The Sound of Music 2: Helen and Florence Conquer Austria

We were running out of things to do in Munich, and with no more concentration camps within a manageable distance, we did what any sensible person would do- pay homage to the Sound of Music and take pilgrimage to Mozart's birthplace. How do you do this? A day-trip to Salzburg, Austria.

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

Ok, to be honest, I didn't realize either of these truths until after we were there. We had seen a brochure, joined a tour, and boarded a hot and humid train to Austria. Despite the tropical climate in our section of the train, we noticed that people around us would crack their window for no more than 2 minutes before shutting it again. We thought this was some unspoken train-travel policy, and we participated out of assumed courtesy. Our tour guide would later assure us of no such policy, but his time in Germany taught him that Germans fear "catching a chill." I don't buy that generalization, but we made sure to open the windows for the return trip.

Upon arrival, we saw where Mozart was raised, where he was born, and where Julie Andrews taught the children to sing.

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

Caren posing by the Do-Re-Mi steps. Note Helen at the back right, slowing us down by buying a painting. That's right, Helen. We had Florence and Helen for another day.

Below, Chad sneaks a picture of Florence with us:

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

Our Guide: "even if you were illiterate, you would be able to know what the shop sold by looking at the sign above the door. So this one... a lion...." Our Guide was an American in his 30's and had moved to Munich to follow his love. As such, he should have recognized the Golden Arches. His job was mainly to get us there, run over the major points, then release us to roam the city for 3 hours. We used this time to eat, check out the scenery, and browse tourist shops. We didn't bother touring Mozart's birth place or residence, we forfeited Hohensalzburg Fort at the peak of the hill, and the Catacombs of St. Peters Cemetery were closed. Instead, we just took it easy and enjoyed the landscape, the shops, and each other. St. Peter's Cemetery inspired the graveyard scene from TSOM:

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

Stores filled with crates of intricately painted eggs for any season or occasion for God knows why. While I didn't buy much in Austria, thinking back, maybe I should have gotten a carton of eggs. It would have been the challenge of the trip to get as many of them around Europe and back to Dubai... hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. One good thing I'm proud I bought was an Austrian soft drink called an Almdudler.

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

When meeting back up at our meeting point at Mozart's birthplace, Florence was showing off her new oven mitts among other things to a middle-aged couple. She was Helen-less, so we grew concerned.

"Did she ditch her? Has Florence had enough?"

Helen was a bit slow with her cane and her inattentive wandering. We didn't have long to imagine Helen lying in a gutter or abandoned on a cable car before she quickly appeared, happy from buying a hat you'd see on a fly-fisher. On the train ride back, F&H took a seat near our Guide, and we took a seat within earshot. Clearly we had become obsessed to figuring out their story.

"Florence and Helen are sisters, there are 6 of them."
"They just told our Guide he had a great body, he must work out."
"Helen had a treadmill but she doesn't know which of her children has it now"
"Florence just invited our Guide for dinner, and he said 'I think we'll just say goodbye here.'"
They talked our Guide to 'kingdom-come', but he handled it well. A sticker on the bus window advised passengers not to climb out during travel- I imagined our Guide also saw the disobedient stick-man making his escape and fought the urge to follow his lead. The train didn't have life hammmers, as it was improbable for us to derail into a lake.

While the train ride to Austria was spacious, we were cramped in and gave away our adjacent seats to strangers. At one point, a young guy with highly vascular legs sat down between me and Chad + Cathy, making it incredibly hard to look their direction since I cringe at the sight of veins. I mean, they could get pulled out or slashed. Chad made hacking motions with his hand, simulating vein lacerations. Thanks Dad for starting me on compression dress socks at an early age.

From Salzburg, Austria, 2009

Above- following behind our Guide, Florence, and Helen.

We spent one last night in Munich before getting up at 3 AM to head to Spain. That night, we ate at the best Mexican restaurant I have ever been to- "Sausalito" at Marienplatz. If you go to Munich, you have to take a break from sausages and try it during happy hour.


After arriving back in Dubai and sharing that I went to Salzburg, a friend told me he went during a festival for Mozart's birthday. He recounted that the locals living there get exhausted with Mozart as it is, but when the city goes ballistic with banners and pictures and concerts for his birthday, some residents go nuts from the overdose. Be that as it may, I'd recommend the day-trip.