Salzburg, Austria

I am so excited to visit Salzburg! I am definitely the one who put this city on the list and I have to admit, my main reason for doing so is the movie “The Sound of Music.” I have loved the movie since I was a kid, when my little sister and I would perform all of the songs from the movie together in our living room. After watching the film time and time again, I decided that I had to visit the beautiful city of Salzburg one day. I have heard several times that the movie is purely an American thing and while “The Sound of Music” tours are offered in Salzburg to please American tourists, the movie isn’t a big deal to Austrians and other tourists visiting from around the world. While I would like to say that I am not going to be the typical American tourist singing and searching for every sight from the classic movie, I know that’s just not going to be possible. However, I am still very excited to see and appreciate what Salzburg has to offer apart from one of my favorite movies.

Salzburg is also the birthplace and former home of classical composer Mozart, who was born in Salzburg in 1756. Many sights around the city are related to Mozart’s life and music. While at first I was picturing Salzburg as a city swarming with Mozart fanatics and “The Sound of Music” lovers, the more I researched the city I realized that I think I am going to enjoy Salzburg even more than I originally planned. Pictures of the city look even more beautiful than I remember from the movie and the history in Salzburg goes much farther back than Mozart’s days.

In addition to The Sound of Music tour, which yes, we will spend one of our days in Salzburg on, here is a list of other top sights we plan to visit:

Hohensalzburg Fortress – Also known as “Salzburg Castle,” this castle/fortress (not quite sure exactly which one it is, looks more like a fortress to me) is the most dominant feature of the city’s skyline. The fortress sits above Salzburg offering great views of the city below it. It also features a couple of museums, but I am more excited to explore it and check out the view.


Hellbrunn Palace – Known for its gardens, "trick fountains" and the famous gazebo scene from “The Sound of Music” where Liesl sings “16 going on 17."


Hellbrunner Allee – I hope to take a walk down this charming alleyway which connects Salzburg with Hellbrunn Palace. Also off of Hellbrunner Allee is Schloss Frohnburg Palace, which was used for the exterior shots of the Von Trapp residence in the movie.


Salzburger Dom - The city's beautiful cathedral and one of Salzburg's top attractions.


Mozartplatz Square – A memorial to Mozart in the heart of the old town of Salzburg. Since I am not quite sure if we will have time to make it to the birthplace of Mozart, I would at least like to see the statue of the composer which stands in the middle of the square. Also in the square is the Salzburg Museum which exposes visitors to the history, arts and culture of Salzburg.

Residenz Palace - Once the palace of the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, now a magnificent palace open to the public in the old town of Salzburg.

Mirabell Palace – The palace is famous for its flowers and gardens, for fellow Sound of Music lovers, Mirabell gardens is where Maria and the children sing “Do Re Mi” on the steps of the garden, around Mirabell's famous fountain and run through a hedge tunnel.


Before we leave Salzburg we will have to try a "Mozartkugel" or a "Mozart Ball," a delicious dessert made of pistachio, marzipan and a nougat core coated in milk chocolate. These treats are extremely popular in Salzburg!


And of course, after we have the chance to visit a German beer hall in Munich, we will have to visit an Austrian beer hall in Salzburg to compare! I hope to visit Müllner Bräu, or the Augustiner Brewery which is supposed to serve Salzburg's most delicious beer!


For more information on what to do and see in Salzburg, Visit-Salzburg.net has a lot of great information and is where I did most of my research on Salzburg!

Munich, Germany

After our time in Italy, we will head into Germany. I am especially excited to visit and plan Munich, the capital of Bavaria which brings to mind beer, the beautiful Alps and Oktoberfest. I don’t know much about the city of Munich, but nearby are some places we’ve always wanted to visit. Because our interests will put us in the heart of beautiful Bavaria, it only makes sense for us to also explore the cultural and historical city of Munich while we are in the region for three days.

Day 1 - Explore Munich

We will kickoff our time in the capital of Bavaria with a visit to the oldest church in Munich, Peterskirche (St. Peter’s Church), a 13th century gothic church in the heart of the city.

From there we will head to the nearby Viktualienmarkt, an open-air market known as the “stomach of Munich” with its fresh produce, wine, meats and cheeses.

We will stop by and check out Odeonsplatz, Munich’s most beautiful square near the Residenz (Royal Palace), which I am anxious to see.


If we have time we will visit the grounds of the historical 1972 Olympics, now known as Olympiapark.

We will spend the evening in one of Munich’s famous beer halls, I would really like to get the Bavarian beer hall experience at Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, which holds 4,500 singing and shouting beer drinkers. From there we will head out to experience Munich’s eclectic club scene.


