For our second weekend with Perry and Linda, we decided to head to Salzburg, Austria. We made the drive through beautiful vistas, arriving in Salzburg in mid-afternoon. It didn’t take long into our trip to catch Dana in the act. We had been in Salzburg for approximately 7 minutes and 47 seconds when the following photo was taken.
It didn't take long for Dana to wander off...
The first day we primarily wandered the city taking in the major sites. One of the highlights is the Salzburg Cathedral because it provides a bit of a “Da Vinci Code” moment. Looking at the church, you’ll notice two cherubs holding a golden crown. At first they are a bit odd, but if you back up into just the right spot…
The Cherubs crown the Madonna statue
As you can see the cherubs are actually crowning the statue of the Madonna, which is set out in the courtyard in front of the church. Below is a closer shot.
A Close Up of the Coronation
The interior of the church is also very nice and the ceiling was pretty incredible. I was able to convince Perry to lay on his back in order to get this shot. He was promptly told to say 10 hail marys before being thrown out of the church by a fairly burly nun.
The Dome is like a Kaleidoscope
As we continued around to the backside of the church, we noticed this man. With the crowd gathered round, we thought he was a potential jumper. Shortly afterwards, we were informed that Salzburg is actually powered by a new technology. This man is required to run—much like a hamster in a wheel—to power the city. He is allotted frequent breaks, and was in the middle of a break when I snapped this photo.
Don't JUMP!!
From this same square, we were able to view the castle and a historic car wash. We’d eventually walk to the top, and take in the incredible views of the city.
Ancient Car Wash (for horses)
Once atop the castle hill, the beauty abounds. We stopped for a good measure to take in the sites. Dana was able to wrestle the camera away from me just long enough to snap the following photo.
The beauty abounds!
As our panoramic continues around, we catch a glimpse of Perry and Linda.
Taking in the sites
I’m not 100% certain, but I believe the following photo should seem familiar to all of those Sound of Mus-iacs out there. What I do know for 100%, is that I took this photo of Dana, Linda, and Perry and the castle is in the background.
The Calls take on Salzburg
Day two of our stop in Salzburg included a “Sound of Music” tour. Christian, our thrill seeking adrenaline junky tour guide, informed us that the water was emerald green because of all the minerals. We told him about the Chicago River being green on St. Pattys day because of all the dye. He told us Americans are crazy.
The emerald green water was such a sight
At some point during our tour, I busted Dana window shopping… yet again.
Busted her again
Our tour of the area was a great way to see some amazing sites. Our tour guide proved to be very knowledgeable and a fairly good driver. This is important to note because at one point we were driving on a two lane road that was just wide enough for one car with a sheer cliff on the side. I told Christian that Austrians are crazy.
Along our tour we stopped for some good ole slalom runs. Definitely one of Dana’s favorite activities. Predictably, one lap of the track wasn’t enough and she opted for a second lap round the track.
waaaaAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!
And Perry wasn’t too far behind her. After ribbing him for not being able to catch Dana, whose mass is less than his, he informed me that the starter had held him back, thus he was unable to catch and de-rail Dana.
Two hands? Hell no. FIST PUMP!
With our tour pretty much complete, we stopped for a quick snack and coffees. Our view was okay…
Our view during snack time
The following day we headed home, but stopped at a pretty awesome Salt Mine. Probably the funniest moment of the trip was seeing Perry in his coveralls. He elected to wear his “European-styled carry all” inside of his coveralls, making him look rather jolly. Despite this, the highlight of the salt mines were clearly the two wooden slides. Just sit together as a group, keep your feet up, and smile for the camera. Unfortunately, my large cranium blocked other faces within the photos—sorry guys. At the end of the tour, we posed for a Beastie Boys inspired photo in our coveralls. Maybe Perry or Linda will email it to me so that I can post it here. All-in-all, a pretty great visit from the Call family.
Oh, and Perry, Katarina says, “Ciao!”
