Throughout our trip, we have taken a series of short day trips to cities or towns, usually as we pass from country to country. One of my most favorite stops was made in Salzburg, Austria, where we spent a few hours when crossing from Munich to Vienna. Salzburg is best known as the setting for The Sound of Music, as well as the birthplace of Mozart. We didn't have any formal class meetings or tours here since we were only staying for a short time, so we got to explore a bit and this is what I wound up doing:
1. Took lots of photos of the gorgeous landscape as we neared Salzburg! Can't you already tell that these hills are much more alive than ordinary?
2. Staying with my theme of past adventures, I decided to scope out two churches in the small town as well.
3. Looked at all the touristy shops and trinkets. There were a lot of artists lining the street, and one of the booths had really pretty watercolor paintings.
4. Watched an intense game of super-sized chess play out. I've got to admit, it was pretty neat to see this big of a set in real life and also watch these guys play. Salzburg was certainly not lacking in entertainment, either: there were also several musicians, street performers, and even horses to keep my fleeting attention occupied.
A full fledged band on the left and a solo electric violinist on the right.
The ogre on the left was creepy, and the performer on the right was clearly magic!
Horse kisses, another Salzburg Kodak moment.
5. Took a tram to the top of the hill to explore the fortress! This way by far my favorite part of Salzburg, and perhaps my first truly picturesque moment of the trip.
The fortress as viewed from mid-hill
A few attempts at photographing the tram tracks..it was a steep incline!
This view speaks for itself!
The fortress was full of strange doors, nooks, and crannies: this particular door was just asking for a photograph, being about 5' off the ground and all!
6. Ventured around the fortress.
Surprises inside the fortress: a showcase of medieval torture devices and a puppet museum. Both a little creepy in my book.
Another fun thing to do at a fortress: play a medieval child's game of throw rings at a unicorn! On a side-note, the three rings pictured were picked up off the ground and placed on the horn after I missed three times in a row.
7. Admired the cute ducks and their little house at the end of the fortress stairs, another must do at every decent fortress
8. Rested our feet and fed unruly stomachs at a cute cafe called Cafe Tomaselli
The right is Austria's version of cheesecake, which is actually filled with gelatin! Another weird surprise of the day.
All in all, it was a fantastic little city to be able to experience for a few hours! Viewing the city from above was an incredible and breathtaking experience that definitely remained in my head for quite some time afterward. Salzburg--who knew?!
No comments:
Post a Comment