7/2/2011 Raitis by Mutters (ie i found out where "near Innsbruck" is), Austria 22:00

Things seem to be getting earlier and earlier. we left at seven this morning for salzburg. our first stop was Hellbruin. this schloss is famous for its water gardens which often squirt unsuspecting guests. it also has beautiful regular gardens where the sound of music gazebo happens to be. pictures were taken and memories made. after finishing up at Hellbruin we went deeper into the city and picked up some sandwiches for lunch on the way. we went to mozart's home and his birthplace. it was fascinating to learn about his life. we then went up the hill to hohensalzburg, the castle/fortress of the city. it was very cool to learn about its history and see the view from the top. there were also a couple museums with old artifacts. the most out of the ordinary exhibition is the marionette museum. it was interesting to see how much went into the business. we took our leave of the castle and went down to a square where we did a little window shopping and a little real shopping. delicious pretzels were definitely involved. We then went to mirabel gardens and enjoyed the beauty there. (the gardens are also a filming site for the sound of music.) We walked back downtown to get there before six to hear the glockenspiel in the tower play. it was rather amazing actually. it repeated a few times before ending. next we went to a high terrace to see a panorama of the city. it was breathtaking. everything had basically shut down by this point of the evening, so we drove back home, stopping for dinner at a gas station. interestingly, to get from innsbruck to salzburg, you drive across a corner of germany, and supposedly their highways don't really have speed limits all the time. at one point in the passing lane we got up to 189 kph (that's roughly 117 mph), and we were not gaining on the car in front of us. it was cool, but a little scary. it was a long drive, and everyone came home tired.