Salzburg

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My stop after Vienna was Salzburg. Salzburg has been high on my list of stopping places after I found out that my grandpa was stationed there during the Korean War. It was a beautiful city to visit, situated in a large valley between the mountains. My first day was just spent walking around the city and exploring. I stopped in the Salzburg Dom, which is the cathedral, and admired its beauty for a while. I also wondered around a few squares and into St. Peter’s Church and Abbey. I also took a walk through the Mirabell Gardens and saw where they shot multiple scenes of the Do-Re-Mi Song from the Sound of Music. Of course being in Austria, I had to stop at a café and have a drink and some cake and I made my stop at the Wernbacher Café. To wrap up my first night, I prepared for the next day by watching the Sound of Music that my hostel showed every night. My second day was started with a Sound of Music Tour. We saw some of the different sites where the movie was filmed and were also told some of the Hollywood dramatizations that were made. I saw the famous glass gazebo, along with the front and back of the “Von Trapp Villa’, two separate homes. The best part of the tour was when we left Salzburg and ventured into the Lake District just outside the city. The numerous lakes, surrounded by the mountains, left one speechless. It was some, if not the most beautiful scenery I have witnessed on my time here in Europe. These were places where I could stay all day just looking out over the land. The people that live there are incredibly lucky. After my tour made its way back into Salzburg, I decided to climb up to the Salzburg Fortress that used to be a residence and fortress for the Prince Archbishops of Salzburg who ruled the city until the mid-1850. The fortress definitely explains why Salzburg was never captured by enemy forces except when they surrendered on their own accord. After my little hike, I did a little window shopping before ending my second day in Salzburg.



My third day in Salzburg was only a half day. In the morning, I decided to hike a little mountain in Salzburg just to prove to myself that I am out of shape. The nature was very relaxing though and some of the views I was afforded were really good. After my hike, I walked the city one last time and saw the residence and birthplace of Mozart before relaxing in the Mirabell gardens. After this, I had to gather my things and go to the train station so I could catch the train to Freilassing where I would meet up with my German friends from Ireland just on the other side of the border. This sums up my time in Salzburg, a beautiful city that is the definition of charming!

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