Palaver: Fortresses and Fleas

(Monday, 9/26) Ernie and I are sitting in the Munich airport waiting for our flight to Berlin that is already 1-1 2 hours late. Is it us?

Meanwhile, back to our chosen adventures . . .

The day after our train trip to the castles we once again boarded a train for Austria - Salzburg to be exact. No problems with the trip this time -- just a little long (2 1/2 hours). It was still better than driving a car; not only much cheaper but also more relaxing. The train ride itself was like a tour through the Bavarian Alps. We passed villages, farms, the rolling foothills with everything looking a rich green. The mountains were impressive. Nice ride.

View of Salzberg

Old Salzburg is a walled city that survived intact through many wars until WWII. Some of the buildings were destroyed but many were remaining. Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace so the shops are all things Mozart, including Mozart square with a huge Mozart statue. We ran into a festival that was going on in the square and local families were having a fun day. The old church (also at the square) was having a flea market where the guys all found something to buy. It was cool being with the town people. I wish we could have taken pictures of the older men we saw dressed in fine quality Bavarian clothes and looking so classic (and classy). There is a fortress overlooking the town. We climbed a daunting number of steps to reach the fortress then decided we didn't want to pay to go in. But the view from there was worth the climb. Nick found the cutest sweater for Iliana with a big eidelweiss knit into the front. Nick found a Bavarian hat for Collin just like grandpa's. I was glad Nick got to see Salzburg because it really had the feeling of old Europe.

The train ride back was not as relaxing as the ride out. There was an extremely loud group of Germans drinking beer and playing Uno, of all things. It must have been the best game of Uno ever because they cheered and laughed at everything (with gusto). It was kind of nice seeing people having such a good time, but not in our ears for two hours please.