Well, we’ve left the Adriatic beaches of Croatia for the mountains of Austria. After a day of driving through Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria, we finally arrived at our destination of Salzburg, on the German-Austrian border. This turned out to be a town that took us completely off-guard. We originally planned to spend the night and then continue on. But one night became two, then three, and then four. It should have been a lot more had we known what we’d find, a problem we may have to remedy in the future. Have I used the phrase, “my new favorite town!”, yet? I still stand-by the last time I said that about Rovinj, Croatia, but will have to modify it to, “my favorite summer vacation town”. Salzburg on the other hand, is the type of town Angie & I would love to live. We made the most of having a car and explored all corners of the town. Surrounded by the Bavarian Alps, the Austrian chalet architecture dominates, and everyone makes sure their chalets and yards are perfectly manicured with flowers everywhere. In Salzburg (population 150,000) you can be on a quaint farm with animals and green pastures and yet be only 5 minutes from the center of town. The old town is loaded with old world charm and the city landmark, Festung Hohensalzburg Castle, can be seen from way beyond the city limits. But if it’s modern amenities you need, the shopping mall, sports facilities, and public transportation are all state-of-the-art. There are so many things we loved about this town and it’s just too hard to explain without experiencing them firsthand.
Salzberg is also popular for a couple other things. First it’s the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was born here in 1756 and quickly began composing music at the ripe age of 5. Today every store in town sells something to do with Mozart. Another tourist attraction is the numerous sights around town from the filming of “The Sound of Music”, but more on that in another post.
The photo above is the massive Fetung Hohensalzburg, one of the largest castles in Europe. It was constructed in 1077 by the archbishop, who since the 9th century were the rulers of Salzburg. Below is the Salzburg Cathedral.
Getreidegass was old Salzburg's main street. Today it's the main shopping area with each business displaying a wrought iron store sign overhead. Even the McDonald's has one!
This is Mozart's birthplace, today a museum of course.
Hellbrun Castle was built in 1613 by the Prince-Archbishop, as a place to entertain during the summer. What makes the castle unique is the hidden water jets located all over the grounds. Apparently the archbishop had a sense of humor and conceived numerous water tricks, but he always left one dry spot in each area for himself to stand (which is where the tour guides stand today). As you can see, the kids never found any of those dry spots.
A donkey at one of the farms we stayed.
The typical house/farm in Salzburg.
Some of the local music students playing in the square.
The photo above is the massive Fetung Hohensalzburg, one of the largest castles in Europe. It was constructed in 1077 by the archbishop, who since the 9th century were the rulers of Salzburg. Below is the Salzburg Cathedral.
Getreidegass was old Salzburg's main street. Today it's the main shopping area with each business displaying a wrought iron store sign overhead. Even the McDonald's has one!
This is Mozart's birthplace, today a museum of course.
Hellbrun Castle was built in 1613 by the Prince-Archbishop, as a place to entertain during the summer. What makes the castle unique is the hidden water jets located all over the grounds. Apparently the archbishop had a sense of humor and conceived numerous water tricks, but he always left one dry spot in each area for himself to stand (which is where the tour guides stand today). As you can see, the kids never found any of those dry spots.
A donkey at one of the farms we stayed.
The typical house/farm in Salzburg.
