Salzburg

While staying with the Lewises in Germany, we all piled in a van and headed to Salzburg for an overnight trip. This turned out to be the best idea ever. Seriously. If you're ever anywhere near Salzburg (and I'd argue that Scotland counts as near enough), you should seriously consider making it happen.

First of all, is the birthplace of Mozart. Pictured below is a house that has something to do with him. Also, there's a big statute of him in a town square. And Mozart paraphernalia all over the place. We deemed the experience a musical right-of-passage. 

Or perhaps a "rite" of passage? Get it?

Salzburg also plays a prominent role in Sound of Music, as you may recall. Ben was kind enough to let me talk him into taking a SOM-themed bike tour. Which turned out to be a very, very good choice. We covered a lot of territory, had a knowledgeable and engaging tour guide, and saw a lot of things that we would have never found on our own.

And now, pictures from the bike tour.

First up is the big hall where the music festival happens. The Salzburg music festival is a long-running tradition, and featured prominently in the ending scenes of the movie. Here's one entrance:

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You may recognize the archway below from when Rolf delivers a telegram. And here's Ben delivering a telegram.

I don't remember what the deal is with the picture below, but it's a nice little square, and it has a picture of our bike tour group, so I decided to include it.

This is me in front of the oldest bakery in the city, Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter, dating back at least to the 12th century. We got some bread there. It was pretty good.

Directly to the right of the above picture is St. Peter's cemetery, one of my favorite sights on the tour. Below, you see me gleefully heading inside.

Since I was too busy enjoying the cemetery to snap any photos, I figured I'd point you to some here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g190441-d208874-Reviews-St_Peter_s_Abbey_Cemetery-Salzburg_Austrian_Alps.html. If you check out some of the photos, you'll notice that some design features figure prominently in one of the more intense SOM scenes.

After chilling in St. Peter's cemetery for a bit, the group headed straight uphill to visit the Nonnberg Abbey, where the Von Trapp children ring the bell to try to convince Maria to come back to them and where Maria and the Captain are wed. Here's a view looking away from the Abbey. 

And here's Ben, contemplatively retracing Maria's steps.

After our stop at the Abbey, we kept heading uphill. Specifically, up this hill, complete with a castle/fortress in the background.

And here's the same fortress as it appeared after we rode downhill some.

Where we paused to frolic in the fields, a la Frauline Maria.

Recognize this, anyone?

And here are the Alps in the background.

How about this one?

Random, right?

I think I feel a cheesy (but, let's be honest, much-loved) coming-of-age song coming on.

And here we go, biking through fields again.

And that's it for pictures from our SOM tour. A definite highlight of the trip, and I maybe was looking up summer rentals just the other day. Y'know, just in case. 

After the bike tour, we met Anna & family at the Mirabell Gardens, a prominent Salzburg landmark, pictured below.

Anyone recognize this one? Hint: there are more steps, and people like to jump up and down them in synchronous formations.

We went with them to Hellbrunn Palace. Built by Markus Sittikus, Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, in 1613-19, the place is best known for its water features. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the place: 

"Notable features include stone seats around a stone dining table through which a water conduit sprays water into the seat of the guests when the mechanism is activated, and hidden fountains that surprise and spray guests while they take part on the tour. Other features are a mechanical, water-operated and music-playing theater built in 1750 showing various professions at work, a grotto and a crown being pushed up and down by a jet of water, symbolizing the rise and fall of power. At all of these games there is always a spot which is never wet: that where the Archbishop stood or sat, to which there is no water conduit and which is today occupied by the tour guide."

It was super cool, but we were too busy dodging water tricks to get many good pictures.

Here's me holding one of the girls in a cave that uses water features to imitate the songs of different birds.

And here's the golden crown going up and down.

And after a long day, we all sat down in the shade to take a breather. A fitting end to a fun-filled day in the sun.

Germany - Home Base (i.e., Konigstein)

After the epic train ride through the Alps (and one more to get to Nuremberg), we met Chris at the train station. A quick introduction is in order. We stayed with Anna and Chris in Germany. I've known Anna since freshman year at BYU, and I've known Chris since a little after he and Anna started dating, circa 2005/2006. They have 3 little girls: S is 5, J is 3, and G is somewhere around 1. Chris is in the Army, and they live off base in a lovely Bavarian resort town. In fact, their place used to be a mill. It has since been converted to a bed & breakfast and two apartments. Here's the view from one of their windows. And, yes. That is a cobblestone road.

