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We love Vienna and plan to return before another 46 years slips away. I last visited in 1979 with my sister Laurie during our ill-fated backpacking trip around Europe. It would take far too long to explain why I consider the trip “ill-fated,” but let’s just say we were novice travelers who had never been outside the U.S.—and we made almost every mistake possible, yet somehow lived to tell the tale.

Vienna was one of the few highlights of that trip, and I’ve always wanted to return. It stood out because Laurie knew Shannon Votava, a college friend spending the summer in Vienna with her family. That connection gave us a place to stay and a local guide. Prior to Vienna, much of our time had been spent simply trying to find a place to sleep—sometimes on a train station bench or in a public park. We were lost at sea in Europe, and Vienna was a friendly port in the storm.

We hadn’t kept in touch with Shannon over the years, so imagine our surprise when Laurie ran into her at pickleball last year. Turns out, Shannon owns a home in our Arizona community. Small world.

Vienna is incredibly clean, with stunning architecture, excellent public transportation, and a rich history. It was a distinct country centuries before its neighbor, Germany. We toured the royal apartments of the Habsburg Empire and learned about Empress Sisi—a tragic story of an “accidental Empress.” The young heir to the throne was supposed to marry Sisi’s sister but fell head over heels for Sisi instead. A storybook wedding followed, along with some happy years, but eventually Sisi became disenchanted with royal life. Her appearance, behavior, and weight were constantly under public scrutiny. She left court life for years and ultimately lost her life to an assassin’s knife. I couldn’t help but see many parallels between Sisi and Princess Diana—being royal is not such a great life after all.

Vienna is also a musical destination, with classical concerts, a world-class opera, and the Vienna Boys’ Choir. My own musical tastes lean more toward rock and country, but I can enjoy the occasional classical concert. Kelly, on the other hand, loves classical music and always jokes that I’m “taking one for the team” when I join her. Still, we both enjoyed a beautiful string quartet performance at Mozart’s house—where Mozart himself once played.

One of my favorite activities—eating—was well catered to in Vienna. We took a fantastic food tour that included pastries and coffee at a Viennese coffee house, followed by Wiener schnitzel, local beer and wine, grilled sausages, and a stop at Vienna’s favorite ice cream shop, Tichy. Kelly and I had already had an ice cream lunch at Tichy the day before—Shannon had introduced me to it back in 1979, and it’s been on my list ever since.

After three enjoyable days, we left Vienna for Salzburg, just a short two-hour train ride away. Sixty years after The Sound of Music, Salzburg is still closely tied to the film—at least in the eyes of American tourists. Austrians don’t quite see the attraction, but they’re happy to embrace the movie that draws millions to the city every year. I’ve heard it still plays nightly at the local youth hostel. We didn’t take a Sound of Music tour, but the famous sites from the movie can be found throughout the city. The city itself is beautiful, with its hilltop castle and charming old-town streets. Hillside beer gardens offer wonderful views—and some very tasty beer, too.

We took a city bus to Hellbrunn Palace, built 400 years ago by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. The palace is most famous for its trick fountains. Apparently, trick fountains were all the rage 400 years ago. It was an impressive display of early engineering—water-powered scenes and statues, hidden sprays that surprise guests (including one dining table with water jets for every seat except the Archbishop’s).

Salzburg is also the home of Red Bull, the energy drink, and its late billionaire founder. He left behind a museum showcasing his collection of planes, motorcycles, and Formula 1 cars. It’s free to enter, and a must-see for F1 fans and curious tourists alike.

We had hoped to take a cooking class and came across the Edelweiss Cooking School. Unfortunately, they only had an apple strudel class available—not too exciting. However, they were also offering a dinner experience that promised a sampling of local cuisine paired with wine and beer. That sounded promising, so we signed up.

On the evening of the event, we arrived at the school and explained we were there for dinner. The response? “Are you here for the beer tasting?” Not exactly. After some back and forth, we were directed next door—apparently, we were there for the beer tasting. Not quite what was advertised.

Still, it turned out to be a lovely evening. We were joined by two staff members: a young man from Boston who now works as the beer buyer for Aldi in Salzburg, and a young woman from Istanbul who spoke fluent English and served as our chef for the evening. No other guests arrived, so we ended up having a private dinner with our own staff of two. Despite the absence of wine (this time Kelly took one for the team), the food and beer were excellent, and the conversation even better. Our beer sommelier had a degree in philosophy, and our chef had a degree in psychology—proof you meet the most interesting people over dinner (or at a beer tasting).

After Salzburg, we cut our trip short and returned to the States. We had planned to spend the next two weeks in Prague, Brussels, and Bruges, but received word of the sudden death of our nephew and needed to be with family.

Travel takes us far from those we love, but they’re always just a plane ride away. When you need to get home, you can.

This will be the last blog post for a while. I’ll write again when we return to the road. Until then, take care—and hug your loved ones.