"'Salt City'... and the Sound of Music!" Salzburg by Durfun

The setting could not be better, offering views of the castle of Salzburg, which is on the other side of the river.

The gardens should remind you of scenes from the 'Sound of Music' starring Julie Andrews. There are some sweet & lovely statues in the gardens.

Mozart's residence/museum

You can visit the house of Mozart's birth, and then another house where he lived for several years. Both can be visited as they have been turned into museums.

The streets where both are located are very nice & dainty, with boutiques & stores of various kinds.

*** Do you know Amadeus was a child prodigy, and his father (also a musician) started taking him on tours when Amadeus was very young. He performed in front of Marie Antoinette, who was the only person very kind towards him when he stumbled clumsily. Later, Amadeus said he would marry her!!! If only he had/could (though he was younger) - it would certainly have saved poor Marie from the French Revolution, and her untimely & gruesome demise :(

Kitzsteinhorn - 12 month skiing :)

From Salzburg City, you can reach Zell Am See within one and a half hours. The train route upto there is very scenic and varied, where you see a castle perched high on the mountain, meandering & fast flowing rivers, and soon you'll have the snow-capped mountains in sight.

If you intend to ski at Kitzsteinhorn - the 12 month resort (being a glacier), you will have to change trains at Furth Kaprun. Next board a funky, older-style train with basic wooden seats to reach Kaprun. Then you board a bus that takes you all the way upto to lifts where you can purchase your ski pass, and off you go :)

• Pros:Compact & dainty
• Cons:None
• In a nutshell:Mirabel Gardens, the views of & from the Castle, and Mozart