Day 2 – Neuschwanstein

I am extremely excited to visit Neuschwanstein, Mad King Ludwig II’s fairytale castle, which is a two-hour trip from Munich in the medieval town of Füssen. The castle overlooks Füssen in the picturesque Alps and was built in the 19th century by the mad King Ludwig. The majestic landmark is known as the inspiration for the castle featured in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and for its role in the classic movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”


Day 3 – Dachau

We will spend our last day in Bavaria visiting Dachau, the Nazi’s first concentration camp. We really want to visit a concentration camp and since Dachau is only a 45-minute trip outside of Munich, this is the perfect opportunity. Dachau, which operated as a concentration camp from 1933-1945 is now renovated and preserved as a memorial. Two barracks remain to give visitors insight into the once horrible conditions at Dachau, which also now features a museum.


For more Munich travel information, Frommer's guide to Munich is a great resource!

And as always, suggestions are invited and welcomed!

Naples and Capri, Italy

After Lisbon we will be heading to Spain and then into Italy, getting into Chelsie and Chelsea’s planning of the trip. Chelsea studied abroad in Spain so we’ve decided she is going to plan our time there and Chelsie studied in Italy so she will be taking care of most of our time in Italy. However, none of us have ever been to or know much about Naples and Capri. My aunt and uncle spent their honeymoon visiting the Amalfi Coast and have told me how gorgeous it is. After seeing pictures, I’ve always wanted to visit Capri and the more I hear about Naples, the more interested and curious I become about the city. When I first brought this up to C and C, they were a little hesitant because Naples seems like it is so far down there! I’ve heard its only a two hour train ride from Rome, but it seems so removed and different than most of the places in Italy we will be going. I’ve also heard so many contrasting opinions on Naples, I don’t really know what to expect! But, I think that’s all the more reason to go. Italy is one of the destinations we are most excited about on this trip, so why not get a feel for a totally different region of Italia???? And besides, Naples is the birthplace of pizza! How could we not?

Naples

Also referred to as "Napoli," we will only be spending a day here before heading to Capri. I’ve heard Naples is the kind of place you either love or hate. It gets a bad rap for its corruption, congestion and of course the Mafia. Yes, all pretty bad things I suppose, but yet some people say its their favorite place in Italy! Why? Well there’s the….

Pizza! Napoli is the birthplace of pizza and I have heard it is amazing here. There are even rules in Naples governing how pizza in this city shall be made! I’ve decided we will be eating at Da Michele Pizza, the world famous restaurant mentioned in the book “Eat, Pray, Love” that started serving pizza in 1870! They only serve two kinds of pizza, Margherita and Marinara and I hear they are both Benissimo!


We will also visit The National Archaeological Museum of Naples. One day won’t leave us a lot of time for visiting sights, but I’ve heard this one is a must. We also won’t have time to make a day-trip to nearby Pompeii, so we can get a feel for the ancient Greek and Roman roots of the area by visiting this museum filled with ancient artifacts, many excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

We will have to make a stop at the Duomo, Napoli’s most famous cathedral.


Most importantly, I want to get the feel for Naples by wandering through the city’s historic center, stopping at sights that interest us and taking a break to enjoy a cappuccino and a sfogliatelle, a clam shaped flaky pastry filled with sweetened rictotta cheese. These sweet treats are a staple in Naples and I am already excited to try one!


Capri

We will take a ferry from Naples, which will be about an hour and half ride and will surely include some incredible views!


There are two towns on the island of Capri, Capri and Anacapri. I am just going to go ahead and plan on us staying in Anacapri, which is located on a plateau above the town of Capri. I say this because it is less popular with tourists and therefore cheaper. But, it actually sounds better to me because it is quieter, more relaxing and includes some amazing views since it sits above the lively town of Capri. Also, since the island is so small, it’s still not very far from the excitement below it.

While on the island we will have to take the chairlift up to the top of Monte Solaro where we will enjoy the amazing views. Another must is to take a boat trip to the Grotta Azzurra, the legendary blue grotto, a cave which reflects blue light that illuminates the cavern and must be entered by rowboats of two to three passengers.


I think our two days on the island will be about relaxing from the craziness of our journey while we enjoy a limocello and simply enjoy the Mediterranean feel of the island with its abundance of lemon and olive trees, flowers and scenic views. The island is supposed to be easy to explore by foot since it is only three miles long and offers many hiking paths. We will take advantage of this by doing some hiking and enjoying the natural beauty of the island. Of course, we will have to spend one night experiencing the famous nightlife of Capri!