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Published: March 1st 2010
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Golden Cobblestones
Memorializing a family that lost their lives in the holocaust Yesterday morning I took the fast train from Munich to Salzburg (a little less than 2 hours) and enjoyed beautiful scenery. On arrival I had to sort a hotel room and get there, all very do-able and easy. By noon I was settled and scoping out where to get laundry done😊.
Spent the afternoon getting the lay of the land and planning what I would like to do while here (other than housekeeping things).
Started the next day with clean clothes and a hearty breakfast, then headed to the fortress on a hill overlooking the city. The visit starts with a very fast tram ride up, a guided tour of the fortress and access to the various museums up there. It was an interesting place (and good value) and before I knew it 3 hours had passed.
A further wander around the old city confirmed to me that Salzburg is a pretty little place, but quite 'sanitized'. It is very expensive, geared to (wealthy) tourists, and at the same time there is little readily accessible information that I could find. It wasn't bad, I am glad I went, but I much prefer any of the other places I
Salzburg
Crossing the bridge to the Old Town have visited on my journey so far.
Remember my Munich entry where I noted that in Germany they are starting to memorialize individuals who lost their lives in concentration camps during the holocaust by installing golden cobblestones with their names and where they died? This is an effort to personalize the losses, or make them more real - it is difficult for most of us to grasp a loss of millions, but we can better understand or relate to individual names. It somehow makes it more real to those of us who have had the good fortune to not be directly touched by war. In Salzburg while wandering I found a young family remembered this way, in front of a building that would have been their home at the time. I wiped off the stones and took a photo. Some quizzical looks, but I was happy to have noticed them - and I would have had no clue what this was about if I hadn't visited Munich and participated in the walking tour there.
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In Salzburg I stayed at the Hotel Goldenes Theatre and it was definitely the highlight of my visit there. The staff were very
friendly and helpful, the rooms are charming and very clean, excellent breakfast and an internet terminal for use in the lobby. Extremely good price as well (which may have been due to off season again). It is not located in the old town but having been there, I cannot imagine why to stay in the old town. It is across the river and maybe a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Aldstadt. Around the corner is a laundry (the staff will give you directions) where you can either drop off laundry for them to do for you, or use the machines yourself.
Down the road but before you get to the bridge to the old town (near the Gablerbrau actually) you will see a sandwich-board type sign for Pepita's. This is a hole-in-the-wall eatery seating about 15, not on the main street. Follow the signage and you will be rewarded with great food at very good prices, prepared and served by the very friendly owner/operator husband and wife team.
A caution: Salzburg train station was undergoing pretty significant renovations when I was there, and there were no escalators or elevators or ramps available. This means that if
you have mobility issues or are travelling with lots of luggage you will need to plan ahead. It looked like they had some sort of contraption they can put in place on an as needed basis, but you will have to plan ahead. It doesn't look like this construction will be completed anytime soon, so head's up if you are travelling to Salzburg in the coming months.
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