Prelude to Salzburg

I took Friday off from work so I could have a long break since Thursday was a holiday. We drove to Austria and spent three days there. The original plan was to drive to Munich in Germany, then head to Salzburg in Austria before driving back home to Prague. I wasn't really sold out in going to Munich because I've never been crazy about big cities. Count me in only for off the beaten tracks.

A had been so keen on visiting Salzburg. I was kinda lukewarm about it at first but a click on wikipedia changed the whole temperature. I was suddenly burning with excitement!

Some facts about Salzburg, courtesy of Wikipedia, which really tickled my pickle:

1. The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and raised in Salzburg, for whose archbishops he worked from 1769 to 1781. His house of birth and residence are tourist attractions. His family is buried in a small church graveyard in the old town, and there are many monuments to "Wolferl" in the city.

2. Josef Mohr was born in Salzburg. Together with Franz Gruber, he composed and wrote the text for "Silent Night". As a priest in neighbouring Oberndorf he performed the song for the first time in 1818.

3. Maria Von Trapp (later Maria Trapp) and her family lived in Salzburg until they fled to America following the Nazi takeover.

4. " The Sound of Music," The phenomenally successful Rodgers and Hammerstein musical was shot on lots of real locations around Salzburg.

Number four sealed the deal for me. The movie was a huge part of my childhood. I watched it numerous times, memorized the songs by heart. "Edelweiss" was my most favorite and of course, the immortal "Do Re Mi." So we totally scrapped Munich off from the itinerary. We were set to visit the place which unknowingly contributed so much among the best memories of my childhood.

Here's the video of "Do Re Mi" from the movie. You betcha we've visited and seen those places for real. :)


Will post pics and write about Salzburg soon. Ta-ta for now.