Do-Re-Mi

Anyone who has seen the Sound of Music won't be surprised to hear that Salzburg is charming. Imagine all those lovely scenes from the movie that make you ooh and aah and that is Salzburg, Austria. What impressed me the most was how calm, peaceful, and clean the city was - refreshing after a whirlwind of often hectic cities. We didn't arrive until around 8, but it was beautiful exploring the city at night. Looking like tourists as we gaped at the bakery window with pretzels shaped like violins and elephants, roaming the tidy streets, gazing at the castle nestled up on the mountain, snapping photos on the bridge, eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant with a hilarious group that included our handsome Italian bus driver Christian. And that is our evening in Salzburg in a nutshell.

The next morning I got up early to run with a couple other girls. Hearing the alarm go off at 6 am got increasingly difficult as the trip went on and our hours of sleep steadily decreased, but it was always well worth it. Some of my favorite memories are the views of the cities I got on those runs. Our director ran with us, and she led us to various Sound of Music sights, including the gorgeous Mirabell Gardens. I can still see the vibrant flowers and perfectly manicured lawns. We only had a couple hours in Salzburg that morning, and we spent them doing a "Sound of Music Amazing Race". A.k.a probably the most effective and creative way to see the city in one hour. We split into teams and had a list of tasks relating to the movie. We danced with an Austrian playing the violin, sang "Do Re Mi" at Mirabell Gardens (and more importantly stopped to take an extra picture on unicorn statues), rolled down a grassy hill, searched unsuccessfully for a donut with kraut, ate Mozart balls, sang "Edelweiss" in front of the Festival Hall... So much fun! I didn't know what to expect from Salzburg, but I was most impressed with the little city. And it was made all the more memorable by all the singing that accompanied it.

"See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees. Ask for no security." - Ray Bradbury