a weekend in salzburg, austria

Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do!

Remember when Maria does this?  

Great Beer, Good Food, Amazing Views.

Mirabell Garden

Hedge Maze Near the Garden

City View from the Castle

Indoor Hammock: A Great Place to Spend the Night

Our trip to Salzburg in October was honestly about one thing: The Sound of Music.
Don't judge.
Okay, so we liked the beer, too.

I believe it was Young One's dear Aunt Karen who initially turned her on to the timeless musical. Actually, her father and I had introduced it to her, but with her aunt's approval it became a beloved movie in our collection. Have you watched it lately? Do you remember that it is nearly three hours long? It's definitely a rainy Sunday or winter break kind of thing. Or perfect for a car ride from Italy to Salzburg.

Random factoid: We counted 31 tunnels between our home and Salzburg.

Things we all enjoyed about Salzburg:

1. DIY Sound of Music tour -- include skipping through the arbor while singing "Do, Re, Mi." I kid you not. We are hooked. Julie Andrews is on the level of sainthood in our house. Young One assumes the role of Brigitta while Maria wins our hearts every time. So long, farewell...and all that jazz. Weirdos.

2. Hohensalzburg Castel -- spring for the ticket to ride the funicular up to the castle.

3. Stieglkeller Restaurant -- great beer and amazing views of the city from above; this is located just past the funicular entrance.

4. Mirabell Palace and Gardens -- a perfect place to just hang out while little people explore; there is also a great hedge maze and playground adjacent to the gardens. The playground includes a climbing wall the likes of which made us reflect, "We would never find something this cool (aka potentially dangerous) in the States."

5. Augustiner Brewery -- grab a mug, fill 'er up. This brewery was founded by Augustine monks in 1621 and is now home to an enormous beer hall with a self-serve concept for beverages. We stopped here again on the way out and found a drive-thru section where we were able to purchase a couple of cases of the famous beer to bring back to Italy.

6. Salt mines -- the things we do for kids. That's all I have to say about that and that it's a great rainy day activity.

7. Accommodation -- an apartment on the outskirts of the city center with a hammock in the living room...another hit with the kids, of course. Apartments are the way to go for family travel; this one I found through Homeaway.com. Other than the hammock it wasn't anything spectacular, so I won't link to it here. Public transport was easy to navigate.

8. A walk at night along the river. This could be a completely romantic city without those aforementioned kids. Alas...can't imagine Salzburg without my kiddo at this point...so forget the romance.

I bet Salzburg is gorgeous covered in snow, decked out in Christmas glory.
I bet someone on your Christmas list would love a copy of the DVD.