2006 retirement tripAustria April 8 to April 11

Salzburg

Monday 10 April, 2006 We had breakfast at the hotel and then took a taxi to Vienna train station. From there, we caught an express to Salzburg station.
1
 Monday 10 April, 2006 This is where we spend today: from the train station at the top of the map into the old section of Salzburg near the word "Salzburg" on the map.
2
 Monday 10 April, 2006 We got to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof at 11:00 and we were due to meet Claus at 12:00.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Jenni spotted him at 11:45. That's German punctuality for you.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 We're standing on the roof of a huge underground carpark. We went downstairs to collect Claus' car.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We then drive from the train station to old Salzburg and park the car in a parking station buried in the mountain. The tower in the background belongs to the Franciscan Church which was built built in the 13th century
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We walk from the car park, through centuries of history, to the historical area of Salzburg.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Some Austrian humour.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 Funny in Austria but meaningless back home so I didn't buy one.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The Salzburg Cathedral is a 17th century baroque cathedral dedicated to Saint Rupert of Salzburg. It is the site of Mozart's baptism.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Near the Cathedral is a large plaza surrounded by cafes and restaurants. We stopped here so that we could chat with Claus.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 Claus is a very handsome (according to Jenni) German. Claus lives in Ulm, Bavaria and drove from there to meet us in Salzburg.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Claus' English is superb, much better than many others whose native language is English. He also writes very well and publishes model airplane articles in English-speaking magazines.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 He is a year older than me, retired, and I've known him since 1984 when we met at the World Championships in Chicopee Massachusetts.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We've stayed in touch over the years and it was great to catch up with him in person.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 This house at no. 9 Getreidegasse is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and lived until he was 17. He died at age 45 of "severe miliary fever".
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 He lived between January 1756 and December 1791. He was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. His 600 compositions include symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 It is the law in Salzburg to designate shops by hanging iron signs over them. This makes Getreidegasse, the main pedestrian street through old Salzburg, quite unique.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Even McDonald's has a nicely crafted sign.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 Buildings are old in this street, but I suspect, a lot like grandfather's axe.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 In Salzburg, you can buy Mozart branded perfume, or . . .
22
 Monday 10 April, 2006 . . . coffee cups, tea sets, plates, beer steins, glasses, salt & pepper shakers, or . . .
23
 Monday 10 April, 2006 . . . etc, etc. Made in China? By happy circumstance, most of it is sized to fit in a tourist's luggage.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 More tables full of Mozarteria. Yes, there is such a word; or at least there is now.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Tables full of Mozart-ware.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 St. Peter's Cemetery is the oldest existing cemetery in the German-speaking world and stands behind St. Peter's Church and monastery, both of which were founded in 700AD by St. Rupert.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We walk up an ancient road to catch the funicular to the top of Hohensalzburg Fortress.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 The funicular. The car coming down only just misses the car going up.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The copper spire on the left belongs to St Peter's Archabbey. The spire and arched roof in the centre is the Franciscan Church built in the 13th century over an earlier church. The church behind that is the Collegiate Church.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Twin spires of the Salzburg Cathedral. The cathedral was partially damaged during World War II when a single bomb crashed through the central dome. Repairs were slow but were finally completed by 1959.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Claus points out things of interest to Jenni.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 Looking along the northern side of the fortress wall.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 On the right is St Cajetan's Church, in Italian Baroque style, with no tower but with a massive dome. The interior has luxuriant stucco decoration from about 1730.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Construction of the fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. The original design was a basic bailey with a wooden wall.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The well dates from 1502.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 We're about to enter the fortress.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Hohensalzburg Castle had major guns and cannons. “Der grob Püffl” fired stone balls of more than 200 kilograms. Each of the other cannons had a name as well.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We climb the stairs
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Interesting sign: 850,000 visitors annually.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 The only time that Hohensalzburg Castle was under siege was in 1525, when rioting protestant miners and farmers formed a coalition with some patricians of Salzburg and forced the Archbishop to flee into his fortress.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The fortress was surrendered without a fight during the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 After the Napoleonic wars, when Salzburg became part of Austria in 1816, Hohensalzburg Castle served as a prison and an army camp.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 During the early 20th century it was used as a prison, holding Italian prisoners of war during World War I and Nazi activists (before the Anschluss with Germany).
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Monday 10 April, 2006 It was refurbished in the 20th century and became a major tourist attraction, with a funicular built in 1900, leading up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 It stands today as one of the best preserved castles in Europe.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 With a length of 250 meters and a width of 150 meters, it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 .
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Monday 10 April, 2006 One thing we found interesting within the castle was the torture room. The wheel has an iron edge and would be dropped on legs to break them. Confessions would shortly follow.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We work our way to the very top of the castle and are met with some magnificent views. After a lot of searching, I find that this a retirement home on Karl-Höller-Straße on the opposite side of Fortress Hohensalzburg away from the river.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 To the left is the Collegiate Church. The Kollegienkirche was built between 1694 and 1707 for the local Benedictine university founded in 1622.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The outer limits of the fortress grounds.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 Looking to the rear of the fortress.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 No she's not on a mobile phone. She's listening to the conducted tour.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The fortress is an assemblage of around 50 rooms.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Closeup of the cathedral tower. The Salzach River flows in the background. Salzburg means salt town; salt was very important centuries ago to preserve food.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 Instead of taking the funicular back down to the bottom, we decide to walk using the ancient pathway.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 In fact, it's not so ancient because this where the delivery trucks drive up to deliver supplies to the restaurants and businesses at the top.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 The castle looks very imposing from the base.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 To our left are the spire and the dome of St Peter's Catholic Church, and behind and to the right of us are the twin towers and the dome of the Salzburg Cathedral.
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Monday 10 April, 2006 It was only about 10-12° today hence the winter woolies.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 That's the Salzburg Cathedral behind us.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We're nearly at the bottom of the pathway to the bottom and we find a beer garden. The spires of St Peter's Archabbey are in the background. This is probably the best picture we have of the abbey.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 We return to the car and Claus drives us to our accommodation for the next two nights. It's in a little town to the northeast of Salzburg called Eugendorf (pronounced 'Oi (as in oink) - gendorf).
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Monday 10 April, 2006 And here it is - the Gasthof Alpenblick. We LOVED it here.
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 Monday 10 April, 2006 Our pension (guest house) is a short drive from Salzburg. We've had a great day with Claus but I have to say, the number of churches, cathedrals, abbeys, monasteries, castles, etc. is getting to be a bit much.   END OF THE BIT ABOUT SALZBURG Next stop Eugendorf in the Alps.
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EugendorfNext: Eugendorf ViennaPrevious: Vienna
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