Driving into Salzburg you can't miss the huge Hohensalzburg Fortress that sits atop Monchsberg, a small mountain, and overlooks the old town and the Salzach River. This fortress has an interesting history: it was so imposing, nobody attacked the town for 1,000 years, thus it was never really used. Today tourists hike up the hill or ride up on a funicular to tour the fortress and take in the awesome views.
During our morning city tour we walked through the beautiful Mirabell Gardens. Our guide pointed out the arbor and other places that were featured in The Sound of Music. We walked through the cemetery behind St. Peter's Church, which inspired the cemetery scene in The Sound of Music where the von Trapp family hid during their escape. Walking down cobbled streets in the elegant shopping district in old town, she showed us Mozart's Residence and the beautiful dome in the Salzburg Cathedral. All of this was an easy walk from our charming hotel, Hotel Trumer Stube.
I was intrigued by the wrought-iron signs that adorn all the shops on Getreidegasse, the main street in the old town. The intricate signs identify the type of business or wares sold in the store.
We have one other lasting memory from Salzburg. How many people can say they sat in an Irish Pub in Salzburg, Austria, with American pop music playing in the background, and watched the U.S. team play Japan in the Women's World Cup final in Frankfurt, Germany?
Eight of us from our tour group and the whole pub of people were cheering for the U.S. - with one lone Japanese kid cheering for Japan. The game ended with a disappointing loss for us, but overall, the evening was another fun memory to add to our travel scrapbooks. YOLO!!