On one of our first walks about the village, we headed to the local pool. (On the way we passed the schools that the two older girls attend, the village square, the grocery store, and a line of nice restaurants. And it couldn't have been more than a half mile to the pool.)

You may not yet be excited about our trip to the pool, but you should be, 'cause it's amazing. First of all, the pool's a good size with a slide and a kiddie pool/area. And there's a sand volleyball court as well as a lot of lawn space for swimmers and sunbathers to sprawl. Oh. And it's not fenced in. Something you'd never see in the States. 

Anna on left; Becca on right.

Second, it's a chemical-free pool. Sound crazy, right? Fortunately, we ran into the pool engineer / maintenance guy, who filled us in on how it works. I'm pretty sure I'd botch the explanation, so I'll give y'all the cliff notes. It has something to do with the separate, darker compartment pictured above and the reedy area pictured below (on the right of the picture).

Below is a close-up of what's going on in the reeds. Water is sprinkled onto the surface, which is composed of sand and some other minerals and things. These, together with the reeds, filter the water and do other nifty things. Like I said, I don't really get it. But, the engineer assured us that the water is totally clean. He even pointed out the frogs that were chilling in one area of the reeds. Apparently they're a special kind of frog that doesn't tolerate water impurities well. If the frogs stop croaking, something's gone wrong with the filtration and purification system. While we can't vouch for the cleanliness of the water, we all went swimming, including the girls, with no ill effect. 

Two more observations about the pool. First, it was pretty cold water. "Refreshing," the engineer assured us. Second, the kiddie area was nothing close to what we would consider kid-safe in the states. The whole thing was cement, and edges were not particularly rounded. Across a narrow part of the area were a series of cement blocks - think stepping stones or filled-in cinder blocks - for the kids to hop on. Again, no rounded edges: all rough and natural. And all around, in the water and on the sides of the area, were little pebbles. Similar to a sandbox, as kids had shovels and buckets and were moving the pebbles around like you would in a sandbox, but they were pebbles. In the water and around the water. Pebbles and stones a-plenty.

And here's the thing. Stepping on them sort of hurt. Like, you know, stepping on pebbles tends to. We thought it was sort of an odd design decision to make, but the engineer seemed pretty proud of them. He even pointed out how the pebbles were all different shapes - ovals and spheres and squares and more! Educational!, he said. We're still a little puzzled about that one, but the kids seemed to have a blast.

One morning while we were in Konegstein, Ben and I decided to take advantage of one of the many hiking trails around town. On Anna's recommendation, we set out for a destination that the girls called (something like) Ice Cream Cone Mountain. Not sure why. Below, you see the rough-hewn stairs leading to the summit on the left, and the lovely Bavarian countryside on the right.

When we made it to the top, we quickly found that we were not the only ones to have taken Anna's recommendation. Ice Cream Cone Mountain, it seems, is a popular destination for goats. Very friendly goats. Here's one posing with Ben, just feet away from him. Behind him to the left (not pictured), there is a group of another 7 or so. And thus we learned that Ben has a smaller goat bubble than I do. He was willing to let them within a couple of feet of him. If I could touch the goat with a pole and an outstretched arm, well, be ye ware, goat. Altogether, a nice hike with a lovely view of the town and countryside.

Training through the Alps

I've had a pipe dream for quite some time.

In this particular pipe dream, I'm riding a fancy sleeper train through the Austrian Alps. The snow-capped peaks dominate the view as we skirt about the timberline. Swank hot chocolate abounds, served to me by an actual Swiss miss. The destination? Who cares! We travel for the journey, not the end point.

As close as possible in this phase of life, we brought this little pipe dream to life in our travels from Italy up to our next stop: Nuremberg, Germany. Hopping on to a commuter train leaving Florence and bound for the Fatherland, we took splendid delight in the gentle Tuscan countryside as it gave way to the Italian Alps, and enjoyed even more (if possible!) the subsequent leg that took us from Bressanone, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria. Several kilometers outside Bressanone is where the glory of the Alps reveals in earnest its hidden splendor, seemingly reserved just for rail folk. Befitting our journey and mountainous vista, we each bought a glass-bottled 'apfelschorle' (a kind of Deutschland carbonated apple juice) from the older lady manning the cafe car. Not exactly a Swiss "miss," but kind, smiley, and spoke herself a good solid German.

