Belletrist: Salzburg: Mirabell Gardens

Mirabell Gardens with a view of Festung Hohensalzburg

Our first morning in Salzburg, we awoke to fresh snowfall floating down from the sky between the pastel colored buildings on Wolf-Dietrich Strasse and onto the cobblestone street. Christopher had been asking to play in the snow since we had whisked past snow-covered fields on the train from Munich, so after breakfast, we headed to Mirabell Gardens so he could frolic in the white powder.

Mirabell Gardens is probably one of the most iconic and scenic spots in Salzburg. It was the setting of the famous "Do-Re-Mi" scene in The Sound of Music and provides beautiful views of the Festung Hohensalzburg in the distance. Historically, it is the site of a palace built by Archbishop Wolf-Dietrich Raitenau for his mistress and mother of his 15 children, Salome Alt. Archbishops were not allowed to marry, but his relationship with Alt was lifelong. The palace was later rebuilt into a larger home for subsequent archbishops. Now, it serves as public offices as well as a concert and wedding venue. The surrounding gardens are seasonal and feature both marble and bronze statues of mythological people and creatures.

One of my favorite parts of the garden, which hold the stone statues of numerous dwarves of different occupations, was closed. I was disappointed that Matt and Christopher couldn't see it, but in looking for another entrance, we found a playground that had been constructed since my last visit in 2003. After some play time and a brisk hike back into the gardens, we warmed up in the adjacent orangerie, a tropical hothouse and turtle fountain located on the side of Schloss Mirabell.

The famous Pegasus fountain

I was ambushed! The Von Trapp family was inspired to sing and dance in the gardens, but the Langford family shared many laughs tossing the new-fallen snow.