2013 has been quite the year for me. Since my assignment in Germany, I get to see all the neighboring countries. So I decided to head to the country of Fraulein Maria, Swarovski, Beethoven and Mozart.
I first took a halt in Vienna to admire the city that attracted the greatest musicians of all time. My first impression on Vienna was that it looked sophisticated, as it was full of opera houses, music halls and cathedrals. Next we proceeded to visit the Schoenbrunn Palace. It is called a visitor’s delight, as it is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria, and a UNESCO world cultural heritage site.
My guide told me that the water here directly comes from the mountains. So it is safe to drink, and even the toilet flush uses the same mountain water. I noted down this piece of vital information, as I got clear about a whole new level affluence. To me, it was like using Evian or Bisleri to flush toilets in San Francisco or Mumbai.
Five hours away from Vienna is the city of Salzburg. Since I was in Austria, I thought it would be a shame if I missed this iconic destination. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, this was like once in a lifetime kind of an opportunity. I was going to see all the places where the movie Sound of Music was shot. So I boarded a coach and was driven across the green Austrian farmland onto dramatic topography of the rugged Austrian Alps.
On my way into Salzburg, I stopped at the quaint town of Mondsee where the Captain got married to Maria in the movie. I noticed a few Sound of Music tour buses parked, and it made me wonder what a world phenomenon this movie still was. People all around me were going absolutely crazy about this tour.
As we entered the city of Salzburg, my heart started beating faster. It was on hills with tons of accompanying greenery. The weather was pleasant (windy, cloudy and so romantic) that it reminded me of my good old San Francisco. Anyone can fall in love in such a setting.
Leave a Reply