27 March 2009

Salzburg Day Two


I love Salzburg! What a great city! I would consider moving there if I wanted a change of pace. It doesn't hurt to have a great host to introduce you to it. Here are the rest of the photos.
I could try to relate all of the facts I learned, but I will keep it simple. That way, there is the added benefit of not embarrassing myself if I get something wrong.

I've never seen so many easter eggs in my life. This was just one part of the store: it was full!


Birthplace of Mozart. I didn't go inside because part of it was closed off. Next time!:

The fountains were covered for the winter, so I could only photograph the top(s):

Elwood & Jake:

This was the sign outside of Peter-Paul's bathroom (tee hee hee):


This crest appears throughout the city. I think it represent an Archbishop or Prince Archbishop from Paris from the year 1628(?) but I can't remember the name. This one was on the edge of the Dwarf's Garden, which was unfortunately closed. It's a part of Mirabelle Gardens with statues of Dwarves in it, of course. Apparently, it used to be fashionable in wealthy families to have a dwarf; kinda like a jester. Also, when we were at this part of the park, Peter-Paul explained how part of the old fortification used to stand here. The city had excellent fortification back in the day. And it worked really well!

Salzburg used to be one giant lake surrounded by swamps. Then at some point they channeled the river. Most of the buildings along the river are (relatively) modern as a result.

The town gate. Apparently they used to put decapitated heads on it to let visitors know they mean business. They stopped this in 1988. (Just kidding!)
Also, this is a popular place for committing suicide. Sorry to be so morbid.

This used to be horse stables, but it was converted into either a part of Salzburg University or the Festival House. I can't remember...

This was one of my favorite places. It is a graveyard (behind the monastery?), but there must be a better word for such a quiet, beautiful spot.

There is a small domicile carved into the rock where the monks used to go to be alone. Unfortunately, you need a guided tour to go inside.

The picture is dark, but you can see part of the old fortification on the hillside:


Another fountain-top:


We went to several gorgeous cathedrals, but most of my photos didn't come out because I didn't want to use a flash:


The ceiling inside of one of the converted university buildings. The kind of thing I would've never seen without Peter-Paul as my host:

I wish I could remember every fascinating fact, but that would be impossible. If anything comes back to me, I will update the captions. So that was it for Salzburg. :( The next morning I had to leave very early to get the car back.

On the way home, I passed the Chiemsee. My GPS made it look like there was a bridge over it, so I was totally shocked to pull up to the shore so abruptly. The weather was bad. It felt like being by the seaside because the waves were so choppy:

In summation: the whole trip was really enjoyable. Better than expected! I met great new people in Berchtesgaden & Salzburg, I negotiated my hotel bill in Bad Reichenhall down from 60 to 39,50 Euro using only German, and I had many memorable drives along the way. All is good with the cosmos! I can't wait to travel again! This is living!


Salzburg Day One

This was my first day in Salzburg. I went to the Mirabelle Gardens while the sun was still shining, which was nice. Then I went up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, but by then it started getting cold and windy. After that, the best part of my trip started which was when I met up with my host, Peter-Paul.

I got in contact with him through Couch Surfing.com. He was the BEST! In fact, now that I'm going to be hosting people too, I feel intimidated by the example he set. I could not possibly be as good a host as he was. I started reading more about the history of Füssen so I can be about 1% as knowledgable as he is about Salzburg. He was a fountain of fascinating information! Every step was filled with another fun fact. He thought I was bored with it, but no way! It was the best way to see the city. I saw and learned about so much in that one afternoon. It was outstanding. I feel completely satisfied with my entire experience in Salzburg. There's no better way to travel!

The following photos were from the first day, so the captions are scarce because I didn't have the benefit of Peter-Paul's company, but the next entry will hopefully be a bit better. We'll see how much I can remember.


Salzach River:


Mirabelle Gardens:





On the walk up to Hohensalzburg Fortress:





Hohensalzburg Fortress: