Summers in Salzburg

Summers in Salzburg are a lot like summers in Seattle or winters in San Luis Obispo. The rain was practically unrelenting with the clouds breaking up every now and then for a ray of sun before closing for more rain...and even when it was feeling up to it, some seasonal hail came down.

When we had arrived in Munich, Nicole was surprised by the rain (California upbringing can do that to a person) so she was poorly prepared for the rain. Although, to be totally honest, I was much in the same boat (I've been been jaded by summers in SLO too). Despite our discomfort from the moody weather we still really enjoyed seeing this part of the world.

Salzburg was small and pretty. An afternoon of walking around town is all you need to get the feel of the area. 1 out of every 3 jobs in Salzburg is related to tourism...so there are also lots of tourists. After a day of this, taking to the Alps to see the surrounding lakes and towns was the thing to do. We actually ended up crossing back into Germany for some coffee and a visit to the salt mines.

Hey, for all you Sound of Music fans, they offer a tour. I decided to try it out...having heard wonderful things about it; our tour guide was very nice but did not provide what I wanted it the tour...information. You had to prod it out of her. We did see filming sites though, heard how much Christopher Plummer didn't like children and visited outlying towns as well. Oh yes...in the movie the Vontrapps escaped into the mountains...but if you look on a map the mountains would bring them into Germany. hmmmm. The real Vontrapps actually took a train from Salzburg to Italy, then France, then England before settling in Vermont. I'm glad I took the tour but wouldn't reccommend it to anyone else...unless they could take Sound of Music no matter if the guide was good or not. Apparently there is another tour guide who is very entertaining...that makes all the
difference in the world.

So if you plan to visit Salzburg, bring an umbrella and your woolies, plan on lots of tourists but if you like beautiful scenery, it's an excellent place to see. I am very glad to have visited it.