The Hills Are Alive... in Salzburg

Salzburg Watercolor by local Salzburg artist

Jay Nordlinger of National Review Online has written a series about the single most beautiful place on the planet, in my opinion.  Salzburg.  The series, entitled Salzburg Souvenirs, can found here: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.

Recently, the yearly world-renowned Music Festival (Salzburger Festspiele), took place.  It begins in late July and goes on for five weeks.  It exhibits various pieces of opera, drama, and classical music.  Salzburg, the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, draws many musicians from around the world.  It is also the area in which part of the musical The Sound of Music was filmed and where part of that true story occurred.


Some friends and I spent a couple of weeks in Germany and Austria.  Bavaria and Salzburg and the Alps.  It was all really a wonder to behold.

My favorite memory while in Salzburg:  Got a break from the guys for awhile.  Found a place to get a sausage and a beer.  Found a tree to sit under, and it happened to be close to a classroom where a couple of students were practicing.  The sound of a piano and a violin wafting on the breeze.  I'm not sure I've had a better sausage and beer in my life.

My dream is take the family back to that area at some point in the future.  I only spent two or three days the first time.  It did not do the place justice at all.  I would love to spend at least a month or so there.  Hiking in the Alps, listening to world-class music, enjoying the great food and beer.  Not being there leaves a feeling of homesickness.

Here's just a bit of a visual tour.