LeighAnna - Salzburg

 In The Sound of Music, Maria explains to the reverend mother why she was late getting back to the abbey, saying: "The Untersberg kept leading me higher and higher as though it wanted me to go right through the clouds with it." 

This was certainly how I felt when we rode the gondola up the Untersberg mountain here in Salzburg. I was enjoying the view of the city below us and the rocky mountainside, when all of a sudden everything went white as we entered the clouds. For a moment that was all we could see, until we broke through on the other side and suddenly we were in the Alps! We could see mountains poking up through the sea of clouds for miles all around, and we saw clear blue sky and sunshine for the first time in weeks. It was absolutely incredible. When Powell said we were going to ride a cable car up a mountain, I was expecting maybe a cool view of the city in the valley below. I wasn't expecting it to feel like we left the city behind completely, especially when it was only a 25 minute bus ride! Being up above the clouds really made it feel like we'd entered another world.

There was a path up there so we could walk around and explore, parts of it were really steep but most of us eventually made it up to this big cross at the summit. It was so refreshing to be in nature and in the sunshine. We've all been feeling a little tired and burnt out as we approach the end of the trip, and for me all the cities are starting to blend together, so this was a nice change. 

There was a plaque up there for a man named Peter Erber, who died in an avalanche. In addition to his name and the date it said, "He thinks the hunter is a sinner because he never goes to church in the green forest. A look at the sky is better than a false prayer." I thought that was really interesting and profound. I do find that being in nature is a spiritual experience, and that quote was especially fitting in a way since we had also gone to Catholic mass at Salzburg Cathedral that morning. 

I had a wonderful time in Salzburg, it was a great last hurrah for an all-around spectacular trip!