Europe 2016: Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is a 2-hour train ride from Munich, so when I decided to come here, it was top on my list to see. I was not disappointed! Maren helped me plan my trip in terms of transportation in Munich. I took a bus around the corner from her apartment to the East Munich Train station, and then with a Bayern (bavarian) ticket, went to Salzburg. The trip is 19E each way and a Bayern is 23E and covers all transportation until the next morning. It's well worth it.

Before I left I got a check-in reminder for my flight. After a moment of panic (or a few) I realized that I had changed my mind from the 6pm flight and instead booked a flight at 10:20 to have a half a day more with my friend's family in Stockholm. That does mean that Dachau is out, ironic as I decided I would go, but apparently it's not meant to be.  Perhaps another trip to Munich to explore more of Bavaria is needed.

I easily found the right platform for the train and the ride went quickly. Salzburg is very beautiful. the architecture is amazing and a lot of attention went into details with the buildings. I didn't plan for much here as I had planned to use my phone to research as I went, and of course, since my internet isn't working, I'm limited there. I did manage to find a hot spot in Austria for a bit and that helped.

My first stop was to the Fortress overlooking the city for some great views. Ironically, as I left I realized that I had taken pics of the city from there, but no pics of the fortress! oops. It's a large white structure that sits over the city and is quite striking. I took a bus to the central town then meandered through the streets, managing to find the funicular. A quick ride up, ticket in hand and I started the tour. It was interesting and talked about the rulers who built up the fortress and the uses for it over the years.

I went down after a bit and wandered around the old town, looking at the cathedral and meandering through the maze of streets appreciating how many people were playing Mozart's symphonies on violins. Turning every corner opens to more beauty. I saw a place called Tomaselli, which was recommended by someone in a forum I read so I decided to try it. I got a prosecco with Aperol and a sacher torte, a well-known Austrian favorite pastry. I had one once and didn't like it but thought it worth trying again. Well, it was ok enough but I still didn't favor it-- glad I tried it though.

I wandered a bit more then did a tour of the house Mozart was born in. I don't know much about him so it was interesting! I decided against going to Mozart's house (how much more would I learn?) so I took the bus back to the train and returned to Munich. I think I spent around 5 hours and it felt like a good amount. I hopped on the train and heard 'nicht Bayern'.. uh oh. I got off and asked someone and was told that train doesn't take Bayern tickets but another leaving ten minutes later does. I'm not sure of the reason, but easy enough to solve.

I got off and decided to see Assam Church. The outside is exquisite but unfortunately the inside was closed due to a service. Maren said it's amazing inside and I read so as well-- another reason to return, perhaps. :) I wandered back to the apartment and Maren was home, so we decided to head out to the English Garden. On the way there we stopped to see the memorial to the White Rose group. It was students at LMU, the Ludwig Maximillian University who were reported by the facility manager for having anti-Nazi materials, and they were all killed. The memorial is a sprinkling of their materials and pictures of them put under a clear cover, and it appears that they fell there as they were left. Apparently inside the main building at the school something similar happened.

We went over to the Park and walked around a bit. There is a fun little 'river' flowing through and a ton of people in various states of dress (or undress, as the case may be.) There is an area with a high current where people surf, and I took some fun videos of that. It was interesting to see. There was a huge group yoga class of many 250 people, which was impressive.

We then went to the Chinese pavillion and to a bier garten next to it for a traditional dinner. Yum! I wish I drank beer but I do like the gruner veltliner wine. :)

We made our way back and had so many things to talk about. I'm so glad I stayed here.. I will admit that I wasn't so sure about renting a room from someone and not having my own private place, but it worked out so well. She's a wonderful person and I'm really enjoying her, and hope to stay in touch.

So, up fairly early tomorrow to make my way to see my friend and her family. I'm so excited!
s