Like most good things in life, our day in the Alps (8-hour train trip) seemed as but a dream and passed by too quickly, and we were soon welcomed by Becca's friend at the Nuremberg train station. I decided for this entry to let the pictures tell the story, with an occasional caption for clarity, emphasis, or just because.

Enjoy!

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ITALY

Apparently, endless fields of grapes, thin vertical trees, and Tuscan goodness is only so engrossing.

There were very few cities along our train route, though plenty of small towns.
Just as you'd hope.

I don't know if it's preferable to live with a view of the town on the mountainside, or to live in the town and have a view of the valley. Guess we'll have to try both and report back.

The back-right of this photo shows the famous Dolomite range of the Italian Alps. In fact, it was a calendar picture of that very range that led to the pipe dream.
Magnificent.

AUSTRIA

Becca and I have taken to calling apple juice "apfel juice" because of
this trip. Nerds unite!

Approaching Innsbruck. Probably the most dramatic mountain scenes came from our approach to this year-round resort town. Even if it's just passing through,
we highly recommend the experience.

Ski resorts, anyone?

 

GERMANY

Turns out this trip had a *ridiculous* amount of picturesque towns and villages on hillsides. 

In case you're wondering, the answer is 'Yes.' 
We can't wait to find an excuse to return.

----- Fin -----

Florence Part III - The Duomo

It's hard to pick a favorite part of Florence. 

Until you see the Duomo. 

Old Florence is an excellent representation of how things used to be: a glorious, visually dominant cathedral sits at the center of town, surrounded on every side by a wide berth of pavilion, with commerce and merchants on the edges. Of course, today's merchants consist of more fine Italian clothiers and fewer pig farmers. The Duomo, perhaps more than any other visual spectacle, makes you feel transported to the Renaissance. 

"Oh...I can feel it."

Our trusty guide books put much stock in the climb to the top spire. Panaromic views of Florence!, they said. Worth every arduous step of the way!, they said. Having finally returned - exhausted - to our little apartment at 5:15, we learned the cathedral would close doors at 5:30 for the last group up. Faced with a decision of momentous importance at the proverbial 11th hour, we took full advantage of Florence and walked right back out the door. 

Duomo: we cometh. 

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The Duomo, like most ancient cathedrals in Europe, has been undergoing renovations and general cleanings for some time. You can likely tell the difference between the above shot (the entrance), and the below shot (Becca holding half our lunch with the cathedral's north side behind her). The cleaning made a huge difference, especially with all that pink marble. I've had the good fortune of seeing several cathedrals throughout Western Europe, and the exterior of Il Duomo is easily one of the most impressive - north-facing filth notwithstanding.

I took a picture of Becca sitting on the steps to contrast the old and the new. This picture, of course, was before we were asked to not eat on the stairs. Who knew Italy actually enforced rules?

So. The climb. 

It turns out the interior of the Duomo is mighty disappointing. After the grandeur of the exterior, your expectations of the interior are as elevated as a Gothic arch - only to be dashed by a rather plain cathedral. Perhaps there's a certain redemption in its simplicity. The simple lines of the columns and arches was, admittedly, pretty cool.

View from behind the plexiglass just before the route heads into the nether reaches of the tower.

The climb up the narrow staircases was reminiscent of the cathedral in Köln, Germany - winding, narrow staircases, little shafts of light coming in from the smallest of holes in the rock, and a bunch of people trying to get down whilst you try to get up. Every now and again we'd get a teaser view of what was coming:

Luckily, there was an iPhone present to record the adventure.

Climbing!

Arrival!

I know the scale of these photos doesn't fit at all into the post....but the panoramic view was too great to scale down. So there ya have it.

Florence made quite an impression. While I won't be getting back there to learn Italian in the next 5 years, I just might make it in the next 10. 


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PS - And here's an extra video pre-Duomo that I just found. Filmed on the balcony of the Uffizi!