Auf Wiedersehen, Europe... till next time...


Advertisement
Austria's flag
Europe » Austria » Salzburg » Salzburg
April 28th 2008
Published: July 7th 2008
Edit Blog Post

Today was our last real day for sightseeing... tomorrow we would head toward Munich and spend the evening packing and getting everything ready to go.

But today, we had one last stop to make... Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart. On our way from the car, we passed through the gardens at Mirabell Palace with their colorful, winding flower beds. The garden was used in the filming of the movie "The Sound of Music", and is where the family sang the song "Do-Re-Me".

After a short walk through the city, we took the funicular up to the fortress that overlooks the city, Hohensalzburg. It was built by Archbishop Gebhard in 1077, and is the largest of its kind in Europe to have survived completely intact. The view of the cityscape is spectacular from up there.

On our way back down to town, we passed by the Salzburg Cathedral. Built in the 17th century, it was the place of Mozart's baptism, and has survived three or four bouts of extensive damage and restoration over the years. The inside is captivating, with its towering dome and endless white arches.

Outside the cathedral, we noticed what appeared to be a construction area cordoned off. A closer look, however, revealed a skeleton embedded in the ground, likely an inhabitant of a long lost cemetery next to the church. The archeologists brushed off the dirt an inch at a time, careful not to disturb their treasure.

Entering the cemetery at St. Peter's Cathedral, I began to wonder if it was normal for one person to have so many pictures of graveyards and bones. I just love cemeteries, I don't know why! Maybe it's because they're so peaceful... I like to wonder who the people are, did they have a good life? We stood contemplating a grave marked "Harry J. Collins, Major General, U.S.A." His wife, Irene, was also listed and there was a small placard with the names Dr. Franz and Anna Gehmacher. My mom and I had a very long discussion about who General Collins was, why he was buried in Austria, and what his relationship was to Franz and Anna. I said they all probably thought we were crazy, standing over their grave, studying the dates and making guesses. Mom said, "No, I bet they're thinking... How nice that these people care about who we are..."

And thus ended our Mother-Daughter Trip, with fond memories of getting lost in Holland, drinking beer in Germany, relaxing in Austria, and well... we won't mention the Rental Car Incident. Suffice it to say that I now know what a clutch is and the car in front of us wasn't damaged... it wasn't!!

Europe is a safer place now that the girls are back home...
Auf Wiedersehen.


Additional photos below
Photos: 16, Displayed: 16


Advertisement

For the record, General Collins is credited with the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp.For the record, General Collins is credited with the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp.
For the record, General Collins is credited with the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp.

His wife Irene is Austrian. I'm guessing Franz and Anna are her parents. And now you know... the rest of the story.


Tot: 0.153s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 18; qc: 84; dbt: 0.0931s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb