I love these ornate signs in the Altstadt of Salzburg

Note that one of them features golden arches!

Another "Sound of Music" site

This is the fountain around which all the Von Trapp children and Maris (Julie Andrews) danced and sang in the Mirabel Gardens.

Schöne Salzburg

Although Salzburg, Austria, gained its original fame from its salt mines in the days when that was more precious than oil is today, since 1965 it's known mostly for one thing: "The Sound of Music." Here I am at the gazebo where Liesl and Rolf dance and sing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." We all tried recreating the scene, but nobody got it quite right!

The highlight of our visit to this amazingly beautiful city was a trip to the "lake country," including a stop at the cathedral where the wedding scene in the "The Sound of Music" was filmed. Austria has got to be one of the most unspoiled countries in the civilized world. It's just breathtakingly lovely. I could live here!

A word about the $$

It’s rather alarming how the dollar is crumbling over here. The euro and the British pound are now both worth about $1.50, and it is generally reflected in prices, i.e., something that we would pay about a dollar for will cost you about $1.50 here. That adds up over a two-month trip. I had a small pizza and one glass of wine and a glass of water (for which I must also pay) at a neighborhood restaurant last night in Rome, and I ended up spending about 15 euros (about $23). When you can find wi-fi available (which Peter calls “vee-fee”) it will cost at least 5 euros per hour. That adds up fast! I was here in Europe when the euro first was rolled out – at that time, it was worth about 90 cents. How things have changed! I don’t see any reason for it to change for the better. Peter has mentioned that the euro doesn’t go far in Australia, where he is moving. It’s difficult to know where Americans can travel anymore where the dollar goes at least as far as it does at home. The world is definitely changing.

A word about walking in Europe (especially Italy!)

Because of the crazy drivers, walking down the sidewalks or across the streets is taking your life in your hands. The sidewalks are narrow and thick with pedestrian traffic; the streets are narrow, jam-packed with everything from tiny Smart cars to gigantic tour busses such as ours. Don’t ever step off the curb in anticipation of a green light. Also be aware that the green light usually lasts about 5 seconds then turns yellow. Move fast and be aggressive. Cars and, especially, motorbikes will edge forward to intimidate you. He who hesitates gets smashed. It’s quite a system, but it sort of works. Peter says that Italian traffic “laws” are really just suggestions. I concur.

A word about our coach driver

If you sit up front near our coach driver, Peter, you get an earful about traffic conditions, crazy drivers and arcane customs of the road in various countries. It’s terrifying to sit in the front of the coach and watch how close we come to other vehicles. As we were driving to our hotel in Paris, the two men in a compact car next to us started screaming at Peter for moving into their lane ahead of them during stalled traffic, even though he was doing nothing illegal. They were so close to us that the passenger was able to reach out his arm and pound on the side of our coach while cursing at us! The driver got out and walked up to Peter’s side window and started shaking his fist and yelling. Peter didn’t even look at him. He just laughed.

A word about guides

Almost all the guides we’ve ever had on Eurospring have been so impressive for their knowledge of history, culture, languages and geography. Also, I find them to be incredibly observant, both of the needs of groups and individuals, and the environment in which we are functioning. It’s like a complex dance they must do to lead 30 people down busy city streets, find a spot in which to gather, speak just long enough to keep us informed but not so long that some get bored and to continually watch for changing conditions. Most of the guides we’ve had over the years have been women. Apparently, this is typical, especially since most students of world languages are women. Not sure what it means, but it’s a curious fact.