The hills are alive with the sound of Christmas

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lacie Jo Collins
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  The transcendent Christmas lights flickered upon an assortment of holiday cheer as horse-drawn carriages promenaded down cobblestone streets. On this rainy, snowy weekend in November, the hills were alive in Salzburg.

An aggravated buzzing blasted me into reality at 3 a.m. and I wondered what I had gotten myself into by setting an alarm at such an early hour on a Saturday. Then I remembered that Information, Tickets and Travel was allowing me the opportunity to travel to Salzburg, Austria--the setting of the musical, "The Sound of Music."

The closer we came to Salzburg, and the heavier the snow began to fall and the higher everyone's holiday spirit rose. It seemed as if the falling of snow directly correlated to the atmosphere inside the bus. During the Advent season, there are numerous Christmas markets found in the city. There is one in Old Town, one in the Hohensalzburg Fortress courtyard and many other smaller markets found in the alleys throughout the city.

As we walked toward the city center and Old Town market, we started to see lights strung high above the streets and holiday decorations on every cart throughout the square. Then, the smell of bratwurst, gluhwein and pastries filled the air. The market had ornaments, wreaths, gingerbread hearts and so much more. At the end of the day, we had spent our money, walked until our feet hurt and were ready to get on the warm, dry bus for the ride home.

Although this trip was to visit the Christmas market, I realized it was a city that I wanted to visit again when I had more time to explore.

Salzburg is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and it has more than 130 stores which offer endless opportunities for shopping. There are also palaces, parks, museums and exhibitions and even a castle to visit. The city, with its late 16th century Baroque-era architecture, was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world-heritage site in 1997.

Like most large European cities, Salzburg offers a card that offsets the cost for tourist attractions around the city. The Salzburg Card provides free admission to Salzburg's museums, the Fortress cableway, the Untersberg cable car and public transportation.

If you are hesitant to venture through the city on your own, tailored tours based on your length of stay are offered in 18 different languages. There are approximately 80 different tours that cover different interest areas, including architecture, music, culture and nature. If you have children traveling with you, they also have a zoo with roughly 1,200 animals.

Whether you're a history buff, a classical music lover or a shopper, Salzburg has something for everyone.

For more information or to set up a trip with ITT, call 632-3107.