Here and There and Everywhere

Salzburg view from the fortress 

Yes, I know it has been a terribly long time since I have posted. It is just that there is so much to do and so much to see in so little time. This past week we have been traveling around Austria experiencing Austrian life.



We started our little journey last Friday in Salzburg. This city, as many of you know, is where the Vontrapps lived and where the filming of the Sound of Music took place. We started out with a walking tour of the city so we would be able to find things. :) That day we went and saw Mozart's birth house, which turned out to be much more interesting then I thought it would be. They had actual artifacts from his life. On Saturday we went to a fortress! It was massive. It sits on top of this rocky mountain overlooking all of Salzburg. That same day we went to this palace that is on the outskirts of town. The palace itself isn't that impressive but the grounds are so fun! The grounds have many natural springs on them so they turned part of grounds into this beautiful little path with fountains, streams, and pools. But the best part was that this pathway was also full of trick fountains that the our guide had control of. He could turn them on and off whenever he wanted. So needless to say we all got pretty wet. Also on those grounds is the famous gazebo from the Sound of Music. Yes, I got  a ton of pictures! ;)  Saturday night was the opening of the Salzburg festival. It was so neat to watch. The people of Salzburg dressed in traditional Austrian dress and did the candle dance around the center fountain in town. It was beautiful. Everyone in the dance had a candle, then at the end of the dance they all threw their candles into the fountain. Sunday was a lot of fun as well. We all went to a Catholic Mass. But it wasn't a normal mass because first, it was in a Baroque cathedral and second, it was Mozart Mass. That means that for the majority of the Mass they had an Orchestra and choir that performed Mozart pieces. It was some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

On top of the fortress 

Sorry, I couldn't resist not getting a kissing picture in front of the Gazebo 

Our next stop on our journey was Hallstatt. It is this beautiful little town nestled between the Alps and a glacier lake. We chose this town because it is home to the world's oldest salt mine. It is 7000 years old. To put it in perspective, people were mining salt here before the pyramids even existed. We took a tour of the salt mine. We had to dress up in the most attractive clothes, if I do say so myself. They were similar to what the actual miners wear. In the salt mine we got to go down these wooden slides that miners used to get from one floor to the other. I think the mine has been Zac's favorite part of this whole trip because he got to see all the mechanical stuff that they use to do the actual mining. Afterwards,we got our little sample of salt! Yea! The night before we left Hallstatt, we had to do the polar bear plunge into the glacier lake. Oh boy was it cold! But I had to do it or be an outcast forever. Just kidding.

See, aren't the outfits for the mine just great! 

Us on the slides

Our last stop, which is where I am right now, is Dorfgastein. This town stop is meant to be a relaxation stop before we have to face the craziness of our last week in Vienna. This is the most beautiful little town ever. It is tucked away in the green mountains and meadows of the Alps. Every house has planter boxes in the windows. I wish I could just live here! Yesterday, we hiked up to an Alm (farm house) where they make cheese. It is way up on top of a mountain and is the only house up there. Then today we hiked up to another Alm where they make bread. This little place reminds me a lot of St. Johns in a way.  Yes, it is a billion times more beautiful then St. Johns, but it is quiet and slow paced like St. Johns. I miss that a lot. I miss being able to be alone, I miss small towns. I guess that is why Dorfgastein might be my favorite part of this whole trip.

The Cheese Alm 

The hills are alive with the sound of music....

That is Dorfgastein in the background