Freitag
Salzburg, our destination for today. Once again George picks us up and we are on our way. On the way he goes through the history of Salzburg, starting from the Celtic settlement, through the Roman periods till the foundation of St. Peter’s Abbey in 696. At some point once again I nod off. Over an hour and a half later we are pulling into the coach drop off point in Salzburg. From here George points out the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the monastery and nunnery. Maria von Trapp attended this nunnery. From here we walk to Mozartplatz.
This morning I was wondering, “I’ve been there twice, what more can I see”. I am pleasantly surprised when I realise that there are still parts of the city that I haven’t been to. While we wait for our guided tour to start we visit the Salzburg Cathedral, it’s crypt, St Peter’s church, the cemetery and catacombs. The catacombs are carved into the side of the cliffs. Our city guide joins us at midday and takes us around the important points in the Old Town. She shows us the parts where the ‘Sound of music’ was filmed. Salzburg is known for it’s festival and also Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose birth place and residence is in the city centre. Mozart’s sister also lived in a house across the square from their family home after she got married.
Coming back to the ‘Sound of Music’, I never knew that it was based on a true story of the von Trapp Family. Maria von Trapp wrote the book, which then became a successful musical and the film was adapted from this. Maria was not happy with Robert Wise’s portrayal of her husband in the film and she came to protest about it during the filming. So the original Maria and her daughter can be seen in the background during the scene where Julie Andrews is singing the song ‘I have confidence’, which was filmed in the Residenzplatz.
After the tour, we have lunch and just enough time to catch the funicular train to visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Once again we get clear views for miles as it is a bright sunny day and the fortress also houses a museum containing medieval torture instruments and weapons.
In the evening we walk to Kitzbühel town centre after dinner. There is a Biker’s convention going on with stalls selling biker accessories and food. A couple of rock concerts are going on and the streets are lined with Harley Davidsons and Indian (US brand) bikes of all shapes, sizes, colours and designs. Some of the bikes are pretty cool and awesome. We join the Biker guys and chicks and try to blend in. Even if we don’t blend in, I feel quite at home. After all my dad was an Indian version of the Biker man almost 40 years ago with his Yezdi and leather jacket. He would have enjoyed this evening if he was here. We walk around, admire the bikes and make our way back.
