The Hills were Alive

We picked up Erik at the Vienna airport, and our party was complete! I'm pretty sure Rob was very glad for Erik's company so he didn't have to be the only man accompanying 6 bossy females.
Austria was a little rainy and wet, but the weather didn't stop us from enjoying lots of great food like authentic wiener schnitzel from Wien (Vienna), potato dumplings (kartoffelkloesse), and lots of delicious sauerkraut.
We took advantage of a little break in the rain to see the Schonbrunn Palace, the Hapsburg family summer home. It's a huge, sprawling complex with rooms full of ornate, intricate artwork and sculpture. Even the floors were beautifully decorated with really complicated inlaid wood designs. If anyone's planning a trip to Vienna, I would definitely recommend stopping here!
After a few days in Vienna, we drove to Salzburg and watched the Sound of Music to prepare for a day of movie-sightseeing.

We're really excited about doe, a deer, a female deer....

And ray, a drop of golden sun.

Salzburg is also where Mozart was born and raised. They have his old house set up as a museum, displaying his instruments, compositions, and family portraits. Although Mozart was recognized as a child prodigy, his dad was quite the taskmaster. He took Mozart and his sister on performance tours through Europe that lasted for multiple years. I'd say all that hard work paid off in the end though.
My 80-year old Grandma was such a trooper! We stayed in hostels for much of the trip (b/c some of us are on tight budgets), and Grandma didn't complain once....even when one of our 8-person rooms felt like we were sleeping in a submarine!