Salzburg, Austria is famous for two things; The Sound of Music & Mozart.

Austria is famous for three things; The Sound of Music, Mozart, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. 😉

Adolf Hitler should also be on that list, as he was Austrian and not German…but we won’t go there.
But all things Terminator aside… Josh and I were lucky enough to hop a train to Austria for a day. The city of Salzburg is only about 2 hours away from Munich.

Salzburg is something from a dream. 

I am far from the the most travelled person, but I am far from the least as well. And I can honestly say that the beauty of Salzburg Austria trumps Paris, Chicago, Denver, Munich… you name it.

There is something about the light there. The sun doesn’t just light up Salzburg, it kisses it in brilliant waves of illumination. I can’t explain it.

Winter brings with it the cool tones of cold and dreary. But the altitude of Salzburg manages to avoid it.

Or maybe “avoid” isn’t quite the right word either. The city is built into the crevices of the Alps. This photo is literally taken at the edge of a drop off, looking down into the city. The grays and blues of winter somehow collide with reds and oranges of the sun in the most unnatural way, and yet it’s like it’s the most natural thing the earth has ever done. My eyes could not make sense of it, and my camera could not do it justice.

Our trip to Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps incited my appreciation of mountains, but Salzburg fostered a love affair. I am convinced there is nothing more beautiful in this world than a sunset over the Salzburg Alps.

Even as the sun fades away into the luminescence of the stars, Salzburg plays tricks on your eyes.

The cityscape is surreal, more picturesque than any painting I’ve ever seen…and I’ve seen the Mona Lisa in the flesh. Scholars have deemed it one of the most well preserved cities in the world, the region having been inhabited since the Neolithic Era.

If Paris and Rome are so often cited as some of the most  beautiful cities in the world… I nominate Salzburg to top the list.

Salzburg, Austria.

It’s like Germany, only cheaper. It has made me a lover of light and mountains. And I am convinced that only the hands of Mozart could compose a soundtrack worthy of his hometown, and I now understand where the greatness of his work was inspired.

This post partied at Sincerely Paula No Rules Weekend Blog Party and The Ultimate Pinterest Party!