after missing the train last wk, i stayed up all night to make sure i wouldn't miss the next one at 6:45am... that sucked, but sleeping is overrated, right? anyhoo, the train ride from zurich to salzburg is awesome. in zurich a bunch of japanese tourists (i kid you not) hopped on the train and they chose to sit in my car. there was no sleeping on that route! it was a sea of little asian people w/visors, hats, cameras and fanny packs. sorry no pics - just know it was hilarious watching them!
saw lots of mountains and villages along the way...
after arriving in salzburg i got a map and proceeded to get lost. i am such a good navigator! well worth the walk tho cuz i got a great view of Festung Castle.
eventually i crossed the river and found my way. after checking in, i proceeded into old town (a whole 5 mins away from where i was staying) so i could get an up close view of the castle...Festung Castle was built in 1077 and is one of the largest preserved castles in central europe. it's amazing! they have a funicular that takes you up since it sits above salzburg and i of course HAD to ride it. from way up there, you get the most amazing views of salzburg.
after getting over the dizzy feeling of being so high up, i eventually walked towards the stairs and made my way inside.
in addition to being a tourist spot w/restaurants and cafes, they also host concerts here in the summer.
found this cart-type thing w/a big warning sign that said not to take it for a ride, or so i assume that's what it said in german...
tho had i chosen to ignore the sign, i would have gone down this track and straight back to the sidewalk below.
more photos inside the castle walls...
on the other side of the castle is this mountain, the same one used in the Sound of Music when they were escaping to switzerland. hollywood lies! germany is actually on the other side...
after taking in the entire place i decided to head out. and since the weather was so nice, i walked down instead of taking the funicular. i had no idea how long this would actually take.
here's me starting out...
still walking...
and walking some more...
think it took about 25 mins to get down. it was slow and hot and there were a lot of stairs involved. felt uber bad for the folks that wanted to walk UP to the castle...
one of the nice things about being up so high is getting a good view of where you want to go next. this building is the Salzburg Cathedral.
on one side is Kapitel Platz where they were hosting sand volleyball earlier that day.
on the other side is Residenz Platz. don't ask me why there's an upside down helicopter there.
this building is Residenz, a gigantic palace used by prince archbishops til the 19th century. it has 180 rooms and 3 courtyards. just think of how long it would take to clean this place.
continued down the street...
and walked some more...
and w/o realizing it i came to Getreidegasse, which is a popular shopping area (and now i understand why!). apparently Getreide means cereal, but i couldn't find any cereal here.
it's also where Mozart's birthplace is located. sadly i spent so much time in the castle, i didn't have time to go in to really enjoy it before they closed.
so to make up for it, i went to the cafe under it and bought myself some ice cream...mmmm...ice cream...
lots of really nice cafes in this area w/live music too.
and at the end of the street is St. Blasius...
and next to that is Festspielhauser (i think it is??? forgive me ellen if i'm wrong!). place is too big to fit in the picture.
and on the other side was this. julie - i immediately thot of kara. go figure.
at this point i started to get hungry so walked back into the center of old town to find something to eat. came across a grocery store and decided to stop in for some bottled water. in my hunt for water i found a rack almost completely filled gummies!!! did i mention i was hungry?
no worries, i didn't eat gummies for dinner. i didn't even eat anything austrian...sad, i know! i was really hungry so i found a nice little irish pub and ordered a cheeseburger (officially the 2nd time i've eaten meat since arriving), fries, and a beer. doesn't get much more american than that! gained 3 lbs just eating so i wandered thru Mozart Square on my way out for the evening.
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