Salzburg

And now for the Sound of Music portion of the trip - Salzburg! Salzburg was small but very lively. We had a lecture in the University law building and took a tour of their historic law library (with beautiful maps and frescos hidden under the walls that had only been uncovered in the last 10 years), then we had the afternoon free. Laura and I went to lunch at a biergarten - we had the Austrian specialty "Tafelspitz" - boiled beef with creamed spinach. I know it sounds cafeteria-esque, but it was delicious - really tender and topped with some sort of hollandaise sauce. Yum.

I went off on my own to see Mozart's birthplace, the “historical significance” thing I was most looking forward to in Salzburg (I'm not a big Sound of Music fan). The house was a museum, and I saw some great stuff, like Mozart's first violin and the piano he wrote the Magic Flute on - it was so satisfying just to stand were he once did (cheesy, yes, but this is like the Mecca of classical music). I hung out there for quite a while (I mean, they were playing Mozart - I could have hung out there all day). I will say this, there was one exhibit that creeped me out – the displays of Mozart’s hair. Actual pieces of the man’s hair. Well, there was a disclaimer that they might not all be his, which made it even stranger. Like they were purchased on Ebay or something. The museum closed at 5 and they kicked me out at 5:30, so I just wandered around the city until the bus left at 8. I walked along the river then I think I saw almost all of the public squares through town (they had all these great farmers' markets and flower vendors) and the main churches. Salzburg was great for a casual stroll – mostly flat with only the occasional hill and street performer. I walked through the Mirabel gardens (like a smaller version of the flower park in Paris) and just really enjoyed the feel of the city. It was a bit chilly and overcast, but it wasn’t raining or painfully cold, so all things considered, okay weather. A very satisfying little day trip.