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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Day 21 - AT

Cookie says...
Heading back to London this evening but still got time to do a few things and the hit list included a Sound of Music Tour, a cable car up the Untersberg and hanging around town i.e. maybe another time-lapse...


Waiting for the tour dude to arrive


Checked out and the tour operator picked us up from where we were staying and it turned out that we were the only ones doing it and offered to drop us off at the cable car which saved us some time. The tour was good. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the movie (Austrian's deny it musical status and I'm told it's banned due to containing Nazis). Anyway, we saw the stuff around Salzberg that was used or real to the true story as the tour is more about the Von Trapp famil more so than the movie. Also listened to some original recordings including a rendition of Waltzing Matilda which the guide thought was an English folk song. A bit of yank bashing didn't go astray either...


Stopped off for some more strudel too :P


After the tour we went up the mountain in the cable car and then hoofed it to the top up some slippery and steep slopes in the snow. Neat views though and it was nice to be out in the sun in the cold, quite refreshing.


Seems Hasselhoff has his own Aldi stores


Before heading to the airport we stopped in the town to try for some more time-lapse but it wasn't too good so much to Julie's relief, I pulled up stumps. Did a small amout of souviner shopping (a tea towel for me) and grabbed a snack and some hot chocolate. We walked for a fair bit in the freezing cold (sorry Julie - her hands were red from the cold!) and we found a bus to the airport. Made it to the aiport and checked in and waited for the plane.

Flight was ho-hum and after landing in Stanstead, we trained it to Liverpool St Station and for a station at 12 in the night, damn it was busy! Did some more walking and I swear it was Julie's revenge. Found this hotel in Brick Lane and got into the room. Wasn't the best of inns however at 1 in the morning, you don't care where you're sleeping.

I'll tell you something weird though, it feels like I've forgotten something...

Julz says...
Well, Valentie's Day arrived with a distinct lack of any present for me, but I won't hold that against Cookie for too long :)

The Sound of Music tour was great! I was worried at the start about Cookie sleeping through it all, but once he got talking politics with our guide, he was all good. And, as always, strudel lifted his spirits and sustained him through the many Julie Andrews CDs the guide played for us.





Hike up the Untersberg was interesting in a lack of snow gear, but I was quite proud of myself to reach the top and not have fallen in the snow (even though I must have looked incredibly out-of-place). As a non-snowboarder, I can now understand its attraction, as the snow and view was amazing.


Final afternoon in Salzberg and yup, the time-lapse made its 4th consecutive appearance. But, as Cookie stated, it was abandoned in favour of me keeping my fingers safe from frostbite, which I am eternally grateful for. Final strudel and hot chocolate in Salzberg, short trip to the airport, some small child vomitting next to me in the line to check in, and we safely waved goodbye to Austria.

Arrived in London hungry and tired, and had to walk way too far for the next hotel (no Cookie, I didn't plan that on purpose). Please sleep, come and claim me, this much travelling is way to exhausting!

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