Germany & Austria ~ Part 2

the next day, we made the 2 hour trip to salzburg, austria. since we were only going to be there for the day, we decided to see as much as we could by taking the sound of music tour. it ended up being very entertaining, and we definitely got to see a lot of the city and the surrounding countryside. we saw both houses that were used in the movie, as well as the gazebo and mirabell gardens. then we took a drive out into the country to st. gilgen and mondsee. along the way we stopped for a luge ride, which was sooo much fun. everyone is seated on these little carts, and then you are pulled to the top of a hill on a lift, which is very similar to a ski lift. once at the top, you place the cart on the luge track, and you're off. ben and i shared a cart, and i left him in charge of the brakes. luckily he didn't get too out of control, although i was convinced that we might tip over or go flying off the side. it was tons of fun and one of the highlights of our day. in the town of mondsee, we visited the beautiful church that was used in the film. while in mondsee, ben and i also enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking a grassy field and a beautiful lake. the weather was absolutely perfect, as was the view (and the company!). after the tour, we decided to make the short trip to untersberg mountain for a ride to the summit via cable car. on the way up to the top, we were joined by a guy who was preparing to para glide from the top. once we were up there, we were able to see him find a launching spot, and then saw him floating through the clouds. there was plenty of fresh snow on the top, which we had fun playing around in... ben even took it upon himself to make a snowman. :) while we were waiting for the next cable car back down the mountain, we had tea and mingled with some locals in the restaurant at the summit. that evening when we returned to garmisch-p, we had dinner at a traditional bavarian restaurant- complete with an accordion player and slap dancers. once again we had some bratwurst, and ben had a pile of sauerkraut about as big as his head. oh my. it sure was a lot- but i guess our trip wouldn't have been complete without giving it a try!