I write this on the train between Munich and Berlin. We're on an ICE, going about 100 mi/h, passing cars on the autobahn next to us. It's my first time to catch up on the blog in about a week, because when we travelled in Austria, we left the computer behind in Munich.
9.Dec.2007: We took the train from Munich to Vienna. We stayed at the Hotel Ruthensteiner near the Westbahnhof. It's a great hostel: musical instruments in the bar/eating area, no smoking in the entire hostel, and a nice kitchen with cookware, fridges, and eating utensils. We walked to the altstadt in the rain and ate at Siebenstern Pub. This pub makes seven of its own kinds of beers, including smoke beer, chili beer, and some more normal beers. We all had wienerschnitzel, of course.
10.Dec.2007: We walked to Hofburg, the main palace of the Hapsberg dynasty. We toured the museum of old musical instruments and arms and armor. They gave us audio guides that we could hold up to our ears after punching in the number for the exhibit. We could hear what many of the intstruments sounded like. I kept thinking that Bill Weinmann and Professor Pat would like this museum. In the afternoon we toured the Haus der Musik, a high-tech museum of sound and music. We ate a second time at Siebenstern, then relaxed at the hostel in the evening. Hostel beer: Ottokringer.
11.Dec.2007: We walked to the other Hapsberg palace: Schoenebrun. We didn't tour the palace, but walked in its huge gardens and went to its zoo. In the afternoon, we made a huge spaghetti dinner in the hostel's kitchen. Then we relaxed for the rest of the day.
12.Dec.2007: We took the train to Salzburg. We stayed at the YOHO youth hostel, a hip, clean place near the town center. We went to Mozart's Wohnhaus, where the Mozart family lived for a number of years while Wolfgang was young. They had a nice audio tour. We ate dinner at the hostel. Hostel beer: Stiegl - the weissbier is the best I've had so far.
13.Dec.2007: We toured the fortress Festung Hohensalzburg, one of the best old fortresses I've seen. Then we hustled back to the hostel to watch "The Sound of Music." During the movie I walked around Salzburg and found the Augustiner monestary/brewery/beer hall (closed at the time), and the youth hostel at which I stayed in 1989. This hostel is on a hill overlooking the old town, and it is made out of part of the old city wall. It was built in the year 1050. Later, we walked to the Augustiner and had a beer/Fanta. (www.augustinerbier.at)
14.Dec.2007: We took the obligatory Sound of Music tour. We saw the place where they shot all the backyard scenes (scenes of the lake and gazebo). They didn't use the nearby building as the Von Trapp family home (we saw that building also, at another place), so some scenes were tricky to shoot. We drove to the lake district and saw the wedding church. After the tour we walked to Mozart's birthplace, then watched "The Sound of Music" again at the hostel.
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Page author: Andy Felt