With that being said, our second day in Salzburg was amazing. We woke and gazed gloomily out the window and the streets being washed with a cold rain. We left England for a reason. But we didn't let it stop us. We got ready and went downstairs for a small breakfast at the hostel. Being in Salzburg, our hostel played "The Sound of Music" every day at 10:30 AM. After breakfast, we gathered in the TV room to watch the movie before we went on our tour at 2:30. It's just such a great movie!
We stopped at a grocery store on our way to the tour and grabbed bread, cheese, and salami which we ate on the steps of a church on the square from which our tour departed. We were absolutely freezing, but the food was tasty and cheap. Eventually we were in a van along with a British couple and two Swiss journalists and our fearless tour guide, Peter. Peter...how would I describe Peter...a little crazy with a pinch of eccentricity thrown in? The first thing he said to me personally was, "What's yellow and smells like a banana?" After I shook my head he responded, "Monkey vomit...isn't that terrible?" Anyway, he drove us around Mirabelle Gardens, though we did not go in--we had gone the day before. The first place the van stopped was the back of the Von Trapp house with the lake where Maria and the children fell out of the canoe when they saw that Captain Von Trapp had returned home. The lake was frozen, but the scenes still played vividly in our minds. We didn't linger long because we had many places to go and we were very cold. He pointed out the mountain that Maria sang "The Hills are alive..." on and the mountain from which the Von Trapps were filmed escaping Austria. Next, we passed Nonberg Abbey where Maria (both in the real Maria and Julie Andrews) resided with the nuns before she went to be a governess to the children. Our driver pointed out the front of the house when we drove by--the movie used two different houses to film the front and the back, and then used a Hollywood set for the interior. Near the front house, down the tree-lined alley where the children hung from trees as the Captain drove by, there was the gazebo. Need I say more? "I am 16, going on 17..." Classic. We were not allowed to go inside of the gazebo, however, because a few years ago an 80-year old lady had attempted to do the dance leaping from seat to seat...she fell and broke a hip.Loading in the car, we headed for the mountains. Our driver began playing the soundtrack to the movie and the hills came alive. The mountains were beautiful--birds eye views of Salzburg and other little towns blew my mind. Eventually we arrived in Mondsee where the Basilica there was the church in which the wedding was filmed. This area of Austria was also known for providing a warm vanilla sauce to accompany apple strudel. Our driver dropped us off for an hour, so we went into the church and then shopped a bit before enjoying the amazing dessert. Peter dropped us off at our hostel at the end of the journey. It was great--definitely worth the 4 hours and 37 euros.
After recovering from a busy afternoon, we decided to follow Peter's suggestions for dinner and for the evening activities. Wanting to experience Austrian culture, we ventured to a beer hall--I believe one of the biggest in Austria...thankfully they also served Coca-Cola along with their bratwurst, sauerkraut, and pretzels. The food was delicious--I had no idea I was a sauerkraut type of person, but it was tasty! After dinner, we went to the Hotel Stein. Our tour guide claimed the rooftop bar had one of the best views of the city at night. So we took the elevator and went on the roof to take pictures ignoring the annoyed waiters who wished we'd buy something from them.
When we returned to our hostel we met Monique the Crazy German bunking with us. She was in her 60s with bright orange and red hair. Her English was horrible, but she sure loved to talk! She invited us to accompany her to a free exhibit at the Modern Museum of Art the next day. We accepted the free elevator ticket and met her the next day at the bottom of the mountain. The elevator was built in the cliff so it took us to the Museum which overlooked the city. None of us really appreciate modern art, so we didn't last long in the museum, but we greatly enjoyed the breathtaking views of Salzburg. We wandered about taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful day. After lunch at McDonalds, we sat on the banks of the river soaking up the sun for hours. Eventually we took a bus to the airport and flew home.
The "fun" hadn't ended, however. We had no idea of the fiasco that awaited us in London. Our plane landed at 10:00. We needed to take a 45 minute train ride to an Underground station then take the tube about 6 stops (10 minutes) and catch another train to Oxford that would be an hour long. Worried that the tube station would close at 11, we rushed to the airport train. We arrived at the tube station right at 11--it wasn't closed! But the line that would take us to the other train station was shut down for maintenance. We decided to take a bus. We hoped the 23 and sat for an hour as it made 19 stops before it arrived at Paddington Station. We walked into the station at 12:35. The last train for Oxford left ten minutes before. The next train...at 8 in the morning. With tension building in the group, we stopped at Burger King for some energy and inspiration. I was the only one with cash (thanks mom for your advice to always keep a stash for emergencies) so we caught a cab and went to Marble Arches where we wanted to catch the "Oxford Tube," a 24-hour bus that ran from London to Oxford. Around 1:45, we boarded the bus grumpy and tired. Once we arrived in Oxford, there was a 30 minute walk back to the house. It was raining. I arrived home soaking wet at 3:30 and have never been more excited to see #10 Canterbury Road in my life.
I'm living spontaneously...YIKES!
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