salzburg: details from a city

   

I've been to Salzburg twice before (1, 2), but seem to keep on going back -- this time because when I asked Ann what her hopes and dreams for the Grand European Adventure were, Salzburg was at the top of the list. We didn't get our acts together sufficiently to go on the Sound of Music tour (sorry, Ann!) but we did visit Mirabell Gardens and see the steps with the unicorns that the von Trapp children dance around in the movie at the end of "Do Re Mi", and went on an ultimately successful but roundabout search for the Sound of Music house that led us past the pond of the rare Austrian flamingos. We also acquired Dirndls -- Ann's first, my second. I sincerely hope to get to wear it in a Bavarian wedding sometime; as it is, I'm going to be alternating between my two Dirndls for every Halloween for the rest of my life . . .