Sound of Music
After my much needed sobering end to Munich, I decided to go to Salzburg. I got into town around 10 pm under a steady rain. As such, I had no idea what to expect as far as seeing the Alps. I easily found my hostel and settled in for the night. In the morning, the rain was continuing its reign over the skies, so I decided to head into the old town to check out the inevitably cliche tourist stops in the home of … The Sound of Music. Everyone seemed to be trying to get their cut, but the town is certainly nice. I was a bit disappointed by the view. From the near emerald colored river you can see a large hill on the one side, and the cliff with the castle looming over the rest of the city on the other embankment.
Yes, this place is a bit of a tourist trap. You can certainly find some reference or claim to fame related to the ‘Sound of Music.’ My hostel had a daily showing of the movie, and abundant tours were available for those movie groupies. As for me…. I had seen the movie more than enough times, and wasn’t really in the mood to sing do-re-mi with people on a bus with an overly excited tour guide. However, there is some quality music to be heard here though, as Salzburg’s more long standing claim to fame is the brithplace of Mozart. As I was walking through the main plaza I found a group of musicians rocking out (literally) to Mozart on an accordion, and a mixture of odd string instruments. They appeared to be a renaissance twist on small guitars and a bass with rounded backs and triangular shaped fronts. They were amazingly talented, and moving around in a seizure of movement to the music. I’m sure they are regulars on the plaza and I highly suggest listening for them if you find yourself in town.
I decided to wait out the weather and hid in a small cafe until I saw the weather starting to clear. I had climbed up to the castle in the morning, without a good view, and so I thought I should give the other hill a chance as well. As I hiked farther up, the clouds started to break in the distance, and once the trees started to clear I could really see the Alps. They truly are massive, and just filled the horizon. The sun was breaking through the clouds creating its own light show on the peaks far and near as the skies opened. From up here you can see how small the cliff is the castle sits on, and it looks like a small island among the city, and in the distance were the real deal. It was a refreshing change of scenery, and I couldn’t wait to head into them the next day and start climbing.
