*sings * The hills are alive/ with the sound of... waterfalls?
No, actually, the hills where alive with the sound of music (but also waterfalls; will explain in a bit!)– we drove from Petronell-Carnuntum to Zell in the Zimml Valley, but on the way we got to stop at Salzburg, which is of course the setting for the “Sound of Music” film. It was a short stop – four and a half hours, but it was a lovely time. The town is split with a river of rushing water – the kind with a glacial aqua color that makes you think blue.
I went around with a couple of girls from the tour group that are really keen on the SoM (Sound of Music) and we made up our own tour which took us all about Salzburg. We admired the views, found the Abby that Maria belonged to, danced through the gardens and sang – a lot. I wonder how sick the locals are of the SoM – after all, I'm sure we are not the only ones who trot through Salzburg singing “Doe, a deer, a female deer...”
I got to try some of Em-J's pretzels – they where the size of a small bread plate and sooo yummy! I tried a choclate covered one and one strudel-like one that had apple and saltanas twisted through it. They where sooo goood! *drools * I also had a Mozart Ball, but didn't like that at all. Ick! : p
We all piled back into the coach after that brief stop-over and drove onto (quickly popping in and out of Germany) the Zimml Valley and the Austrian Alps.
Words fail me – how can I even begin to explain the majesty and wonder of these mighty mountains? I can try though!
Wreathed in clouds, the mountains are cloaked in a royal robe of rich evergreens. They are a picture with a tapestry of velvet grass, weathered wooden chalets, tumbling crystal streams and docile cows. Twisting roads add detail as they slip in between the pines and the tiny villages perched at the foot of these craiggy peaks. The alps loom above you, swallowing you into their shadows. Last but not least, the hand-set jewels; fresh white daisies, sunny yellow buttercups and dandelions that dot the meadows patching the vallley sides.
In the middle of all this wonderful creation that just reflects the maker's beauty we set up camp. The next morning saw us cruise up the shoulder of the mountain to the Kimmler Wasserfall.
It was a two hour hike up and down – a sheer climb that left us all breathless and not just at the view (oiy, my achin' back... -a- ), but it was worth it.
The glacial water tumbled over the rock seem that split the mountain side like a horse's tail streaming against the storm. Spray misted our faces and the bellow of rushing water filled our ears as we looked down through the sky-scraping pines to the bottom of the valley that spread out like a broad river of grass, houses poking up ans interupting the flow.
So, that's the account of the last two days – today has just been a nice 'free' day; the more keen-beens of our group (myself included) went for another walk (which really was a hike) up the mountainside to a small chapel an hour or so a way. Icecream (apple for me - ^_^) on the way back, then sitting around playing Avatar: The Last Airbending on someone else's DS (Thank you LilLu!).
The sun has finally peeped over the mountain tops and through the constant grey clouds that have been accompaning us – so hopefully we'll get a little bit more of the heat before we pack up and leave tomorrow.
Signing off once again,
b. >_<
