. I wasn't too worried about being alone with my kids in a foreign city, in fact, I feel safer in most European cities than I have in downtown Seattle, Los Angles, or even Phoenix!
I actually was able to cross off everything on my Salzburg list, so if I ever return it would be purely a 'just because' trip, or to sit under the magnolias again. I wouldn't mind visiting near by towns, such as Hallstatt, but technically I wouldn't be visiting Salzburg if that were the case!
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