Salzburg, Day Two

A view through the Mirabellgarten toward the Festung Hohensalzburg (Salzburg Fortress)

I arrived at Mirabellplatz at around 9:15 AM to join Fräulein Maria's Bicycle Tour. It was chilly in the morning, but by the end of the nearly four-hour tour it was close to 70 and mostly sunny.

I risked not making a reservation, and I was lucky enough to get the last available spot for my tour (if I hadn't lucked-out, I would have reserved for Saturday.) €24 for the tour.

My guide was Michaela, a native Salzburger with flawless, colloquial English. She was the only one to wear a helmet, and none were even offered to the tourists.

We traveled nearly 14 kilometers on our trip, which followed the footsteps of the filmmakers of the Sound of Music. Michaela told us of the truths and fictions of the movie's portrayal of the Von Trapp family as she adroitly guided us to each of the key, memorable scenes of the movie --

Here I am in front of the residence used for the backside of the Von Trapp estate, with the Festung Hohensalzburg above my head. The picture makes it look like a backdrop, but I was really standing there.  I also got to see an entirely different house that was used for the front of the Von Trapp home.

I appointed myself the trailing duckling of the tour, meaning that I made sure I was always the last bicycle. Michaela looked to me every time we paused in our journey to make sure no one had strayed. It made me remember my Mom telling me to "form ducky formation" when my family traveled to Washington, DC years ago and my brothers were pretty young. I was particularly concerned for an extremely pale Londoner in our crew, who looked like she could be doused by a gentle breeze. 

We toured through the city and the countryside visiting Sound of Music backdrops along the way. Don't get me wrong, I like the musical, but I took the tour more as an introduction to Salzburg and is environs. The tour accomplished both an appreciation for the movie's backdrop and for the City of Mozart.

Above, the "front" of the Von Trapp family home. Below, three different places Julie Andrews and I have each been to.

  

The tour was a lot of fun, though none of us burst out in song from the musical. My group was composed of four airline pilots and their significant others, a Canadian couple from Calgary, a solo from Australia, and a Brit and her Aussie friend. 

After the tour I had a late lunch and explored the Aldstat.  St. Rupert decorations are everywhere for the fair and much of the real heart of the old town was full of vendor stalls and party areas. I even tried a doughnut pretzel (sorry, I can't remember its name in German.)

 The architectural styles were varied, with many cool examples from different eras. People-watching was fun, too. 

I had a traditional Austrian meal for supper at an old neighborhood restaurant near (but not too near) my hotel - Die Weisse. The restaurant serves its own microbrew along with sausages and schnitzel on tables that must have seen service in the Middle Ages. The place was a mix of pub-style restaurant and beer hall  and I really liked the vibe. I had wienerschnitzel with potatoes, and, of course, one of their home brews. The sweet cranberry sauce was a surprise but it actually complemented the schnitzel very nicely!

 

Tomorrow the fortress and environs, and my last day in Salzburg. 

Sterneckstraße 20, Salzburg, Austria.