Our river cruise stopped in Linz (think Linzertorte, a busy industrial town, and we went by bus to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart. It is a beautifully preserved city, with a city center that has no autos, only bicycles and carriages. To call it spotlessly clean would be an understatement, although it’s full of tourists like us. Our guide was a charming woman who knew every last detail of “The Sound of Music.” She told us what the movie got right, what it got wrong. For example, when the Trapp family hikes off into the mountains to escape the Nazis, they were heading towards Germany! Oops, wrong direction. And of course, we had to see the beautiful church where Captain Trapp and Maria were “married.” Like so many churches in Austria, overflowing with beautiful ornamentation. We went to a beer garden for lunch, where we had weisswurst and beer. There are no high rises in the center, and the houses all look as though they were painted yesterday.

By the way, higher education is tuition-free in Austria and Germany but students must pass an exam to enroll.

Salzburg