Dear Emma,

I was on the Autobahn again!!!!!  And we were able to go over 210km per hour.... YEAH!!! The only thing is that you can't yell at the driver to "wow... look at that!!!!" It adds a bit of stress while driving..... I laugh now remembering how many times I did yell out in excitement... my poor tour guide!

 

Heading for Salzburg, Austria - home of Mozart and the sound of Music. I can't believe I am actually going to visit Austria. Everything is very close to each other in Bavaria. Chiemsee was a litttle over an hour from Munich and I think Austria is not much further.

 

The mountain range while driving is magnificent and even though it is a bit misty, and the clouds have settled lower on the mountain range, it is still very beautiful and I am able to take some good photos ("Salzburg, Austria").

 

We had to stop and get a "driving pass" for Austria in order to drive through the streets of Austria without being fined. The pass had to be affixed to the interior of the window and not able to be removed or a fine would be incurred. The pass didn't cost very much (7 or 8 Euros) and it is good for I think 10 days (I may be off a couple of days here or there). The reason for the pass, I was told, was that the fuel prices in Austria are so much less than Germany and hence Germans or other bordering countries venture into Austria for their gas. Good idea!!

 

Arriving in Salzburg around 1pm was good timing and the first place visited was the birth house of Mozart. This house was located within the heart of Salzburg on a very narrow street of cobblestone. It was very hard to take a photo because the hoards of tourists all trying to do the same thing. But, I wasn't in any rush and was quite enjoying myself.

 

The buildings in Salzburg date back to the 1400's (the earliest that I saw) and alot of them were renovated with their dates posted as well.  I enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets of Salzburg and taking in all the varieties of buildings in their construction, colour and size. 

 

Came upon many statues, including the famous Mozart outside the City Museum. Some statues of horses, or what seemed to be water gods, the Salzburg Barometer and I can't forget the horse and buggies.

 

Walking in Salzburg was effortless and with each step was a new site to see and experience. Stopped along the river for some lunch and had Paella which is a mixture of seafood on rice. It was very good and quite filling.

 

My highlight of the tour was when I learned that I was able to tour the Salzburg castle far off in the distance. Again, I felt like a little girl in a candy store. I was going to visit the Salzburg castle!!!

Taking the tram up the hill to the castle was pretty exciting and stepping onto the castle outer circle steps and seeing below the city of Salzburg was overwhelming. I thought I had seen it all, until that moment.... the castle was ours now... well at least for the day.... there was even rooms for a pub and games room!!!

 

Taking the audio tour of the tower was very interesting including the torture chambers. The "Bull" was sounded off for us during the tour and I felt very honoured to be able to stand there and hear the sounds of these bells.

 

Last but not least, the top of the tower and the most spectacular view of the city of Salzburg. I could have stayed there all day taking in its beauty.

 

Finishing up the tour and heading back into the city offered more opportunities to walk the streets of Salzburg along the river and enjoy its serenity.

 

Leaving Salzburg and heading back towards Munich, I was once again surprised with the opportunity to visit the Bavarian Mountains. After travelling up the winding road of the mountain for a while, the rest of the trip was on foot. Green grass, dense forest and the sounds of the rapids from the forest river provided an undescribable setting.

 

The day was absolutley perfect - exhilarating - and unforgettable!!!

 

Love,

Mommy